Crossover: A Different Inuyasha

Chapter 84 Sesshomaru being pressured to marry, the Dark Forest of the Universe

It's that time of year again for the annual banquet.

The winter night sky was illuminated by virtual screens, the light and shadow flowing like a woven tapestry, reflecting the cool moon on the horizon, forming a warm river of light that flowed slowly along the mountains and cities of the 150,000 square kilometers of the Eastern Kingdom.

In the courtyard of Ruri Shrine, a banquet was laid out, bamboo curtains were half-rolled up, paper lanterns hung high, and the aroma of sake and charcoal intertwined in the air to form a relaxing veil.

But tonight's banquet lacked the usual enthusiastic clamor; beneath the festive atmosphere, a subtle eeriness lingered.

To welcome the elders who are visiting for the first time, the main seating area this year has been divided into two sections.

On the left is Inuyasha.

The difference today is that, beside the two dogs in red robes, sit a group of stunningly beautiful women, each with their own unique charm, like a scroll of enchanting beauty being slowly unfurled.

Kaede sat to Inuyasha's left, dressed in white robes and crimson hakama, her back straight as bamboo.

Her beauty was a gentle warmth refined by time—her eyes and brows carried the solemnity and serenity of a priestess, her cheeks glowed with a healthy warmth in the firelight, and a smile played on her lips.

Like a tree that has been repeatedly watered for many years, its branches are outstretched and its leaves are lush and green, needing no flowering season to prove its vitality.

Kaede tilted her head and was whispering something to Kikyo beside her.

The sound was as soft as snow falling into warm water; it was indistinct, yet reassuring.

Kikyo's posture was more elegant than her sister's, with her hands folded on her knees, dressed in white that was as white as snow and wearing scarlet trousers that were as red as the sunset.

Her hair was tied into a neat long ponytail at the back of her head, with only a few stray strands falling against her cheeks, gleaming softly in the firelight.

Beauty is clear and transparent.

Like an ancient mirror that has been wiped clean and spotless, it reflects light and shadow, yet the mirror itself remains calm and still, exuding a composure that commands respect.

Yura leaned against Inuyasha's right side, wearing a dark purple robe that shimmered faintly in the firelight.

Like a rose with thorns—her eyebrows are slightly raised, carrying three parts languor and seven parts allure, and her lips are smiling, yet it's always hard to tell how much seriousness lies hidden beneath that smile.

Yura leaned against Inuyasha's shoulder, occasionally letting the dog open its mouth to offer him some delicious food. This intimacy made the priestess sisters' eyes gleam with a dark light, and they were extremely displeased.

The last one to arrive, Ayam, sat a little further back, one seat lower than the three people in front of her, making her seem somewhat cramped.

Today she wore a light apricot-colored kimono with a white wolf fur shawl over it, and her fluffy tail hung down from the edge of the cushion, the end of which swayed unconsciously in the air.

Her face had the radiance and innocence of a young girl, her cheeks flushed with a thin layer of red from the wine, and her eyes sparkled like gems washed by moonlight.

Ayame sipped her wine slowly, occasionally glancing at Inuyasha and then at the priestess, her eyes blinking.

That delicate charm, somewhere between a young girl and an adult, is like a late-blooming flower in late autumn—pale in color, yet exceptionally eye-catching.

On the other side of the main seat sat the only elder among all those present—Lingyue Xianji.

Today she wore a deep purple gown, with the silver-gray collar of the inner lining showing through the overlapping of the lapels. The remaining fabric of the robe hung down from her waist and spread out on the edge of the couch, like a flower slowly blooming in winter.

Her long, silvery-white hair was styled into an elaborate and elegant bun, secured with several jade hairpins, the tips of which dangled delicate silver tassels.

The crescent moon mark on her forehead gleamed with a cool and soft light under the firelight, complementing the dog demon markings on her cheeks and making her appear both dignified and charming.

Lingyue Fairy once again turned her gaze to the opposite side—to the circle of beauties sitting around Inuyasha.

The figures simultaneously gathered their forms, like several flowers blown from different directions toward the same tree root, their roots already intertwined deep in the soil.

The beauties had a subtle tension in their expressions, as if the eyes of the whole world were on them, just because they were being looked at by Inuyasha's nominal mother.

But beneath that tension lies a palpable sense of possessiveness.

The cushions on everyone's seats were subtly moving closer to the red hem of the garment in the center.

Like several cats huddled together for warmth in winter, none of them willing to move aside first.

Lingyue Xianji then withdrew her gaze and fell on Sesshomaru, who was arguing with Qingjiu beside her, and sighed softly.

'That old dog, who reigned supreme for centuries, is ultimately nothing more than me and Izayoi.'

'This kid, who hasn't even grown his first hair yet, has already got a whole bunch of kids sitting around him.'

'They're both the sons of that old dog, so why is Sesshomaru so clueless?'

A sigh reached Inuyasha's ears, and his gaze followed to Lingyue Xianji's mature face, her brows slightly furrowed as she stroked her cheek.

"Mother Lingyue, why are you sighing on such a special day?"

Lingyue Xianji turned her gaze away from her son and towards Inuyasha, her eyes filled with a melancholy softened by the year-end night.

She tilted her head slightly, the tassels hanging from the edge of her hair bun swaying with the movement, making a soft, rustling sound like snowflakes falling to the ground. Then she spoke, her tone filled with undisguised worry unique to a mother.

"I'm worried about Sesshomaru."

Fairy's voice, whether intentionally or unintentionally, was slightly louder than usual, but only to the extent that those on the main platform could hear it.

"Over the years, he has never brought a girl back with him. He always travels alone, with a little monster following behind him."

The beautiful woman sighed again, her eyes filled with a mixture of sorrow and mischief. She glanced at Sesshomaru, who had put down his wine cup, and lightly tapped her cheek with her fingertips.

"I really don't know what the future holds. Will I be all alone for the rest of my life? Ugh, this is such a headache. I wonder who I took after."

Kikyo, who was holding a teacup, raised her eyebrows slightly upon hearing this, preparing to change the subject with "When the time is right, it will happen naturally"—her lips parted slightly.

But Robbie Kikyo was one step ahead.

The female demon straightened up slightly from Inuyasha's side, her wide robe flowing in full curves between her chest and hips with the movement.

"Brother Sesshomaru is handsome and a dignified God of Justice. He even killed the great demon Ryukotsusei a few days ago. His strength is known to everyone in the world."

These words made Sesshomaru, who was about to speak, lower his eyes.

Jieluo continued speaking, her voice light and cheerful, somewhere between serious and joking.

"If you were willing to stand at the gate of Rashomon and beckon with your finger, there would probably be a long line of female demons stretching from the gate all the way to the square of Zenkenkyo."

"Oh dear." Lingyue Fairy covered her red lips in feigned surprise, giggling like a young girl, "Does my Sesshomaru really have that much charm?"

As soon as his mother spoke, Sesshomaru felt annoyed. He was about to speak and interrupt the conversation when his sister-in-law spoke again.

"That's not an exaggeration."

Kikyo picked up the conversation and smiled faintly.

"However, given Sesshomaru's personality, he'll probably clear a path through the long line of female demons with his Bakusaiga first—as for whether there will be any left, we'll have to see if anyone dares to move forward after that slash."

These words made Lingyue Fairy laugh out loud.

A smile spread from the corners of his lips to the depths of his eyes, carrying an undisguised mockery. Looking at Sesshomaru, whose expression was slightly cold and who was about to speak, his tone was full of teasing, "This is indeed something you would do, kid."

"You shouldn't—" Sesshomaru had barely begun speaking when Kaede, standing to the side, curled the corners of her lips and, in the blink of an eye, took over the conversation.

“What my sister said makes sense. But there’s no need to rush things when it comes to fate.”

"Even if Sesshomaru travels the world, there will always be an opportunity or a place that makes him want to stop and take a second look at someone. It's just that he probably won't take the initiative to join that queue."

"I, Sesshomaru, will not—"

Sesshomaru spoke for the third time, but this time, he still couldn't finish his sentence.

"If Brother Sesshomaru were to—"

Sangpu mustered her courage, her voice soft with nervousness, and the tips of her ears flushed slightly. "If you don't mind... I... I can recommend a few... beautiful ladies from the wolf demon clan..."

The second half of the sentence was spoken softer and softer until it was as faint as a mosquito flapping its wings.

But when these words reached the ears of everyone present, they made the women at the table suppress their laughter.

Lingyue Fairy's shoulders trembled slightly. She covered her mouth with her hand and smiled at Changpu, who seemed oblivious to everyone's laughter. "Then it's settled, little white wolf."

After being "bullied" by everyone for three rounds, Sesshomaru finally stood up and left with a resolute air of "If this place is not for me, there will be another place for me to stay."

Before even joining in the fun, Inuyasha, worried about pushing Sesshomaru too far with a few words, glanced at the departing figure, then turned his head, only to meet Lingyue Xianji's gaze as she turned as well.

The latter rose calmly and gracefully.

Inuyasha whispered something to Kikyo and Yura, then patted the restless Ayame.

The departures of Sesshomaru and Lingyue Xianji left the wolf demon girl bewildered.

"Don't worry, something's come up on Grandma's side. Everyone can continue playing."

Changpu slowly exhaled, lowered her eyes, and nodded gently.

The pavilion in the backyard is surrounded by bamboo on three sides and open on one side, facing the bright winter moon on the horizon, which is frequently lit up by fireworks.

Fireworks rose one after another into the night sky, their flickering light reflecting on the faces of the three people, sometimes bright and sometimes dim.

Sesshomaru, who was in a bad mood from being pressured to get married, didn't show any extra expression on his face and just sat quietly.

Inuyasha sat down beside him and said, "Great Mother, why did you call us out here? Is there something you need?"

Even though it was just in front of family, the fact that the jokes led to Da Gouzi leaving suggests that there must be something they wanted to say in private.

Er Gouzi isn't stupid.

Lingyue Fairy sat opposite the two, her expression aloof and dignified, her lips parting slightly.

"Let me tell you about two things."

Her gaze swept between the two brothers, her eyes reflecting the fireworks blooming in the night sky. The clusters of flames flickered in her eyes, adding a soft glow to her beautiful face, which had remained radiant despite the passage of time.

The fairy princess did not harbor any resentment towards Inuyasha because of Izayoi's existence—she was looking at the two children, both of whom had Toga's bloodline flowing through their veins.

In chaotic times, having close brothers to rely on is a fortunate and happy thing.

If Toga had had such a brother back then, he wouldn't have ended up fighting alone and being dragged down to mutual destruction by a human.

“You are all his children. Inuyasha also calls me Great Mother, so you are all my children too.”

Lingyue Fairy spoke earnestly, without a trace of politeness or joking.

Inuyasha sat up slightly, while Sesshomaru looked at his mother.

"The first thing is simple: since the Eastern Kingdom aspires to unify the world—"

Lingyue Fairy said casually, "Then there's no need for the Western Kingdom to continue existing. You two brothers, take it over next year."

The night breeze swept through the bamboo grove outside the pavilion, scattering the embers of the exploding fireworks into tiny specks that drifted into the distance.

Inuyasha and Sesshomaru exchanged a glance, and the firelight at that moment fell on their faces, illuminating their outlines at the same time before simultaneously plunging them into shadow.

Inuyasha said, "Understood, Great Mother. Next year, we will unify the world."

Lingyue Xianji's lips curved slightly, then disappeared again.

She looked at the two brothers, paused for a moment as if considering her words, and thought for a long time before speaking again.

"The second thing."

"Your father—he left the Netherworld. It seems... he fell into some kind of dimensional rift."

To determine whether Touya-oh existed, Senhime conducted a special investigation one night and consulted several friends from the underworld. The combined results surprised her.

'Why is there another dimension? Is this still my world?'

Inuyasha frowned.

He pondered for a moment and asked a few more questions about the details—time, location, etc. Lingyue Fairy answered them one by one. Her answers were not very detailed, but they were enough to outline a general picture.

Inuyasha was astonished to discover that this coincided precisely with the point in time when he activated the Mirror of Time and sent the five-person group to another world.

'I truly opened the Mirror of Time…and he left the Netherworld at the same time. Was it because the spatial rift happened to appear near the Underworld, or was it—as I gazed into the abyss, the abyss also gazed into me?'

'Does the "dark forest theory" of the universe apply here too?'

'Furthermore, why the underworld in particular? Is it because the space there is inherently unstable and easily affected by rifts?'

'Or perhaps it's because Old Man Touya has been in the Underworld for too long, and his very existence is an anchor. The moment the rift was activated by my Mirror of Time, it naturally gravitated towards the closest and most unstable boundary...'

The questions are like a chain of links with their buttons undone, popping up one after another, but it's hard to find the corresponding answers immediately.

Compared to Inuyasha, who had to think much, Sesshomaru's thoughts were simpler. He directly asked, "Can the space-time rift still be opened? Should I bring my father back?"

What if we go and can't come back?

Lingyue Xianji glared at Sesshomaru, wanting to smash his muscular head with her fingers, then looked at Inuyasha, who was frowning and deep in thought, clearly knowing something, and asked directly.

What do you know?

Inuyasha revealed the Mirror of Time.