The Butterfly Estate wasn't far from the Swordsmith Village.
Even without Shinobu saying it, Xia Feng could easily guess that.
The various divisions under the Demon Slayer Corps couldn't possibly be located too far apart—especially not far from the Butterfly Estate.
Otherwise, if something happened, how would injured members be transported there in time?
The Butterfly Estate was essentially the central hospital of the Demon Slayer Corps.
Xia Feng, Shinobu Kocho, and Kanao Tsuyuri hadn't traveled long before they reached the entrance point used to guide visitors to the Swordsmith Village.
When the Hidden member responsible for guiding saw Shinobu, he immediately bowed.
"Insect Hashira!"
Shinobu smiled and nodded.
"We'd like to go to the Swordsmith Village. Could you guide us there?"
The Hidden member nodded.
Then he looked at Xia Feng and Kanao.
"Insect Hashira, I'm very sorry. You may walk with us directly, but these two…"
"They must wear blindfolds and earplugs. Our guides will carry them to the village."
Hearing that, Shinobu shrugged and looked at Xia Feng.
She already knew this rule and had explained it to him beforehand.
Xia Feng showed a thoughtful expression.
Then he looked at the Hidden member.
"Can you arrange for a cute girl to carry me?"
"Unfortunately, that won't be possible."
Before the Hidden member could answer, Shinobu interrupted with a cheerful smile.
Xia Feng looked disappointed.
The Hidden member wiped sweat from his forehead and laughed awkwardly.
"To ensure the village's location remains secret, guides are randomly assigned and rotated frequently… so it's difficult to choose the guide's gender."
Xia Feng nodded.
Then he suddenly seemed to remember something and said seriously,
"I'll accept whoever carries me."
"But for Kanao, it must be a female guide."
Hidden member: "…"
Hearing this, Shinobu glanced at Xia Feng with an amused smile.
"What's wrong, Xia Feng? Are you worried someone might take advantage of little Kanao?"
Xia Feng nodded immediately.
"That's right."
Seeing him admit it so naturally, Shinobu felt like she had just thrown a punch into cotton.
Kanao didn't fully understand at first, but after hearing Shinobu's explanation, she realized what they meant.
Her face instantly turned red.
"There's no need to give me special treatment…"
"That won't do," Xia Feng said seriously.
Shinobu sighed and turned to the Hidden member.
"I'm very sorry, but that's the situation. Could you help us make an exception?"
Since a Hashira had spoken, the Hidden member didn't dare refuse.
He hurried off to make arrangements.
Soon afterward, two guides carried Xia Feng and Kanao while Shinobu followed behind them.
They began their journey toward the Swordsmith Village.
Lying on the guide's back, Xia Feng felt a bit conflicted.
With his enhanced hearing, he couldn't memorize the exact route.
But the general direction?
He could remember it perfectly.
Was the Demon Slayer Corps really relying on such a crude method to protect the location of the Swordsmith Village?
That seemed… a little careless.
After a full day of travel—and six different guides—
Xia Feng finally climbed down from the last guide's back.
They had arrived.
When the blindfold was removed, a beautiful traditional settlement appeared before him.
It was the Swordsmith Village.
Shinobu looked around with a smile.
"Nothing has changed since last time. It's still so peaceful here."
Kanao was visiting for the first time and, like Xia Feng, looked around curiously.
At that moment, several people approached them.
Every one of them wore a red Hyottoko mask.
Leading them was a short elderly man.
When Shinobu saw him, she looked slightly surprised.
"Village Chief, why did you come personally?"
The elderly man was none other than the village chief—
Tecchin Tecchikawahara.
Kanao wasn't surprised.
She assumed the chief had come to welcome Shinobu.
After all, Shinobu was a Hashira, one of the strongest swordsmen.
But Shinobu knew better.
Someone of the village chief's status would never personally come out just to greet her.
Though she was a Hashira, specialization mattered.
Swordsmiths held status equal to swordsmen.
At the level of the village chief, their standing was actually higher than most Hashira.
Under Shinobu's puzzled gaze, the chief hurried over and looked over the three of them.
Finally, his eyes stopped on Xia Feng.
"You… are you the miracle doctor from the Butterfly Estate?"
"The man who can instantly heal even fatal injuries?"
The chief's voice carried excitement and anticipation.
Xia Feng looked at the old man with interest.
The red Hyottoko mask on his face made him appear somewhat comical.
But Xia Feng could feel a certain presence radiating from him.
A presence born from reaching profound mastery within a craft.
Through the perspective granted by his Master Blacksmith title, Xia Feng examined the old man.
He was almost certain—
In the field of forging, this old man had also reached the threshold of master-level skill.
"No wonder you're the chief of the Swordsmith Village," Xia Feng said admiringly.
The chief misunderstood his praise as a compliment toward his insight.
He stroked his beard proudly.
"My ability to judge people is still quite sharp!"
However, as he spoke, something about Xia Feng felt slightly strange to him.
Despite being just a young man, Xia Feng seemed to carry an aura that only master blacksmiths possessed.
The thought flashed briefly through his mind.
But he quickly dismissed it.
At this age, even knowing how to properly use a hammer would already be impressive.
He cleared his throat and hurriedly continued.
"Young man, I have a request!"
He turned and gestured toward the village.
"One of our swordsmiths, Kanamori, suffered an accident while forging."
"The bones in one of his arms were shattered."
"Although emergency treatment saved the arm, if the internal damage isn't healed properly, his forging ability will decline permanently!"
"If you truly possess the miraculous healing ability people talk about, could you please help him?"
"If you can save Kanamori, I will owe you a tremendous favor!"
Hearing this, Shinobu was slightly stunned.
A favor from the village chief…
That was not something said lightly.
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