Crossover: A Different Inuyasha

"Gentlemen—tonight we'll eat meat and drink wine to our hearts' content!"

"Tonight there are no rulers and subjects, no superiors and inferiors, no distinction between monsters and humans. Let everyone drink until they're completely satisfied!"

The entire hall erupted in a thunderous response.

The invisible river between the two camps seemed to be filled in for a moment the instant Inuyasha finished speaking.

Feng and Jieluo sipped their wine, their bright faces reflecting each other's beauty.

The priestess looked at the overly familiar female demon, somewhat puzzled.

As Jieluo looked at Feng, she also recalled the "double flight" that Inuyasha had occasionally mentioned.

Well, to put it simply, a woman who's wicked to the core doesn't mind a little more excitement.

Donglan raised her glass, followed by Chunlan, Xialan, and Qiulan, and the leopard cats began to celebrate.

Jaken squeezed in with Wolf Wild, and the little demon with a decent but not insignificant status quickly rose to prominence among the demons.

The only one out of place in the room was Sesshomaru. He looked down at the cup of wine in front of him. The surface of the wine was as calm as a mirror, reflecting the flickering candlelight in the hall, as if a small piece of the night sky had been contained within it.

He neither picked it up nor turned away; he simply sat there, his back straight, like moonlight falling on charcoal fires in the sweltering heat of New Year's Eve—cold and lonely.

Inuyasha glanced at it, then picked up the sake jar again, poured a bowl full of sake, and raised it to the crowd in the hall once more.

"Another bowl, please!"

The cheers were deafening, and the aroma of wine filled the air, bringing the festive atmosphere of New Year's Eve to its peak.

After several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere inside the hall became thoroughly lively.

Among the monsters on the left, someone jumped onto the table and, drunkenly swaying his head, began to sing a wildly off-key war song. The tune was so off that even he couldn't find his way back, while the monsters next to him slapped the table and howled along, making the bowls and plates bounce.

Wolf Wild simply took off his outer robe, bared his arms and legs, and danced wildly. He was carried around the arena by several little demons, which made everyone burst into laughter.

On the human side of the right, after a few drinks, Feng stood up, clapped his hands, and beckoned the children of Zenkenkyo to come to the center of the hall.

Dozens of children held hands and danced a folk dance commonly seen during the New Year in the countryside, keeping time with the rhythm. Their steps were simple and lively, and their sleeves billowed out like little flowers as they spun around.

The monsters were initially stunned, but then some of them started clapping. The rhythmic applause surged like a tide, emboldening the children, who danced even more joyfully.

On the high platform, Inuyasha leaned back in his chair, holding a sake bowl, watching the joyful scene below with a smile on his lips.

Then he stood up, carrying his wine bowl, and swayed over to Sesshomaru's table, before plopping down next to the big dog.

Sesshomaru, who was looking down at the singing and dancing below, stiffened slightly at the sudden closeness, and an almost unnatural look flashed in his eyes.

"Inuyasha".

His voice remained cold and indifferent. "You're sitting too close."

"Ok?"

Inuyasha turned his head, deliberately tilting it to the side, and leaned close to Sesshomaru's shoulder. "What did you say? It's too noisy, I can't hear you."

Sesshomaru's eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly, and he shifted his body slightly to the other side, a hint of impatience creeping into his voice.

"...Sit further away from me."

"What do you mean, sit closer? No problem!"

Inuyasha moved closer to him instead, grinning with a smile that smelled of alcohol.

Sesshomaru turned his head and glared at him coldly, "If you come any closer, I won't hesitate to throw you off this platform."

"Go ahead and throw it." Inuyasha didn't back down; instead, he handed the sake bowl to Sesshomaru. "Drink this bowl before you throw it. You're already here; what kind of talk is it if you don't drink a drop?"

Sesshomaru looked down at the wine bowl handed to him. The rim of the bowl was stained with the water that Inuyasha had drunk from. The wine swayed slightly, reflecting the lights of the hall and his own disgusted expression.

"I, Sesshomaru, never drink alcohol!"

End of Chapter 48

A burst of laughter erupted from below; one of the monsters had gone wrong during his performance, making the children laugh so hard they were doubled over.

"If you drink it, I'll tell you where Cong Yunya is." The devilish enticement came through the laughter.

Sesshomaru, who only knew that the Tsurugi had been sealed by his father, was shaken and stared intently at the smiling Inuyasha for several seconds.

"My strength is inferior to my elder brother's, and I cannot resist the evil aura of Cong Yunya."

Er Gou flattered, winking and saying, "So..."

"A bowl of celebratory wine in exchange for a domineering sword, doesn't that seem like a great deal?"

Sesshomaru remained silent, simply raising his sake bowl and tilting his head back to gulp it down.

The spicy aroma made the aloof, noble young master, with his heightened senses, blush.

"As expected of the eldest brother, he didn't embarrass himself!"

Inuyasha laughed heartily, picked up his own sake bowl, and drank it all in one gulp.

Two people, one in red and one in white, sat side by side on the high platform, about a hand's width apart.

Like two clouds that shouldn't be together, yet were blown to the same place by the same gust of wind.

The commotion below continued, and the scene of brotherly affection and respect was witnessed by everyone.

Jaken looked at Sesshomaru, who seemed different from usual, opened his mouth, then closed it again, finally lowered his head, and slapped his face hard.

'Oh my god!!!'

"Master Jaken, what are you thinking about? You look so dazed. Come and play!"

The drunken Wolf Wild Man lifted Jaken up, and before the latter could react, he pushed him away with force, shouting, "Go! Go!"

A wicked scream pierced the roof of the temple, and the small figure was like a marble being thrown out.

"Aaaaaaah—Lord Sesshomaru, help me—!!!"

The sound fell from mid-air, crashing into the bursts of laughter from the monsters below.

Several lesser demons reached out to take it, but were slapped about by Xie Jian's frantic flailing hands and feet, and finally fell into a pile of soft fur with a "plop".

Xie Jian lay sprawled in the pile of hair, face up, chest heaving, his eyes still darting around.

The overhead lights flickered into a blurry patch of light, and the unrestrained laughter of the monsters filled the air, along with the distant shouts of "One more time!" from the drunkard, Wolf Wild.

The moon was high in the sky, and its clear light filtered through the roof tiles, mingling with the warm red lamplight throughout the room to create a hazy glow.

The children of Shanjianjing lay sprawled on the table, while the women, concerned for their children, carried the little ones to the house in the front yard.

The young men and women of Zenkenkyo were still in good spirits, continuing to sit at the table and clink glasses with the newly acquainted yokai, appearing much more at ease.

Behind the palace, the giant tadpole, Nine-Nine Toad, was so busy that its feet barely touched the ground.

He flew from the kitchen into the hall, carrying seven or eight unopened jars of sake on his body. After putting the things away, he heard Qiu Lan shout, "Is the barbecue ready yet?!"

"What's the rush! It'll be ready soon!"

Short of manpower again, the Nine-Nine Toad grabbed a few passing monsters and said, "You lot, come with me to get some roasted meat!"

Then they flew to the backyard.

In the kitchen, more than forty human women were busily working around the stove.

The meat skewered on wooden sticks sizzled on the charcoal fire, and the dripping fat exploded into tiny sparks on the red-hot coals, while the aroma was carried away by the heat.

Some people deftly flipped the meat skewers, while others piled freshly cut fish sashimi into bowls.

Someone was lifting the lid of a large pot, and the white steam from steaming buns billowed up, covering their face.

"Someone is calling from the main hall again? Hurry up and serve the dishes."

"This is fine, you can take it now!"

Someone in the kitchen responded, and then the monsters who had been waiting nearby rushed out, each carrying a large, freshly grilled meat skewer, and placed it on the monsters' worktable.

Several monsters followed closely behind, carrying a whole vat of rice wine, which they slammed down on the side of the table, eliciting cheers from the surrounding crowd.

"There are still ten roasted lambs in the kitchen!"

"Don't rush me, don't rush me, I'm coming!"

Nine-Nine Toad, having arrived in the kitchen, wiped the sweat from his brow, stood in the middle of the passageway, and took a breath. Shouts from all directions surged in like a tide.

He took a deep breath and plunged back into the hallway leading to the kitchen.

The figure moved incessantly between the lights and the heat, like a spinning top being whipped around, cursing under his breath but smiling on his face.

Monsters also enjoy excitement.

The aroma of wine and meat mingled, making the night long and passionate.

Several leopard cats also joined the ranks of serving dishes. Xia Lan even used her tail to easily carry two jugs of wine through the crowd, which made the monster next to her whistle loudly.

On the high platform, Inuyasha poured another bowl of wine, tilted his head back and drank it all, his eyes filled with a drunken heat, and elbowed the big dog in the ribs.

"Sesshomaru, how about we hold a banquet at the Heavenly Palace on the Cloud Top next year—let's make it even bigger? Are you coming?"

no respond.

Inuyasha turned his head and nudged him with his elbow again, "Sesshomaru?"

Still no response.

Inuyasha blinked and saw that Sesshomaru's back was straight and his expression was normal, but his eyes had closed at some point.

Inuyasha paused for a moment, then let out a low laugh.

"Tsk, if you can't drink, you're like a dog, or rather, a child sitting at the same table."

He glanced around, but there was no sign of the maid. Whether he had a mental lapse or something else, he picked Sesshomaru up and carried him horizontally.

Perhaps due to intoxication, or perhaps because he had let his guard down, Sesshomaru, who was usually cold and ruthless and decisive in killing, showed no signs of waking up.

Below the platform, some people noticed this scene.

On the left side of the table, the four kings of leopard cats had a pile of empty wine jars lying crookedly on their table.

Donglan held the bowl in both hands, her icy blue cat-like eyes glistening with moisture, clearly indicating that she was already seven or eight parts drunk.

She looked up and saw Inuyasha holding Sesshomaru on the high platform. Her cat tail suddenly snapped, and then she let out a loud whistle with a slightly drunken, unsteady tone.

"oh--!"

Chunlan and Xialan turned their heads to look, one covering her mouth and the other staring wide-eyed like a cat.

Qiu Lan slumped onto the table, mumbling incoherently, "I'm not drunk... I can still drink..."

The demons below gradually raised their heads, watching Inuyasha carry Sesshomaru as he slowly walked down the platform, through the lights and noise of the hall, and headed towards the hall's gate.

Some people stared in disbelief, mouth agape, while others rubbed their eyes, thinking they were seeing things.

When Xiejian saw this scene, he froze on the spot as if struck by lightning.

His gaze followed the two figures, and after a long while, he managed to squeeze out a groan, "This...this is Lord Sesshomaru! When he wakes up tomorrow, will he kill someone?!"

Inuyasha stepped across the palace gate and handed Sesshomaru to the toad that had run into him.

At this moment, a night breeze blew in, carrying the coolness of the twelfth lunar month and the crisp scent of the mountains and forests, dispersing some of the warm aroma of wine and meat that filled the hall.

The distant mountain ridges undulated in the moonlight like a sleeping giant, and the clamor inside Rashomon was gradually carried away by the night wind, like a river flowing away into the distance.

Inuyasha turned around with his hands behind his back.

"Cloud Top Heavenly Palace, the true stronghold of the dog demon, Fairy Lingyue, Windmill of Time..."

"The future looks interesting."

Chapter 49 Taken

"Hmm~"

A soft, melodious murmur rang out.

A heavy, dull feeling came from my chest, as if something warm was pressing down on it, making it difficult to breathe.

Feng frowned, feeling as if he were under a ghost, his eyelids as heavy as lead, and it took a lot of effort to open them a crack.

Her gaze first fell on the unfamiliar ceiling—carved beams, a clean ceiling, not the thatched hut roof she was familiar with.