"Gurgle."
Xu Zhiqiu was pushed straight out by the soft flesh walls, which did not cling to her. She staggered a few steps, then regained her balance and looked up into the gloom. Everything around her was pitch-black; she could not see her hand in front of her face. She had no idea what lay beneath her feet, either, only that it was as soft as the flesh walls.
She walked a few steps forward along the wall. The ground was still soft, and when she listened closely, she could hear gurgling sounds.
"Naraku." Xu Zhiqiu called his name.
There was a crack.
Several shafts of light appeared in the darkness, dispersing the gloom and bringing a brief moment of illumination.
Xu Zhiqiu could finally see her surroundings. The ground consisted of distinct layers of dark-green, veined masses that resembled internal organs. A bottomless hole lay just a few steps away. If she had kept feeling her way forward when she entered, she might well have fallen into it.
Clumps of white spider silk covered the stone walls overhead. An enormous web clung to one section, with a face suspended in the darkness at its center. That handsome face looked weak, its eyes closed in rest.
Sensing Xu Zhiqiu's gaze, Naraku opened his eyes and looked at the woman standing a short distance below him. "Qiu, you're awake."
"Hah." Xu Zhiqiu gave a cold scoff without answering him.
Naraku knew Xu Zhiqiu was angry. She must have learned about what he had done at Inuyama Castle from Kanna and Kagura. He let out a soft chuckle. "Have you come to settle accounts with me?"
Xu Zhiqiu turned her face away from him and said, "I'm not worried about them."
"Oh." Then she was worried about him.
A huge tentacle emerged