Alone and Infinite

------------

1. Monthly pass 2. Recommendation vote

Please read it!

Chapter 8: Breath of the Sun!

The killing intent grew increasingly pure, as if someone were holding a sharp weapon to one's forehead.

But the others present seemed oblivious as Tanjiro took out small gifts for his younger siblings from the bamboo basket.

Murata watched with amusement. He also had two children and was a man with a strong sense of family responsibility, a ruthless person who would 'sell' himself for his family.

Even Nezuko could see the kindness and envy in his eyes, and Tanjuro's murderous intent completely ignored him.

Was it because you were afraid of scaring your family that you narrowed down the scope?

The air was filled with the laughter of children, but a chilling murderous intent clung to Li Xia and Tanjuro like a cold thread.

Wait a minute, Li Xia's gaze fell on Tanjuro's face. Was he hesitating?

What is Tanjuro hesitating about?

"Dad, these are the medicinal herbs that Sherlock-san brought for you. They're said to be a very rare traditional Chinese medicine!"

Tanjiro's voice was like a ray of sunshine that dispelled the coldness. Tanjuro looked at his son, and even though he was as indifferent as he was, a slight smile appeared on his face.

Tanjuro's gaze swept over the paper package in Tanjiro's hands, and with his 'Transparent World' ability, he naturally identified the medicinal herbs inside.

The piercing killing intent finally dissipated. Tanjuro gave Li Xia a deep look, then whispered to his wife and Tanjiro:

"Tanjiro, please take your younger brother and sister and tidy up the house. Aoi, I'll leave the hospitality to you. I'm going to chat with my friend."

This was the invitation. Li Xia turned around and gave the instructions:

"Murata, you should help out too, the children are still too young."

"Don't worry, sir! Chopping wood is my specialty." Murata rolled up his sleeves, looking very enthusiastic.

In the small room, the two sat facing each other. Tanjuro picked up the rough, vermilion clay teapot and slowly poured the light green tea into the bamboo cup through the spout.

Tanjuro pushed the bamboo cup in front of Li Xia and fell silent, his eyes lowered, lost in thought.

Li Xia picked up his cup, wondering if it were Shui Zhu Tomioka Giyuu sitting opposite him, the two of them could sit there without saying a word all day!

No wonder Tanjiro described his father as "like a plant" in his memories.

The bottom of the bamboo-shaped cup made a soft "thump" as it struck the tray. Li Xia took a deep breath and got straight to the point:

"Mr. Tanjuro, I want to learn 'Hinokami Kagura'."

These words were like a huge stone thrown into a calm pond, and Tanjuro was no longer as calm as before.

He slowly raised his head, and that oppressive aura, like dark clouds hanging low, gradually emerged again.

Under this immense pressure, Li Xia's tense mood quietly relaxed a bit; he had guessed correctly!

Tanjuro is waiting for him to give an explanation!

On the way here, Li Xia kept thinking about one question: what is the difficulty of the entire main quest?

Is it the way we came? Or is it finding someone?

None of these are true. Although the journey by water was difficult, the rewards were also substantial.

The challenge is getting these characters in the story to teach you the breathing techniques!

In other words, how do you beat this game that you can't win by brute force alone?

There are only a few ways to get things done in this world: coercion, bribery, appealing to emotions, and reasoning with people.

Coercion will obviously not work, and bribery might be useful, but it's definitely not a price Li Xia can afford. Perhaps wiping out all the ghosts in the world would be effective.

That leaves only one path: appeal to their emotions and reason with them.

“Mr. Tanjuro, this world is vast, and monsters are not only found here. I need a way to slay monsters.”

Li Xia spoke sincerely, without exaggerating anything, simply stating that he needed the Breath of the Sun.

Tanjuro remained silent, but his imposing aura did not grow any stronger.

Finally, he slowly asked:

"You're not from around here, how did you know?"

"Mr. Tanjuro, you've heard of the Demon Slayer Corps, right?" Li Xia once again used his old trick to fool Tanjiro: "The head of the Demon Slayer Corps has been married to the Shinjo clan for generations and possesses incredible abilities."

Li Xia paused for a moment, then uttered two words: "Foresight".

Tanjuro's eyes were no longer as calm as before; he looked up at Li Xia with slight surprise.

In the transparent world, Li Xia's heartbeat and breathing remained unchanged as always.

Is this young man telling the truth?

He thought of the legendary "Hinokami Kagura," its magical abilities, and the demons his ancestors spoke of.

"So that's how it is. Precognitive abilities?"

With a hint of realization, just like Tanjiro had been led astray not long ago, Tanjuro subconsciously felt that Li Xia had found him through his prophetic abilities.

This also explains why Li Xia seems to be quite familiar with his family, and even knows the secret of 'Hinokami Kagura'.

This is the power of the truth; sometimes, the truth is more deceptive than a lie.

The suffocating sense of oppression finally dissipated, and even the sunlight seemed brighter.

Li Xia quietly breathed a sigh of relief, picked up the slightly cooled tea, and prepared to take another sip to calm herself down.

Sorry, it's already cold.

Tanjuro didn't seem to express his apology; instead, he made amends in an awkward way by pouring out the two cups of tea and picking up the teapot again.

It seemed like an explanation, or perhaps a conversation: "The night is dangerous, but what's more dangerous than the night is people."

Li Xia nodded in agreement. Some people are forced to become ghosts, while others yearn to become ghosts.

After he finished speaking, the room fell silent again. Li Xia didn't know what to talk about, but Tanjuro was just like that by nature.

Finally, after drinking who knows how many cups of tea, the sound of children making noise came from outside, indicating that the meal was almost ready.

Tanjuro said in a low voice, "I will have Tanjiro teach you the 'Hinokami Kagura,' I hope it will help you."

Li Xia closed his eyes, and his tense mind finally relaxed. This scene was also clearly observed by the 'Transparent World'.

But Tanjuro didn't think much of it. Honestly, if he were to cross the ocean to meet a stranger and seek a way to save his hometown, he would probably be under even greater psychological pressure.

Such a reaction is more genuine and more reassuring.

As for whether it would cause any bad consequences, Tanjuro was not worried. At least at this moment, he felt that Li Xia was 'sincere'.

[System Notification: Tanjuro Kamado is willing to let his son, Tanjiro Kamado, teach you the 'Hinokami Kagura']

[System Notification: You will be learning 'Sun Breathing (Incomplete Version)'. Do you agree?]

[System Notification: The main quest will be completed after completing the training]

Li Xia instinctively wanted to agree, but at the moment of making the decision, he suddenly froze.

Why does the system ask itself if it agrees?

If this is the only condition for the main quest, do I still need to agree?

Or perhaps... Li Xia closed the prompt in front of him and tentatively asked Kamado Tanjuro:

"Mr. Tanjuro, could you please teach me?"

[Ding! The prerequisites for learning 'Sun Breathing (Full Version)' have not been met.]

Sure enough!

----------------------

1. Monthly pass 2. Recommendation vote

Chapter 9 The Transparent World

As expected, besides the incomplete version of 'Breathing of the Sun', there is also a complete version.

Li Xia felt that he had vaguely grasped something, which was the key to obtaining the complete version.

what exactly is it?

Tanjuro's gaze held a hint of regret as he softly said, "I'm sorry, although I really wanted to teach you myself, my body... I'm afraid I can no longer demonstrate the complete Kagura for you."

He turned his head to look out the bamboo window at a dense forest, where wildflowers bloomed and lush greenery abounded. His gaze held a mixture of longing, regret, and acceptance.

"'Hinokami Kagura' is actually a breathing method. If you want to teach it, in addition to demonstration, you also need the help of others to find the correct breathing rhythm."

I still have some strength left, but I'd rather use that strength to protect my family. So I'm sorry.

The vague feeling in the darkness grew increasingly restless, and countless images flashed through Li Xia's mind.

This is related content from Demon Slayer that he once watched. There must be something I forgot or missed.

Even though her body couldn't perform Kagura, she still had the energy to protect her family.

Most importantly, it's about what I've experienced along the way.

Those who did not choose to run away when faced with the ghost received an extra reward.

By choosing to spend more money, I gained Murata, an extremely useful assistant.

Choosing the more time-efficient waterway, arranging for a boatman, and receiving a substantial reward.

In this trial space generated and completely controlled by the palace, Li Xia believed that none of this was accidental.

Instead, I tell myself: if you want to gain something, you must also bear the risks of what you gain.

Therefore, all I could get from my previous efforts was an incomplete version of the Breath of the Sun.

What price must be paid for the complete version of Sun Breathing?

Like a bolt of lightning ripped through the night sky, Li Xia suddenly raised his head, his deep brown pupils seemingly carrying a light:

"Is it because of a bear?"

Tanjuro was startled and stared at Li Xia in astonishment. After a long while, he slowly said:

"Precognitive abilities...are they really that powerful?"

In the original story, Tanjiro recalled that there was a killer bear near their house. Before Tanjiro died, he lured the killer bear out and chopped off its head with just two axes.

That was a technique that Tanjiro couldn't comprehend; it seemed as if only a silver light flashed across the sky before the bear's head fell off.

"Mr. Tanjuro"

Li Xia carefully considered her words:

"Let Tanjiro teach me Hinokami Raku first, and I'll kill that bear. Then, I'll ask Mr. Tanjuro to point out any shortcomings. How about that?"

Tanjuro hesitated for a moment, then shook his head with a troubled expression: "I'm sorry, I'm afraid my body can't hold out for that long."

Still not working? Li Xia frowned, but judging from Tanjuro's reaction, at least he was on the right track.

In other words, killing the giant bear is definitely one of the prerequisites.

Li Xia suddenly remembered something and took out a scroll from his bosom.

[Exploration Scroll]

[Quality: White]

【Origin: Palace Museum (Guaranteed bonus after empty box)】

[Effect: Allows for target reconnaissance, judgment based on intelligence comparison, and acquisition of target panel information.]

[Number of uses: 3/3]

[Comment: The probability of getting an empty chest is 0.1%, so getting an empty chest is a unique kind of luck.]

Looking at the scroll in my hand, a unique kind of melancholy welled up in my heart.

Li Xia hadn't expected that there would be empty chests, and even less did he expect that opening an empty chest would trigger a guaranteed reward mechanism, which would compensate him with a basic reward.