My personal opinion on Gensokyo

Not only her body, but also the miko's spiritual power continued to weaken, and the sealing barrier set on the Four Souls Jade gradually became unstable...

Shang Yang knew that Kikyo must be aware of this situation, but when he asked her nonchalantly, she just replied indifferently, "Don't worry, it's okay now."

It was obvious that the witch did not want to know that her body was becoming weaker and weaker, and her spiritual power was weakening little by little.

It's not that she is on guard against any unnecessary evil thoughts after knowing this fact as a "half-demon", but because she is the priestess guarding the Shikon Jade, any weakness will be exploited by the monsters who are eyeing the Shikon Jade.

Turning to look at the layers of stone steps leading to the shrine, the young man with shaggy gray hair looked helpless.

...In the end, even after I've nagged you so many times, you still haven't listened to a word I said, Miko-sama.

You are still the same. No matter what happens, you have to force yourself to hold on.

The young man slowly sat down on the wooden steps outside the shrine, raised his head, leaned against the wall of the shrine, looked at the high sky that did not seem dazzling under the autumn sun, and sighed softly.

Maple Village, the house where Kikyo and Kaede live.

He slowly pushed open the door and walked into the house where he and Feng lived. At the same time, the feeling of weakness in his body had not completely disappeared, and Kikyo couldn't help but reveal a little weakness similar to before.

However, this also only took a moment. Almost at the same time, Kikyo regained her usual cold expression.

Feeling the weakness slowly receding from her body, Kikyo frowned slightly, speaking in a light tone, as if confirming something that had nothing to do with her.

"It's worse than before..."

Kikyo also understood her physical condition. It was not due to the recent fatigue. With the feeling of weakness just now, her spiritual power had weakened a little.

Just as Shang Yang thought, the reason why Platycodon made an excuse of being tired to Shang Yang was simply because Platycodon would not show any weakness or hesitation to anyone.

For the shrine maidens, spiritual power is like the blood flowing in their bodies. The weakening of spiritual power is like losing a part of their blood in an instant. The dizziness they felt just now came from this.

The weakening of spiritual power is not uncommon. Injury, illness, and infection by monster poison can all cause the weakening of spiritual power.

However, as the body recovers, the spiritual power will also recover.

But Kikyo understood that her situation was not that simple. As her spiritual power continued to weaken, her body also continued to weaken...

This was not caused by injury, illness, or the invasion of monster poison into the body, but by a curse.

There is a strange curse in Kikyo's body that was cast by the black witch Tsubaki a long time ago.

A curse on Kikyo that if she falls in love with someone, she will die.

Unlike other spells cast by the black witch Tsubaki, this strange curse inflicted on Kikyo's body did not seem like a terrible spell that could be cast with the black witch Tsubaki's weak spiritual power.

Kikyo still cannot understand how the black witch Tsubaki, who has weak spiritual power, could have cast such a terrible curse on her own body.

Moreover, this terrible curse shouldn't have occurred so early...

Feeling the somewhat disordered spiritual power in her body, the witch sighed softly.

Originally, this curse was nothing to me, but until recently, the situation changed.

Perhaps it was the influence of the Four Souls Jade, or the influence of the barrier of Penglai Island that he had visited before, or perhaps it was because his heart had wavered and the curse inflicted on his body by the black witch Chun had caused some kind of change. Since some time ago, both his body and his spiritual power have been slowly weakening.

This terrible curse has mutated, and even Kikyo has no way to stop it from happening.

Although I don't know how much longer my body can hold out, it shouldn't be very long...

Even though she understood this, Kikyo's expression remained cold and indifferent, revealing only a hint of loneliness.

"So, this is my fate...?"

After a brief silence, Kikyo regained her usual cool and gentle expression, turned around and walked down the porch, holding the ancient catalpa bow, and left the empty house.

And when Kikyo walked out of the house, the deep loneliness hidden in the witch's clear eyes like a deep spring disappeared without a trace.

For Kikyo, a shrine maiden, there are still many things she needs to do before she can no longer hold on and loses her life...

On the other side, outside the Maple Village Shrine.

He raised his face and stared at the high autumn sky in a daze for a long time, then turned his gaze to the village not far away.

In the village, wisps of gray-white smoke slowly rose into the sky. At a higher altitude, the gray-white smoke that was originally rising straight up gradually tilted under the blowing of the north wind and drifted to the north.

The children in the village were playing around a pile of withered straw. Their cheerful laughter could be heard all over the shrine. Among these children, a dog demon with long silver hair and wearing a red robe was particularly eye-catching.

Noticing a certain Inuyasha playing with the children in the village, Shang Yang temporarily put aside his previous thoughts and shook his head helplessly.

Er Gouzi, you've really adapted to life in this village...

Closing his eyes, Shang Yang quietly listened to the rustling sound of the light yellow dead leaves in the autumn wind coming from the forest beside the shrine, quietly enjoying the peaceful life in this small village.

Such peaceful days probably won’t last much longer.

After all, the cold winter is coming.

Volume 5: The Miko of the Warring States Period: Chapter 296: Late Autumn

More than a month later, it was late autumn.

In the remote countryside of Musashi in the East Country, Maple Village.

The early autumn climate gradually disappears, replaced by the late autumn season with cold north winds, and the world on the ground seems even more barren and desolate.

Deep in the mountains, large areas of yellowed branches and leaves have completely dried up, losing their last bit of vitality. One after another, they fall on the desolate and barren ground with the biting cold north wind, and the large areas of weeds on the ground have completely turned into brown and yellow dead grass.

The sightings of wild animals in the mountains are gradually decreasing. Winter is approaching, and the wild animals living in the mountains have reduced their activities to conserve their energy so that they can have enough strength to survive the cold winter.

The wild beasts in the deep mountains and forests have reduced their activities, and the same is true for the farmers living in the villages. Since entering the late autumn season, the villagers of Maple Village have been making more cautious preparations for winter. Every household has been constantly using withered straw to cover the roof to thicken the roof, and carefully checking every beam in the house. If any of the beams has a slight crack, then the beam will be removed and replaced with a new, sturdy beam. Food and dry firewood are also essential.

In this war-torn Warring States period, the upcoming severe winter will also be a harsh test that will take the lives of people living on this land. The sudden cold climate will freeze to death the poor farmers who lack food and clothing, and the farmers' simple houses may collapse in the howling cold north wind. Large-scale heavy snow will also block the roads connecting villages, isolating the entire village from the outside world in the cold winter.

The villagers of Maple Village are well aware of the dangers brought by the severe winter. In this era, it is not easy for farmers living in a small village like Maple Village to survive the winter safely. Although they have the protection of the witch, the villagers of Maple Village still have to deal with the coming winter with caution, just as their elders have done in the past decades.

Maple Village, Shrine.

Still wearing the white dress and red skirt of the shrine maiden, with her long, jet-black hair tied up with snow-white sandalwood paper, the shrine maiden was holding a broom and carefully cleaning the cobwebs and dust in the corners of the shrine.

The late autumn festival will be held soon, so the shrine naturally needs to be thoroughly cleaned. It is also a good time to check whether the shrine's structural structure is still solid while cleaning it.

Kikyo was using a broom to sweep away the cobwebs and dust on the beams and in the corners. Shang Yang was naturally unable to avoid being conscripted again, and was also wiping the altar and altar in the shrine with a rag.

More than a month ago, Shang Yang casually dealt with the Luoshagui Kanzhu bandit gang that wanted to rob Maple Village. It seemed that since then, all the bandits who wanted to rob Maple Village disappeared for no reason near this inconspicuous village. Recently, no gangs of bandits have come to attack Maple Village again, and the monsters living in the deep mountains and forests nearby rarely try to sneak into Maple Village.

In the past month, in addition to going out with Kikyo to the surrounding villages to help expel some small monsters and treat some diseases, Shang Yang also did more things to help the villagers in Feng Village.

Of course, for some of the dirty and tiring work, Shang Yang would find ways to instigate a dog-like half-demon who also lived in the village to do the work.

Anyway, the villagers living in this Maple Village have become accustomed to the existence of a dog demon dressed in a bright red fire rat fur, appearing and disappearing mysteriously in the village.

As for Shang Yang, since Shang Yang has always lived in the shrine, and Shang Yang's appearance is no different from that of ordinary humans, and Kikyo doesn't know why, she didn't specifically explain to the villagers of Maple Village that Shang Yang is also a non-human alien. As a result, most villagers in Maple Village have always believed that Shang Yang decided to follow the attendant of the miko after being rescued by the miko last winter.

As for a certain dog demon, at the beginning, when the villagers appeared in the village, they were indeed a little afraid that Inuyasha would harm the villagers. However, after Kikyo explained to the villagers that Inuyasha was not an evil monster and would not hurt people, the villagers gradually put down their worries. After that, he unknowingly established a good relationship with the children in the village. After helping the villagers a lot due to Shangyang's repeated provocation and instigation, the villagers of Maple Village also accepted Inuyasha's existence. When the villagers were busy, the adults in the village would even take the initiative to let the children go to play with Inuyasha.

Just like now, Xiao Feng, who was supposed to clean the shrine with Sister Kikyo, was let go by Kikyo because Shang Yang was already helping. She went to play with a group of children in the village and Inuyasha, who was now basically sleeping in the straw pile in the village.

"Huh...almost done."

After wiping the last corner of the altar, Shang Yang casually put away the tablecloth, stretched his arms slightly, and asked casually while turning sideways.

"Should this be okay?"

"Well, hard work."

Hearing this, Kikyo put down the broom in her hand and thanked Shang Yang softly.

"Thank you for your willingness to help."

"It's okay, after all, this is where I live."

Looking at the interior of the shrine that had been cleaned by himself and Kikyo, Shang Yang answered casually.

“It’s nice to be able to clean up.”

Having said that, Shang Yang paused for a moment, looked at the witch who was as calm as usual, thought for a moment, and took the initiative to speak.

"Kikyo, if you're alright, I'll go to the village first."

"In the village?"

Hearing Shang Yang's words, Kikyo showed a slightly puzzled expression, but was soon relieved.

"…To find Inuyasha?"

"Yes, go talk to him."

Shang Yang shrugged and explained helplessly.

"I think he's been regressing a bit lately. We can't just let him degenerate from a dog demon into a real dog."

After hearing Shang Yang's explanation, Kikyo, who had a cold and calm expression, also showed a look of enlightenment. She knew what Shang Yang was talking about. It was strange to say, since the beginning of autumn, Inuyasha has been too honest. Not only has he never come to the shrine to try to get the Shikon Jewel, but he used to be elusive, but now he stays in the straw pile in the village every day and sleeps soundly, as if he is about to hibernate.

We must go and check to see if a dog demon has undergone a physical mutation, suddenly changing from a canine that doesn't need to hibernate to another animal that does...

Seeing Kikyo's understanding expression, Shang Yang turned around and walked out of the shrine, waving casually.

"Then I'll go to the village first."

Hearing this, Kikyo, whose expression had returned to calm, nodded slightly.

However, after the witch watched Shang Yang walk out of the shrine, down the stone steps, and completely disappear from her sight, she breathed a sigh of relief, and her originally calm and cold face also revealed a bit of weakness.

Holding onto the pillar in the shrine, Kikyo frowned slightly. She was well aware of her own physical condition. Right now, it was already a struggle for her just to try not to reveal any flaws in front of others.

Although the weakening of my spiritual power isn't serious, I can't do much more with my current physical condition...

According to this situation, after winter, my spiritual power may not be enough to purify the Four Souls Jade...

Volume 5: The Miko of the Warring States Period: Chapter 297: Concealment

Maple Village, next to the straw pile in the village.

Looking at the extremely conspicuous hole in the pile of withered yellow straw in front of him, Shang Yang curled his lips and suddenly didn't know what to say.

This is a total doghouse...

It turns out that Inuyasha only slept in the straw when the weather was cold, but now he has even built a nest, which shows that he intends to live here for a long time.

Because Inuyasha has really helped the villagers a lot in recent times, the villagers even planned to help Inuyasha build a house in the village, but Inuyasha himself has always lived in this pile of dry straw without caring about it. Over time, no one in the village touched the straw, just leaving it to Inuyasha. Inuyasha actually slept in this pile of straw at night, and recently he even built a nest for himself in the straw pile...

Bending down, Shang Yang nonchalantly put his upper body into the hole in the straw pile. Although the entrance was a bit narrow, the straw pile was unexpectedly spacious. The middle part had been hollowed out by Inuyasha. In addition to the dry and withered straw everywhere, there were also several thick tree trunks supporting the top of the straw pile to ensure that the straw above would not collapse easily.

And in this hollow straw pile, Inuyasha, still wearing his red fire rat fur coat, was lying inside with his legs crossed and sleeping soundly, apparently sleeping very soundly.

However, when Shang Yang bent down and completely got into the straw pile, he felt some movement. Inuyasha, who was originally sleeping soundly, opened his eyes alertly, and the five fingers of his right hand with sharp nails unconsciously clenched up, making a posture of about to attack, which was exactly the starting posture of Inuyasha's Soul-scattering Iron Claw.

When Inuyasha turned over alertly and saw who was coming, he made an unpleasant "tsk~" sound and lay back down again, staring at the gray-haired young man in front of him with half-open eyes.

"...What? It's you, you? What do you want from me?"

"It's nothing."

Seeing Inuyasha's unhappy look as if his nap was disturbed, Shang Yang also sat down in the pile of dry and yellow straw without caring. While looking at this house that was made of layers of straw on the top and bottom and all sides, he shrugged his shoulders and spoke casually.

"I came to see your situation. Winter is coming soon. The villagers originally wanted to help you find a place to live during the winter, but now I think that's no longer necessary."

"Tsk, just for such a small matter."

Hearing Shangyang's words, Inuyasha snorted again, still speaking unhappily with his eyes half open.

"I can handle this kind of trivial matter myself. I won't be like you, relying on the mercy of that witch for a place to live."

"Well... I really have no words to say."

Scratching his cheek helplessly, Shang Yang changed the subject and asked casually.

"However, Inuyasha, I haven't seen you trying to get the Shikon Jewel during this period. Could it be that you have given up on it?"

"How can it be."

Hearing Shangyang's question, Inuyasha snorted disdainfully and habitually crossed his hands and hid them in the sleeves of his fire rat fur coat.

"It's just because I changed the method of seizing the Four Souls Jade. I will definitely get the Four Souls Jade."

At this point, Inuyasha smiled smugly and said complacently.

"As long as that troublesome miko is around, it will be difficult for me to obtain the Four Souls Jade. That's for sure."

"However, even if that miko is very powerful, she is just an ordinary human."

"She's just a human, with only a hundred years to live. I can afford to wait. I'll stay here for ten, maybe even several dozen years. When that witch is too old to stop me from snatching the Four Souls Jade, the Four Souls Jade will naturally be mine."

"...Uh, that's a good idea."