Purification of Filth

"Desire, is it..." Looking at the courtesan before her, Kikyo understood, yet it felt as if she did not.

Yae Sakura, however, understood. Humans grew stronger and moved forward for the sake of desire...

And they also fell into an abyss of no return because of it.

"I can remove the curse upon you, but in return, you may lose everything you have now. Are you willing?" The reason this courtesan became a top-tier oiran, aside from her own efforts, was due to another factor: a demonic curse left upon her by a yokai.

It was a curse that increased one's charm and allure, but the girl was merely an ordinary human. This curse originated from a malevolent spirit; it would slowly assimilate her. As the saying went, extremes meet—it made her more beautiful at first, but would eventually cause her to degenerate into a disgusting monster.

"I am willing..." The girl looked up and nodded hurriedly.

"Rise and speak," Kikyo said, lifting her hands in a gesture.

"Yes, Priestess..."

"If you can, tell us the information and location of the yokai who cursed you. I imagine you wouldn't want it to come knocking again, would you?"

Because the girl was bare-chested, everything was visible the moment she stood up, and Yae Sakura instinctively averted her gaze.

As a top courtesan, she could not simply give her body to others, and ordinary people could not afford her price. Furthermore, because of the polluted filth on her back, she dared not sell herself, so she remained a virgin.

"Yes, that yokai is at Jingxian Temple to the southwest!" the girl said upon hearing this.

The life of a courtesan was not as wonderful as one might imagine. No matter how high-ranking, they were merely tools for certain people.

When their temples turned gray, if no one had come to redeem them, abandonment awaited them.

Once they grew old, they were reduced to lowly servants or cast aside; unless someone redeemed them before then, no one was an exception.

However, the price for a courtesan's redemption was astronomical. Few could afford it, so most courtesans met a sorrowful end in their old age.

Redemption at a low price was impossible. Even when a courtesan grew old... they would be discarded rather than sold cheaply.

By then, the master of the pleasure house had already made enough money; what happened to the courtesan was of no concern to them.

To the southwest of the pleasure district stood a temple named "Jingxian Temple."

There, many yujo were buried in a common grave.

An aging courtesan was no different from a yujo, resting in peace at Jingxian Temple, with no one willing to ask too much.

"The ritual to extract the filth will be very painful. I hope you can endure it."

Kikyo set up a sound-dampening barrier in the room and drew a purification circle on the floor.

"I can endure it. I do not want to become a monster." The girl's gaze seemed quite firm.

"That is good. Remove all your clothing and stand in the center of the ritual."

"Yes."

With no men around, the girl did not mind in the slightest and stripped off her remaining garments.

She stood naked in the center of the ritual.

"Formation... rise!"

Watching the girl enter the center, Kikyo formed a seal with her hands, and several beams of light immediately enclosed her.

"Extract the filth, purge the calamity, subdue all demons, obey this command!"

A powerful white light of spiritual energy suddenly erupted within the ritual, but thanks to Kikyo's barrier, it did not leak out.

At that moment, the girl suddenly floated into the air, hovering horizontally.

"Extract the filth..."

Two transparent, giant hands seemed to appear in the air, reaching directly into the girl's body.

"Ah..."

A painful scream escaped the girl's lips, giving Yae Sakura a start.

"Although it is painful, please hold on. Do not lose consciousness, or it will all be in vain..."

Kikyo hurriedly reminded her.

"I... I can do it... ah... it hurts so much..." The girl gritted her teeth.

"Very good!"

At that moment, Kikyo continued to form seals. Above the girl, a massive white pentagram appeared and pressed down directly upon her.

This was... the Seimei Kikyo Seal!

Kikyo's name was derived from this very seal.

"Ah..."

The screams continued, but the filth on her back was slowly disappearing...

I do not know how much time passed, but finally... the filth on the girl's back was completely cleared.

Kikyo canceled the ritual and sat on the floor, beginning to recover her spiritual energy. She had expended quite a bit this time.

"Are you alright?" Yae Sakura asked with concern.

"I am fine, I will recover soon." Kikyo shook her head and looked at the girl lying on the floor.

"How do you feel?"

"Thank you, Priestess. I feel... much lighter." The girl struggled to stand up, but she no longer possessed that special, supernatural charm.

Although she was still beautiful, she could not compare to before. It seemed that once the filth and the demonic curse were removed, the effects of the curse had vanished as well.

"You have lost the curse and your charm has faded... it is very likely you will be abandoned. Do you have any plans for the future?"

Yae Sakura supported Kikyo, looking at the girl sitting on the floor. It was easy to imagine her fate if she remained here without that seductive allure.

"I beg the Priestess to save me!" Hearing this, the girl thought of that outcome, her body trembling as she looked at Yae Sakura for help.

"What do you want to do in the future?" Yae Sakura did not agree immediately, stopping Kikyo from speaking.

"I... I do not know. I only know tea ceremony, dance, waka poetry, and court music..."

The girl had enjoyed the life of a courtesan, and though she had been infatuated with it, the incident with the filth had made her completely indifferent to the decadence and nightly revelry.

"Not bad, you have skills... Kikyo, how about you keep her as your maid? And you, miss, are you willing?" Yae Sakura thought for a moment; having a former courtesan as a maid was not a bad idea.

However, due to her own circumstances, she could only let her serve as Kikyo's maid.

"How could I..."

Kikyo immediately refused.

"A maid... if it is for the two Priestesses, I am willing..."

Going from a top-tier courtesan to a maid was a difficult adjustment...

"By the way, I still do not know your name," Yae Sakura asked.

"My name is... Luna," the girl replied after a moment of silence.

"Luna..."

In ancient times, not everyone had a surname; only samurai, nobles, those whose fathers had surnames, or those of higher status possessed them.

It was not uncommon for women in ancient times to have a single-character name.

"Then Luna, you shall follow us for now! We will see how to arrange things later."

"Yes!"