Hearing Lin Guang's words, Tanjiro remembered what he had come here to do.
Get a demon to tell me how to turn Nezuko back into a human.
With that thought, Tanjiro understood and agreed to Lin Guang's suggestion that they split up.
"I understand, Senior Lin Guang."
Lin Guang nodded, then vanished from where he stood.
Looking at the spot where Senior Lin Guang had disappeared, Tanjiro rubbed his nose. "Senior Lin Guang has no scent at all, but whenever I get close to him, I always feel a slight chill. Could that be because of the Ice Breathing he created?"
Tanjiro smiled faintly, then left.
Meanwhile, Lin Guang kept moving through the forest, soon attracting the demons' attention.
Lin Guang killed twelve demons in succession. He had even beheaded one without using a Breathing Style, and his treasure chest count had now reached sixteen.
Watching the demon he had slain slowly turn to ash and scatter into the air without dropping a treasure chest, Lin Guang began to understand which kinds of demons would drop them.
"It looks like the stronger the demons are, the more treasure chests they drop."
The sky gradually brightened, forcing the demons watching Lin Guang from deep within the forest to hide.
Seeing the sun rise on the horizon, Lin Guang smiled faintly. "Looks like I can rest for a while."
That evening, the moment the sun set, the demons on Mount Fujikasane began to stir.
A long-haired demon crept up on the resting Lin Guang, then suddenly attacked.
Lin Guang parted his lips slightly and drew a breath into his lungs.
"Ice Breathing! First Form! Ice Blade Slash!"
The icy blade swept through the long-haired demon's neck, severing it. The demon's head and body instantly became two chunks of ice, then burst apart in midair into specks of starlight.
"It's night. Time to get moving."
Lin Guang loosened up his body, then began darting through the forest.
Over the course of the night, Lin Guang killed another dozen or so demons and obtained several Wooden Treasure Chests.
It was not until the fourth night of the Final Selection that Lin Guang spotted a familiar figure.
"Flower Breathing! Fourth Form! Crimson Hanagoromo!"
Kanao's blade traced an uncanny upward arc, red petals trailing in its wake. One strike severed the demon's arm, and the next cut straight through its neck.
Lin Guang stepped out. He had intended to steal the kill, but Kanao had given him no chance. He could only think, What a shame.
However, Kanao merely glanced at Lin Guang in his fox mask, then ignored him and slowly walked away.
Seeing her reaction, Lin Guang helplessly removed his mask and said, "Little Kanao, it's only been a year. Don't you remember me?"
During the years after Urokodaki had taken Lin Guang in, Urokodaki would leave at the beginning of every second winter, though Lin Guang had no idea where he went.
By chance, Urokodaki once took Lin Guang along. Only then did Lin Guang learn that Urokodaki was visiting the Demon Slayer Corps to speak with the Master, accompanied by other former Hashira.
After learning this, Lin Guang accompanied Urokodaki on almost every visit. Once he discovered that the Butterfly Mansion had been established, he visited it every time, naturally leaving Kanao with some memories of him.
Hearing that familiar form of address, Kanao turned to look at Lin Guang's face. His features soon matched the image in her memories.
Kanao was silent for a moment, then took out a coin and tossed it into the air.
With quick eyes and quicker hands, Lin Guang snatched Kanao's coin away. "Why are you still using a coin to make decisions? Didn't I tell you to say what you want yourself?"
Seeing Lin Guang take her coin, Kanao was momentarily at a loss.
Lin Guang patted her head. "You came to take the Final Selection. I bet Shinobu Kocho doesn't know, does she?"
Kanao lowered her head without saying a word. Feeling Lin Guang's gaze fixed on her, she had no choice but to answer, "Shinobu doesn't know I came to take the Final Selection. I sneaked here on my own."
Kanao had expected Lin Guang to scold her. Instead, to her surprise, he patted her shoulder and praised her. "I knew it! Well done, little Kanao! This is the first decision you've made for yourself, isn't it?"
Kanao gave it some serious thought, then looked up at Lin Guang. "I don't think I flipped a coin before coming to take the Final Selection. That should count as a decision I made myself."
"That's great. Just keep doing that from now on. But remember one thing: make sure you explain it to Shinobu when you get back. She's very worried about you," Lin Guang said with a smile.
Seeing Lin Guang's sunny smile, Kanao nodded gently.
"Yes, I understand."
For the next three days, Lin Guang mostly traveled with Kanao. Of course, the demons she killed did not drop treasure chests for him, which left him a little frustrated.
Moreover, by the last day, Lin Guang could barely find any trace of demons.
Looking at the forty-odd Wooden Treasure Chests in his system storage, Lin Guang seriously wondered whether he had killed every demon on Mount Fujikasane.
Time flew by, and the seven days of the Final Selection came to an end.
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