A person in Japan, a sword that soars to immortality.

The night was cool as water, and the Milky Way was like silver.

There were four figures by the stream: two sitting, one lying down, and a blue peacock.

Ah-Xia hugged her legs with both hands, rested her chin on her knees, and stared blankly at Tai-Yi.

Looking at the person in front of her, whose breathing gradually became steady and whose wounds had all healed, she felt a strange sense of peace.

The blue peacock that Ubuyashiki gave to Taichi as a gift had already flown away when Nijo Tadatoshi was arrested.

But miraculously, when they rested by the stream, it inexplicably flew back.

What saddened Nijo Tadatoshi even more was that after the Blue Peacock appeared, it immediately stayed close to Taichi and wouldn't leave.

And those bird-like eyes would occasionally glance at his severed arm, then at Taiyi's healed wound, before revealing a disdainful expression.

Damn it! I fed you all this way, you beast!

Just as Nijo Tadatoshi and Blue Peacock were glaring at each other, Blue Peacock suddenly stood up and stretched its head towards Taiichi.

uh~

Taiyi, who had his eyes closed, suddenly reached out and grabbed its neck, scaring it so much that it didn't dare to move.

"When Qi enters the navel, it becomes breath; when Shen enters Qi, it becomes the embryo. When the embryo and breath unite, it is called the Great Yi Containing Truth. This is the unity of dragon and tiger, and one obtains the inner elixir."

"A dragon possesses a pearl, which allows it to ascend. A human possesses an inner elixir, which naturally grants immortality!"

Call ~

A mountain breeze suddenly swept through the silent forest, and Taiyi opened his eyes at that moment.

Before he could even greet the people around him, he immediately sat cross-legged on the ground and began to feel the changes in his body.

[Sword Control System]

Name: Yamada Asaemon Taichi

Age: 20

【Lifespan: 55】

[Essence: 36.7 (202.7) (+)]

Qi and Blood: 105.3 (+)

[God Soul: 61.1 (+)]

[Breathing Technique (+): Dragon and Tiger Combination (+)]

[Additional effects: Rapid regeneration; Blazing inferno]

[Conversion Effect: Spirit, Energy, and Vitality values ​​are converted thirtyfold (60s)]

[Martial Arts: Dragon Tiger Style (+)]

[Title: Daimyo's Personal Guard (With your lord by your side, your fighting spirit is now high. When facing enemies again, what they will notice is not only your looks, but also your status.)]

[Title Effect: Increases HP by 10%]

【Prestige: Reduces all enemy attributes by 5%】

[Common points: 100]

"It seems that only in the face of life and death can one break free from the shackles of life."

When Taiyi opened his eyes, he felt a lingering fear, but even more so, a surge of joy.

After experiencing it, he discovered that although his essence value had plummeted due to the recovery from his injuries, it had not dropped to its maximum value.

Furthermore, within the central palace of life, the rice-grain-sized inner core was rotating independently, slowly refining spiritual energy with each breath to restore its own essence.

I estimated that if I cultivate for a day, my essence and qi will increase by 5 points.

As for the spirit, it's still unclear; sometimes it rises, and sometimes it doesn't move at all.

He's grown 5cm taller, officially reaching 1.8 meters, and his muscles have become much stronger...muscles...

Taiyi suddenly felt a chill between his legs and a bit of discomfort under his buttocks. He lowered his head and was immediately met with Blue Peacock's wise eyes and his bare thighs.

"Holy crap! Where are my clothes?!"

......

Two days later.

Settsu region, Amagasaki domain, Kobe village, Kitakaze Izakaya.

Inside a Japanese-style room with the character "青" (blue) hanging on the door frame, Taichi and Aya were drinking and chatting with Nijo Tadatoshi sitting opposite them and two men dressed in half-wraps with the character "隐" (hidden) written on their backs.

However, throughout the toasts and drinks, Tadatoshi Nijo's expression remained rather unpleasant.

It wasn't because of the wound, but rather the sight of Taiyi opposite him, who was showing off half an arm and waving a cow leg wildly, that made him uncomfortable.

As for Miss A-Xia, who had fought alongside him, she knelt beside Tai-Yi like a concubine, pouring him wine.

“Brother Taiichi, as a samurai, it is rather offensive of you to eat meat in public like this.”

Nijo Tadatoshi's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard, enduring the strong aroma of pepper, before offering his suggestion to Taiichi.

"Lord Zhongjun, you are unaware of the truth." Taiyi waved his hand, took the towel handed to him by Axia, wiped his hands, drank a cup of fine wine, then shuddered before speaking:

"Hiss~ That's great! After a great battle, we should drink to our hearts' content, not to mention that we have such fine wine and delicious food in front of us."

Nijo Tadatoshi nodded as well. As a member of the Five Regents, he naturally knew that Hyogo was famous for its fine sake, especially the sake of the Kitakaze family, which was sold throughout the country.

But Taiichi disagreed when he said there was delicious food.

Seeing the disbelieving look on the other person's face, Taiyi curled his lip and didn't bother to explain.

What could he say? This famous Kobe beef is right in front of you, and you don't even know it?

It wasn't until more than 30 years later, when Kobe opened its port and foreigners discovered it, that they realized the cattle here were the best.

That's right, they were in the mountains, waiting for the Hidden Organization to arrive before setting off again.

The starting point for their choice was Kobe Village in the Amagasaki Domain of Hyogo Prefecture.

The first reason is to take a boat from here to Okayama, and the second reason is that Taichi wants to taste what authentic Kobe beef tastes like.

The conclusion is, it really is delicious!

Taiyi snatched the bottle from Axia's hand, and under Axia's glare, downed it all in one gulp. He then lowered his head and let out a satisfied hum, before raising his head again with a smile and saying:

"Alright, we've eaten and drunk our fill, Lord Zhongjun, it's time for us to say goodbye."

Nijo Tadatoshi was taken aback at first, then just stared at Taiichi quietly for a long time without saying a word, until his eyes reddened slightly.

He then moved the table in front of him with one hand, placed his palm horizontally on his thigh, and said with his head down:

"I will remember your righteousness for the rest of my life. On behalf of those who died unjustly at the hands of evil spirits, and on behalf of the entire Demon Slayer Corps, I express my sincerest gratitude to you!"

After speaking, he bowed deeply, and the two members of the hidden organization behind him also bowed deeply to Taiyi.

Without reaching out to stop him, Taiyi simply grinned and then glared at the blue peacock beside him, who was following suit and bowing its head.

......

clang clang ~

The sliding door of the Japanese-style room was wide open, and a woman dressed in a black tomislee style with disheveled hair was playing the shamisen softly.

(Some people say that Nakime is wearing mourning clothes, but I think it is a black tomesode, because the belt of mourning clothes is usually black, but in the anime, Nakime's belt is brown.)

In a strangely shaped, upside-down room in all directions, a mysterious space.

A man with red corneas, jet-black pupils, drooping curly hair on both sides of his forehead, pale skin, and delicate features was mixing test tubes back and forth.

Behind him stood a samurai wielding a katana, with six eyes, one of which was engraved with the word "Upper Horizon" and the other with the character "One".

"The weeping demon failed, and now Doma has become Upper Moon Two."

Muzan, with his back to Kokushibo, spoke calmly.

"I need not say more about your arrangements."

Kokushibo stood with his hand on his sword, his tone calm.

"Although Doma won, it wasn't by his own efforts. It was a human samurai who wasn't a Demon Slayer Corps member who beheaded the weeping Gyuki before he succeeded."

"Although the human samurai did not use the Breath of the Sun, and although the weeping demon deserved to die, it was truly unacceptable for them to be defeated by humans."

"As a fellow samurai, you should be interested in this human and want to meet him, right?"

Muzan stopped what he was doing and said in a sinister tone.

"My subordinate understands."

"Go ahead, just don't make too much of a commotion."

Swish!

As space shifted, when Kokushibo looked up, he found himself in a valley.

"Yamada Asaemon Taichi? It is truly a blessing for us warriors that such a samurai has appeared after the Warring States period."

"I just don't know how many of the Moon Breathing techniques he can catch."

Kokushibo turned his head, looked in the direction of Edo, and said calmly.