Interrupting Yoriichi's intended question, Mitsuba stirred the medicinal soup before her with her right hand and slowly said:
"I have a physician friend. She is a kind-hearted person. Some time ago, I mentioned your breathing techniques to her.
She is very interested in them and hopes to use your breathing techniques as a foundation to develop some breathing methods suitable for ordinary people to strengthen their bodies. I wonder if Brother Yoriichi would be willing to teach her everything?"
"That is no problem."
Temporarily suppressing his inner doubts, Yoriichi nodded, then stood up and placed his hand on the Nichirin Blade at his waist.
"Mitsuba, what do you need me to do? Shall I draw an illustrated manual for your friend, or take me to meet her..."
"There's no need for such trouble. Brother Yoriichi only needs to demonstrate once before me."
Mitsuba shook her head slightly and replied calmly.
Yoriichi was taken aback upon hearing this, his expression slightly surprised.
"Just this, and that will be enough?"
"Mm, my memory is excellent. Seeing it once is sufficient to remember."
Mitsuba was not being arrogant.
From a young age, she had already noticed that she possessed extraordinary memory.
Even to this day, she could still clearly remember the sword techniques Yoriichi used more than ten years ago when he first picked up a bamboo sword and knocked the sword instructor unconscious.
She clearly remembered every moment, every movement of Yoriichi's sword swing, and if she wished, she could even replicate them perfectly.
Therefore, Mitsuba was certain that she could completely remember after just one demonstration.
"Alright."
Without further words, in the pitch-black room, Yoriichi drew his Nichirin Blade under the faint candlelight and, accompanied by his explanations, began demonstrating the sword techniques of Sun Breathing to Mitsuba, move by move.
"Besides the techniques, there are also the accompanying breathing secrets. In this regard, each breathing technique is different..."
His shadow danced back and forth on the wall behind him with his movements.
Even though Yoriichi had intentionally suppressed his power, Mitsuba sitting not far away could still feel the sharp sword edge from his techniques.
Yoriichi's movements were filled with beauty—not the "beauty" of dance, but the "beauty" of having eliminated all unnecessary movements, grasping force and angle to the extreme, with every technique reaching the most perfect degree.
This was a breathtaking beauty that even Mitsuba, a layperson who had never been exposed to martial arts and had no interest or knowledge in it, could appreciate and even be moved by.
It was no exaggeration to say: Yoriichi's swordsmanship was as perfect as a work of art.
A naturally formed, breathtaking work of art.
"Let me demonstrate the other breathing techniques as well. It's just that I'm not very skilled in these breathing techniques, so if there are any movements that don't look aesthetically pleasing, Mitsuba, please don't laugh."
Saying this, after demonstrating the sword techniques of Sun Breathing, Yoriichi also demonstrated the sword techniques of the other five basic breathing styles and Moon Breathing.
Yoriichi's movements remained extremely precise, seriously executing each technique to perfection.
But even Mitsuba, an outsider, could clearly see certain flaws when Yoriichi executed these techniques.
Especially after first observing Sun Breathing, then observing these other breathing techniques—this feeling was particularly obvious.
Of course, this was not Yoriichi's fault.
Yoriichi himself had no flaws; the flaws lay in these breathing techniques he used afterward.
They were all imitations of Sun Breathing.
These breathing techniques were born because their users could not achieve the same perfection as Yoriichi—they were "degraded versions of Sun Breathing."
What they embodied was the clumsy imitation of the "Child of God" by ordinary mortals.
At this moment, if someone else were here, they might see the struggle and effort of ordinary people from this, see the light within common folk, see their perseverance and struggle, and be deeply inspired by it.
But Mitsuba could not see these things.
In Yoriichi's demonstration, she only saw the miracle carved upon him by the deities, stroke by stroke.
Brother Yoriichi truly is the "Child of God."
Witnessing Yoriichi's swordsmanship once again after more than ten years, Mitsuba became even more certain of this speculation in her heart.
Yoriichi was undoubtedly born under the blessings of the deities in the heavens.
So then, for such a Brother Yoriichi, what destiny have the deities arranged for him?
Mitsuba questioned in her heart, then slowly lowered her head to look at her left arm hidden within her sleeve.
And for her, what destiny have They arranged?
"How was it, Mitsuba? Can you remember?"
Meanwhile, Yoriichi, who had finally demonstrated all the breathing techniques, also sheathed his Nichirin Blade and walked over.
"Do you need me to demonstrate a few more times?"
"There's no need, Brother Yoriichi. I have already remembered."
Mitsuba shook her head slightly and thanked him sincerely.
"Thank you."
"There's no need for this. Helping others is something that requires no thanks. If your friend has anything she doesn't understand, she can come ask me anytime while I'm here."
"Mm."
Sitting back down on the small stool, Yoriichi earnestly instructed, and with Mitsuba's soft response, silence once again fell between the siblings.
The dim room was so quiet at this moment that both could only hear the bubbling sound of the medicinal soup boiling before them.
The pungent medicinal scent once again wrapped around their noses, also drawing Yoriichi's attention back.
He suddenly remembered that when he returned last time, his sister seemed to be drinking medicine.
More than a year had passed now, and Mitsuba... was she still drinking medicine?
A faint sense of unease growing in his heart, Yoriichi finally asked:
"Mitsuba, are you ill?"
"I am not."
As if she had anticipated this question, Mitsuba shook her head slightly and replied in a normal tone:
"This medicine is brewed for Brother Michikatsu's child. The child has been ill recently."
"Is that so..."
Hearing this, Yoriichi lowered his head in silence.
Brewing medicine for Brother Michikatsu's child...
But when he arrived, he had specifically noticed that his brother's wife and child living in the room next to Mitsuba's were clearly already asleep...
Mitsuba was lying.
This medicine was for herself, and she had been taking this medicine for at least a year now.
What illness requires taking medicine continuously for a year without improvement?
The unease in his heart growing heavier, this time Yoriichi did not ask Mitsuba again. Instead, he directly activated the Transparent World and turned to look at her body.
Then, his pupils contracted sharply.
Almost subconsciously standing up, his clear eyes filled with shock.
Under the Transparent World, everything within his sister's body was laid bare before his eyes.
Yoriichi clearly saw that a blood vessel transporting blood to Mitsuba's brain had considerably atrophied.
The resulting insufficient blood supply to the brain had already caused large-scale death of neurons in this part of the brain tissue due to ischemia and hypoxia.
And the parts of the body controlled by this part of the brain—Mitsuba's left side, from arm to toe—had consequently lost control.
The subcutaneous muscles had atrophied and loosened, shriveled and powerless, cells gradually necrotic, blood slowly pooling in these areas, appearing swollen and purple.
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Yoriichi wouldn't have dared to imagine that his sister, with half her body already paralyzed to such a degree, could still pretend to be a normal person, sitting properly in her seat and chatting with him?!
"Mitsuba, your body... this is..."
This was not the first time Yoriichi had seen such a terrible physical condition.
He had seen it once before.
And that time, it was on their mother Juna, who had already died from illness.
What was happening to his sister now was the same disease as their mother.
"Has Brother seen it already?"
Facing Yoriichi's extremely shocked reaction, Mitsuba's response was rather calm.
Using her right hand that could still function normally, she ladled the medicinal soup into a bowl and simply sighed lightly at this.
"You shouldn't have done so..."
"Mitsuba, why... didn't you tell me?"
"Brother, why didn't you save Mother back then?"
Calmly asking this question in return, looking up at Yoriichi's instantly stunned expression, Mitsuba smiled apologetically.
"I'm sorry, I am not blaming you."
Using her right hand to lift the medicinal soup to her lips and gently blowing on it, her gaze seemed somewhat distant.
"Probably around last year, shortly before you returned last time, I had already realized that I was very likely suffering from the same disease as Mother.
Although I didn't notice it at first, later as the condition gradually worsened, I should have realized..."