Alone and Infinite

But no matter what, once you've chosen to step into this world, you have no regrets!

As for the final exquisite white treasure chest, let's not even mention it.

Early May is a time of fluctuating temperatures, and even when the sun is shining, wisps of cool air from the river still seep into the gaps in your clothes.

It makes you want to wrap your clothes tighter, as if trying to hold the wind in your arms.

The small village in the countryside is bathed in a golden halo from the sun, turning it into a tranquil oil painting.

Inside the restaurant, Li Xia rubbed the chopsticks together a couple of times to remove the rough edges from the new chopsticks.

Looking at the noodles in front of him with great anticipation, Li Xia never expected that he would be able to eat Chinese noodles in a small Japanese village restaurant in 1910!

Perhaps this bowl of noodles, costing 18 coins, is too expensive, so few people eat it.

The shopkeeper didn't leave; instead, he wiped his hands on his apron and said with considerable pride:

"This is a type of noodle that I learned from Master Liu Xing at 'Lai Lai Xuan'. Unlike buckwheat noodles and udon noodles, this noodle uses meat broth and has a delicious flavor."

But it was very popular.

"Wow, this is amazing!!" Murata's eyes widened in astonishment. After the shopkeeper left, satisfied, he clasped his hands together and bowed slightly, saying, "Thank you for your hospitality, sir!"

Li Xia was already hungry, and since the taste of these noodles was indeed very similar to the old-fashioned braised noodles he had been eating for over twenty years, he ate with great relish.

And surprisingly, after eating their fill, they even found that their recovery speed increased slightly, though not by much.

After finishing his meal, Li Xia began asking the shopkeeper about Tanjiro's family.

"A stove? That sounds like a family that deals with fire. Oh, are they charcoal sellers?"

The shopkeeper stroked his chin, thought carefully for a moment, and then shook his head:

"I'm sorry, the charcoal seller in our village is called Sanlang. Maybe he's from another village."

Li Xia nodded. She had only asked about it casually during the meal, so it was normal not to hear back.

After leaving the small restaurant, Li Xia stood by the roadside, looking at the bustling street with pedestrians, feeling somewhat helpless.

This place is close to Tokyo and is an important hub for water transport, so the population here is very diverse. However, I never expected that after choosing the Breath of the Sun, just finding Tanjiro Kamado would be so difficult.

But soon, Murata proved his worth once again, saying in a low voice:

"Sir, I have an idea—perhaps we can find it."

Li Xia looked up and followed the direction Murata was pointing.

"post office?"

"My lord, my lord! I've found out!"

Murata excitedly ran out of the post office.

"You actually found out?" Li Xia couldn't help but sigh. His four coins—oh no, the miscellaneous items he had previously acquired were quite valuable, and he had given two more to Murata.

I also gained +5 loyalty, so I have to say that the six dollars were well spent.

Murata, panting, ran up to Li Xia and whispered:

"The Kamado family lives in Tanbayama Village, Hokutoru County, which is about 4 ri from here. I will hire an oxcart and we should arrive around dusk."

4 miles? It's so close, why do we need to hire a car?

Li Xia was somewhat surprised, but then she realized that the "4 li" Murata mentioned might be different from what she understood.

Sure enough, after talking with the driver, Li Xia discovered that 1 ri in the Japanese shikukan method is roughly equal to 4 kilometers.

That is about 16 kilometers away, which is quite a long distance for a village.

No wonder the restaurant owner had never heard of Tanjiro.

As the sun gradually set in the west, Mount Uncho drew ever closer, casting a shadow over the towering mountain range, and the oxcart traversed a small hillside.

The village came into view in the distance, but it was almost twenty minutes later when they actually arrived at Danba Mountain Village.

Murata settled the payment with the coachman using silver and copper coins. Li Xia stood at the village entrance, observing with slight curiosity this place that only appeared in anime.

Just then, a man shouted, "Tanjiro, can you help me?"

Li Xia's expression suddenly turned serious. Not far away, a boy carrying a large bamboo basket turned around.

He had a burn scar on his forehead, wore a green and black checkered haori, and had a warm smile on his face.

The boy raised his hand and shouted energetically:

"Come over here now!"

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Chapter 7 Danger!

Tanjiro was clearly very popular, as several people greeted him warmly in a short period of time.

When Li Xia walked in front of him, the boy was wiping the sweat from his forehead and looking at the empty bamboo basket with a happy smile.

"It's wonderful that we can sell all the charcoal!"

The innocent boy started counting on his fingers what he should bring back for his younger siblings:

Nezuko loves konpeito (Japanese candy). Hmm?

He twitched his nose twice. As the future 'nose pillar/head pillar', Tanjiro's nose was even so magical that it could smell emotions.

"This is... the smell of blood?"

Tanjiro's gaze sharpened, and he raised his head warily, only to see the stranger in front of him smiling:

"Kamado Tanjiro?"

Li Xia looked at Tanjiro Kamado, who was sitting in front of her and seemed somewhat wary and reserved, and tapped her fingers lightly on the table.

Tanjiro doesn't seem to know how to refuse. Even though he's wary of strangers, he still agrees to sit with him on the street for a while after being invited.

However, Tanjiro in front of him seemed very small, looking only eleven or twelve years old, and only about 1.5 meters tall.

Tanjiro, holding the water cup with both hands, asked in confusion, "Excuse me, may I ask who you are?"

Li Xia pulled his wandering thoughts back and pondered for a moment: "Um, you can call me Sherlock."

Oh no, I forgot to give myself a stage name. It's a rule in the underworld that you need a name when you're out and about.

Because he was extremely good at uncovering hidden content in games and his walkthroughs were very detailed, and because his ID was 'Xia', he was given the nickname 'Sherlock' on the forum.

Sherlock? What a strange name.

"Tanjiro—" Li Xia didn't wait for Tanjiro to ask a question, but made a direct request: "Although it is presumptuous of me, I would like to visit Mr. Kamado Tanjuro at your home."

"Huh? Dad?" Tanjiro's dark red eyes widened. "Mr. Sherlock, do you know my dad?"

Li Xia didn't answer directly, but instead sighed softly: "Has Tanjuro's health gotten worse?"

Tanjiro's expression immediately darkened, and he nodded slightly: "Yes, Father has only been able to sit up with difficulty lately."

"Has it gotten that serious?" Li Xia's 'dejection' became even more obvious.

Just then, Murata walked over carrying a package and respectfully handed it to Li Xia:

"Sir, here are the medicinal herbs you requested."

Li Xia nodded slightly and placed the package on the table: "Tanjuro's body is deficient in essence. I happened to obtain a Chinese herbal medicine, so I thought I would give it to Tanjuro to help him recover."

"Da Bu Yuan Jian" is a soup made by my dad when I was in my senior year of high school. It is the only soup that I am familiar with for replenishing qi.

Whether it's useful or not, at least it's not harmful.

Thinking of her father's smile as he watched her drink the soup, Li Xia felt a pang of sadness, and her face showed genuine emotion.

Tanjiro's nose twitched twice. Even though it was wrapped in paper, he could still smell the precious medicinal materials such as ginseng.

Adding to the sadness emanating from Li Xia, Tanjiro, with his exceptional empathy, felt his eyes well up with tears.

He didn't originally want these precious medicinal herbs, but when he thought of his father's health,

He immediately stood up and bowed deeply: "Thank you—Dad will be very happy to know that friends have come to visit him."

However, he didn't realize that he had subconsciously come to think that Mr. Sherlock and Tanjuro were very good friends.

Tanjiro's favorability has increased, reaching the minimum trust level.

“Mr. Sherlock, please come with me.”

Tanjiro picked up his bamboo basket, but then suddenly remembered something and said sheepishly:

"Could you wait a moment?"

Li Xia watched as Tanjiro went into the general store. When he came out, the empty bamboo basket was now full, and it was vaguely visible that it was piled with dishes.

Is this child worried that there won't be enough food at home to offer? Did they spend all the money from selling charcoal?

Li Xia remained silent for a moment. The reason why Demon Slayer is so popular is largely due to the positive values ​​of Tanjiro's family.

Therefore, Li Xia never thought of using money to bribe Tanjiro to teach him the Hinokami Kagura.

He stepped forward, pressed down on Tanjiro's shoulder, picked up the basket, and slung it over his own shoulders.

Tanjiro was taken aback and hurriedly said, "Mr. Sherlock, there's no need. You are a guest, how can I let you carry me?"

Li Xia said with a smile, "It's okay, Tanjiro. I'm an adult, and children who carry heavy loads all the time won't grow tall."

The basket was indeed very heavy, weighing about thirty pounds, but although Tanjiro seemed to be struggling a bit while carrying it, he still walked very fast.

Could it be because of practicing 'Hinokami Kagura'?

Tanjiro had no idea what Li Xia was thinking; he was simply moved and led the way. Mr. Sherlock, what a kind person he was.

In May, Mount Yunqu is lush and verdant, with abundant vegetation. Sunlight filters through the branches and leaves, creating dappled patterns, and the fallen tree trunks are covered with moss, a picturesque scene of verdant beauty.

The air was filled with the fresh scent of grass, trees, and earth; just a simple breath felt like a cleansing of the lungs.

Wildflowers bloom along the narrow roadside: elegant irises, vibrant azaleas, and pure white wild chrysanthemums—a scene completely different from the cold winter of Mount Kumotori in the anime.

Li Xia, supporting his back, looked around. There were indeed many trees on Mount Kumochi, no wonder Tanjiro's family had been able to burn charcoal here for generations.

"Sherlock-san—" Tanjiro waved his hand from a rock not far away: "We're almost there!"

Panting, Murata leaned against the tree trunk and asked incredulously, "Sir, how does this child manage to carry such heavy charcoal and walk so far every day?"

“Perhaps it’s his amazing perseverance—” Li Xia was still quite concerned about this attendant: “How is Murata? Can he still walk?”

“Sir, of course I can. How could I lose to a child?” Murata rubbed his lower back, his expression resolute. “Sir, let’s keep going!”

Before long, they arrived at a relatively flat open space where a small wooden house stood, and several children were playing happily in front of it.

"Dad, Mom, Nezuko, Takeo, I'm home!"

Tanjiro cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted excitedly. The children who were playing around immediately put down their toys and rushed over with open arms.

After they noticed the stranger standing behind Tanjiro, they turned around and hugged their brother's legs, peeking out with half their faces to look at him curiously.

"Tanjiro, huh? Are you a guest?" Aoi, who was wearing a headscarf, put down the wooden basin in her hand, somewhat surprised.

It seems like it's been a long time since we've had any guests at home.

"Yes, Mom, this is Mr. Sherlock, Dad's friend!"

Just as Tanjiro was about to introduce Li Xia to his family, he saw the door of the wooden house slowly being pushed open.

A thin figure slowly walked out of the house, placing his hand on the door frame.

Her dark red hair was tied into a high ponytail, there was a faint scar on her left forehead, her cheeks were thin, and two very conspicuous ornaments hung by her ears. Even her eyes looked dull and lifeless, as if a gust of wind could blow her over.

But Li Xia sensed a subtle yet extremely pure killing intent emanating from this man.

It's like a sick tiger trying to kill its enemy to protect its family before it dies.

"Cough cough cough," Kamado Tanjuro lowered his hand from his mouth, seemingly oblivious to the crimson stain on his palm.

His dim eyes looked at Li Xia: "Friend...?"

[WARNING: You are facing one of the most extraordinary figures in this world: Tanjuro Kamado]

Li Xia felt as if a bright red character had appeared above her head.

"Dangerous!"