25 Is a Battlefield of Romantic Rivals

Unaware that the Great White Dog had already set his sights on her, Huami earnestly attempted to put her newly acquired knowledge to use, though the application seemed to be going poorly.

Following her diagnosis of "kidney deficiency," the room fell into a deathly silence. Nura Rihan, who had spent his entire life living with suave, devil-may-care ease, found his hand trembling.

"Where on earth is my kidney deficiency!"

To tell a man he has a kidney deficiency is no different from telling him he is impotent!

Nura was incensed, and seeing his son, Rihan, stifling a laugh beside him only made him more furious.

"If I had a kidney deficiency, how could you even exist!" Nura pulled a paper fan from behind his back and struck Rihan’s head. The blow landed, but before he could follow up, Rihan used *Mirror Flower, Water Moon* to vanish into a black afterimage.

"Hahahaha—Old Man, kidney deficiency is an illness. It needs treating." Without a shred of sympathy, Rihan laughed with extreme arrogance. "Don't be afraid of seeing a doctor."

Huami nodded in agreement.

"You don't even have a liver anymore; why is it strange to have a kidney deficiency?" Huami, sounding perfectly justified and genuinely confused, began to educate the uncultured Nura: "The liver and kidneys share the same origin. Since your liver is gone, it would be a miracle if you *didn't* have a kidney deficiency, wouldn't it?"

"..." Put that way, it actually made some sense.

"Old Man, there's no shame in admitting you have a kidney deficiency," his "good son" Rihan consoled him, though his tone was so schadenfreude-laden that it lacked any credibility.

Having realized what was happening, Nura sneered.

To prevent his father from going on a rampage, Rihan turned his gaze to Huami, maintaining his usual elegant posture. "So, little snake spirit, do you have a way to treat my father's... kidney deficiency?" He emphasized the words heavily.

Nura suddenly realized that perhaps this son was better off discarded.

Her mind did indeed contain knowledge regarding the regrowth of severed limbs. While she could not treat his liver yet, that did not mean she wouldn't be able to in the future. After her second transformation, she would be capable of healing him. Huami pondered for a moment: "Treating the liver will have to wait until my second transformation is complete. As for the kidney deficiency, that is a separate matter—it will cost extra."

"Done!" Rihan, the "good son," decided instantly. "If you can cure him, I'll give you another chest of jewels."

A chest!

Huami’s eyes lit up instantly. Her tail shot straight up, and she quickly grabbed Rihan’s hand. Her tone and expression were equally sincere, filled with affection: "No problem. I will surely return to you a father who is full of energy and capable of performing eight times a night."

"Pfft." Upon hearing "eight times a night," Rihan wanted to laugh again.

Nura, expressionless, threw a punch at each of them, but Rihan dodged with his *Mirror Flower, Water Moon*.

"Do I have no dignity?" he asked.

Having taken a hit, Huami looked at him with resentment: "You already have a child; what dignity do you still need?"

"Old Man, even yokai have to accept getting old," Rihan, who hadn't been hit, continued fearlessly.

Nura was so angry he couldn't even bother to maintain his elegant composure. He rolled up his sleeves: "I should have just shot you on the wall when I had the chance."

What a crude remark. Huami silently looked away, pretending she didn't understand a word of it.

"You really are something, Old Man." Completely unfazed, Rihan laughed with airy indifference: "It's fine, Old Man. Huami said she could restore you to eight times a night."

"Right, Huami?" As he spoke, Rihan flashed a highly seductive smile at her.

Huami hesitated, then said: "…Eating more vitality-boosting foods should help."

"Pfft—hahahaha—" Rihan laughed out loud without hesitation. Under his father's furious gaze, he used his technique to escape. When he reappeared, he was right beside Huami, one arm draped over her shoulder. His tone was flippant and lazy: "You really are interesting~"

That line sounded familiar. Huami turned to look at him. The distance between the two yokai was very close. His crimson-gold pupils were completely different from Sesshomaru's; while both were gold, his eyes were narrower and more flirtatious.

Huami: "Have you become interested in me?"

"Yes~ How about you consider becoming my wife?" He spoke naturally, as casually as if he were asking about the weather.

Flirtatiousness was the true nature of a Nurarihyon. Rihan reached out, his fingertips flirtatiously stroking her cheek, only to be slapped away without mercy.

"Smack—" With a crisp, clean sound, Huami remained expressionless: "No. I'm allergic to scumbags."

"Eh?" Having been rejected so bluntly for the first time, Rihan blinked.

Scumbag?

What is a scumbag?

...

While Huami was living her best life within the Nura Clan, Sesshomaru finally returned to the half-yokai village.

The Great White Dog transformed into his human form in mid-air, stepping lightly into the village.

Faint greenery mixed with mottled snow; the breath of spring carried a hint of chill, and the air was thick with the scents of various yokai.

Sesshomaru maintained his usual cold and aloof posture as he stepped into the village, acutely sensing that the scent of Huami in the air had faded.

His expression turned icy as he walked toward the wooden hut.

Empty.

His cold, golden pupils swept through the room. Lingering in the air was a faint trace of demonic energy—besides Huami’s, there was that of a bird yokai.

"…Heh." He laughed in cold, extreme fury, staring at the tatami mats as his lips curled upward.

Having been provoked by other yokai repeatedly, the demonic energy within him was surging uncontrollably. Clearly, Huami had been taken away by another yokai.

"Lo—Lord Sesshomaru—" Hua, who had rushed over, was terrified by his demonic energy. She stared in fear at the man in the room, who was filled with murderous intent, his oppressive aura sweeping outward.

Hua trembled, leaning against the doorway with a look of horror.

Ignoring the half-yokai behind him, Sesshomaru’s crimson-gold eyes swept over her face and landed on the window, where black feathers drifted in the wind. Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes, spitting out three words: "The Nura Clan?"

"Get out."

"…Ye-yes." She hurried to clear the path. Hua wanted to say something, but before she could, Sesshomaru had already vanished.

Once the lingering demonic energy dissipated, the half-yokai, who had been cowed by his power, nervously peeked out from the village.

"So, so terrifying."

"Was that yokai a guard of the Mountain God?"

"I thought he was going to kill us."

Tracking the demonic energy belonging to him that remained on Huami, Sesshomaru stepped off the ground and leaped into the air. The wind scattered his frost-white hair, his crimson-gold pupils turned blood-red, and fur gradually covered his face. In the blink of an eye, his human form vanished. After his transformation, he released his true form completely for the first time.

He made no effort to hide the rage of his declaration of war.

...

Inside the Nura Clan, unaware of the impending bloodbath, Huami was contemplating how to treat Nura’s illness.

She had knowledge of how to use healing powers in her mind, but she wasn't very proficient yet. Currently, her most practiced skill was summoning lightning.

"Hmm—" She stared at Nura's face, looked down at his chest, and then lower, saying nonchalantly: "Take your clothes off."

Nura, who had just calmed down, felt a chill run down his spine. He raised his hands to hold his belt with extreme smoothness, as if he were holding onto his chastity rather than his sash. His expression turned unusually serious: "I have no interest in children."

Huami rolled her eyes: "I can't tell where your liver is if you're wearing clothes."

"…And you'd know where it is if he took them off?" When it came to snark, Rihan was the master.

As for that—

Huami looked at the young Master Rihan with serious, earnest eyes, blinked, blinked again, and sighed: "What a handsome guy, what a pity he has a mouth."

It was clear that the high-cold, handsome Sesshomaru’s value was still rising.

As someone with a top-tier physique, Nura certainly didn't mind taking off his top. Especially seeing his own son get rebuffed, he found it quite delightful and was very cooperative.

He stripped off his upper garments in a few swift motions, revealing a lean and powerful torso.

It had to be said that yokai physiques were quite perfect. From her perspective, Nura’s muscles were thin and sexy; even when lounging on the daybed, the abdominal lines were clearly visible. If this were on the cover of a modern magazine, it would probably sell out.

Huami smacked her lips.

Noticing her wandering thoughts, Rihan was just about to tease her when a powerful demonic aura erupted in the air. All three great yokai looked up simultaneously.

Terrifying demonic power swept through the sky.

This energy... Huami had a bad premonition.

Riding the clouds, Sesshomaru plunged into the Nura Clan’s barrier. His figure, blotting out the sky, blocked the sun as the barrier collided with the White Dog.

Blue lightning crackled around the White Dog, emitting a sharp, snapping sound.

His blood-red eyes became even more brutal due to the pain.

"Awooooo—" The White Dog tilted his head and let out a roar.

Demonic power exploded once more, and the barrier began to crumble.

"Sesshomaru?" Huami was stunned, never expecting him to appear.

"Boom—"

The barrier, capable of withstanding hundreds of yokai, was shattered instantly.

"Yokai attack!!"

All the yokai of the Nura Clan swarmed out. The Karasu-tengu readied their wings for battle.

The White Dog stepped on the clouds, looking down at the yokai who didn't know their place, and roared: "Get out of my way—"

"Sesshomaru?" Huami was shocked.

Was he here to settle a score?

Hearing her voice, the White Dog’s gaze dropped. He clearly saw Huami standing beside the Nurarihyon, and—

Realizing what was happening, Huami looked at herself, then turned to look at the half-dressed Nura beside her.

Oh, no, no, no!

First: Sesshomaru thought she was his wife.

Second: Nura had just taken off his shirt.

Finally: She was currently reaching out to touch Nura’s abdomen to find the location of his liver.

"..." Hiss!!!

From Sesshomaru’s perspective, didn't this look like she was cheating?! And caught in the act, no less?!

A thought echoed silently in her mind: *There is no escaping this disaster today.*

Sesshomaru, in his White Dog form, narrowed his eyes, his murderous intent surging as he stared down at Huami.

Huami stayed calm for one second, then quickly moved away from Nura, silently hugging her own weak, pathetic, and helpless tail.

She looked at Nura and suggested earnestly: "Why don't you try kidnapping me?"

Otherwise, this would be impossible to explain.

Seeing her suddenly turn cowardly, Nura laughed and leaned in on purpose. Huami retreated frantically, trying to kill him with her glare, signaling seriously: *You yokai, don't you dare harm me!*

Rihan, the only one present who was staying away from the "love triangle," stroked his chin. How could he miss out on this?

Immediately, he offered Huami a slight smile and, to her horrified gaze, articulated clearly: "Stepmother."

Huami: *Damn it! If you're so bold, call me Mother!*

Although the term "stepmother" didn't exist at the time, the meaning was clear enough.

With his excellent hearing, Sesshomaru lowered his head, noticing Huami’s "guilty" expression, and laughed in his fury: "Heh, stepmother?"

Sensing the murderous aura, Huami wore a look of horror, glaring at Rihan: *You traitor, don't you dare harm me!!*

Rihan looked innocent: *What’s wrong with a Nurarihyon who likes to stir up trouble?*