Chapter Nineteen
Before the morning mist had completely dissipated, the sound of even breathing could already be heard in the forest clearing.
Chika sat cross-legged on the bluestone, her gaze fixed on Genya.
"Entanglement" means letting the energy envelop the whole body, like putting on an invisible suit of armor.
"Try focusing your attention on your palms and feeling that warm sensation. The longer you hold that position, the better."
As Chika said this, she then supported herself on her knees and stood up from the rock.
Xuanmi bit his lower lip, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his hands were clenched into fists.
Following Qianxia's instructions, he tried to focus his mind on his palm and indeed felt a faint warmth. But just as he tried to grasp it, the warmth dissipated, and his arm went limp instantly.
"Don't rush."
Chika could see it clearly: "Qi" was gushing out from every pore of Genya's body. If he couldn't learn "Entanglement," something bad would happen to Genya.
However, she couldn't tell him, because telling him would only make him more anxious and would do him no good.
"Don't be nervous."
Chika bent her knuckles and lightly touched Genmi's brow, attempting to intervene.
"Feel its presence, imagine you are right below the waterfall, the water is rushing down your head, and you want to hold onto it."
Qianxia patiently guided him, instructing him to feel the changes within himself. Blue-silver "qi" spread from her fingertips, helping Xuanmi stabilize the turbulent airflow.
"You want the water to flow from your left arm, down to your shoulder, to the top of your head, and then to your right shoulder..."
After two cycles, Xuanmi's "qi" was successfully stabilized. After another two cycles, a pure white halo appeared around him.
"Wow, this is surprisingly good..."
Chika sighed.
She had thought that Xuanmi would have talent, but she never thought he would be this talented. From the beginning of meditation to the full opening of his "qi" pores, to learning "entanglement", it only took three short months.
This apprentice is resilient, hardworking, and a very promising Nen talent.
Thinking this, Chika propped her head up, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly.
"Stop holding, but be careful to do it slowly. When you inhale, let the air go down your throat, then up to your dantian and back up. Keep your hands inside your body."
Xuanmi swallowed hard. Moonlight filtered through the leaves and fell on his face, making his eyelashes tremble.
This time, he didn't rush to exert force. Instead, he slowly adjusted his breathing rhythm in accordance with Chika's. Finally, the warmth in his palm stabilized, climbed up his arm, and enveloped his entire shoulder.
“That’s right!” Chika’s eyes lit up.
Xuanmi opened his eyes, his excitement impossible to hide. He looked down at his hands and could feel a continuous flow of power surging out as they opened and closed.
"Alright, that's enough for today. Silly boy, are you playing with yourself like a gas stove?" Qianxia looked at his throbbing palms and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Get some rest. Focus on practicing this for the next couple of days, and I'll teach you something else in a couple of days."
After saying that, Chika jumped off the rock and prepared to leave.
"Wait!" Xuanmi called out to her, "I've only practiced for three months, what level is that? When can I be like you?"
"Like me? You've only been training for a short time and you already want to be like me?"
Chika crossed her arms and looked at him. "Are you in a hurry? You can't rush it. If you're too hasty in your Nen training, you'll overdraw your life force. Some people take twenty or thirty years to even get started."
"Twenty or thirty years!!" Xuanmi's expression changed drastically. "I can't wait that long, I... the final selection is coming soon, I..."
Xuanmi gritted his teeth and swallowed the rest of his words.
Chika naturally knew what he was omitting, but, "Don't rush. The more anxious you are, the more you need to slow down."
"Besides, you've really gone too far. I started learning Nen at 9, and didn't open my 'energy gate' until I was 12. I spent a year learning the basics of the four Nen abilities, and you accomplished in three months what took me three and a half years."
“Xuanmi, you are very much like this.”
Chika gave him a thumbs up and continued, "So, don't worry. Follow me, and I guarantee you'll pass the selection in six months."
With a wave of encouragement, Xuanmi's eyes lit up instantly. He nodded emphatically and gave a strong "Mmm!"
Chika then offered a few words of advice to Genya to go home and rest, but Genya absolutely refused.
Helpless, Chika could only stretch, tell a lie, and leave without batting an eye.
In a corner where she was sure Xuanmi couldn't see her, she quietly took out a small ice crane from her bosom.
"Grind the millstone~ Lead the way~"
With a gentle breath and a flick of the fingertip, the ice crane flapped its wings and took flight, swaying and staggering down the mountain.
Half an hour later, the ice crane stopped at the entrance of the festival and dispersed with a "thud".
Chika paused for a moment, stood at the entrance of the festival, glanced at the dense crowd in the street, and tilted her head.
She was a little confused as to how she ended up here. Their usual dating spots were always deep in the forest.
As I hesitated, my wrist was gently grabbed from behind.
Without a second thought, Chika slapped him across the face.
My hand was caught, and when I looked up, I was met with a fox mask with intricate designs.
Beneath the half-covered fox mask was a slightly upturned mouth, and through the two holes in the mask, a pair of dazzling eyes were clearly visible.
"You're late!"
Wearing a dark yukata, Doma pouted and poked Chinatsu's cheek, waving the candied hawthorn in front of her eyes.
"Sorry I'm late. As punishment, I'll spend an extra half hour with you tonight, hehehe."
Qianxia grinned and showed him her teeth, then took a bite of hawthorn from his hand.
The sugar coating on the hawthorns was so sweet that it warmed her heart, making her squint her eyes with joy.
Doma loved her smiling face the most; her sweet dimples on her cheeks made her look soft and cuddly, and he just wanted to hug her and take a big bite.
Thinking this way, he did just that.
He reached out and pulled the person into his arms, holding them tightly. The sweet fragrance instantly filled his nostrils, and the feel of their skin made his heart itch.
"Ah~~ only half an hour more? That's so unfair, I've been waiting for you all day."
The chin resting on her head gently brushed against her, carrying the unique sandalwood scent of Doma, making Chinatsu feel incredibly happy.
"Alright, alright, then let's wait until dawn."
Smiling, she took Doma's hand and started to walk into the festival.
"That's more like it." Douma nodded in satisfaction.
The autumn festival was very lively. Colorful lanterns hung on the stalls, the cotton candy stalls smelled sweet, and children ran by with pinwheels in their hands, their laughter ringing out.
Doma held her hand; his fingertips were slightly cool, but he gripped it tightly.
He accompanied her as she browsed the stalls. When she looked at masks, he stood by and waited, occasionally helping her to shield her from the crowd. When she wanted to buy sugar paintings, he took out his money and even smiled as he asked the craftsman to draw a little rabbit.
Because Chinatsu mentioned before that she likes rabbits.
"Is this pretty?" Chinatsu, wearing a rabbit mask, held up the sugar painting and looked at Doma. "Little bunny, open the door, baby, come back, don't leave~"
Doma couldn't understand what she was singing, but that didn't stop him from appreciating Chinatsu's happy expression.
"Mmm~ It looks so good~"
The two strolled around, joking and laughing, until halfway through their walk, a golden firework suddenly exploded in the sky with a "whoosh".
Chika immediately stopped and looked up at the sky, her eyes wide open.
Then, more fireworks went up, red, pink, and blue, dyeing the night sky with all sorts of colors. The sparks fell on her face, making the smile on her lips even brighter.
Doma stood beside her, his gaze not on the fireworks, but on her profile.
Her eyes were filled with the light of fireworks, like a sky full of stars, and even the dimples at the corners of her mouth were sweet.
He couldn't help but reach out and gently touch her cheek. The warmth of his fingertips made Qianxia turn to look at him.
"What's wrong?" She blinked, still with a piece of candy in her mouth, and her words were a little slurred.
Looking down, I saw that Chika had just eaten the entire sugar-painted rabbit in one bite. Her mouth was full of stringy sugar sauce, and even her breath was cloyingly sweet.
Douma didn't answer, but simply inhaled her scent, instinctively baring his fangs and leaning slightly forward—
Holy crap!
Qianxia suddenly shouted, her hand moving as fast as the wind, and slapped his face to the side.
Doma's nose brushed against her earlobe, and as his gaze shifted slightly, he saw that her eyes were surprisingly bright as she looked over his shoulder into the distance.
He followed her gaze and saw two unfamiliar figures.
It was a man wearing a black and white striped kimono with a small white snake wrapped around his neck and a pink-haired girl wearing a pink kimono.
The two would blush for a long time after exchanging a few words, and then huddle together to talk again. When their fingertips brushed against each other's hands while walking, they would quickly pull back as if burned, like two little animals stealing a paw touch.
Chika's eyes lit up, and she was about to exclaim when she turned her head and caught sight of a girl in a purple kimono with a butterfly hair ornament standing with a boy in a color-blocked haori whose face was colder than the night sky.
The girl said something, then lightly tapped the boy's arm with her fingertips. Amidst the playful laughter, the boy's ear tips subtly turned a little red.
"oh--!!"
Chika drawled out the word as if she had discovered a new continent, and nudged Doma with her elbow: "In-team romance! In-team romance!"
Doma raised an eyebrow, about to ask something, when the back of his head was suddenly pressed down with a "smack," forcing him to turn back.
Doma wasn't angry; he was even a little curious.
I'm curious to see what she'll do.
"What's wrong? What's wrong? You won't let me see?" he teased with a light laugh.
How could he not know that this girl must have spotted the Demon Slayer Corps? But even knowing that, seeing her puffing out her cheeks as she hid her secret, he couldn't help but want to tease her.
The girl's face was now very close to mine, her canine teeth showing when she smiled, her cunning eyes almost overflowing, and even the tip of her nose smelled of sugar, making my heart tremble with sweetness.
"I love you, Doma!"
"Bang--"
A huge firework burst into flames, illuminating half the sky.
Doma was stunned.
The confession was mixed with the booming sound of fireworks, and Douma hadn't even reacted yet when soft lips gently touched his.
Slightly cool, still carrying the sweetness of caramelized sugar, it disintegrates as quickly as being burned by fireworks.
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