Chapter 95: Complete the Genome, an Unorthodox Salvation! Motherly Heart, Butterfly

In the note Tanjiro left for his mother, he specifically mentioned that the adult who loves this special wild vegetable is Kanao Tsuyuri.

Although she had never met Kanao Tsuyuri, in that instant, as she saw her, Kotohira Kamado felt an inexplicable sense.

The girl before her, who appeared young, was indeed the very adult who enjoyed the wild vegetables she had picked.

Carrying her basket, Kotohira Kamado approached Kanao Tsuyuri.

Kotohira Kamado said, “Excuse me, are Itachi Lady Kanao Tsuyuri?”

Kanao Tsuyuri was genuinely surprised—this family staying with her had recognized her.

After a brief pause, Kanao Tsuyuri smiled gently and said, “Itachi must be Mrs. Kamado? Yes, I am indeed Kanao Tsuyuri.”

Kotohira Kamado’s heart leapt with joy; she presented the basket like a treasured gift and said, “As Itachi instructed last night, we’ve gathered the blooming wild vegetables!”

As she spoke, she placed the basket of blooming blue Higanbana before Kanao Tsuyuri.

A flash of insight struck Kanao Tsuyuri’s mind.

She was no fool.

Quite the opposite—when Kotohira Kamado spoke those words Kanao Tsuyuri had never uttered, she immediately understood: she was too late.

Luo Fu, who had killed dozens of Demon Slayers last night, had somehow infiltrated the Kamado household without notice.

Her heart tightened.

Yet her deep-seated kindness prevented her from exposing him now.

Because Kanao Tsuyuri saw no sign of Tanjiro Kamado anywhere in the Kamado household.

She naturally assumed Tanjiro Kamado, who had personally brought them onigiri and wild vegetables so late last night, was still at home.

If she revealed Luo Fu’s identity here, wouldn’t he fly into a rage and kill that boy?

Unconsciously, her fingers brushed the hilt of her Nichirin Blade.

Kanao Tsuyuri smiled and said, “Thank Itachi, Mrs. Kamado, for the trouble.”

“Not at all,” Kotohira Kamado replied. “It’s our honor that Itachi enjoy the wild vegetables we picked.” She invited Kanao Tsuyuri inside.

Kanao Tsuyuri hesitated only an instant before accepting without reservation.

But to avoid endangering the entire Kamado family, she said before entering, “Mrs. Kamado, I love these wild vegetables—could Itachi possibly gather more?”

“This...” Kotohira Kamado’s expression turned troubled.

Seeing this, Kanao Tsuyuri naturally pulled out a large gold oban.

Since the Meiji Restoration, both oban and koban had lost their legal status as currency. But their material ensured they retained immense value—even without legal backing, they were still pure gold.

Kotohira Kamado recognized the oban in Kanao Tsuyuri’s hand at a glance.

She hurriedly waved her hands and explained, “Lady, Itachi misunderstand—I’m not unwilling to gather more of these vegetables, but it’s past noon now. These flowers only bloom at noon; at any other time, Itachi can’t pick them in bloom!”

Kanao Tsuyuri had never heard of such a strange plant, but her primary goal was to get Kotohira Kamado and her family away.

Before she could feign coldness and force Kotohira Kamado to take the children out again to gather more,

the children’s stomachs began rumbling one after another.

Younger children like Hanako Kamado and Takeo Kamado couldn’t help asking, “Mother, can we eat lunch first, then help the lady gather more wild vegetables?”

“Kanao Tsuyuri, since Itachi’re here, why not come in and sit a while?”

Luo Fu’s voice, though quiet, struck Kanao Tsuyuri’s ears like thunder.

“Mrs. Kamado,” Kanao Tsuyuri took a deep breath, mistaking Luo Fu’s words for a threat against Tanjiro Kamado, and fixed her gaze on Kotohira Kamado. “Please leave this place.”

The moment she spoke, Kanao Tsuyuri drew her Nichirin Blade and stepped toward the source of Luo Fu’s voice.

It was afternoon.

And Luo Fu and his group were inside the room. Kanao Tsuyuri believed that under these favorable conditions, even if she entered alone and couldn’t save Tanjiro Kamado, she could still escape unharmed by reaching sunlight in time.

After pushing open the door, Kanao Tsuyuri immediately saw Luo Fu and Shinobu.

Luo Fu sat cross-legged behind a small low table, while Shinobu, former Water Pillar Tengen Toshiro’s disciple, served him tea like a devoted attendant.

Though demons feed on human flesh, they can still savor other things.

For instance, Luo Fu was now sipping the tea Shinobu had brewed.

“Care to try some? It’s not fine tea, but mountain wild tea has its own unique flavor.”

Luo Fu offered.

Kanao Tsuyuri set the basket of blue Higanbana beside her on the floor, drew her unsheathed Nichirin Blade, and said, “I never imagined Lord Luo Fu had such refined tastes. But forgive my curiosity—where is the boy Tanjiro Kamado? Where is he now?”

“Shinobu,” Luo Fu suppressed his excitement and said, “Bring the basket over. This is a treasure many would die for.”

Unaware of the blue Higanbana’s value, Kanao Tsuyuri assumed Luo Fu was merely teasing her.

After all, it was Luo Fu who had used her identity to trick the Kamado family into gathering these vegetables.

But worried for Tanjiro Kamado’s safety, she made no move to stop Shinobu, watching helplessly as the blue Higanbana—truly a supreme treasure to demons—fell into Luo Fu’s hands.

The instant Luo Fu took the blue Higanbana from Shinobu, his excitement overwhelmed him—he no longer cared to play games with Kanao Tsuyuri.

The moment he plucked a single blooming blue Higanbana from the basket,

a deep, instinctive feeling told him: if he consumed this flower, he could shed the demon weakness that made him vulnerable to sunlight.

In truth, even if Gyutaro had obtained the blue Higanbana and eaten it directly, it would have yielded little effect.

The true power of the blue Higanbana lay in its use as medicine—to complete the formula that had turned Gyutaro into the Demon King.

Perhaps because Luo Fu had inherited the abilities of both the Ninja World’s Uchiha Luofu and the Outsider Zhang Luo Fu,

especially Uchiha Luofu—whose chakra originated from the God Tree—

perhaps because the God Tree itself was a plant, Luo Fu felt he needed no sauce, no preparation: he could simply eat this blooming blue Higanbana raw and instantly be free of sunlight’s threat.

He stared at the flower in his hand, which pulsed with irresistible allure, as if a voice whispered constantly in his ear, urging him to swallow it now.

But Luo Fu had not forgotten the Demon Slayer Flower Pillar before him—Kanao Tsuyuri.

His peripheral vision locked on Kanao Tsuyuri as he casually plucked a single petal from the blue Higanbana and, under her watchful gaze, placed it in his mouth.

As the petal entered his mouth, Luo Fu immediately felt his demonic power, deep within his genes, being completed.

A sensation of unprecedented freedom and exhilaration surged through him.

Demons could avoid sunlight by staying indoors during the day and suffered no harm—but perhaps due to this nocturnal nature, over a thousand years of evolution, they had grown to loathe daylight.

Even during the day, they appeared listless, drained of energy.

Yet Luo Fu, after consuming just one petal, felt instantly energized.

No.

More accurately, this was a completion at the genetic and bloodline level. Only after eating this blooming blue Higanbana did Luo Fu truly realize his own bloodline had been flawed.

Kanao Tsuyuri had no idea that her current standoff with Luo Fu, watching him consume the blue Higanbana, would leave her regretting it to her bones.

Even one petal had completed his bloodline. Luo Fu now felt that even if he stood in sunlight, he would merely grow weak, unable to fully use his power—but he would never turn to ash like other demons.

The blue Higanbana’s miraculous effect drove Luo Fu to move faster—he plucked another petal and swallowed it.

At this moment, Kanao Tsuyuri still had no idea what Luo Fu’s consumption of the blue Higanbana truly meant.

She patiently waited as Luo Fu ate petal after petal. When he finished the first flower and reached into the basket for the second,

Kanao Tsuyuri could no longer hold back.

“Lord Luo Fu, Itachi were once a senior of the Demon Slayer Corps. Even now, forced into demonhood, I hope Itachi will act honorably—not by holding an innocent child hostage as Itachi do now.”

Since finishing the first blue Higanbana, Luo Fu had felt his bloodline fully restored—he no longer feared sunlight, nor could the Nichirin Blade harm him.

Other demons could only ignore decapitation by the Nichirin Blade after breaking their limits, yet still died before the Crimson Blade.

But Luo Fu was different: neither sunlight nor the Crimson Blade technique could deliver him a fatal blow.

He ate the second flower merely to ensure absolute safety—and he sensed faintly that the blue Higanbana had other effects beyond completing bloodlines and eliminating the greatest weakness.

As he plucked petals and swallowed them, Luo Fu suddenly looked at Kanao Tsuyuri and said, “So Itachi thought I was threatening Itachi with Tanjiro Kamado? That’s why Itachi risked entering this room? Truly, Itachi are the kind Flower Pillar. But your kindness may not bring good results.”

Luo Fu handed the remaining blue Higanbana to Shinobu beside him and said, “Eat one. The taste is quite good.”

“Lord Luo Fu,” Kanao Tsuyuri’s patience was nearly exhausted.

“Don’t rush,” Luo Fu waved his hand, calmly finishing the second blue Higanbana before speaking. “Itachi’ve missed your only chance.”

Her heart lurched. Without hesitation, Kanao Tsuyuri activated Flower Breathing, her Nichirin Blade flashing like lightning toward Luo Fu.

“Too late,” Luo Fu shifted his body, evading her blade.

Though her strike missed, Kanao Tsuyuri redoubled her force.

The blade swept through a 270-degree arc in midair.

In a flash, it severed the roof’s central pillar.

The guest room where Luo Fu and the others stood was a standard Japanese structure—entirely wooden, walls built of thick wooden panels.

The central pillar served as a load-bearing wall.

The instant Kanao Tsuyuri’s blade severed it,

a crack echoed—and the roof tilted, then slid sideways.

Luo Fu made no move to stop the roof’s collapse.

Instead, he opened his arms, as if ready to welcome the sunlight.

Shinobu, terrified, gulped down the half-eaten blue Higanbana.

As the roof slid away, afternoon sunlight streamed through the gap into the room. Shinobu squeezed her eyes shut in terror.

Kanao Tsuyuri, however, felt a thought arise within her—so absurd she could hardly believe it herself.

Luo Fu... the man the Lord believed would surpass the current Demon King, Gyutaro... he is no longer afraid of sunlight.

As Kanao Tsuyuri stared in shock, sunlight poured through the largely collapsed roof into the room.

First and foremost, Luo Fu stood there, arms wide open, letting the sunlight fall upon his back.

In that moment, to Kanao Tsuyuri’s eyes, Luo Fu bathed in sunlight seemed almost divine.

But soon, Kanae Kocho could no longer afford to ignore this.

For with a thunderous roar, the room’s roof had been utterly destroyed, bathing everything in direct sunlight.

Yet both Luo Fu and Shinobu, as demons, showed not the slightest discomfort.

“This… this can’t be.” Kanae Kocho’s eyes widened in shock; a sudden insight struck her. She turned sharply toward Shinobu, who clutched the basket tightly, her body curled as if trying to shrink into nothing.

Kanae Kocho had merely watched passively as Luo Fu consumed the blue Higanbana—purely due to her lack of information.

She had no idea what the blue Higanbana truly was, let alone that a demon who ate it could become immune to sunlight.

At this moment, Kanae Kocho understood clearly: it was her own actions that had made Luo Fu and Shinobu the first and only two demons in a thousand years to fear no sunlight.

Without sunlight—their greatest enemy—how terrifying would demons become? Kanae Kocho dared not imagine.

After all, even the Nichirin Blade was merely forged from Xingxingfeishatie , which stored solar energy; and the very thing demons loathed most, wisteria, derived its power from its ability to absorb sunlight.

In other words, when demons no longer feared the sun, both Nichirin Blades and wisteria would lose all effect.

And these two were precisely the Demon Slayer Corps’ only means of combating demons.

Once she realized the irreversible disaster she had just caused,

Kanae Kocho’s heart hardened instantly with resolve.

She had originally acted out of pity—for the innocent boy who had brought rice balls and wild greens to the Demon Slayer Corps the night before, now slain by a demon. But the result? Two demons immune to sunlight had been born.

All of this, in Kanae Kocho’s heart, was her fault.

If so, she must correct the mistake she had made.

Gripping her Nichirin Blade, she activated Flower Breathing—and vanished from her spot in an instant.

“Useless,” Luo Fu opened his eyes, savoring the long-absent sunlight. “From the moment Itachi watched me eat the blue Higanbana, Itachi lost all chance.”

Ding.

As if to prove Luo Fu’s words, facing Kanae Kocho’s Flower Breathing,

Luo Fu extended a single finger with lightning speed, blocking the blade’s edge.

The Nichirin Blade, forged from Xingxingfeishatie , shattered with a sharp crack the instant it touched his finger—a fine fissure appeared.

“If sunlight cannot harm me, do Itachi really think your Nichirin Blade still has any effect?”

A flicker of regret passed through Kanae Kocho’s eyes. She took a deep breath, ignoring her damaged blade entirely, and unleashed Flower Breathing without restraint, pouring every ounce of her strength into a final attack against Luo Fu.

“Stubborn,” Luo Fu shook his head, his right hand shooting out in a flash, two fingers pinching lightly.

The blade mid-swing froze as if caught in a tiger’s clamp, immobilized as if suspended in solid air.

“The mistake I’ve made may never be atoned for in this life or the next,” Kanae Kocho looked at Luo Fu with despair, gripping her blade tightly and closing her eyes. “Kill me, Master Luo Fu—but please spare these innocent civilians.”

Luo Fu’s heart stirred.

The Kamado family had come into contact with the blue Higanbana—perhaps even since discovering it could be eaten as wild greens, Kamao Kikuo had taken her children to harvest it every year.

Luo Fu had indeed repaired his own genetic and bloodline defects.

But he also had to prevent Kokushibo from obtaining the blue Higanbana.

The crueler approach would be to kill them all—erase every trace. After all, Luo Fu himself was now immune to sunlight; he could simply extract the location of the blue Higanbana from Kikuo’s mouth and destroy the entire patch.

After awakening his past-life memories through shared space, his past-life values had taken dominance. He could care nothing for the deaths of innocent people in this country, nor for how many others might be thrust into life-or-death peril because of him.

But the Kamado family had genuinely helped him. To slaughter these women and children merely to keep the secret of the blue Higanbana—this he could not bring himself to do.

In the end, though Luo Fu’s values were twisted—or rather, he had forged his own new values—his moral boundary still prevented him from committing such an act that would outrage heaven and earth.

Beneath the shell of this country’s demon, the core remained that of an ancient Eastern land.

After a moment’s hesitation—he knew he was nearing his moral boundary, but letting them go was impossible.

After brief thought, Luo Fu decided: the Kamado family was destined to die anyway.

So why not turn them into his tools? Remember, the Kamado family had produced Koyuki, a demon who could suppress her own craving for human flesh.

Perhaps, with the same bloodline, others in the family possessed similar potential.

“Since Itachi’ve realized these blue Higanbana grant demons immunity to sunlight, Itachi must understand—if this news leaks, Mount Yunatori will drown in blood,” Luo Fu said gravely. “I can assure Itachi: for the blue Higanbana, the demon king Kokushibo has searched for a thousand years. What do Itachi think he’ll do when he learns of it? Neither Itachi nor the Demon Slayer Corps can protect the Kamado family.”

As he spoke, Luo Fu walked toward Kikuo and the other women and children.

Seeing this, Kanae Kocho instantly moved to block his path.

“Master Luo Fu, they are merely innocent civilians who know nothing—please spare them.”

“Don’t be foolish. Itachi can’t even save yourself,” Luo Fu said, gesturing to Shinobu beside him.

Even though Shinobu was still lost in the wonder of being a demon who feared no sunlight,

upon sensing Luo Fu’s call, she immediately appeared before him.

“The Kamado family is yours,” Luo Fu said with finality. “Turn them into demons.”

Shinobu froze, as if struck by lightning.

Even Kanae Kocho, filled with sorrow, cried out: “Master Luo Fu, I’d die before letting Itachi harm—”

Luo Fu didn’t bother listening to Kanae Kocho’s endless pleading.

As she opened her mouth to speak, a single drop of demon blood, flicked from his finger, slipped into her mouth before she could react, sliding down her throat.

“Cough… cough…” Kanae Kocho choked violently, overwhelmed by the sudden intrusion.

The demon blood entered her mouth and instantly descended into her stomach.

At this point, no matter how desperately she coughed or tried to vomit it out, all her efforts were futile.

Soon, as the demon blood began to take effect,

Kanae Kocho collapsed into unconsciousness.

On the other side, under Luo Fu’s orders, though Shinobu resisted inwardly, the psychological trauma he had inflicted forced her to obey against her will—step by hesitant step, she approached Kikuo and the others.

In the instant the house collapsed, the Kamado family realized: the two guests who had stayed overnight were not honored visitors—but flesh-eating demons.

Though her entire body trembled with terror, Kikuo somehow found courage.

She suddenly spread her arms, blocking Shinobu’s path, shouting: “Run, Koyuki! Take your brothers and sisters away—quickly! Mother will hold them off—go!”

Koyuki snapped back to awareness. Though her mind was blank, she frantically dragged her siblings toward the mountain path.

But Kikuo was merely an ordinary woman, never trained in the Fire God Dance—how could she possibly stop Shinobu?

Yet Shinobu, inherently reluctant to turn others into demons,

stood frozen in a standoff with Kikuo.

Seeing this, Luo Fu was both angry and amused. He had no patience for Shinobu’s half-hearted disobedience.

In an instant, his body became a streak of light, appearing before the fleeing Koyuki, Takeo, Hana, Shigeru, and Rokuta.

He split into several clones, each grabbing one child and dragging them back to the courtyard.

Holding the struggling Koyuki, Luo Fu casually dripped a drop of blood into Kikuo’s open mouth.

As Kikuo began her transformation, Luo Fu dripped his own blood into Koyuki’s mouth, then glanced meaningfully at Shinobu: “Itachi’re not going to make me do this myself, are Itachi?”

Shinobu swallowed hard. “N-no… I wouldn’t dare! I…”

She sighed inwardly, convinced she had done all she could.

Now that the Kamado family was back under Luo Fu’s control, there was nothing more she could do.

With timid eyes, she approached Takeo, Hana, Shigeru, and Rokuta, each one, and forced her demon blood into their bodies.

Soon, except for Tanjiro still tending the charcoal, the entire Kamado family began their transformation into demons.

In Luo Fu’s view, his actions had actually saved the Kamado family.

Though turned into demons, it was better than being hunted down by Kokushibo.

After all, when Kokushibo came, only Koyuki was spared—everyone else, from Kikuo down to Rokuta, perished alongside Tanjirō’s father.

Only Tanjiro remained, filled with hatred, embarking on a path of vengeance and seeking to restore Koyuki to humanity.

Because Luo Fu shared Uchiha Luofu’s bloodline and abilities, though still a demon, those he transformed did not lose their prior emotions or memories as Kokushibo’s demons did.

Especially since Luo Fu had consumed the blooming blue Higanbana, those he transformed feared no sunlight.

They were, effectively, a new kind of perfect being—alien to humanity.

The transformation process varied by individual physiology and other factors.

But Kanae Kocho was the first to awaken.

The moment she opened her eyes, she felt the change within her—she was no longer human.

For a moment, Kanae Kocho felt a strange sense of loss.

Looking at Luo Fu with complex emotion, she whispered despairingly: “Master Luo Fu, is this your revenge against the Demon Slayer Corps? Once Itachi were one of them, forced into becoming a demon—and now Itachi wish to make others suffer as Itachi did?”

Luo Fu glanced at Kanae Kocho, utterly baffled by her inexplicable sentimentality.

Kanae Kocho was undoubtedly an extremely unusual Pillar.

All other Pillars treated demons with “kill them all, never spare one!”

No—

More accurately: they killed them all, without error or mercy. Demons were humanity’s natural enemy—after all, demons could only survive by consuming human flesh.

Not because they couldn’t eat other things—but because they derived no nourishment from anything but human flesh.

In any world, true empathy simply did not exist.

Kanae Kocho had not realized: though transformed into a demon, she still retained her human memories and emotions—and even now, she felt no overwhelming craving for human flesh.

Luo Fu, however, had no interest in her.

This woman was a saint.

She had once risked her life trying to redeem a demon.

Though her strength was nowhere near Matcha’s, she still died clinging to the delusion that she could redeem him.

Such a bizarre ideal—or rather, this maddeningly naive compassion—Luo Fu wished she’d directed toward her former comrades in the Demon Slayer Corps.

Not long after Kanae Kocho, Kamado Kie and Kamado Mitsuri were also transformed into demons.

In contrast, the younger children—Kamado Takeo, Kamado Hana, Kamado Shigeru, and Kamado Rokuta—transformed by Shinobu, had not yet awakened.

Luo Fu merely thought about it for a moment and understood. He was unique.

Even transforming others into demons was far faster than the orthodox process under Muzan Kibutsuji’s system.

Yet this uniqueness seemed limited to Luo Fu alone; Shinobu’s method of secondary transformation was closer to the natural mechanism of the Demon Slayer world.

The awakened Kamado Kie and Kamado Mitsuri, mother and daughter, approached the younger Kamado children in fear and distress.

They saw the children undergoing transformation into demons.

Both Kamado Kie and Kamado Mitsuri were on the verge of tears, yet had no other recourse.

(End of Chapter)