Seeing Kanao walk toward the tray of ores, Xia Feng also stepped closer.
Kanao looked at the stones in front of her.
She knew absolutely nothing about ore.
After thinking for a moment, she decided to simply pick one at random.
Just then, Xia Feng reached out and picked up a piece.
"Take this one."
As he spoke, he handed the ore to the Kakushi member.
Kanao paused for a moment, then smiled.
Even if the ore Xia Feng chose wasn't good, she would still use it.
But she trusted him—he would definitely choose the best one.
Xia Feng took out a piece of paper, wrote something on it, folded it, and handed it to the Kakushi member.
"When you deliver the ore to the Swordsmith Village, please give this to the village chief as well."
The Kakushi member quickly accepted it.
"I will definitely complete the task!"
After selecting their ores, all those who passed the Final Selection officially became members of the Demon Slayer Corps.
Their uniforms and Nichirin swords would be delivered later to the addresses they specified—usually their respective training residences.
As for the communication crows, they would be assigned today.
Kanao extended her arm, and a crow landed on it.
"Caw! Caw! Please take care of me!"
The crow nodded toward Kanao as it spoke.
Kanao nodded gently in return.
Then she looked at Xia Feng.
"Brother Xia Feng seems to never have a crow."
Xia Feng nodded.
"I feel a little uncomfortable around birds that can talk, so I never asked them to assign one to me."
Kanao: "..."
She had unexpectedly discovered Xia Feng's weakness.
For some reason, it felt… a little cute.
After receiving his crow, Tanjiro ran over.
"Mr. Xia Feng! Once I get my Nichirin sword, can I come visit you?"
Xia Feng thought for a moment, then nodded.
"As long as you bring Nezuko."
Several black lines appeared on Tanjiro's face.
Mr. Xia Feng really doesn't hide his intentions at all…
After everything was settled, Xia Feng chatted briefly with Mitsuri before they each went their separate ways.
When Xia Feng returned to the Butterfly Mansion, he originally expected Shinobu to come greet him.
After all, he had just fought a monster like Upper Rank One.
No matter what, Shinobu should at least show some concern.
But she didn't.
Xia Feng felt a little puzzled and walked all the way to the main residence of the mansion.
Inside the house, he could sense Shinobu's presence.
However… something felt off compared to usual.
Her aura was weaker than normal.
But it didn't feel like an injury.
Xia Feng asked Kanao to wait outside while he entered the house.
He controlled his muscles to eliminate any sound.
When he reached Shinobu's room, he used Shadow Sneak to peek inside.
The moment he saw what was happening, Xia Feng's expression darkened.
Inside the room, Shinobu was holding a syringe, slowly injecting it into her arm.
Her complexion looked terrible.
Yet she still persisted, injecting the purple liquid into her body.
Xia Feng thought rapidly for a few seconds.
Then he finally remembered what this was about.
He felt a surge of irritation.
He had actually forgotten something this important.
After pulling out the needle, Shinobu suddenly saw Xia Feng push the door open and walk in.
She jumped in surprise.
"Eh? You're back? I was just—"
Xia Feng didn't speak.
He walked straight to her and took the syringe.
After smelling it, he confirmed what it was.
Wisteria poison.
After Shinobu's special preparation, the poison had extremely high compatibility with the human body.
It could integrate into the bloodstream.
Shinobu was using this method to slowly transform her body until it became saturated with wisteria poison.
Seeing Xia Feng's expression, Shinobu knew he had already guessed the purpose of the drug.
"…Sorry."
After thinking for a moment, Shinobu said softly.
Xia Feng set down the syringe and looked at her.
"You're injecting wisteria poison into your body because you plan to let a demon eat you… and kill it with the poison?"
Shinobu remained silent.
At the Ubuyashiki estate, she had already learned about Xia Feng's profound knowledge of pharmacology.
Lying to him now would be meaningless.
Seeing her expression, Xia Feng sighed.
He reached out and gently pulled Shinobu into an embrace.
"Are you doing this… to avenge your sister?"
Shinobu gave a bitter smile.
"When my sister was killed, she told me to leave the Demon Slayer Corps."
"I was born small and weak. Even after becoming a Hashira, I still don't have the strength to decapitate demons…"
"I developed Insect Breathing so I could kill demons in my own way and avenge my sister."
"But the more demons I encountered, the more I realized that as their strength grows, their resistance to poison also increases."
"If it's the demon that killed my sister… poison alone probably won't be enough to defeat it."
"If I want revenge, I have to do this."
Xia Feng took a deep breath.
He released Shinobu and held her shoulders so she faced him.
Under her surprised gaze, he stared directly into her eyes.
"I'll complete your revenge."
"The demon who killed your sister—I'll personally kill it."
"That's my promise to you."
"Do you remember what I told you in the Swordsmith Village?"
"The things you can't do, I'll do them for you. I won't let regrets happen around you again."
"If you trust me, then don't do something like this ever again."
Shinobu stared at him with wide eyes, stunned.
After a long moment, she pursed her lips.
"Making such a big promise so casually… if you can't fulfill it later, you'll have to swallow a thousand needles."
Xia Feng smiled.
"That sounds terrifying… In that case, just to avoid swallowing those thousand needles, I guess I'll have to keep my promise."
Shinobu smiled faintly.
Just as she was about to say something, she suddenly saw Xia Feng's face move closer.
"!!!"
Her expression shifted from surprise… to acceptance… and finally she closed her eyes, enjoying the strange and gentle sensation.
After a while, Xia Feng pulled away.
He took a deep breath, originally planning to continue.
Shinobu, slightly out of breath, said:
"…Where's Kanao?"
Xia Feng froze.
A chill ran down his back.
Earlier, he told Kanao to wait outside the door.
Then…
He completely forgot about her.
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