My name is Levi, and I work in anime.

Therefore, the person who issued the bounty mission paid the money without hesitation. For someone with that level of combat power, it's already good enough that they're willing to talk to you properly.

"Great!"

The monk was now free of debt and felt incredibly happy just thinking about it. He almost jumped out of the hot spring, but fortunately, Li Wei caught him on the spot.

As mentioned above, after receiving the bounty and making restitution, Li Wei is now resting with Saint Byakuren in the inn's hot spring. The spring water is warm and soothing, making one's bones feel almost melt.

"Aunt Lian, are you really okay with spending so much time with me?" Li Wei was a little unaccustomed to it.

Japan has had the custom of mixed bathing for a long time, and in this day and age there is even a tradition of night climbing—the kind that both commoners and nobles follow, but he is still a little unaccustomed to it.

I'm a young man full of vigor, is it really a man to just stand there and show my body to you like this?

"Avi, you're too attached to appearances. In the end, it's just a shell. Do you think you can feel anything when you look at my body?"

To reiterate, what was popular in this era was the Yamato Nadeshiko, or the type who painted their teeth black. Saint Byakuren was just a monster in a woman's skin.

"Yes." Li Wei's answer was very honest; he really felt it.

"..."

Now it was Saint Byakuren who was a little embarrassed. After a brief moment of surprise, her body tensed up, and she looked at him with an incredulous expression.

After a while, she belatedly curled up into a ball, only then did she resemble a girl, no longer displaying the poise and confidence she had shown earlier.

"Um, do you really feel it?" Whether out of disbelief or something else, the monk asked again.

"Yes, it really resonates with me."

"Oh……"

Hijiri Byakuren was completely submerged in the hot spring, lost in thought.

……

Another time, at Ruri Shrine.

Kikyo breathed a sigh of relief upon receiving the news that the matter had been perfectly resolved, and smiled as she looked at Ai resting her head on her lap.

Unbeknownst to her, a fallen leaf was blown by the wind and landed on her head, adding a touch of vibrant life to the beauty.

……

Inside the hotel, the two, having finished soaking in the hot spring, returned to their bedroom to rest.

For some reason, the hotel always seems to be doing very well, so today it's the same two people squeezing into one room again.

It was at this moment that the boy lying in bed suddenly felt a slippery body slide in like a snake and hug him tightly from behind.

"Huh? Aunt Lian?"

"Shh! Don't speak." For some reason, Lian's mother's voice was a little low today, as if she was suppressing herself.

Moreover, her voice carried an irresistible allure, and as a breath of heat reached the boy's ears, it instantly gave him goosebumps.

"We're going back to the shrine soon, and this is probably the last time I'll be alone with you," she said. "Let's keep what happened tonight to ourselves and never tell anyone."

Today's Saint White Lotus is so bold!?

"Do you really have feelings for me?" The monk asked again, seemingly unsure.

"Of course, a holy and immaculate clergyman, the master of one's lover, the immoral act of cheating under the guise of forbidden love, and an irresistible appearance—if these attributes are combined even slightly, it would be unbearable."

The young man rolled over and pinned down the older, desperate-to-marry nun, staring directly into her dazed eyes: "Of course I'm interested in you."

"Mommy Lian, I like you~"

"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!!!"

"Sister Bailian, your voice is so beautiful, can you continue?"

"What...what did you say?"

"Kikyo is great in every way, except she's incredibly earnest and strong, never uttering a sound no matter what, which is a little disappointing. So, could you let me hear her story?"

"You brat...aren't you feeling pretty smug!"

"Of course I'm very proud, after all, I got the woman I like."

"Idiot, you should say those things after you've pulled the tube out!"

“No, it has to be at this moment.” Li Wei looked earnestly at the nun, who was surrounded by spring colors: “I not only like you, I also like you, Sister Qihuang.”

Volume 6: Chapter 38 The Hand-to-Hand Battle with Sesshouin

In an instant, Li Wei could feel the delicate body beneath him stiffen noticeably for a moment before returning to normal, as if nothing had happened.

The two remained perfectly calm, showing no signs of anything amiss, and their conversation was exactly as usual.

"You little rascal, when did you find out?"

Saint Byakuren—or rather, Sesshouin Kiara—looked at the boy without the slightest hint of panic at being captured. Having seen far too many storms, this was merely a minor accident, nothing to be particularly concerned about.

Those who possess the power of thunder in their hearts yet maintain a calm demeanor are worthy of being appointed generals. Sesshouin was not a general, but the meaning is the same.

"I can't tell you that," the boy said very seriously, "but what I said is true."

To an uninformed person, they would definitely think they were an extremely loving couple, judging from the blush-inducing ambiguous atmosphere, the love in their eyes when they looked at each other, and their perfectly intertwined bodies. They might even give the evaluation of "pure love is invincible".

In fact, this is indeed the case.

Li Wei was her masterpiece, created according to her ideal template of a perfect young man, perfectly matching Sesshouin's XP in every aspect. According to the genetic makeup of nature, to avoid genetic defects in offspring due to inbreeding, two people who consider each other family will subconsciously exclude each other as potential spouses after spending a long time together.

As a consequence, two people who consider each other family members may become more attracted to each other after a long period of separation due to their similar genes.

The FFF group's anthem contains the line "The lovers were originally siblings who had been separated for many years, and their past affection has all become a thing of the past," which refers to this. Li Wei himself has also treated many men with broken legs.

Given Japan's current situation, it feels like its future is bleak.

However, compared to those things, what needs more attention right now is Li Wei himself—he has now been completely captured by Sesshouin and has no way to escape.

Kama once said that Sesshouin is an existence capable of encompassing everything; after growing into a complete beast, she could even contain the entire Earth within her body. Even while still developing, capturing Levi would be a piece of cake for her, wouldn't it?

"Roar, you didn't leave after discovering me, but instead attacked me on your own initiative?" The Third Beast enjoyed Li Wei's arduous battle, which seemed like a cat-and-mouse game to her. "Courageous but reckless, or are you too worried about the original owner of this body, so you chose to stay?"

"Sesshouin-neechan, I don't think I'm bound to lose." No matter what the actual situation is, at least I can't lose in words.

"Hmph, so you're even calling me 'sister' to survive?" The Beast of Love and Desire utterly disdainful of this.

The body of a beautiful girl in her twenties is as soft as butter, and she carries a sword at her waist to kill foolish men!

"Why use Sister Bailian's body?"

"The reason is simple: to avoid your family's entertainment angel." Undoubtedly, this refers to Icarus.

"If I were to descend in my true form, or unleash power far beyond this world, your little angel would immediately sense it and fly over to blast me to pieces, right? Although I don't want to admit it, I really don't have any good ways to deal with that girl right now."

The scales of victory are gradually tipping in Sesshouin's favor.

Without a doubt, in this battle between a man and a woman, Li Wei could never defeat Sesshouin; the outcome of the battle was predetermined from the very beginning.

The reason I played with him for so long was simply because of the joy of getting the toy he had been dreaming of.

Once it's all over, Li Wei will become her captive and puppet.

Hmm, when we see Kama's grief-stricken yet powerless expression, it will surely be incredibly delicious.

"I will absolutely not let you die~ Don't worry, I'll just use a little trick to brainwash you, reshape your memories, reshape your personality, reshape this and that, and then you will be very obedient and compliant."

"—But would that version of me still be me? You've only gotten a puppet wearing my skin! The real me is dead!"

“Beasts and humans determine death differently.” Sesshouin shook his head: “The disappearance of the body, the annihilation of the soul, the death of the spirit? You’re only talking about the death of the spirit. But I’ve obtained both your body and your soul, a full two-thirds, more than half.”

"Is there nothing else you want besides me?" Li Wei, who was being controlled by her, gritted his teeth and persevered. Even a boy like him was struggling to cope with Sesshouin's attacks.

"There are quite a few, but the only one of value to me in this timeline right now is you." Sesshouin admired the exhausted boy, full of the pleasure of toying with his prey: "Apart from that, you're not worth mentioning."

Should I be happy?

"Of course, you are a man loved by two beasts of love and desire, you have a lot to be proud of."

"So, can you answer a few questions for me?" On the verge of collapse, ready to explode at any moment, Li Wei forced out a few words through gritted teeth: "You're the one who brought me to this timeline?"

"Of course, if even that idiot Kama can do it, so can I."

"The Holy Grail that Shuten-dōji suddenly obtained, was also a gift from you?"

"That's right. Although the Holy Grail is precious, we still have some in reserve."

"Her sudden disappearance, and all the girls I've saved along the way—was it all orchestrated by you?"

“Only this one isn’t; you brought them all here yourself.” Sesshouin said with some approval, “As expected of the man I’ve set my sights on, he can win over girls wherever he goes.”

"I see... then let's end all of this." With a touch of melancholy, Li Wei looked at the ceiling and said this.

Have we given up? A wise person knows when to yield; this is a sensible choice.

There's nothing wrong with becoming my prisoner; I'll let you experience the happiest joy in the world.

Thinking this, Sesshouin looked down at Li Wei.

Then, what appeared in her chest was a giant sword that had pierced through her upper body, entering from her back and emerging from her chest.

The surging magic was like a hot air balloon with a hole punctured, flowing rapidly out along with its own life through the ruptured wound.

Ibuki-dōji's sword is said to be able to cut through Mount Ibuki, and even a well-trained body like that of Hō Byakuren would be unable to withstand it if caught off guard. Sessōin felt her body being constantly destroyed, and the rate of repair could not keep up with the rate of destruction—destruction is always harder than construction.

In an instant, the situation reversed.

"Oh dear, you should have thought about this when you handed the Holy Grail over to me."

Suddenly appearing behind her and successfully backstabbing Sesshouin, it was none other than Ibuki-dōji, who should have been eliminated in the previous battle. Clearly, she hadn't disappeared, but had been lurking in the bedroom, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Snakes are expert hunters, and they can remain motionless for days to catch their prey; Ibuki-doji was even more so.

"We demons are best at deceiving and betraying people, especially the most beautiful demons!" said the older sister, the incarnation of Yamata no Orochi, looking at her original owner.

Volume 6: Chapter 39 Sesshouin, Withering

"When was it?" For a moment, Sesshouin was a little dazed, but after she stopped looking down and saw the Command Seals on the back of Li Wei's hand, she quickly came to her senses.

During the battle between Livy and Ibuki-dōji, there was a brief moment of silent eye contact before the battle ended.

She had thought there was a problem with the Holy Grail's power supply, and that Ibuki Doji had chosen to retreat unscathed and seek another opportunity. Now it seems that things are completely different from what she imagined.

Clearly, in that brief period of time, Li Wei and she completed their communication and entered into a contract without anyone noticing, learning all the contents and reaching some kind of deal.

Skilled hunters often appear as prey, and this applies to everyone.

The situation reversed instantly, and Li Wei, who had been suppressed, took the initiative.

That's how the battle between love and desire works: it's either you suppress my output, or I suppress yours. And as the one being exploited, Sesshouin felt her magical power being rapidly absorbed by Li Wei, becoming nourishment for him to strengthen himself.

"Really, I never expected to be caught out in a place like this." Despite the very unfavorable situation, Sesshouin was not discouraged.

She's not some beast of love and desire who's so easily conquered by being a high-attack, low-skill imitation, and who cries when beaten—a shameful thing that would be incredibly painful for most people. For her, it might just be a special kind of XP, which she actually enjoys.

Sesshouin is an existence that can encompass the entire Earth.

It's just one failure, nothing to worry about. We can always try again next time.

Moreover, he had actually replenished his mana with the boy this time, and upon careful calculation, he had actually made a profit.

"I won't let you go."

Using Ibuki-dōji's greatsword to pin Sessōin to the ground, Li Wei looked down at her condescendingly: "Didn't you notice? This time, your soul is firmly nailed to your body. Since you've made thorough preparations, you won't be leaving so easily."

"Huh?" The monk from Chao Se Qin tried it out and found that he really couldn't escape.

Thanks to Sister Meryl's strange invention, this thing was originally intended to freeze Li Wei's soul in a dream and savor it carefully. Fortunately, Sister Liuli arrived in time and blasted the white-haired sow to smithereens, thus preserving Li Wei's lifelong purity.

This time, we must finish this job in one fell swoop and completely eliminate the threat that is Sesshouin.

With this thought in mind, Li Wei took a deep breath and exerted all his strength to relentlessly attack the beast of love and desire beneath him. Meanwhile, Sesshouin, completely on the defensive, naturally wouldn't stand idly by and began using every means at her disposal to try and turn the tide.

As the saying goes, love is war. In war, whoever confesses first loses. This applies to men and women as well; whoever ejaculates first loses, and the price of defeat is being completely taken advantage of.

"It sounds exciting, but no matter how you look at it, it looks really fun." Ibuki Doji, who couldn't get a word in edgewise, scratched his head listlessly, feeling like he was about to cry while watching a movie.

She had long lost interest in romantic love and had no worldly desires, except for the two despicable people in front of her.

As expected of the Beast of Love and Desire and the man she created, even a god like Ibuki-dōji was excited and had an urge to try it out.

Actions speak louder than words; that's how ghosts are—they do what they want to do.