The snow kept falling heavier, as if the heavens were determined to release all the reserves accumulated over three seasons now that winter had arrived. It had been snowing for three days and nights straight.
Qingshui sat beneath the eaves, polishing his Nichirin Blade while watching the wind and snow gradually lessen.
Daylight was approaching; it was time to set off.
...
...
The heavy snow weighed down the green pines, but the pines stood tall and straight.
The snow in the forest was deep, but with Chakra adhering to his feet, he could walk as if on solid ground, even on water, let alone in this snowy terrain.
"Ugh, so I really am late, huh?"
As Qingshui walked through the snowy woods, he caught a strong whiff of blood ahead and couldn't help but shake his head.
From the nearby thicket came the sounds of a fierce struggle. Qingshui pushed through the bushes and made his way over.
A beautiful but fierce-looking female Demon was shielding a young boy holding an axe.
Across from them stood a young man with a cold expression and complex eyes.
It was indeed the Kamado Siblings and Tomioka Giyuu.
Fortunately, Kamado Tanjiro was still alive, which meant the Hinokami Kagura had not been lost.
Now, he needed to find a way to extract the Hinokami Kagura from Tanjiro.
In just a moment, Qingshui had formed a plan in his mind.
"Demon Slayer Corps members?"
Upon seeing Qingshui, Tomioka Giyuu furrowed his brows slightly.
At this moment, he had begun to consider preserving the Kamado Siblings due to Nezuko's unusual behavior compared to regular Demons. He even planned to take them to Mount Sagiri and entrust them to his most trusted master, Urokodaki Sakonji.
However, Qingshui's arrival made Giyuu hesitate.
What if this member of the Demon Slayer Corps intended to harm the boy's sister?
Should he first try to send him away?
Before Giyuu could speak, Qingshui took the initiative:
"I didn't expect to find the Water Hashira here. It seems you've also investigated this family's background?"
This family's background?
"Does their background even matter?"
Giyuu replied.
Qingshui rolled his eyes at him.
"What you mean is, their background must have some special significance, right?"
"Right, you're quite articulate."
A few black lines appeared on Qingshui's forehead.
So the implication of that statement was that my earlier translation of your words was correct, right? Why does it sound so much like sarcasm?
With Giyuu's cold, expressionless face, it felt even more like a mockery. If Shinazugawa Sanemi were here instead, he would have already drawn his sword and charged.
"What... are you two even talking about?"
Tanjiro, gripping the axe he used for chopping wood, stood by Nezuko's side.
"I had someone ask you to come down the mountain before, but you refused to leave. If you had, your family's tragedy wouldn't have happened."
Tanjiro dropped his axe in shock, frozen in place.
"How could this be...?"
When someone had come to ask them to come down the mountain, Tanjiro, after discussing with his mother Kie, had agreed that staying on the mountain was more convenient for gathering firewood and making charcoal, thus they had declined the invitation.
But did that decision really lead to his family's demise?
"You knew a Demon was going to harm them today? Do you also know that only Muzan and the Twelve Kizuki can turn people into Demons?"
Giyuu questioned Qingshui.
"How would I know when a Demon would come after them?"
Qingshui shook his head and said:
"Do you remember what I said before? The Kamado family's background is unusual. Based on all the ancient texts I gathered from the Uesugi Clan, I suspect the Kamado family may be connected to the original swordsman who created the Breathing Styles."
"The texts record that he was the most powerful swordsman in the Demon Slayer Corps to date, and he almost killed the Demon King Muzan. However, his Breathing Style was so powerful that no one could master it at the time, so it transformed into a dance to honor the fire god, passed down in a very secretive manner among the people."
"Muzan would never allow a force capable of harming him to exist in this world, so the Kamado family would eventually be targeted by Demons, all to erase any trace of the original swordsman who nearly killed Muzan."
Giyuu turned to Tanjiro.
"So, does your family have that dance to honor the fire god? If not, your family died for nothing."
Seeing Giyuu's serious expression, Qingshui couldn't help but cover his forehead.
Isn't this guy just a bit pitiful?
With such a strange way of speaking, how has he managed to stay alive until now?
It's probably because his strength is strong enough that he hasn't been killed yet!
"The dance to worship the fire god... Hinokami Kagura…"
Tanjiro lowered his head to look at his reflection in the blade of the axe, murmuring softly.
"Very well, that's settled then."
Qingshui walked over to Tanjiro, placing a hand on his shoulder under Nezuko's watchful gaze.
"To think you can hold back from attacking, you're completely different from other demons. Don't you think this demon is fascinating, Giyuu-senpai?"
Before Giyu could respond, Qingshui turned his attention back to Tanjiro.
"We are Demon Hunters from the Demon Slayer Corps, specifically hunting demons like your sister."
Tanjiro quickly raised the axe to protect Nezuko.
"However, I think Giyuu-senpai, like me, believes your sister is a special demon and perhaps doesn't need to be killed. But if other demon hunters see her, she'll definitely be in trouble."
Qingshui pointed at Giyuu as he spoke.
"Do you want to protect your sister?"
Tanjiro nodded firmly.
"I'll teach you! Just use the Hinokami Kagura you have as leverage in negotiations! You should do it this way…"
Qingshui rambled on in front of Tanjiro, leaving the simple farm boy in a daze.
Qingshui didn't think he was misleading Tanjiro.
In the original timeline, two years later, when Nezuko's situation was discovered, Giyuu had used the argument that "if Kamado Nezuko eats humans, then he and Urokodaki Sakonji would commit seppuku" to force the Demon Slayer Corps to agree to Tanjiro's approach, but that was based on two years of their relationship.
Urokodaki Sakonji and the Kamado siblings had already come to see each other as family, and Giyuu also regarded Urokodaki as family.
The backing of a Water Hashira and a former Water Hashira carries significant weight, but Qingshui's approach was also feasible.
Of course, Qingshui had his own motives, because without doing this, how could he get Tanjiro to willingly bring out the Hinokami Kagura?
Giyuu stood to the side, listening to Qingshui's explanation, and finally spoke up:
"I really envy your mind, being able to simplify such a difficult matter."
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