Seeing Xia Feng walk toward the courtyard, the three little girls looked surprised.
"Eh?!"
"Mr. Xia Feng, that's where Miss Kanao practices!"
"It's dangerous—please be careful!"
Xia Feng smiled at them.
"Don't worry. It'll be fine."
Noticing the movement nearby, the girl in the courtyard stopped practicing and quietly looked toward him.
Her hand still held the sword, though it now hung diagonally at her side.
Xia Feng walked up to her and stopped.
"Your swordsmanship is quite good. Did Miss Shinobu teach you?"
The girl didn't speak.
She simply looked at him silently.
Naho quickly raised her head and said,
"Um… Mr. Xia Feng, Miss Kanao doesn't really communicate with others, so…"
Xia Feng suddenly understood.
When Naho mentioned it, he remembered Kanao's background.
When she was younger, she had been kidnapped by human traffickers. Because of that experience, she became afraid of expressing her emotions.
When she was first rescued, even if her stomach was growling with hunger, she wouldn't dare take food on her own.
Xia Feng clicked his tongue.
The human heart could truly be dark.
No matter the era or the world, such darkness never truly disappears.
After thinking for a moment, he decided to communicate with Kanao in another way.
He glanced around.
Since this was Kanao's practice area, several training weapons had been placed nearby.
Xia Feng casually picked up a bamboo sword and weighed it in his hand.
Before transmigrating, he had never practiced swordsmanship before.
But with the help of the God-Tier Support System, holding this sword felt even more natural than using his own arm did.
He looked at Kanao.
"My name is Xia Feng. Starting today, I'll be staying at the Butterfly Estate for a while."
"You have been practicing alone. Without real combat to test your skills, it's hard to improve. I happen to have some free time, so let's spar a bit."
Kanao hesitated for a moment.
Then she reached into her pocket and took out a coin.
Under Xia Feng's gaze, she gently tossed the coin into the air and caught it on the back of her hand.
She glanced at the result.
Then she nodded at Xia Feng.
"Okay."
As she spoke, she moved to grab a bamboo sword as well.
But Xia Feng shook his head.
"Use your own weapon. Fighting with the weapon you're used to will help you get more accustomed to real combat."
A trace of confusion appeared in Kanao's eyes.
Though she was introverted, she was very confident in combat.
Among the younger generation of swordsmen—aside from the elite who had become Hashira—she believed she was already among the strongest.
Where did this boy get the confidence to fight her with a bamboo sword while she used a real blade?
Though puzzled, she wasn't good at expressing her feelings.
After thinking about it, she decided not to say anything.
Instead, she simply attacked.
She swung her blade.
This strike held back some of its power. Even if Xia Feng couldn't block it, she would still be able to withdraw the blade in time.
The three little girls nearby were sweating nervously.
"What do we do?!"
"If Mr. Xia Feng gets cut, Lady Shinobu will definitely be angry!"
Kanao's sword swept forward.
Yet Xia Feng did not seem to react at all.
She hesitated slightly.
Should she stop?
At that moment—
Xia Feng suddenly moved.
He raised the bamboo sword and thrust it forward like lightning.
The blade circled around the tip of Kanao's sword and effortlessly redirected its trajectory!
?!
Kanao's heart jumped.
Her swordsmanship had been passed down by Shinobu's elder sister, Kanae Kocho, and was known as Flower Breathing.
In terms of destructive power, Flower Breathing might be slightly weaker than other breathing styles.
But in elegance and speed, it far surpassed most others.
Yet this man named Xia Feng had casually altered her sword path using only a bamboo sword?
She hadn't used her full strength, but Xia Feng clearly still had power to spare!
Not far away, Kiyo gasped.
"Amazing! Mr. Xia Feng actually blocked Miss Kanao's attack?!"
Naho looked stunned as well.
"Miss Kanao is a Tsuguko… Even though she's not an official Demon Slayer yet, she's stronger than most members of the Corps…"
"Mr. Xia Feng must be a master!"
Kanao completely ignored the girls' voices.
Her expression became extremely serious as she stared intently at Xia Feng's bamboo sword.
Borrowing the force from Xia Feng's deflection, she shifted her attack.
Her slash transformed into a thrust—
A precise strike aimed directly at Xia Feng's hand!
Xia Feng smiled.
"Nice reaction."
His wrist flicked lightly.
The bamboo sword traced a strange arc and struck the guard of Kanao's blade.
Her sword instantly veered off its course.
An opening appeared in her defense!
At that moment, Kanao realized something.
Xia Feng was far from an ordinary opponent.
If she didn't go all out, she would lose.
She tightened her grip on the sword and took a deep breath.
Flower Breathing…
Fifth Form — Unfruitful Peony!
Under Xia Feng's gaze, Kanao's blade emitted a faint pink glow.
Nine curved slashes appeared in an instant, drifting toward him from every direction like falling petals in the wind.
"So this is the breathing sword technique of a swordsman…"
If Xia Feng hadn't obtained the Advanced Swordsmanship ability, he might not even have known how to dodge such an attack.
Sumi's pupils shrank.
"Oh no! Miss Kanao used a breathing technique!"
Naho panicked.
"Mr. Xia Feng is using a bamboo sword! He's not even a Demon Slayer—there's no way he can beat Flower Breathing!"
The three girls fidgeted anxiously, almost wanting to rush forward and pull Xia Feng away.
Under everyone's watch—
Xia Feng suddenly stepped forward.
At the same time, his bamboo sword shot out like lightning.
The strike slipped past two glowing flower-like slashes and directly tapped against Kanao's blade.
Even with Advanced Swordsmanship, executing that move required a significant amount of concentration.
The moment the strike connected—
Kanao's sword revealed a flaw.
Xia Feng pulled his bamboo sword backward.
Kanao lost her balance and involuntarily stumbled forward.
Just as she prepared to roll and stabilize herself—
An arm suddenly reached out and caught her.
Kanao looked up in surprise.
Xia Feng's face appeared in front of her.
"Your swordsmanship is excellent," Xia Feng said sincerely.
With his mastery of Advanced Swordsmanship, he could naturally judge sword techniques with sharp insight.
Flower Breathing was extremely balanced.
Its attacks were sharp and elegant.
Especially when used by a woman, its movements became unpredictable and difficult to defend against.
Hearing Xia Feng's sincere praise, Kanao's slightly depressed mood immediately improved.
Flower Breathing had been taught to her by Kanae Kocho.
Having that sword style recognized and praised made her far happier than if someone had praised her personally.
Xia Feng helped Kanao stand up.
After thinking for a moment, he said,
"There are a few techniques you haven't really used in real combat. You're being a bit too cautious with them."
"You should practice them more deliberately."
"For example, that move earlier… Unfruitful Peony."
"The lower-left sword path, and the direct thrust—you're off by a tiny bit in distance."
Hearing this, Kanao instinctively nodded slightly.
Recently, she had indeed felt that some forms of her Flower Breathing weren't quite right.
She had wanted to ask Shinobu, but the Hashira had been extremely busy lately.
She never found the chance.
Yet Xia Feng had just pointed out the exact issue that had been bothering her the most.
When she looked at him again—
There was now a trace of respect in her gaze.