When she saw the herbs inside the box, Shinobu Kocho was clearly surprised.
Both of her parents had been pharmacists, and after joining the Demon Slayer Corps she had continued studying pharmacology.
Because of this, she could immediately recognize how precious these herbs were.
The medicinal plants Amane Ubuyashiki had brought were extremely rare.
If they were refined by a skilled pharmacist, even someone frail and sickly could be restored to full health.
In other words…
Once properly processed, these medicines could also make a healthy person even stronger.
The beautiful silver-haired woman smiled gently at Xia Feng.
"This is a small token of my husband's gratitude for you, Mr. Xia Feng."
Hearing this, Shinobu suddenly realized something.
She looked toward Amane.
"Wait… these aren't the medicines the Master uses, are they?"
The moment she said that, the previously silent Gyomei Himejima tensed slightly.
He turned his blind gaze toward Kagaya Ubuyashiki.
"Master…?"
Ubuyashiki smiled faintly.
"These are indeed the medicines I use."
"But… my illness is not truly a disease."
"Even if I take them, it would only be a waste."
"Rather than wasting them on someone useless like me, I would prefer these medicines create greater value elsewhere."
As soon as he finished speaking, both Shinobu and Gyomei shook their heads at the same time.
"No, Master! You must take care of your health. These medicines—"
"If you take these medicines, they really won't help at all."
Xia Feng's lazy voice suddenly interrupted them.
Gyomei immediately showed anger.
"Mr. Xia Feng, what do you mean by that?!"
His expression darkened as he stared at Xia Feng, as if ready to fight at any moment.
Shinobu was also surprised, though she wasn't angry.
She trusted Xia Feng.
She believed he wouldn't say something like that without reason.
Meanwhile, Kagaya Ubuyashiki simply smiled calmly at Xia Feng—as if the comment hadn't been directed at him at all.
Under everyone's gaze, Xia Feng walked slowly to the box in Amane's hands and picked up one of the herbs.
"Silver Snow Thread."
He examined it with interest, then set it down and picked up another.
"Azure Ring Mushroom."
"Eternal Night Grass."
One by one, he casually recited the names of the herbs.
Shinobu tilted her head slightly.
Every herb Xia Feng named…
Was correct.
Not a single mistake.
Some of these herbs looked extremely similar to other plants and were easy to confuse.
Yet Xia Feng identified them all precisely.
Watching him speak so confidently, Shinobu suddenly felt a sense of nostalgia.
For a moment, it was like returning to childhood—watching her parents select herbs.
At first, Gyomei had still been angry.
But as Xia Feng continued naming each herb, he couldn't help glancing toward Shinobu, wondering if Xia Feng was simply making things up.
When he saw her shake her head, his expression gradually turned to surprise.
Once Xia Feng finished listing every herb, Gyomei finally asked:
"Even if you recognize these herbs… what does that prove?"
Xia Feng chuckled.
"It proves something very simple."
"It proves that I know these medicines are useless for Kagaya Ubuyashiki."
He turned toward Ubuyashiki.
"If my judgment is correct, your illness should come from a bloodline curse."
"It destroys the body from the inside out."
"That's why you were weaker than ordinary people since childhood."
"And as you grew older, your body gradually became harder and harder to control."
The moment those words were spoken—
Everyone in the room was shocked.
Shinobu opened her mouth slightly.
She had never told Xia Feng about Ubuyashiki's condition.
Yet just by looking at him…
He had diagnosed it so accurately?
A flash of surprise passed through Kagaya Ubuyashiki's eyes.
Originally, he had planned that if Xia Feng said something vague, he would help smooth things over.
But Xia Feng had just directly pointed out the true source of his illness.
If Shinobu truly hadn't told him beforehand…
Then Xia Feng's medical skill must be astonishingly high.
Seeing everyone's reactions, Xia Feng nodded inwardly in satisfaction.
In truth, he didn't actually know how to diagnose illnesses.
Half of what he said came from knowledge he remembered from the manga.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki's disease was caused by the influence of Muzan Kibutsuji, placing a curse upon the entire bloodline so that every generation would be frail and sickly.
The other half came from the ability he had just obtained earlier on the road—
Advanced Pharmacology.
Thanks to that skill, Xia Feng could easily identify the herbs and determine the effects they would produce when combined.
These medicines had likely been prepared by doctors in this world.
Their effect was simple:
Strengthening the body.
If Ubuyashiki's condition were simply weakness, the medicine would indeed work.
But his illness wasn't weakness.
It was cellular degeneration caused by a curse.
Something similar to cancer.
During the Taisho era, both anti-cancer medicine and radiation therapy were technologies that did not yet exist.
Naturally, Xia Feng had no way to test those methods.
However—
That didn't mean he had no solution.
Seeing that Xia Feng still had more to say, Ubuyashiki turned toward Gyomei and Shinobu.
With an apologetic smile, he said,
"My apologies, the two of you."
"I would like to speak with Xia Feng alone."
Both of them immediately bowed their heads and quietly left the room.
Amane Ubuyashiki also nodded politely to Xia Feng before stepping outside and closing the door.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki looked toward Xia Feng.
"Please enlighten me, Mr. Xia Feng."
Xia Feng spoke slowly.
"To completely cure your illness… I cannot do that."
"But I do have a way to suppress it."
"I can forcibly restrain the degeneration in your body and restore a certain level of physical mobility."
"However, this suppression will gradually weaken over time."
"When even I can no longer hold it back, you will die in double the pain."
"If I do nothing, you will probably live only a few more months."
"But if you accept my help…"
"I can guarantee that you will not die within one year."
"And until your final moment, you will still be able to move and act normally."
"So…"
Xia Feng looked directly at him.
"What do you choose?"
"To remain as you are now, waiting quietly for death…"
"Or to use your remaining life to accomplish what you truly want?"
Since the moment they met, Kagaya Ubuyashiki had maintained a calm expression.
But now—
For the first time—
A clear emotional change appeared on his face.
He took a deep breath, suppressing the surge of emotions inside him.
A blazing determination shone in his eyes as he spoke firmly.
"I hope to receive your help!"
"I am willing to pay any price."
"As long as it is something I possess, I will offer it without hesitation!"
"As for pain…"
"As long as I can personally witness that person's death…"
"Even if the suffering is ten times, a hundred times worse…"
"I will not feel the slightest fear."
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