"Well, that is indeed true."
Showing no reaction to the suddenly appearing female voice, the Wind Hashira and Sound Hashira merely nodded lightly in acknowledgment.
"Gentlemen, may I ask where the master of the Demon Slayer Corps currently resides?"
During the two men's brief silence, the mysterious female voice asked again.
Still not detecting any abnormality, the Wind Hashira raised his wine bowl and took another sip, casually pointing in a direction.
"Oh, just keep going straight in this direction. When you see the mansion hidden in the valley, that's it... By the way, young lady, what business do you have with the master?"
"Just a personal matter. Thank you both."
"You're welcome. Go quickly."
Waving to see her off, just as the Wind Hashira raised his wine bowl again, preparing for another couple of sips, his hand suddenly paused, then his brow furrowed tightly.
Wait, something seems off...
As if only now finally reacting, he abruptly drew his blade and stood up, shouting sternly at that figure in the darkness:
"Who are you?! How did you get in?!"
At the same time, the Sound Hashira beside him also reacted immediately, drawing his blade simultaneously and vigilantly looking at that figure.
"Oh my~"
Under the night sky, a young girl with features extremely similar to the two Tsugikuni brothers slowly turned her head upon hearing this, her expression somewhat helpless.
"Still detected after all..."
In the girl's hand, that black mandala flower was emitting a strange gleam...
"..."
At the same time, on the other side of the headquarters, in that mansion located deep in the valley, Ubuyashiki, who had already gone to rest, came out supported by his wife and child.
"Rengoku."
"Master, I am here."
This man whose face had already begun to show curse scars shifted his already blurred gaze toward the Flame Hashira, who was sitting quietly in the courtyard, earnestly executing night watch duty.
"There is something I wish to entrust to you..."
"Please speak, Master."
Opening his eyes and standing up, the Flame Hashira stepped forward and knelt on one knee.
Looking down at him, Ubuyashiki gently patted the young child beside him and said softly:
"Now, immediately take this child and leave here at once. Go anywhere, it doesn't matter. In short, never return here again..."
The Flame Hashira's brow furrowed upon hearing this. He subconsciously looked up at Ubuyashiki before him and asked in confusion:
"Master, has something happened?"
"I don't know..."
However, facing his question, Ubuyashiki only shook his head lightly. On that face covered with ugly scars was the same confusion as his.
"It's just that I suddenly awoke from my sleep, and in my heart, I suddenly felt a trace of unease, vaguely sensing that something very terrible seems about to happen tonight..."
"In that case! Then I'll immediately notify the others! We'll take Master and leave together..."
"No, there isn't enough time..."
Shaking his head slightly to interrupt the Flame Hashira's anxious words, Ubuyashiki used that still calm tone to slowly say:
"Rengoku, listen carefully. You must personally take this child and leave immediately, and absolutely must not tell anyone of your whereabouts.
Remember, anyone at all. Do you understand?"
"Master..."
Born of the Rengoku family, which had the closest relationship with the Ubuyashiki clan, the Flame Hashira had some understanding of the special abilities possessed by the Ubuyashiki family.
Blessed by the gods, the Ubuyashiki clan could foresee the future to a certain extent.
However, this foresight was not the accurate, concrete kind that ordinary people imagined.
It leaned more toward a "feeling."
When something was about to happen, or when about to prepare to do something, the Ubuyashiki would suddenly feel that doing this would be bad, or that doing that would be good.
Over the past several hundred years, this divine and mysterious premonition had time and again saved the Ubuyashiki clan, pulling the Demon Slayer Corps back from the brink of destruction.
And tonight, this premonition appeared once again.
Although unclear what it was exactly, Ubuyashiki could feel that something very terrible would certainly happen tonight.
But he could no longer leave.
Given his current physical condition, he simply couldn't withstand the burden of a long-distance transfer. Forcibly leaving together would only become a burden.
The only thing he could do now was find a way to let his child leave, ensuring that the flame of the Ubuyashiki clan and the Demon Slayer Corps would not be extinguished tonight.
Not only that, he had to conceal this from the others, only letting his most trusted Flame Hashira leave alone with his child, not even providing them with a specific destination.
Ubuyashiki didn't know why he had to do this.
But his intuition told him that he must do this right now.
Otherwise, the Demon Slayer Corps would be completely destroyed tonight!
"After tonight, the Demon Slayer Corps is entrusted to you."
Handing his young child to the Flame Hashira, Ubuyashiki gently held his hand and said apologetically:
"I'm sorry, to trouble you with these matters when your younger brother just sacrificed himself not long ago..."
The Flame Hashira's younger brother, several years his junior but equally warm-hearted and brave, had unfortunately been killed by a demon during a mission a few days ago.
Ubuyashiki had long heard of this matter.
Subconsciously recalling the appearance of his mediocre younger brother, tears involuntarily welled up in the Flame Hashira's eyes. Holding Ubuyashiki's young child in his arms, he said through tears:
"Master, please don't say that. My younger brother died on the path of slaying demons. This is his honor..."
"Alright, go quickly. Time is of the essence."
"Yes! Master, please take care as well!"
Standing in the courtyard like this, watching the Flame Hashira quietly depart, only then did Ubuyashiki wave his hand to call in the swordsman standing guard outside the courtyard.
"Go notify all the Hashira in the headquarters to come to me."
"Yes!"
Under the night sky, watching the swordsman's figure rapidly depart, Ubuyashiki slowly sat down on the corridor behind him, subconsciously looking up at the night sky overhead.
"I truly hope it's all just my imagination..."
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