Shi Hanfeng followed Butterfly Shinobu through the corridor of the Chouya, the wooden floor creaking softly under their feet.
“This is it.”
Butterfly Shinobu stopped and pushed open a paper door.
“There have been a lot of injured in the Chouya recently, so only a few small rooms are left. I apologize for any lack of hospitality. If you need anything, ring the bell by the wall and a Yin member will come to help.”
“Thank you.”
Shi Hanfeng nodded and stepped into the room.
The furnishings were indeed simple—a wooden bed, a low table, and a charcoal brazier. The bedding was neatly stacked, clearly well cared for.
Butterfly Shinobu said no more and turned to leave.
Her steps paused suddenly.
She turned her head to look at Shi Hanfeng, her lips moving, then she finally spoke in a low voice.
“I’m sorry about earlier. I shouldn’t have questioned you rashly without understanding the situation, or spoken in that tone. I was just… worried about my sister.”
At this moment, Butterfly Shinobu had lost the tension and hostility from before.
Shi Hanfeng waved his hand with a smile.
“It’s nothing. If it were me, I’d also be cautious facing a stranger who suddenly appeared.”
Hearing this, Butterfly Shinobu’s tense shoulders relaxed a little. She nodded without saying more, and left with light steps.
The paper door closed softly, and the room became quiet.
Shi Hanfeng walked to the window, opened the wooden lattice, and let the night wind carrying the scent of grass and trees flow in.
In the distance came the muffled coughs of wounded and the faint footsteps of Yin members moving about.
This Chouya, just as Kanae had said, was the life hub of the Demon Slayer Corps—every inch of air interwoven with pain and resilience.
Given the current circumstances, this room was already quite decent, but in terms of comfort, it still fell far short of the custom little room in his own pot.
“Home turf is still the most comfortable.”
He muttered, and with a thought, the space around him distorted slightly.
The next second, he was inside the Dust Song Pot.
Soft grass underfoot, a milky white sky above, the distant sound of running water, and in the field next to the house, various crops he had specially exchanged from the Qiming Star were growing.
Before setting out for the Demon Slayer world, he had planted this batch of crops. Now, they had already sprouted.
He had intended to let them grow naturally in the pot and wait for harvest, but judging by the current situation, things didn’t look optimistic.
As he approached the test field, he could sense a withering aura from the crops.
He walked to the edge, and a wisp of green Life Force of Abundance gathered at his fingertip, sprinkling gently over the plants.
A faint light flashed.
The wilted yellow leaves spread slightly, and the dry edges took on a hint of green.
Crops could recover with a little Life Force of Abundance, but animals—those were beyond salvation, even for a god.
His gaze moved to several cages in the corner, holding animals he had specifically brought from the main world.
From small spiders and ants to white mice and roosters—he had wanted to test whether the Dust Song Pot could achieve inter-world biological transfer.
Unfortunately, without exception, all had perished.
It seemed that for now, the space in the Dust Song Pot was not enough for successful biological transfer. He had no idea where to find materials to upgrade it.
***
Meanwhile, in the study of the Chouya, the lamplight flickered.
Kochou Kanae sat behind a low table, holding a brush between her fingers, but it had not moved for a long time.
A letter lay open before her, and the ink in the inkstone had already begun to thicken, showing she had been lost in thought for quite some time.
“Sister, what are you thinking about?”
Butterfly Shinobu walked in with a cup of hot tea, placing it before Kanae.
Her tone carried concern, but the earlier impatience was gone.
“You’ve been out of sorts since returning from the backyard. Are you thinking about what happened earlier?”
Kanae came back to herself and saw the worry in her sister’s eyes, a warmth rising in her heart, soon mingled with guilt.
She set down the brush, picked up the tea, and sipped.
The warmth slid down her throat, but did not dispel the heaviness in her chest.
“It’s about today.”
She spoke softly.
“I’m sorry, Shinobu.”
Butterfly Shinobu froze, a confused look on her face—why was her sister suddenly apologizing?
At this moment, her thoughts weren’t that complicated, and she didn’t understand what Kanae meant.
“Shinobu, you’ll understand in time. But for today, it was my fault as your sister.”
Kanae continued.
“Do you remember? When you wanted to test him earlier, I didn’t stop you.”
Butterfly Shinobu was stunned again, clearly not expecting her sister to bring this up.
Kanae looked at her sister’s bewildered expression, reaching out to gently pat her head, the motion as soft as soothing a kitten.
“Not stopping you—that was my failure as your sister.”
“Remember this: what we face is stronger than we imagine. Impulsiveness and recklessness only put us at a disadvantage.”
Looking back now, Kanae felt a chill.
All these years as a Hashira, seeing members look to her with hopeful eyes, hearing them call her Kinoe-sama, she had become accustomed to being looked up to.
She had always felt that as a Hashira, the responsibility to protect everyone rested on her shoulders, and naturally assumed her strength was enough to bear it.
Over time, that pride seeped into her bones, unnoticed even by herself.
She thought back to her initial attitude—she had simply assumed the other party was an unknown wanderer; even if he could slay demons, how strong could he be?
Even when Shinobu proposed to test him, she instinctively felt it was reasonable, as if the other had to pass their trial to qualify to cooperate with the Demon Slayer Corps.
But the duel in the backyard was like a bucket of cold water, waking her from that self-deceptive arrogance.
It was one thing to lose in skill, but the stubbornness of being seen through, the competitiveness, and forcing her body beyond its limits out of unwillingness—all these seemed laughable before absolute strength.
If she still held on to that mindset, facing an Upper Moon demon could mean death.
“I understand.”
Butterfly Shinobu raised her head, her gaze resolute.
“I’ll be calmer from now on and won’t let emotions control me. So, what do we do next?”
She admitted her mistake but still had reservations about Shi Hanfeng’s origins.
“Shinobu, do you remember how long it’s been since the Demon Slayer Corps last defeated an Upper Moon demon?”
Kanae set down the cup, her tone heavier.
“Everyone knows the situation of the Demon Slayer Corps. For decades, Hashira have died regularly, and the losses among members are countless. Of the Twelve String Moons, only Lower Moons have ever been killed. Not a single Upper Moon.”
“Demons grow stronger while the Demon Slayer Corps weakens. We have no way out now. Lord Qingyuan’s strength far surpasses ours. If we can gain his help, the chances of opposing Muzan increase greatly.”
“Of course, I won’t decide rashly.”
Kanae added.
“I’ll report today’s events in detail to the Lord and let him make the final judgment. Before his reply arrives, I intend to work with Lord Qingyuan to handle recent demon incidents as we discussed before. It’ll also help us understand him better.”
Butterfly Shinobu nodded.
“I’ll follow your lead, but please be careful, sister.”
Kanae patted her head again.
“We can observe gradually during cooperation; there’s no need to rush or be overly guarded. If he truly wished us harm, with his strength, he wouldn’t need to go to such lengths to maneuver around us.”
Butterfly Shinobu thought it over and found her sister’s words reasonable.
Her tense expression eased a little.
“I understand. I’ll leave it to you, and handle things here at Chouya.”
Kanae looked at her steady sister, unable to suppress a smile, and ruffled her hair again.
“Good. With you here, I feel at ease. It’s late—get some rest too.”
“Mm.”
Butterfly Shinobu nodded, but before leaving the study, she turned back.
“Sister, don’t overwork yourself. If anything comes up, call me anytime.”
In the study, Kanae picked up the brush again, dipped it in ink, and began writing the night’s events on the letter paper.
She detailed the day’s events and Shi Hanfeng’s offer of cooperation.
After finishing, she folded the letter, slipped it into an envelope, and summoned a Crow, gently stroking its feathers.
“Deliver this letter to the Lord. It must reach him.”
“Mission accepted!”
The Crow called, grasped the envelope in its beak, and soared out the window into the night.
Kanae gazed at the moonlight outside, sighing softly.
She could only hope the Lord would make the decision most beneficial for the Demon Slayer Corps.
***
At dawn the next morning, the sound of members training echoed in the courtyard of the Chouya.
When Shi Hanfeng stepped out from the Dust Song Pot, he happened to see Butterfly Shinobu carrying breakfast over.
“Good morning, Lord Qingyuan.”
Butterfly Shinobu set the tray on the table.
“This is breakfast from the Chouya—simple home cooking. I don’t know if it suits your taste.”
On the tray sat a bowl of miso soup, a serving of grilled fish, and a few small side dishes, giving off a gentle aroma and a rustic, comforting feel.
Shi Hanfeng sat down, picked up his chopsticks, and tasted the grilled fish.
The skin was crispy, the flesh tender—surprisingly delicious.
“Thank you. It’s very good.”
Seeing he was satisfied, Butterfly Shinobu smiled slightly and added.
“As long as Lord Qingyuan is pleased. Sister is already waiting in the courtyard. We’ll be visiting three villages today, so it might be tiring. If you need anything, just let us know.”
“Alright.”
Shi Hanfeng quickly finished breakfast, wiped his mouth, and followed Butterfly Shinobu to the courtyard.
Kochou Kanae was already in her uniform, Nichirin Blade on her back.
When the two approached, she nodded.
“Lord Qingyuan, are you ready? We’ll start with the three villages to the west—most of the recent disappearances happened there.”
They left the Chouya and walked west along a country path.
“In the past three months, fifteen people have disappeared from Ueno Village, Shimon Village, and Bamboo Grove Village in the west.”
On the way, Kanae explained the situation to Shi Hanfeng.
“They were all gathering firewood, collecting herbs, or hunting in the mountains—people who left in the morning and never returned.”
Shi Hanfeng nodded, recalling what he had heard from members the previous night.
“Did the missing people have any common traits? Like going into the mountains at a certain time, or heading in the same direction?”
“There were.”
Kanae replied.
“We discovered most of the missing entered the mountains in the morning and all headed toward Blackstone Mountain. The forest is dense there, with many caves—perfect for demons to hide.”
“Members of the Demon Slayer Corps found many footprints near Blackstone Mountain, but the trail vanished halfway up. We suspect a demon is hiding in one of the concealed caves.”
She briefly described the terrain.
“But there are too many caves there—checking them one by one takes too much time and risks ambush.”
Shi Hanfeng listened and pondered.
“If we can pinpoint the demon’s location, it would save a lot of trouble. Maybe we can look for patterns from where the missing people’s routes overlap.”
“That’s our plan too. Today we’ll ask for details on each person’s route into the mountains and try to draw accurate maps to find the points where they intersect.”
As they spoke, they arrived at Ueno Village.
It was a small place, with dozens of houses scattered at the foot of the mountain.
At this moment, every door was open, and a heavy, oppressive atmosphere hung in the air.
Seeing Kanae arrive with someone, the villagers quickly gathered, eyes full of hope and fear.
“Samurai-sama! You’ve come!”
An old woman rushed over but dared not touch her.
“My son has been missing for three days. He went to Blackstone Mountain for firewood. Please, help me find him!”
“Samurai-sama, my husband is missing too. Please, save him!”
Another middle-aged woman cried, her voice choking.
Kanae smiled gently, comforting the villagers.
“Everyone, don’t worry. We’ll do our best.”
Her reassurances were mere formality.
She knew in her heart—when ordinary people are alone and encounter demons, survival is nearly impossible.
All she could do was slay the demons and prevent further victims.
She glanced at Shi Hanfeng, and they split up to question the villagers.
Shi Hanfeng walked to the door of a house.
The man of the house sat on the step, smoking, eyes hollow as he stared into the distance.
“Excuse me. Do you also have a missing family member?”
Shi Hanfeng asked softly.
The man looked up, surprised at the unfamiliar face, then nodded.
“My younger brother. He went to the mountains for herbs three mornings ago and hasn’t come back.”
His voice was hoarse, heavy with grief.
“Three people have vanished from our village—all headed to Blackstone Mountain. This never happened before.”
“Did he mention exactly where he was going?”
Shi Hanfeng pressed.
“A specific area, or a place he often collected herbs?”
The man frowned in thought, then shook his head.
“He just said the north slope of Blackstone Mountain. There are more herbs there. I don’t know about other areas, but there’s a big cavern on the north slope where villagers sometimes take shelter from rain.”
Shi Hanfeng thanked him and visited other households with missing family.
The information was much the same.
The missing all went toward the north slope of Blackstone Mountain.
When he reached the village entrance, he saw Kanae finishing her own inquiries, looking at a piece of paper.
“How is it?”
Kanae came over.
“All the missing point to the north slope of Blackstone Mountain. And you?”
“About the same.”
Kanae nodded and handed him the map.
“This is the route I drew based on villagers’ descriptions. Look, the paths of the missing from all three villages converge near a large cavern.”
Shi Hanfeng examined the map, noticing that the mountain paths taken by the missing people did indeed overlap near the cavern.
“Looks like this cavern is likely the demon’s hideout. Let’s investigate the area and confirm if a demon is inside before planning our next move.”
Upon arrival, it was clear—this was a perfect hiding place for demons.
The cavern was deep and dark.
Even in daylight, sunlight didn’t reach far inside.
“The terrain in the cavern is complex and the lighting poor. If a demon hides deep within, it’s hard to spot.”
Kanae said.
“Also, demons have sharper hearing and smell than humans—going in directly could get us detected easily.”
Shi Hanfeng nodded.
“You’re right—rushing in is risky. But we can use a simpler method to confirm if a demon is present.”
Kanae looked at him, puzzled.
Shi Hanfeng drew a small knife from his pocket and, without hesitation, made a shallow cut in his palm.
Blood welled up instantly, the scent spreading through the air.
He pressed to make it flow more.
No choice—his wounds healed so fast that if he didn’t keep pressure, they would close on their own.
Alright, let’s see if yesterday’s demon’s frenzy was unique.