Chapter 95: Warning of Darkening!
Azhi stared blankly upwards, wondering if she was still asleep. She closed her eyes and then opened them again.
Yes, the scene hasn't changed.
What came into view was not the magnificent yet somewhat oppressive carved beams of the Tsugikuni residence, but a familiar yet rough roof.
Before I could even panic, I heard a voice from beside me: "She's awake."
Aori propped herself up on her arms and sat up. Her gaze fell on Yoriichi Tsugikuni. Even though she didn't know what had happened, she had already started to smile: "Yoriichi!"
The soft, sweet voice held undisguised joy. Yoriichi Tsugikuni's body trembled slightly as he scooped warm water from the jar and walked to the low tatami mat.
"Have some water."
Aori nodded, took the cup from Yoriichi Tsugikuni, and sipped it slowly.
After her parched throat was relieved, her confused memories gradually became clear, and Azhi belatedly remembered to ask questions.
She looked at the white kimono on her body, tilted her head back in confusion, and asked, "How did I get here? Shouldn't I be in the Jiguo Mansion?"
She remembered that she had a "fake marriage" with Yan Sheng.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni tensed up slightly. He omitted the details of his retainers' plot and tried to describe it in concise language: "Last night, there were villains causing trouble at the Tsugikuni residence. I noticed the danger as I was passing by and brought you here to take refuge."
"A bad guy?" Azhi's eyes widened. "Luckily you were here."
"You've grown a beard on your face."
Aori's gaze fell on Yoriichi Tsugikuni's chin, where a few wisps of stubble had sprouted, adding a touch of weathering to his handsome face.
In the past, Yoriichi Tsugikuni would occasionally do this. If he didn't have time to trim his hair in the morning, she would sometimes touch it out of curiosity. It was hard and a little prickly.
Almost subconsciously, Azhi reached out her hand, with the familiar intimacy of the past.
Before her fingertips even got close, Yoriichi Tsugikuni recoiled as if burned by an invisible flame, taking a step back abruptly.
"What's wrong with you?" Aori withdrew her hand in a daze. After a few seconds of reaction, she spoke softly and coquettishly to Yoriichi, "I've missed you so much these past few days."
With Yoriichi gone and 000 gone, she felt every moment was unbearable. Although they weren't always talking when they were together, it just wasn't the same...
Me too.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni responded in his heart.
It's despicable that even though Aori became her brother's wife, Yoriichi Tsugikuni was still happy because of her closeness, but this brief happiness was quickly replaced by reason.
Aori wanted to get close to Yoriichi, but was stopped again. A strong forearm stood between them with an undeniable attitude of rejection.
It's like... avoiding her at all costs.
Even his gaze towards her was no longer the gentle look he used to have; instead, it was filled with a repressed and complex intensity, making him seem very unfamiliar.
Confusion and hurt piled up in my heart.
Azhi lowered her head, and tears fell from her downcast eyes without warning, splashing onto her snow-white clothes and spreading dark watermarks.
She choked back tears, her voice trembling: "Do you hate me?"
Aori didn't understand why 000 hadn't come back yet, nor did she understand why Yoriichi had started to dislike her.
She couldn't think of a reason, nor did she know what to do. Even though she knew that crying wouldn't solve the problem, she couldn't control herself, and her body was trembling uncontrollably.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni panicked completely, his voice filled with hurried clumsiness: "No! I don't hate you, Ori..."
Aside from speaking, the girl cried almost silently, with only her shoulders trembling slightly. This suppressed sadness was more heartbreaking for Yoriichi than any loud sobbing.
He wanted to pat Azhi on the back and wipe her eyes with a clean cloth, but these were just thoughts.
Even now, thinking about it, it's not right.
“You… are now my brother’s wife, the wife of the city lord of Jiguo City. I can… I can no longer touch you like before. This is the rule, and it is also a sign of respect for you and my brother.”
Yoriichi Tsugikuni had rarely spoken so much, but every word he uttered was filled with bitterness: "There is a distinction between superiors and inferiors, and etiquette must not be disregarded."
He couldn't calmly comfort Azhi; he could only stand there in anguish, as if he were undergoing a trial.
“…”
Aori stopped crying, but she still couldn't control her gasping for breath. Through her teary eyes, she looked at Yoriichi's tense face and tightly pursed lips.
It turns out I didn't dislike her.
It turns out it was because of the rules.
But all these rules stem from her marriage to Kokushiro Iwakatsu. The marriage was a sham, but Yoriichi didn't know that, and Iwakatsu forbade Yoriichi from being told...
Aori had never been so clever before. She rubbed her eyes and looked innocently at Yoriichi Tsugikuni: "Let's go find Iwakatsu and explain things to him."
I can't say it now because I promised to keep it a secret, but it would be fine if I asked Yan Sheng for his permission.
Yuan Yi is a trustworthy person.
She wanted to be with Yoriichi like before.
Although he didn't know why, Azhi stopped crying and wanted to go back with him to find Tsugikuni Iwakatsu, but it was time to send her back.
After thinking it over, Jiguo Yuanyi left silently, but he did not expect that the huge Jiguo Mansion was as silent as death.
As the head of the family, Tsugikuni Iwakatsu, who should have been in charge of the overall situation, was nowhere to be found.
"Lord Yoriichi rode out of the city gate last night and has not returned yet." Upon seeing Yoriichi Tsugikuni, the servant's legs went weak with fear, and he replied tremblingly.
The image of the patriarch reaping heads like a demon last night is still vivid in my mind, and I feel fear whenever I see a similar face now.
Could it be that they just happened to be at different times?
Ji Guoyuan should have brought Azhi back sooner, but it's unclear whether he genuinely wanted to wait for Azhi to wake up naturally, or whether he secretly wanted to spend more time with her...
Aori emerged from behind Yoriichi Tsugikuni. She was no longer wearing her white hat and had even taken off her outermost layer of clothing because it was inconvenient.
She asked Yoriichi Tsugikuni, "Shall we wait for Iwakatsu here?"
Upon seeing A-Zhi, the servant exclaimed in surprise, as if he had seen a ghost, "Madam?"
The fact that the wife of the head of the family was murdered by bandits on her wedding night, and then returned to the family the next day disheveled by the head of the family's younger brother, is such a huge scandal.
But no one dared to say a word.
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No one returned until night fell.
The maid had already brought the food, but Azhi was preoccupied and didn't have much of an appetite. She was only able to eat a little bit after being persuaded to eat it.
She covered her face with the blanket and didn't notice that all the candles in the room had suddenly gone out, and then a tall figure appeared like a ghost beside the bed.
The figure did nothing but stand there with his head down, until the girl saw him.
Azhi felt a tightness in her chest. She looked up to breathe and realized that there was no light in the room. She went to find the extinguished candle and turned around to see a figure standing not far away.
It's scary.
In a short while, Ah Zhi's back was covered in sweat, but she didn't scream because the figure was very familiar.
Tsugikuni Iwakatsu and Tsugikuni Yoriichi are not only similar in appearance, but also in physique. If they were wearing the same clothes and viewed from behind, it would be difficult to tell them apart.
The dim lighting provided the perfect cover.
"Yoichi? Iwakatsu?"
Azhi couldn't see the faces of the newcomers clearly, and both of them liked to wear dark-colored clothes. She could only tentatively speak, but received no response.
That means Ji Guoyan won.
Darkness is the best camouflage; it blurs both the outline of the newcomer's face and the demonic features on their face.
This prevented A-Zhi from immediately realizing that what had entered was no longer a ghost or a human.
In fact, Aori should have sensed something was wrong from the very beginning. Because neither Yoriichi Tsugikuni nor the normal Iwakatsu Tsugikuni would appear in her room without a sound.
Unfortunately, she never developed a good sense of danger. She had always been too well protected by 000 and Yoriichi Tsugikuni. Even though she had encountered demons and was genuinely afraid, she still hadn't developed good habits.
Aori stood up without realizing it, and even dared to approach: "Iwakatsu, can you tell Yoriichi the truth?"
She had been thinking about this all day, and even when she spoke just now, her eyes couldn't help but sting, and her thin eyelids were still pink.
She desperately wanted to go back to how things were before with Yoriichi.
Compared to Aori, Kokushibo's vision was not affected in the slightest; he could see everything clearly.
His wife's white hat, which he should have lifted, was now nowhere to be seen; her dark hair lay loose. The white kimono she wore, which he should have taken off, was now missing its outer garment and in a disheveled state...
He didn't even have time to catch a glimpse of Azhi on her wedding night, to see what she looked like in her wedding dress by candlelight, and to see what her expression was when her white hat was removed.
Everything was destroyed.
And she even dared to mention the culprit's name.
Kokushibo took a deep breath, his twisted face bulging with veins, his inhuman six eyes trembling wildly, and his face becoming increasingly terrifying.
As A-Zhi's eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, she was confronted with this scene. She forgot to breathe, her face turned deathly pale, and she stared in terror at the evil spirit before her: "—Help!"
Before he could even cry for help, the food placed next to him was knocked over.
In a moment of disorientation, Azhi was thrown onto the tatami mat. Although it didn't hurt much, she was still stunned for a moment.
She frantically scrambled her hands and feet, tears streaming down her face, desperately trying to find safety, but all her efforts were in vain. Alone, she was utterly defenseless against the evil spirit.
The figure of the evil spirit loomed over them.
"Help!"
This time, Azhi shouted it out completely, but it had no effect whatsoever. She felt extremely helpless and desperately called out "000" in her heart, but there was no response.
It was as if the whole world had shrunk to just the two of them.
Kokushibo pressed closer, his broad back completely obscuring the girl. The stark difference in size made her look like a pitiful animal cub restrained by a ferocious beast.
She was indeed being targeted by a very powerful ghost.
Kokushibo looked down at the girl, his dark eyes filled with predation. He gripped Aori's chin with his thumb and forcibly forced her to raise her head.
Her chin was pinched painfully, and the cold fingertips touched her skin, bringing waves of shivers. A huge fear gripped Azhi's throat.
Azhi couldn't recognize that this was Jiguo Yansheng at all. She felt that what was in front of her was a strange ghost. Those six eyes occupied her entire mind. Apart from fear, she couldn't feel anything.
In her immense despair, she began to look forward to the arrival of Yoriichi Tsugikuni and Iwakatsu Tsugikuni.
Aori was unaware that she had already called out Yoriichi's name, and just as she was about to call out Iwakatsu's name, her lower half of her face was viciously covered.
The remaining name was also sealed between his lips and teeth.
Kokushibo, who hadn't spoken until now, spoke in a low, hoarse voice, each word carrying suppressed rage: "You only have eyes for Yoriichi Tsugikuni, yet you've been lying to me from beginning to end."
He could no longer bear to hear the name Yoriichi Tsugikuni utter from his wife's mouth.
Azhi trembled all over, struggling as she clung to the evil spirit's hand, making muffled "woo-woo" sounds.
The clothes at her chest were torn open, exposing her beautiful neckline to the air, and below that were her flawless, white collarbones.
Kokushibo's expression faltered for a moment, then quickly returned to one of madness.
He eagerly buried his face in that pristine whiteness, his newly grown fangs picking at flesh but never piercing it, leaving marks as if torturing him, his cold tongue leaving wet traces.
"Get away..."
Azhi tried to push him away, but as soon as she arched her body slightly, attempting to create some distance, she was bitten hard, and she felt that the piece of her body would be torn off in the next moment.
The damp licks made the side of her neck sticky, and the slight stinging pain kept increasing. Azhi knew that it was the demon's sharp teeth grinding against that small patch of skin.
Tears streamed down her face, falling into her thick, dark hair, but she received no pity. Azhi fell into despair.
She's going to be eaten.
But she didn't know that this wasn't actually a manifestation of a demon eating people; demons eating people were far more savage and cruel.
At this moment, Kokushibo's actions seem more like a punishment that deliberately tugs at people's souls and makes them uneasy, but this bland punishment cannot truly quell the fire in his heart.
Kokushibo recalled the scene he had seen in the fog mirror. His breathing grew heavier and heavier. He kissed the girl's lips and easily forced her teeth apart.
Azhi dared not move, and her tears flowed even more freely. She felt that the evil spirit was going to start eating her from her tongue, and a whimpering sound came from her rotten red lips.
When they parted, she almost suffocated; her cheeks flushed, and unswallowable tears spilled from the corners of her lips.
This is just the beginning.
Through the thin fabric, Kokushibo's large hand gently massaged Aori's soft lower abdomen, lingered for a moment, and then slowly slipped into her warm and tender interior through the gap in her belt.
The sensation of a foreign object intruding is hard to ignore.
Azhi felt uncomfortable and curled up her legs to push him with her hands, but she couldn't budge him at all. Instead, she was controlled by him with just one hand.
Both wrists were pulled over the head, forcing the body to open completely.
………
"It hurts so much..."
A pitiful cry of pain escaped Azhi's lips. She involuntarily opened her mouth, revealing a moist, bright red tongue that seemed to be breathing hot air, making her incredibly beautiful.
Her long, dark red hair swayed as it fell from above. She spread her fingers, trying to grab onto something to support herself through this unprecedented torment, but she grasped nothing.
He eventually received a sliver of pity, though it was brief.
Transparent sweat dripped from the firm chest above, reaching the girl's flushed skin, and flowing down her body with each movement.
It mixed with other messy liquids, leaving large stains on the soft bed.
Kokushibo's hands were clasped tightly with Aori's. He looked into her wet eyes, his forceful words filled with possessiveness: "Only in this way can you see me!"
The accumulated, terrifying emotions were overflowing.
How terrifying.
With tears in her eyes, Azhi's sweaty body instinctively shrank back, but this attitude of rejection only angered the evil spirit, who instead withdrew his hand from Azhi's waist.
She was held even tighter.
Her breath hitched, and a pitiful sob escaped her lips, her face streaked with sweat and tears.
In the end, he could only lie on the evil spirit's shoulder and sob softly.
………
Before leaving, Muzan Kibutsuji's crimson eyes gleamed with interest as he said to Kokushibo, "You can give her your blood, so that she too can become an eternal demon."
Yes, only by turning Azhi into a ghost can they truly be together forever.
Kokushibo ultimately did not do so.
The blood of the demon will completely transform the human body and cause it immense torment. His wife was so delicate, and the process of becoming a demon was far too painful for her.
Kokushibo didn't want Ori to go through the same thing.
A hundred years from now, he will be in the sunlight.
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Author's Note: Because Iwakatsu was initially conceived as a crazy, lewd man, this outcome was inevitable. [Chin resting on hand]
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