Before the Sun rose, Su Mu finally found a place to shelter: a cave deep enough to keep him safe.
He carried Kanao into the cave and headed into its dark depths, to a place sunlight would not reach.
He found a relatively clean spot inside, spread out some dry grass he had gathered along the way, then took off his coat and laid it over the grass.
"Rest here."
He spoke to Kanao beside him.
"Okay."
Kanao obediently walked over and lay down on it.
The cave was noticeably colder than outside, but fortunately, he had dressed Kanao in plenty of layers before they left. They should have been enough to keep her warm.
Even so, Su Mu gathered some branches and pieces of wood inside the cave, preparing to light a fire beside her.
Kanao lay obediently on the coat spread over the dry grass, her little hands tucked into her clothes. Her lovely eyes followed Uncle as he gathered sticks around the cave.
She actually wanted to help him, too, but he would not let her. He said demons did not get tired, whereas she was different. Her body was too weak, so she should simply stay beside him and rest.
If only I could be like Uncle, with a body that wasn't so weak and never got tired.
Watching her busy uncle, Kanao silently thought that then she would be able to help him.
After bringing back more firewood, Su Mu began preparing to light a fire beside Kanao. But he had not brought any flint, so he could only resort to the simplest method: rubbing sticks together.
Starting a fire by rubbing sticks together was not actually that easy. An ordinary person would struggle to create enough friction by rolling a stick between their hands. After all, people got tired, and repeating the same motion for a long time made their arms ache. Demons, however, did not feel fatigue.
Kanao sat quietly nearby, watching Uncle work, watching the smoke rise and a tiny flame bloom, and watching him scramble as soon as the flame appeared.
The man's figure was reflected in the girl's lovely purple eyes. Even when smoke drifted over and made her eyes sting, she refused to close them.
But a moment later, she received a sharp knock on her little head.
"The smoke's right in your face, and you still don't know to close your eyes. Silly girl."
Uncle's voice reached her ears, and she almost immediately lowered her head and closed her eyes.
"The firewood's a little damp. Once it gets burning, there won't be much smoke. It'll be fine in a moment."
Only after tapping Kanao on the head and seeing her close her eyes did Su Mu say that, then return to his work.
As he added more wood, the fire grew larger and its warmth spread, driving away the chill deep inside the cave.
The warmth made Kanao increasingly drowsy. Sleep crept over her without her noticing, and her eyes gradually closed.
While adding wood to the fire, Su Mu turned around. He had meant to tell Kanao it was almost ready and there should not be much more smoke, only to discover that she had already fallen asleep.
The girl's breathing was even. Flickering firelight fell across her peaceful little face, which bore the faintest sweet smile.
Su Mu watched her for a while before smiling and continuing to add wood to the fire, his movements a little gentler now.
The flames burned, reflected in Su Mu's crimson eyes.
He stared absently at the burning flames. Unbidden, the scene from last night surfaced in his mind-the first time he had truly killed a person.
It had not been some irredeemably wicked man he had killed.
He had not felt any urge to vomit while killing him. It had been utterly mundane, no different from cutting through a demon's neck with a Nichirin Blade. A human head was clearly not as tough as a demon's, though. In fact, it had been even easier to sever.
He had felt nothing much while doing it, but now that it was over and he had a little peace, the scene kept resurfacing in his mind.
He remembered the man's desperate attempt to protect the children in his final moments, remembered the ruthless stroke of his own blade, remembered that Kanao had witnessed it all...
He remembered cutting down a hero who protected humanity with his own hands, while he himself had become the evil villain, the wicked executioner.
An indescribable feeling arose in his heart, oppressive and heavy.
He did not regret what he had done. If he had to do it again, he would make the same choice.
But in the end...
He still felt awful.
Su Mu added another piece of wood to the fire and turned to look at Kanao, who was sleeping soundly. Remembering that she had witnessed everything he had done last night, he wondered whether it would affect her.
Hiroshi Furukawa had not given up the pursuit. He led the swordsmen of his squad onward, searching for traces of the demon. Everyone was silent, and the atmosphere was heavy.
"What mountain is that up ahead?"
Wanting to break the silence before the mood grew too strained, Hiroshi Furukawa pointed at the mountain ahead and asked, looking for something to talk about.
"Mount Sagiri."
One swordsman answered after thinking for a moment.
"Doesn't Lord Urokodaki, the Water Hashira, live here in seclusion?"
"Yes. I heard Lord Urokodaki's disciple even took part in this year's swordsman selection at Mount Fujikasane."
"Then they must have passed and become a swordsman like us, right?"
One of the swordsmen smiled and remarked, "We're talking about a disciple personally trained by Lord Urokodaki."
"Not necessarily."
Beside him, another swordsman shook his head. "Of all the disciples Lord Urokodaki has trained over the years, I haven't heard of a single one successfully passing the selection at Mount Fujikasane. They haven't even survived."
"That can't be true, can it?"
Some of the swordsmen knew little about this and could hardly believe what they heard. After all, those disciples had been personally trained by the Water Hashira. However poor their skills might be, surely they could not be so bad that they could not even survive.
"It's true."
The swordsman who had first named the mountain spoke somberly. "Lord Urokodaki may be powerful as a Hashira, but as a Cultivator, perhaps he isn't all that good at teaching his skills."
"True. If he were just as good at training disciples, they wouldn't fail even the swordsman selection at Mount Fujikasane."
The swordsman beside him could not help nodding as well.
"Still, since we're near Mount Xiawu, why don't we ask Lord Urokodaki to help? He's exceptionally good at tracking demons. With his help, killing an ordinary demon would be a breeze."
One swordsman suddenly made the suggestion.
Everyone instinctively turned to their leader, Hiroshi Furukawa.
Although this-
Demon-hunting mission belonged to their squad, and asking a superior for help would be somewhat embarrassing, slaying the demon was undoubtedly more important than saving face.
"All right."
With almost no hesitation, Hiroshi Furukawa nodded immediately.
That demon still had their comrades' blood on his hands. No matter what, they had to kill him and avenge their comrades first.