One person: Lu Jin, do I look like your master?

The cave was empty; Wang Xuan had no need for any furniture or furnishings.

He sat cross-legged in the center, directly on the cold rock, his eyelids slightly lowered, and instantly entered a deep meditative state.

Although he had attained enlightenment and entered the profound realm of "my mind is the mind of heaven," the Great Dao is infinite, and what he had comprehended, in his own words, was "still only a superficial understanding of the Dao."

It's like pushing open a door to an infinite treasure; what you see before you is magnificent, but the world behind the door is even more vast and boundless.

He needs time, time to settle down, and time to thoroughly integrate this understanding into every wisp of his divine thought and every bit of his power, and to build upon that foundation.

To explore the deeper laws of the universe.

Even though the spiritual energy in this world is scarce, the "Dao" itself is universal. Observing the operation of the rules of a relatively fragile world is valuable for him to consolidate his realm and make connections with other things.

His mind was already immersed in the profound understanding of the mutual verification between his own way and the rules of the outside world.

Meanwhile, inside the Kamado family's small wooden house, warmth could not dispel the gloom in their hearts.

Tanjiro lay in his familiar bed, beneath which was a bed carefully made of hay and old cloth by his mother, exuding the scent of sunshine and grass.

The even breathing of his younger siblings filled the air around him, but he tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

The events of the day, especially the words spoken by the mysterious "immortal" as he departed, echoed repeatedly in his mind like a curse.

"Leave here within five years, or the consequences will be unimaginable..."

"If you don't know where to go, then go to the Demon Slayer Corps..."

"You can find them in the Misty Mountains..."

Five years… This deadline weighs like a boulder on my chest. The consequences are unimaginable. What could they be?

Was it a landslide? A terrible disease? Or... a man-eating monster like in ancient legends?

He dared not think too deeply about it, but the sense of impending crisis was incredibly real.

The Demon Slayer Corps… that’s another unfamiliar term. It sounds like a combat organization, so why should we go after them?

Where is Mount Sagiri? Is it far? My family is all here, and the eldest of us is just a kid. Can we really make the long journey?

After leaving Yunqu Mountain, what will happen to their livelihood—the charcoal kiln left by their father? How will they survive in this new place?

Countless questions swirled in his young mind like a tangled ball of yarn, leaving him unable to find a solution.

He believed the "immortal's" words without a doubt. The ability to appear out of thin air and control flames was not an illusion, but a real and undeniable power.

Such a being has no reason to deceive ordinary mountain people like them.

However, to abandon the homeland where one has lived for generations and embark on a completely unknown journey is too heavy a decision to make.

He tossed and turned in bed until the sky outside the window began to turn a faint gray, and then, in extreme exhaustion and confusion, he drifted off to sleep.

"Brother, wake up!"

He didn't know how much time had passed when Nezuko's clear, slightly worried voice rang in his ears, waking him from his light sleep.

Tanjiro struggled to open his dry eyes and saw his sister Nezuko looking down at him, her beautiful eyes filled with concern.

"Brother, dinner's ready!"

Seeing that Tanjiro had woken up, Nezuko visibly breathed a sigh of relief, a relieved smile appearing on her face.

"You overslept today, I thought..."

She didn't finish speaking, but Tanjiro understood that his sister was worried that he was still frightened by what happened yesterday.

Tanjiro rubbed his eyes and sat up. His mother, Kamado Aoi, had already prepared a simple breakfast—as usual, thin rice porridge and some pickled vegetables.

The family sat around a low table, the atmosphere somewhat silent.

Tanjiro's younger brothers Takeo, Shigeru, and Hanako all secretly watched him. Even the clueless Rokuta seemed to sense something was amiss and quietly stayed in his mother's arms.

Tanjiro silently ate his porridge, finding it tasteless. He knew he had to speak his mind.

He took a deep breath, put down his bowl, and looked firmly at his mother, Kui-chi, who was silently clearing away the dishes.

His voice still carried a youthful clarity, but his tone was unusually serious.

"I...I plan to go and see the Misty Mountain that the immortal mentioned."

The room fell silent immediately upon hearing this. Nezuko covered her mouth in surprise, while Takeo and Shigeru stared wide-eyed.

Kamado Kuiye paused in her tidying up of the dishes. She slowly straightened up, looked at her eldest son, her face showing little surprise, only an unyielding worry and heaviness.

How could she have slept soundly last night? The mysterious visitor's warning hung like a sword over her head.

"Tanjiro..."

She called softly, her voice filled with a mother's struggle.

It's not that she doesn't believe in that "immortal".

Just as Tanjiro thought, if the other party truly harbored malicious intent, his family would be powerless to resist, so why bother leaving a warning? It was precisely this absolute power disparity that confirmed the authenticity of the warning.

But... the reality was like a mountain blocking her way. She was a widow with six young children. Tanjiro was the eldest son, only eight years old.

Leaving Mount Kumotori meant giving up their only familiar way of life, abandoning the charcoal kiln left by Tanjuro, and abandoning the wooden house that sheltered them from the wind and rain.

The road ahead is long. Where is Mount Sagiri? How long will it take? Where will we get our money? Once we arrive, how will we settle in?

How can a group of women and children make a living in an unfamiliar place? These are the harsh realities.

However, the phrase "the consequences would be unimaginable" haunted her like a nightmare. As a mother, her greatest fear was that her children would be harmed.

If... if the disaster foreseen by that immortal is real, and staying in the same place might lead to the annihilation of the whole family, then wouldn't her hesitation be pushing the children into the abyss?

The hermit mentioned the Demon Slayer Corps, saying that if you don't know where to go, you can go to them.

This seemed to be a foreshadowed way out. Although they didn't know exactly what the Demon Slayer Corps did, the fact that such a being had mentioned them might... perhaps offer a sliver of shelter and guidance to wanderers like them?

Kamado Aoi's gaze slowly swept over the children—the resolute and precocious eldest son Tanjiro, the gentle and considerate eldest daughter Nezuko, and the lively and energetic Takeo and Shigeru.

The well-behaved and adorable Hanako, and the infant Rokuta. Each of them is the most precious treasure in her life.

Protecting their safety is a mother's most instinctive and core responsibility.

The scales in my heart sway violently between the hardships of reality and the terrifying warnings of the future.

Tanjiro's suggestion to explore Mount Sagiri was like a stone thrown into stagnant water; although it stirred up even bigger waves, it also provided a direction for action.

She looked into Tanjiro's resolute, crimson eyes, as unwavering as her deceased husband's, and remained silent for a long time before finally speaking in an extremely slow and heavy tone:

"Tanjiro... let your mother think about it some more. This... this concerns our whole family after all."

Chapter 5 Heading to Mount Sagiri

Wang Xuan did not worry too much about whether the Zao Men family would heed the warning or what their future would hold.

His first priority upon arriving in this world was to comprehend its unique characteristics. Within his cave dwelling, his mind was as still as water, and his spirit roamed freely in the vast emptiness.

Divine consciousness, like the finest tendrils, slowly extends out to connect with the underlying rules of this world.

As he expected, the "foundation" of this world was much "thinner" and "more fragile" compared to the world of Under One Person.

The activity level of spiritual energy is extremely low, like a stagnant pool of still water, unable to stir up any powerful energy waves.

The operation of the laws of heaven and earth also appears more "straightforward" and "simple", with fewer complex and mysterious changes.

"Although the ultimate truth is that all things return to the same source, the manifestation and emphasis of the 'Tao' vary subtly across different worlds."

Wang Xuan was immersed in this realization.

In the world of Under One Person, the rules are more "resilient" and "active." The superhumans use "Qi," a relatively high-level energy form, to manipulate and utilize the rules, developing a myriad of supernatural abilities.

In this realm, the rules are more like a fragile net, and the energy levels are generally low. The so-called "ghosts" and "breathing techniques" seem to exist under these fragile rules.

Products that stimulate physical potential or produce some kind of mutation through extreme methods follow a relatively "brutal" and "obsessive" path.

He carefully savored this difference.

Like observing two different rivers, one with abundant water and a complex course (Under One Person), and the other with a small amount of water and a simple course (Demon Slayer).

But ultimately, they all flow into the ocean, which is essentially "water." This contrast, on the contrary, gave him a deeper understanding of the universality and particularity of "Tao."

He did not intend to learn the "breathing techniques" or "blood demon arts" of this world, but rather to observe the "principles" of their existence and operation in order to nourish and solidify his own more fundamental and inclusive "Tao".

Like a rigorous scholar, he dissected the principles governing this "low-magic" or even "magic-free" world, using it as a special mirror reflecting his own path.

At the same time, the wheel of fate of the Kamado family had begun to slowly turn under Wang Xuan's unintentional influence.

After several days of agonizing deliberation, and especially seeing the increasingly resolute light in Tanjiro's eyes, his mother, Kamado Aoi, finally made the difficult decision.

She couldn't gamble with her entire family's lives on the "immortal's" warning, which was just empty threats.

Tanjiro, the eldest son, volunteered to go scout ahead, which was probably the safest option at the moment.

"Tanjiro, be careful on the road."

In the early morning, Kamado Aoi carefully packed the few provisions and a small pot of water into Tanjiro's bag and tidied up his slightly oversized old clothes.

Her eyes were brimming with tears, but she held them back, her voice choked with sobs and endless worry.

Sending her eight-year-old son on a long journey to the unknown Mount Sagiri was like tearing a piece of her heart out.

"Good luck, brother! Be careful on the road!"

Nezuko, holding her younger siblings' hands, stood behind her mother, her clear voice filled with trust and blessings for her older brother.

Takeo, Shigeru, and Hanako nodded vigorously. Although they didn't quite understand what had happened, they all knew that their brother was going to do something very important and dangerous.

Tanjiro took a deep breath and slung his bag over his shoulder; the weight was somewhat heavy for his small frame.

He turned to face his mother and siblings, trying to give them a warm and reassuring smile, like the winter sun.

"Yes! I will! Mother, Nezuko, Takeo, Shigeru, Hanako, Rokuta, please take good care of yourselves at home and wait for me to come back!"

After saying that, he no longer hesitated, took a step, and started walking down the mountain path.

He dared not turn around, afraid that seeing his mother's tears and his younger siblings' reluctant gazes would shake the courage he had finally mustered.

In fact, Tanjiro's heart was filled with tension and fear.

He was only eight years old, and this was the first time in his memory that he had left Yunqu Mountain so far on his own.

An unfamiliar road, an unknown future, wild beasts that might roam the mountains and forests, and the legendary monsters that appear at night... every single thing was enough to terrify the child.

But he clenched his fists so tightly that his nails almost dug into his palms, using the pain to dispel his fear.

"I have to go... for my mother, for Nezuko and the others..."

He told himself this over and over again.

After his father passed away, his mother's health was not good. As the eldest son in the family, he had to step up and shoulder this responsibility.

The path pointed out by that immortal is their family's only hope at present.

Whether it was the protection of the "protagonist's halo" or not, Tanjiro miraculously turned danger into safety despite the hardships he faced.

He encountered homeless people with ill intentions who wanted to steal his food, but he managed to detect them in advance and avoid them thanks to his keen sense of smell.

He once got lost in a heavy rain, but eventually found his way again by observing moss and stars (his father had taught him some of these).

When they camped out in the wild at night, they were terrified by the howls of wild animals, but they could always find a relatively safe place to take shelter in a tree hole or rock crevice.

His dry rations ran out quickly, so he picked wild fruits and dug up wild vegetables to fill his stomach. Occasionally, he would encounter kind people who would give him a bowl of hot porridge or a rice ball.

These experiences, though arduous, rapidly matured this eight-year-old boy.

After a long and arduous journey, Tanjiro finally stood at the foot of Mount Sagiri.

The mountain is shrouded in a light, seemingly perpetual mist, making it appear mysterious and secluded.

Exhausted, he looked at his destination and a glimmer of hope rekindled in his eyes.

Without pausing for a moment, or even taking a break, he strode forward with his already aching legs toward the misty mountain.

"Almost there...almost there...the Demon Slayer Corps...once we find them, we'll know what to do...Mother, everyone, wait for me a little longer..."

His belief sustained his weary body, allowing him to steadily and resolutely venture deeper into the mountains.

Meanwhile, deep within the Sagiri Mountains, outside a simple and unpretentious house hidden among the trees, a man wearing a red tengu mask and a dark blue pine-patterned haori was arranging herbs for drying in the open space outside the house.

His movements were steady and focused, each gesture exuding a rhythm honed through years of practice.

Suddenly, his hand paused slightly.

"Huh? Someone?"