Kanao steadily caught the falling figure with both hands and said happily, "Phew… That's great."
Ryan felt terrible; he had lost a lot of face this time, but he lay in the girl's arms, unable to exert any strength. So, he simply gave up, remaining motionless, just staring blankly into Kanao's blank eyes. The scene was quite comical.
"Haha, where did that momentum you had just now go, kid? Hahahaha!"
Ryan didn't want to reply; he just wanted to quietly…
"Ding! Through the host's independent training, Flame Breathing has leveled up to Level 1."
Heh, quiet my ass! Let's get hyped.
"Jie jie jie jie jie!"
A hearty laugh rang out, and Shinjuro's laughter suddenly stopped.
What the hell, why was that laugh even more imposing than the Flame Breathing ultimate technique he had just used!
-------------------------------------
Time flew by, and half a month passed.
On a desolate path near Yoshiwara, two figures were speeding past.
The figure running behind wore a haori, which unfurled in the strong wind, forming the shape of a butterfly.
"Sister, run faster, I want to get back to Butterfly Mansion quickly."
"Alright, alright, Shinobu, your speed has improved again."
"Saying nice things like that is useless. If you keep this up, I'll leave you behind!"
"Ara, Shinobu is so cute."
The two travelers were sisters; they had just completed a demon-slaying mission and were on their way back.
It was very rare for two sisters to join the Demon Slayer Corps at the same time. Coupled with their destination being Butterfly Mansion, if Ryan were here, he would quickly recognize their identities.
Kanae Kochou, the master of Butterfly Mansion, and her younger sister, Shinobu Kochou.
"However, charging ahead so recklessly won't do. The secret to fast travel is endurance. If you keep this up, you won't last long."
At this time, Shinobu Kochou had not yet inherited her sister's personality; she was still a competitive and easily angered girl, while Kanae, three years older than Shinobu, played the role of both sister and mother.
"Hmph, then let's see who's faster!"
"Your breathing is erratic!"
"Ugh!"
"Shinobu, you haven't reached the realm of Total Concentration Breathing Constant yet. What you need to do now is maintain Insect Breathing while traveling. As long as you keep your body in an enhanced state, your travel speed will naturally increase."
Shinobu Kochou found this reasonable, suppressed her temper, and obediently adjusted her breathing rhythm.
"Mm-hmm, that's it, Shinobu is amazing!"
"Hmph, don't praise me in that tone. I'm not a child anymore."
For Shinobu Kochou, Kanae was not only a gentle and kind older sister but also someone she admired. However, she knew she couldn't become like her sister.
Whenever she recalled the scene of her parents being killed by demons, the hatred in her heart made her irritable and quick to anger.
But mere anger was useless. Whether it was to slay demons or to help her sister, strong power was the fundamental key.
So she absolutely had to…
"Caw! Caw! New mission, new mission!"
A Kasugai Crow flew from the horizon, its cries interrupting Shinobu Kochou's thoughts.
How could there be a new mission so quickly? And this one was her sister's Kasugai Crow. Her sister, as the Flower Pillar, generally wouldn't accept ordinary missions. Could it be an emergency!
Thinking of this, Shinobu Kochou couldn't help but become serious.
Kanae stroked the Kasugai Crow that had landed on her shoulder, took the letter, and upon opening it, immediately recognized the Master's handwriting. Her expression also became solemn, but soon…
"Sister, what happened!"
"Ara, don't worry, Shinobu, this is a personal mission and not urgent." Kanae put down the letter, returning to her usual gentle smile. "The Master wants us to visit someone in the Yoshiwara Pleasure District on our way."
Shinobu Kochou breathed a sigh of relief, then became curious about the mission's content.
"Who is it?"
"It's the current Flame Pillar, Rengoku Shinjuro, sir."
Upon hearing this, Shinobu Kochou's face darkened. The name Shinjuro immediately reminded her of the Flame Pillar's "illustrious" deeds. Not only did he not accept demon-slaying missions, but he also drank heavily all day. To her, this was a desecration of the Flame Pillar's name. One must know that a Pillar was not only a recognition of strength but also a responsibility.
Now he had even gone to a place like the Flower Street. Was drinking not enough, and he wanted women too?
This was simply scum! Who would want to visit such a person!
Kanae understood her sister's thoughts just by looking at her expression. To be honest, she was also a bit surprised by this temporary mission.
"Alright, alright, it's not what you think. Mr. Shinjuro has recently been staying at a martial hall with his second son. The Master said his mental state might have improved, and wants us to visit him."
Shinobu Kochou's face brightened a little, but only a little.
"What visit? Isn't it just to make us cheer up that decadent old man? We're not even close to him!"
"Ara, don't say that. If the Flame Pillar can pull himself together, it would be a blessing for the Demon Slayer Corps. It's very necessary to show some concern."
"He's a grown man, does he still need us to care?"
Kanae smiled helplessly, taking a merchant guild check from the envelope. "We're not just going to cheer him up. Another purpose is to bring him money for drinking."
"Isn't that even worse!"
"Shinobu, be good. Just think of it as a trip. We can stay in Yoshiwara for ten days this time."
"Hmph! Let's go, Sister, the mission is important."
And so, Kanae, while comforting her unwilling sister, resumed their journey guided by the Kasugai Crow.
Noon, Shinjuro's residence at Yan Ren Martial Hall.
Ryan, carrying sake and accompanied by Kanao, visited him again.
"Hmph, come in. This time, I hope you can last longer."
Shinjuro still maintained his arrogant demeanor, but after more than two months of interaction, Ryan could clearly feel that the other party had acknowledged him. The most obvious evidence was that this good master, who was initially impatient to answer a single question, was now willing to spar with him proactively.
And this had to be explained starting from half a month ago.
Since Ryan's Flame Breathing reached Level 1, there wasn't much more Shinjuro could teach him in that aspect.
According to this master, for strength to progress further, it could only rely on daily training and life-or-death battles.
But Ryan was no ordinary person.
For him, getting stronger only required madly adding points to Flame Breathing; life-or-death battles were completely unnecessary. Eating one more medicinal meal every day was more useful than any training.
According to this logic, Shinjuro was no longer useful and could exit.
However, that would be underestimating the Flame Pillar's value too much. Besides teaching Breathing Technique, his years of experience fighting demons were also incredibly valuable.
Regardless of whether Ryan wanted to slay demons in the future, this experience was something he urgently needed, and he could also let Kanao listen in.