23 Harboring Ulterior Motives

"Little one—do you find me that good-looking?"

A frivolous, languid voice echoed, accompanied by the rustle of robes settling onto the tatami mats and the fading wisps of tobacco smoke. Gradually, that face—exquisite and alluring to a fault—came into view.

Seeing the snake staring at him without blinking, Nura Rihan puffed out a cloud of smoke, leaning back against the chaise longue with effortless composure. He propped his head up with one hand, his posture oozing laziness.

With features as stunning as Sesshomaru’s, his arched brows gave him the look of a romantic and elegant rake.

The urge to appreciate such beauty suddenly cooled in Huami's heart, and she silently scooted away from the source of the secondhand smoke.

That face—

Seeing who it was, the memories she thought had died long ago attacked her once more.

She fell into a silent, stiffened state.

She truly, *actually* recognized this demon.

"Are you really Nura Rihan?" Huami asked, refusing to give up hope.

"Hmm? Why, don't I look like him?" His lazy, drawling voice sounded again. The man flashed a charming smile and, in the blink of an eye, vanished from the chaise longue. His shadow reappeared by the window, where he leaned with boneless grace. Behind him, the sun was beginning to rise, bathing him in the soft glow of dawn.

So—so enchanting!

Compared to Sesshomaru’s cold, arrogant demeanor, Nura Rihan was more like a debauched thief of hearts.

Huami silently curled up her bristling scales and put on a serious expression. "I don't like men who have wives and children."

A look of confusion flashed across Nura Rihan’s face. "?" Whatever happened to her wanting to marry him?

He leaned in.

The distance between the two demons narrowed to almost nothing.

"Don't try to seduce me. I can resist anything except temptation." Having zero defense against male beauty, Huami shrank back and simply shut her eyes. She began reciting a mantra of mercy in her mind, desperately trying to imagine Sesshomaru’s face. She couldn't just be seduced like this—did she have no pride?

Judging by their demonic energy, she certainly couldn't beat the Nurarihyon, the Master of Pandemonium who had lived for hundreds of years.

Once she confirmed it was indeed Nura Rihan, Huami gave up on the idea of struggling.

She couldn't beat him, she couldn't outrun him, so she might as well just lie flat.

Besides, Nura Rihan was a "good" demon—the Supreme Commander of the Nura Clan, a powerful figure who protected weaker demons.

Seeing her look of "earnest confession," Nura Rihan was amused. Age-wise, this little brat could be his daughter. He instantly appeared beside the wooden chest, crouched down, and spoke slowly, "Little one, do you really want to be my wife? I’m old enough to be your father."

Hearing him say that, Huami opened her eyes gloomily and retorted with a deadpan expression, "Age is meaningless to demons. Come to think of it, Toga was old enough to be Izayoi’s great-grandfather, and he still ended up having Inuyasha with her."

Oh, wait. Didn't that just admit she wanted to marry him?

"I don't want to marry you," Huami added, trying to backtrack.

"Toga?" Hearing that name, a flash of surprise crossed Nura Rihan’s face. "You know Toga?"

"Mm-hmm?" Huami jerked her head up, eyes wide. "You know Toga too?"

Come to think of it, was the timeline for *Inuyasha* and *Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan* the same?

***

The Nura Clan, much like the Western Lands, was a gathering place for demons. However, it wasn't a formal nation; most of the demons under his command lived in their own tribes, only gathering to defend against external enemies when danger arose.

Strictly speaking, most of the demons in the Nura Clan were small fries, with very few high-level demons, unlike the Western Lands, which was a kingdom of demons where martial prowess reigned supreme.

If one were to talk about obscure series, *Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan* was far more niche than *Inuyasha*.

Come to think of it, both these great demons were from the Sengoku era.

Huami opened her eyes and studied the handsome man before her, whose age was impossible to discern.

Wait, had she transmigrated into a crossover? *Nura* plus *Inuyasha*?

The mortality rate in crossover series was much higher than in single ones. To be safe, Huami confirmed once more: "Is your wife Princess Yo-hime?"

A flicker of nostalgia crossed Rihan’s face. "She was."

It seemed she had already passed away, then?

After all, between demons and humans, time was an insurmountable barrier.

Huami patted his shoulder in sympathy and consoled him, "Look on the bright side, you still have a son."

Confirmed. She had definitely transmigrated into a crossover.

Rihan arched his brows, watching her shifting expressions with amusement. He had originally been curious why the mountain god of the half-demon village had appeared again, and whether she could help break the curse of Hagoromo Gitsune (the nine-tailed fox villain in the Nura universe).

But this mountain god seemed more interesting than he had expected. And the Nurarihyon loved three things above all: beautiful women, free booze, and interesting events.

"The expression on your face is practically shouting: 'Woman, you have successfully piqued my curiosity,'" Huami retorted without hesitation.

"Pfft—hahahaha—you really are quite interesting." Rihan stood up with a laugh and used his extinguished pipe to lift her chin. His long, beautiful eyes were filled with mirth. Now that he was certain the little girl had no romantic feelings for him, he felt bold enough to tease her: "How about it? Won't you become my woman?"

She swatted the pipe away with a blank face. Although she didn't believe for a second that Rihan would remain chaste after Yo-hime’s death—demons didn't think that way—she still replied:

"I'm still just a kid. I don't want to be a stepmother." She refused without hesitation.

After a moment of thought, Huami acted coy and added with a feigned shyness: "If it were your son, I’d allow him to pursue me."

The gentle and elegant nobleman Rihan (the son of Nurarihyon)? She could do that!

"Oh? My son, eh?" Rihan puffed on his pipe, glancing at the little one, wondering if his subordinates had gotten the target wrong. However, his expression remained unchanged as he said lightly, "You have the scent of another demon on you."

Another demon? Huami blinked.

Sesshomaru, whom she had pushed to the back of her mind, suddenly reappeared in her thoughts.

She shivered involuntarily. If Lord Sesshomaru found out that "his wife" was "flirting" with other demons outside, she probably wouldn't even have a corpse left to bury.

Catching Rihan’s teasing gaze from the corner of her eye, she realized she couldn't show weakness as a woman. Huami flicked her tail and stood tall. "What's wrong with a beautiful woman having a few suitors?"

"All of this was sent by my suitors~" Seeing the chest full of gold and silver jewelry, Huami felt even happier.

Rihan’s expression turned odd. He stared at the chest and swallowed his laughter. "Your suitors sent these?"

Sesshomaru = Suitor.

Technically, that wasn't wrong.

***

Huami nodded firmly. "That's right!"

"I was the one who had the Karasu Tengu bring these to you—" Rihan stood up, his tall, lean frame casting a shadow. His smile widened, full of mockery. "Do you still think I'm your suitor now?"

"Huh!?" Wait a minute. These weren't from Sesshomaru?

They were from the Nurarihyon?

Weren't these boxes meant for dowries and betrothal gifts?

Had she been targeted this whole time? Not feeling the slightest bit embarrassed by her mistake, Huami was simply shocked: as expected, it was impossible for a beauty as lovely and cute as her not to be coveted by demons.

She looked up at Rihan’s handsome face and decisively covered her chest.

She bared her fangs, revealing her poison teeth, and said very firmly, "With this many betrothal gifts, you really do have ulterior motives!"

"...Betrothal gifts?" What betrothal gifts? Rihan looked at her strangely. "I just grabbed a random box to pay for the medical consultation."

Medical consultation?

He said this was a consultation fee?

Huami blinked, and blinked again. This was a consultation fee? Wait, if it was a consultation fee, wasn't this better than Sesshomaru’s betrothal gifts!?

She quickly grabbed Rihan’s hand, her face full of sincerity. "What kind of illness do you have? Let me take a look for you!"

*Whoosh—*

The shoji door slid open.

A gentle voice followed: "Father, you and the mountain god..."

Rihan (the son), standing at the doorway, paused. His gaze fell upon the demoness who was about to dive into his father's arms, then shifted to the ambiguous smile on his old man's face.

He stepped back decisively, his voice still gentle: "My apologies. Please, continue."

The shoji door was quickly shut.

Huami, clueless, tilted her head and looked at Rihan. "Who was that handsome guy just now?" Although she had a thought, it... didn't quite match the memory she had.

"My son. The one you said you'd allow to pursue you." Rihan spoke naturally, not feeling the least bit awkward. "Well? He’s handsome, right?"

Unable to betray her conscience, Huami nodded seriously. "He is indeed very handsome."

"How about it? Do you want to become my daughter-in-law?" Rihan asked.

Huami: ...

"Can your son beat Sesshomaru?"

Rihan: ?