Chapter 495: 2.2 Main – Pinokangni (166)

"Oh, so that's how it is! Thank you, Miss Black Swan."

Black Swan says you're welcome, and that on the way to meet their partners she will accompany them the whole time.

Xing first saw Danheng at the hotel bar, exchanged a brief greeting, and then Botio, who was beside Danheng, eagerly approached, scanning Xing up and down: "Ha, you little darling! You must be the Star Core they talked about, right?"

"Who are you? Why are you calling people 'darling'?"

At that moment Black Swan appeared beside Xing: "Let me introduce. This is Botio, a sea‑roving ranger. We met by chance while pursuing someone, and we happened to discover that Mr. Xingqiri is brewing a shocking conspiracy… so we came to you to help the Train Crew members save the world."

"No need to thank us! Our sea‑roving rangers live by 'draw sword to help the oppressed on the road'—Brother Danheng, that's the old saying of the Celestial Vessel, right?"

"That's the gist."

"Hey, wait!" SanYueQi noticed a blind spot, "'Pursuing someone'—that's the first I've heard of it… Who are you chasing on the train?"

"Ha ha, good question! Of course it's…"

Botio's hearty laugh suddenly stopped, replaced by a bewildered expression. He stared blankly for a while, unable to recall anything, and then looked at Danheng: "Who was it again? Uh, Brother Danheng, do you remember?"

——

Demon Slayer.

"Hmm… Tanjiro, I don't recall clearly either, do you remember?"

On the mountain, Zenitsu and Tanjiro, who were undergoing the Nine Pillar training, sat on a huge rock resting, watching the sky together. When General Jingyuan dealt with the Shinigami, they expected an evenly matched battle, but it ended far too easily.

"I don't remember either…" Tanjiro pounded his head with his hand, looking troubled: "Maybe the recent training intensity is too high; my memory seems off lately."

As they were talking, a panting member of the Demon Slayer Corps ran up, gasping: "Tan—Tanjiro… your sister… she…"

"Nezuko?!"

Hearing news about his sister, Tanjiro leapt down from the rock and grabbed the person's shoulder: "What's wrong with Nezuko?!"

"Tanjiro! Nezuko… she's recovered!"

"Huh??" Tanjiro froze, "Recovered? What does that… mean?"

"Ah, it'll take a moment to explain, come with me quickly!"

Tanjiro was hurriedly pulled by the hidden member into the Butterfly House courtyard, his frantic steps startling a few butterflies perched on wisteria.

"Nezuko—!"

His shout hadn't even finished when his eyes caught that familiar figure. Nezuko was sitting in the sunlight under the eave, her pink kimono edged with a warm golden trim. Beside her, Aoi was holding a bowl of medicinal soup, and the two seemed to be chatting about something interesting; Nezuko covered her mouth, eyes curving into crescents.

Tanjiro's breath stopped instantly.

Nezuko…

His sister was sitting in the sunlight, chatting with someone.

No burning, no sharp fangs, no vertical pupils. Only Nezuko's slightly flushed skin and a halo flickering at her hair tips. She turned, saw Tanjiro frozen in place, and happily waved.

"Brother!"

Tanjiro felt his legs give out, staggered to Nezuko, hugged her tightly, tears blurring his vision.

Later he learned from Miss Shinobu that Miss Shinobu and Tamayo had jointly created a potion that can turn demons back into human form, now ready for large‑scale use, and Nezuko was the first successful sample.

"So that's how it's solved…"

After hearing Miss Shinobu's explanation, Tanjiro felt everything was too smoothly unreal—something felt off, though he couldn't pinpoint it.

He instinctively pinched his own cheek.

The slight sting on his cheek gave Tanjiro a small sigh of relief.

—It's not a dream.

——

"So suspicious…" Xing immediately gave a doubtful look.

Botio instantly defended, "No, it's not that. I really can't recall. Strange, the neural chip isn't malfunctioning…"

"…I seem to have forgotten as well," Danheng said.

"Ah… what's going on?"

"Uh… sigh, never mind! If nobody remembers, that person is probably just a petty thief, not important. It doesn't affect our understanding of the cause and effect."

"…Well, once everything settles, I'll try to recall and trace it in the memory realm." Black Swan said, "Everyone, let's go find Miss Jizi? Little Sleepy Bug, as Pinokangni's little star, the whole hotel is worried about her safety."

Xing and the others hurried to the hotel lobby and from afar saw General Jingyuan discussing matters with Walte, Jizi and the others.

"Hehe, no problem. This is precisely the time of enemy force and angular qi; for the sake of universal safety, my Alliance should represent the Starry Sky Train in mediation, and will never let anyone take reckless risks." General Jingyuan analyzed solemnly, "Moreover, although the company is eager for results, it claims peace first; the family, despite being cornered, also professes a desire for harmony. Our Alliance has always persuaded with reason, and I believe both sides can discard past grudges and shake hands in peace."

Jizi nodded, "General, you are truly magnanimous. With the Celestial Vessel Alliance mediating, Pinokangni's peace is just around the corner."

After a brief exchange, Xing and the others joined in. SanYueQi saw Uncle Yang and was curious: "Uncle Yang, how are you? I heard that guy didn't even spare Miss Zhigengniao, locking you all up…"

Walte shook his head, "Ah, it's a long story… but Mr. Xingqiri is a respectable man; he didn't harshly treat the two of us. He merely used an ability called Tuning, linking our consciousnesses with his own. In other words, he imprisoned us within our minds."

Saying that, Walte looked at General Jingyuan and said gratefully, "Thanks to General Jingyuan crushing the Qi Xiang Choir, we could escape."

——

Black Robe Riot Squad.

Under the crystal chandelier in Wot Company's headquarters lobby, the Zuguo man gave the intern in the elevator his signature perfect smile.

"Hey, Jennifer, right? We met at last week's intern welcome party." The Zuguo man kindly patted the girl's shoulder; the coffee cup in her hand nearly fell, "I heard you've been doing great in the social media department."