One of the Kakushi members smiled bitterly.
"Isn't the Final Selection coming up soon… A lot of Demon Slayer members have been busy capturing demons for the selection trials. But demons aren't easy to catch. If you're not careful, you'll end up injured instead."
Xia Feng blinked.
"The Final Selection?"
Of course, he knew exactly what the Final Selection meant.
He repeated the words simply to get the man to explain more.
Since Xia Feng was Shinobu Kocho's guest, the Hidden member didn't try to hide anything.
"The Final Selection is the ceremony used to recruit new members into the Demon Slayer Corps." All candidates are sent together into a mountain.
"They have to survive in the mountain for seven days. If they make it through, they officially become Demon Slayers."
As he spoke, the man shivered.
"There's no minimum safety guarantee in that trial. In other words… even if someone dies inside, no one will intervene."
Xia Feng made an appropriately surprised expression.
"That intense, huh?"
The Hidden member scratched his head.
"If the selection wasn't so harsh, the Demon Slayer Corps probably wouldn't have such strong fighters."
Xia Feng nodded.
This time, he wasn't just agreeing casually.
The brutal selection process did help strengthen combat ability.
Just look at the ages of the Hashira.
Not a single one of them was older than thirty.
Against powerful demons, humanity had only one choice—
Use the shortest time and the most limited resources to push as many people as possible to the level of front-line combat strength.
Under the constant threat of demons, casualties were unavoidable.
Xia Feng entered the treatment room.
He chose the Demon Slayers whose injuries were the most severe and life-threatening and began treating them.
With Xia Feng joining the effort, the pressure inside the treatment room was immediately reduced by half.
After all, the most resource-draining cases were the critically injured patients on the verge of death.
With Xia Feng there, the mortality rate among injured Demon Slayers temporarily dropped to zero.
Aoi Kanzaki finished cleaning a wound on a patient's shoulder and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Then she jogged over to Xia Feng.
Xia Feng had just finished treating another patient and was sitting nearby to rest.
Aoi handed him a handkerchief.
"Here, wipe your sweat."
Xia Feng accepted it with a smile.
"Thanks."
Aoi looked at the injured Demon Slayers lying on the beds and sighed.
"Actually… I was supposed to become a Demon Slayer like them."
"I passed the Final Selection back then too… but after witnessing how powerful demons were, I became scared." I didn't dare join the Corps."
"Lady Shinobu forgave my weakness and allowed me to work at the Butterfly Estate. Otherwise… I would have nowhere to go now."
Xia Feng listened quietly.
Then he smiled.
"Isn't what you're doing now helping the Demon Slayer Corps?"
Aoi pursed her lips.
"But I feel like I…"
"I don't care what you feel. I care about what I believe."
Xia Feng leaned back slightly against the chair.
"I think you've saved so many people that your contribution is far greater than those half-baked fighters on the battlefield who only drag others down."
Aoi stared at him in silence for a long moment.
Then she showed a strange expression.
"Hearing you say that makes me happy… but for some reason, your tone just now felt really punchable."
Xia Feng snorted.
Silly girl. That was a famous quote from the smooth-talking princes of Earth. How would a country girl like you understand?
Just then—
A small figure entered the treatment room.
She looked around before spotting Xia Feng and quickly ran over.
"Mr. Xia Feng! You're here! I thought a demon might have taken you away!"
Xia Feng: "…"
This girl… Sumi was surprisingly good at saying shocking things.
Sumi had come to call Xia Feng for dinner.
Since he had already finished treating the injured patients, he said goodbye to Aoi and returned to the Butterfly Estate residence.
On the way, Xia Feng suddenly remembered something.
"Sumi, will Kanao participate in the Final Selection this time?"
Sumi nodded without hesitation.
"Yes! Miss Kanao has been training very hard for the Final Selection!"
Xia Feng nodded in understanding.
If Kanao was going to the Final Selection—
Then that meant the protagonist of the story, Tanjiro Kamado, would be there as well.
The wheel of history had finally begun turning toward the future he knew.
Following Sumi, Xia Feng arrived at the dining room.
Kanao was sitting properly at the table.
She looked at him and smiled.
"Welcome back, Xia Feng."
Xia Feng nodded instinctively.
Kanao suddenly being so friendly toward him made him feel a little flattered.
Dinner consisted of soba noodles and tempura, both of which suited Xia Feng's taste perfectly.
He ate quite happily.
Halfway through the meal, he suddenly turned toward the door.
A figure slowly entered.
Dark hair with bluish-purple tips.
A cherry-colored haori.
It was Shinobu Kocho.
Seeing everyone eating, she revealed a gentle smile.
"Oh my, dinner has already started?" Looks like I came back at just the right time."
With her soft voice and warm smile, she walked over and knelt across from Xia Feng.
Kanao smiled slightly.
"Lady Shinobu."
Shinobu was about to respond—
But suddenly froze.
She stared at Kanao in surprise.
This girl had always been like a doll.
Other than responding to orders, Shinobu had rarely heard her speak.
Yet today—
Kanao had actually greeted her first.
Naho looked up from her bowl.
"Lady Shinobu! Mr. Xia Feng helped Miss Kanao change! He killed a demon and protected everyone at the Butterfly Estate!"
"Eh?"
Shinobu blinked.
The sudden amount of information was almost too much for her to process.
Kanao quickly put down her chopsticks, wiped her mouth, and explained everything that had happened that day.
After hearing the entire story, Shinobu felt a flash of anger.
She had been far too careless.
A demon had actually infiltrated the Butterfly Estate!
If Xia Feng hadn't been there, the consequences could have been disastrous.
Then she looked toward him.
This man wasn't just skilled in healing.
He was also highly proficient with swordsmanship.
Just what kind of past had he experienced?