Demon Slayer: Tanjiro becomes a ghost, Nezuko becomes a pillar!

Chapter 72 Learning to Breathe

After a full day of treatment, Mizuko arrived at a private room in Zenitsu's room.

"Beans?"

Tanjiro's voice came from inside the cubicle.

As the door to the cubicle opened, Mizuko walked in.

"Brother, are you alright?"

Tanjiro shook his head, then looked at the night outside and asked about the whereabouts of the three children.

Tanjiro was relieved to hear from Nezuko that the old woman had arranged for the village chief to send the children back.

However, Tanjiro soon noticed the change in Nezuko's expression.

"Nee-douzi...it seems like something happened to you?"

Tanjiro sniffed, sensing confusion, bewilderment, and self-reproach emanating from Nezuko.

Knowing she couldn't hide it from her brother, Nezuko sat down opposite Tanjiro and slowly recounted the changes she had undergone in the recent battles.

During these battles, Mizuko felt her breathing stop several times.

Even when facing ordinary demons within the village, there were instances where the Nichirin Blade couldn't cut through them.

If it weren't for Zenitsu's intervention, I probably would have been seriously injured by those three demons.

And she also implicated Zenitsu, which always made her feel a little guilty.

"Brother...you...do you think I'm not suited to be a swordsman?!"

"I'm talking with a forlorn expression," Mi Douzi said.

After listening to everything, Tanjiro also showed a gentle smile.

"But in my eyes, Nezuko is already a very remarkable swordsman."

Upon hearing Tanjiro's words, Nezuko immediately looked up at him, her eyes filled with a longing for recognition.

Tanjiro smiled gently as before, then picked up the Nichirin Blade from the side and spoke slowly.

"It only took Mizuko a year to go from being a child taking care of the family to a swordswoman slaying demons. In fact, I think Mizuko is more suited to be a swordswoman than a family girl!"

"Is that what you think, brother?"

"Well, at least, if it were me, I couldn't become a swordsman in a year!"

"But then...then I'll breathe..."

"Niedouzi, do you remember what your father said?"

"Father?"

"Yeah, I was also thinking back to when I faced Lower Moon Six today, and some of my movements felt familiar, so I thought about it carefully!"

"Did you discover something, brother?"

"No, but I remembered something my father once told us."

"What did you say?"

"Our father taught us to breathe!"

Upon hearing Tanjiro's words, Nezuko's thoughts were instantly drawn back to many years ago.

My father was still alive then, but his health was getting weaker and weaker.

That day was a rare fine day. Father, for the first time in a long time, got up from his bed and sat in the rattan chair in the yard, watching his children chase butterflies in the yard.

At that time, Mi Douzi was only five or six years old. Her small body was already helping her mother with housework and carrying her younger brother to hang clothes to dry.

But she was too weak; she would be out of breath after working for a short while and would even stagger when she walked.

Once, she slipped while carrying a bucket of water and was about to fall when Tanjiro caught her in time and helped her to her father's side to rest.

His father's gaze was always so calm and gentle. He reached out and gently wiped the sweat from Mi Douzi's forehead, and spoke with concern.

"Nie Douzi, you've worked hard."

"It's not hard!" Little Midouzi shook her head, looking a little aggrieved. "It's just... I can never keep my balance and I get out of breath easily."

Her father gently ruffled her hair, then looked at Tanjiro beside him, his voice full of satisfaction.

"Tanjiro, Nezuko, you are both good kids. With you two here, this family feels so secure, and I am very happy."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the sunlit courtyard, his voice soft yet weighty.

"No matter what you do in the future, you must learn to breathe."

"breathe?"

Tanjiro and Nezuko looked up at their father simultaneously, their faces full of confusion.

"Yes, that's right, breathing." The father nodded, his tone unusually serious. "Mastering the right breathing rhythm will make your bodies feel lighter."

As her father's voice faded, Midouzi snapped out of her reverie.

She suddenly remembered that since then, she had gradually figured out how to control her breathing rhythm, which enabled her to help her mother take care of her younger siblings and support many things in the family with her small body.

Thinking of this, Nezuko raised her head and looked at Tanjiro, her eyes shining brighter.

"So, brother, you mean I haven't truly mastered the rhythm of Water Breathing yet?"

Tanjiro shook his head: "To be honest, I don't know exactly what kind of Water Breathing you're practicing, but I believe Nezuko will definitely be able to master it."

Hearing Tanjiro's words, Nezuko lowered her eyes and fell into deep thought.

"By the way, how's that Zenitsu you mentioned?"

Tanjiro also looked towards Zenitsu, who was lying quietly outside the cubicle.

Mizuko also snapped out of her reverie, looked at Zenitsu, and her lips twitched.

She remembered the doctor's expression at the time, thinking that Zenitsu's ear was beyond saving.

But what the doctor said next surprised her greatly.

"His ear looks quite serious, but it's just a minor injury to his eardrum. He'll be fine after a few days of rest, as long as he avoids noise."

"But doctor, why is he bleeding so much, and you just now..."

"Oh, oh, that's it. I just couldn't find the wound on his ear that was bleeding, so the bleeding wouldn't stop..."

Seeing that Mi Douzi's face was gradually turning cold, the doctor quickly picked up his medical kit and left.

Hearing this, Tanjiro couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"As long as you're alright, Midouzi doesn't need to blame herself anymore."

Mi Douzi, however, was sulking, her cheeks puffed out, looking exactly like someone who had been tricked.

"What about... Inosuke?"

Seeing that Nezuko was still unhappy, Tanjiro quickly changed the subject and brought up Inosuke.

When Inosuke was mentioned, Nezuko couldn't help but rub her temples, her face full of headache, and it took her a long time to calm down.

Seeing her like this, Tanjiro couldn't help but reach out and gently rub her head.

But the next second, a sharp scream suddenly shattered the silence of the night.

"Ah!!!! There's a wild boar!"

Immediately afterwards, their cubicle door was kicked open with a bang.

Tanjiro and Nezuko looked up at the same time and saw Zenitsu standing in the doorway with a look of horror on his face, his finger trembling as he pointed towards the bed in the direction where Inosuke was standing.

In the blink of an eye, the fear on his face faded, replaced by an icy expression.

"You wicked demon, how dare you lay a hand on Mizuko! I'll chop you down!"