"The air is thick with the st of demons... this is the pce."

  A bck-haired youth, dressed in a haori adorned with the 滅 (Demon Syer) kanji, sloroached Meixiu's house and paused, muttering to himself.

  "Feng Yu, are you sure this demon only be killed ohe sun is up? What if we 't kill it?"

  Meixiu's father looked at the struggling limbs of the demon, uo stop himself from asking.

  "Uncle, don't worry. Ohe sun rises, we'll take the demon's head into the sunlight, and that'll be the end of it."

  At this point, Feng Yu’s strength had nearly fully recovered.

  This made Feng Yu marvel at how incredibly resilient this body was.

  "By the way, Feng Yu, I have to say, I 't shake the feeling that you're unusually familiar with these demons. Normally, you'd never have seen one before, right?"

  Meixiu's father excimed.

  "But we owe it all to you. If it weren’t for you, we'd probably be done for by now. I was supposed to protect you, but in the end, it was you who protected us."

  "U’s no big deal. The reason I’m familiar with demons is because…"

  Feng Yu was about to e up with some excuse to brush it off, but before he could, the sound of footsteps suddenly reached their ears, instantly putting everyone on high alert.

  "What’s going on? Who’s walking outside? Could there be another demon?"

  Feng Yu thought to himself.

  Meixiu's father exged a gh Feng Yu and quickly motioned for Meixiu and her mother to hide ihe chest.

  "Don't worry. I'm here to kill the demon. But it seems like the battle's already over. I arrived a bit too te…"

  The young man with bck hair ehe room and sheathed his azure-colored sword.

  "Giyu Tomioka!"

  In that instant, Feng Yu's breath caught. He hadn’t expected to meet the cool, popur "Ice Mountain" figure from his past life so quickly.

  "I wonder if Giyu Tomioka has bee the Water Hashira yet…"

  Notig Feng Yu's shift ihing, Giyu Tomioka asked, puzzled, "Do you know me?"

  "Whoa, you noticed? Well, with that cssic deadpan fad your distinctive haori, it’s hard not tnize you as a Demon Syer fan…"

  Feng Yu quickly suppressed his shock, knowing he couldn’t say that out loud.

  "No, that's not it. I just wao ask if you're from the Demon Syer Corps?"

  "Don’t misuand. I’ve heard about them before — there are people who specialize in killing demons. They wear haori with the 滅 (demon syer) kanji and wield Swords that kill demons…"

  "When I saw you in that outfit, and you mentioned something about 'being te' and demons, I figured you must be one of them," Feng Yu expined.

  "Hmm."

  Giyu Tomioka didn’t say much more, merely aowledging with a brief, indifferent response.

  "You did well. Normal ons wouldn’t kill a demon, even if you sever its head. Only sunlight destroy these evil creatures."

  Meixiu’s father watched the exge between Feng Yu and Giyu Tomioka, feeling increasingly fused. After all, the stories about demons came from him, a seemed like Feng Yu knew more about demons — and even about the Demon Syer Corps — tha on…

  But he said nothing, assuming Feng Yu must have lear elsewhere.

  Soon, the house fell silent, and an awkward tension filled the air.

  "Giyu Tomioka really is a man of few words…" Feng Yu thought to himself.

  "Um… I was w, is it possible to join the Demon Syer Corps?"

  Feng Yu spoke up first.

  "You want to join the Demon Syer Corps? you tell me why?" Giyu Tomioka asked, his voice still ft.

  "I… My parents were killed by demons. I want to avehem, but I know I don’t have the strength to kill demons on my own. So, I want to join you…"

  A brief look of pain crossed Feng Yu's face.

  "I see."

  Giyu Tomioka stared at Feng Yu for a moment, then slowly reached into his coat and pulled out a blue envelope. "Take this. Go to Mount Sagiri and find the person wearing a tengu mask. Whether you join the Demon Syer Corps depends on you."

  "Thank you so much! I’m sure I’ll make it into the Demon Syer Corps!"Feng Yu said with great excitement as he took the envelope from Giyu.

  "I hope so, but remember, even after joining the Demon Syer Corps, don’t fet your inal i..."Giyu’s voice was calm, his tone serious."I won’t fet!" Feng Yu promised, his eyes shining with determination.

  Before long, the sun had risen, and its warm rays filtered through the window into the room.Everyoched as the demon, now exposed to the sunlight, turo ashes. It was a bittersweet moment for them.

  No one had expected that the demon, who had been such a terrifying force against them and the Meixiu family, could be sile in the face of the sun.

  "Did... did it really disappear?"Meixiu’s father couldn’t quite believe it. This fearsome creature, which had nearly taken his life, was obliterated by something as simple as sunlight. It was almost too much to process.

  "It’s over now. The matter here is settled, I should be going."With those words, Giyu Tomioka turned ahe vilge.

  Feng Yu watched him go, a feeling of admiration growing inside him."That silhouette, those graceful steps... He’s definitely a man of legend. I wonder when I’ll bee that strong."His gaze lingered on Giyu’s retreating figure, but it wasn’t only admiration he felt.

  "What really excites me is that after the demon was destroyed, I got 100,000 Sword swings..."He looked at the personal stats dispyed on his panel, quietly celebrating his progress.

  System: Sword swings will make you stronger.Activation dition: 1,000,000 Sword swingsCharacter: Feng YuSword Swings: 823,469(Description: Keep going, young man. When you reach 1,000,000 Sword swings, you’ll reach godhood.)

  "At this rate, I’ll be able to activate the system soon enough..." Feng Yu thought to himself, his excitement growing.

  "Feng Yu, are you really going to leave us?"Meixiu’s voice trembled as she looked up at him, her eyes red from the threat of tears.

  "Yes, Meixiu, I o avenge my parents..."Feng Yu’s hands ched into fists, his voice tinged with sorrow.

  "Then... will you e back?"Meixiu asked softly, her voice full of hope.

  "I will. Once I’ve taken care of all the demons, I’ll e back.""I’ll wait for you then!"

  "Okay."They made a promise to each other, but Feng Yu wasn’t as focused on it. After all, he thought, he might not return for several years. By then, Meixiu might have fotten all about him.

  What he didn’t realize was that, in Meixiu’s heart, Feng Yu had already settled in a special pce, and he would never be fotten.

  "Feng Yu, isn’t Ichiro Jiang’s death not caused by a beast, but by a demon?"Meixiu’s father asked thoughtfully as he looked at Feng Yu.

  "Yes, uncle. If it weren’t for my parents, I would’ve probably been killed long ago. That’s why I practice every day, to bee strong enough to avehem."Feng Yu’s voice was firm, filled with quiet resolve.

  "You’re a good kid, Feng Yu. If you ever feel tired or lost out there, you always e back here. sider this pce your home."Meixiu’s father’s words were full of warmth, and Feng Yu felt a deep sense of gratitude. He silently vowed that once he gaihe strength to protect others, he would never let them suffer at the hands of demons.

  Before long, the vilgers learned of the atta the Meixiu family, and they quickly offered their help to repair the damage. Feng Yu also returo his own home to gather his belongings, preparing for his jouro the Misty Mountain.

  "Goodbye, Feng Yu! Please don’t fet about us!""Take care, boy. Be careful on your way!""Stay safe, Feng Yu."

  Feng Yu bid farewell to Meixiu’s family a off toward the Mount Sagiri, his heart full of both hope and uainty.