The Glowing Cuisine Conquers the Tongue of God
Chapter 29 - Tanjiro's Vow

Chapter 29  Tanjiro’s Vow

Among all those immersed in the golden mist of the Golden Fried Rice’s cooking light, the most intense reactions came from Tanjiro and Nezuko Kamado.

Tanjiro stared hard at the golden mist, breathing deeply as the golden fog flowed into his body. The mark on his forehead, resembling a burn, began to feel intensely hot.

At the same time, his body temperature began to rise at an astonishing rate, as though he were a human-shaped furnace. Yet, Tanjiro didn’t feel any discomfort. Instead, it felt as though he were soaking in a hot spring, and he felt relaxed and content.

Within the golden mist, Tanjiro seemed to see his father dancing the Hinokami Kagura (Dance of the Fire God).

“Tanjiro, it’s your breathing. Remember, the most important thing is your breathing!”

“Father!”

Tanjiro cried, tears streaming down his face.

Meanwhile, Nezuko’s eyes cleared up. The bamboo stick in her mouth fell off at some point, and she began to greedily breathe in the surrounding golden mist, absorbing the light of the dish into her body.

Nezuko could clearly sense the Jiang Gui (demon) instincts embedded in her soul being burned by a blazing fire as bright as the sun. Her human rationality rapidly increased, completely suppressing the demon’s instincts.

As she grabbed a spoon and took a big bite of the Golden Fried Rice, Nezuko felt herself being purified from the inside out. Suddenly, Nezuko felt as though she was standing before the sun.

Her Jiang Gui instincts made her want to instinctively avoid the sunlight, but soon she realized that the sunlight couldn’t harm her. Instead, as the sunlight bathed her, her previously cold body temperature began to rise, and she felt the warmth of being human again.

At the same time, Nezuko noticed a dark and sinister shadow within her body, howling and screaming in pain under the sunlight. The sunlight turned into blazing fire, constantly burning the black shadow, causing it immense pain, as if it were a dried-up rotten apple, shrinking little by little.

But soon, as the sound of a plate bottom striking echoed in her ears, Nezuko sighed in regret as she watched the nearly vanquished black shadow, still not completely eradicated.

Nezuko slowly opened her eyes and looked at Tanjiro, whose face was filled with concern. She smiled gently at him.

“Brother~”

Her soft voice made Tanjiro, who had been worried, immediately overjoyed. He picked her up and spun her around in the air.

“Hahahaha, Nezuko, you’re back to normal! You’ve turned back into a human!”

At this, the others who had been waiting outside in the corridor couldn’t hold back any longer. They all rushed into the tea room to observe Nezuko’s transformation.

The Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho, looked at Nezuko’s teeth and joyfully exclaimed, “Her demon fangs have truly retreated! She now has human teeth, and it looks like her mind is also fully restored.”

She then playfully extended her finger towards Nezuko’s mouth, teasing, “Would you like to take a bite?”

Nezuko smiled and shook her head.

“Sister Shinobu, I already ate scrambled eggs earlier, so my stomach is full. I can’t eat anything else.”

Shinobu Kocho’s excitement grew even more. “Are you sure that you can gain energy from the fried rice dish you just ate?”

Nezuko paused to feel the changes in her body before nodding firmly.

“Yes, I feel warmth inside my body, and the warmth is spreading to every corner. I feel very energized now.”

Meanwhile, the woman who had always haunted her thoughts approached eagerly, staring at Nezuko.

“Let me check.”

It was only now that Li Yang could clearly see this woman’s appearance. She was also a character from the anime… Tamayo. A gentle, kind woman who appeared to be only 19 years old but had a psychological age of several hundred years.

However, she was also a Jiang Gui, transformed by Kibutsuji Muzan’s deception. Later, she freed herself from his curse. To avoid being tracked by other demons, Tamayo and Yushiro had been hiding in the Blood Demon Art barrier.

Unexpectedly, even this woman had ventured out from the barrier despite the immense danger. At this moment, after feeling the golden light of the Golden Fried Rice, Tamayo was filled with surprise. She never imagined that such a miraculous dish existed in the world—one that could truly suppress the evil aura of the Jiang Gui.

However, after checking Nezuko’s body, facing the expectant gazes of the Demon Slayer Corps, Tamayo’s expression became serious.

“Although the Jiang Gui virus inside Nezuko has been temporarily suppressed, it will return again.”

“The light energy inside her body will last for only a month. After a month, the Jiang Gui virus will resurface, and Nezuko will return to her previous state.”

Tamayo’s words immediately doused the excitement of the Demon Slayer Corps like a cold bucket of water. They all fell silent, discouraged. However, the Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa, seemed to be indifferent.

“Since that golden fried rice can keep this little girl human for a month, why don’t we just have her eat a portion of the fried rice every month?”

Ah…

That’s actually a great idea!

But Ubuyashiki Yoyaza couldn’t help but bitterly smile to himself. He knew that Li Yang was eventually going to leave Neon. Moreover, someone as talented as Li Yang, a chef of the Tiger-class, would be in high demand wherever he went. How could they expect him to make Golden Fried Rice for Nezuko every month?

If it weren’t for the longstanding friendship between the Ubuyashiki and Nagi families, and if he hadn’t begged Nagi Zake Senzaemon—the head of the Neon culinary world and a Dragon-class chef—to intervene, how could they have asked Li Yang for help?

So, asking for a portion of Golden Fried Rice every month for Nezuko simply wasn’t realistic. Anyone who understood the complexities of human relationships would also know this.

Tanjiro, at this moment, was filled with despair. He had finally found hope for saving his sister, and now he might only watch as that hope slipped away before his eyes.

No!

He absolutely wouldn’t accept this!

“Lord Li Yang…”

Tanjiro immediately dropped to his knees, his head hitting the tatami floor with a heavy thud.

“Please, save my sister. From now on, whatever you need, I, Tanjiro Kamado, swear on my ancestors of the Kamado family—whether it be climbing mountains or diving into fire, even if it costs me my life, I’ll do whatever it takes!”

But Li Yang didn’t look at Tanjiro. Instead, he stared at Tamayo.

“You just said that the Jiang Gui body contains a virus?”

Tamayo nodded.

“Yes, the Jiang Gui virus is an evil thing. It doesn’t only affect the body, but it can also attach to the soul, making it nearly impossible to completely eliminate.”

Li Yang stood up again, gazing at Tanjiro, still kneeling, and Nezuko, who had also knelt beside her brother.

A warm smile, the first of its kind, appeared on his calm face. This smile was like a spring breeze, instantly dispelling all the shadows in the hearts of the Demon Slayer Corps.

“You’ve come at the perfect time. I just had an inspiration for a new dish, and it might be able to completely solve Nezuko’s problem. And… as for you, Miss!”

Li Yang looked gently at Tamayo and spoke kindly.

“I’ll help you both, just like a phoenix reborn from the flames, free from the Jiang Gui virus, living freely under the sunlight!”