The Twelve Trials Starting from Zero

She also saw the current situation clearly. Rather than putting everyone in danger, she decided to temporarily comply and listen to what this person had to say.

"Kagome!!"

"Alright, Inuyasha, this person doesn't seem to have any ill intentions, so let me talk to him."

"How can I trust someone of unknown origin? I will never agree to this!" Inuyasha glared at Su Qi. "You despicable man, don't drag Kagome into this, come at me directly!"

"Inuyasha..." Kagome sighed wearily as she looked at the persistent and nagging man, and said, "Sit down!"

Bang! Someone fell to the ground, and the world finally quieted down.

……

Afterwards, in order to appease Inuyasha and Miroku, Su Qi took Kagome to a nearby place and began to talk within their surveillance range.

"Inuyasha is about to die."

He got straight to the point, dropping a bombshell that stunned Kagome.

"Eh?! ...

"I probably have a few more days of good life left," Su Qi said truthfully, but with a hint of alarmism, "if we don't handle things properly."

"What happened?" Kagome immediately became anxious. "Can you tell me?"

"Because Kikyo will be coming to kill Inuyasha in the next few days."

"Huh? But...didn't Miss Kikyo fall off the hillside?"

"He's not dead yet. I saved him, and he's fully recovered now, preparing to take revenge on Inuyasha."

"Miss Kikyo has misunderstood!" she exclaimed angrily, filled with righteous indignation. "Fifty years ago, it wasn't Inuyasha who hurt her, but Naraku!"

“I know, and I investigated Naraku and told her about it, but that’s not what she cares about most. She still insists on killing Inuyasha, so I came to find you.”

Kagome asked with some confusion, "You know? Have we known each other before? And you should be on Kikyo's side, right? Why are you helping Inuyasha?"

"For some reason, I've been investigating and hunting down Naraku, and then I heard about you from some demons. As for why I saved Inuyasha... you've misunderstood. I didn't want to save Inuyasha, but Kikyo."

"Huh? Isn't Inuyasha the one who's going to be killed?"

“But Kikyo’s goal was to perish together with Inuyasha.” Su Qi sighed softly. “And I didn’t want that to happen, so I came to find you, Kikyo’s reincarnation, Kagome.”

"Is that so?" Kagome lowered her head and thought for a moment, then looked at Su Qi with a strange expression. "Um... we've only known each other for a little over ten days, why are you going to such lengths for Kikyo-san?"

"Sigh..." Su Qi sighed deeply, switching into his "actor mode," his face weathered, his eyes melancholic and affectionate, his voice filled with helplessness and sorrow as he said, "As the saying goes, what is love in this world that makes people willing to die for each other... To be honest, although it has only been a little over ten days, I have already been deeply attracted by Miss Kikyo's beautiful figure."

“I know very well that this relationship will not have a future, but I still can’t help but feel moved by it… Miss Kagome, please keep this a secret for me and don’t tell anyone else.”

Women are emotional creatures and gossips too. Hearing this, even Kagome's eyes lit up, and she became inexplicably excited. She quickly nodded and said, "I understand. Please rest assured, I will definitely not tell anyone else."

At the same time, I couldn't help but feel sorry for Su Qi, who was secretly in love with Kikyo and whose love was likely unrequited. The barriers and doubts in my heart suddenly lessened a lot.

"In short, Miss Kagome, I need your help to ensure the safety of Kikyo and Inuyasha."

Getting back to the main point, Kagome became worried again, "But... what can I do? It seems there's no room for me to intervene between those two."

"Don't underestimate yourself," Su Qi encouraged confidently. "I heard you were able to retrieve your soul from Kikyo on your own, and you'll definitely be able to protect Inuyasha from her this time too. There should still be a connection between your souls, and that connection is centered on you. Besides, Kikyo will likely set up a barrier to lure Inuyasha in, keeping you outside while she perishes alone with him."

"But because our souls are essentially the same, her barrier should be ineffective against you. Also, as long as you are here, Inuyasha won't be easily distracted by Kikyo and won't be able to find a weakness... These are things that only you can do."

"Really?" Kagome asked, somewhat uncertainly. "Can I really keep Kikyo in check? Would Inuyasha really care about me in front of Kikyo?"

"Of course, Inuyasha cares about you a lot, which is why he was so nervous when I wanted to talk to you earlier, wasn't it?"

At this moment, Su Qi transformed into a caring older brother and a love mentor, constantly encouraging the girl who was deeply troubled by love. "Miss Kagome, in my opinion, you just lack confidence too much. You and I are different. Kikyo's time has stopped before her death, and she is very devoted, so I can't enter her heart; but Inuyasha is indecisive in matters of the heart, and he obviously has feelings for you. In addition, considering Kikyo's own disadvantages, you actually have more advantages."

"Huh? Is that so?"

Kagome blushed, feeling incredibly embarrassed to discuss such matters with a strange man. However, upon reflection, what he said seemed to make sense. Inuyasha had indeed recently said something akin to a confession, "I hope you'll always stay by my side." So… did Inuyasha really like her?

Seeing the girl hesitate, Su Qi added fuel to the fire, "Miss Kagome, life is short, and those who don't strive for it can't grasp happiness. Don't deceive yourself. Ask yourself honestly, can you imagine life without Inuyasha? Can you accept Inuyasha dying with Kikyo? Don't you want to stay by Inuyasha's side forever? All of this is to save Inuyasha."

"To save Inuyasha...?"

After murmuring softly, Ge Wei lowered her head and pondered, remaining silent for a long time.

She thought a lot, struggled a lot, her mind was full of thoughts and ideas, but in the end she couldn't deceive her own heart... Even if Kikyo saw her as a shameless woman, even if Inuyasha couldn't forget Kikyo, she... still wanted to stay by his side forever.

"I will do my best." Finally, Kagome raised her head and looked at Su Qi with a firm gaze, "I want to save Inuyasha, please tell me what to do."

……

Afterwards, Su Qi explained to Kagome in great detail all of Kikyo's possible actions and various countermeasures, making preparations as thoroughly as possible.

Only after the latter indicated that he had written everything down did he say goodbye and prepare to leave.

But at that moment, his eyes suddenly flashed, he drew his sword and slashed, a blade of energy swept through the air, instantly cutting off a small section of the tree canopy five or six meters away.

Then, in a flash, he appeared beside the fallen branch. Looking down, he saw a wasp-like creature with large red eyes and a brightly patterned abdomen, struggling among the leaves. It had been cut in half, yet it was still alive, displaying remarkable resilience.

The most powerful of all, a demonic insect controlled by Naraku...

Because of the deep impression he made, he recognized the demon insect's identity at a glance.

Chapter Seventy When You Gaze Upon Naraku

"What happened?"

Hearing the commotion, Miroku and Inuyasha rushed over immediately, and Kagome also came closer.

"This is the most ferocious of all, a poisonous insect driven by Naraku..."

Su Qiyi and the others looked at the poisonous insects that were gradually dying on the ground, and frowned slightly, saying, "It seems that you have been monitored by Naraku."

As he spoke, he wondered in his mind whether he had given himself away.

Logically, since the monitoring insects were killed, the message shouldn't be transmitted back. However, this is a mystical world, and who knows if Naraku has methods like sharing vision? Although Saimakatsu didn't demonstrate similar abilities in the original work, and the events that have occurred so far are unrelated to the original story, there's no guarantee that things will remain the same in the future.

After all, it's still the early stages of the story, and even if there are changes, the impact won't take long to develop and expand.

If he were exposed, Su Qi would have to be extra careful with his future actions. His plan was to take advantage of his intelligence superiority, gather superior forces, and take Naraku out in one fell swoop; but if he aroused the target's suspicion beforehand, the plan would be subject to many unfortunate variables.

"That Naraku guy, he really is a persistent ghost."

"Using such flying insects to secretly monitor others is really difficult to detect. We need to be more careful in the future."

Discovering they were being constantly monitored by the enemy, Inuyasha was furious and wanted to settle scores with Naraku, while Miroku looked grim and his heart was heavy. The fact that their every move was under enemy surveillance was an extremely disadvantageous situation, and worse still, they had no effective means to counter it.

When it comes to killing, one of the biggest advantages of the most ferocious insect monsters is their sheer numbers. There might be other most ferocious monsters lurking around right now, but they are just too far away to be detected. Moreover, they also have the ability to fly, making them extremely troublesome. As for striking first, although these insect monsters are larger than ordinary insects, they are still not very conspicuous, and they don't make much noise when they fly. If you're not constantly on guard, it's hard to detect them... However, human energy is limited, and it's easier said than done to be constantly vigilant.

“It’s because your training isn’t enough…” Su Qi said, turning to look at Inuyasha, “Especially Inuyasha, your swordsmanship is practically indistinguishable from hammer fighting. If you really want to protect your comrades, I suggest you work harder.”

"What did you say?" Er Gouzi instantly bristled. "You bastard, do you want to fight me again?"

"No, no, no, a fight that yields nothing is pointless. I really don't want to waste my time."

"Damn it! Are you implying that I'm too weak?!"

Su Qi's body trembled, his face filled with shock and disbelief as he exclaimed, "Impossible! You actually recognized it!?"

"Aaaaaaah! I'm going to kill you!"

Enraged, Er Gouzi went into a berserk state, yelling as he charged at Su Qi, only to be instantly killed by a single "Sit down," collapsing to the ground.

Looking down at the dog lying in front of him with its rear end sticking out in an unseemly posture, Su Qi calmly said, "Inuyasha, what I just said wasn't just to look down on you. Think carefully about how to properly use your demon sword."

The reason he said that was actually to remind Inuyasha to master the Wind Scar earlier and cause more trouble for Naraku. However, since he couldn't explain how he knew how to use the Wind Scar, he could only hint at it indirectly and let Inuyasha figure it out on his own.

"Alright, let's end this meeting here."

Before leaving, Su Qi specifically instructed Kagome, "Miss Kagome, please keep our conversation a secret for me."

The previous conversation had revealed his unusual behavior: as a stranger, he knew far too much, and even his attempts to cover it up with excuses were somewhat flimsy. Kagome might not care about this, but someone as perceptive as Miroku would naturally notice it.

Even if he noticed it, it might not cause him much trouble, but since it can be avoided, why invite trouble upon himself?

"Don't worry, I will definitely keep it a secret for you!"

Kagome's eyes sparkled, and she nodded vigorously with an expression of understanding. In her mind, she thought Su Qi was referring to his "unrequited love" for Kikyo.

"Also, please don't tell anyone that I came to see you."

Su Qi then looked at Miroku, who nodded in agreement and said he would do some ideological work with Inuyasha later.

"Then, we'll meet again someday."

He said goodbye one last time and then turned and left.

So… I'll spend the next few days wandering around the area, hoping to find a Shikon Jewel shard, and also try to find out about Naraku… I remember the person Naraku replaced was named Hitotsukushika… Also, I need to find a place to hide the two Shikon Jewel shards I have on me, otherwise Kikyo will be able to sense their location once she gets nearby, and my lie will be exposed…

As Su Qi pondered, he strolled forward, his figure gradually disappearing from the group's sight.

……

In a certain castle, a dark side hall is deliberately covered with bamboo curtains to block out the sunlight.

Just as Su Qi slew the fiercest beast, the man sitting against the wall in the shadows slowly opened his eyes.

He was tall and slender with delicate features, deep black eyes, and long, seaweed-like hair. He wore a dark blue kimono with wide sleeves and a purple blouse. Although he looked handsome, he had an inexplicable, chilling aura about him, like a poisonous spider weaving its web in the shadows, quietly waiting for its prey to come to it.

"Who is that man?"

Naraku narrowed his eyes, recalling the scene he had witnessed through Saimōshō. His gaze flickered as he pondered: "To defeat Inuyasha and the others, he must be incredibly strong… Defeated but not seriously injured, he's a friend, not an enemy… He knows of Saimōshō and me, Naraku, and his expression was hostile when he spoke of me… Hmph, another human who wants to be my enemy…"

The fiercest beast didn't hear Su Qi and Kagome's conversation; it only saw him fighting with Inuyasha and the others. It tried to get closer to eavesdrop but was killed. Even so, with the limited information it had, it could easily deduce some things.

"That person won't appear for no reason. There should be more interesting things happening on Inuyasha's side soon..."

Naraku pondered, then lowered his head, looking at the Shikon Jewel he had collected about a quarter of in his palm. A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips. "Heh, you want to kill me? Then come on, continue to hate me, Naraku, and let me see what you're capable of."

For some reason, he now possesses significantly more Shikon Jewels than he did at the same time in the original story.

boom!

Suddenly, a strange noise came from inside the hall.

The sound came from Naraku's side, where two large, colorful urns, each about half the height of an adult, were placed side by side in the corner.

"Don't rush..." As if he was used to the voice, he slowly turned his head and said calmly, "You'll be out soon."

……

A few days later, in Maple Village.

"Huh? This is... the smell of bellflower! How is this possible? Didn't bellflower fall off the cliff?"