“Phew…”

  “It’s really cold… I wonder how much lo’ll take to reach Sagiri Mountain. There seems to be a vilge up ahead. I should ask someone for dires.”

  Winter had already set in. Snowfkes were drifting down from the sky, and the world was covered in a b of white.

  Feng Yu had been traveling for five days now. Without a map, he had to rely on asking for dires along the way.

  "Excuse me, sir, you tell me the way to SagiriMountain?"

  Feng Yu approached an elderly man sitting by a house, puffing on a cigarette.

  “It's up ahead, see? That mountain right there.” The old man pointed ahead with his finger.

  “But young man, what’s taking you to SagiriMountain?” he asked, sensing the unusual time of year. It was rare for ao be out traveling now that winter had arrived.

  "I have retives over there. I'm going to stay with them," Feng Yu replied. "Thank you, sir. I should get going now, or it’ll be dark soon."

  "Alright, young man. Be careful on the road."

  After bidding the elderly man farewell, Feng Yu felt a surge of excitement. He had been traveling for days and was finally close to his destination. During this time, he hadn’t even had the ce to practice his swordsmanship.

  Once he found Sakonji Urokodaki, it meant that his life might never be quiet again…

  As time passed, deep footprints were left behind in the snow by Feng Yu’s steps. The snow kept falling, making his journey even more difficult.

  “This damher really ges fast. SagiriMountain should be close now… I think…”

  Feng Yu muttered to himself as he gazed at the sky.

  “I’ll take a break for a while, eat something, and wait for the snow to lighten up before moving on.”

  Feng Yu found a sheltered spot and sat dowook out some dry food and started nibbling.

  Suddenly, a strange sound reached his ears.

  “Ying… ying…”

  Feng Yu turned around and found a snow-white fox behind him. But the fox seemed to be is leg was trapped, and its pristine white fur was stained with a hint of red.

  “It looks like a trap set by nearby hunters… Should I help it…?”

  After a brief moment of hesitation, Feng Yu made up his mind. “Well, sie brought me here, I might as well try to help it.”

  Feng Yu stood up and approached the snow fox to unta from the trap. However, the fox, possibly scared, growled in warning.

  Feng Yu was unsure how long the fox had been trapped, as it didn’t have the strength to fight back.

  "Don't worry, I’m here to help you," Feng Yu said, as he carefully uned his belongings to cover the fox’s body with a cloth.

  He quickly freed it from the trap. The fox initially struggled, but then it calmed down, perhaps sensing that Feng Yu meant no harm.

  "There you go, you're free now. Just make sure not to get caught again."

  He stood up and stepped back, allowing the fox to go on its way. But the snow fox stayed iaring at him with its head tilted in a curious way.

  Feng Yu chuckled softly. “You little one, you were struggling so fiercely just now, and now that I’ve freed you, you’re not even leaving?”

  "If you’re not going to leave, then I’ll go instead."

  As Feng Yu turo pick up his buhe snow fox bit down on it a out a soft whine.

  It then leaned closer to Feng Yu’s hand.

  Feng Yu felt the soft fur and was reminded of the times he had pet cats in his past life.

  "You don’t wao leave?"

  He sighed, petting the fox. "I really have to get going. I’ve got something important to do..."

  He paused, then a thought occurred to him. “How about you e with me? If you don’t have a family and you’re hurt, once you’re better, you decide to leave whenever you want. So, what do you say? Will you e with me, little one?"

  The fox tilted its head in response.

  In the end, Feng Yu didn’t wait for a response. He simply picked up the snow fox, bas wound, and tucked it safely into his bundle.

  Despite the extra weight, the fox didn’t slow him down much.

  "I’ll give you a name. How about ‘Xiao Bai’ (Little White)?"

  The fox gave another soft whine.

  "Haha, looks like you agree, Xiao Bai."

  ...

  Man and fox tiheir jourogether.

  As the sun began to set and darkness spread, Feng Yu saw a wooden house ahead, glowing with the light of a fire.

  “Could it be Sakonji Urokodaki?”

  Feng Yu’s heart leapt, and he quied his pace.

  As he approached, he saw an old man with a Tengu mask standing in front of the house, eyeing him carefully.

  "Um… Mr. Sakonji ?" Feng Yu called out. “I’m Zhong Feng Yu. Someo me to find you.”

  He pulled out the blue envelope that Tominaga Yuu had given him.

  "Hmm, I already know what happened," the old man said, his voice deep. "Zhong Feng Yu, a fine young man. Are you sure you want to bey disciple?"

  "I’m sure!" Feng Yu responded firmly.

  "Good. However, you’ll o pass my test first. For tonight, rest. We’ll talk more tomorrow."

  With that, the old man turned aered the house.

  Feng Yu followed him ihe warmth of the room immediately enveloped him.

  Sakonji Urokodaki handed Feng Yu a bowl of warm soup, and Feng Yu gratefully accepted it. After days of eating dry rations, the warmth of the soup was a wele ge.

  At that moment, Xiao Bai poked its head out from Feng Yu’s bundle, nuzzling against his chest.

  "I almost fot about you. Mr. Sakonji , this is Xiao Bai..." Feng Yu expielling the old man about the fox’s situation.

  Sakonji Urokodaki said nothing but went to prepare some herbs. He pced them into a pot to brew.

  Finally, he applied the herbs to the fox’s injuries.

  That night, Feng Yu slept soundly with Xiao Bai curled up beside him.

  Unbeknownst to him, Sakonji Urokodaki was staring at him, a thoughtful look on his face. It was as though two shadopeared behind Feng Yu...

  The Day

  After a night of applying medie, Xiao Bai's injured leg, which had been ied and swollen, miraculously began to form scabs.

  By early m, Xiao Bai was already jumping around eically.

  "Mr. Urokodaki, good m!"

  Feng Yu greeted Sakonji Urokodaki with enthusiasm.

  "Mm."

  Sakonji Urokodaki responded indifferently, his to.

  "Mr. Urokodaki, does the trial begin now?" Feng Yu asked, looking at Urokodaki with a serious expression.

  "You will know o gets dark," was all Sakonji Urokodaki said.

  With that, he turned a baside to prepare food.

  Feng Yu couldn’t help but feel a little helpless. He khat after nightfall, Urokodaki would lead him up the mountain and, just before dawn, make him desd. But the path down would be part of the trial—an endless series of traps. Feng Yu remembered watg the anime in his past life, where Tanjiro mao avoid the traps with his sharp hough he was still covered in injuries. It was easy to imagine how tough the trial would be.

  "Well, n baow. Since I’ve chosen this path, I’ll have to grit my teeth and push forward. For now, I’ll practice swinging the sword. Every little bit helps. I’ll activate the system now; I have a feeling that when it starts, something ued might happen…"

  With that thought, Feng Yu grabbed his wooden sword and began to practice his swings.

  "Heh ha~"

  "Heh ha~"

  Ihe house, Sakonji Urokodaki, who had been watg Feng Yu, tilted his head slightly behind his mask.

  "Perhaps this boy really is different..."

  He recalled the letter from Giyu Tomioka, which had been delivered by Kasugai Crow :

  Sakonji Urokodaki,

  There is a boy who wants to bee a demon syer. I’ve sent him to you. He has enough ce to face demons with only a regur on. He even knows that demons ’t be killed and that they o be restrained by binding their limbs. His family was killed by demons, and his physical recovery is extraordinary. I suspect he might have the rare blood type you mentiohis boy also has the basic skills to wield a sword, and maybe, he break through and i the legacy. Please sider training him. I know this request is difficult for you, but I hope you uand. Please take care of your health.

  Giyu Tomioka

  Soon, the sun began to set.

  Sakonji Urokodaki turo Feng Yu and said, "Follow me."

  The su quickly.

  At the same time, SagiriMountain began to reveal why it was called the "SagiriMountain."

  A thick fog enveloped the entire mountaihe deeper they went into the mountain, the thihe air became.

  Even Feng Yu, with his physique, felt it was getting harder to breathe.

  He stayed close behind Sakonji Urokodaki, carefully noting the path.

  Strangely, Feng Yu found that this body seemed to have an exceptionally good memory. The path from just a moment ago was already clear in his mind.

  "Perhaps it’s something the system enhanced..." he thought to himself.

  Before long, Sakonji Urokodaki stopped and turo Feng Yu.

  "From here, make your way back to the house at the foot of the mountain. I won’t wait for you until dawn. If you return before dawn, you’ll have passed the trial," he said.

  Feng Yu wao ask something, but just then, a rge mass of mist suddenly appeared, and Sakonji Urokodaki’s figure vanished without a trace.

  "Wow, he’s fast. And this is exactly like what they said about Tanjiro in the anime," Feng Yu muttered to himself.

  "But I don't have Tanjiro’s sharp nose..."

  Feng Yu sighed lightly, but immediately steeled himself. Staring at the thick fog that made it impossible to see the path, he closed his eyes. The route he had mentally noted reappeared clearly in his mind.

  "I’ve got the route. Now I just o avoid the traps!"

  "This is really testing my reflexes and speed…" he thought.

  …

  Back at the wooden house, Sakonji Urokodaki was ging the medie on Xiao Bai.

  Xiao Bai gave a soft whine.

  Sakonji Urokodaki stroked Xiao Bai’s fur and said, "He’s on his way back. If he doesn’t make it by dawn, it means he’s not qualified. But in a way, that would be a good thing for him."

  Xiao Bai seemed not to uand, tinuing to hop around happily.

  Meanwhile, Feng Yu was having a much harder time.

  He fell into deep pits, was struck by rge logs, and battered by bamboo rods. His clothes were torn, his body caked in dirt, and his face was covered in fresh blood from newly opened wounds.

  His head, face, and body were all covered in bruises and cuts.

  "I ’t keep going like this! Even if I make it to dawn, I won’t make it down the mountain in one piece..." Feng Yu thought.

  "Calm down! I o stay calm..."

  "Hah... Hah..."

  Feng Yu stood still, breathing deeply ihin air, allowing his increasingly anxious thoughts to slowly calm.

  With each breath, his chest rose and fell, and it felt as though he entered a straate. His blood flowed faster, and his heart beat quicker.

  "What’s going on? Where’s all this energy ing from..." he wondered, but before he could think more, his breathing slowed, and the strength left his body.

  "No, this is wrong. This power, it’s the strength from my breathing. Did I unknowingly reae kind of state?" Feng Yu thought to himself.

  "This might be the only way for me to pass the trial..."

  With that thought, he quickly repeated the breathing teique. Having learned from the first time, it didn’t take long for him to ehe state again.

  "Hah... Hah..."

  At this moment, the only sounds in Feng Yu’s mind were his owhs abeat.

  The off.

  Feng Yu sprinted forward, his speed doubled pared to before. He mao dodge several traps along the way.

  However, even so, he was still caught off guard by a few quick traps.

  …

  That night, her Sakonji Urokodaki nor Xiao Bai slept, both waiting for the door of the wooden house to open...

  Feng Yu, however, was near his limit. His body covered in injuries, he felt as though his bones were about to fall apart.

  But the faint red glow that shohrough the thick fog became his only source of strength.

  "Almost there... Just a little more..." he thought, gritting his teeth.

  With his st ounce of strength, Feng Yu opehe door to the wooden house and smiled.

  "Mr. Urokodaki, I did it..."

  Then, he colpsed onto the ground.

  In the distahe first light of daeared, signaling the beginning of a new life…

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