Bing Shi Han Zhi Qi

"Big sister, don't go. Don't leave me, big sister, big sister..."

On the hospital bed, the boy, still unconscious, suddenly seemed to lapse into hysteria. He muttered under his breath, his hands flailing wildly through the air as though trying to grab hold of something.

A girl dressed as a nurse was cleaning nearby. Hearing him, she hurried to the bedside. Seeing that the boy who had been unconscious for two days had finally made a sound, she excitedly shouted, "He's awake! He's awake, he's awake! Xiao Cheng, Xiao Sui, hurry and tell Miss Shinobu! This dead man finally woke up!"

The nurse called Xiao Cheng rushed out of the room, while the other nurse, Xiao Sui, came to the bedside.

"Qi An... Qi An, give... give my sister back. Qi An, don't go, you... come back. Big sister, big sister..."

The two little nurses stood carefully beside the bed. They wanted to step forward and check on him, but feared being scratched by this madman, so they simply stood to one side, waiting for Miss Shinobu while watching the spectacle.

"Do you think he's gone crazy?"

"He definitely has. Who's Qi An? He keeps yelling, 'Qi An, Qi An, give my sister back.' Do you think Qi An might be the person who kidnapped his sister?"

Nurse Xiao Sui puffed out her cheeks and struck a thoughtful pose. She nodded at first, then shook her head.

"When Miss Shinobu brought him back, he was almost dead. Sister Xiao Kui said his village was attacked by demons, and he was the only survivor. Could it be that this Qi An guy took his sister away and threw him to the demons?"

"Then how is he still alive?"

"Maybe he's someone so unlucky that even demons despise him."

"An unlucky person? Xiao Sui, don't scare me."

"..."

The two chattered away as though no one else were present.

Suddenly, the boy's hoarse throat spat out the two words "Qi An." As those words rolled from his mouth, his voice howled across the empty space like a ghostly wail.

The two little nurses had never heard a human make such a chilling sound. They immediately clung to each other in fright.

"Crazy, he's crazy, he really is crazy! He... he hasn't turned into a demon too, has he?"

The moment she finished speaking, the boy on the bed abruptly opened his eyes and sprang upright. His stiff neck turned toward them. Wrapped head to toe in bandages, he looked exactly like a mummy.

The two little nurses were already terrified. At the sight of this, every hair on their bodies stood on end. They turned to look at each other, as if to confirm whether what they were seeing was an illusion. When they saw the fear in each other's eyes, they froze for a moment before screaming like slaughtered pigs at the same time.

One shut her eyes and fainted on the spot, while the other shrieked as she scrambled and crawled out of the room.

"A... a corpse came back to life!" The scream echoed through the entire courtyard of the Butterfly Estate.

The boy sat on the bed, breathing desperately. As his breathing gradually steadied, his mind cleared as well.

So it had only been a nightmare.

The boy raised his head and looked around blankly. Snow-white walls, glaring sunlight, simple furnishings. Looking down, he saw a white blanket reeking of medicine beneath him.

Where was this?

Why was I here?

What had that scream been just now?

A corpse coming back to life?

Had someone died?

The boy tried to figure out what had happened to him, but the moment he thought back on it, his head began to ache uncontrollably.

"Big sister, big sister, come quickly. My head hurts so much."

The boy clutched his head in agony, wanting to ask his sister for help. But after calling out "big sister" twice, he suddenly realized something and froze.

So it had not been a dream. Everything had truly happened. That man had killed everyone in the village and taken his sister away.

The boy's eyes gradually changed from bewilderment to grief and rage. He threw off his blanket, endured the tearing pain throughout his body, and staggered toward the door.

After only a few steps, his legs gave out, and he crashed to the floor. The boy seemed unable to feel the pain, using all his strength to keep crawling toward the doorway.

The little nurse who had fainted nearby had just woken up. When she saw the mummy wriggling across the floor like a maggot, she fainted again from fright.

Xiao Cheng entered the courtyard with Shinobu Kocho and the others, only to see that the boy had already crawled out of the room and was making his way down the wooden steps. His hand slipped, and his whole body tumbled down the stairs.

"Oh my, what spirit. He's nearly dead, yet he managed to crawl all the way here. What an interesting child."

Shinobu Kocho stood not far from the boy, merely watching as he rolled into the mud and lay motionless.

Kanao Tsuyuri stared blankly ahead, a smile on her face.

Xiao Qing and Xiao Cheng hid behind Kanao Tsuyuri. Without Shinobu Kocho's order, they certainly would not take the initiative to help that thing, whether it was human or demon.

"H... he isn't dead, is he?"

"Where's Xiao Sui? Why can't I see Xiao Sui? Could she have already been eaten by a demon? Waaah, Xiao Sui..."

Perhaps awakened by the little nurse's cries, the boy's fingers moved. Then his entire body began moving. His hands dug into the ground as he continued crawling forward. No expression could be seen on his bandage-wrapped face, leaving only a pair of fierce eyes exposed.

The boy crawled toward the courtyard gate. As he passed Shinobu Kocho, he paused for a moment. He remembered that scent—the wisteria fragrance just like his sister's, and those beautiful purple eyes.

Shinobu Kocho's expression gradually turned serious. Her expression only became serious when she was extremely angry.

The little nurse stopped crying as well, staring at the boy in shock. In all her life, she had never seen someone so careless with his own life.

"Blood... blood, he's bleeding."

Among the dirt where the boy had crawled, several bloodstained pebbles stood out starkly.

"What a disobedient child. Xiao Qing, Xiao Cheng, take him back to the infirmary."

Shinobu Kocho's expression relaxed once more. Speaking to herself, she said, "Looks like he'll need to be bandaged again. He really is troublesome." With that, she walked into the infirmary.

"Don't touch me! I'm going to save my sister. You two bastards, let me go!"

"B... bastards? Xiao Qing, he actually called us bastards! Sob..."

"We're so cute, and he called us bastards. Unforgivable!"

Xiao Cheng's little pink fists rained down on the boy's face.

"Xiao Cheng, go easier. Don't beat him to death. Wait, let me do it."

"..."

Two days later, Shinobu Kocho knelt on one knee before the corridor of Oyakata's Mansion.

Master Kagaya Ubuyashiki stood in the shadows beneath the eaves, followed by his two daughters—Hina and Kana.

Though his smile was still as gentle as a spring breeze, the scars on his face were nevertheless alarming at first glance.

"Master, you summoned me?" Shinobu Kocho asked.

"Shinobu, I heard you brought a boy back from White Snow Mountain?"

"Yes, Master. I brought back a boy."

"How is that child's condition?"

"His body is no longer in danger, but his mind has suffered a shock. Since waking, he has been sitting on the steps by the door without sleep or rest for two days."

A gentle smile appeared on Kagaya Ubuyashiki's face. "It seems we have another strange child. Kanao Tsuyuri was in the same state when you first met her. What do you think of this child? Would you be interested in taking in another foster child?"

Shinobu Kocho froze for a moment, then giggled. "Thank you for keeping me in mind, Master, but while this child is quite good as well, Kanao Tsuyuri is enough for me. Besides, the Butterfly Estate is full of girls. Having another boy would truly be inconvenient."

Kagaya Ubuyashiki did not take Shinobu Kocho's refusal to heart. "Indeed. I had not considered that carefully enough. What do you think of the child's aptitude? Has he practiced any Martial Skills?"

"It is too soon to tell, but judging by his physical condition, he should have some foundation."

Shinobu Kocho smiled faintly, as if she had thought of something amusing, and continued, "Master, I think that child is very much like Mr. Sanemi. They are both the type to disregard their own lives."

"Sanemi? Heh heh, Sanemi is quite capable, but I do not want everyone in our Demon Slayer Corps to be like him, fighting without regard for their lives. After all, not everyone has Sanemi's physique. Let us set this matter aside for now and discuss it after the child has fully recovered. By the way, do you know the child's name?"

"Bing Shi Han Zhi Qi!"