Even though he had actually considered this possibility when the old monk appeared, he hadn't expected it to go so smoothly... Especially the moment when Kikyo said, "Let's go," he almost didn't react that the words were directed at him.

Because he knew that Kikyo might be prompted by this matter to make a firm decision, to pick up her longbow and arrows again, and embark on her journey to the Warring States. But he didn't hold much hope for her joining his team, because in the original trajectory of fate, the witch chose to walk alone.

Even when facing Inuyasha and others, she didn't choose to travel together... Although surely Himura Kagome's existence played a role, one can also see Kikyo's style of action from this.

—So it's not strange that Gu Mo would have such thoughts and doubts now.

—After all, Kikyo could completely set out on her own, just like the original trajectory of fate.

But humans tend to fall into a certain trap, which is that when facing a problem, if someone offers specific choices regarding the issue, the person's thinking seems to be confined, subconsciously feeling that they must make a decision among the given choices.

It's either this choice or that one, always feeling that they have to choose one...

Completely forgetting that outside of these choices, there might be more free room for operation, and one doesn't necessarily have to choose from among them.

Perhaps Kikyo was like that; in Gu Mo's opinion, she probably first wavered in her situation because of the old monk's words, then the instinctive fear shown by Xiao Ye later intensified her melancholic and wistful mood, prompting her to hastily make the true decision to leave.

Finally, Gu Mo's previous invitation was also a subtle influencing factor—

She refused the invitation because she didn't want to leave the village, but when it came to leaving the village, she didn't necessarily have to accept the invitation. It's just that the witch's mood at the time was too melancholic, hasty, and forlorn, so she didn't consider it thoroughly, subconsciously choosing between "staying in the village" and "accepting the invitation to leave"...

Attempting to analyze the witch's psychological state at the time, Gu Mo appeared pensive.

But just then, the witch walking ahead suddenly stopped in her tracks, standing still.

Gu Mo, walking behind and somewhat absent-minded, nearly collided straight into her. Fortunately, he managed to stop just in time. The witch turned back with a slight frown, giving him an odd look, but didn't say anything. Instead, she pointed to the river beside them—

"Look at that in the river," she said calmly.

Hmm?

Gu Mo blinked and looked towards the direction Kikyo pointed out, only to see a pitch-black object bobbing up and down among the roaring waves of the rushing river, floating past them.

Upon recognizing what it was, he was taken aback: "Eh? Wait, is that thing a human head? Did something happen upstream?"

He watched the human head bobbing on the water's surface, but then a flash of inspiration struck him, as if he thought of something, and he shook his head repeatedly, denying his immediate first reaction: "No, this seems to be a Human-faced Fruit."

Kikyo was about to explain but found that he had already reacted in time, not feeling surprised, she just nodded slightly: "It's a Human-faced Fruit... There must be a Demon Tree growing upstream; I don't know to what extent it has grown, it may have consumed many people."

As she said this, her delicate brows furrowed tightly.

Because she saw a few more "human heads" drift down from the upstream in the river water, and it seemed like more were still coming.

These fruits were about the size of a rugby ball, with human facial features on the surface, the skin color was like that of human skin, even with hair growing on top...

If not for the absence of any wounds or bloodstains, they would genuinely resemble decapitated human heads... At this moment, such "human heads" were drifting down from the upstream one by one...

Kikyo couldn't help but raise an eyebrow; the fruits borne by the Human-faced Fruit tree resemble human heads, and hence the name.

But for it to bear fruit, it needs to eat people. Being a man-eating Demon Tree itself, the people it consumes are transformed into Human-faced Fruit... Though it's possible that some may accidentally die near the Demon Tree, allowing such a tree to bear a few fruits sporadically, the sheer number of ripe fruits drifting downstream suggests otherwise...

Perhaps someone is specifically feeding that Demon Tree, or it may be that the Demon Tree has already come into its own.

"Emmmmm... this thing is really bizarre."

Gu Mo had already squatted by the river, pulled out a long metal fishing rod from his jacket pocket, and cast the line to hook a fruit, dragging it back.

Tossing aside the fishing rod created by Projection Magic, he grabbed a tuft of hair, lifted the fruit, looking at the human facial features growing on it, with its tightly closed eyes. For a moment, a strange illusion flashed in his mind, as if he had really beheaded someone and was holding the person's head for inspection.

This feeling is truly perverted.

"The Human-faced Fruit is the fruit of the Demon Tree; eating it can grant temporary power, but it comes at the cost of losing one's sanity..." The witch quietly watched from behind and spoke calmly.

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