Crossover: A Different Inuyasha

"These days are truly comfortable."

With no nasty enemies, no external crises, and the affairs of the country handled perfectly by his subordinates, the half-demon could hardly find anything else to do besides creating humans.

Inuyasha now understands somewhat why the Demon Lord Chonglou in "The Legend of Sword and Fairy" values ​​Jingtian so much.

If you're not into women, you'll have to find someone to fencing with.

Very light footsteps came from the corridor, like a cat stepping through the moonlight across the eaves.

Jieluo emerged from the corridor, wearing only a loose yukata. The dark purple fabric was as thin as water, and when the evening breeze gently clung to her, it clearly outlined the full curves of her waist and shoulders.

The belt was tied casually, hanging loosely at the side of the waist, which instead left the opening of the garment mostly open when moving, revealing a patch of skin below the neck that was warmed by the lamplight.

That patch, situated precisely between the collarbone and the chest line, gleamed with a warm, lustrous color, as if moistened by water vapor.

Her hair was still damp, with the ends slightly curled. A few strands of wet hair clung to her temples and behind her ears, while the rest fell loosely over her shoulders.

Her face was still flushed from just having taken a bath, the color spreading from her cheeks to her earlobes.

Like flower petals steamed by heat, even the alluring and aloof demeanor in her eyes and brows was softened by the warmth.

A beautiful female monster walked over step by step, her bare feet stepping on the wooden floor.

Her ankles were slender and well-proportioned, the arch of her feet was gentle, and her toes were rounded.

Each nail was neatly trimmed and painted with a very light shade of cinnabar, resembling several mother-of-pearls soaked in water under the candlelight.

Having already eaten a "full meal," Yura circled around from behind Inuyasha, the sound of her bare feet stepping on the wooden planks as soft as flower petals falling at night.

His gaze first fell on Ayame, who was curled up asleep in his arms and whose fighting ability was worrying. The corners of his mouth curved slightly, but then he stopped.

Then he stretched out his hands and passed them behind Inuyasha's neck, his arms slowly wrapping around his broad shoulders and chest.

Like a climbing ivy clinging to him from behind, its chest pressing against his back.

Her chin rested on the half-demon's shoulder, her chin affectionately brushing against his cheek.

She turned her head to look at the lively lakeside scene reflected in the water mirror, her cherry lips close to Inuyasha's fair and reddish dog ears, slightly parted, and gently blew warm air into them.

"It's quite lively tonight."

The sensitive dog ears were stimulated by Jieluo's aura, as if a very thin electric current pierced straight into the bone from the edge of the earlobe, and ran down the spine. Wherever it passed, the muscles and bones seemed to have lost three-tenths of their strength.

Inuyasha's back involuntarily tensed slightly, and a soft, undisguised hum escaped his throat, his eyes losing much of their light.

This was so awesome!

The ultimate spa for your ears!

"Nothing different from usual."

Inuyasha responded faintly, toying with the soft, white jade in his hand, and asked with half-closed eyes, "Is it still the same over there?"

Jie Luo chuckled, twisted her waist slightly, and with a somersault, pushed the wolf-girl away with her bottom.

Poor calamus, jolted off balance by the sudden jostling, opened its wet eyes groggily, still shrouded in a layer of lingering sleepiness and moisture.

Like a little white puppy that had been pushed out of its den, it blinked blankly for a moment, then obediently curled up again next to Inuyasha's hand and fell into a deep sleep once more.

Yura took the throne from Inuyasha's arms, found the sword in its sheath, found the most comfortable position, twisted her body, and giggled.

"You're mistaken. Sesshomaru's mother has agreed."

Inuyasha reached out a hand and soothingly ruffled Ayame's hair, while lowering his head and raising his eyebrows slightly. "Oh? Fairy Lingyue will be coming at the end of this year?"

"Yes."

Jieluo nodded, touching her red lips, which were painted with rouge, with her fingertip. The color of her lips appeared moist and full in the candlelight, like a freshly bitten berry.

Her eyes were hazy yet clear, like clear water beneath a thin mist. "I've heard she's an unparalleled beauty—graceful, elegant, and with countless charms."

As she spoke, she tilted her head slightly, her gaze slowly sliding from Inuyasha's face to his chin, and then to his slightly moving Adam's apple, her smile deepening.

"What, you're already looking forward to it before we've even met?"

"I've heard that in some places, it's a matter of the son succeeding the father, or the younger brother succeeding the elder brother."

Her voice was lowered, almost drowned out by the sound of the rushing water.

"I've heard that in some places, succession is done by sons after fathers die, or brothers after brothers die—"

Inuyasha understood the implication in her words, and his anger flared up.

He can stand up now just like he did when he was pedaling a bicycle uphill in his past life.

A month later, in a remote mountain forest far from the city and the official road, there was a circular clearing in the center, which had been cleared by man. The ground had been repeatedly compacted and paved with flat bluestone slabs.

In the center of the open space stood a three-tiered square altar, constructed of black stones, with each tier's edges engraved with intricate patterns that meandered from the bottom of the altar to the top.

Above the altar, a huge skeleton sat atop it.

The skeleton was far larger than a normal person. Even though it was just bones, its shoulders were nearly three zhang wide, its back was straight like a pine tree, and its hands were folded on its knees, its posture solemn and majestic.

The skeleton had a matte finish, polished by years of mountain winds and sun, with a slight ivory white hue, and was dressed in complete samurai armor.

The armor plates were a dark iron black, with copper-green rust around the edges. Each plate was remarkably well-preserved, as if it had just emerged from an ancient battle, washed clean of blood, but still retaining its overwhelming and invincible aura.

The helmet rested beside the skeleton's knees, and a deep, visible cut remained on the visor, the crack extending from the brow bone all the way to the cheekbone.

Below the altar, hundreds of leopard cats knelt on the ground in unison, from the four Heavenly Kings of Donglan, Chunlan, Xialan, and Qiulan in the front row to the younger faces in the back row.

Every pair of eyes was fixed on the skeleton sitting quietly on the altar, their gazes surging with awe, remembrance, and long-suppressed excitement.

Donglan knelt at the very front, half a body length closer to everyone else.

Today she changed into a simple dark blue robe, and even took off the pair of bone pendants that she usually wore under her ears. Her long hair was tied into a neat ponytail, revealing the clean lines of her nape.

She placed her hands on her knees, her gaze passing through the shimenawa ropes hanging from the edge of the altar, landing on the skeleton encased in armor, and shouted.

The sound echoed through the empty mountain forest, like a long sword drawn from its sheath, crisp and decisive, indicating that a decision had been made.

"Rise, my lord!"

The leopard cats behind them raised their hands almost simultaneously, their fingernails scratching a wound on the inside of their wrists, blood rolling down their wrists and dripping into the array patterns on the bluestone pavement.

As the blood touched the stone surface, the array patterns lit up one by one—spreading inward from the outermost ring of patterns, like a lit fuse, climbing up the altar in circles.

A dark red light rose from the cracks in the stone slabs, illuminating the entire open space as if shrouded in a flowing, blood-red twilight.

The rays of light climbed up the steps of the altar, eventually converging at the base of the skeleton at the top of the altar, covering it inch by inch, starting from the ankles.

The pale bone, bathed in the glow of blood, began to gleam with a warm, lustrous sheen.

Then, fine fibrous tissue grows out from between the bones, like vines climbing up dead wood, intertwining, winding, and binding together to form the prototype of muscles and tendons.

As the muscle grows, it thickens and takes shape, its color deepening from light red to dark brown. Blood vessels spread out along the muscle like a spider web, pulsating slightly in the blood-red light.

The pale gray epidermis begins to grow from the neck and shoulders, extending smoothly along the contours of the limbs and torso, covering the newly formed muscle tissue.

The pores contract slightly as they close, and this revitalized body is readjusting to breathing and temperature.

The head covered by the visor slowly turned, its jaw slightly open, and a deep, hoarse voice emerged from its throat.

"...Give me...blood food!"

The moment the leopard cat lord awoke, the leopard cats below the altar cheered with joy.

"Hurry up!"

Donglan raised her hand and gestured behind her. The leopard cat tribesmen, who had been waiting at the edge of the forest, pushed several caged carts made of rough wood out of the forest path in single file.

The cage was crammed with a dozen or so live pigs and sheep, their hooves frantically pawing at the wooden planks, producing dull stomping sounds and low moos.

The leopard cat lord stood up above the altar, his armor making a fine metallic scraping sound with his movements, like a giant beast stretching its limbs as it awakens from hibernation.

He stretched out his large hand covered with iron-black armor plates, his five fingers spread, and scooped downwards—a half-grown black boar was lifted up, kicking its four hooves and squealing in mid-air, before being sucked into the mouth of the lord Zhang Kai.

The parent chews very quickly.

One after another, the pigs and sheep were caught and swallowed in the blink of an eye, with no waste.

As the last goat's tail disappeared into the gaping maw of his kin, he swallowed hard and let out a satisfied groan.

As his hunger subsided, the lord lowered his hands, leaned forward slightly, and looked down at the slender, straight figure below the altar, his eyes narrowed as if recognizing a long-lost face.

"It's Donglan."

The eyes beneath the visor swept from Dong Lan's face over the leopard cat tribesmen behind her. "You did a good job."

"But what I need is a blood sacrifice—a blood sacrifice of the living. Have you forgotten?"

The leopard cats lowered their heads.

Some of the old men who had lived through the era of the Leopard Cat Lords had a stiff look on their faces, but no one dared to utter a sound.

Chunlan, Qiulan, and Xialan all looked at their eldest sister at the same time.

Dong Lan met Qin Fang's gaze without flinching or avoiding it, even taking a step forward and exhaling in a deep voice, "Of course I haven't forgotten, Lord."

She raised her eyes, her icy blue pupils shining brightly in the twilight where the bloodstains still lingered.

"But that's outdated. In the years you've been asleep, the world has changed. Now, on this land, humans and monsters live together in one city, farming and eating together."

"Our leopard cat clan also belongs to the Eastern Kingdom and serves under the command of Rashomon."

The relatives' gaze darkened.

Listening to his daughter's words, he realized that humanity's strength had become so great.

Dong Lan didn't give him much time to process it and continued speaking.

"If we were to hunt and sacrifice living people for you, Rashomon's army would have already trampled this mountain forest without us even waiting until tomorrow."

The altar was quiet for a few breaths, then the wind blew through the treetops, causing the shimenawa ropes hanging from the edge of the altar to sway slightly.

"I'm sorry to have troubled you."

Qin Fang let out a soft breath, his voice lessening the unrestrained oppressiveness he had when he first woke up, but still retaining a dignified and profound presence.

"Now that I have returned, it is time to redefine the order of the new world."

Donglan was silent for a moment, and Chunlan, Xialan, and Qiulan behind her all took half a step forward at the same time. Although they did not speak, their posture alone was enough to say everything.

Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Qin Fang stared at Dong Lan, who then spoke, revealing a fact that was most taboo for the older generation of the leopard cat clan.

"My lord, the current rulers of the Eastern Kingdom are the dog demons."

The family thought they had misheard.

He lowered his head and bent down, his shadow completely covering the four leopard cat kings.

"Not human, but a dog demon?"

"The demon who defeated me back then—the Dog General?"

Dong Lan's tone remained unwavering in the slightest.

"Yes."

The two words fell into the air above the altar like two pebbles thrown into still water, the ripples spreading outwards in concentric circles.

Qin Fang's gaze slowly shifted from Dong Lan's face, sweeping over Chun Lan, Xia Lan, Qiu Lan behind her, and the leopard cat who had knelt down again—young, old, men and women, every figure was bowing low, no one looked up, and no one made a sound.

This silence, like a thick quilt, covered the empty space beneath the altar.

Like muffled thunder, deafening!

Qin Fang looked at Dong Lan again, his gaze lingering on her face for a few breaths.

Then, he suddenly laughed.

Laughter spread through the open mountain forest, gradually rising and growing louder, like a pot of soup that had been simmering on the fire for too long, finally bursting open to release scalding steam and long-suppressed emotions.

"Hahahaha-!"

The laughter soared into the sky along with the momentum, like a long sword suddenly drawn from its sheath. The moment the blade sliced ​​through the air, it brought not only a sound, but also a tangible sense of oppression.

Dark red demonic power exploded from Qin Fang's body, like a layer of molten metal that had been burned through, surging outwards along his shoulder and arm armor.

The sky above suddenly darkened—dark clouds seemed to be pulled in from all directions by an invisible hand, piling up layer upon layer, pressing down the sky, and completely swallowing the last ray of twilight.

A fierce wind swept down from the bottom of the clouds, swirling up withered leaves and pebbles all over the ground, swirling around the altar like a wall built of wind and dust, enveloping the entire mountain forest in turmoil.

"My children, my people, you are very well—very well!"

The voice of the close friend mingled with the sound of the wind and the surging of demonic power, carrying a sharpness that was forcibly suppressed, like a piece of iron that had been repeatedly forged, with its edges glowing a scorching dark red.