Half a month later, the weather had grown even colder. The stream they used to fetch water from had a thin layer of ice on its surface.
The Kamado family had fully accepted Li Mo, the traveler from another world. All the members naturally treated him as part of the family.
Li Mo had grown accustomed to life with the Kamados. His days were simple. In the mornings, he played with the three children, and in the afternoons, he went out alone to chop firewood.
Even though Kamado Tanjuro had already said that the family had enough firewood, Li Mo insisted on doing this every day, always returning with a bundle of firewood.
"The storage shed is big enough. It can hold it all."
Firewood, if stored properly, could last a very long time.
On one hand, it was to repay the Kamado family's kindness. On the other hand, it was for training—breathing.
**Hinokami Kagura**, also known as Sun Breathing, could be divided into two parts. The first part was the **Hinokami Kagura**, the twelve forms of Sun Breathing. The second part was the breathing technique that allowed one to sustain the dance throughout the night.
Li Mo had already learned the latter part—the breathing technique.
Every time he chopped firewood, he trained his breathing. Kamado Tanjuro had taught him how to control his breathing while chopping wood, making the process easier.
This breathing technique was difficult to master. Only while chopping wood did Li Mo feel like he was truly practicing and beginning to grasp the basics.
So, Li Mo went out to chop wood every day. It was both work and training.
As usual, Li Mo returned home with the firewood today. Then, from Kamado Tanjuro, he received unexpected news.
"Tanjuro, you're saying you'll perform the **Hinokami Kagura** tonight?"
"Yes. Please rest a bit later. Tonight, we won't be sleeping."
"I understand."
Li Mo wouldn't miss tonight's performance of **Hinokami Kagura** by Kamado Tanjuro. Since he had already learned the breathing technique, he didn't want to miss the sword forms.
In his system panel, under the skills section, **Sun Breathing** was followed by the word "incomplete."
**「Sun Breathing (Incomplete)」**
That's how it looked.
Night arrived as promised. As the sun set, the Kamado household was bathed in the glow of a bonfire.
Kamado Tanjuro changed into a set of clothes that were quite ornate, resembling the attire of a shrine priest. The entire outfit was red, symbolizing the deity the Kamado family was about to pray to—the Fire God.
Tanjuro's face was covered by a white cloth, with the character for "flame" embroidered on it.
The bonfire surrounded a circular area, which would serve as the stage for tonight. Tanjuro would perform the **Hinokami Kagura** here, lasting the entire night.
The performer was in place. The audience was also ready. Tonight's viewers included everyone in the Kamado household except Tanjuro.
As night fell, Tanjuro, who had been standing still, began to move. Holding ceremonial tools, he danced gracefully, illuminated by the bonfire, resembling a deity.
From start to finish, there were twelve sets of movements and forms. The last form seamlessly connected back to the first. The man named Tanjuro would continue this until dawn.
"The Kamado family has always been associated with fire. To avoid injury and misfortune, our ancestors began offering dances to the gods as prayers."
Kamado Kie explained the origin of this tradition to Li Mo in a calm tone.
But Li Mo only heard one word.
Dance.
Was it just a dance?
If the ceremonial tools in Tanjuro's hands were replaced with a sword, the **Hinokami Kagura** would become a series of sword techniques. Combined with the breathing technique, it would be the complete **Sun Breathing**.
Li Mo watched intently. He had experienced the old Sea King's beatings in his dreams, but the training had become blurry, leaving only muscle memory.
The **Hinokami Kagura** was right before his eyes.
He was probably the person in the world who knew the most about the origins of the Kamado family's **Hinokami Kagura**. The Kamado family had passed it down with terrifying precision through generations.
Moonlit night, snowy ground, bonfire.
The man in ornate clothing offered a dance to the gods, repeating the twelve forms over and over, tirelessly, like a machine.
Li Mo seemed to see, in that place, the tall swordsman demonstrating the movements of his Nichirin Blade before a child.
...
As the horizon began to lighten with the first hints of dawn, the sun prepared to rise once more.
Li Mo remained seated in front of the house. Tanjuro had persisted with the **Hinokami Kagura** all night, and Li Mo had watched it all night.
Late last night, Kamado Kie had taken Takeo and Nezuko inside to sleep. Kamado Tanjiro had fallen asleep with his head on Li Mo's lap, covered by the heavy coat Li Mo had draped over him. Tanjiro had fallen asleep just before dawn.
After all, he was just a child. Staying up this late was already quite an effort.
"Is it over, Tanjuro?"
"It's over."
"Brother, go rest early. I'll take Tanjiro to my room so he can sleep." Li Mo glanced at Tanjuro's health bar.
**「Kamado Tanjuro (65%!)(MISSING)」**
Weak and sickly—that described him perfectly.
"Aren't you going to rest?"
"I don't feel like sleeping yet."
"Alright."
After seeing Tanjuro off, Li Mo carefully carried Tanjiro back to his room and let him sleep in his futon. Then, he returned to the courtyard, this time with a wooden stick in hand.
After watching Tanjuro's **Hinokami Kagura** all night, the twelve forms were etched into his mind. Earlier, using the water barrel in the house, he had seen that the "incomplete" label had disappeared from his skill panel.
He had mastered the complete **Sun Breathing**.
Having learned something new, he wanted to try it out. He wouldn't touch the ceremonial tools Tanjuro used for the dance, so he needed a substitute. A wooden stick of the right length would do. In the Kamado family's storage shed, there were plenty of such sticks, all from his recent labor.
He trained like this for several months. He trained until the snow on the ground melted, the trees sprouted new buds, and the branches grew lush and green.
Time passed slowly. As the seasons changed, Kamado Kie's belly grew larger with the passage of time. From being able to move freely to needing assistance, this period required Tanjuro's care. The charcoal business was now handled by Li Mo. After visiting the village a few times with Tanjuro, he had become familiar with the work, and the villagers had accepted him.
In addition, Li Mo had even learned how to make charcoal.
Chopping wood, making charcoal, selling charcoal, and training his breathing technique—Li Mo's mundane and monotonous life continued until Kamado Kie went into labor.
Kamado Tanjuro's fourth child was born into this world—a girl. She was named **Kamado Hanako**.