"Smack! Creak! ”

Inside the charcoal cellar, the flames burned brightly, and with a crackling sound, sparks flew in the cellar.

There is still some charcoal left in the house, and if it weren't for the heavy snowfall in recent days, there would still be some surplus.

But that's enough.

Tanjuro Kamado stood alone in front of the charcoal kiln, looking at the knife wedge pill he had set up in the charcoal kiln.

The light of the fire shone on his face.

The burning temperature of charcoal, in the charcoal cellar, can reach a temperature of 1000 or even higher.

That's enough to burn the wedge pills red.

That is, the so-called - Hedao.

The reddish blade burned in this way can ideally be red for nearly 20 minutes.

And to cool it thoroughly, it takes an hour.

Enough.

It was getting darker.

The surrounding light slowly faded, and the sun seemed to be about to set.

Standing in front of the fire in the charcoal cellar, the light of the fire shone on Tanjuro, who was standing with his arms crossed, and stretched his shadow very long.

Around, except for Tanjuro, there was no one else to be found.

"Karma! Karma! A few crows scurried out of the nearby forest, their branches swaying, and the birds began to return to their nests with a loud cry.

In the darkened environment, only a few messy footprints could be seen on the snow that was slightly cared for by the firelight.

and two clear lines of axle prints.

The messy footprints all gathered in the same direction, and from that direction they walked straight down the mountain.

The snow enveloped the north wind, slowly covering the traces on the ground.

……

……

The other side.

Distance.

near a mountain.

Empty paddy fields are all around.

Snow cover.

It was getting darker and the temperature was slowly lowering.

"Whew-"

Cold winds mixed with flying snow swept over the paddy fields.

A group of people walking on the path on the field also subconsciously tightened their clothes.

"Takeo, can you still hold on?"

Aoi Eda led Shigeru to the front.

Behind him, there is a wooden four-wheeled charcoal cart.

Midouzi walked in front of the charcoal car, holding a hemp rope in his hand, pulling the charcoal car.

Hanako was holding the young Sixth Lady and was resting on the charcoal cart.

Creak...... Creak...

The wooden wheels crushed the ground, causing the snow to sink and creak and squeeze.

Tanjiro was away, and the oldest man in the family became Takeo, who was at the end of the line with an axe in his hand.

And make a force, pushing the charcoal cart behind and slowly moving forward.

"Takeo?"

Kamado Aoi was turning around and shouting at Takeo at the end of the line, a puff of white air coming out of his mouth.

Takeo wrapped his scarf, raised his hand and waved:

"I'm fine!"

Hearing this, Aoi Zhi frowned slightly, she stopped, bypassed the charcoal car and turned around and walked towards Takeo.

"Mom." Takeo watched his mother walk towards him and subconsciously shrunk his neck.

"Ha ......"

Aoi walked up to Takeo, stretched out her hand, and sighed in front of her mouth.

Then he squatted down and held Takeo's hand, which was already red and shivering from the cold in order to push the charcoal cart forward.

Raising her head, she said earnestly to Takeo:

"Don't be stubborn, when we're tired, we'll find someone to spend the night and rest."

“… I know. Takeo clenched his frozen hand and clenched the axe tightly.

Seeing this, Aoi nodded and got up.

"Mom, why?" Shigeru looked up at his mother.

He wanted to ask why he had suddenly left with the whole family, except for his father.

But seeing her mother's nervous and tired face, Shigeru stopped talking.

Aoi Eda heard Shigeru's question, and as she walked down the street, she didn't dare to let her guard down even when she reached the town, she lowered her head and whispered:

"What's wrong, Shigeru."

Mao shook his head, held his mother's hand, and changed his previous question:

"Mom, where are we going?"

They left the house around one o'clock in the afternoon and walked all the way.

Now, it's past evening, and the sun is about to set.

It was dark.

Creak...

Aoi Zhi of the stove door paused.

She remembered the conversation Tanjuro Kamado had with her at noon.

……

……

Half a day ago.

In a wooden house.

"Tanjuro, what do you mean..."

Aoi eda sat next to Tanjuro, and she seemed a little confused.

"Aoi Branch." Tanjuro raised his eyes and looked at his wife, and his tone was serious:

"Trust me."

"Next, it's going to be dangerous on this mountain."

"Take Mi Douzi, Mao them, stay away from here first, the farther away the better."

Tanjuro said, his eyes passed through the open door, and he looked at Hanako and Shigeru who were playing in the snow:

"Don't worry about Tanjiro, he'll be fine."

Hearing this, Aoi Zhi opened her mouth slightly, her purple eyes were a little touched, and she didn't know what judgment she should make now:

"There is danger... What is the meaning? ”

My husband was in a coma for a year, and when he suddenly woke up, he suddenly said something like this.

Aoi Eda was confused and strange at the same time.

Then.

Syllable.

Tanjuro Kamado turned his head and reached out to gently hold Aoi's hand, and the two looked at each other:

"Turn back... I'll explain it to you when it's over. ”

Tanjuro took Aoi's hand with a firm gaze. Slowly leaning into the futon beside him:

"Trust me."

Click!

Until, a crisp sound of the blade colliding with the scabbard sounded.

- It's Wedgemaru, a katana.

Aoi's pupils shrank slightly, and she looked up at her husband.

- In the past year of taking care of her husband every day, Aoi has never noticed the existence of this katana.

Tanjuro is smiling at the moment:

"I woke up this time to avoid this danger... Maybe. ”

"There's no time left, Aoi-eda."

"Think of the kids."

The hand on the futon clenched the quilt firmly.

“… What about you? She asked.

"I have to stay." Tanjuro replied decisively.

Aoi Eda Kamado looked at Tanjuro in a daze.

- What do you want to do?

Although Aozhi Kamado now wants to question her husband like this, looking at the anxiety in the other party's eyes, she gradually understands the seriousness of the matter.

Aoi Aoi took a deep breath, she nodded slightly, and then stood up:

"I see."

Releasing Tanjuro's hand, Aoi walked around the bed and slowly walked to the door of the house.

Standing at the door of the house, Aoi stopped.

Turning his head sideways, his back to Tanjuro, pursed his lips, lowered his purple eyes, and his voice trembled slightly:

“… Don't, leave us behind. ”

Tanjuro looked straight ahead, he nodded, and said in a quiet and deep voice:

"Rest assured... I'm not going to die. ”

……

Come back to your senses.

Aoe Kamado heard Shigeru's voice, and she remembered that her husband had told her to move towards a place called "Mt. Sasagiri".

The journey is about half a day's walk.

Aoi rubbed Mao's head casually and looked up.

They asked for directions along the way, and although they were delayed for some time, they were almost at their destination.

All around, it is already full of paddy fields.

Even the village is a little farther away.

The sun had already set, the sky was dark, the moon was hanging low in a corner of the sky, and the clear moonlight illuminated some clouds.

They were already within the confines of the Narrow Misty Mountains, close to the foot of the mountain.

When you get to the vicinity of the Narrow Fog Mountain, you are basically safe.

Swish!

"Karma!"

Creak......

With a few strange noises, Aoi stopped.

Midouzi and the others who followed behind also stopped.

“… Mom? Hanako on the charcoal cart woke up slowly, feeling that she was no longer moving forward, she turned around and asked, "Is it already here?" ”

“… Well. ”

Aoi Zhi, who was standing in front of the charcoal car, looked ahead and nodded slightly.

Then.

Sou!

Smack!

The faint and inaudible sound of landing came from in front of several people.

"What's wrong?"

"Lost?"

The old man's deep voice sounded in front of him:

"The nearest village isn't in this direction."

Everyone hurriedly looked up.

- The visitor wears a red tengu mask.

Small sleeves embroidered with water ripples were worn on the body, and short white hair in the moonlight peeked out from the sides of the mask.

The knife carried at the waist indicates the identity of the other party.

"The sun has already set, and with so many children, it's dangerous at night." The old man in the tengu mask whispered.

When he said this, his eyes were on Aoi Eda Kamado.

- Suddenly smelled a large number of unfamiliar smells, and he rushed over to take a look.

Aoi Zhi looked at the old man in front of her, although the other party appeared in front of her just now, she quickly stabilized her tone:

"You... Is it Mr. Scale? ”

Scales seemed a little surprised, and he deliberately glanced at the Aoi branch of the stove.

……

The ultimate destination of the Kamado family.

It is at the foot of the Mt. Sasagiri.

Find an old man wearing a tengu mask named Scales Left Konji.

Spend the night at his house.

If the other party asks.

"You just said that a swordsman named Tomioka Yoshiyoshi told you to go."

- Tanjuro Kamado said.