Chapter 198 Familiar People and Agreements

Yan Sheng arrived at a pitch-black place. He tentatively got up and took a few steps, his fingertips inadvertently touching something soft and warm. It was a flower branch, slender and delicate, like a gentle whisper in the night.

His eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, beginning to trace the outlines of the flowers. Yan Sheng slowly turned around, and before him lay vast fields of spider lilies, like burning flames or flowing blood, blooming in the boundless darkness.

He walked slowly, continuing onward, and gradually the sound of flowing water reached his ears, clear and melodious. He involuntarily looked up, and the scene before him made him forget all his fatigue.

A bottomless river stretched before us, its waters a deep blue, like the darkest stars in the night sky, shimmering with a mysterious light. The waves gently lapped against the banks, their sound both tender and powerful, striking straight to the heart.

So beautiful!

Yan Sheng sighed, then heard soft footsteps and the rustling of flowers approaching. Before he could turn around, a figure rushed up to him and hugged him tightly. The familiar feeling made him momentarily stunned.

"Iwakatsu... I've finally met you."

The warm, moist heat burned his shoulders. Yan Sheng saw a blue wave-patterned haori and long, brownish hair. For some reason, he trembled slightly and opened his mouth but could not utter a sound.

"Qiusheng...?"

Feeling the other person's tight embrace, Yan Sheng's heart trembled. He raised his arms and hugged the other person back. Was he dead? That's why he saw Qiu Sheng, who had been dead for many years.

"Alright," Qiu Sheng sniffed, grabbed Yan Sheng's arm and looked at him, then chuckled when their eyes met. "I just wanted to see you."

"You've waited all these years?" Yan Sheng looked at him and spoke with a dry voice. He knew where he was now, the River of Three Crossings.

“It wasn’t long, and I had someone with me,” Qiusheng said, turning his head towards him. He saw a woman in a kimono standing not far away, with layers of red spider lilies like decorations on her sleeves. Her long black hair flowed freely, and the face that had been blurred in his memory became clear at this moment.

"Mother..."

Yan Sheng's voice trembled slightly; he couldn't believe his eyes. The other person's smile was as warm as a spring breeze. He watched as she slowly stepped forward and embraced him, and only then did Yan Sheng realize how frail she was, and how deathly pale her face remained.

“When I met Madam here, I felt she was related to you; you two really look alike,” Qiu Sheng said from the side.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment. Zhu Nai looked up at Yan Sheng, stroking his cheek, tears welling in her eyes. Her gaze was filled with reluctance, as if she wanted to etch Yan Sheng's image deeply into her heart.

"Iwakatsu, go back. Yoriichi is waiting for you." Her voice was gentle, but her words were unusually firm.

"What are you doing here?" Yan Sheng asked hoarsely. So much time had passed, why was she lingering here? Zhu Nai gently tucked Yan Sheng's disheveled hair behind her ear, her eyes filled with affection. This was the first time she had seen Yan Sheng so unkempt, and a pang of heartache welled up in her heart.

“I promised you, didn’t I? I’ll wait for you at the Sanzu River,” Akane said. She always felt indebted to this child, and she seemed to subconsciously pour her love into Yoriichi, who had always been by her side. So, on Yoriichi’s eighth birthday, she wanted to give him a gift.

"I want to keep you waiting for me; I want to see you greet me with a smile."

He was still as meticulous as ever, but the expectation in his eyes made her once quiet heart pound. She knew she didn't have much time left. For the first time, she consciously suppressed the urge to cry and took his small, calloused hands in hers.

"I will wait for you, with a smile on my face, waiting for you on the Sanzu River."

Iwakatsu was somewhat dazed. Although his childhood memories had become blurred over time, they became exceptionally clear when Akane mentioned them. She had kept her promise, even if it was such an unreasonable request, even if she had waited so many years.

“Go back, Yansheng. I will continue to wait for you, until you finally come here. Don’t refuse me, Mother will be very sad.” Zhu Nai nudged Yansheng, still smiling as she spoke.

Qiu Sheng touched his nose, patted his shoulder, and said in a light tone, "Go quickly, but don't come here so soon. You promised to be my friend forever. I'm about to be reincarnated, and you must find me."

The two of them weren't using much force, but Yan Sheng felt his body being pulled backward, and suddenly everything in front of him became blurry. He reached out to grab the two of them, but all he touched was empty space, and his vision returned to the initial darkness.

"Kuroshibo".

Iwakatsu turned his head and saw Muzan dressed in a black kimono. The man strode forward, his long, curly black hair swaying with his movements. He gripped Iwakatsu's arm tightly, his red eyes filled with an indescribable madness.

"Live, become the Demon King, inherit my will, kill all the Demon Slayer Corps members, and realize my dream."

Yan Sheng looked at him. The other person looked completely different from the one he had seen before. He was pale to the point of being transparent, with a thin and slightly sunken face, dark circles under his eyes, and an undisguised look of fatigue.

Perhaps no one understands him, no one comprehends why he could be so inhuman, able to kill others so calmly. But Yan Sheng knows that it is an illness, a paranoid egocentric tendency, accompanied by intense emotional detachment.

He was numb to his body, which showed no signs of improvement, and filled with intense resentment and jealousy towards others. He was unable to empathize with the emotions of others, and his desire to live exceeded normal limits.

"Lord Muzan, I am very grateful to you." Iwakatsu looked at him earnestly and said, word by word, "We are similar yet different, but I have always admired you. I may not be able to fulfill your wish, but I wish that when you are reincarnated, you can have what you want."

After saying that, Yan Sheng smiled and, seeing Muzan's bewildered expression, his body began to turn transparent. He thought for a moment, then stepped forward and hugged Muzan, letting out a soft sigh and complaining, "Although you've always been unreasonable and acted on a whim, I'm still grateful for what you said to me back then. After you're reincarnated, I'll work for you again, you scumbag boss."

"What? Wait—Kuroshibo."

As Yan Sheng gradually disappeared, Muzan's eyes widened. He reached out to grab Yan Sheng, but could only touch nothingness. An unprecedented panic surged within him. He shouted, but only the deathly darkness answered him, and he watched helplessly as he was left alone in this space.

——

As the sun began to rise, everyone looked at Iwakatsu, who was tightly bound by Yoriichi. Ichiro wanted to go up, but was held back by Muichiro and Gyomei.

They gripped their Nichirin Blades tightly, vigilantly guarding against possible attacks, while also preventing Yoriichi from leaving the area bathed in sunlight out of pity. Even though they were extremely reluctant, they could not afford to relax their guard in the slightest.

Yoriichi watched as the sunlight scorched Iwakatsu's skin. Suddenly, the burning stopped abruptly, and a familiar voice reached Yoriichi's ears. A slightly teasing tone, faint yet making Yoriichi's heart pound.

"Yoriichi, what kind of expression is that? It's really rare to see..."

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