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墨書 Inktalez
At not even thirty years old, Mingming already felt a sense of nostalgia for youth.
The three of them climbed the mountain, with Taki Sakonji running ahead, observing the two behind him. Tanjirou managed to keep up, his breathing steady, while his sister Nezuko was slightly out of breath. Was it the effect of Life Water that made them better than average?
Seeing Tanjirou keeping pace, Taki decided to increase his speed a bit. As a result, even though Tanjirou was able to keep up, his breathing became more labored, and Nezuko fell behind a little, though she could still see her brother ahead.
After a while, they finally reached their destination. Tanjirou leaned on his knees, gasping for air. Taki Sakonji looked at him without a hint of fatigue.
"You’re fine; you just need to control your breathing," he said.
Tanjirou was surprised by Taki's lack of exhaustion and didn’t have the energy to respond to his words just yet. After a moment, Nezuko caught up and immediately lay down on Tanjirou's shoulder.
Tanjirou nearly lost his balance and turned his head to look at Nezuko, who had her head resting against him. She was also panting heavily, sweat pooling at her chin before slowly dripping down.
Seeing that Nezuko had arrived, Taki Sakonji said, "Alright, you two can rest here for a bit. Remember to head down before noon; exceeding the time limit will result in failure."
Without another word to Tanjirou and Nezuko, he vanished from sight.
Tanjirou glanced at the sun; there was still plenty of time left. "Let’s take a break before heading down," he suggested.
After regaining some strength while leaning against a tree with Nezuko in his arms, he felt that his breathing had calmed down after about five minutes and some of the soreness in his body had eased significantly.
"Why does it feel like my stamina is recovering much faster than before?" he wondered aloud.
"I feel the same!" Nezuko replied, now fully rested and gazing down the mountain.
It was morning, with only a thin layer of mist that didn’t obstruct their view at all. Tanjirou walked over to Nezuko's side.
"Let’s go, Nezuko; we still have to descend!" he urged.
"Yeah, we need to be careful. The test won’t be as simple as just going straight down," she cautioned.
"Huh? What could there be?"
"It shouldn’t just be about stamina; there might be other factors too. If Iida Taiki is up there, he might set traps for hunting."
Nezuko thought for a moment and realized that traps seemed to be the only possibility.
"Are there really traps?" she asked curiously.
"There might be. Just stay alert," he advised.
"Alright, let's head down the mountain."
"Mm."
Tanjirou moved ahead, carefully observing his surroundings. He noticed a hidden rope on the ground and came to a halt.
Nezuko, seeing her brother stop, looked around and spotted the rope as well. She crouched down to examine it closely. It seemed there was indeed a trap. Could her brother smell it?
Of course, she knew that her brother's sense of smell was sharper than a dog's.
Tanjirou took a deep breath and detected a human scent. He could tell that the trap had been set by someone.
Nezuko nodded at her brother's words and tugged at the rope. Suddenly, a thick wooden beam swung down from the trees toward them. The two quickly dodged to the sides.
Tanjirou and Nezuko watched the swinging beam with beads of sweat forming on their brows. What a massive piece of wood! If it hit them, they would be out of commission for half a year. It seemed this was a test of their reflexes and observational skills.
Nezuko glanced at the beam and then back at her brother. "Let's go, brother. I’ll follow your lead."
"Mm-hmm!"
They were more cautious than reckless, unlike in the original story.
Tanjirou ran ahead quickly while keeping an eye on his surroundings, with Nezuko following closely in his footsteps. Observing them from the shadows, Taki Sakonji nodded in approval.
Tanjirou was still somewhat dazed, but Nezuko, with her more delicate sensibilities as a girl, seemed to be more attuned to their situation. Their combination worked quite well.
After assessing their speed and glancing at the sky, Taki Sakonji decided it was time to move on; he wanted that boy to prepare some food.
Finally, Tanjirou and Nezuko arrived at the wooden cabin before noon. Seeing them both drenched in sweat, he directed them to Li Yunqing's room to clean up.
Li Yunqing watched as Taki Sakonji brought Tanjirou and Nezuko over. "Should we have them wash up?"
"Yes, they're covered in sweat; it will affect their mood during mealtime."
Li Yunqing smiled and led the two inside the small cabin. He taught them how to use the shower facilities before taking Nezuko into another bathing area.
Afterward, they moved to an open space where Li Yunqing set up a larger table and arranged several chairs around it. He then brought out plenty of meat and began to lay out the dishes. By the time he finished setting everything up, Taki Sakonji had also led Sera and Lilu Lu over.
Sera and Lilu Lu rushed towards Li Yunqing as soon as they arrived, hugging him tightly and nuzzling against him.
"I missed you so much!" they exclaimed.
Li Yunqing embraced Sera and Lilu Lu, gently patting their backs. "Alright, alright, we just left for a little while."
"But we missed you!" they replied in unison.
"Okay, okay, I missed you too. Let's eat first."
"Yes!"
Sera and Lilu Lu pulled their chairs up next to Li Yunqing. The table seemed much larger now, and they thought about the two who had just arrived this morning but said nothing about it. They then began to eat.
Taki Sakonji joined in as well.
After a while, Tanjirou and Nezuko emerged from the bath, dressed in the clothes Li Yunqing had prepared for them. Seeing the four already eating, they walked over.
Li Yunqing set down his chopsticks after only a few bites and welcomed Tanjirou and Nezuko to sit down. "Don't just stand there; come sit and eat. From now on, you can eat here after your training."
"Okay."
Tanjirou and Nezuko sat together without hesitation, grabbing the empty bowls on the table and starting to eat.
"This is delicious!" Tanjirou exclaimed after taking a bite of the braised pork, his eyes lighting up.
Li Yunqing smiled. "Go ahead and eat; there will be braised pork every day if you want it."
"Really?" Tanjirou asked, his excitement palpable.
"Really, really," Li Yunqing replied, feeling a bit like he was coaxing children.
He glanced at Tanjirou as he quickly devoured his food, then looked at Nezuko who was savoring each bite slowly. Is this really a family?
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