Ever since that encounter, Inuyasha had been lingering around Kaede's Village, refusing to leave. Seeing that he had no intention of harming the villagers, Kikyo did not drive him away.
That day, after Xu Zhiqiu returned from slaying demons in another village, she found villagers pulling a cart behind Kikyo, with Kohaku walking alongside them.
Holding her basket, Xu Zhiqiu ran toward them.
"Lord Autumn," the villagers hurriedly called when they saw her.
Xu Zhiqiu nodded. She glanced at the demon's remains on the cart, finding the head somewhat familiar, and asked, "Kikyo, what are you doing?"
Kohaku held one hand against her chest, lingering fear still on her face. "When I was gathering herbs earlier, a demon tried to capture me to use as leverage for the Shikon Jewel, but Inuyasha saved me."
"Oh." Xu Zhiqiu studied the demon on the cart and suddenly remembered why she looked so familiar. "This is the demon I cut apart with the Jade before. I didn't expect her to still be alive."
"This demon is called the Centipede Hag. She probably survived being cut apart by you because the Shikon Jewel's energy lingering inside her hadn't completely faded. Unless we seal her away in time, she'll come rolling back."
Xu Weiqiu asked, "Oh, then where should we seal her?"
Her eyes calm as still water, Kikyo looked toward a well a short distance ahead, its opening framed by four sides of wood. "The Bone-Eater's Well. It was built using timber from the Sacred Tree's trunk, so the Shikon Jewel won't affect it."
When they reached the Bone-Eater's Well, Xu Zhiqiu peered into its rather dark depths. This well was the bridge connecting the island nation's Warring States era to modern times, the place through which Kagome would later travel.
Xu Zhiqiu wondered whether she should go in and try to see if she could travel to modern times, but a cold, putrid smell wafted out. Forget it, forget it. Pinching her nose, she stepped aside to make room.
The villagers tipped the remaining bones inside, while Kikyo stood to one side and placed a seal on them.
After dealing with the Centipede Hag, they headed home.
Holding Kohaku's hand, Xu Zhiqiu watched Kikyo's graceful stride ahead of them and sighed inwardly. Kikyo's bond with Inuyasha was still slowly deepening, just as it did in the original story.
At first, Inuyasha had only lingered around the village, but at some point, he had gradually begun following Kikyo. Whenever Kikyo encountered danger, he always killed the demons before she could act.
Once Xu Zhiqiu saw through him.
Inuyasha put on a fierce expression despite his boyish face, tucked both hands into his sleeves, and snorted. "I just don't want the Shikon Jewel falling into anyone else's hands." As he spoke, his golden eyes darted toward Kikyo, who stood beside Xu Zhiqiu.
Just look at that excuse. I'd give it nine points. One more, and he might get too full of himself.
Toward evening, the sun hung among the branches, drawing in its dazzling rays. Crimson clouds bloomed freely across the sky, displaying the most beautiful moment of the day.
The stream murmured as Xu Zhiqiu crouched beside it, washing the kudzu roots she had just pulled from the soil. The dirt on the roots gradually washed away in the current. She shook them a few times, then placed the cleaned roots in her basket.
Once she finished washing them, she stood up with a hand supporting her aching lower back and picked up her basket. Just as she was about to leave, the stream where she had been washing suddenly turned red.
Huh?
A puzzled look crossed her face, and she hesitated for a moment.
"Qiu, what are you doing?" Kikyo's voice rang out.
Xu Zhiqiu turned to look at the person behind her. "The water here has been contaminated. It's a little strange."
As she spoke, Kikyo had already come up beside her.
Kikyo looked at the reddened water, raised her gaze upstream, and started walking that way.
Xu Zhiqiu followed, frowning as a vague suspicion formed in her mind. She caught Kikyo's sleeve. "Dead bodies are a common sight. It's getting dark, and Kohaku will be frightened all alone at home. Let's head back first."
Kikyo was a little puzzled by Xu Zhiqiu's behavior, but did not dwell on it. "It's all right. It's not that late yet." Then she added, "Besides, if we don't deal with this body, it'll contaminate the stream."
"That's true." Unable to dissuade her, Xu Zhiqiu could only let the matter drop.
After parting the reeds, they saw something wrapped in a straw mat in the shape of a person. It gave off a scorched smell, foul enough to make them retch.
Xu Zhiqiu covered her nose and looked up at the cliff ahead. So this was where the Demon of Rakshasa had thrown down Onigumo, his whole body burned, setting the original story in motion. This was the source of evil.
She lowered her gaze and looked at Kikyo beside her.
Kikyo set her bow and arrows on the ground and rolled up her sleeves. "Qiu, let's do this together."
"All right." Xu Zhiqiu put down her basket, rolled up her sleeves, and walked over.
Taking one end each, the two women lifted the straw mat containing the man from the reed-choked water's edge onto the bank.
Xu Zhiqiu gripped the end near his head. The woven straw mat was rather soft, and after being soaked in water, it tore straight through when she grabbed it, exposing the face inside.
He was burned beyond recognition, the skin all over his body charred, leaving a mass of exposed flesh, hideous and terrifying.
Xu Zhiqiu lifted her head, trying her best not to look at him.
The movement of his body and the women's voices roused Onigumo from his unconsciousness. He opened his eye and saw the face he had yearned for day and night. He was just about to move the corner of his mouth when the pain throughout his body stopped him from making another movement. He closed his only eye and said nothing more.
Once they had carried him onto the bank.
Xu Zhiqiu let go and went to the water's edge to wash the blood from her hands. After washing them, she returned to find Kikyo crouched beside him, checking whether he was still breathing.
"He's still alive."
After detecting a faint breath from the man whose entire body was burned, Kikyo looked at Xu Zhiqiu standing beside her. "Qiu, let's carry him back."
"Even if he's still breathing, he won't live much longer. I think we'd better not... all right."
Xu Zhiqiu had originally wanted to stop Kikyo from saving the man who would bring about the tragedy, but when she saw the resolve in Kikyo's eyes, she changed her mind.
This priestess truly was kind.
There was nothing wrong with saving someone. The greatest source of trouble lay with the person being saved.
The two of them carried the man whose entire body was burned downstream. As they walked, just when Xu Zhiqiu was so tired that she was about to lose her grip, she spotted a dark cave entrance.
Xu Zhiqiu lowered the man, then walked up to the cave entrance. Inside, she saw a spacious hollow, its floor strewn with weeds. The cave was dark and cool, with only a little light filtering in from outside.
This was the cave where Onigumo would be housed.
Xu Zhiqiu came back to herself, turned to look at Kikyo below, and ran down. "Kikyo, we can put him here."
"All right."
After settling the man inside, Kikyo went back to fetch medicine and bandages, asking Xu Zhiqiu to watch over him for now.
Xu Zhiqiu agreed. She sat on the high slope outside the cave as the night breeze rose, lifting the wisps of hair over her forehead. Propping her chin on her hand, she watched the sky slowly turn gray. It's almost dark.
Before you continue