After the rainy days passed, brilliant sunshine emerged, drying the puddles on the road.
Ever since Kikyo left the Shikon Jewel in Kaede's Village, rumors had spread among humans and demons alike. Some weak demons and humans, seeking greater strength or hoping to become demons, threw caution to the wind and attacked Kaede's Village, all to seize the Shikon Jewel.
After becoming the Shikon Jewel's guardian, Kikyo's spiritual power increased substantially. She used it to erect a barrier, protecting the villagers of Kaede's Village.
She also took Xu Zhiqiu outside the village to kill the attacking demons.
The demons came in great numbers, attacking from different directions.
Although Xu Zhiqiu had no spiritual power, the jade in her hand formed a barrier to protect her.
As she slaughtered those demons time and again, she grew increasingly proficient with the Jade Blade. All she needed to do was swing lightly toward her target. If there were many demons, the Jade Blade would split into multiple blades and attack them separately, slicing through them one by one and leaving them no chance of survival.
After dealing with the demons to the north, Xu Zhiqiu glanced around. Sensing no danger, she headed in another direction.
When Xu Zhiqiu went to find Kikyo, she happened upon a scene of Kikyo disciplining a puppy.
She gave Kohaku, who was hiding behind a tree, a pat. Startled, Kohaku turned to see who it was, then breathed a sigh of relief and reproached Xu Zhiqiu for frightening her. "Sister Qiu..."
Xu Zhiqiu made a shushing gesture, and only then did Kohaku fall silent.
The two peeked out to look toward Kikyo.
Kikyo held her bow ready to shoot. The boy before her wore a Robe of the Fire Rat, with long silver-white hair, fluffy dog ears, and a youthful, unruly face. Baring his canine teeth, he lunged at Kikyo with sharp claws and shouted, "Die, Kikyo!"
The moment he finished speaking, Kikyo swiftly fired several Sealing Arrows, pinning his limbs to a tree.
Kikyo drew her bow and aimed an arrow at Inuyasha's head, but in the end, she lowered it. She returned the arrow to her Quiver, took up her bow, and prepared to leave.
As Kikyo turned around, Xu Zhiqiu grabbed Kohaku and quickly ducked behind the tree.
Xu Zhiqiu looked thoughtful. Was this when Kikyo began to soften toward that half-demon, Inuyasha?
Seeing that Kikyo had spared him and was about to leave, Inuyasha gritted his teeth and demanded, his voice plainly dissatisfied, "Hey! Kikyo, stop right there! Why aren't you finishing me off?"
Kikyo stopped and turned to look at Inuyasha behind her. "I don't want to waste another arrow on you."
"Huh?" Inuyasha froze.
Kikyo gave him a glance, then turned and left.
"Huh?" Confusion appeared on Kohaku's face when she heard what her sister said to that half-demon. Why hadn't her sister killed Inuyasha with a Purifying Arrow, choosing to spare his life instead?
She looked at Xu Zhiqiu beside her, her bewildered eyes pleading for an explanation. "Sister Qiu..."
Xu Zhiqiu bent down and ruffled Kohaku's hair. "What's wrong?"
"Why did Sister Kikyo go easy on him?" Kohaku voiced her confusion.
"Uh, I'm not sure either. Maybe, possibly, it's because this half-demon is weak." As Xu Zhiqiu spoke, she looked up at Inuyasha, who seemed to be questioning his entire existence.
Inuyasha's dog ears were keen. Hearing the conversation between the other woman and the child, he immediately bristled and shouted arrogantly at Xu Zhiqiu, "I'm weak? Human, do you dare fight me?"
"Hehe, want to give it a try?" Xu Zhiqiu smiled.
Just as Xu Zhiqiu was about to act, Kikyo's voice reached them. "Qiu, you two, come along."
"Consider yourself lucky." Xu Zhiqiu took Kohaku's hand and followed Kikyo.
Pinned to the tree, Inuyasha stared blankly with his golden eyes as Kikyo and the others gradually disappeared into the distance.
"So she'll spare him because he's weak?" Kohaku couldn't make sense of it, no matter how hard she thought. She looked at the two women walking ahead.
Xu Zhiqiu caught up with Kikyo and called her name. "Kikyo."
Kikyo turned her head and looked at Xu Zhiqiu, gentleness in her eyes. "Qiu, have you dealt with all the demons to the north?"
"I've dealt with them all." Xu Zhiqiu raised the jade on her wrist as she answered.
To make the Jade Blade easier to use, she had adjusted its original cord to fit around her wrist. When she needed it, she could simply grasp the jade and attack the demons.
Her Jade Blade could only slice through demons, not harm humans. What had happened last time had merely been a special case, handled differently.
"Good. Thank you for your hard work."
"It was nothing." Xu Zhiqiu waved a hand.
Kikyo nodded slightly, looked around, then headed down one of the narrow paths.
Seeing her leave, Xu Zhiqiu continued following her. "Kikyo, what are you looking for?"
"A place to bathe. I want to wash away the lingering stench of demon blood," Kikyo answered. After spending more than half a month together, she had already come to regard Xu Zhiqiu as someone she could trust.
As she continued forward, someone tugged at her sleeve. She stopped, confusion at Xu Zhiqiu's actions showing in her beautiful eyes.
Xu Zhiqiu took her wrist and headed toward Kaede's Village. "You don't need to bathe in a river out in the wild. It's not safe. I have a bathing shed at home. Whenever you want a bath, just carry some water inside and wash there."
"All right. Thank you, Qiu."
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