The Twelve Trials Starting from Zero

“This is troublesome…” He frowned slightly, then looked at Kikyo, “Kikyo, can you purify the Shikon Jewel shards?”

The latter remained silent, simply reaching out and touching the bag containing the Shikon Jewel.

The next moment, a pure and flawless spiritual energy exploded, and the Shikon Jewel fragments in the bag, which had been flashing with an eerie light, instantly became as clear as ordinary crystal. Su Qi also felt a moment of dizziness, as if a layer of dust had been washed away from his mind, and his thoughts suddenly became clear and active.

"I have temporarily purified the Shikon Jewel, but it is not a cure. I will have to purify it again every now and then."

He thought for a moment and said, "How about we separate the Shikon Jewel and put half of it on you?"

Kikyo glanced at him and shook her head slightly. "No need. It's safer for you to have it. Just let me purify it once a day. But you'd better remember that if you use the Shikon Jewel, your spiritual power will be corrupted faster, and the more fragments you use, the faster the corruption will increase."

"I understand, thank you for reminding me."

Afterwards, the two discussed the issue of getting rid of Naraku's surveillance.

“Let’s go into a town,” Su Qi suggested. “We can’t follow the most powerful forces into densely populated towns. We can disguise ourselves there and leave quietly. If we keep going like this, even if we find out Naraku’s whereabouts, he will avoid us in advance.”

Kikyo agreed.

That afternoon, the two entered a nearby city, changed into ordinary traveler's clothes, disguised themselves as a couple, and quietly left, successfully escaping Naraku's surveillance.

However, this behavior naturally provoked Naraku, who had been watching their actions closely.

"Heh, deliberately entering the town to escape surveillance, are you coming for me?"

In the dimly lit hall draped with bamboo curtains, Naraku, having discovered the disappearance of the two, curled a cold smile at the corner of his lips and said to the kimono-clad woman who was idly gazing out the window, "Kagura, didn't you want to go out for a walk? Now, I'll give you a chance."

"Oh, didn't you say you'd observe for now?"

“That’s enough. Besides, they have too many Shikon Jewels, and we can’t let them collect them any longer. Moreover, those two are likely secretly investigating our location, and I don’t want to be caught off guard by them.”

"So what do you want to do?"

"Go find a black witch named Chun. I think she would be happy to help us deal with our old enemies. Then spread the word that monsters will attack Granny Feng's village, forcing them to take action and reappear under my nose."

As he spoke, his gaze deepened, his eyes gradually turning cold. "Of course, it would be best if we could take them down along with Inuyasha and his gang this time."

Chapter Seventy-Five: Early Bento

Nighttime, in a village not far from the city.

In exchange for helping to exorcise a small demon, Su Qi and Kikyo escaped Naraku's surveillance and temporarily stayed at the home of a wealthy family in the village.

With the paper door open, Su Qi, sipping tea and admiring the night view of the Japanese-style room facing the courtyard, said, “As far as I know, Naraku is currently possessing the young lord of a certain city. His family name is ‘Hitomi,’ and the possessed person is named Hitomi Yin Dao. However, we’ve searched almost all of Musashi Province these past few days without finding him. Let’s start looking at neighboring countries tomorrow.”

Kikyo sat on the other side, silently training the newly tamed Soul Insects without saying a word.

Su Qi shook his head, about to say something more, when suddenly his expression changed slightly and he stood up.

Almost simultaneously, Kikyo also quickly got up, walked out of the Japanese-style room, stood in front of the corridor railing, and looked up at the sky.

A moment later, a large patch of dark clouds rolled in, obscuring the stars and the moon. It happened to drift over the house, carrying the howls of countless monsters. After circling in the nearby sky for a while, it flew away into the distance.

"Such a dense demonic aura! There must be at least several hundred demons gathered here." Su Qi stood side by side with Kikyo, watching the demonic cloud gradually disappear into the distance, and frowned. "Why are so many demons gathered together? What are they planning to do?"

"That's the direction of the village." Kikyo looked thoughtfully in the direction the demon had left.

"The direction of the village? Wait, you mean the village you used to live in?"

She nodded and looked at Su Qi, "What should we do?"

The latter pondered for a moment but did not answer. He simply said, "After all, it's the village where you've lived for fifty years. You still have some feelings for it, don't you?"

Kikyo remained silent, simply watching Su Qi quietly.

The latter sighed softly, "You want to go and see, right? If it weren't for that, you wouldn't have specifically asked me what to do. And given your personality, you couldn't possibly remain indifferent and watch so many monsters die, could you?"

Kikyo remained silent, but her expression clearly indicated her agreement.

In the end, Su Qi said, "Then let's go. After all, this matter is very likely aimed at us, and we also bear responsibility."

"You mean... Naraku?"

"Hmph, we just escaped Naraku's surveillance, and on the same day, a demon attacked the village. It happened to pass by our area and circled around several times to attract our attention... Rather than a coincidence, I'm more inclined to believe that it was a deliberate design to lure us out."

He immediately realized that this was probably a trap, but he had no choice but to step into it.

Firstly, Kikyo wouldn't ignore this matter; secondly, this matter was caused by them, so they also bear some responsibility; thirdly, Naraku's actions were probably not simply to lure them out, but to set an ambush and kill them. Otherwise, after scattering those demons, they could continue to disguise themselves and lie in wait, and it would be difficult to kill them with just those small-time demons, so Naraku would definitely intervene... In this way, Su Qi might actually obtain more information and find an opportunity to follow the clues.

Of course, all of this is based on the premise that Su Qi has a save-loading cheat and is not afraid of death at all. Otherwise, let alone the villagers of Maple Village, even if Inuyasha and the others were killed, he would be oblivious to everything else and only focus on reading the magic book.

But that old bastard Naraku really does stop at nothing to achieve his goals...

In the original work, perhaps due to the protection of Takahashi, Kaede Village, despite being Inuyasha and his companions' weak base, was rarely targeted by Naraku. However, in the Inuyasha world that has evolved into reality, Naraku, the ruthless and vicious boss, is clearly not so kind.

"Without further ado, let's follow them immediately."

Once he made a decision, Su Qi acted swiftly and decisively.

Soon, the two finished preparing their gear. Su Qi stood in front of Kikyō with his back to her, slightly bent his knees, patted her back, and gestured for her to climb up.

But Kikyo didn't move; she just looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“You’re too slow, we can’t catch up.” Su Qi said calmly, in a businesslike tone, “If you don’t want to be a step too late and see the village slaughtered by the monsters, then let me take you after them. Or do you think I have ulterior motives? Don’t worry, I have no interest in your body made from grave soil and ashes.”

To be honest, he really wasn't interested in Kikyo's body. Because of Ruri's experience, he didn't want to develop a relationship with any other woman beyond friendship or companionship for the time being. So, since they met, he had repeatedly defined their relationship as "companionship" or "partnership" in their conversations, in order to subtly remind her of this.

Although this behavior may seem a bit narcissistic, so be it. It's better than him being irresponsible and becoming a scumbag.

Having said that, Kikyo wasn't one to be coy, so she immediately climbed onto Su Qi's back and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Hold on tight, we're coming."

Deliberately ignoring the icy yet soft and delicate touch behind him, and the faint, lingering fragrance in his nose and mouth, Su Qi leaped out of the house with all his might. Facing the night wind, carrying Kikyo on his back, he ran under the moonlight, quickly chasing after the direction where Yao Yun had left.

……

The next morning, in Maple Village.

A sudden monster attack turned this once peaceful village into a battlefield.

Now, the village is littered with corpses, many of them villagers', but many more of them monsters'. Wooden houses are stained red with blood and crushed by the grotesque, enormous demon corpses. The scene is one of utter devastation, with flames raging everywhere, resembling a living hell.

In the grand mansion of a wealthy family in the village, the last survivors gathered, protected by a barrier erected by Miroku and Granny Kaede. Kagome also hid inside, occasionally firing arrows, while outside, Inuyasha and another woman dressed in a specially made black battle suit continuously slayed demons and defended against the siege of the demons.

Her name is Sango. She is tall and beautiful, with long, glossy black hair tied in a single ponytail that hangs down her back. She was originally an exorcist who specialized in killing demons, but recently, due to Naraku's mischief, she became Inuyasha's companion and is determined to seek revenge on Naraku.

Yes, while monitoring Su Qi and Kikyo, Naraku, that troublemaker who can't stand not causing trouble, was up to something again. However, this time, with Su Qi and Kikyo under pressure, he no longer had the leisure to personally participate in the drama. Instead, he directly lured a large number of demons to attack the exorcist village and took the opportunity to steal the Shikon Jewel shards enshrined in the village.

Although Inuyasha and his group received a message from the demon Myoga and arrived at the village at the last moment, they only managed to save Sango. The rest of the villagers had already been killed by the demons.

This plot development, which differs from the original work, resulted in the loss of Kohaku, the younger brother of Sango who was supposed to be resurrected by the Shikon Jewel. He died in battle along with the others and was buried in the village.

"No, there are too many demons, Inuyasha and the others can't hold on much longer!"

Inside the barrier, Kagome stood by the window and saw Inuyasha and Sango being pushed back step by step. She hurriedly said, "Grandma Kaede, Master Miroku, what should we do next? Perhaps we should have Inuyasha and the others retreat into the barrier as well."

"No! Without Inuyasha and the others relieving the pressure, the barrier will break immediately!"

“There’s no other way…” Maitreya said with a bitter smile, “We probably can’t hold this place any longer. I’ll go out and open the wind cave later, and you can take the opportunity to escape with your men. Let as many as you can get away.”

"But Master Maitreya, your Wind Cave isn't..."

"It's okay, I can still manage."

At this point, Kagome was at a loss for what to do. She could only watch the battle outside, her heart filled with worry, silently praying that Inuyasha and the others would defeat the demons. She occasionally fired an arrow, but because of her poor aim, it had little effect.

A moment later, the situation worsened. Just as Inuyasha and Sango were wounded and on the verge of collapse, a demon-slaying arrow suddenly shot out and blasted a gap in the encirclement of the demons with a loud bang.

Chapter 76 No monster can cross the line of my sword.

boom!!

The spiritual energy exploded, sending bits of flesh flying everywhere. With just one arrow, the dozen or so monsters that had gathered together were blasted into pieces.

"Kikyo!?"

In the midst of the fierce battle, Inuyasha's expression suddenly changed. He turned his head and saw Su Qi carrying Kikyo, rushing in through the gap in the demon horde.

"Inuyasha, don't get distracted during the battle!"

A V-shaped boomerang, as big as an adult, suddenly swept past, cleaving a monster that had quietly approached him from behind in two.

Inuyasha immediately snapped out of his daze, no longer daring to be distracted. He casually thanked Sango and continued fighting the demon.

Soon, Su Qi rushed forward with Kikyo, brushing past the two who were struggling to hold them off.

Damn it! What exactly is that guy's relationship with Kikyo...?

Thinking about how Kikyo had been lying on another man's back, indifferently ignoring him, Inuyasha felt inexplicably annoyed, but he didn't dare to cause trouble for Su Qi while surrounded by the demons, so he could only sulk in his heart.

On the other side, seeing the two approaching, Miroku and Granny Feng took the initiative to release the barrier, allowing Su Qi and Kikyo to enter the house.

"Miss Kikyo, are you here to help?"

"Sister Kikyo..."

When Kagome and Granny Kaede saw Kikyo standing before them again, their expressions differed. The former's expression was a mixture of hope, trepidation, and guilt, while the latter's was filled with nostalgia, though a hint of wariness remained deep in her eyes.

"Ah Feng, we meet again."

Kikyo glanced indifferently at Kagome, then turned her gaze to Granny Kaede.

"Yes, we meet again." The latter sighed as he formed hand seals to maintain the barrier. "Do you still have any attachment to this world? You should know that what happened fifty years ago was just a misunderstanding, right?"

Kikyo didn't answer, but turned to look at the villagers huddled in the corner and said calmly, "I only came to the village this time."

After saying that, he walked straight to Maitreya and Granny Feng, put down his bow and arrows, and sat down in front of them. "Now I will set up the barrier, and you will assist me."

They then formed hand seals, focused their minds, and powerful spiritual energy flowed throughout the entire mansion via the shimenawa ropes they had previously set up. The next moment, light burst forth, condensed, and a brand-new barrier enveloped the mansion.

On the other side, Su Qi walked up to Kagome, who looked somewhat downcast, and smiled, "Miss, what's wrong? Now is not the time to be down, is it?"

"sword……"

The latter was about to speak when he saw him raise his finger in a gesture. He immediately remembered his previous instructions, changed his words, and asked with a puzzled look, "Who are you?"

"I am Kenshin, you can just call me Kenshin."

Su Qi casually replied, his hand on his sword hilt as he looked out the window at the two still locked in fierce combat, "Why are so many monsters suddenly attacking the village? Have you noticed anything unusual?"

"It must have been that bastard Naraku who did this!" Kagome exclaimed angrily, her disappointment vanishing in an instant. "We suddenly discovered a lot of demons coming towards the village during our travels. We were worried that something bad was going to happen, so we rushed back immediately. Just then, we encountered the demons attacking the village and demanding that we hand over the Shikon Jewel."

"Later, Master Miroku tried to use his wind tunnel to suck all the monsters in, but Naraku's poisonous insects appeared and he was almost poisoned. We had no choice but to lead the rest of the people to escape into this place and defend it with the barrier, but we will soon be unable to hold it."