Along the winding road by the riverbank, there were two more travelers, a modern young man in casual attire and a serene woman in a witch's outfit, though they were heading in the opposite direction.

Threads of morning light shot towards the earth like arrows, gently dissolving the remnants of the night. No matter what happened last night, the sun would rise as usual, as if nothing could ultimately hinder it.

"Let me ask you something first... Are you planning to collect the Four Souls Jade Fragments?"

The witch looked calm, as if she had already recovered from the blow of last night, at least it didn't show on the surface. She walked silently ahead while asking this question.

"It depends on the situation. If I come across them, I would certainly collect them..." Gu Mo's mind was racing, yet he gave this response. In truth, he didn't particularly desire the Four Souls Jade Fragments, but saying he had no interest at all didn't seem appropriate at this moment.

Although Kikyo would certainly be glad to hear such words, it also meant... she wouldn't even have the slightest reason to accompany him.

"Do you want to use their power?"

The witch's expression remained unchanged, still walking ahead, continuing to ask. She had asked this question before, but the implication now was clearly different from before.

Gu Mo pretended to ponder seriously for a moment, then shook his head: "If possible, I don't want to take that risk. You also mentioned that with each fragment added, even though the power grows stronger, a more terrifying evil also comes along, right?"

He blinked, adding intentionally or unintentionally, "Collecting other fragments, I wouldn't necessarily have to use them, but if I don't collect them, someone will definitely come to me with other fragments in the end..."

The witch walking ahead nodded lightly. This reason seemed reasonable, not seeking more power, but proactively preventing threats from others... if his purpose in collecting the fragments was truly so simple, their fundamental positions wouldn't conflict.

Of course—

Whether or not his statement was true would require her to verify personally later; trust couldn't be given unconditionally based on just a few exchanges.

"By the way, Kikyo, can you sense the other fragments of the Four Souls Jade?" Gu Mo sighed gently, then asked.

"I can, but they can't be too far away; they must be nearby..." The witch nodded slightly.

As long as she's not far from a fragment of the Four Souls Jade, she can use her own senses to detect its presence. Unlike demons and devils drawn to the jade's active power, even if that fragment lay dormant, unnoticed by anyone.

Its power hadn't been used by anyone, no aura or essence had escaped, yet Kikyo could directly sense its precise location.

This was a special ability unique to her, likely gained from reincarnating with the Four Souls Jade five hundred years ago and being reborn together once more... From this perspective, Himura Kagome also possessed this strange ability, and the protagonists relied on it to travel across lands, collecting scattered fragments.

Gu Mo nodded thoughtfully, then fell silent. Because of the Four Souls Jade Fragment he held, he too could use divination to sense the positions of other fragments, but it was a vague result, difficult to pinpoint exact locations using this method.

Mages, demons, and other beings capable of such feats were probably not few. After all, they needed a general direction to search, rather than wandering aimlessly, collecting fragments through sheer luck... Yet, even so, collecting them remained a significant challenge.

Honestly, if he really wanted the fragments, ambushing Inuyasha and his group wasn't a bad idea... At this time, they had a considerable number of fragments, perhaps about a third of a complete jade. Directly taking them would be like striking it rich.

Gu Mo pondered this quietly, saying nothing, as silence unknowingly settled between them once more.

From late last night until now, they'd been traveling through the night, but had exchanged fewer than twenty words... Thus, they continued on their way without discussing anything about last night nor talking about anything else, forming a silent understanding—

As if simply because of Gu Mo's previous invitation, Kikyo had decided to leave, and they naturally set off together.

—However, it might also be that Kikyo was in a poor mood at the time, didn't think it through completely, and made a decision influenced by rigid thinking...

To this day, Gu Mo still found this unfolding somewhat unreal, walking the rugged path, sensing the delicate medicinal scent lingering briefly in the air as the witch passed by, leading to a strange thought crossing his mind.

After all, he hadn't expected things to turn out this way. Just yesterday, he'd already given up on his original plan, ready to set off alone. Yet, in just one day, the situation underwent a dramatic shift.

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