The Twelve Trials Starting from Zero

"Yes, Inuyasha. I have let go, so you should let go too."

Having said that, he walked straight ahead, expressionless, past Inuyasha, and headed out.

Inuyasha, I can't go any further. Leave on your own. Don't look back, and don't do anything you'll regret...

Sunlight cast a shadow at the cave entrance where vines hung down. As soon as Kikyo turned her back to Inuyasha, her expression softened in the dim light, and a faint sadness spread through her eyes.

Letting go—how easy is that? If she could easily let go of such a deeply etched emotion, she wouldn't be herself, and she certainly wouldn't have harbored such resentment upon her resurrection that she wanted to drag Inuyasha down to hell with her.

But unlike Inuyasha, she can make a clean break even when she knows it will hurt herself and others. That's why she has always deliberately kept her distance from Inuyasha and Kagome, and even today she bluntly warned Inuyasha to help his "love rival".

Kikyo's only remaining obsession in this world is to kill Naraku and atone for the mistake she made fifty years ago. The day Naraku is killed will be her day of liberation, and she desperately longs for that day to come as soon as possible.

……

After Inuyasha and the others returned, Su Qi and Kikyo only stayed for one day before leaving Kaede Village.

Unfortunately, the Kusanagi sword wasn't found in Kagome's warehouse. While Su Qi was somewhat disappointed at not getting a powerful demon sword for free, he wasn't particularly surprised. In his view, the settings in the theatrical version of *The Sword of World Domination* were somewhat incompatible with the original manga, so its absence was understandable.

Fortunately, on the other hand, obtaining the position of "Follow the Wind" from Mingjia meant it wasn't a complete loss.

I just don't know if we'll be able to see Shunfeng'er. With its abilities, if it didn't want to see us, it could easily have escaped beforehand...

With these worries in mind, the two arrived at the swamp where Shunfeng'er lived, and then... they unexpectedly and successfully met Shunfeng'er.

However, when Su Qi was about to ask a question, Shunfeng'er took the initiative to state his own conditions.

"Hehe, if you want to get information from me, please tell me your background first." He put his ear to Su Qi, his old face full of an interested smile. "I always thought there was nothing in this world that I, with my super hearing, didn't know, but I can't tell your background from your ears, so I'm very interested in it."

The preview says there are at most ten more chapters until the Inuyasha world ends. A world spanning a little over a hundred chapters shouldn't be too long, right?

Chapter 105 Pack it up and take it away

“Exchanging answers sounds fair…” Su Qi said, his face suddenly hardening. “But I refuse! Just as people of the same race have different content, the value of their answers is also different. If I accept your proposal, I will undoubtedly be the one who suffers.”

"Hehe, since that's the case, please leave." Shunfeng'er still chuckled, seemingly fearless, and said, "However, I'd like to give you a friendly reminder: Naraku is currently planning to harm you. If you miss this message, you'll regret it later."

It's bad for me... I can hear everything... I'll definitely regret missing this opportunity...

Su Qi's mind raced, and a vague thought crossed his mind, giving him an ominous premonition.

Despite this, he remained calm thanks to his ability to reload save files, and simply said expressionlessly, "Thank you for your threat. But since you've put it that way, we can't leave now."

"Oh, are you ready to answer my question?"

“Of course not…” Su Qi slowly drew his sword, a kind smile playing on his lips. “I’m going to turn you into a human Baidu, so you can ask me anything you don’t understand.”

"Interesting. You think you can threaten me, the Wind-Hearer, with your life? But little guy, do you think I've lived for hundreds of years just by hiding under the swamp and not showing myself? Since you dare to lay a knife on me, then be prepared to become part of the swamp!"

Shunfeng'er's kind and harmless smile, like that of an ordinary old man, instantly turned cold. Before his murderous words could even finish, large bubbles suddenly rose from the entire swamp beneath his feet, boiling and surging as if it were being boiled.

“I didn’t know before, but you really shouldn’t have shown your face this time.”

After Su Qi finished speaking, he took a step forward and slashed down with his sword.

The next moment, a powerful wave of blades burst forth, cleaving the earth and splitting the entire swamp in front of them in two.

Rumble rumble rumble...

Like Moses parting the sea, the water not far from Shunfeng'er was forcibly separated for a moment, revealing the filthy mud beneath, before crashing back together with a roar, sending up turbid waves splashing.

The air blast exploded, and the whole person rushed like a whirlwind across the water, splashing water underfoot, and in an instant rushed to Shunfeng'er's side.

"How is this possible!?" The blade had just struck him right beside him. Shunfeng'er was first slammed into the water by a huge wave, then emerged disheveled, looking utterly incredulous. "As far as I know, you shouldn't be this strong! Why! Why did you suddenly become so strong!?"

Clearly, even with his abilities, he couldn't have detected Su Qi's save-load upgrade, so he still considered Su Qi's strength to be at the level he displayed in the battle against Naraku. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so confident just now.

"That's not important. What's important is whether you want to live or die?" Su Qi said coldly, his whole body exuding murderous aura. "If you want to live, get over here right now. If you want to die, I'll strike again. This time, I won't miss and I'll send you to your death."

Of course, he wouldn't actually draw his sword to kill Shunfeng'er. If he were to fight, he would let Kikyo do it. Otherwise, the system would register it as a battle, and his plan to lock the save point would be ruined.

Shunfeng'er's face turned pale and then red. After thinking it over, he realized he probably had no chance of winning. In the end, he gave up and went up the cliff, walking up to Su Qi.

"This is so strange, so strange! Why? Why do my abilities always fail me when I'm with you?"

He was very proud and persistent about his abilities, so he was very unwilling and couldn't help but scrutinize Su Qi carefully before asking the question again.

Snapped!

The latter suddenly slapped him to the ground and said coldly, "How dare you! Now it's your turn to ask me, or me to ask you?"

Although Shunfeng'er appears harmless, just an old man, Su Qi had seen countless human skeletons in the swamp along the way and heard legends of cannibalistic monsters. Therefore, this guy was no pushover, and Su Qi had no intention of showing mercy. He'd subdue him first, to prevent him from pulling any more tricks.

"you……"

"Slap! How dare you! What do you mean 'you'? Call me 'sir'!"

"I……"

"Slap! How dare you! What do you mean, 'I'? Call me 'little one'!"

"M- ...

Su Qi slapped him again, his face cold, and said, "How dare you! What do you mean, 'Great, Great ...

How infuriating! When have I, with my keen hearing, ever been treated like this?! Don't give me a chance, or I'll make you wish you were dead!

Shunfeng'er's eyes were full of resentment, but he dared not show it. He just lowered his head and said in a cowardly manner, "Yes, yes, sir, what are your orders?"

Su Qi had long seen the resentment in Shunfeng'er's eyes, but he didn't say anything. He simply said, "Tell me first, where are the Dragon People?"

"Uh, a dragon-man? Is that the kind of monster that possesses the Dragon-man Shield and can absorb the power of other monsters?"

"Yes."

At this point in time, the Demon Blade Ghost-Stealing, which appeared later in the story, should not have been forged yet, so he simply went to the Dragon People to borrow (steal) some scales and forged it himself.

"It...should have died a few days ago."

"died?"

Su Qi was slightly surprised. According to the plot, shouldn't that guy be alive and well right now? Why did the plot suddenly change?

So he asked directly, "Who killed him?"

"Naraku... Naraku."

"Naraku? Why?"

"I don't really know the details either. He asked you for information before, and when he left, he also asked about the location of the Dragon Man. Later, he killed the Dragon Man and commissioned Gray Blade, a disciple of Totosai, to forge a demon sword from the Dragon Man's scales. Perhaps he intended to use it against you. The information I mentioned earlier refers to this matter."

"It's been forged into a knife so quickly?"

"For a demon craftsman, it only takes two or three days to forge a knife."

"What about Naraku? Where is Naraku now?"

"This... please allow me to inquire first..."

Shunfeng'er listened intently for a moment, then his expression suddenly changed slightly. He glanced at Su Leqi and said cautiously, "Naraku... is currently in... Turtle City."

"Turtle City!?"

Su Qi's expression changed slightly. The Changgu Dojo was located in Turtle City, and Naraku's purpose in going there was obvious.

As expected... Naraku's target was indeed Ruri!

His expression instantly turned cold, and Su Qi picked up Shunfeng'er and left.

"Wait, wait a minute, sir, what are you trying to do?"

"Why? You're so useful as Baidu, of course I want to carry you with me everywhere."

"What?!"

Shunfeng'er was shocked. Could there really be such a shameless person in the world? Not only did he force him to answer questions, but he also wanted to take him away... Wouldn't he be bound by this villain forever?!

Thinking of this, his old face turned ashen, as if his father had died, and he felt utterly hopeless.

Su Qi didn't care what the man-eating monster thought. He simply pulled the monster along and rode his newly subdued shikigami, which he had just acquired on the way, into the air, heading towards Turtle City. Kikyo quietly followed behind him, also riding her shikigami, and they left in quick succession.

Incidentally, Kikyo's shikigami is a two-tailed fox, while Su Qi's shikigami is a demon horse named "Flame Hoof." This demon horse also appeared in the original work, and after being captured, he forcibly changed its name to "Hachiroku."

Well, although he used to be a shut-in who didn't even have a driver's license, that didn't stop him from having the heart of becoming a seasoned driver.

I'm not a hipster! I'm not a hipster! I'm not a hipster! I'm saying it three times because it's important!

Chapter 106 The False Return

Guicheng, the ancient Taoist temple.

Bright sunlight streamed into the dojo through the wide-open doors and windows, making the floor so shiny it reflected the silhouettes of rows of people in dark blue kendo uniforms.

The resounding shouts echoed through the training grounds as the disciples practiced their most basic sword techniques. Chang Gu Ba Lun knelt solemnly at the head of the hall, supervising their practice. Liu Li, as always, wore her hair in a single ponytail, her expression aloof. Holding a wooden sword, she steadily surveyed the disciples. Occasionally, noticing someone's movements were distorted, she would mercilessly strike them with her wooden sword, causing them to howl in pain, yet daring not to retaliate.

"You two, come with me."

Not long after, the practice came to an end. Liuli, with two disciples who looked miserable, was about to go to the side to give them some guidance when her gaze inadvertently swept over the entrance of the dojo, and her body suddenly froze.

"Miss Liuli, what's wrong?"

The two stopped and asked, puzzled.

Liuli ignored him completely, staring intently at the incredibly familiar figure at the entrance. As if afraid of scaring the person away, she deliberately walked over quietly.

"Kenshin?"

Her voice was filled with surprise mixed with doubt, as if she couldn't believe that the person would reappear in front of her so soon.

Dressed as a ronin, the man in blue clothes and black hakama removed his straw hat, revealing a face that, though slightly tanned and weathered, was unmistakably identical to that of Kenshin Shishio.

"It's really you!"

An intense joy welled up from the depths of my heart, like a hot spring, instantly permeating every cell of my body.

"Why did you suddenly come back?"

Her originally cold expression was instantly melted by a warm smile like spring flowers. Caught off guard, Liuli stepped forward with light, deer-like steps, and then... *plop*, she was stabbed through the body by a knife.

"Uh……"

Her smile froze on her face. She looked down at the cold blade embedded in her abdomen, then looked up at the other person's expressionless face, his dark eyes as deep as an abyss. Incredulity finally spread across her eyes. "Why?"

Zhizhi Xiongjian's dark eyes turned red, and finally, a slight smile appeared on his lips. That smile was as sharp as a knife, as cold as ice, bloodthirsty and wild, with a sinister aura, like a beast in human skin.