After entertaining herself for two days, she could no longer sit still. If she stayed any longer, she would start growing mold.
So, at dawn, when the sky turned the pale white of a fish's belly, she changed into light blue clothes and trousers that allowed her to move freely, tightened her belt, and tied her loose hair into a high ponytail.
Xu Zhiqiu picked up the bundle containing her clothes and money, slung it over her shoulder, and put on her shoes. Before leaving, she took one last look at the room she had been staying in.
She would go out and have some fun for a few days, then return when she ran out of money.
With that thought, she shut the door without hesitation, leaped onto the roof, and slipped past the guards to leave the castle lord's residence.
After leaving the residence, Xu Zhiqiu breathed in the fresh air and went to a weapons shop to buy a slender sword that felt reasonably good in her hand.
Once she paid, half the money in her purse was gone.
Leaving Inuyama Castle, Xu Zhiqiu headed down a narrow path through the woods.
Fifty years had passed, yet little had changed here. The places that had been poor were still just as poor.
Back when she lived in Kaede's Village, her missions had only taken her around the nearby villages. She had never explored farther afield. Now she could wander wherever she wanted and practice killing demons along the way.
Even without the Jade Blade, she now had lightness skills and a sword. She should be able to kill demons, right?
Xu Zhiqiu sped forward, stepping from branch to branch.
Before long, she spotted a village. Upon entering, she saw a group of people carrying hoes, their faces grim as they headed in another direction.
Xu Zhiqiu hesitated briefly, then approached them. "Sir, what's going on?"
The man leading them froze for a moment when he saw her face, then answered, "Several children have gone missing from our village lately. We suspect a demon is behind it, so we're going to slay it."
Xu Zhiqiu tightened her grip on the sword hilt at her waist. Wasn't this a demon delivered right to me to grind experience? She said, "I'm a wandering Yōkai Exorcist. Perhaps I can help you."
The villagers' eyes lit up at her words. "Really?"
"Really. Point me toward where the demon appeared, and I'll take care of it for you."
"It's in a cave in the woods. We used to hide there during wars. Things have finally settled down here lately, so the cave was abandoned. We never expected it to become a demon's nest."
"Oh, all right." Xu Zhiqiu looked in the direction the villagers indicated. An ominous black aura rose from the area; this clearly would not be simple.
"Miss, will we need to pay you once it's done?"
The corner of Xu Zhiqiu's mouth twitched. "Yes, and please provide some food, too. I've been traveling all day and haven't had a hot meal yet."
"Of course, of course. Please be careful, miss." The villagers nodded. Compared with their lives, what did a little money and grain amount to?
After bidding the villagers farewell, Xu Zhiqiu headed in the direction they had pointed out.
Using her lightness skills, she swiftly entered the woods. The moment she stepped inside, she sensed a dense demonic aura, though it fell far short of Naraku's.
Xu Zhiqiu followed the demonic aura toward its source and, sure enough, found the dark cave the villagers had described.
She bent down, picked up a stone from the ground, and hurled it into the entrance.
The stone clattered and rang as it fell into the cave.
This cave seems pretty deep.
Xu Zhiqiu picked up another stone and threw it in.
The cave was rather dark, and she had no lamp. Her only option was to lure whatever was inside out.
When she threw the fifth stone, a demon's roar came from within.
A pair of red eyes suddenly appeared in the pitch-black cave.
"What human dares disturb my sleep? Have you got a death wish?" a deep, gruff demonic voice demanded.
Then the demon crawled out of the cave and appeared before Xu Zhiqiu. It was an enormous centipede. The Centipede Demon she had encountered before had a woman's head; this one had a man's.
"We'll see who has a death wish." Xu Zhiqiu drew her sword and hurled the last stone in her hand at his head, then leaped up and attacked his other end.
The sword was only an ordinary iron weapon, but in Xu Zhiqiu's hands, it carried spiritual power. She severed two of the Centipede Demon's arms, leaped to safety to evade his attack, then slashed at his long tail.
Throughout the fifty years she had slept, spiritual power had flowed into her body without end. Her reaction speed and agility were now greater than she had imagined.
After testing which areas she had improved in, Xu Zhiqiu delivered the final blow amid the Centipede Demon's agonized screams.
The Centipede Demon was cleaved in two from his head down, splattering foul-smelling black blood across the ground.
Xu Zhiqiu wiped away the blood that had accidentally splashed onto her face. Looking at the heap of mangled remains, she gripped her sword and headed into the cave.
The passage was somewhat slimy. Inside, Xu Zhiqiu found the children the Centipede Demon had abducted. She cut away their restraints, waited for them to regain consciousness, then led them out.
The villagers had not waited long before they saw Xu Zhiqiu returning with the missing children. Deeply grateful, they offered her the best food in the village to thank her for her help.
Though they called it the best food in the village, it was all quite ordinary fare.
Still, having something to eat was good enough. After filling her stomach, Xu Zhiqiu accepted her payment and set off again under the villagers' gazes.
Whether fifty years ago or now, demons were always plentiful. Whenever Xu Zhiqiu reached a village or town, she inevitably encountered demons, helped deal with them, and earned some money.
As time passed, the money in her bundle kept piling up.
Xu Zhiqiu had wandered for five days. At noon that day, she was resting on a tree trunk when a purple light suddenly shone in the sky. She opened her eyes and leaped to the treetop, where she saw a mass of purple light spreading outward in the sky several mountains away.
The purple light was so powerful that even her location fell within its reach.
Suddenly, a streak of light flew toward her from there.
Xu Zhiqiu raised her hand and caught it. Holding it before her eyes, she saw that it was a small purple shard.
The shard still glowed purple in her palm. The light looked distinctly familiar, and a suspicion had already formed in Xu Zhiqiu's mind. Is this the Shikon Jewel?
It is.
The Shikon Jewel had shattered. At this point, Kagome should have traveled through the Bone-Eater's Well, officially beginning the story set fifty years later.
She looked up toward the place where the Shikon Jewel's fragments had scattered. A gentle breeze stirred the bangs across her forehead.
Xu Zhiqiu narrowed her eyes as she gazed into the distance. That was Kaede's Village.
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