At that moment, Shinobu Kocho automatically ignored the second half of Su Chen's remark.
Continuing with the earlier question, she said, "I'm too weak to cut off a demon's head with this blade, so I can only coat it with poison and poison them to death."
After she said this, the disappointment on Shinobu Kocho's face was plain to see.
This was also why it was difficult to pass down her Breathing Style.
Because Insect Breathing wasn't known for its swordsmanship at all, but for its poison!
The most typical example was making Wisteria into a poison targeting demons, then using it on them to ultimately kill them.
If Shinobu Kocho could cut off demons' heads normally, she wouldn't have done this, and perhaps the Demon Slayer Corps wouldn't have had a so-called Insect Hashira.
Shinobu Kocho put away her blade and gave a gentle smile. "I'm already used to it. After all, I was born with little strength. That isn't something I can change."
"So, Mr. Su Chen, I know you're very talented, but learning my Breathing Style won't do you much good."
Looking at Shinobu Kocho's smile, Su Chen fell silent.
In this world, just how much effort had Shinobu Kocho put in to get this far, step by step, with a body that couldn't even cut off a demon's head?
After a moment, Su Chen shook his head.
"That's not true. Every Breathing Style has its own value. You've already done very well, Sister Shinobu."
"If it weren't for you, Sister Shinobu, what would the Demon Slayer Corps do if they encountered demons that couldn't be killed even by cutting off their heads?"
"So you don't need to worry about having too little strength, Sister Shinobu. After all, the Insect Hashira is one of a kind too, isn't she?"
Looking at the somewhat stunned Shinobu Kocho, Su Chen smiled and said, "Besides, your poison is ridiculously amazing, Sister Shinobu, you know? I, for one, would never have thought you could kill demons with poison!"
"Oh my~" Shinobu Kocho covered her little mouth, unable to hide the delight on her face.
That dose of emotional support had hit the mark.
Su Chen was simply so much to her liking that she was starting to want to keep him at the Butterfly Mansion.
Beneath the crystalline moonlight, Shinobu Kocho slowly rose.
She lightly pushed off with her toes, her colorful haori fluttering in the wind like wings, as beautiful as a sprite in the night.
The next moment, the girl landed in the courtyard, curled her fingers slightly, and drew her Nichirin Blade.
Su Chen watched quietly.
Like a light, graceful butterfly, Shinobu Kocho began twirling the Nichirin Blade in her hand.
This was her opening stance. Before attacking, she always twirled her blade to get a feel for it.
Butterfly Dance.
This was the principal movement expressed in Insect Breathing.
The focus of Shinobu Kocho's Breathing Style wasn't on swordsmanship, but on footwork.
The attacking motions of each of her techniques were determined by different footwork. As long as her opponent couldn't make out her blade's path, she could quickly inject poison into their body.
The first "dance" of Insect Breathing was what Shinobu Kocho performed first.
Butterfly Dance: Caprice.
When using this footwork, Shinobu Kocho would leap high into the air and rush toward her enemy like a celestial maiden descending to earth.
Moving as lightly as a butterfly, she repeatedly thrust her poisoned blade at her opponent's body with techniques too fast for the naked eye to follow.
Because she killed with poison, she didn't need to cut off a demon's head.
This technique was highly deceptive to demons, and many inexperienced lesser demons had died to it.
Su Chen watched the technique, constantly considering whether he could evade it himself.
The answer was no!
Shinobu Kocho was several times faster than Kanao Tsuyuri, if not more.
If Su Chen's reaction speed and observational abilities hadn't improved dramatically today, he wouldn't have been able to make out Shinobu Kocho's figure at all!
[You observed Shinobu Kocho's Butterfly Dance. As you admired her dancing form, your heart stirred, and you comprehended Butterfly Footwork!]
In the deep darkness of the night, cold glints flickered sporadically from the tip of Shinobu Kocho's blade.
She performed the next technique of Insect Breathing.
Dance of the Bee Sting: True Draw.
[You observed Shinobu Kocho's Dance of the Bee Sting and worked through it in your mind, earning the achievement: A Small Test of Great Skill.]
Su Chen stood up and jumped down as well.
Merely watching footwork without practicing was useless. He began imitating Shinobu Kocho's movements, comparing his own against hers.
[You imitated Shinobu Kocho's movements. Your proficiency increased.]
A boy and a girl danced gracefully in the courtyard, their movements closely matching.
The girl's dancing figure moved a little faster.
But the boy was catching up very quickly, and soon he could keep pace.
At one point, Shinobu Kocho's footwork changed again.
The Dance of the Bee Sting was finished.
Next came Dance of the Dragonfly: Compound Eye Hexagon.
This was a Sixfold Strike technique that injected a large quantity of poison into a demon's body.
With a blade turned into a poisoned needle, she delivered sharp, swift thrusts.
Her previously somewhat incisive footwork rapidly shifted, her steps changing as her speed suddenly rose.
The key to this technique was still speed. Although Su Chen learned it very quickly, his physical capabilities still needed to improve gradually.
Suddenly, Shinobu Kocho stopped.
For once, she took a breath.
The continuous high-speed movement had left Shinobu Kocho somewhat tired, and she had to stop and rest a little.
Because the next technique required a large amount of oxygen to use.
The next moment, Shinobu Kocho began to move.
Completely unlike her earlier movements, Shinobu Kocho moved so fast that her dance left afterimages, her figures filling the courtyard!
The sound of her toes striking the ground rang out continuously, cutting through the night like drumbeats.
Dance of the Centipede: Hundred-Legged Serpent's Belly!
With powerful stomps strong enough to tear up the ground, she wove in every direction to confuse her opponent, then seized an opening to attack with her blade.
Su Chen couldn't help picturing a scene.
A giant beast with countless toes fiercely stomped the ground, winding its way toward him.
It had an enormous, abyss-like mouth, its teeth covered in poison, and would suddenly bite you before you could react at all!
Su Chen felt as though a gigantic centipede had passed beside him!
It was hard to imagine that a girl weighing only a few dozen jin had done this!
Her colorful haori swayed in the wind, and traces of the girl's distinctive Wisteria fragrance drifted through the air, mingled with her faint natural scent.
This was Shinobu Kocho's ultimate technique, as well as the one in which she moved fastest and exerted the greatest force through the widest motions.
So it lasted less time than the previous techniques, and the demonstration was over in just a few seconds.
Shinobu Kocho stopped immediately.
Her entire little face was flushed, fine beads of sweat welled up on her smooth forehead, and her petite body trembled slightly.
Her butterfly haori was also soaked with her own sweat, and her damp Corps uniform clung to her back, faintly outlining the girl's graceful figure.
Su Chen took in every frame of these sights without missing a single one.
Before you continue