Chapter 27 - Second Pillar Meeting 

The next day, early morning.

Tanjiro, still half-asleep, suddenly sat up straight. He opened his eyes wide, looked around, but didn't see the figure of Aomori.

He jumped out of bed, ran out of the room, and indeed saw Aomori in the courtyard doing morning exercises.

"Aomori Big Brother! Listen to me, please listen to me."

"Hmm, I'm listening."

"Last night, I dreamt about my father. My father, you see, every year at the beginning of the year, he would perform a dance called 'Dance of the Fire God' to offer prayers for safety. The movements in that dance were very similar to the actions of the puppet I encountered last night!" Tanjiro explained while gesturing.

"Is that so?" Aomori picked up a tree branch and gracefully performed all twelve movements in the courtyard without any difficulty.

"Hmm..." Tanjiro nodded in amazement. "That's definitely the Dance of the Fire God. Aomori Big Brother, how are you so proficient at it compared to me?"

"Is Aomori Big Brother an illegitimate child of my father? No, no, my father wouldn't do that! Is he a distant relative from a few generations back?" Tanjiro's mind was filled with confusion.

"Tanjiro, don't overthink it."

"Dad... Aomori Big Brother, I'm not overthinking it."

"Alright, Tanjiro, you can go back home now. I'm sorry for taking up so much of your time."

Aomori had initially taken Tanjiro with him to help awaken his memories related to the Breath of the Sun, which would aid Aomori in restoring it.

However, Tanjiro's natural talent had surprised Aomori , and after studying the information on the breathing techniques and the "Form Zero" movements the previous night, Aomori had already managed to restore 90% of the Breath of the Sun. The remaining 10% would probably be completed in a few days.

So, keeping Tanjiro here was no longer necessary; he might as well return home to sell charcoal.

"Huh? I can still help you! You've done so much for my family, and my mother said I should stay by your side and assist you!" Tanjiro exclaimed loudly.

"No need, Tanjiro. You've already helped me a lot. Now, you should go back and take care of your family." Aomori patted Tanjiro's head and smiled gently.

Tanjiro looked up at Aomori for a moment before nodding firmly. "Alright!"

After breakfast, Tanjiro left, and the members of the logistics team escorted him home. Meanwhile, Aomori and Kanae went to the Ubuyashiki Estate to participate in the Pillar Meeting once again.

Except for Sanemi, who was still heavily bandaged and looked somewhat horrifying, everyone else appeared similar to how they did yesterday. The Pillars had extraordinary regenerative abilities.

The same place, the same people, but their attitudes were different.

"Aomori, good morning! Let's have another thrilling battle later," the usually friendly Rengoku slapped Aomori  on the back, but Aomori deftly avoided it.

"I, the magnificent God of Festivals, approve of you," Tengen swung his hair dramatically.

"Hmph!" Sanemi Shinazugawa remained silent in a corner.

Gyomei chanted, "Namu Amitabha..."

Aomori responded with a smile to each of them.

This time, Ubuyashiki soon appeared after some simple greetings, but the Pillar Meeting officially began with a bout of coughing from him.

"Lord Ubuyashiki!" The Pillars were all worried.

"I'm fine, cough, cough, cough..." Ubuyashiki's face didn't look too good.

Kanae approached, helped Ubuyashiki lie down, and examined him. "Lord Ubuyashiki has exhausted his mental and spiritual energy and needs an extended period of rest."

"It seems the Pillar Meeting will be postponed again."

"Lord Ubuyashiki's health is the priority."

"Um," at this moment, Aomori raised his right hand. "Maybe I can help make him more comfortable."

"Are you also a doctor?" Kanae asked.

"I know a thing or two."

"Very well, do your best. Lord Ubuyashiki, please allow him to proceed," Kanae said.

So, Aomori approached Ubuyashiki, extended his hands, and placed them above his heart.

[Healing Spell]! Warm and pure divine energy flowed from Aomori's hands, gradually spreading over Ubuyashiki's body until it covered him entirely.

"What is this power..."

"It's like sunlight..."

"Is this the power you used against Muzan?"

"It's magic, right? It's definitely magic, and it's amazing."

"It's hope, this power contains hope! Namu Amitabha..."

"Look!" Everyone's attention was focused on Ubuyashiki.

They saw thin black smoke rising from Ubuyashiki's body, reluctantly dissipating under the influence of the divine light.

After about ten minutes, no more black threads appeared, and Aomori withdrew the divine light, letting out a sigh of relief. A few more minutes, and he wouldn't have been able to keep it up.

Ubuyashiki felt warm all over, and all his pains had disappeared. He opened his eyes and could see blurry images.

Tears welled up in his eyes as he bowed down to Aomori and said, "Thank you so much. I thought I would never see the light again in this lifetime. Thank you for your grace."

Aomori waved his hand and explained, "The root of the curse has not been removed yet. Soon, you'll lose your sight again."

"That's enough for me," Ubuyashiki had expected this.

After a round of thanks and compliments, Aomori started revealing more information.

"My ancestors fought alongside the creator of the Breath of the Sun, Yoriichi, during the Warring States period. However, due to physical limitations, he couldn't master the advanced breathing techniques. After Kokushibo was exiled from the Demon Slayer Corps, my ancestors lost hope and decided to go abroad in search of a way to defeat demons.

After going abroad, my ancestors discovered that other places also had terrifying creatures similar to demons. In the eastern Kingdom, when people die, their grudges turn them into zombies, impervious to ordinary weapons, capable of flight, and even more troublesome than demons. TAomorist priests use spells to fight them.

"In the West, there is an evil thing called Dracula, which can turn humans into vampires. Similar to evil spirits, vampires crave blood and are afraid of sunlight. 

People there use a technique called 'Ripple Walking' to battle these creatures. Ripple Walking operates similarly to breathing techniques, using the power of breath to enhance one's physical abilities. 

The difference is that Ripple Walking mimics the characteristics of the sun itself, giving it the ability to purify vampires without the need for a Nichirin Blade."

Aomori's words widened everyone's horizons.

"I didn't expect other places to have such monsters. Humanity truly faces many challenges. Namu Amitabha," Muichiro Tokito, holding his prayer beads, remarked.

"Was what you used earlier spell  or Ripple Walking?"

"I know! It's magic, definitely spell!" Kanae replied eagerly.

"It's called the Holy Light power of the Western Church," Aomori explained.

"The Holy Light power of the Western Church." It sounded quite grand.

"Aomori!" Suddenly, Sanemi Shinazugawa knelt in front of Aomori, banging his forehead on the ground. "Whether it's magic, Ripple Walking, or Holy Light power, please teach it to me. I want to eradicate Muzan, eliminate all demons, please!"

"Sanemi..." Ubuyashiki sighed and added, "Aomori, if you can, please help these kids."

Others also expressed similar requests.

"I'm sorry." Aomori declined, and as he saw their disappointed expressions, he explained, "It's not that I don't want to teach you, but mastering these powers isn't something that can be done overnight. It's unlikely to have any effect in the short term, and it's better to explore breathing techniques."

"So, I will teach you deeper levels of breathing techniques."

Here, the deeper levels of breathing techniques didn't refer to the soon-to-be-restored Breath of the Sun, which required even greater physical fitness and was beyond the reach of most people. *Instead, Shinobu referred to the second-level breathing techniques of other breathing styles, similar to the Second Breath of Thunder improved by Master Bang, but from different styles of breath.

With the Pillars' talent, they could master these within a week. When that time came, they would be fully prepared to confront Muzan.

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