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

The leader of the hidden members quickly approached Ling Chuanche, stood at attention, and saluted, his movements efficient and solemn.

At the same time, the other members of the hidden group rushed into the courtyard and pinned the thin boy to the ground.

"Bastard! Let me go!"

Terrified screams echoed from afar. The middle-aged man who had met with the boy outside was now being dragged over by two members of the Shadow Clan, their arms bound behind their backs.

"Let me go! What are you doing? I'm going to scream for help if you keep this up! Help!!"

Upon seeing this, the boy who was pinned to the ground showed a hint of panic in his eyes and immediately began to struggle desperately.

"boom!"

The hidden member who held him down didn't hold back and punched him hard in the side of the face, making him see stars.

"If you keep babbling, I'll kill you right now!"

The boy looked into the Hidden Member's bloodshot eyes, which were red with anger, and the curse in his throat was instantly cut off by fear. He dared not move again.

"Chubby!"

The member of the hidden organization gritted his teeth and cursed angrily, his voice trembling with extreme disgust: "You dare not resist the evil spirits, and in order to survive you even help them deceive your fellow countrymen... You scum, do you even deserve to live!"

At that moment, another member of the Hidden Members ran out of the house where the evil spirit had been hiding. His eyes were red and swollen, and he was carrying a pile of tattered clothes and miscellaneous items. He came to Ling Chuanche, his voice choked with sobs.

"Lord Cangzhu...we found everyone's belongings inside. It's from that Rank D squad...and the civilians who went missing before."

"Um……"

Ling Chuanche nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the relics before settling on the boy on the ground, who was gritting his teeth and being tightly controlled.

His eyes were as calm as a stagnant pool, without a ripple.

"We saved you earlier because we weren't sure if the previous team members had really died."

The boy was stunned, his pupils suddenly contracted, and before he could react to the meaning of those words, he felt a cold glint flash across his neck.

"Bah."

A head rolled to the ground, the cut smooth, blood gushing out.

Not far away, the man being held captive witnessed the entire process and was instantly terrified. Seeing Ling Chuanche walking towards him expressionlessly with a knife in his hand, his legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground, stammering as he spoke.

"Yes, I'm sorry... Sir, I didn't do anything, I don't know anything... That brat forced me to do it..."

"Shh!"

The blade flashed and disappeared in an instant.

Before he could even scream, the man's body went limp and collapsed.

The courtyard fell completely silent, with only the mournful sound of the wind whistling through the eaves.

Ling Chuanche calmly sheathed his sword, his movements fluid and effortless, as if he had merely chopped two weeds at will.

The hidden members around them exchanged glances, and then, with remarkable tacit understanding, simultaneously looked up at the sky, as if offering a silent praise.

"That lower moon is really something..."

"Yes, they killed two more people."

"..."

Ling Chuanche walked up to the hidden member who had saluted and reported to him at the beginning, his voice indifferent.

"The cleanup is up to you. Dispose of the body cleanly, and don't frighten the local residents."

"Yes!"

The hidden member nodded solemnly, watching the dark figure disappear into the distance.

Ling Chuanche calmly walked out of the courtyard. The sunlight shone on him, but it could not dispel the chill that lingered around him.

His mood was somewhat heavy and depressed.

The mission was successfully completed, but he couldn't be happy.

He thought of the sacrifice of that previous Class D squad.

Those young swordsmen did not die in direct combat with the demons, but rather at the hands of the very humans they had sworn to protect. Deceived, betrayed, they ultimately vanished silently into the shadows.

Ling Chuanche felt sorry for them.

Fortunately, he has avenged them. Both the Lower Moon Two and the two humans who aided and abetted the evildoer have turned to dust.

With the mission accomplished and the raven "Jixiang" not issuing any new instructions, Lingchuan Che prepared to return to his base.

Once a Demon Slayer Corps swordsman is promoted to "Pillar," their missions are directly assigned by Lord Ubuyashiki. Missions that require the deployment of Pillar-level swordsmen usually indicate that the opponent is a powerful enemy suspected to be one of the Twelve Demon Moons.

In addition, each Pillar has their own area of ​​responsibility. Ayakawa Tetsu's territory is not far from the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters. The place where he rescued Kocho Kanae and Kocho Shinobu was actually the territory of the Stone Pillar, Himejima Gyomei. It was only because Ayakawa Tetsu happened to be on a mission nearby at the time and learned that demons roamed that area, that he went to investigate, which led to that encounter.

The commotion from the earlier battle with the evil spirits went unnoticed by the locals. When Ling Chuanche walked out of the alley, he found the streets still bustling with people and noise.

Everyone continued doing what they were doing, unaware that a man-eating demon had just been lurking in the shadows not far away.

And that evil spirit had devoured countless lives without their knowledge. Now that the evil spirit is dead, these people are equally unaware.

This is the reason for the Demon Slayer Corps' existence.

This organization has existed for nearly a thousand years, yet it has always remained a clandestine, secretive group. Very few people are truly aware of the Demon Slayer Corps' existence.

Despite protecting humanity and constantly battling demons, the Demon Slayer Corps seems like a group of ghosts that exist only in the darkness.

They come silently, fight silently, and even die silently.

"Daddy, I want that!"

At the street corner, a little girl riding on her father's shoulders pointed excitedly at a colorful windmill not far away.

The father smiled and agreed, paid the money, handed the windmill to his daughter, and then the two of them walked away and disappeared into the crowd.

The stall owner happily stuffed the copper coins into his pocket, and when he looked up, he saw a person standing in front of his stall.

He is very handsome and looks very young, but his temperament is as calm as a deep pool of water.

"Sir, what would you like to buy?"

He sells toys for children, and most customers buy them for their own kids. The owner seemed somewhat reserved, unsure whether the young customer had children.

As Ling Chuanche looked at the dazzling array of trinkets in front of him, the images of Kanae and Shinobu unconsciously surfaced in his mind.

He thought of the two little girls who trained themselves in the yard every day until they were covered in dust, but never complained of hardship or fatigue.

They were at an age when they should have been carefree and enjoying their parents' love, but they lost everything because of the evil spirits.

Now that they are her stepsons, she should be responsible for them. They should have everything that other children have. She should do her best to make up for the parts of their childhood that they missed.

"I want to buy two toys for my child."

"Oh?"

The shopkeeper smiled and asked, "Is it a boy or a girl?"

"girl."

"Then take a look at these, these are all things little girls like."

The owner enthusiastically showed off his wares, which included windmills, rattles, puppets, and some exquisite little wooden figures.

Ling Chuanche picked out several kinds; he wanted to make them happy.

The boss couldn't help but laugh and said, "Your child is so lucky to have a father like you."

Ling Chuanche did not correct his boss.

Be a teacher for one day, and be a father for life.

It's not wrong to say that Ayakawa Tetsu is the father of Kanae and Shinobu.

Chapter 11: Gifts for Children

When Lingchuan Tetsu returned to the Demon Slayer Corps' base, it was already the afternoon of the next day.

This was the first time he had ever returned at such a fast speed.

In the past, when he went on missions, he would always patrol the area and clear out any stray evil spirits along the way. He would stay away from the area for at least a week before returning to the team.

This time, after defeating Lower Moon Two, he immediately turned back, completing the entire journey in just three days.

As for why we're in such a hurry?

Lingchuan Tetsu told himself without changing his expression: He just wanted to see if Kanae and Shinobu had slacked off or been lazy while he was away.

He definitely didn't want to see those two little guys who called him "Master".

Absolutely not.

When he came, his bundle contained sushi that Kanae had prepared for him; now that he's going back, the sushi is long gone, and his bundle is filled with small toys that he carefully selected for the two girls.

Without alerting anyone, Ling Chuanche quietly returned to the familiar courtyard.

Standing outside the courtyard gate, he vaguely sensed that it was unusually quiet inside.

Strange, aren't they home?

Ling Chuanche pushed open the courtyard gate.

With a creak, several figures in the courtyard turned their heads in unison.

"Che, you're back."

"Master!" ×2

When Shinobu and Kanae saw him, their eyes lit up instantly, and they ran over happily.

Ling Chuanche couldn't help but smile slightly.

The certain Cangzhu obviously didn't realize that he had just been making excuses in his mind, but the moment he saw them, all those so-called "inspection work" were long forgotten.

Shinobu Kocho, like a joyful little bird, flew headlong into Toru Ayakawa's arms.

Kanae Butterfly remained reserved.

Her eyes were filled with longing and joy, and her eyes were slightly red, but she just stood there restrainedly, twisting the hem of her clothes with both hands.

Seeing this, Ling Chuanche simply reached out and pulled her over, giving her and Shinobu, who was in his arms, a good rub without any politeness.