Deep in the night, all is still.

All things are silent.

Yet inside the house, the door was gently pushed open, and out stepped a witch dressed in white and red hakama, treading softly through the impenetrable darkness.

She glanced around the village, then turned back to quietly shut the door without making the slightest sound. Thus, near midnight, the witch left her house, heading toward the village outskirts. Her movements were cautious, though she didn't notice a young girl inside one house was wide awake.

Xiao Ye had been restless, tossing and turning all night, unable to sleep.

Even after getting an answer from Sister Kikyo, her troubled expression was something Xiao Ye had never seen before... It must be that monk from the afternoon!

At that moment, she happened to see the witch's figure passing by outside the window.

Initially stunned, her little heart began to race uncontrollably—a single thought took root in her mind, completely captivating her thoughts—At this hour, where is Sister Kikyo going? Could it be... could it be she plans to leave here?

Unable to remain lying down, the little girl immediately climbed out of bed, careful not to wake her parents and brother sleeping soundly on the mat. She stealthily crept to the door and peeked outside through the crack.

She realized she hadn't been mistaken; the witch was indeed heading toward the village outskirts. The slender silhouette crossed the field paths, moving farther and farther away, gradually disappearing into the dark night.

Clenching her teeth, she quietly opened the door and tiptoed out into the night.

......

The night was still, black as ink.

Under the night sky, Kikyo walked quietly along the path through the fields, her expression calm.

But she hadn't noticed the little follower trailing far behind her, which suggested her inner state wasn't as serene as her exterior. Otherwise, it was hard to imagine how her Perception would be so dull, failing to sense a young girl's tracking.

Moving out of the village and into a grove of trees under the darkness, she soon arrived at an open riverside. The witch paused to casually glance around, believing the nearby trees would conceal anything extraordinary from reaching the village.

Listening to the gentle babble of the river beside her, her expression remained calm and natural as she gently raised a hand toward the sky.

The white witch garment billowed with wide, long sleeves that slid down with her motion, revealing a pale arm as fair as jade. At this very moment, some mottled, faint points of light appeared in the night sky, responding to her gesture.

They resembled fireflies flitting in the summer night, manifesting in the sky, moving purposefully toward the riverbank.

Upon closer approach, they were seen to be five or six slender, elegant entities resembling lively serpents. Their heads bore delicate, small wings, and each one grasped a softly glowing, seemingly ethereal orb of light, flying toward her.

The riverbank gleamed with bright moonlight.

These lively "Flying Snakes" arrived beside the witch, circling around her several times before releasing their captured orbs, which she caught with outstretched hands.

Kikyo's soul had long since reincarnated, now residing in another person. Upon her resurrection, Witch Rito had forged a body with her Spirit Bone and Grave Soil and used Demon Technique to extract the reincarnated soul for the revival, but in the subsequent struggle, the soul was reclaimed by Himura Kagome.

The frustrated witch could only leave with her past grievances, but her incomplete soul remained unsustainable—she needed to collect the Dead Souls of young girls to replenish her body for movement.

Yet, the Dead Souls were destined to ascend to heaven, and she couldn't keep them bound to her forever. So after a short time, she had to seek new Dead Souls...

"Poor maiden spirits, come to me," she murmured, carefully accepting the orbs with a gentle motion. Being the spirits of young girls, it meant they had perished at a tender age, indeed meeting a pitiful fate.

However, she herself had no right to pity them... Kikyo wasn't sure what she recalled, but a slight, self-deprecating smile appeared on her calm face.

Gently shaking her head, she observed the dispersing Death Soul Worm, frowning slightly. One had not returned—what could have happened?

And at that moment—

"Witch girl, are you... unable to rest in peace?"

An abrupt, raspy voice emerged from the woods behind her. Kikyo sighed softly, recognizing the wandering mage who had lectured her that afternoon.

He hadn't given up; despite being chased out of the village that afternoon, with many angry villagers vowing to beat him to death, he had tracked her down again. His resolve was quite staunch... Probably, he had never actually left the village and was waiting for the right moment.

But her heart wasn't at peace either, to have not noticed this...

With these thoughts, Kikyo gazed steadily ahead, where the broad, serene river surface shimmered with sparkling ripples under the bright moonlight.

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