Splish-splash.
Mountain spring water flowed through bamboo pipes into the shrine's bathing area.
Kikyo held a wooden basin beneath the bamboo conduit, collecting the chilly spring water.
Though she'd told Luo Shu she was bathing, this wasn't ordinary ablution - it was a shrine maiden's purification ritual.
Typically, Kikyo performed this ceremony after slaying a yokai.
The purposes were twofold: to cleanse herself of impurity and, through the bracing cold, temporarily enhance her spiritual power to see through illusions.
She reached for a small dish containing pure white salt, took a handful, and scattered it into the clear spring water.
After taking a deep breath, she lifted the basin and poured its contents directly over her neck.
The icy cascade washed over her, the chill dispersing her body heat and rendering her plain white kimono translucent.
Once emptied, Kikyo silently refilled the basin, added salt again, and repeated the pouring.
After several repetitions, the purified Kikyo stood up, her dripping garments clinging as she entered the inner chamber.
When she reappeared in the shrine corridor, she wore fresh Miko attire - pure white upper robes with crimson hakama - her hair neatly tied with a white cord as she entered the main hall.
Unbeknownst to her, Luo Shu had already seated himself in the main hall, studying the deity statue at the front, barely glancing when Kikyo entered.
"What are you looking at?" Kikyo asked coolly, a trace of curiosity in her eyes.
"Is this shrine dedicated to the God of Rice?"
Luo Shu sat on the wooden floor, gazing up at the statue whose feminine form was discernible only through its curves.
The deity wore a fox mask, surrounded by five or six fox carvings at its feet - unmistakable iconography of Inari worship symbolising bountiful harvests.
However, to Luo Shu's surprise, Kikyo merely glanced at the Deity Statue and replied calmly:
"I don't know."
Hearing this, Luo Shu was taken aback and asked in astonishment:
"Aren't you the Shrine Maiden of this shrine? How can you not even know which god is enshrined here?"
"Knowing would be meaningless."
Kikyo's jade-like feet, clad in white tabi socks, stepped lightly on the wooden floor. She picked up the bow leaning against a nearby pillar, removed a roughly made arrow, and drew the bowstring.
Then, a whistling sound cut through the air.
The crude arrow traced a white arc through the sky, glowing with a dazzling white light as it shot into the distance.
Following the arrow's trajectory, Luo Shu saw a yokai bird in the sky outside the shrine desperately trying to evade, only to be struck by the arrow. It let out a piercing shriek before being utterly obliterated mid-air.
After slaying the yokai bird, Kikyo lowered her bow and said impassively:
"The gods won't protect the villagers. They only demand endless sacrifices from them."
"Learning about the gods is less useful than studying medicinal herbs. At least herbs benefit the villagers."
"That's quite a rebellious statement for a Shrine Maiden."
Luo Shu sighed at this, then gazed at the sky beyond the shrine gates:
"Do you get many yokai here daily?"
Kikyo nodded, then gave Luo Shu a measured look:
"The shrine has barriers I've erected. Moreover, you're strong—most yokai wouldn't stand a chance against you."
Kikyo spoke truthfully.
Her recent purification ritual had been partly intended to enhance her Spiritual Power, hoping to pierce through the shadows obscuring Luo Shu's true nature.
Yet even then, Kikyo could only confirm Luo Shu was human—with exceptionally powerful physique and soul, surpassing even her own. Beyond that, nothing else was discernible.
Thus, the ritual yielded no results beyond confirming Luo Shu was an extraordinarily powerful exorcist.
At this, Luo Shu voluntarily offered: "That energy fluctuation from the deity's statue—it's the Shikon Jewel, isn't it?"
Kikyo's eyes sharpened as they fixed on Luo Shu's face.
Calmly, Luo Shu explained:
"The Shikon Jewel—formed when the souls of the Warring States' mightiest Shrine Maiden, Midoriko, and countless yokai crystallised during their epic battle. For yokai, it possesses tremendous power-enhancing properties."
"From what I understand, the demon-slaying villagers entrusted this jewel to you, hailed as Musashi Province's strongest Shrine Maiden, hoping your Purification Power could cleanse it."
"What puzzles me is why you'd accept such a thankless task."
"Merely possessing the Shikon Jewel means endless yokai attacks, potentially endangering Kaede's Village."
"Yet you chose this duty—maintaining barriers around the village at great spiritual cost, living in this remote shrine, daily battling yokai in this seemingly endless cycle."
"Are you really the type who can only find comfort through self-sacrifice, deriving satisfaction from others' happiness?"
Kikyo regarded Luo Shu with a faint expression of displeasure in her gaze.
Then, turning away, she said quietly:
"The daimyo exempted the village from taxes. It's now a tax-free settlement."
"Ah, that explains everything." Luo Shu's expression cleared with sudden understanding.
No wonder Kikyo chose to guard the Shikon Jewel, enduring annual yokai assaults without complaint.
So the village had been exempted from taxes and conscription by the daimyo. With such conditions, it was no wonder Kikyo from Kaede's Village had agreed.
After all, this benefited everyone in the village, her homeland. Though the risks were high, the dangers of heavy taxation and sending family members to war weren't much better than being attacked by yokai.
Still, it felt like too heavy a burden for Kikyo alone.
At this thought, Luo Shu sighed. "Don't you find it too hard?"
"What do you mean by 'hard'?" Kikyo tilted her head slightly, curious.
"..."
Luo Shu was momentarily speechless. After a brief silence, he said:
"Would you mind letting me try handling the Shikon Jewel?"
"I might sound like I'm boasting, but I have considerable experience dealing with strange artefacts like this."
"I do mind."
Kikyo's cool response made Luo Shu chuckle.
"Fair enough. It would be strange if you weren't wary of someone asking for your most precious possession right off the bat."
"After all, you can't guarantee my goal wasn't to take the Shikon Jewel from the start."
Seeing that the Shikon Jewel was off the table for now, Luo Shu didn't press further. He stood up, brushed the dust off his trousers, and said to Kikyo:
"Since we can't agree on that, can we discuss something else?"
"What is it?" Kikyo asked calmly.
Luo Shu gazed into the distance, spotting an approaching figure, and smiled.
"About my companion staying at the shrine temporarily."