Chapter 137

You can tell the boy is very nervous, just like the other Demon Slayer Corps members kneeling in the courtyard.

At this moment, Sound Pillar Uzui Tengen walked over. After fighting Upper Rank Six, he had lost one hand and withdrawn from the front line, but at this crucial moment he also had to be present.

He, who usually stays behind the scenes, changed into a white kimono, his originally tied-up hair now falling over his shoulders, giving him somewhat the air of a handsome young man.

"Don't worry, Tanjirou. In the Demon Slayer Corps, aside from the Pillars, everyone else only needs to remember Yan Qing's sword moves; even if they can't recall the whole picture, it's fine—later, as long as we can piece it together from everyone's memories, that's enough."

"But..."

"Tanjirou, don't burden yourself too much; recording the sword techniques isn't just your job—the whole Demon Slayer Corps is responsible. Believe in yourself and trust your comrades."

Uzui Tengen patted Tanjirou's shoulder, adding, "Besides, we'll take care of recording Jingliu's sword techniques, so you don't need to worry about it."

——

"I like your confidence. But 'How can you tell victory or defeat before the sword light is even drawn?' right?" Jingliu looked around, "The monsters here are probably already wiped out by you; let's change the venue."

"The two came to a corner of Gong Zao Si; from afar, they could see many monsters gathered here."

"Let's start here." Jingliu said calmly, "Demonic Yin runs rampant here, demonic vapors everywhere—perfect for testing swordsmanship. Slaying these monsters doesn't violate the Cloud Cavalry's regulations, nor does it count as 'trading official duty with me,' right?"

"Yan Qing gave Jingliu a confident glance: 'How do we decide the winner?'"

"All the way to the end, no monster may slip through. Whoever arrives first wins."

"Good, it's a deal." Yan Qing nodded.

"You go first."

Yan Qing did not decline Jingliu's modest yielding, but as he stepped onto the stairs his foot suddenly slipped; he looked back at Jingliu and teased, "By the way, you wouldn't take the chance to turn and run, would you, big sis?"

Jingliu stood with one hand on her hip, coldly saying, "Jingyuan really taught you badly… all you do is sweet-talk."

On the stairs was a demonic yin body cultivator handed down in secret by the Medicine King; Yan Qing directed his flying sword and slew it without effort. But in that brief moment he did not turn to stare at Jingliu, and she had already vanished.

"Where is she…?"

Yan Qing hurried forward for a while before he could faintly see Jingliu standing beside a corpse, as if she had been waiting for him a long time.

The world of Baki.

"So fast——!" Miyamoto Musashi slammed the table in astonishment, "It's not just her body technique and speed; her understanding of demonic yin bodies is extraordinary."

"Oh? Musashi, how did you figure that out?" Tokugawa asked curiously.

"Look at the wound." Musashi pointed at the demonic yin body at Jingliu's feet, "I see that Little Brother Yan Qing slew the demonic yin body mainly with a barrage of flying swords; although agile and swift, it looks good but is somewhat lacking in actual combat."

Miyamoto Musashi paused, then continued, "The more skilled a swordsman, the deeper his understanding of the opponent; he knows how to kill in the quickest way, with no unnecessary motion—like an experienced butcher who, even blindfolded, can dissect meat and bone. What Jingliu has mastered is precisely a one-strike kill technique."

By contrast, the demonic yin body slain by Yan Qing bore sword wounds all over from flying swords, whereas the one slain by Jingliu remained intact, with trauma only at the vital point—quite……precise.

"But I look at the wound on the demonic yin body Jingliu killed, and it doesn't seem to be from a sword," Lie Hai Wang wondered curiously, "Isn't she a swordsman?"

"Heh, blades aren't that inconvenient," Miyamoto Musashi smirked, "Do you really think you can't slay without a sword?"

"A swordsman of her caliber has long ceased to be bound by the sword in form; one could even say……the sword itself is a constraint on her swordsmanship."

"Against such a pitiful opponent, she wouldn't even need to 'draw the sword,' would she?"

——

"When did you run ahead?" Yan Qing instantly grew nervous.

"You're so slow, little brother." The voice sounded a bit disappointed.

In the blink of an eye Jingliu had vanished from the spot; when Yan Qing chased after her again, two more demonic yin body corpses lay beside her.

"How… how is this possible?" Yan Qing broke out in a sweat.

Jingliu turned her head, her tone seeming to gain a teasing edge: "This time, what held you up?"

"Damn it!" Yan Qing's teeth ground with a "creak"; for the first time he felt like a mouse being toyed with by a cat, played with in someone's palm. He realized Jingliu hadn't exerted her full strength at all, and was even strolling leisurely in place waiting for him.

It seemed as if she were deliberately trying to strike him down.

"You'd better work hard, otherwise even if I gave you a star raft you couldn't catch up to me."

Before her voice faded, Jingliu's figure vanished again, leaving only that cold, snow‑like echo resonating in midair, like countless fine silver needles pricking Yan Qing's heart.

Yan Qing continued to struggle onward, but along the way there were no more demonic yin bodies left for him—only corpses strewn haphazardly by the roadside, and a woman's voice drifting on the wind.

"It's been a long time since I've enjoyed myself this much……"

"That tone… seems a bit off……"

Love Hashira Mitsuri Kanroji trembled, beginning to worry for Yan Qing's safety: "She won't go on a killing spree later, will she?"

"That doesn't really matter, does it?"

Sanemi Shinazugawa violently slapped his thigh: "What matters is that we're almost done with this road, but we haven't even seen Jingliu draw her sword! Where are we supposed to learn her swordsmanship from?"

From Yan Qing's perspective, he could see his own moves clearly, but the problem is, aside from annihilating the first demonic yin body, the other monsters never gave him a chance to act.

Jingliu was like a gust of wind; wherever she blew, the demonic yin bodies died. By the time Yan Qing caught up, aside from a field of corpses, there was nothing to see.

……How are we supposed to learn this?!

"Yan Qing caught up to the final platform, but there was only a single demonic yin body left that could still breathe."

"Jingliu drew a deep breath, seeming unsatisfied: 'It's been too long since I moved my sword; on a whim I almost stirred up demonic yin mischief.'"

"Come on, little brother. The entertainment is left for you."