Part one
Naraku had never imagined a human would cherish him. He was an amalgamation of a human bandit and countless demons. After taking human form, he thought the feelings stirred by his first glimpse of Xu Zhiqiu were merely the bandit's desires influencing him.
Yes.
He had to kill this woman. He could not let her cloud his thoughts and interfere with his becoming a great demon!
When he attacked, Xu Zhiqiu's response surprised him a little. She did not seem startled. She was powerful, and his attempt failed.
Afterward, he absorbed and suppressed the overly jumbled demonic powers within him while watching Xu Zhiqiu. Since he could not kill her outright, he would first observe her weaknesses, then strike.
As he watched, he discovered how simple this woman's life was: slaying demons, tending the fields, fetching water. She always did everything alone. Sometimes she smiled for no apparent reason, the smile vivid on her lovely face. His heart would beat faster then, and he knew it was the human bandit's influence. Sometimes she gazed at the moon hanging at the edge of the sky, a faint melancholy on her face, her whole being shrouded in loneliness.
From his past memories, he knew Xu Zhiqiu was not from here, though he did not know why she had come.
Was she missing her family?
The thought sprang into his mind, and his face abruptly darkened. Why was he trying to guess what this human was thinking?
Later, he appeared before her of his own accord to test her. He discovered that Xu Zhiqiu did not seem to harbor any intent to kill him. How strange.
But that did not stop him from attacking her. Xu Zhiqiu had to be eliminated, lest that bandit's heart keep beating.
Yet she seemed to