Xu Zhiqiu cut through the vines attacking her, slid her sword back into its sheath, and threw the Human-Faced Fruit in her hand toward the mouth of the gourd. Before her very eyes, the fruit gradually shrank.
"Heh heh." Peach Fruit Man grinned.
Caught off guard for a moment, Xu Zhiqiu froze. As Peach Fruit Man grew larger and larger before her, she looked down at the Old Immortal beneath the tree, who was now about her size. "What do we do now?"
"What else can we do? Become fertilizer for the Human-Faced Fruit." Seeing that Xu Zhiqiu had shrunk too, the Old Immortal looked disappointed. He had thought she might be someone powerful.
Xu Zhiqiu frowned and gripped the sword at her waist.
"Heh heh, in you go!" Peach Fruit Man uncovered the gourd's mouth and aimed it at Xu Zhiqiu.
A powerful current of air immediately surged from the opening, trying to suck her inside.
Xu Zhiqiu gripped her sword with both hands and plunged it straight into the tree trunk. Her hair whipped wildly across her face as she clung tightly to the hilt. By fighting for her life, she could hold on a little longer.
Seeing that the woman simply would not get sucked inside, Peach Fruit Man frowned. He was about to step closer when a vine suddenly caught his foot.
Before he could react, his entire body was hoisted into the air. One vine snatched the gourd from his hand, while another tentacle took the Shikon Jewel Shard embedded in his belly.
"Who dares do this to an immortal like me? I'm an immortal!"
"Heh, this is what passes for an immortal?"
A familiar voice rang out.
The wind stopped. Still gripping her sword, Xu Zhiqiu hung from the tree. She turned to look behind her at the figure wearing the Baboon Skin with his head exposed. "What are you doing here?"
After retrieving the Shikon Jewel Shard, Naraku pierced Peach Fruit Man's belly without hesitation. "Without the Shikon Jewel Shard's help, you're nothing but a useless wretch."
"Aah!" A shrill scream like a pig being slaughtered rang out across the clifftop.
Naraku devoured the wooden staff in Peach Fruit Man's hand, then appeared before Xu Zhiqiu with the gourd. Looking at the tiny Xu Zhiqiu clinging to her sword on the tree trunk, he held out his palm for her to land on.
"Qiu, how did you get so small?" Naraku asked, though he already knew the answer.
Xu Zhiqiu pulled out her sword and jumped onto his palm, then sat down, gasping for breath. The fright still lingered, and she took quite a while to recover before answering his question. "That gourd did this to me. Thank goodness you came. Wait, why are you here?"
As Xu Zhiqiu spoke, she looked up at him.
"Wherever I, Naraku, wish to appear, there I shall be," Naraku replied with a chuckle. Finding her tiny size amusing, he reached out with his index finger and poked her cheek.
Xu Zhiqiu was momentarily speechless. She climbed out of Naraku's palm and looked at the Old Immortal in the potted plant. "How can I get back to normal?"
"The spirit of the Human-Faced Fruit tree is now under the control of evil thoughts. Sorry for the trouble, but please kill the Tree Spirit inside it," the Old Immortal said.
"Heh heh, who did you say you wanted killed, old man?" Peach Fruit Man, whose body Naraku had pierced, woke again. Countless vines coiled around him, and his red eyes showed through.
He spoke in a sinister voice, then set the vines in motion. Countless tendrils shot straight toward them.
He would turn this demon and this woman into his fertilizer!
When the vines reached Naraku, a Barrier appeared around him. Naraku toyed with the gourd in his hand. So it can shrink people and turn them into fertilizer?
He pulled out the stopper and aimed the opening at Peach Fruit Man, who was entangled by the Tree Spirit.
"No!" Realizing something was wrong, Peach Fruit Man shouted, his eyes widening.
The attacking vines quickly shrank smaller and smaller, and Peach Fruit Man was sucked straight into the gourd.
Naraku replaced the stopper and shook the gourd up and down. The faint sound of liquid sloshing came from inside.
Xu Zhiqiu jumped from Naraku's hand to the ground. Her body paused for a moment, then slowly grew larger.
Seeing that she had finally returned to normal, Xu Zhiqiu breathed a sigh of relief. She looked up at the withered, yellowing Human-Faced Fruit tree and the Old Immortal, who had regained his human form. Her gaze finally settled on Naraku, and a smile curved her lips. She walked over and caught his arm. "Thank you for coming to save me. Let's go back~"
"Mm." Naraku stiffened as Xu Zhiqiu tugged him down the mountain.
The Old Immortal came back to his senses. Seeing that the demon still held his gourd, he hurried after them, bent at the waist. "Hey, give me back my gourd! You can't misuse that Immortal Artifact!"
Watching the two of them safe and sound in her mirror, Kanna let out a soft sigh of relief.
Just then, Kagura's cursing rang out. "That Goshinki is utterly useless. He couldn't even beat Inuyasha."
On the way back, Naraku looked down at the woman nestled against his chest and tightened his arm around her waist, listening as she recounted her travels over the past few days. Only after she finished did he slowly say, "If it weren't for this incident, I doubt you would have come back."
"The miasma above Inuyama Castle is so thick that I'd have died of poisoning if I stayed a few more days. The fresh air outside smells much better," Xu Zhiqiu explained.
Naraku smiled at her answer without denying it. "Your body is full of spiritual power. I don't think the miasma will harm you, so there's no need to worry."
"Even if it doesn't hurt my body, it's still awful to smell." Xu Zhiqiu looked up at him as she spoke. "But with you there, I can stay a few more days."
At Xu Zhiqiu's words, Naraku's crimson eyes shifted again. The pounding of Onigumo's heart grew increasingly pronounced, and he called softly in a low voice, "Qiu."
"I'm here, Naraku." Xu Zhiqiu softened her voice, her answer like a teasing tickle.
"Speaking of which, when are you going to move somewhere with fresh air? If I keep staying in a place like that, I might have to come out for another breath of fresh air."
Her voice gradually faded as they moved farther away.
Naraku remained silent for a long time before giving a vague answer. "We'll see."
After returning to Inuyama Castle, Xu Zhiqiu could clearly feel that the Barrier had grown even stronger. To keep Inuyasha and his other enemies from finding him, Naraku had been desperately reinforcing the Barrier and concealing their presence, all so he could make babies at home.
After bringing Xu Zhiqiu back, Naraku went off to make babies again.
The retainers and servants in the lord's residence had all been reduced to skeletons by the miasma. Apart from her, who still somewhat resembled a human, there were no humans left in Inuyama Castle.
Bored with nothing to do, Xu Zhiqiu chatted with Kagura and Kanna about what Naraku had made them do during the days she had been away.
Kagura sat beside Xu Zhiqiu, waving her fan. "You were absolutely right. After you left, Naraku sent me to kill Inuyasha. I nearly died at the hands of his Tessaiga. Luckily, I'd kept a trick up my sleeve, so I managed to escape back here."
Even with Xu Zhiqiu's warning, Naraku had actually made her test that blade with her own body. It infuriated her! But her heart was in Naraku's hands, and she had no choice but to obey his orders.
"As long as you're all right." Xu Zhiqiu patted her shoulder reassuringly.
Before you continue