Crossover: A Different Inuyasha

Maple stood under the tree, looking up at him. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled patterns of light on the witch's eye patch.

"Want to come up and take a look?"

Inuyasha patted the branch next to him.

Kaede hesitated for a moment, then lifted the hem of her shrine maiden outfit, stepped on the rough knots on the tree trunk, and climbed up in a few quick movements, sitting on a branch next to Inuyasha.

"They were originally mountain bandits, prisoners of war, traitors who betrayed their own people, and people who were terrified by monsters."

Inuyasha glanced at the priestess's right eye, then looked at Zenkikyo in the distance.

“If you try to preach about righteousness to them, they won’t understand; if you ask them to sacrifice themselves for others, they’ll just think you’re crazy.”

"But if you give them a real meal, and the hope that they can have another bowl of food tomorrow, and let them know that what they do can be rewarded, they will stand up straight on their own."

Inuyasha, whose moral compass moves at will, reflects the figures of laborers in the distance in his golden eyes. "I didn't intend to make them good people, I just wanted them to feel that they are useful people again."

What he didn't say was that this so-called "reform" was actually intended to motivate these labor reformers and transform them from passive workers into active contributors.

They want to create greater value for Lord Inuyasha within their limited lives.

As for those who can't be tamed no matter how you feed them, and can't be reasoned with no matter how you explain things—then they have a problem with their thinking.

The inevitable outcome is that it becomes a chicken to be slaughtered, so that the monkeys nearby can clearly see what it means to "have food to eat" and "not have the life to eat".

A big stick and a sweet treat—this is essential management knowledge for those in positions of power.

Feng looked at the hardworking people, then his gaze fell back on the handsome profile of the silver-haired half-demon beside him. "Sometimes when you talk, you actually sound quite human."

Inuyasha tilted his head, narrowing his eyes. "...Are you praising me or insulting me?"

The priestess snorted, ignoring him, and looked further into the distance, asking, "Those warriors... they must be the guards of the nearby lord, right? What are they doing here?"

Inuyasha followed her gaze.

On a forest path outside Zenkenkyo, more than thirty samurai dressed in worn-out dōmaru were patrolling along the designated border.

Leading the way was a middle-aged samurai, with a few strands of gray hair peeking out from under his helmet. His hands, gripping the sword, were strong and powerful, clearly indicating a life spent licking blood from the edge of a knife.

"Oh, you mean them?"

"Perhaps people nearby were worried and came to check on it."

Inuyasha chuckled calmly.

“We’ve been making a huge commotion by carving out land and building cities in Musashi Province, including relocation and burning of wasteland. The surrounding lords aren’t blind or deaf; they can’t possibly pretend not to know.”

"They can patrol as they please, as long as they don't cross the line, we don't need to worry about them for now."

"Once Shanjian Jingli is established, we'll think about how to deal with them."

Feng glanced at Inuyasha, who was pretending to be stupid, his eyes twitched, he hesitated to speak, but in the end he couldn't hold back.

"...This isn't right, is it?"

“Those samurai weren’t just here on patrol—three days ago, they also sent a shipment of grain to Zenkenkyo.”

"These armored warriors also deserve credit for making those people obedient."

After she finished speaking, she stared at Inuyasha, waiting for him to give an explanation.

But Er Gouzi had a "Oh, is that so?" expression on his face.

"Perhaps they see that I am about to establish a great feat that is unprecedented and will never be repeated, and they want to join in?"

Inuyasha turned his head away, not letting Kaede see his face as he suppressed a laugh, and said in a surprised tone, "The food was on the ground, and I figured nobody wanted it, so I had someone pick it up."

"Inuyasha, stop your pathetic performance! If you don't want to tell me, just say so!"

Maple raised his foot to kick Inuyasha, but the latter easily dodged it.

"If I find out you've done something wrong, don't blame me for turning against your own family!"

Inuyasha protested, "I only know how to fight the strong and help the weak, and rob the rich to give to the poor!"

Chapter 37 The Nine-Nine Toad

"You never tell the truth." Feng glared at Inuyasha, turned around and pretended to climb down the tree. "You can take care of Zenkenkyo yourself, I'm not going to interfere."

Inuyasha knows he's a hands-off manager; aside from having sex, he only has a short attention span for everything else.

Seeing that Feng was somewhat dissatisfied, he became anxious.

How could one's grand ambitions be possible without the selfless contributions of these original shares!

The shrine maiden, wearing white socks and wooden clogs, had just stepped onto the downward-pointing branches when she felt a tightness around her waist. A pair of warm arms reached out from behind and lifted her up around the waist.

Before Feng could even cry out in surprise, he felt his body lighten, the wind suddenly rose in his ears, and the treetops and the ground beneath his feet were rushing backward.

She instinctively grabbed Inuyasha's shirt with both hands, her heart skipped a beat, and she said, half surprised and half annoyed.

"Inuyasha, what do you think you're doing!"

"I just can't do anything with you."

Inuyasha lowered his eyes, looking at the priestess in his arms who had become nervous. The fragrance emanating from her body wafted to his nose. He smiled and said, "If you want to know the answer, then I'll take you to see it."

"...Put me down first."

When Feng looked up, their eyes met, and she suddenly felt uncomfortable all over.

In broad daylight, the sky is bright.

Embracing her sister's lover was even more unexpected than the "night raid," but the tiny bit of joy in her heart, like wild grass, wouldn't stay still and kept sprouting out.

"Release it when it arrives."

When faced with the beautiful, mature priestess who wears light makeup to bed and pretends to be asleep, Inuyasha adopts a domineering CEO demeanor and says, "Now you'd better behave yourself."

"If you fall from this height and end up missing an arm or a leg, I won't take care of you."

Feeling blatantly threatened, Feng turned her face away, looking down at the forest below that rose and fell with Inuyasha's leaps, as if she had been forced to accept reality.

"That's really unreasonable and rude."

She mumbled something, tilted her chin towards Inuyasha's shoulder, and leaned against him, feeling quite at ease staying in his arms.

Inuyasha didn't expose Kaede's disguise; he seemed to enjoy the situation.

When Kikyo returns in the future, the two sisters will be one in the open and one in the shadows, which will be even more wonderful.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the two arrived at a castle built against a mountain.

The castle was built in a very grand manner—the wooden walls meandered up the mountainside, and the castle tower with its upturned eaves stood at the highest point.

A stream meanders around the city, its murmuring waters reflecting the sky and clouds.

Holding Kaede in his arms, Inuyasha leaped over the castle walls and rooftops in a few bounds, landing on the terrace at the highest point of the castle tower.

He glanced at the priestess in his arms, who seemed unwilling to get down, and said, "Aren't you getting down?"

"Just tell me when you get to your destination!"

Maple blushed slightly, retorted to Inuyasha, then twisted her waist and jumped out of his arms. After regaining her footing, she quickly looked around.

The castle tower has wide, flat eaves, offering excellent views of the town below and the surrounding mountains and forests.

The patrolling guards and servants, however, clearly saw two uninvited guests in the castle tower, but they only glanced at them before casually looking away, without even bothering to question them.

It's as if they've long been used to it.

"……really."

Kaede turned around, stared at Inuyasha, and said with an air of certainty, "I've caught you." "You've done a lot of things behind my back."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

From an angle where no one else could see, I took a picture of her pert figure.

The priestess froze, her face instantly turning from slightly flushed to crimson. The questioning aura she had just gathered vanished in an instant, and she even pursed her lips, no longer daring to lash out.

Just then, hurried footsteps came from the wooden staircase leading to the terrace.

A middle-aged man wearing a straight-cut kimono walked up quickly, bowed, and spoke in a respectful but hoarse voice.

"Lord Inuyasha, you've arrived."

"Please, gentlemen, take a seat with me."

The city lord stepped aside to make way, leading the two down the wooden stairs.

Inuyasha walked ahead, his hands tucked into his sleeves, looking as if he knew the place well.

Maple lagged behind, subtly glancing at the city lord and Inuyasha.

The city lord was in his early forties, with a neatly trimmed short beard, a ruddy complexion, and an air of pampered luxury.

But he always kept a slight bow, never even raising his head to look Inuyasha in the eye, showing utmost respect to the core.

At the same time, Feng Qing clearly saw that a demonic aura with a yellowish-green hue was seeping out from the back of the city lord's neck and shoulder blades, like a thin layer of mist, swirling around the edge of his collar.

This person has long been possessed by a demon!

Connecting Zenkenkyo's past experiences with what he sees now, Kaede immediately understands the cause and effect.

'That's incredibly audacious... Those who manipulate people's hearts will eventually be devoured by them.'

Kaede's heart sank, and she was already thinking about how to persuade Inuyasha when she got back.

After taking their seats, the city lord waved his hand, and the surrounding servants respectfully withdrew, leaving only the wisps of tea smoke as the three faced each other.

The hall is well-lit, with autumn sunlight streaming through the lattice windows and falling onto the wooden floor, creating a warm, golden hue.

As expected, Inuyasha didn't intend to hide it from Feng and calmly spoke up.

"Nine-Nine Toad, reveal your true form and let this great master, the benevolent butler of the capital, see it."

Upon hearing this, the city lord did not hesitate.

He placed his hands on his knees, took a slight breath, and then a bluish-white light emanated from his body in front of Feng.

The light was not dazzling, like water vapor being penetrated by sunlight, carrying an ethereal quality, somewhere between the tangible and the intangible.

In a few breaths, the middle-aged city lord, who was sitting upright in front of the tea table, swayed slightly, his back slumped down, and he collapsed onto the floor.

Beside him, a large tadpole, entirely emerald green, floated in mid-air.

He was about the height of a person, his body glowing with a damp light, and his two bulging, blood-red pupils were staring at the silver-haired half-demon and the priestess.

"Nine-Nine Toad greets Lord Feng."

Feng's expression shifted slightly.

I've heard a little about this monster.

The other party is a monster that has lived for nearly three hundred years. Its strength is not outstanding, and there has never been any record of it committing any heinous crimes.

Therefore, in the chaotic Warring States period where monsters roamed freely, no one specifically sought to cause him trouble.

However, now that he has possessed the body of a lord or nobleman, this crime is a just punishment for death.

But the greater sinner is the mastermind behind it all, who is drinking tea right next to you—Inuyasha!

"Hey, don't stare at me like I'm some kind of 'dangerous item'."

Inuyasha glanced at Maple's changing expression, not expecting to change her mind in a few words.

A person's values, formed from childhood, are difficult to change with just a few words without a significant upheaval.

Besides, they are family after all.

You can't treat the Nine-Nine Toad, which devours the souls of young girls to increase its demonic power, like it would casually unleash the Azure Flame of the [Kagutsuchi Garment], burning people until their eyes roll back and they foam at the mouth.

Inuyasha looked at the giant tadpole and said in a calm tone, "Go back and possess it again, and tell me about the population and grain production of the territory."

Chapter 38 This is called 'righteousness'

"Reply to Inuyasha-sama."

The Nine-Nine Toad continued to possess the city lord's body, adjusted its posture, and then spoke.