Demon Slayer: Upper 0 seems to be a waste

Chapter 279: Same, Different

The night is characterized by silence, not the coldness of death, but more tranquility than the day. The stars twinkle silently in the sky, and the moon illuminates every creature that appears at night equally, breaking through the darkness and giving the night a unique light.

Cicadas chirped in the trees, frogs croaked not far away, and the breeze brought news from afar. It was clearly full of vitality, but Xuan Mi only felt a chill on his back when the wind blew past.

I don't know when the cold sweat started, soaking my thin clothes drop by drop, silently until it was broken by the wind.

The boy standing in front of him was named Lin Guang. When their eyes met, a chill ran up his spine, and even the back of his neck seemed to feel a little chilly.

"Xuan Mi seems very surprised."

The boy's voice was clear, and the ending tone did not rise. It was not a question but a statement.

Xuan Mi couldn't lie and say that he wasn't surprised, but he couldn't figure out how to explain this unexpected emotion. He was surprised, confused, and puzzled, and there was even a moment when he was afraid.

Because of everything in front of him, because of the boy standing here, because there was no anger or sadness on his face, and his tone was not the slightest bit strange.

This is so weird.

This strangeness comes from the mismatch between what you see and what you know, as the conflict between the empty memory and objective reality arises. If I had to use one word to summarize it, the most accurate word would probably be "dissonance."

This is a subtle sense of disharmony, different from straightforward fear and clear pressure. It will not be noticed or felt at the first moment, like the drifting snow in winter, which does not attract attention and feels light and weightless when it falls on the shoulders. Only when the melted snow soaks through the clothes will one realize that the snow has become heavy.

That's why it's even more terrifying.

Just like the boy in front of me, my sight is focused on the child in front of me, reflected in my eyes and fed back to my brain, which is undoubtedly the appearance of a boy.

It's a boy, the eyes said.

But he wasn't, his working brain objected.

A child would not have such an expression on his face, would not speak in such a tone, and would not face him with such an attitude.

This is not a child.

It is not difficult to realize that Lin Guang is a ghost, but it always happens in an inadvertent moment that one clearly realizes the clear gap between them.

"Rinko, why aren't you angry?"

Xuan Mi gave a belated response in the silent gaze.

"Why are you angry? Because you're exhausted, or because Tanjiro has something to do with this."

There was no need for Xuanya to continue answering. Just by looking at the changes in the expression on that face, Lin Guang got the answer.

"You always have such misunderstandings. You habitually think from your own perspective and reason with your own ideas, and finally impose your own ideas on others. You are just like Tanjiro, thinking that I will be angry and blame him, but in fact I don't blame him. I should thank him. Tanjiro taught me a lesson. Ghosts are just like humans. They will die. After death, they are just dead. They will not stand up again and will not continue to exist. From the moment of death, there will no longer be that voice calling your name, there will no longer be a hand touching your head, and you will no longer appear by your side..."

The wind blew down the leaves, and the leaves spinning in the wind finally fell into the boy's palm. The small palm gradually tightened, and the juice of the leaves was squeezed out in the palm, spreading in the palm lines, staining an area.

"Dead is dead. Besides, I don't think Tanjiro was capable of killing Rui at that time. I didn't come here to dwell on something that has already passed."

The broken leaves fell off the skin as the palm of his hand shook, but the stained area would not return to its original state by just shaking it. Lingguang regretted that he had used so much force just now. The astringent taste of the sap remained in the palm of his hand. It was not unpleasant, but it was somewhat sticky.

"So please don't worry—"

"The dead will not just die like that. As long as the living still remember them, as long as there are still people who remember them, even if the body is gone, the soul will still exist vividly in the memory of the living."

It was Xuan Mi who interrupted him. Lingguang didn't know where that inexplicable determination came from, nor was it easy to say whether such words made sense. But for him, at least for him, the dead were dead, and after they died of exhaustion, they would never see each other again. The so-called survival in memory was too empty.

"A dead person is dead. Remaining in our memories only signifies a past life. From the moment the verdict is pronounced, and every moment thereafter, they cease to exist. If you choose to comfort yourself in this way, I have no objection, but for me, this method is truly meaningless."

How are ghosts and humans distinguished? It is by their different appearances, their vastly different diets, their completely different personalities and incomprehensible ways of doing things. But at this moment, Xuan Mi has a new answer. The real difference between them is their hearts.

The emotions nurtured by that heart are something ghosts never possess. They are vigorous and passionate emotions that belong only to humans. Ghosts can only simply imitate them but do not truly master them.

The blood flowing in that cold body was also cold, and the heart was beating, but it was equally cold.

Lin Guang said that ghosts are the same as humans, but in fact, they are different, fundamentally different.

Ghosts will never understand humans.

Xuanya will never be able to recognize Lin Guang.

The man's back walked away in the moonlight, silent and quiet, gradually blending into the night.

"But ghosts and humans are still the same, that's why I'm here, right?"