Just as in the original story:
Inuyasha, Kagome, and the others still encountered the human girl Ogi during their journey downstream to the east.
The girl was attacked by a Spiderhead demon and fell from a ten-meter-high cliff beside the river.
Fortunately, Inuyasha moved like the wind. In a flash, he caught the thirteen- or fourteen-year-old girl effortlessly in a bridal carry. Otherwise, she would have been killed or crippled.
At first, she was deeply grateful to Inuyasha.
But the moment she looked up and saw his dog ears, her expression changed.
Thinking Inuyasha was a demon, she promptly repaid his kindness with hostility.
Only after Kagome and Li Xia persuaded the girl to sit down and everyone talked things through did they learn that she, too, had suffered a miserable fate.
Half a month earlier, several nearby villages had been attacked by swarms of demons called Spiderheads.
"They're utterly vile demons. They usually build their nests inside human bodies and live on human flesh. Those bastards then control the corpses they've nested in, turning them into walking dead. My parents were killed by those scum..."
As Ogi spoke, hatred filled her face.
Hearing this, Kagome felt a surge of pity.
"So that's what happened... um, Inuyasha, Mr. Xia, why don't we help Ogi?"
As far as she was concerned, with Inuyasha's strength, dealing with lowly Spiderhead demons would be child's play. Surely slaying demons along the way was a good thing.
Besides, the Spiderheads had mobilized and attacked so many human villages half a month ago because news of the Shikon Shards had spread from this area. In other words, the deaths of Ogi's parents and the other villagers were, to some extent, collateral damage. She bore at least some responsibility.
Inuyasha, however, remained unmoved.
Crossing his arms over his chest, he asked:
"Did you sense any Shikon Shards?"
His objective was clear.
His head was clear, too.
Kagome, on the other hand, said quietly, sounding uncertain, "I don't think that Spiderhead had a Shikon Shard..."
"Then let's go. We have to cross this mountain and find somewhere relatively safe to camp before sunset."
With that, Inuyasha stood up.
Right now, he had no desire to invite trouble.
Tonight was the new moon night.
In the past, when he had always been alone, he would already have been looking for a safe place to spend the night by this time.
"Inuyasha, there are demons here! How can we just leave?"
Feeling guilty, Kagome didn't want to stand by and do nothing.
Before Two-Dog could reply, Li Xia gave a light cough.
"Ahem. Higurashi, Inuyasha might be right this time!"
"Mr. Xia?"
The girl looked rather taken aback.
She hated having to put up with Inuyasha's moods; the two of them seemed born to clash! But she did have to give some consideration to the opinion of her grandfather's savior, a classmate who had come from the modern world alongside her.
"Higurashi, have you ever really learned about half-demons? Especially at a sensitive time like today! And do you know anything about this Ogi girl, whose background we know nothing about? Do you know her master, or how that monk feels about us and Inuyasha?"
"Mr. Xia, is something wrong?"
As a complete novice in spiritual practice, Kagome was quite humble when it came to such matters.
Ogi, meanwhile, was not pleased.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean? What do you mean, you know nothing about my background? My master took me in when I had nowhere to go. He's the kindest, nicest person there is! Why would he discriminate against anyone? Stop slandering him!"
"Really? If the Spiderheads have been active in this area for half a month, why haven't you ever mentioned those scum attacking the temple where you and your master live? Don't you think that's a little too convenient? Surely the old monk isn't so powerful that every Spiderhead is afraid of him?
"If he is that powerful, why couldn't he detect the movement of demonic energy? Why did he end up sitting by while your village and all the neighboring villages were slaughtered?
"Heh. How very kind of him!
"Besides, Spiderheads travel in swarms, yet you only encountered one just now. It appeared right in front of us, then immediately vanished without a trace! What a coincidence! Tsk, tsk..."
Li Xia said no more.
But he had already made his point perfectly clear.
Anyone who wasn't an idiot could tell he was warning them that something was wrong with that temple.
"You... if you won't help, fine! But how dare you slander my master! You bastard!"
Ogi sprang to her feet in anger.
Li Xia was utterly unmoved by the girl's furious words. Instead, he exchanged a glance with Inuyasha, as though the two understood each other without speaking.
Clearly, having begun his life of wandering more than two hundred years ago, Inuyasha was extremely vigilant.
He, too, had felt that this human girl's appearance was far too convenient, as if something had deliberately lured her to them. And there was something wrong with that temple. When villages were attacked, the monks at nearby temples or the shrine maidens stationed in those villages would surely be the first targets.
Yet several surrounding villages were gone, while the old monk remained.
No matter how he looked at it, something felt off.
I only sensed that something was wrong just now. I never thought through all those details. But this classmate of Kagome's not only pointed out exactly what was wrong, he even seemed to guess that I'd lose my fighting strength on the new moon night...
Can he really be that sharp?
While Inuyasha was thinking, Li Xia had already moved beside Kagome and whispered almost directly into her ear:
"For some half-demons, their demon blood goes dormant on the new moon night, turning them into ordinary humans. Others are human by day and demons by night. Of course, there are other cases, too. I don't know exactly which kind Inuyasha is, but I'd never gamble with a companion's safety..."
His voice was quiet, but Inuyasha hadn't lost his Demon Power yet.
So Two-Dog still caught the gist of it.
Inuyasha's gaze sharpened, his expression growing incredibly complicated. This guy is impressive. He actually figured out when I'm vulnerable!
After learning this, Kagome's lips parted in surprise.
She also understood why Inuyasha was acting so unlike himself.
After all, normally, once she'd gone that far, Inuyasha would have casually agreed to investigate. Mere low-level demons were nothing to this companion of hers. Today, however, he was unusually reluctant to invite trouble.
Putting that together with what Li Xia had said,
she immediately felt a pang of guilt.
"Inuyasha, are you really going to have that tonight?"
Two-Dog replied, "Hmph!"
That single snort spoke volumes.
"But Ogi was just attacked by a Spiderhead. Wouldn't it be dangerous for her to go back like this?"
Kagome still couldn't believe there was anything suspicious about this seemingly innocent, guileless younger girl.
"I'm going back. I don't want a demon's help! And I don't need your fake concern!"
Ogi turned and walked away.
Seeing this, the little fox demon Shippo grew unhappy.
"Hey, girl! Kagome was trying to help you out of kindness. Aren't you being awfully ungrateful?"
"Shut up."
In the end,
the group still set off toward the temple.
Li Xia and Kagome each carried a small backpack.
Inuyasha, meanwhile, reluctantly carried Ogi on his back.
There was no helping it. When leaving, the girl had chosen to climb the ten-meter-high cliff beside the river, only to fall from it.
This time, Inuyasha had been distracted and hadn't caught her in a bridal carry in time, leaving her with a sprained ankle.
Out here in the wilderness, something really might happen to her at night if they didn't take her back to the temple.
Li Xia could only sigh inwardly.
He had already tried so hard to help Kagome avoid danger.
Yet things had gone against his wishes...
It was as though Kagome and Inuyasha were destined to face this ordeal!
Before you continue