When the two of them walked side by side back to Ueno Village, there were still many villagers gathered at the entrance, their eyes filled with anxious hope.
Some clutched the corners of their clothes, some rubbed their hands together, and the elderly woman who had pleaded with Kanae earlier simply stood at the very front, tiptoeing to look down the road.
When they saw the figures of Kanae and Shi Hanfeng, the crowd instantly stirred.
The old woman rushed forward first, her voice trembling.
“Samurai-sama! How is it? Did you find my son?”
Kanae stopped, looking at the wrinkled face of the old woman and the hope in her eyes. The words caught in her throat.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say “We found him,” but couldn’t.
All they found in the cave were scattered clothing and fragments, and the lingering aura of those two Demons.
Her fingers quietly tightened around the scabbard of her Nichirin Blade, her throat constricting, even her breathing slowing by half a beat.
“We… we eliminated the Demons hiding in the cave. No one will go missing again.”
These words didn’t reach the old woman’s heart. She stared for a moment, then moved closer, her voice growing more urgent.
“Then what about my son? Is he still alive? I’m still waiting for him to come home for dinner…”
The surrounding villagers also crowded closer, questioning in confusion.
“What about my husband?”
“Does that mean my brother can come back?”
Kanae bowed her head lower, unable to meet their eyes.
She knew these people still held on to hope, but she really couldn’t say the words, “Your family has already been killed.”
It was too cruel.
Shi Hanfeng stood beside her, looking at Kanae’s tense profile and the increasingly desperate eyes of the villagers, and sighed.
He stepped forward, blocking Kanae from the crowd, and told the hopeful villagers directly.
“There were no survivors in the cave. Your families are gone.”
The words hit the crowd like a stone thrown into calm water.
The previously noisy group instantly fell silent.
The old woman froze, her eyes wide as if she hadn’t heard clearly.
“Gone? How could they be gone? He clearly told me he wanted to eat my miso soup…”
Her voice grew smaller and smaller, finally dissolving into a broken sob as tears streamed down her wrinkled cheeks.
Another middle-aged woman, who had pleaded before, suddenly erupted, rushing forward and pointing at Kanae, her voice shrill.
“Why didn’t you come sooner! If you’d arrived earlier, my husband wouldn’t have died! It’s all because you were late!”
Her words stabbed like a thorn, stirring the emotions of other villagers, and someone echoed her.
“Exactly! We sent word nearly half a month ago, and you only now came to deal with it!”
“My son was only fifteen. Now he’s gone, how can you make this right?”
Curses and cries mingled together. The original gratitude was gone, replaced by anger, all poured onto Kanae and Shi Hanfeng.
Kanae bit her lip.
She tried to explain.
The Demon Slayer Corps members had been chasing Demons in other areas, and had rushed over as soon as they got the message. But when she saw the villagers’ grief, the words stuck in her throat.
Her fingers gripped the Nichirin Blade’s scabbard so tightly that they left marks, her heart heavy and suffocating.
Was she too late?
If she’d been a bit faster, could she have saved these people?
Shi Hanfeng watched the scene, unable to stop himself from rolling his eyes.
So this is what it means to be punished for kindness?
They killed the Demons and didn’t get a word of thanks—instead, they were scolded.
How was that fair?
He took a breath, letting the air flow through his chest and past his Danfu, generating even greater power.
Yesterday, when sparring with Kanae, he had studied the principle of the Breathing Technique.
By manipulating the body’s potential through specific breathing rhythms, one could reach the limits of the human body and even contend with an Upper Moon.
But he was different.
The Breathing Technique met the physique of a Xianzhou person.
With the unique Danfu of a Xianzhou person, the air from the Breathing Technique ignited like dry wood meeting fire, instantly converting into even greater power that coursed through his meridians, enhancing his strength and speed to another level.
Although this kind of burst would increase the burden on the body, the superior resilience of the celestial body absorbed that burden like a sponge soaking up water.
The two were a perfect match—like cola and ice; missing either just didn’t feel right.
The villagers were cursing with passion, but he wasn’t going to indulge them.
He inhaled, letting the airflow spread, forming pressure in the air.
This was an idea that had popped up when he saw the Zanpakuto: Shallow Hit.
Since all the standard equipment of a Shinigami was present, why not try playing with Spiritual Pressure as well?
If air could generate pressure, could it be used to simulate Spiritual Pressure?
At the very least, it was great for silencing chaos.
The moment this pressure spread, the noisy villagers instantly fell silent.
The middle-aged woman who’d been shouting at the front turned pale, stumbling back two steps as if an invisible hand gripped her throat.
The old woman also stopped sobbing, her shoulders shrinking as she avoided looking at Shi Hanfeng.
The simulated Spiritual Pressure from the Breathing Technique pressed down on everyone, turning curses into lip movements. No one dared make a sound.
Shi Hanfeng glanced at them, uninterested in wasting words.
Arguing with unreasonable people was pointless.
“Let’s go.”
He grabbed Kanae’s wrist, pulling her away from this place of right and wrong.
Kanae was still lost in guilt, stumbling a few steps before she realized what was happening.
As Shi Hanfeng passed the villagers, he didn’t look back, leaving a single sentence.
“There are remains in the cave. Clean them up yourselves.”
The villagers watched the two walk away. Some opened their mouths as if to complain, but when they felt that faint pressure again, they quickly lowered their heads and swallowed their words.
It wasn’t until the two figures disappeared around the corner of the village entrance that the suffocating pressure slowly faded.
Someone collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, but no one dared utter a single word of complaint.
Turning the corner, Shi Hanfeng released Kanae’s wrist and withdrew the lingering pressure.
Kanae rubbed her wrist where she’d been grabbed. Looking at Shi Hanfeng’s profile, she hesitated before speaking.
“Mr. Jing Yuan, was that really okay just now? They just lost their families. They were overwhelmed with grief.”
Shi Hanfeng stopped, turning to her with a raised brow.
“What’s wrong with it?”
His face showed confusion.
“If they had brains, they’d realize we’re not gods. We can’t arrive at the exact moment to save everyone.”
“You helped them. They don’t have to thank you, but then they turn around and curse you. No matter how much you help such people, they just take it for granted. There’s no need to waste manpower cleaning up for them. Collecting remains is their own business.”
“But they…”
Kanae wanted to defend the villagers but was cut off by Shi Hanfeng.
“They’re just looking for a target to vent on.”
Shi Hanfeng calmly analyzed their behavior for Kanae.
“Blaming others for the pain of losing family is easier than admitting one’s own powerlessness. Do you think if you agree with them, they’d thank you? If something happens again, they’d still scold you for being late.”
Kanae pressed her lips together, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the scabbard of her Nichirin Blade.
She knew Shi Hanfeng’s words made sense, but it still felt uncomfortable.
She remembered when she was a child, when her family was killed by Demons.
If someone had arrived sooner, would everything have been different?
She spoke softly.
“If I could have been a bit faster, if I had found the cave yesterday, could I have saved the last few people…”
“Stop.”
Shi Hanfeng interrupted her directly, his tone helpless.
“This is what annoys me about you Nihon people. Always torturing yourselves with pointless guilt.”
“If you could see the future, you should go straight to Muzan and finish him off instead of obsessing over ‘if only I’d been faster.’ What’s already happened can’t be changed by regret. Instead of self-blame, it’s better to think about killing more Demons.”
Kanae was stunned by his words, opening her mouth but not knowing how to refute.
She had always thought that failing to save everyone was her own fault.
But Shi Hanfeng’s words were like a hammer, shattering her beliefs.
That’s right.
She’s not a god. She can’t be perfect.
Dwelling on the past only brings more pain.
Shi Hanfeng watched her confused expression, then suddenly shifted topics.
“Miss Kochou, I heard your family was attacked by Demons, and only you and your sister survived, saved by the Stone Hashira, Gyomei Himejima. Is that right?”
Kanae’s head jerked up, her eyes full of surprise.
She’d never told Shi Hanfeng about her past.
How did he know?
That memory was like a thorn buried in her heart—one she never dared to touch, but painful whenever mentioned.
She nodded, her voice hoarse.
“Yes.”
She remembered that day.
Blood dyed her vision red.
The screams of her parents and other family members echoed in her ears as she clung to the young Yin, hiding in a closet, trembling all over.
Just as the Demon found them, Gyomei Himejima burst in, his massive figure cleaving through the darkness—and the despair.
From that day on, she resolved to join the Demon Slayer Corps, to personally slay every Demon, so no one else would suffer as she had.
Shi Hanfeng looked at her tense profile and trembling fingers, then continued.
“Then tell me, do you hate the Stone Hashira? Do you resent him for not coming sooner, for not saving your family?”
“How could I hate him!”
Kanae refuted almost instinctively.
“Sir Gyomei is the savior of me and Yin. Without him, we would have died at the hands of the Demons long ago.”
She took a deep breath, calming herself, her gaze firm.
“It was the Demons who killed my family. My grudge is with them, not with Sir Gyomei.”
Shi Hanfeng clapped his hands.
“Exactly. Grievances have their source. Debts have their owner.”
He looked at Kanae, guiding her thoughts.
“Now think about those villagers. Were the missing people killed by you? Did you arrange for Demons to hide in the cave? You helped them eliminate the Demons, so they no longer have to fear being taken, yet they scold you for arriving late. Is there any reason to feel guilty or be polite to such ungrateful people?”
It did make sense.
She’d always thought the villagers’ curses meant she wasn’t good enough, but now Shi Hanfeng’s words made her realize she didn’t need to shoulder that responsibility at all.
The source of that pain was the Demons—not her.
That hatred should be directed at Demons, not at herself.
Her tense shoulders gradually relaxed, and a gentle smile returned to her face.
“Mr. Jing Yuan, you’re really blunt.”
“Politeness can’t be eaten, nor can it slay Demons.”
Shi Hanfeng raised an eyebrow.
“But it’s good you understand. Better than getting trapped in a dead end.”
Kanae nodded, feeling the weight in her heart lighten.
Looking at Shi Hanfeng’s easy-going face, she suddenly wanted to share a wish she’d hidden in her heart for a long time.
She wanted to know how someone so clear-headed would judge her somewhat naive dream.
“Mr. Jing Yuan, I have an idea I want to share with you.”
Kanae’s voice was soft, tinged with hesitation and a little hope.
Shi Hanfeng raised an eyebrow, stopping to show he was listening.
“Oh? Go ahead.”
Kanae took a deep breath, her gaze turning serious.
“I’ve been wondering—can humans and Demons… coexist peacefully? For example, if there are Demons who don’t want to harm humans, is it possible to find a way for them to survive without hurting people? Wouldn’t that mean no more unnecessary sacrifice?”
Shi Hanfeng looked her up and down, his expression odd, as if he’d heard a joke.
“Of course.”
Kanae’s eyes brightened.
“Really? You think it’s possible too?”
“Absolutely.”
Shi Hanfeng replied earnestly.
“See how well humans and pigs get along? As long as Demons keep humans penned and feed them on schedule, everyone can get along just fine, right?”
“Mr. Jing Yuan! Stop joking! That’s not the kind of coexistence I mean—I mean equal, non-harmful coexistence!”
Shi Hanfeng dropped the joking tone, growing serious.
“You started the joke. Honestly, I never expected the Flower Hashira, who has slain so many Demons, to have such a naive idea.”
“For Demons, humans are the core of their diet. The more they eat, the stronger they become. It’s a fundamentally antagonistic relationship. From this alone, there’s not a shred of possibility for reconciliation between humans and Demons.”
‘In the end, either humans are completely subjugated by Demons and become food reserves, or all Demons are eradicated and humanity regains peace. There’s no third option.’
“But…”
Kanae tried to argue that perhaps some Demons could control their hunger and even help humans.
“Maybe some Demons can restrain themselves—”
“No but.”
Shi Hanfeng interrupted her, folding his arms and meeting her gaze with calm intensity.
“Miss Kochou, you’re thinking that Demons who can suppress their urge to eat humans could be the starting point for your wish, right?”
Shi Hanfeng knew such Demons did exist.
In the future, Tanjiro’s sister Nezuko would overcome hunger and sunlight as a Demon.
But exceptions don’t make the rule.
Such miracles required perfect alignment of circumstances.
You couldn’t expect every Demon to be like that.
Even later, Tamayo’s modified Yushiro didn’t eat humans, only needing a little human blood.
But that was even more dangerous.
If such technology spread, countless Demon Kings would appear in the world.
It would either lead to humanity’s extinction or the Demons’ complete annihilation.
Caught by his directness, Kanae shifted her gaze awkwardly.
His eyes were too direct, making her feel less like an experienced Hashira and more like a naive girl.
Shi Hanfeng actually thought of harsher words but held back out of courtesy.
“To realize a dream, you first need the power to make it real.”
“Forgive me, Miss Kochou, but right now, you don’t have the qualifications to even think about such things.”
He internally mocked.
Sometimes, he really couldn’t understand the unique ‘saintly’ mentality in anime.
Having your family killed by Demons, and yet still wishing for peace and coexistence?
Being called gentle to the world by others without considering the real situation?
Such things were only possible if you were strong and the enemy weak—and only in tightly controlled circumstances.
Given the current power gap between the Demon Slayer Corps and Muzan, and with Demons running rampant, anyone thinking about coexistence was just being foolish.
As foolish as Cheng Xin from Three-Body.
Kanae fell silent.
She knew Shi Hanfeng was right, but still couldn’t help the faint hope in her heart.
She bowed her head, speaking softly.
“I just… don’t want to see anyone else die.”
Shi Hanfeng looked at her downcast figure, not softening at all.
“Then kill Demons.”
As the atmosphere turned awkward, a sudden flapping of wings sounded overhead, accompanied by a sharp cry.
“Message from the Lord! Message from the Lord!”
Kanae and Shi Hanfeng stopped, looking up.
A black Crow circled above them, clutching a small scroll in its claws, its sharp eyes locked onto them.
The cooperation with the Demon Slayer Corps was finally moving to the next stage.
The Crow swooped down, landing on a branch before Kanae and screeched again.
“Flower Hashira Kochou Kanae and foreign guest Mr. Jing Yuan! The Lord summons you!”
Kanae took a deep breath and nodded slightly to the Crow.
“I understand. We will head to Headquarters as soon as possible.”
The Crow cried “Mission must be fulfilled,” then spread its wings and flew into the distance, soon disappearing into the sky.