Demon Slayer: Starting with the Kingdom

The reason it is said to be "possible" is because Mitsuha's Blood Demon Art has more than just the effect of "manipulating causal threads".

Besides, her Blood Demon Art actually has other uses, but she just didn't use it earlier...

Well, I'll try these things when I encounter them later.

She needs to think carefully about where she should go for a stroll...

Thinking this, Mitsuha looked at Tamayo, who had suddenly become lost and was about to turn away, and suddenly had a plan in her mind.

"Don't rush off, Ms. Tamayo."

Tamayo, who had been looking dejected after learning that Mitsuha's Blood Demon Art was ineffective against demons, stopped and turned to look at her, asking:

"Is there anything else? With your current strength, you shouldn't need me to look after you anymore, right?"

"Of course there are other things."

With a smile, Mitsuha extended her hand in invitation:

"When I was a human, I almost never actually stepped out of this small town, nor did I ever see the world outside the city walls."

I wonder if Ms. Tamayo, who is always by Muzan's side and has seen a lot, would be willing to serve as my guide for a while and show me around the outside world?

I'm sure you won't refuse, will you?

On the other side, at the Demon Slayer Corps' base.

"Another demon hunter has passed away."

It was noon, and Yoriichi and Kokusatsu were both unusually free from their missions. After a long time, the two brothers sat in the same room and had lunch together once again.

Yan Sheng, who usually dislikes talking during meals, surprisingly spoke up today, mentioning the strange things that have happened to the Demon Slayer Corps recently.

"Just like the previous times, he passed away silently in his sleep, without any external injuries or signs of poisoning."

More importantly, this time, the one who perished was also a swordsman with markings…

It's unclear when it started, but every so often, a Demon Slayer Corps member would suddenly die.

Without any warning, he passed away quietly after a normal sleep.

This strange situation has already attracted the attention of the Demon Slayer Corps, and even the Lord is closely monitoring the progress of the investigation.

Unfortunately, the doctors within the Demon Slayer Corps have yet to reach any effective conclusions regarding this matter.

"I heard a doctor mention that those dead demon slayers were likely attacked by a very special kind of blood demon art that we've never encountered before. Yoriichi, what do you think? Yoriichi?"

Looking at Yoriichi, who was staring blankly with chopsticks in his hand, Yan Sheng frowned slightly.

"Huh? Excuse me, elder brother, were you calling me just now?"

Suddenly snapping back to reality, Yoriichi quickly asked.

Seeing the slightly nervous look on his younger brother's face, Yan Sheng frowned even more.

“Yoichi, ever since you came back from your last mission, I often see you sitting alone in a daze.”

What's wrong? What happened to you while you were out?"

"Brother, it is..."

Faced with Yan Sheng's question, Yuan instinctively wanted to explain.

But as if suddenly remembering something, he stopped speaking, his expression darkening, and simply shook his head, saying:

"No, it's nothing..."

Can you really say that your reaction is nothing?

Yan Sheng didn't press further, but instead began to quickly recall what had recently happened to Yoriichi.

As the only member of the Demon Slayer Corps who was constantly watching Yoriichi, Kokushibo, as the older brother, naturally remembered all of this perfectly.

However, he gained nothing.

After reviewing all the major and minor events that had happened to Yoriichi during this period, Yan Sheng couldn't find anything that could have caused Yoriichi to show such a conflicted expression.

So Yan Sheng continued to push the timeline of his memories forward.

He kept putting it off until more than a year ago when he suddenly remembered something.

That happened after Yoriichi returned to the Demon Slayer Corps base after his first visit to their sister, Mitsuha.

During that time, Yoriichi would come to him every day and put on a strange expression that seemed to want to say something but didn't know how to start.

It wasn't until Yan Sheng finally couldn't bear it any longer and asked him that he learned that Yoriichi originally wanted him to go back to Tsugumi's country with him to visit Mitsuha next time.

Yan Sheng, who felt guilty towards Mitsuha and his wife and children, was naturally unable to give a definite promise.

Of course, this is not the point.

The key point is that Yoriichi, standing before him, once again displayed an expression similar to that of a year ago.

Yan Sheng felt that he might have already guessed the answer.

"Yoriichi, you went to see Mitsuha again, didn't you?"

Picking up his bowl and chopsticks, Yan Sheng asked in a calm tone.

Completely baffled as to how his older brother had guessed this, Yoriichi, who was utterly inept at lying, was taken aback for a moment, then replied with a somber expression:

Understanding dawned on him, Yan Sheng nodded slightly and continued to ask:

"How has Mitsuha been lately?"

Yoriichi fell silent upon hearing this.

In her mind, the scene of Mitsuha sitting alone in that dark room with only a faint candlelight once again appeared.

My breathing quickened unconsciously, my heartbeat accelerated, and a strong sense of anxiety welled up inside me.

Under the influence of this uncontrollable anxiety, Yoriichi subconsciously snapped the chopsticks in his hand.

"Mitsuha's condition..."

He lowered his head and ultimately couldn't lie.

"very bad."

Chapter 36 Forward, Only Forward

After being away for several years, Yan Sheng finally returned to the town where Jiguo was located.

Like Yoriichi, he also deliberately chose to come late at night, rather than during the day.

After all, it would be very troublesome for someone who is "dead" to the outside world to be seen by former acquaintances.

After the city of Tenshu was quiet, carefully avoiding the soldiers on guard, Yan Sheng first returned to the room where he used to live, based on his memory.

In the equally quiet room, his wife and children were fast asleep.

Yan Sheng paused for a moment and glanced at the room, but only for a moment before quietly closing the door and walking towards the lobby.

The mourning hall, lit with candles, was filled with incense and candles. San Ye's coffin rested on the altar in the center of the hall, quietly awaiting burial after the funeral.

Yan Sheng knocked out the maids on night watch, then slowly stepped forward, gazing at the heavy coffin before him with a complex expression.

Perhaps, the dead really do have more memories than the living.

Her appearance has faded somewhat, her voice is almost forgotten, and those childhood memories seem to have been forgotten for a long time...

The moment Yan Sheng saw his sister's coffin, they all rushed out at once.

The long-buried memories suddenly became clear. Even now, Yan Sheng still couldn't believe that his sister was really dead.

Is she really lying in this cold coffin right now?

He was perfectly fine when he left, so why did he pass away in the blink of an eye?

Yoriichi said that Mitsuha had contracted the same incurable disease as her mother.

Mitsuha had known about this for a long time and had been keeping it from them.

Why do you want to do this?

Although Yan Sheng really wanted to ask that question, he actually knew the real reason in his heart.

Mitsuha is a very easy-going younger sister, and she always has been.

From the perspective of her brother and from the perspective of the nation, Mitsuha has almost the most perfect template image, and no one can find any fault with her.

But Yan Sheng knew that this was not Mitsuha's original form.

After all, he had seen what Mitsuha looked like as a child.

He knew perfectly well what Mitsuha was like in the beginning.

It was precisely for this reason that Yan Shengcai had always felt ashamed to return to his country.

There are very few truly foolish people in this world; most are just pretending to be foolish.

Yan Sheng was well aware of how devastating it must have been for Mitsuha that he had left without a word, leaving the country and his wife and children to his sister.

He knew it very well.

However, he really wanted to pursue Yoriichi.

He was even willing to give up everything for this goal.

His younger sister, who is now lying quietly in the coffin, was one of those he had abandoned.

"Mitsuha, I'm sorry..."

A wave of sorrow washed over him, and Yan Sheng stood there, slowly raising his hand to gently touch the coffin in front of him.

The deceased is gone; all he can do now is move forward.

Yes, only forward.

On his journey to catch up with Yoriichi, he has given up too much and lost too much.

He must, and absolutely must, succeed!

The sorrow in his heart was gradually replaced by determination. After taking one last look at the coffin that held Mitsuha's remains, Yan Sheng turned and left without hesitation.

"So, in that case, the town that our country ruled could be considered a large town to some extent?"

A few days later, one night, while walking with Tamayo on a dirt road in the suburbs, Mitsuha suddenly asked a question.

Upon hearing this, Tamayo, standing behind her, simply replied calmly:

"Since the country's towns are located near the capital, their population and commerce are naturally more prosperous compared to those towns in remote areas."

The contrast between the two men's postures at this moment is quite obvious.

Mitsuha walked ahead with her hands behind her back. Her steps were light, and her kimono was loose and baggy, making her look quite unrefined.

Behind her, Tamayo was dressed elegantly, with her hands folded in front of her and her head bowed, looking every bit like a maid.

Despite being an older demon, she was treated like a maid by a demon much younger than herself.

The reason for this is not only that Mitsuha's strength is far greater than Tamayo's, but more importantly, Tamayo is no match for Mitsuha.

Despite being a young girl, Tamayo clearly sensed that Mitsuha was far superior to her in both verbal exchanges and thinking abilities.

With years of experience as the head of the family, Mitsuha always seemed to be able to see through her thoughts and repeatedly used precise and hurtful words to stimulate or even break down her inner defenses.

This has led to Tamayo losing every verbal exchange between the two in the past few days.

After suffering numerous defeats and losing momentum, she naturally ended up as Mitsuha's "maid"...

Serving that beast Muzan was bad enough, but now there's another one, Mitsuha Tsugikuni, who's even more difficult to deal with than Muzan. Her demon life is truly shrouded in darkness...

"Speaking of which, Ms. Tamayo, do you know of any clothes that would suit me and look good?"

Just as Tamayo was lamenting her future, Mitsuha, who was standing in front of her, spoke again.

As she spoke, Mitsuha glanced down at the loose-fitting, exquisite kimono she was wearing.

Under normal circumstances, there are many rules for wearing a kimono.

For example, a waist belt must be worn; the neckline must be neat; and the hem should just cover the ankles but not drag on the ground, etc.

But Mitsuha didn't follow any of these rules.

The kimono she was wearing had sleeves that hung down past her fingertips, swaying as she walked and waved her hands.