The Bitter Taste of Defiance

Xiyue, uncharacteristically, didn’t flare up at her. Her gaze settled on Su Xiaoxiao’s feet. “Go back and lie down.”

Xiyue’s uncharacteristic demeanor only heightened Su Xiaoxiao’s apprehension.

She slowly settled back onto the bed, and as Xiyue continued to stare at her silently after entering, the unease in her heart surged to its peak.

In that instant, Su Xiaoxiao’s mind raced, conjuring every conceivable dire outcome.

‘Well, so be it,’ she thought. ‘At worst, in three hundred years, I’ll be a fine fish once more.’

She sniffled, attempting to keep her voice steady, but the tremor was undeniable. “Am I… am I going to die…?”

Seeing her on the verge of tears, Xiyue dismissively stated, “It’s not so easy to die.”

Then, addressing Su Xiaoxiao directly, she added, “If you were to die, I’d simply have to venture to the South Sea and capture another mermaid.”

‘This arch-demon Xiyue isn’t content with just tormenting me; she actually intends to harm other mermaids too,’ Su Xiaoxiao thought. ‘Truly an arch-demon, utterly despicable.’

‘I’ve already been ruined; I absolutely cannot allow Xiyue to persecute any more of my kin.’

“You wouldn’t dare!” Su Xiaoxiao huffed, her cheeks puffed out.

Xiyue’s eyebrow arched subtly, her mood visibly brightening. The gaze she cast upon Su Xiaoxiao became unreadable.

‘This little fish is jealous, isn’t she?’ Xiyue mused. ‘The moment she heard I might seek out another, she anxiously sat bolt upright.’

“Lie down properly,” Xiyue reiterated. Su Xiaoxiao, looking utterly dejected like a frost-nipped eggplant, glumly burrowed further into the covers, shivering from the cold.

Xiyue paused, then inquired, “Cold?”

“Mm…” Su Xiaoxiao replied truthfully. “The weather in your Demon Realm is truly peculiar.”

“It is only in harsh environments that the fittest survive,” Xiyue stated. “Have you never heard the adage that in the Demon Realm, it is always the strong preying on the weak?”

Huddled beneath the covers, Su Xiaoxiao responded in a hushed whisper, “I’ve heard it.”

The demonic race was unlike any other. They adhered to no cultivation principles, and it was commonplace for them to ascend by trampling over the corpses of their brethren. Some demons, even before their sentience fully blossomed, or certain others, would go as far as to devour their own eggs or offspring to further their cultivation.

Whenever the elders recounted such tales, Su Xiaoxiao would clamp her hands over her ears, utterly terrified.

Her courage had always been notoriously scant; she wouldn’t even venture into the deepest reaches of the ocean.

Who could have foreseen that the Heavenly Dao would be so perverse? The very thing one feared most was precisely what one would be forced to endure.

“The demonic race is one forsaken by the Heavenly Dao,” Xiyue stated with utter disdain. “We place no faith in destiny, only in our own power.”

Su Xiaoxiao offered no reply; such profound principles felt far removed from her simple understanding.

She was merely a small mermaid from the South Sea, not particularly skilled in cultivation, and cursed with abysmal luck, having stumbled upon Xiyue—a great demon who, despite her stunning beauty, seemed to know nothing but wanton desire.

****

Gu Yan returned with another freshly brewed dose of medicine, its scent promising a bitterness even more potent than the last.

Su Xiaoxiao had already consumed all the flower nectar Gu Yan had provided, so when this murky, dark bowl of medicine was presented, her brow immediately furrowed.

Though Xiyue’s face remained exquisitely cold and beautiful, Su Xiaoxiao was utterly terrified. She always sensed an inherent authority about Xiyue, a compelling, almost suffocating presence that needed no anger to assert itself.

Su Xiaoxiao started stalling once more. Not being adept at deception, she had only a couple of predictable ploys.

She would claim it was too hot one moment, then too bitter the next, perpetually delaying the inevitable.

Nectar from the Flower Tribe was not easily acquired, but Gu Yan, ever thoughtful, had brought a few candied fruits. Upon seeing them, Su Xiaoxiao’s face lit up with a radiant, brilliant smile.

“Gu Yan,” she chirped, “you are truly so kind to me.”

She meant nothing more by it; this was simply how Su Xiaoxiao had always interacted with her kin back in the South Sea.

Yet, these words and her joyous expression struck Xiyue as particularly grating, prompting her to directly raise a hand, blocking the sight.

“Drink it as it is.”

Su Xiaoxiao’s eyes widened in utter disbelief as she stared at Xiyue, a silent exclamation hanging in the air.

Gu Yan, noting Su Xiaoxiao’s sullen expression, couldn’t quite discern Xiyue’s intent but dared not openly defy her.

Su Xiaoxiao immediately protested, “Why won’t you let me have them?”

“As I said, drink it as it is. You won’t die.”

Su Xiaoxiao felt there was no demon in the entire world more wicked than Xiyue. “Why?!” she demanded, her voice rising in indignation.

Xiyue’s fleeting good mood vanished like a sudden summer downpour, without warning, leaving not a trace behind.

Her patience worn thin, she directly commanded Su Xiaoxiao, “Drink the medicine, now.”

Xiyue threatened, “Must I ‘feed’ you myself once more?”

‘Feed?’ Su Xiaoxiao recalled. The last time Xiyue had force-fed her, she had nearly been scalded, and the unpleasant sensation lingered vividly in her memory.

With immense reluctance, she accepted the medicine from Gu Yan, hesitating pitiably.

“It’s so bitter,” she whimpered, tilting her head to gaze at the impassive Xiyue, making one final, futile struggle.

Xiyue, however, offered not a shred of leniency. “Drink,” she commanded, utterly devoid of sympathy.

With a final, resentful glance at Xiyue’s unyielding face, Su Xiaoxiao opened her small mouth and swallowed the medicine. The bitter taste seemed to course through her spiritual meridians, permeating every part of her body. The acrid flavor lingered long after, making even the act of swallowing saliva feel like another gulp of the foul brew.

Gu Yan had intended to offer a few words of comfort to Su Xiaoxiao, but the moment she parted her lips, she was met with Xiyue’s frigid stare.

She forcibly swallowed her words, then fled the sleeping chambers as if escaping a predator.

****

Su Xiaoxiao watched the snow falling outside the window, captivated. “It rarely snows in the South Sea,” she mused aloud, a little lost in thought. “I’ve only seen it once in my entire life.”

As she reminisced, Xiyue remained silent, allowing her to continue. “The snow that fell on the ground was always just a thin dusting,” Su Xiaoxiao recalled. “And when it landed on the sea, it simply melted and mingled with the water.”

Though Xiyue appeared uninterested, she unexpectedly replied to Su Xiaoxiao. “The demonic race knows no four seasons, only perpetual extreme cold and scorching heat.”

“May I go outside to see the snow?” Su Xiaoxiao asked, though she couldn’t quite fathom why she felt compelled to seek Xiyue’s permission. She couldn’t help but lament that she truly had been tamed by Xiyue.

“Aren’t you afraid of the cold? What pointless trouble are you stirring up?” Xiyue snapped. “Just lie down obediently.” Knowing precisely what Su Xiaoxiao feared, Xiyue continued with a menacing glint in her eye, “If you still have energy to spare, we can always resume what we were doing before bed. One session wasn’t quite enough to satisfy me…”

She resembled a serpent with a gaping maw; her mere gaze was enough to extinguish any rebellious thoughts in Su Xiaoxiao’s mind.

“Then, then perhaps it’s best not to trouble ourselves…” Su Xiaoxiao mumbled, pulling the quilt over her head.

She had remained confined to her bed for several days, and even when she did rise, she never ventured beyond the sleeping chambers.

‘I suppose my life truly won’t last much longer,’ Su Xiaoxiao mused.

Xiyue’s heavenly tribulation, marking her transformation into a dragon, was fast approaching. Her wounds were still unhealed, demanding her full attention for cultivation, which meant she couldn’t constantly keep an eye on this little fish.

She retreated to the cold spring in the back mountains to cultivate. Upon her late return, she stumbled upon the disobedient, foolish fish who had, against orders, ventured out of the chambers.

In the icy, snowy expanse, Su Xiaoxiao had actually transformed, using her tail to paddle in the pond.

The demons below, finding the pond empty, had brought several ordinary carp. Su Xiaoxiao, delighted as if they were rare treasures, was no longer complaining about the cold. She sat by the pond, teasing the fish with her tail, and occasionally scattering a few fish pellets from her hand with evident joy.

By some unknown method, the cluster of begonia flowers managed to survive the harsh cold, blooming beautifully on their branches. Only when the snow became too heavy would the petals flutter down.

They fell into the snow, into the pond water, and a few even landed on Su Xiaoxiao’s shoulder. Unaware, she didn’t notice Xiyue standing behind her.

This picturesque scene was abruptly shattered by Xiyue’s unromantic voice.

“I told you not to come out. Why do you insist on defying me?”

Su Xiaoxiao jumped in fright, quickly retracting her tail, but accidentally swept a clump of snow that flew with unerring accuracy, hitting Xiyue squarely in the face.

Only two words echoed in Su Xiaoxiao’s mind.

‘I’m finished.’