Crossover: A Different Inuyasha.

Unlike the bustling activity in Rashomon, the construction pace in Zenken, which is primarily human-based, is much more leisurely.

There were no monster-like sounds of splitting mountains and cracking rocks on the construction site, only the sounds of axes and saws echoing in the mountain wind.

The men, who had been bandits and demon accomplices, were being diverted from the main force and were now chopping down trees with axes. Their movements were clumsy, and they had plenty of strength but lacked skill.

After a few swings of the axe, the cut on the tree trunk was jagged and uneven, like it had been gnawed by a dog. Several villagers from Maple Village who had come to provide technical guidance had to squat down and carefully trim it with machetes.

Some unskilled bachelors were also assigned to Zenkenkyo to do manual labor.

Under the guidance of the villagers of Maple Village, they cleared bushes, moved stones, and leveled the land, preparing to cultivate new fields.

"Let me lead everyone through it again." At the edge of the open space, a villager taught them how to distinguish which soil was suitable for plowing and which land needed to be burned to allow the weeds to grow.

Several piles of dry shrubs were gathered together. A flint and steel was struck, and sparks flew into the dry leaves. First, a wisp of smoke rose, and then orange-red tongues of fire shot out, crackling and licking the vines and grass roots.

Ashes and steam rose together, swirling and dispersing in the morning breeze.

"Don't just stand there—bring in the grass from the outside too, the more evenly it cooks, the better."

The villagers shouted instructions.

The men raised long poles and turned the burning haystacks to make the fire more even. The soil underneath was baked slightly black, and the moisture and grass seeds dissipated in the heat.

The air was filled with a dry yet warm, smoky aroma, mixed with the moist scent of the earth being baked, as if the earth was being awakened from its slumber.

The ashes of the plants were scattered all over the ground, the fine and warm ash covering the dark brown soil like a dark velvet blanket.

Mixing this wood ash into the soil and then tilling it will make it the most cost-effective base fertilizer for the following year.

"Well done. Next spring when we plant, and in the autumn when we harvest, everyone will be able to eat the food they grew themselves."

Hearing these simple words and seeing the genuine smiles on the villagers' faces, these men from diverse backgrounds gathered around the fire felt a deep sense of being recognized and appreciated.

Like a piece of scrap metal that has been discarded in a corner for a long time, now someone finally hands you a whetstone and says, "You can try to become useful again."

"Inuyasha, is this what you call the 'Scum Rehabilitation Program'?"

A clear, crisp sound came from under the tree.

Inuyasha stood on a treetop, his silver hair gently swaying in the morning breeze.

He was gazing at Zenkenkyo in the distance, bathed in sunlight—in the initial plans, the city was now less than two thousand acres.

It is still a long way from the human capital city that the silver-haired half-demon envisions, a city that can accommodate a million people and integrate commerce, agriculture, education, culture, and more.

Inuyasha heard the sound and tilted his head slightly to look down.

Maple stood under the tree, looking up at him. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled patterns of light on the witch's eye patch.

"Want to come up and take a look?"

Inuyasha patted the branch next to him.

Kaede hesitated for a moment, then lifted the hem of her shrine maiden outfit, stepped on the rough knots on the tree trunk, and climbed up in a few quick movements, sitting on a branch next to Inuyasha.

"They were originally mountain bandits, prisoners of war, traitors who betrayed their own people, and people who were terrified by monsters."

Inuyasha glanced at the priestess's right eye, then looked at Zenkikyo in the distance.

"If you try to preach about righteousness to them, they won't understand; if you ask them to sacrifice themselves for others, they'll just think you're crazy."

"But if you give them a real meal, and the hope that they can have another bowl of food tomorrow, and let them know that what they do can be rewarded, they will stand up straight on their own."

Inuyasha, whose moral compass moves at will, reflects the figures of laborers in the distance in his golden eyes. "I didn't intend to make them good people, I just wanted them to feel that they are useful people again."

What he didn't say was that this so-called "reform" was actually intended to motivate these labor reformers, turning them from passive workers into active contributors.

They want to create greater value for Lord Inuyasha within their limited lives.

As for those that you can't get used to no matter how you feed them, or that you can't understand no matter how you explain it—then there's a problem with their thinking.

The inevitable outcome is that it becomes a chicken to be slaughtered, so that the monkeys nearby can clearly see what it means to "have food to eat" and "not have the life to eat".

A big stick and a sweet treat—this is essential management knowledge for those in positions of power.

Feng looked at the hardworking people, then his gaze fell back on the handsome profile of the silver-haired half-demon beside him. "Sometimes when you talk, you actually sound quite human."

Inuyasha tilted his head, narrowed his eyes, and said, "...Are you praising me or insulting me?"

The priestess snorted, ignoring him, and looked further into the distance, asking, "Those samurai... they must be the guards of the nearby lord, right? What are they doing here?"

Inuyasha followed her gaze.

On a forest path outside Zenkenkyo, more than thirty samurai dressed in worn-out dōmaru were patrolling along the designated border.

Leading the way was a middle-aged samurai with a few strands of gray hair peeking out from under his helmet. His hands, gripping the sword, were strong and powerful, clearly indicating a life spent licking blood from the edge of a knife.

"Oh, you mean them?"

"Perhaps people in the neighborhood were worried and came to check on things."

Inuyasha chuckled calmly.

"We've been making a huge commotion by carving out land and building cities in Musashi Province, including relocation and burning of wasteland. The surrounding lords aren't blind or deaf; they can't possibly pretend not to know."

"They can patrol as they please, as long as they don't cross the line, we don't need to worry about them for now."

"Once Shan Jianjing is established, we'll think about how to deal with them."

Feng glanced at Inuyasha, who was pretending to be stupid, his eyes twitched, he hesitated to speak, but in the end he couldn't hold back.

"...This isn't right, is it?"

"Those samurai weren't just here on patrol—three days ago, they also sent a shipment of grain to Zenkenkyo."

"These armored warriors also deserve much credit for making those people obedient."

After she finished speaking, she stared at Inuyasha, waiting for him to give an explanation.

But Er Gouzi had a "Oh, is that so?" look on his face.

"Perhaps they see that I'm about to accomplish something unprecedented and unparalleled, and want to join in?"

Inuyasha turned his head away, not letting Kaede see his face as he suppressed a laugh, and said in a surprised tone, "The food was on the ground, and I figured nobody wanted it, so I had someone pick it up."

"Inuyasha, stop your pathetic performance! If you don't want to tell me, just say so!"

Maple raised his foot to kick Inuyasha, but the latter easily dodged it.

"If I find out you've done anything wrong, don't blame me for turning against your family!"

Inuyasha protested, "I only know how to fight the strong and help the weak, robbing the rich to give to the poor!"