Staying in Kaede's Village to Recover

The next morning, Xu Zhiqiu caught the scent of fresh soup and woke up instantly.

Seeing that Xu Zhiqiu was awake, Kikyo ladled out a bowl of soup for her.

Kikyo had already changed into her shrine maiden outfit, a white top and red hakama with a bow tied at her waist. Her previously loose hair was bound with a plain white ribbon, revealing her delicate, lovely features.

Now that she knew the other woman was Kikyo, Xu Zhiqiu studied the girl, who was younger than her yet looked more mature.

Kikyo found Xu Zhiqiu's stare a little strange, but just as she was about to ask about it, Xu Zhiqiu suddenly looked away, leaving her to let the matter drop.

Xu Zhiqiu took a sip of the rich soup. Its warmth spread through her body, seeping into her very bones and leaving her comfortable in both body and mind.

After the meal.

Kikyo began her day's work of slaying demons. As the shrine maiden of Kaede's Village, she protected her own village, but whenever a neighboring village came under attack by demons, she went to its aid without hesitation.

Beneath that cool, aloof face lay a kind and pure heart.

Kohaku came over carrying the Antique Bow and Arrows and handed them to her older sister, worry on her little face. "Sister, I want to go slay demons with you too."

Kikyo took the equipment from her younger sister and bent down. Her cool expression softened, her eyes full of affection for her family. She rubbed the top of Kohaku's head. "You're still young. Keep practicing how to identify herbs, and stay home until I return."

"All right." Kohaku knew she couldn't persuade Kikyo. After all, her sister bore a heavy responsibility, and tagging along now would only burden her. She would work hard to learn how to identify herbs and shoot a bow, so that one day she could fight shoulder to shoulder with her sister.

At that thought, Kohaku felt at ease again and gazed at her sister with eyes full of admiration.

Seeing that her younger sister was all right, Kikyo slung the Quiver and bow over her back and stood up. Just as she was about to leave, she turned toward Xu Zhiqiu, who was sitting on the mat. "Your wounds haven't healed yet. If you don't mind, you can stay here for a few days."

Xu Zhiqiu sat cross-legged, her hands resting on her knees, then propped her chin on one hand as she listened to their conversation. Suddenly addressed by Kikyo, she lowered her hand, looked at her, and nodded. "All right. Sorry for the trouble."

After watching her sister leave, Kohaku went back inside and looked at Xu Zhiqiu sitting off to one side. She lifted her chin, gave a little huff, and got on with her own tasks.

Under Kikyo's protection, Kaede's Village was safe for the time being. As someone recovering from injuries, Xu Zhiqiu felt perfectly justified in lying on the mat and sleeping. When boredom struck, she fiddled with the jade pendant in her hand.

The jade was an heirloom from her mother's side of the family. It was said to have been passed down since the Ming dynasty, only to daughters, never sons.

That custom had continued through her mother's generation. When Xu Zhiqiu turned eighteen, her mother passed the jade on to her, told her how important it was, and asked her to carry on the tradition by passing it to her own daughter someday.

As for why it had to be passed down or what significance the jade held, Xu Zhiqiu could get no answer from her mother, who didn't know either. She knew only that it had to be handed down to keep them safe.

In the past, steeped in materialist thinking, Xu Zhiqiu had considered it feudal superstition. How could a piece of jade possibly keep someone safe? In all the years she had worn it, she had never gained great wealth or status. She had simply continued living her ordinary, orderly life.

Then the explosion happened, and she crossed into this world completely unharmed. She finally accepted her mother's words. The jade really did keep her safe. Not only that, it had saved her life.

But could she ever go back?

Xu Zhiqiu tightened her grip on the jade and held it against her chest. Looking up at the wooden roof, a trace of uncertainty flickered in her eyes.

As Kohaku passed by carrying dried herbs, she noticed the sorrow in Xu Zhiqiu's eyes and remembered what she had said about fleeing another village to save her life. Now she was all alone, without anyone to rely on-just a pitiful woman.

Kohaku felt some sympathy for Xu Zhiqiu. At the same time, she knew that their village had escaped being plundered by bandits not merely because it was remote, but mostly because her sister stood guard over it.

At the thought of Kikyo, Kohaku's eyes lit up, and determination settled on her face as she returned to her studies in earnest. She couldn't hold her sister back.

Kikyo spent the entire day out slaying demons. By the time she returned that evening, Kohaku had already prepared dinner.

Dinner consisted of the soup left over from that morning, with some dried mushrooms and other ingredients added. It tasted bland, but they made do with it alongside rice porridge.

This was an age of war in the island nation. Ordinary people thanked heaven and earth simply to have somewhere peaceful to live.

Although Kikyo was the village's shrine maiden and often went out to slay demons at others' request, she worked for free. She killed demons without accepting any payment.

Such greatness and selflessness were beyond most people. Xu Zhiqiu, for one, couldn't work for others for free, laboring diligently every day only to receive nothing material in return, just their love and gratitude.

No matter how well nourished the spirit was, once the body collapsed, it was all over.

What made Kikyo who she was, and set her apart from others, was her noble character. People couldn't help admiring and loving her.

Thinking of Kikyo's eventual fate, Xu Zhiqiu reflected that however beloved a shrine maiden might be, she was still no god. She, too, could feel the first stirrings of love. In the end, those two innocent young people had fallen for each other by the lakeshore.

If Inuyasha hadn't been with Kikyo, would they have escaped Onigumo's jealousy?

There was nothing wrong with Inuyasha and Kikyo falling in love. The fault lay in the human heart's propensity for jealousy. But who could have known that the blackhearted Onigumo would set his sights on Kikyo, even offering his soul to demons to obtain a brand-new body?

There was nothing wrong with Inuyasha and Kikyo falling in love. The fault lay in the human heart's propensity for jealousy.

After Kikyo was wounded by Naraku disguised as Inuyasha, a rift opened between them. It had to be said that Naraku had a director's talent, exploiting human nature to the fullest.

Yet even he hadn't expected Kikyo to refrain from killing Inuyasha in the end. Instead, she sealed him to the Time-Space Tree and chose to die with the Shikon Jewel.

As an amalgamation of demons, Naraku had still underestimated Kikyo's abilities somewhat. Falling in love had weakened her spiritual power, but it hadn't diminished her intelligence.

After dinner, Kikyo changed her dressing.

Xu Zhiqiu tightened her grip on the jade and lifted her eyes toward Kikyo's composed face. "Aren't you curious about how I kill demons?"

Kikyo unwound the bandages. The wound on Xu Zhiqiu's neck was healing quickly. After a day and a night, it had already scabbed over.

"How?" Kikyo asked.

Xu Zhiqiu kept her in suspense instead. The corners of her mouth lifted slightly, and mischief glinted in her eyes. "Once I'm better, I'll demonstrate it for you myself."

"Mm." Kikyo gave a quiet acknowledgment.

Once Xu Zhiqiu stopped speaking, silence settled over the room.

After bandaging her neck, Kikyo gave Xu Zhiqiu some ointment to apply to the scrapes on her legs. Only then were her duties for the day truly finished.

Xu Zhiqiu applied the ointment to the scrapes on her legs. When she touched her ankle, she suddenly remembered spraining it while fleeing for her life shortly after arriving.

Without Onigumo's help, she might not have made it so far. That fellow had had selfish motives at the time, of course. Still, he hadn't expected to come to grief at her hands.

She had injured Onigumo's left eye, so he must have hated her to death. Whether he hated her or not didn't matter. She had the power to protect herself.

With that thought, Xu Zhiqiu felt at ease.

After applying the ointment, she lay back down on the bed and went to sleep.

Once she was asleep, the jade in her hand gave off a faint glow, but it soon vanished again.