I transformed into a demonic spider lily.

I feel something falling.

It looks like it hit some kind of bird.

Chapter 43 I'll bury you all sooner or later

—Click!

The unidentified flying object crashed to the ground, looking like a bird, but it was severely damaged yet had no blood on it, and there was still a trace of spiritual energy remaining.

The red spider lily broke off a branch, squatted down next to the wreckage, and poked it twice. Instantly, a wisp of white smoke rose up, and the wreckage suddenly turned into a letter.

"This is a shikigami."

Kikyo picked up the letter and explained.

Unlike the shikigami in Onmyoji (though Onmyoji also has such shikigami, the little paper doll that makes you sign in every day and send red envelopes during the New Year), the paper doll can simulate any appearance through certain special spells to meet the needs of the caster.

Kikyo can also perform this technique.

It could even be said to be the foundation.

"Don't look at me, I just fired a shot randomly, I didn't expect it to hit anything." With her hands behind her back, Higanbana concealed the weapon and quickly tried to shirk responsibility.

“I know that these paper figures that are specially made to deliver messages are attached with spells that obscure perception. Without some preparation beforehand, it would be difficult for me to catch them, unless the caster is a complete novice.”

The bellflower also patiently defended the spider lily.

"Are you saying I'm incapable of catching them?" However, the other shore flower's thoughts were extraordinary, almost inhuman, and she immediately shouted, "Wait here, I'll go and catch two more for you right now!"

No, what I mean is...

This was not something you did intentionally.

"...Alright, stop messing around."

She couldn't help but sigh inwardly, lamenting how easily the other person could get upset. Kikyo casually flipped over the letter, wanting to see the signature written on the back. As long as the caster's spiritual power remained on the paper figure, she could cast the spell again to help deliver the letter.

but……

The three characters are written on the back.

—Platycodon grandiflorus, beginning.

"Huh? This is for me."

It was such a coincidence—no, it shouldn't be called a coincidence, but rather that she was watching it alone, which is why it hovered above, waiting until there was no one else around before it could land.

That's why it was knocked down by the spider lily.

"Let me see, is there anything good to see?"

The red spider lily, being particularly gossipy, leaned over.

Kikyo didn't speak, nor did she deliberately avoid it. If it were an ordinary letter, she certainly wouldn't let the spider lily see it. However, those who could send letters with paper dolls were basically colleagues, and when colleagues sent letters, it was probably about the same thing.

Sure enough, after just glancing at the first few lines, Kikyo roughly understood the meaning of the letter: a large-scale demonic calamity had recently occurred somewhere, and the person who wrote the letter could not handle it alone, so they wanted to ask her for assistance.

"You're such a busy person."

The spider lily naturally saw the letter as well, so she first teased Kikyo, and then asked, "So, how do you plan to reply?"

"Of course I'll go. It's not far, and I can be back by tomorrow morning at the latest. It might take a little longer, but it's not a big problem."

After saying that, Kikyo asked again, "Flower, shall we go together?"

"Together my ass!"

The spider lily immediately snatched the letter from the kikyo's hand, placed it in front of her, and shouted, "With your pathetic body, I'm afraid that once we get there, you'll unleash a 'Spiritual Energy Burst' and affect me!"

After saying that, the spider lily stood less than a foot and a half in front of Kikyo and poked the latter's chest with her hand, trying to make the other party understand her sick and weak condition.

"It's alright, I've recovered."

Kikyo felt nothing about it. As a priestess, it was inevitable to get injured when she went to exorcise demons. She could withstand even a curse that caused her excruciating pain, let alone the mere bleeding she had just suffered.

"Don't try to fool me! Don't I know your body well?"

"I don't think so..."

"...I don't care what you think, I care what I think!"

—A reversal of polarity!

The other shore flower had wanted to say this for a long time, and today she finally got the chance. She waved the letter in her hand and said with feigned disdain, "I can handle this kind of trivial matter by myself. Besides, it would be troublesome to bring you along, as you would have to take care of the wounded. You should just stay at home and drink more hot water."

The last sentence is the essence.

"..."

Kikyo, who still didn't understand what kind of demon the spider lily was, finally couldn't help but chuckle and replied, "Alright, then I'll leave it to the super-powerful flower. But before that, please wait a moment."

Kikyo pinched the corner of the letter, and after a short while, she channeled her spiritual energy into it. The letter transformed into the shape of a bird, which hovered around the spider lily. She said, "It will lead you to that person. The other person is an old friend of mine. If he can sense my spiritual energy, he should understand. Otherwise, you might start fighting as soon as you meet, which would be difficult for me to handle."

"I know, I know, Kikyo, you're just like a housewife now, nagging all the time. Be careful you won't be able to get married in the future."

The red spider lily said "maliciously".

“The priestess offers her body to the gods, so you don’t need to worry about me.” Kikyo was not angered by the spider lily, but instead explained seriously.

"boring."

Higanbana was very disappointed that she didn't get to see Kikyo's angry expression before leaving. So, with this regret in her heart, she raised the oil-paper umbrella in her hand and shouted, "I'm taking this umbrella with me!"

"I'll give you this old thing."

It's not something precious anyway.

……

After the spider lily left, the bellflower returned to the village alone and saw the maple digging in a small patch of open ground in front of the window, carefully planting seeds one by one.

"Hmph, hmph, I'll bury you all sooner or later."

Feng held the hoe and smiled sinisterly.

"Cough cough..."

You witch, don't do anything underhanded.

Kikyo felt that her younger sister had been corrupted by the spider lily.

"Hey, where are the bellflower sisters?"

Upon hearing the sound, Feng quickly turned around, but couldn't see the other shore flower, which naturally puzzled him.

"She went to do something for me."

Kikyo didn't hide anything from her sister, and then asked, "What are you doing? I think I just heard you muttering about burying someone."

"Planting flowers, the flower sister gave me these seeds, she said they'll grow as long as I plant them." Feng seemed to be having a lot of fun; kids are indeed easy to please.

"Then you need to water them too. Go, help me bring the quiver inside and bring out a ladle. I'll teach you how to plant flowers and how to care for them."

Kikyo patted Kaede's head, and Kaede's eyes clearly showed a hint of expectation. Then he ran into the house with his quiver, while Kikyo went to the back of the house and took a spare longbow from the storage room that hadn't been opened for a long time.

Just as Kikyo was about to return to the front yard, she suddenly turned back into the shadows behind her, simply because she noticed a woman dressed in black walking across the river.

……

"Hey, where's my sister?"

After some time, Feng came out of the house with a ladle and a bucket, but he couldn't find Kikyo. He could only stand there, wondering what had happened to his sister.

I'm completely baffled by my sister.jpg

Chapter 44 The Black Witch - Tsubaki

……

"Huff, huff..."

On the edge of a dense forest, a wolf cub with silver fur was running desperately, its rapid breathing indicating that it had not stopped to rest for a long time, all because of the ghostly figure following it like a shadow.

—Swoosh, swoosh!

Strange noises came from the bushes behind them from time to time, and then a white serpent was seen following closely behind the white wolf. Its sharp vertical pupils were fixed on its prey, and it was determined to kill its opponent. Its purpose was clear and focused.

The white wolf dared not stop. With its strength, it was not afraid of the flying serpent. However, the flying serpent was not a monster at all, but a shikigami controlled by the shrine maiden!

If it lingers even for a moment, the priestess will catch up with it, so it can only keep running around, hoping to encounter other monsters for help.

However, there are no monsters at the edge of the forest; this is a rule that the spider lily had already established. It only stays on the outer edge out of fear of them. It never expected to encounter such a mess today. What to do, what to do—

With a thousand thoughts swirling in its mind, the Teng Snake behind it suddenly pounced on it, forcing the white wolf to change direction. However, once it changed direction, it was filled with utter despair.

A shrine maiden dressed in white and scarlet stood not far in front of it. Why is it another shrine maiden? Is it determined to pick a fight with shrine maidens today?

Moreover, the opponent was still drawing his bow and nocking an arrow, clearly aiming in its direction. The white wolf had resigned itself to its fate, closed its eyes, and waited for death, only to hear the sound of wind breaking in its ears.

--call out!

The arrow whizzed past the white wolf's side, striking the target and embedding itself in the serpent behind him. The serpent vanished, leaving only a wisp of smoke and a tattered paper figure.

Feeling no pain throughout his body, the white wolf quietly opened his eyes. He saw that the priestess in front of him was still holding her bow, her dark hair flowing in the breeze. She only put the bow down after a while, but this posture was deeply imprinted in his eyes and he could not forget it for a long time.

However, as the other party gradually approached it, the white wolf took a step back. Then, there was another sound of footsteps behind it, and another witch in black came out.

"Go back."

The white-clad, scarlet-haired priestess was none other than Kikyo. As she walked past Hakuro, she uttered only this one sentence.

Coming to its senses, the white wolf noticed that Kikyo had gone behind it. It glanced back and saw that she was confronting the priestess who was chasing it, so it obediently left first.

"You shouldn't be here."

Looking at the shrine maiden in black before her, Kikyo said.

"You shouldn't be here either."

The black-clad shriek expressed her helplessness, then smiled and said, "What? Kikyo, after all these months, have you stooped to associating with demons?"

"I never expected that, in just a few months, Chun, you would have fallen to such a low level."

Disappointment—that was Kikyo's expression at that moment. Of course, she recognized the shrine maiden standing in front of her. The other woman had trained under the same teacher as her, helping each other to exorcise demons. She could even see the beautiful handwriting in the letter she received today, which was indeed written by the other woman.