Chapter 11 The Eternal Flame

You Xiaohun lovingly touched the brand new peach wood sword and set off back from the sword-forging village.

On the way back, she was restless and couldn't help but quicken her pace.

Finally, the familiar yet now unusually distant outline of the mansion came into view, and her heartbeat accelerated, as if she had a premonition of something.

I saw Chijuro kneeling on the ground, and next to him was...

Isn't this my brother's crow?

what happened......

The little ghost stumbled forward...

No, that's not the case!

No matter what the crow was saying, You Xiaohun felt that the sounds around him were separated by a layer of membrane and he could not hear clearly.

She hugged Chijuro beside her, and her body couldn't help but tremble.

What happened...

"Ahhhhh!!!!" You Xiaohun's voice was trembling. She didn't want to believe it, and she didn't dare to face this sudden bad news. Tears silently slid down her face.

......

"I will find a way to restore the books of the Flame Pillars of the past. If I find any clues, I will have Crow notify you immediately."

"By the way, Tanjiro, please accept this." Senjuro took out the hilt of the sword and handed it to Tanjiro.

"I can't accept something this important," Tanjiro declined.

"I hope you can accept it. It will definitely protect you." Senjuro's words were full of sincerity, not allowing Tanjiro to refuse again.

"Thank you." Tanjiro looked at Senjuro with a firm gaze.

A trace of worry crossed Chijuro's face. "Also, I have a humble request. Could you please help me persuade Sister Xiaohun? She's been on missions at night for several days in a row, and training non-stop during the day. I'm really worried she won't be able to hold on."

Tanjiro nodded solemnly after hearing this: "Yes! Okay~"

In the courtyard, a whirlwind was blowing and leaves were flying everywhere.

And in a vortex of fallen leaves, You Xiaohun was concentrating with his eyes closed. His fingertips turned into swords, controlling the peach wood sword to fly in the air. Every swing was extremely precise, breaking the fallen leaves into tiny pieces. The speed was so fast that it almost exceeded the limit of what the naked eye could capture, leaving only traces of afterimages interweaving in the air.

“9996, 9997, 9998, 9999…”

"Yeah! Sister, don't think about being lazy. I will train you well, so be mentally prepared!" Kyojuro's voice seemed to ring in You Xiaohun's ears.

Her face was as pale as paper and sweat was dripping down her cheeks, indicating that she was already at the end of her strength.

Finally, as the soft chant of "10000" fell, You Xiaohun's body could no longer support itself, and he fell to the ground weakly with his shaky figure.

Seeing this, Tanjiro rushed forward without hesitation and called out anxiously: "Xiaohun!" His tone was full of concern and worry.

Tanjiro carefully picked up You Xiaohun and placed her on the bed.

Tanjiro gently covered her with the quilt.

The room was silent, with only the occasional sound of wind outside the window and the chirping of birds in the distance interweaving into a melodious melody.

Tanjiro sat beside the bed, quietly looking at You Xiaohun's sleeping face.

After an unknown amount of time, You Xiaohun's eyelashes trembled slightly and he slowly opened his eyes.

What caught her eye was Tanjiro's gentle and concerned eyes. She was stunned for a moment, then a weak smile appeared on the corner of her mouth: "Tanjiro, why are you here?" Her voice was hoarse and weak.

Seeing this, Tanjiro quickly stood up, poured a glass of water and handed it to her: "You fainted in the yard."

You Xiaohun took the cup of water and took a sip. The warm liquid slid down his throat, bringing a hint of relief.

Tanjiro took out an amulet from his sleeve: "Xiaohun, this was given to me by Mr. Rengoku when I went to hunt down the Lower Moons. There is your breath on it, and I guess it should be yours." Tanjiro handed it to You Xiaohun.

You Xiaohun took it and slowly lowered his head, his bangs covering his face, tears silently sliding down his chin and dripping onto the talisman paper.

"Brother, he is such a gentle person. Since he gave it to you, it is yours." You Xiaohun shook his head and put it back in Tanjiro's hands.

Tanjiro looked at her worriedly: "Xiaohun, Mr. Rengoku doesn't want to see you like this."

She looked at Tanjiro gratefully, then slowly said, "Thank you, Tanjiro. I... I just don't want to stop. It seems that as long as I keep training, it will make me feel that my brother is still with us and has not left."

Tanjiro frowned slightly when he heard this. He knew all too well the pain and persistence in You Xiaohun's heart: "Xiaohun, do you still remember what you said to me at Fujixi Mountain?"

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Although they have passed away, their souls will remain with us because of a certain obsession. You and I can feel the emotions of those who have passed away, and this is also the force that drives us to keep moving forward. No matter what difficulties you encounter, you are not fighting alone."

"You don't take care of your body. Are those words just words?"

You Xiaohun was stunned, tears streaming down like pearls from a broken string, blurring her vision. "I'm sorry."

She has experienced countless cases since she entered the world of Taoism.

She believes she is used to seeing life and death, and is also good at comforting family members. In her view, the living and the soul are just in different dimensions and spaces, and usually do not interfere with each other. When a living person dies, they will go to the same dimension, peacefully and naturally.

However, it was not until this moment, when she became the center of that emotional vortex, that she suddenly realized and felt the pain deeply.

The boundary between the living and the soul is not just a difference in space, but an interweaving of emotions and memories, and it is also to retain the last trace of warm connection between the two worlds.

You Xiaohun's gaze slowly focused, his expression firm.

As long as his memory lives in our hearts, he will never disappear.

His spirit, like a flame that never goes out in the darkness, always illuminates our way forward and leads us to keep moving forward.