Xu Zhiqiu lay unconscious, feeling an endless stream of warmth flowing into her body.
She heard other people talking by her ear.
"Has Qiu still not woken up?" It was Kanna's voice.
"No. What's wrong with Xu Zhiqiu?" It was Kagura's voice.
"She's been like this ever since we came back from Horai Island," Kanna answered flatly, a faint melancholy seeping into her voice.
"Leave us for now," Naraku said.
"Oh."
Silence fell after they left.
Xu Zhiqiu's fingers twitched.
Naraku, who had been sitting cross-legged, noticed her fingers moving. He reached out, took that hand, and held it tight.
After he waited patiently for a while, the woman lying on the bedding opened her eyes. When she saw who he was, a trace of tenderness appeared in her ink-black eyes.
"Finally decided to wake up?" Despite his words, there was no reproach in his voice.
Seeing Xu Zhiqiu sit up, Naraku hurried over, wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and drew her against him.
"How many days was I asleep?" Xu Zhiqiu asked, rubbing her throbbing forehead. She looked up toward the doorway. Beyond it were open sky and trees; this did not look like the city. Apart from the futon she lay on, the wooden cabin had no other furnishings, and she could sense abundant spiritual power all around her.
"Two days."
Xu Zhiqiu raised her brows slightly at that. "Huh? That little?" She had thought she had slept for five or six days, given how terribly weak she felt.
"You call that little? If you don't wake up and eat something, how will you nourish the life inside your belly?" Naraku said, his eyes fixed on her stomach.
My belly?? A life??
Xu Zhiqiu's eyes widened, and she grabbed Naraku's hand. "What did you say? Surely I