Kobe Hikaru's expression remained unchanged: "Although this body of mine is a demon, my brain, my consciousness, is still human."
"Besides, who says water and fire can't coexist?"
"Know yourself, know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. I have to know how to deal with this stuff, so next time you shoot your arrows at me, I can at least dodge a couple more."
Kikyo fell silent.
The reason was very strange.
But...
She looked at the young Oni Samurai before her.
His eyes could not be called clear, but they held no malice either, only pure curiosity.
She had never seen that kind of look on many human mages.
However, he was a demon.
A yokai.
A very strange yokai.
"Consciousness is indeed the key."
After a long while, Kikyo spoke.
She placed her Kagura bell on the stone platform nearby.
As if she had agreed to Kobe Hikaru's request, she suddenly began to explain:
"The 'Qi' between heaven and earth is divided into pure and turbid."
"Turbid Qi sinks, gathering to form demons; it governs the physical body, desires, and obsessions."
"Pure Qi rises, condensing to form spirits; it governs the soul, will, and faith."
Kikyo's voice was cold and clear, like pearls falling onto a jade plate, echoing in front of the empty shrine.
Kobe Hikaru listened very carefully.
These theories were not explained in such detail in the original work.
"Ordinary demons have chaotic souls and only know how to kill and devour, so they can only absorb Turbid Qi to strengthen their demonic bodies."
Kikyo looked at Kobe Hikaru: "You are indeed somewhat different."
"Your soul... is very complete."
"It is even more resilient than most ordinary people."
This was the truth.
After all, he was a transmigrator who had experienced life and death; if his mentality hadn't been stable, he would have collapsed long ago.
"So, I want to try," Kobe Hikaru said.
Kikyo pondered for a moment, appearing to have made a decision.
"Reach out your hand."
Kobe Hikaru extended his right hand.
Kikyo raised her hand, not touching him directly, but hovering three inches above his palm.
"Close your eyes."
"Perceive your 'intent'."
Kobe Hikaru closed his eyes as instructed.
The next instant, he felt a warm current of Qi coming from above his palm, drilling into him along his arm.
That was Kikyo's spiritual power.
Hiss—
Kobe Hikaru frowned slightly.
It really hurt.
It was like having boiling water poured onto his nerves; the Demonic Qi within his body instinctively wanted to counterattack, but in the face of that incredibly pure spiritual power, it was instantly suppressed completely.
"Don't resist."
Kikyo's voice sounded in his ear: "That is the body's instinct; use your 'intent' to control it."
Kobe Hikaru gritted his teeth, forcibly suppressing the urge to fight back.
"This is not right."
Kikyo suddenly took a step forward.
Very close.
Kobe Hikaru could even smell the faint scent on her body amidst the breathing simulated by his Demonic Qi—he didn't need to breathe, but he could, just like how a corpse shouldn't move, yet he still moved.
He could also smell that the scent on Kikyo was not the rouge of ordinary women.
It was the lingering scent of incense burning, mixed with the breath of morning dew... it couldn't be called very fragrant, but it was clean to the extreme.
A hand pressed against his lower abdomen.
Through the tattered armor and clothing, Kobe Hikaru could still clearly feel the temperature of that hand, as well as the shape of her palm.
Slender, yet strong.
"Your Qi is too chaotic."
Kikyo's voice had no fluctuations: "The Demonic Qi is running wild; your 'intent' has not unified them."
She raised her other hand and pressed it against Kobe Hikaru's back.
A pincer attack from front and back.
Two streams of spiritual power surged in simultaneously, forming a cycle within his body.
"Feel this path."
She said.
Kobe Hikaru opened his eyes.
What met his eyes was that stunningly beautiful face close at hand.
Her porcelain-white skin was flawless, and her long eyelashes drooped, hiding the emotions in her eyes.
Their breathing was almost intertwined—although Kobe Hikaru's breathing was simulated, it still existed.
He was a head taller than Kikyo; as he looked down, his gaze slipped uncontrollably.
Crossing the slightly open collar, he saw a glimpse of her delicate, almost transparent collarbone, and beneath that... the snow-white curves tightly wrapped in the white kosode, trembling slightly with her breathing.
Further down was her hand pressed against his lower abdomen.
Because she was so close, the fabric of her red hakama bunched up against the side of his thigh, and he could vaguely feel the warmth and softness of a woman's thigh beneath that layer of fabric.
He could even imagine the long, firm legs hidden deep within the hakama, covered by layers of fabric, and the deep, outlined shadows.
Kobe Hikaru's Adam's apple bobbed.
He was a normal man.
Even if his body was cold now, his heart was still hot.
This posture, this distance.
To say he didn't have any thoughts would be purely eunuch-like.
But there was no expression on his face.
Not even his eyes fluctuated in the slightest.
The Oni Samurai's deadpan attribute played a huge role at this moment—
"Focus."
Kikyo seemed to notice the slight disorder in his breathing and looked up at him.
That glance was very faint.
But it was also very sharp.
As if it could see through the romantic thoughts beneath the skin.
"Your demonic power is flowing too fast."
She pointed out.
"Spiritual power entering the body, it's stimulating."
Kobe Hikaru lied without changing his expression: "It hurts a bit."
Kikyo did not expose him, nor could she.
Perhaps in her view, this was indeed just the demonic body's rejection reaction to spiritual power.
She did not withdraw her hand; instead, she increased the output of her spiritual power, guiding that faint trace of "Pure Qi" to circulate within Kobe Hikaru's body.
"Then let's continue."
Kikyo said: "Close your eyes and try to perceive it yourself."
Kobe Hikaru closed his eyes again.
This time without Kikyo's guidance, he could only grope based on the feeling from that instant just now.
It was difficult.
Very difficult.
That Pure Qi was like stars in the night sky; he knew it was there, but he couldn't grasp it no matter what.
Moreover, the Demonic Qi within his body was constantly interfering with his perception.
Time passed bit by bit.
The sun gradually rose higher.
Kobe Hikaru's temple throbbed.
That was the side effect brought about by the clash between the Demonic Qi and spiritual power.
"Enough."
Kikyo's voice sounded: "Let's stop here for today."
Kobe Hikaru opened his eyes.
He could feel that his physical condition was very bad.
The Demonic Qi in his body was like it had been stirred up, running wild everywhere.
"Your Demonic Qi is chaotic."
Kikyo said: "You will need to rest for a few days to recover."
"...Mn."
Kobe Hikaru nodded.
Although he failed, he didn't feel disappointed.
Anyway, he hadn't expected to succeed on the first try.
And that period of time just now...
Cough.
Better not think about it.
"Go back and rest."
Kikyo stood up and brushed the non-existent dust off her clothes.
"Shall we continue tomorrow?"
Kobe Hikaru asked.
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