Chapter 141 Peach Mountain

"What?"

Tokito Ichiro's words brought the situation to a standstill, and Kyojuro raised his hand and knocked his father unconscious with a chop to the neck.

"Brother?"

Rengoku Senjuro was taken aback by his brother's unexpected reaction, but also relieved. He looked at his father, who was being carried back by Kyojuro, and gave an awkward smile.

"Please come in with me first, my brother will arrive shortly."

Inosuke and Zenitsu were both stunned, and nodded hastily upon hearing this. They had been drawn to Kyojuro Rengoku's personality, so they agreed to visit him after Tanjiro suggested it.

"What exactly is the Breath of the Sun?"

Tanjiro took the tea that Senjuro had brewed and murmured softly. Zenitsu took a bite of a sweet and, seeing Tanjiro's conflicted state, didn't know how to comfort him.

"Since that uncle said so, it must be a very powerful technique, the most powerful breathing method?"

Tokito Ichiro's expression was not good. He slammed down his teacup, raised his eyes, and said in a cold tone, "Whether a breathing technique is powerful or not depends on the individual."

"yes……"

Zenitsu immediately spoke in a low voice. Seeing this, Tokito Ichiro also composed himself; he really shouldn't have acted that way. He looked at Tanjiro and said in a gentler tone.

"If you want to learn about Sun Breathing, go find Yoriichi. That's the breathing technique he uses."

"Oh? It really is! I thought you were just making things up."

Zenitsu exclaimed in surprise, only to be met with a sharp rap on the head from Ichiro. Ichiro's clenched fist and ambiguous smile sent chills down Zenitsu's spine.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!"

Rengoku Kyojuro strode over, reached out to check his younger brother's wounds, and sat down only after finding nothing seriously wrong.

"Yes! Mr. Purgatory, how are you recovering?"

That battle brought Inosuke and Tanjiro's admiration for Kyojuro to its peak, and they are still very excited even now when they are face to face.

"Don't worry, Kamado boy, I'm fine."

Kyojuro Rengoku's kind and easygoing personality made their subsequent conversation pleasant, and even Ichiro joined in quite naturally.

——

Because it was daytime, Iwakatsu still had Kaigaku carry him on the road. Momoyama was not as far from the Demon Slayer Corps as before, so Kaigaku chose to travel on his own.

As he looked at the increasingly familiar place, he was filled with mixed emotions. He hesitated and stopped, gazing at the houses in the distance.

Iwakatsu could feel the shaking suddenly stop; it seemed that Kaigaku had stopped.

Have we arrived yet?

Yan Sheng wondered, but he didn't hear any sound. It was as if time had stood still. The suitcase, which was in a small, dark place, made Yan Sheng feel uneasy.

"What's wrong?"

The familiar, soft voice woke Kaiyue, his expression a complex mix of emotions. He took a few deep breaths and walked up step by step.

"It's alright, sir, we'll be there soon."

He stood on the grass, wearing the Demon Slayer Corps uniform and a black haori. Amidst the green forest, pink peach blossoms, and vibrant colors of nature, Kaigaku stood out strikingly.

"Hongyue."

Standing there, looking up at the sky, Kaigaku was caught off guard when someone called his name from behind—a voice that was all too familiar.

He turned his head and saw the little old man in the brown triangular patterned clothes. The man was leaning on a cane, with gray hair, and his eyes were staring straight at his disciple whom he hadn't seen for a long time.

"Master."

Kuwashima Jigoro looked at Kaigaku, and the air remained quiet for a moment before he turned and walked away, leaning on his cane.

"Get some rest now that you're back."

Kaigaku didn't speak, and walked slowly beside Kuwajima Jigoro. The wind blew past them, and Kaigaku subconsciously tucked his hair behind his ear before realizing that he had unknowingly walked up to the other person.

It turns out he wasn't that tall.

Looking down at the old man, Kaigaku felt a mix of emotions. He admired Kuwashima Jigoro, but also resented him.

Perhaps out of jealousy and resentment, he couldn't understand why the other party would adopt such a timid and weak disciple, because of that so-called talent?

He hated it, resented it, yet was helpless. Even though the sword in his hand was rubbing his hand until it bled, he was still a loser.

Because of his guilty conscience, or perhaps because he didn't want to talk about it, he kept doing missions non-stop, and even when he was seriously injured, he didn't want to come back to recuperate.

He couldn't face Kuwashima Jigoro with that mindset.

"how are things."

Kuwashima Jigoro spoke first, without turning around or stopping, as if it were just a casual question.

"It's alright, I'm not busy anymore."

After Kaigaku finished answering, he fell silent, genuinely unsure how to proceed. Similarly, Kuwashima Jigoro remained silent and simply walked into the house.

Kaigaku placed his suitcase on the ground, closed the doors and windows, and began to feel a little uneasy. He watched as Kuwajima Jigoro slipped out while the other was making tea.

"I'm going out to take a look."

Kuwashima Jigoro held his teacup, watching the wooden door slowly close. After a moment, he placed the tea on the table and unlocked the suitcase next to him.

Are you alright?

Iwakatsu was momentarily stunned, then slowly nodded, stepped out of the box, and returned to his original form. He looked at Kuwashima Jigoro without any surprise and felt very curious.

"Hello, Mr. Sangdao."

"Don't be shy. My lord has sent me a message. That kid Kaiyue has really been a burden to you."

Kuwajima Jigoro picked up a cup of tea and savored it carefully before speaking, which made Iwakatsu relax and sit down opposite him, picking up his teacup as well.

“Kai Gaku... trained with me for a while, and I think he... needs to re-understand the breathing technique you taught him, and perhaps he will make considerable progress.”

"Oh, really? I understand. I will re-teach Kaigaku over the next period of time."

The two talked very naturally. When Kaigaku returned, he saw the two of them exchanging ideas. His mind went blank for a moment, and he felt that something was not quite right.

Iwakatsu didn't care about Kaigaku's mental shock. He was happy with the current situation. He had come back with Kaigaku to study, and this was just a way of exchanging information about him.

"Sir, what did you talk about?"

That evening, while Iwakatsu was taking a walk and enjoying the scenery of Momoyama, Kaigaku caught up with him and asked him something. The other's awkward manner aroused Iwakatsu's mischievousness for a moment, and he reached out and patted the other's head.

"It's nothing, just... let's talk about your swordsmanship... and your recent situation. If I had to say... it would also be about your terrible personality."

"?"

Kaigaku's eyes widened, as if something strange had just appeared. He looked up at Iwakatsu, but the other man didn't seem to be acting strangely at all.

It was as if... he had misheard.

Iwakatsu didn't stay long. He planned to leave on the third day. He originally intended to accompany the other party to their destination and then leave, but the scenery of Momoyama was so beautiful that he stayed for two more days.

"Mr. Jiguo, do you have any relatives?"

Kuwashima Jigoro looked at Iwakatsu, who was about to leave, and asked him a question, successfully making Iwakatsu turn around and look at him.

"What's wrong?"

“When you and I first became Pillars, there was someone we met who looked exactly alike,” Kuwashima Jigoro continued, wiping his cane as he spoke.

"I remember the way the other person swung their sword; it was dazzling, and the red haori was like the afterglow of the setting sun. But I might have been delusional; that person was clearly human."

Humans can't live that long, and this person's aura doesn't resemble that of an ordinary ghost; it couldn't have been created in the last few decades. He recalled the person he saw two years ago and shook his head, thinking it was just a coincidence.

Iwakatsu: ...Damn, it's Yoriichi Tsugikuni again.