Demon Slayer: After raising Shinobu, I died in front of her.

Kanae walked over and took out the gift she had prepared in advance: "This is the gift that Shinobu and I bought for you today."

Tamayo looked over and saw a fan and a sachet. She smiled and said, "Thank you, I like it very much."

"Then we'll be going."

Ling Chuanche spoke up.

Everyone turned to leave.

Before leaving, Tamayo quickly walked to Lingchuan Tetsu's side and, using her sleeve as a cover, quietly slipped a bamboo tube into his hand.

"Mr. Che, please accept this." Her voice was very low.

Ling Chuanche frowned slightly: "You don't need to do that anymore. I'll go out and find it myself."

Tamayo gently shook her head. "The flesh and blood of those evil spirits outside are ultimately unclean, and their effects may not be as good as mine."

Lingchuan Tetsu lowered his eyes and said sincerely, "Ms. Tamayo... thank you."

"It's alright," Tamayo replied with a gentle smile.

……

After leaving the courtyard, Lingchuan Tetsu did not rush back, but instead went back to find Ubuyashiki Kagaya.

"My lord," he said in a deep voice, "now that the Pillars no longer require my special training, may I be allowed to go out and carry out missions?"

Kagaya Ubuyashiki looked troubled and gently advised, "Teru, the main problem is that we don't have concrete information about the Twelve Demon Moons yet. Our current team can handle the other Lower Moon demons. Why don't you wait a little longer?"

He knew what Lingchuan Che was worried about, so he added, "Don't worry too much. Didn't Miss Tamayo say that your special constitution might be able to suppress the backlash from the markings?"

Ling Chuanche stroked the heavy bamboo tube inside his sleeve through the fabric and sighed, "Hurry up, my lord."

“Hmm.” Kagaya Ubuyashiki nodded. He understood that, given the nature of the Cangzhu, it was already the limit for him to stay in the barracks for so long without going on missions.

After parting ways with her lord, Shinobu finally couldn't resist approaching Ayakawa Tetsu and asking curiously, "Master, what exactly was in that bamboo tube that Miss Tamayo gave you just now?"

Ling Chuanche casually made up a story: "Oh, some medicine."

Ren rolled his eyes speechlessly: "Master can't lie, this tastes the same as the one you brought back before."

Kanae, who was standing nearby, looked over and asked softly, "Is it Tamayo-san's flesh?"

Ling Chuanche was silent for two seconds, then nodded frankly: "Mm."

"What?!" Shinobu was immediately dumbfounded.

Lingchuan Tetsu continued his nonsensical ramblings with a straight face: "Miss Tamayo was worried that I would encounter danger outside, so she specially prepared these. If I am seriously injured, I can swallow her flesh to become a demon and save my life."

Ren was so shocked by these words that he was speechless.

Miss Tamayo... she actually cut off her own flesh to give to her master?!

How did she endure that kind of pain?!

"Bear it." Ling Chuanche looked at his shocked young disciple and said earnestly, "Miss Tamayo is a very good person. You should learn from her and understand."

Killing demons with medicine is only a temporary measure; in the future, there will always be demons that your medicine can't kill. Miss Tamayo's understanding of demons far surpasses that of ordinary people, so once you go, you must behave properly, understand?

“I’m not a child anymore, Master.” Shinobu suppressed her surprise and nodded seriously. “I know what to do.”

Ling Chuanche finally smiled. A weight was lifted from his heart. It seemed he no longer needed to worry about Shinobu.

He turned to look at Kanae. Seeing her master looking over, a gentle, serene smile immediately appeared on Kanae's face.

Ling Chuanche sighed inwardly.

Unlike Shinobu, Kanae never talks to me about her problems; she always silently bears everything on her own. I must find a way to help Kanae improve her strength. We absolutely cannot allow a second time to happen to her in such a perilous situation with Upper Moon Two.

……

The night was deep and quiet; everyone was fast asleep.

Kanae came to the back mountain alone.

She was surrounded by huge rocks.

She took a deep breath, activated her breathing technique, and swung her Nichirin Blade, hacking at the hard rock again and again.

Ten minutes, thirty minutes, an hour...

The blade struck the rock, sending sparks flying.

Kanae finally stopped moving, her whole body already soaked in sweat.

She collapsed to the ground, looked at her calloused, trembling hands, gritted her teeth, and stood up again.

We must become stronger!

We can't always rely on our master!

She wasn't sure if her master would still be around in the future, so she had to be prepared to take on anything at any time and absolutely couldn't let her master down again!

She wielded her knife tirelessly until the first light of dawn appeared in the east, and the sun was about to rise. Only then did she drag her utterly exhausted body home.

It was just dawn, and everyone was still fast asleep. Kanae quickly washed up and then tiptoed into the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

Hearing the noise inside the house, Ling Chuanche put on his clothes and came out.

"Why are you up so early?" he asked.

Kanae, who was cooking, turned around and said softly, "I can't sleep."

Ling Chuanche stepped forward, wanting to take the spatula from her hand: "Go back to sleep for a while, I'll do it."

Kanae paused for a moment, then burst out laughing: "Master, are you really coming?"

Ling Chuanche froze in mid-air.

When they first arrived, he tried to cook for them.

However, the cooking skills were definitely not what one would call "delicious".

After all, before taking on apprentices, he had no requirements for food and drink, and was only concerned with "being able to eat and not starving to death". He had never learned cooking skills.

After everyone tasted his cooking once, Kanae never let him step into the kitchen again.

“It’s okay to skip a meal once in a while, but you should also make sure you get some rest.” Ling Chuanche tried to salvage his master’s dignity.

"I'm not tired, Master. I haven't been on any missions these past few days either." Kanae smiled as she put the spatula back into the pot. "Besides, how can we not eat? Shinobu and Kanao are still growing."

Ling Chuanche didn't say anything more.

As his mentor, his words at home are indeed not as effective as Kanae's.

Chapter 83 New Disciples

After breakfast, a crisp knocking sound suddenly came from outside the courtyard.

Kanae stepped forward and opened the door, where she saw a boy with a sunny face and a bright smile standing straight in front of the door.

"Hello! I'm here to see Lord Cangzhu Lingchuan Che!" The boy's voice was loud and clear, filled with undisguised enthusiasm and vigor.

Kanae tilted her head slightly, finding the face somewhat familiar, and asked softly, "Who are you?"

Before the boy could answer, Lingchuan Tetsu's calm voice came from inside the house: "Kyojuro is here. Come in."

"Yes!" Kyojuro Rengoku replied loudly, then looked intently at Kanae, "Miss Kanae, the Flower Pillar Butterfly, I've heard of your great name. You are very powerful!"

Kanae smiled gently. "Thank you for your compliment. Your master is waiting for you inside. Please go in."

"Ok!"

Rengoku Kyojuro strode into the room and immediately saw Ayakawa Tetsu sitting at the table, waiting for him. He instantly suppressed his smile, walked solemnly to Ayakawa Tetsu, knelt down respectfully, and bowed deeply.

"Lord Cangzhu."

Ling Chuanche looked at him calmly and said indifferently, "Come with me."

After saying that, he got up and led Kyojuro out of the house.

In the courtyard outside, Shinobu and Kanae stood side by side, watching the two figures disappear into the distance.

"Sister, what does Rengoku Kyojuro want with Master?" Shinobu asked curiously.

Kanae recalled the recent upheaval in the Rengoku family and sighed softly, "If I'm not mistaken, Shinobu, it seems we're going to have another junior brother."

"Huh?" Shinobu blinked in confusion. "But I remember that the Rengoku family never takes on apprentices, right? Doesn't their family have its own swordsmanship tradition?"

"Who knows..." Kanae murmured softly, then turned to Shinobu and instructed, "You have to report to Ms. Tamayo today, so go early. I'm also taking Kanao to the Butterfly Mansion."

"Then I'm leaving, goodbye sister."

"it is good."

Kanae stood in the courtyard, watching Shinobu skip away, then turned her head and looked at the house where Ayakawa Toru was, her eyes becoming deep.

Master has always been a man who prefers peace and quiet, and rarely takes on disciples willingly. He took her and Shinobu in because they were homeless; he later took Sanemi in because he was all alone. He never easily accepts anyone as his disciple. But now, Master seems to have become a different person, taking the initiative to accept Rengoku Kyojuro.

Kanae slowly clenched her fists, her eyes slightly moist.

Master... Are you worried that we will encounter danger in the future, so you want to train powerful companions for us in advance?

……

A gentle breeze rustled through the trees on the training ground behind the mountain.

“Kyojuro, you are using Flame Breathing. I can’t teach you anything about breathing techniques; all I can teach you are combat skills in actual battle.” Lingchuan Tetsu stopped and turned to look at him.

Kyojuro Rengoku abruptly straightened up, his eyes burning with fierce fighting spirit, and replied firmly, "Yes, Master!"

"Call me teacher," Ling Chuanche said calmly.

Kyojuro was taken aback, then lowered his head: "You don't want to accept me?"

“No,” Ling Chuan Che explained, “Kanae and the others call me master because everything they know is taught to them by me. You have already learned the breathing technique, and all I can teach you are some combat skills, so you don’t have to be like them.”

"Yes!" Rengoku Kyojuro shouted solemnly. But where Ayakawa Tetsu couldn't see, he secretly clenched his fist.

Teacher, I will definitely earn your approval and make you acknowledge me as your disciple!

......

"What? The master has taken on another disciple!"

Sanemi Shinazugawa, who happened to run into Kanae at the Butterfly Mansion, was quite displeased after hearing Kanae mention that morning that Kyojuro Rengoku had gone to see Toru Ayakawa.