“Miss Butterfly, where are we going now?”
Under the cold moonlight, Shi Hanfeng walked at a calm, unhurried pace, trailing half a step behind Kochou Kanae.
The three Demon Slayer Corps teammembers maintained a respectful yet distant posture, following from afar.
In the night wind, Kanae’s butterfly-patterned haori fluttered lightly, like true butterfly wings dancing in silence.
“To Chouya,”
Her gentle voice brushed through the night, carrying a considerate understanding of the heart.
“I suppose you wouldn’t want to rest in this desolate wilderness either, would you?”
Not really. With the Dust Song Pot: Cave Heaven Initial Version, anywhere can be home.
Shi Hanfeng’s gaze swept over the shadowy trees along the path.
The senses of the Xianzhou Alliance far surpassed those of ordinary people, allowing him to clearly perceive the tiny lives lurking in the darkness, and even hear the faint wingbeats of a distant night owl skimming low, nearly merging with the night wind.
The Life Force of Abundance flowing within him painted the ordinary night into a spectrum of living light, every inch of land and every leaf breathing and pulsing, emitting life’s glow, whether strong or faint.
He replied softly, yet his mind had already sunk deep, feeling the subtle resonance between the world and his own power.
About half an hour later, the terrain leveled out, and the outline of a sizable residence appeared in the night.
Even shrouded in darkness, it stood apart from its surroundings.
In the air, a faint, bitter scent of herbs floated, like invisible threads.
The closer they drew, the clearer and more complex the medicinal aroma became.
It was no longer a single note of bitterness, but a weave of countless roots and grasses.
Within the bitterness was a spicy tang, and within the spice, a trace of elusive sweetness lingered, interwoven with the unique chill of disinfectant.
This distinctive scent built the atmosphere of this place of healing and recuperation.
Though it was late at night, Chouya was far from silent.
Warm yellow lamplight seeped through the paper doors, and silent silhouettes moved within.
Several masked Yin members moved quietly, their steps light but weighted by exhaustion.
Some held Medicine Jars, others carried Bandages, their eyes focused, not a hint of complaint—only unwavering duty.
Kanae pushed open the gate, stepping aside with elegant grace.
“Mr. Jingyuan, this is Chouya. The conditions are simple and inconvenient in many ways; please forgive us.”
The scene within the courtyard was even more vivid.
Under the veranda, a few Teammembers wrapped in Bandages sat or lay, suppressed groans and hollow stares mingling with the dazed pain of survival after catastrophe.
A young girl, also wearing a butterfly-patterned haori and with a childish face, crouched beside a wounded man, carefully changing his Blood-Soaked Gauze.
Her voice was as gentle as coaxing a child.
“Almost done. Hold on a bit longer. Once I change the medicine, it won’t hurt as much.”
The moment Kanae stepped into the courtyard, it was as if a warm stone had been dropped into still water.
“Hashira-sama!”
“Lady Kanae is back!”
Low cries of surprise and respectful greetings echoed.
The eyes dimmed by pain brightened at the sight of her, as if infused with light.
Those who tried to struggle upright were pressed gently but firmly back down; every gaze of reliance was met with her caring response.
“Are your injuries better?”
“Rest well. Don’t strain yourself further.”
Shi Hanfeng stood quietly to the side, taking it all in.
Kanae moved among the wounded.
Her presence alone was a powerful comfort.
Her gentle smile and caring gaze were a silent warmth, quietly dispelling the pain and anxiety that filled the air.
She was not only a supporting Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, but also an indispensable beacon and harbor for these wounded warriors.
To blend strength and compassion so perfectly—no wonder she was the object of so many Demon Slayer Corps members’ secret admiration.
“This place isn’t just my residence,”
Kanae finished tending to an urgent wound and returned to Shi Hanfeng’s side.
Her voice remained gentle but carried a heavier weight.
“It’s also the lifeblood of the Demon Slayer Corps. Every time a mission ends, wounded comrades are brought here. All we can do is do our utmost to ease their pain and hope for their recovery, or…”
She paused, her gaze sweeping over the busy scene in the courtyard.
In her amethyst eyes, deep compassion and inescapable responsibility shimmered.
“At the very least, let them pass on peacefully, with fewer regrets.”
Shi Hanfeng was silent for a moment.
His eyes passed over the medicine pot steaming on the stove, the Blood-Soaked Gauze, the faces enduring pain, and finally settled on Kanae.
The heavy emotion in her eyes overlapped with a certain familiar memory.
He nodded slightly, his voice steady.
“To manage a place of healing and comfort with such order and warmth is no easy task. This place… reminds me of somewhere.”
“Oh?”
Kanae keenly picked up on the information in his words, her violet gaze turning inquisitive.
“Where is it?”
“Dandingsi,”
Shi Hanfeng spoke a word utterly foreign to this world.
“A place also tasked with healing the wounded and making medicine. Only…”
He paused, his gaze seeming to pierce beyond the courtyard, into the distant sea of stars.
“Its scale, the kinds and levels of patients it handles… are very different from the human sorrow and blood of this place.”
In Jingyuan’s memory, Dandingsi was grand, dealing with the damage of Cloud Knights, Demonic Madness, and even the Star God’s Calamity.
It was a world a hundred times more vast and tragic than Chouya—a different dimension from this place filled with the scent of herbs, earth, and blood.
Yet no matter the time or place, places of life and death always evoke the same resonance.
“Dandingsi…”
Kanae repeated softly, curiosity sparkling like starlight.
“It sounds like a legendary place. Is it a healing institute from your homeland? I wish I could see it someday, to learn its mysteries.”
Her tone carried pure longing, full of desire for unknown knowledge and advanced healing techniques.
The corners of his lips curved in a difficult-to-describe arc, and he shook his head gently.
“That may be as hard as reaching the heavens. The distance between the two is too vast. Besides,”
His gaze fell on Kanae.
“Doesn’t Miss Butterfly still have her own mission to fulfill?”
Even if she achieved her long-held wish, even if Muzan was defeated and she could live her own life, for this world’s civilization to glimpse even a fragment of the Xianzhou Alliance under the Star Rail’s worldview would be a fool’s dream.
He withdrew his gaze, not pursuing the unsolvable topic, and instead looked directly at Kanae.
“Rather, Miss Kanae, your sword skills are superb, your responsibilities as a Hashira heavy, yet your kindness shines through—you handle such burdensome duties so gracefully, bringing hope to others. Truly the best embodiment of the words ‘beauty and kindness’.”
Such praise was unusually direct in the reserved culture of the East.
The suddenness of it made the usually reserved Kanae pause.
Before she could respond, Shi Hanfeng changed the subject.
“A woman as beautiful, kind, and strong as Miss Kanae must have suitors lining up from Chouya to the outskirts of town, breaking down the doors, right?”
Though a bit forward and abrupt, his appearance and demeanor made it sound sincere, more like an honest compliment than anything improper.
Had he looked different, he might have been called a lecher.
Kanae’s amethyst eyes widened slightly, clearly unprepared for the abrupt shift in conversation.
She was silent for a moment, then her signature gentle smile returned, neither confirming nor denying.
“Mr. Jingyuan is joking. You praise me too highly. I am simply doing what I can within my duties.”
She elegantly tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, lifted her gaze to Shi Hanfeng, and smoothly tossed the question back.
“Rather, Mr. Jingyuan, with your handsome appearance, unfathomable strength, wit, insight, and foreign origin, surely you attract the admiration of many noble ladies on your long journeys?”
At her words, Shi Hanfeng laughed outright, shaking his head repeatedly.
“Miss Butterfly, you are greatly mistaken. I am a genuine wanderer, living alone, drifting from place to place, wind and rain my companions. ‘Romance’ is a stranger to my life. Blades and life-or-death battles are the norm. Who would bother with a drifter like me?”
His tone was light, with a touch of self-mockery.
This time, real surprise showed on Kanae’s face, her composed mask cracking, amethyst eyes shining even brighter in her astonishment.
“Oh? That’s… truly unexpected.”
She sounded certain—surely someone with such looks, power, and extraordinary bearing would be extremely attractive.
Her genuine surprise amused Shi Hanfeng, satisfying a small curiosity.
To see the famously composed Flower Hashira show such a lively expression in person—this was one of the unique joys of traveling through different worlds.
As the atmosphere shifted, hurried and slightly chaotic footsteps rang from the veranda, accompanied by a clear girl’s voice.
“Nee-san! Nee-san!”
Before the words faded, a petite figure shot over like the wind, carrying a scent of anxiety.
She grabbed Kanae’s wrist tightly, anxiously scanning her up and down.
“Nee-san! Are you alright? The crow’s message was unclear—just said an unknown person killed a demon, and you rushed off alone! Why didn’t you tell me first? Do you know how worried I was?”
The newcomer was Kochou Kanao’s younger sister, Butterfly Shinobu.
At this age, she was still young, cheeks full of childish roundness, far from the future Insect Hashira who would hide her feelings behind a sweet smile.
Her worry, fear, and anger at her sister’s risk were all plain on her face, similar to Kanae’s but sharper and more stubborn.
Kanae swayed slightly as her sister pulled her, but gently covered Shinobu’s gripping hand with her free hand, patting it softly.
“Shinobu, look, I’m perfectly fine, aren’t I? Don’t worry. I’m a Hashira, after all. You should have more faith in your sister.”
After calming her frantic sister, she turned and introduced with a smile.
“Shinobu, this is Mr. Jingyuan, a Sea-Roaming Swordsman from a distant land. I received an urgent message from a teammember about a demon’s escape and went to handle it. Thanks to Mr. Jingyuan’s timely help, the matter was resolved safely.”
She addressed Shi Hanfeng.
“Mr. Jingyuan, this is my sister, Butterfly Shinobu.”