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

Uzui Tengen yawned halfway through, his mouth still open, unable to close.

His eyes widened, his gaze darting back and forth between Ling Chuanche and Ren. His expression shifted from shock to disbelief, finally settling on a blank look as if he were seeing things.

Sanemi Shinazugawa, who had been keeping his eyes closed, suddenly opened them.

The scars on his face contorted as his expression changed, and his brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly.

He stared at Ling Chuanche's retreating figure, his eyes filled with complex emotions—shock, helplessness, and a hint of knowing that "I knew this would happen."

Giyu Tomioka stood in the corner, his expression still as indifferent as ever.

But his gaze shifted slightly and landed on Ren's face.

He was silent for a moment, then nodded very slowly, almost imperceptibly.

Sabito stood beside him, a faint smile playing on his lips.

He didn't speak, but looked at Ling Chuanche's back with the gratified look of an old father who had finally seen his daughter get married.

Yan Zhu Beiming Yu Xingming clasped his hands together and muttered incantations.

Kyojuro Rengoku's eyes shone with an astonishing light. He straightened his back, a bright smile spreading across his lips, as if he had witnessed something truly celebratory. His gaze fell upon Toru Ayakawa, filled with admiration and blessings.

And patience...

She bit her lip, and a blush quickly crept up her face to her neck, even turning her ear tips bright red.

Even she felt a little embarrassed by Ling Chuanche's actions in front of so many people.

She looked up at Ling Chuanche and saw that his expression was calm and composed, as if he wasn't the one who had straightened her clothes in front of everyone.

Suddenly, I understood something.

They've been together a lot lately, but no one outside knows what's happened to them. And Master deliberately chose this location and this time today…

Ren understood his intention at that moment.

He wasn't unaware of the need to avoid suspicion. He deliberately failed to do so.

He was using this method to tell everyone about their current relationship.

As Lord Ubuyashiki Kagaya watched this scene, he couldn't suppress the smile on his lips.

He coughed softly, breaking the silence of the room.

"Alright, now that everyone's here, let's begin."

His voice was gentle yet powerful, like a spring breeze brushing across the water, pulling everyone's thoughts back to reality.

Ling Chuanche stood up and returned to his seat.

His gaze swept over Shinobu, and the moment their eyes met, Shinobu quickly looked away, but the smile on her lips was impossible to hide.

The meeting proceeded as scheduled.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki's gentle voice echoed in the courtyard, but everyone's minds were clearly no longer on the meeting.

Kanae turned her head slightly, glancing at Ayakawa Tetsu beside her out of the corner of her eye, and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Master, is my idea okay?"

Ling Chuanche stared straight ahead, his expression unchanged, and only uttered a low "Not bad" from his throat.

Kanae's eyes instantly curved into crescents, and a smile appeared on her lips: "Hehe."

……

Kagaya Ubuyashiki, seated at the head of the table, realized that the meeting was clearly not going to continue. Since there was no urgent military situation recently, he simply sighed softly and announced gently, "That's all for today. Meeting adjourned."

As soon as the words were spoken, none of the people bowed and left immediately as they usually would.

Everyone's eyes were drawn to Ling Chuan Tetsu and Kocho Shinobu as if by a magnet.

The courtyard was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Ling Chuanche calmly stood up.

Without the slightest hesitation or awkwardness, he naturally reached out and firmly grasped Shinobu's hand in front of everyone.

Their fingers were intertwined, leaving not a single gap.

Then, he turned around, his gaze sweeping calmly over everyone present, and announced, word by word, in a deep and steady voice:

"We're together now."

Simple, direct, and brutal.

There was no preamble, no warning, and no euphemism.

These few words were like a bombshell dropped into a still, stagnant lake.

With a loud "boom," everyone's rationality was shattered.

Even though everyone had a premonition, and even though they had just seen him straightening his collar, no one expected that Ling Chuanche would say it so bluntly and without reservation in public!

Couldn't you at least have taken a step back and discussed it further? Or even given us a transition period?!

Shinobu Kocho was completely bewildered at this moment.

She stared blankly at Ling Chuanche's broad back, her mind buzzing.

So, is this what you mean by "I don't need to worry about it, you'll handle it"?

What's the difference between this and just standing naked in the street?

Kanae's smile froze instantly, and the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.

She screamed inwardly: Master, that's not what we agreed on beforehand! What happened to the gradual approach?!

Shinazugawa Sanemi looked at Lingchuan Tetsu holding Shinobu's hand with a complicated expression, and a vein throbbed on his forehead.

The first thought that flashed through his mind was: So, you didn't like the ending of that picture book, so you put yourself in the protagonist's shoes and fast-forwarded the plot to the final chapter?!

"Namo Amitabha Buddha..."

Yanzhu Beiming Yuxingming clasped his hands together, and two lines of clear tears slid down his weathered face once again.

But he was not sad; instead, he showed an incredibly kind and gratified smile.

"Amitabha! After overcoming countless hardships, Lord Che has finally found his own destiny. What a beautiful marriage! It's truly moving..."

With the rock pillars leading the way, the previously stagnant air finally began to move.

Uzui Tengen exaggeratedly tossed his hair, a wide grin spreading across his face: "Although I don't think this kind of confession without any build-up is fancy enough, considering how brave you two are, I admit, it's pretty fancy! Congratulations!"

Rengoku Kyojuro burst into hearty laughter, his voice so loud it made the leaves tremble: "This is a joyous occasion worth celebrating! Now that we're together, we should support each other and face the storms of the future together! Teacher, senior sister, I wish you happiness!"

Butterfly Shinobu lowered her head and rubbed her forehead, wishing she could disappear into a crack in the ground.

Dude, please don't put your teacher and senior sister together when you're giving your blessings. It really makes them sound like weirdos!

Even Tomioka Giyuu, who had been standing in the corner as if isolated from the world, nodded slightly and said in his calm tone, "Yeah, that's good. Senior brother, take good care of yourself in the future."

Sabito's lips twitched twice: "Uh, Giyuu is talking nonsense."

Looking at the faces before me, some teasing, some offering blessings, and some beaming with relief, my wildly beating heart finally settled back down.

She turned her head and looked at Ling Chuanche beside her.

The man remained calm and composed, as if he hadn't been the one who had made the high-profile announcement just moments before.

But he held her hand tighter than ever before, the warmth from his palm soothing all her anxieties.

Ren took a deep breath and then grasped his hand in return.

She raised her head, met the kind gazes of the crowd, and a bright and determined smile bloomed on her lips.

"I hope you will all continue to guide me in the future," she said softly.

Sabito stroked his chin thoughtfully and said, "But come to think of it, this result isn't entirely unexpected."

"Ugh?"

Ren was slightly taken aback and looked at him with some surprise.

Sabito shrugged, his tone somewhat matter-of-fact: "There's nothing we can do. Although Senior Brother usually keeps his emotions inside, we can all see how he treats you disciples and juniors. He's different with Shinobu, though. If we can't see that, then we're really too stupid."

Ling Chuanche raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes: Is that so? He thought he had concealed it well.

"Cough cough."

Uzui Tengen strode over, grinned at Ling Chuanche, and said confidently, "Che, while I may not be as good as you in combat, you're definitely no match for me when it comes to getting along with your wife. What's that called again—"

Before he could finish speaking, Kanae floated over expressionlessly, grabbed Uzui Tengen by the collar, and dragged him away: "Shut up."

"Waaaah..." The sound of Uzui Tengen being dragged away gradually faded into the distance.

Seeing the different reactions of everyone, Ling Chuanche breathed a slight sigh of relief.

He disliked pretense and intrigue. Just like when he slayed demons, he always acted directly and decisively. This was his initial intention in dealing with him and Shinobu.

As for what will happen if these people react with excessive shock or disbelief after the news is told...

Ling Chuanche stated that he has never cared about these things.

Chapter 111 Goichiro Tokito

The matter of Ayakawa Tetsu and Kocho Shinobu being together was settled quietly.

The news didn't spread like wildfire throughout the Demon Slayer Corps; instead, it tacitly circulated only within their core circle of "Pillars."

Everyone tacitly kept this secret, refraining from disturbing the two's rare peace.

Urokodaki Sakonji, who was far away in Mount Sagiri, also learned of this news through a letter.

After confirming the matter with Sabito, the old man wearing the Tengu mask sat on the veranda, speechless for a long time, his heart filled with helplessness.

In fact, he had long ago noticed the undercurrents between Lingchuan Tetsu and Kocho Shinobu.

After all, no one knows a son better than his father. If he couldn't see something that even the younger generation could see, then that would be unreasonable.

But at that time... as Ling Chuanche's master, he knew all too well how arduous his disciple's journey had been.

More than anyone else, he longed for a gentle person to be by Tetsu's side, to take care of him, and to walk alongside him. But he never imagined that person would be Shinobu.

After all, he was a master himself. If you put yourself in his shoes, if you fell in love with your disciple, or if your disciple fell in love with you, you would probably be so ashamed that you would immediately commit seppuku.

But this is not him in the end.