Xu Zhiqiu sat in a daze for quite a while before Kikyo arrived on the wind, carrying her medicine box.
Onigumo had burns all over his body, and one of his eyes was blind. Leaving his eyes, nose, and mouth exposed, Kikyo applied medicine to the rest of him and wrapped him entirely in bandages, binding him up like a mummy.
Seeing that Onigumo's left eye really was blind, Xu Zhiqiu took considerable pleasure in his misfortune. Served him right.
By the time he was bandaged, the sky outside had darkened.
Xu Zhiqiu carried her basket on her back as she and Kikyo headed toward the village.
"Qiu, don't tell Inuyasha about the injured man hidden in the cave," Kikyo told Xu Zhiqiu on their way back.
Xu Zhiqiu folded her arms and gave a perfunctory reply. She knew Kikyo treated Inuyasha differently, but she feigned puzzlement and said, "Kikyo, you and Inuyasha seem to be getting closer and closer."
"Do we?" Kikyo murmured, other emotions stirring in her cool eyes.
"Hey! Kikyo, what were you two doing? Why are you only getting back now?" Inuyasha's demanding voice rang out.
"We came across someone who had been attacked by a demon, so we were delayed a little," Kikyo replied, then walked toward the boy dressed in fiery red.
"Oh." Inuyasha caught the faint scent of blood and medicine on them and believed Kikyo. With both hands behind his head, he followed her, making little huffing sounds.
Watching their interaction from behind, Xu Zhiqiu shook her head helplessly. Even the most untamable boy would be tamed one day.
Walking ahead, Inuyasha keenly sensed something odd about Xu Zhiqiu's gaze. He turned to look behind him, only to find that she was already looking elsewhere. He scratched his head.
"Inuyasha," Kikyo called.
He hurried over and followed behind her.
They returned to the village.
Xu Zhiqiu said goodbye to Kikyo and Inuyasha and entered her house. She crouched down, set down her basket, and massaged her aching shoulders.
After sitting for a while, she took her woven bamboo vegetable basket out to the vegetable patch and picked vegetables until she had enough.
She went into the woodshed and lifted the lid, and the rabbits' squeaks reached her ears.
After playing with them for a while, Xu Zhiqiu washed the remaining vegetable leaves, along with some wild mushrooms and kudzu roots she had brought back in her basket, once more. She put them in a pot, propped it up, and lit the firewood.
While she waited, she carried a wooden bucket to the stream outside, then brought back two buckets of water. She washed her hair and bathed, washing away the day's fatigue and leaving herself refreshed.
An oil lamp lit the room.
Dressed in a pale yellow short robe, Xu Zhiqiu sat on a little stool, rubbing her damp hair with a towel as she watched the food bubbling in the clay pot.
After filling her stomach, she sat on the bedding spread over the floor, opened her cloth pouch, and counted the money she had earned over the past few days. Buying clothes last time had cost her quite a lot, and now she had only a few dozen copper coins left.
Winter would soon arrive. She would need to stockpile more food by then, in case of unforeseen needs.
As for warm clothing, there were plenty of animals in the forest that had not developed intelligence. She could skin them.
The Baboon Skin Naraku wore in the story when he concealed his strength and spied on Inuyasha and the others was quite nice.
Having settled on a plan, Xu Zhiqiu found her thoughts much clearer.
She put away her remaining money, rubbed her now-dry hair, and extinguished the lamp, ready for bed.
But a figure stood outside.
"Qiu," Kikyo called.
Xu Zhiqiu went to the entrance, opened the door, and looked at Kikyo standing there. "What is it?"
"There are a few things I'd like to talk to you about. Am I disturbing you?"
"No. Whatever it is, go ahead." Xu Zhiqiu invited her inside.
Kikyo sat down and surveyed her surroundings. Xu Zhiqiu had decorated the house to make it very cozy. Clearly, she had adapted well to life here.
"Qiu, what plans do you have for the future?" Kikyo withdrew her gaze and looked directly at Xu Zhiqiu.
Xu Zhiqiu shrugged. "Build a bigger house, then spend my days growing vegetables, farming, and slaying demons."
Kikyo looked astonished at her answer. She studied Xu Zhiqiu's gentle, pretty face. "Don't you want to fall in love? In several of the villages where we went to slay demons, young men asked me whether you had a lover."
Fall in love?
Xu Zhiqiu scratched her head and considered it for a moment before her gaze grew firm. "I don't want to fall in love. I want to live on my own. Being single is great."
"Oh? Is that so? But that man we helped tonight-why did I get the feeling you knew him?" Kikyo's dark eyes looked straight into Xu Zhiqiu's, as though searching her face for a clue.
Xu Zhiqiu was not very good at concealing her emotions. The corner of her mouth twitched slightly. "Fine, I do know him a little. He's a bandit. He tried to abduct me before, but thanks to my Jade, his scheme failed." She did not tell Kikyo that Onigumo had wanted to do that sort of thing to her.
"A bandit?" Kikyo picked out the key word.
Xu Zhiqiu murmured her agreement. "Yes. I'm the one who blinded one of his eyes. I was a little surprised to see him, but he deserves what happened to him."
Don't ask her how she had recognized him. She had just recognized him.
Kikyo understood. "Oh, I see." She continued, "That bandit doesn't look as though he has long to live. If you want revenge, just give him a quick death."
"Huh?" Xu Zhiqiu froze, then collected herself. Kikyo could say something like that?
In the original story, Kikyo had saved Onigumo despite knowing he was a bandit. She had never imagined that, now that she was here, Kikyo would leave the choice to her.
She was touched.
Thinking Xu Zhiqiu had not understood what she meant, Kikyo explained, "That bandit did something like that to you. Though he's barely clinging to life now, you're my companion. I can't stand by and do nothing. Whether he lives or dies is for you to decide."
As she spoke, Kikyo stood, her black hair falling straight down with the movement. "I'll head back now. See you tomorrow."
"Yes, see you tomorrow." Xu Zhiqiu got up and watched Kikyo leave.
She closed the door and lay down, tilting her chin up to stare overhead. A trace of bewilderment flashed in her eyes. It's for me to decide? I've only killed demons. Could I kill a person?
Xu Zhiqiu instinctively shook her head. She could not. But was it really all right to let things continue like this?
Without Onigumo, would everything that followed really go so smoothly?
The Shikon Jewel.
Warmth radiated from the Jade at her wrist.
Xu Zhiqiu clasped the Jade pendant tightly in her palm and held it against her chest, closing her eyes as she considered whether this was feasible.
As she pondered, the oil lamp gradually went out, leaving the room dark and silent.
Although Kikyo had erected a Barrier around the village, those demons persisted in attacking it.
The Shikon Jewel's presence drove them into an even greater frenzy. Unless they were destroyed, they would never give up.
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