Without waiting for Tianyue to speak, Ren immediately followed Xiaoyan, running quickly toward the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters.
After running for a day and a night, Ren followed the Kasugai Crow, Xiaoyan, into a desolate, uninhabited forest. There, beneath a large tree, he spotted a tall figure wrapped tightly in clothing. The person wore a veil with black and white stripes, revealing only their eyes.
'Is that a member of the Kakushi?'
The Kakushi were the logistics unit of the Demon Slayer Corps, generally responsible for cleanup operations or providing other forms of support.
While at the Butterfly Mansion, Ren had seen many Kakushi members delivering injured slayers for treatment.
'I remember now. The Ubuyashiki Estate, the headquarters of the Demon Slayer Corps, is extremely well-hidden. It's impossible to reach without being guided by several Kakushi members.'
Thinking this, Ren walked up to the Kakushi member and said, "I am Ren. At the Master's invitation, I am heading to the Ubuyashiki Estate."
"I am Kawasaki Ryuichi. Welcome, Lord Ren!"
The Kakushi member spoke in a rough voice, "The Master sent me to meet you. Please, come with me!"
With that, Kawasaki Ryuichi pushed a wooden wheelchair out from behind the large tree and motioned for Ren to sit in it.
"This is?"
Ren was puzzled. He recalled that traveling to the headquarters usually involved being carried on a Kakushi's back.
Kawasaki Ryuichi scratched his head in embarrassment and explained, "I apologize, Lord Ren. This was the Insect Hashira's arrangement. She said your sword is too heavy and was worried we might not be able to carry you on our backs, so she instructed us to use a wheelchair to bring you to the Master."
"Hmm... Miss Shinobu is certainly thoughtful."
For a man over 1.8 meters tall to be piggybacked by a Kakushi to headquarters—just thinking about that scene was hard to watch. Being pushed in a wheelchair was decidedly more acceptable.
"Although, why does this wheelchair look so much like the one Prime Minister Zhuge sat in?"
Ren muttered a complaint but sat down anyway, placing the Heavy Nichirin Greatsword across his legs. He then covered his eyes with a black blindfold, allowing Kawasaki Ryuichi to push him toward the headquarters.
Finally, after being guided by eight or nine different Kakushi members over the course of two days and two nights, Ren arrived at the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters on the morning of the third day. He removed the black blindfold and surveyed his surroundings.
The location was surrounded by mountains on all sides. Set against the backdrop of pure white snow, the scenery was spirited and elegant.
Within this circular valley lay a dense forest. Perhaps because the high mountains blocked the cold air, the trees here were still lush and verdant. The snowflakes on the branches had not yet melted, painting the forest into a beautiful, silver-wrapped scroll.
Not far through the dense woods, Ren clearly saw a luxurious estate that occupied nearly half the area. To call it magnificent would not be an exaggeration.
Although he didn't know what the interior was like, it was absolutely far superior to the small wooden cabin Tanjiro's family lived in.
"That is the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters. The Master is already waiting for you, Lord Ren," said the Kakushi member, Takeuchi Takuya, respectfully.
"Alright, understood."
Ren walked toward the Ubuyashiki Estate. As he reached the main gate, he saw a familiar, beautiful figure—it was Shinobu Kocho.
Shinobu had undoubtedly seen Ren as well and immediately waved to greet him.
"Hehe, Ren, long time no see! I knew you would definitely pass the Final Selection!"
"That goes without saying. I successfully killed an Upper Moon, after all. Dealing with those few small demons on Mt. Fujikasane was as easy as eating and drinking!"
The words sounded somewhat arrogant, but given Ren's strength, he was qualified to say them. As the saying goes, arrogance requires capability, and he happened to have it!
"Haha, alright, alright, I know you're amazing. Let's go quickly; the Master and Mr. Tomioka must be getting impatient."
Shinobu smiled sweetly and walked briskly into the Ubuyashiki Estate. Ren followed her pace, secretly observing her beautiful profile. After all, having not seen her for over ten days, he had missed her quite a bit.
However, as he looked, Ren suddenly noticed that something was off about Shinobu today. Compared to ten days ago, her face was noticeably paler.
Moreover, he could hear that her breathing rhythm was disordered. She even coughed occasionally, a look of slight pain flitting across her face, and faint purple veins were visible beneath her skin.
Seeming to realize something, Ren's eyes widened. He suddenly grabbed her hand and asked in shock, "Miss Shinobu, have you been injecting Wisteria poison into your body?"
Before he could finish speaking, Shinobu's expression changed drastically. She looked at Ren in disbelief, but then shrugged and feigned nonchalance.
"Ara ara, your eyes really are sharper than Kanao's. I hid it so carefully, yet you still discovered it."
"So it is true!"
"Eh? Were you tricking me into admitting it?"
Ignoring Shinobu's teasing, Ren asked in a low voice, "Miss Shinobu, why are you doing this?"
"For my sister's revenge, of course!"
Shinobu's expression turned solemn as she said seriously, "On the day my sister passed away, I secretly swore that I would kill that demon named Doma with my own hands!"
Ren fell silent. The Shinobu in the original story was exactly like this—injecting herself with seven hundred times the lethal dose of Wisteria poison to kill Doma.
But the current Shinobu was only sixteen years old. Although she was suppressing the toxins in her body using Insect Breathing, heaven only knew what kind of damage these toxins were causing her.
"Miss Shinobu, you could have told me. Even if you didn't, I would have helped you kill Doma one day. You didn't need to use this method for revenge."
"You're right."
Shinobu saw the sorrow on Ren's face. Seeing him care for her so deeply, she felt a wave of emotion in her heart and smiled sweetly.
"But I can't rely on you for everything, can I? If I did, wouldn't I be a useless little waste?"
"Miss Shinobu, please forgive my selfishness, but I cannot watch you harm yourself."
Ren lowered his head and whispered, "I will go cut down Doma right now. That way, you won't have to inject any more Wisteria poison into your body."
Saying this, he turned to leave the Ubuyashiki Estate, intending to head to the Eternal Paradise Cult to kill Doma.
However, Shinobu laughed softly. "Ren, thank you! But even if you do that, I will still inject Wisteria poison into my body to become stronger. After witnessing the battle between you and Upper Moon Three, I realized my own insignificance. To kill Kibutsuji Muzan and protect the people of this world, I must become stronger too."
Hearing this, Ren couldn't help but stop in his tracks, standing in the snow with his head bowed in silence.
Shinobu said no more, simply staying by his side, watching him quietly.
After an unknown amount of time, Ren finally spoke slowly. "You're right. After all, you are the Insect Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps!"
Ren understood her thoughts. Shinobu's lifelong dream was to protect people from the claws of demons; for this, she would not hesitate to inject poison into her own body.
How could he, out of his own selfishness, trample upon such a noble ideal?
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