The Cursed Gift and a Lingering Mark

The two turtles hung suspended, rotating ceaselessly in mid-air, their lives visibly ebbing away.

Su Xiaoxiao found herself utterly speechless. “You… this is…”

“They are for your fish, a compensation. Do not throw tantrums anymore.”

Su Xiaoxiao gazed at the two turtles, still spinning symmetrically in the air. She felt absolutely no inclination to reach out and accept them.

“Take them!” Xiyue urged, shaking the turtles towards Su Xiaoxiao once more.

Although Su Xiaoxiao was a fish, she knew that both she and these turtles could not survive long out of water. Seeing the two creatures on the verge of death, she reluctantly accepted them, her heart heavy with hesitation.

Observing her distressed expression, Xiyue demanded in a sharp, unpleasant tone, “You don’t like them?!”

Su Xiaoxiao glanced at the turtles she held, then lifted her gaze to Xiyue, her lips parting as if to speak, only to close again.

‘Who on earth would like receiving turtles as a gift?!’

The Demon Lordess had lived for millennia, and this was her very first attempt at giving a gift. Su Xiaoxiao’s reaction, however, clearly displeased Xiyue, causing her to grow agitated. “Speak!” she urged, her voice edged with impatience.

“I… I like them…” Su Xiaoxiao stammered, seeing Xiyue’s clear displeasure and forced to lie against her true feelings.

Utterly devoid of self-awareness, Xiyue finally seemed content upon hearing Su Xiaoxiao’s words.

“Good. Since you like them, go put these two creatures in the pond water now,” Xiyue stated, her expression unyielding.

Xiyue accompanied Su Xiaoxiao as they placed the two turtles into the small pond. Su Xiaoxiao squatted by the edge, gently cupping water in her hands and pouring it over their shells.

Watching Su Xiaoxiao’s earnest demeanor, Xiyue found her own mood unexpectedly lifting.

‘This little fish isn’t so difficult to appease after all.’

“I will be away for a few days,” Xiyue announced abruptly, standing beside Su Xiaoxiao.

Upon hearing this, Su Xiaoxiao looked up at Xiyue, much like a small mushroom unfolding its cap.

She processed the implication of Xiyue’s words. ‘Did this mean Xiyue wouldn’t be returning for quite some time?’ she wondered.

Xiyue confirmed Su Xiaoxiao’s unspoken thoughts. “While I am away, you are to remain here obediently. Do not wander off. If you truly grow weary of staying put, you may ask Gu Yan to accompany you for a stroll through the Demon Palace.”

Su Xiaoxiao rose from the pond’s edge. Perhaps having squatted for too long, her calves cramped, causing her to stumble and lose her footing, nearly toppling into the water.

With a swift movement, Xiyue reached out and steadied her. Still shaken, Su Xiaoxiao realized the pond’s edge and bottom were littered with stones. ‘If I had fallen, it would have been excruciating, and my little fish fry would surely have been harmed…’

Su Xiaoxiao gripped Xiyue’s arm, panting heavily, her legs still feeling weak beneath her.

To Xiyue, Su Xiaoxiao’s current state resembled a mix of reluctance to part and playful coquetry. Xiyue paused, momentarily stunned, her heart swelling with an indescribably complex emotion. After a prolonged silence, she finally managed to utter, “Are you, you foolish fish, trying to throw yourself into my embrace?”

“I’m not! Don’t speak such nonsense!” Su Xiaoxiao retorted, quickly pulling away from Xiyue’s arms.

Su Xiaoxiao’s soft, blue-white hair brushed lightly against the back of Xiyue’s hand, and Xiyue could still discern the lingering cold fragrance of Su Xiaoxiao’s body with each breath.

Xiyue observed Su Xiaoxiao’s flushed cheeks as she hastily denied the accusation. ‘It was merely two turtles,’ Xiyue mused, ‘yet this little fish is so delighted, she’s even shy with me.’

Xiyue then considered, ‘If this little fish were always so endearing, I wouldn’t subject her to so much hardship. The gifts I would bestow upon her would far exceed mere turtles.’

Seeing Su Xiaoxiao lower her head, unwilling to speak further, Xiyue reined in her thoughts. “Your physical condition is truly too poor,” she stated seriously. “When I return, the time Gu Yan spoke of will be close. Once we eliminate…”

The moment the words “eliminate” left Xiyue’s lips, Su Xiaoxiao lifted her head, her gaze fixed on Xiyue in confusion.

Believing it was still too soon to reveal such matters to Su Xiaoxiao, Xiyue shifted her explanation. “When I return, I will devise a way to restore you to your former self.”

Su Xiaoxiao showed no reaction to this. Everything that had transpired today was a direct result of Xiyue’s actions. Now, her mind was solely preoccupied with how to escape with her little fish fry once Xiyue departed.

Yet, matters rarely unfolded as she envisioned.

Given Su Xiaoxiao’s previous escape attempts, Xiyue had already formulated a plan.

That night, Su Xiaoxiao was sound asleep. In a daze, she felt something seize her ankle. She was so utterly exhausted that her eyelids refused to open fully; with immense effort, she could only manage to pry them open into a narrow slit.

Xiyue was positioned before her, holding Su Xiaoxiao’s ankle, engaged in some unknown action.

Su Xiaoxiao let out a small, impatient murmur, then subtly shifted her leg. “What… what are you doing?”

Her voice was as soft and gentle as a kitten’s purr.

Noticing Su Xiaoxiao stir, Xiyue reached out and gently covered her eyes. “Nothing at all. Go back to sleep.”

Su Xiaoxiao was simply too drowsy. She wanted to ask Xiyue to release her leg but lacked the strength to speak. The moment her eyes were covered, plunging her back into darkness, Su Xiaoxiao instantly drifted back to sleep.

So deep was Su Xiaoxiao’s slumber that she failed to notice Gu Yan standing silently nearby.

Gu Yan’s brow furrowed deeply. Only after Su Xiaoxiao had completely succumbed to sleep did she slowly speak. “If you proceed with this, she will surely discover it when she awakens tomorrow.”

“I believe I have told you numerous times to refrain from meddling in my affairs with her.”

Within the dimly lit bedchamber, illuminated by only a few small lamps, Su Xiaoxiao’s ankle appeared to glow with an ethereal whiteness. Beneath her delicate skin, purplish-blue veins were faintly visible as Xiyue held her foot gently in her palm.

A swirling mass of dark energy coalesced in Xiyue’s hand, enveloping Su Xiaoxiao’s ankle.

Slowly, a tattoo, winding like a delicate vine, began to manifest on her ankle.

Merfolk possessed extremely sensitive feet. The brand-like runes caused a frown to crease Su Xiaoxiao’s brow even in her deep slumber. She felt the pain, beginning to whimper and groan as if on the verge of tears.

She remained unconscious, for the bowl of medicine Gu Yan had delivered earlier that evening contained potent, sleep-inducing spiritual herbs.

Su Xiaoxiao softly murmured in her dreams, “Ugh… it hurts…”

Gu Yan averted her gaze, remaining silent. Yet, Xiyue, as if comforting a child, drew Su Xiaoxiao into her embrace, gently stroking her back and murmuring, “It will be alright soon.”

Once the dark energy dispersed, Xiyue contentedly cradled Su Xiaoxiao’s ankle in her hands, toying with it as if admiring a beloved caged bird.

Upon the pale ankle, a line of vine-like runes now appeared, rendered in a vibrant cinnabar red. It resembled a crimson thread tied around Su Xiaoxiao’s ankle, full of captivating life and beauty.

Xiyue gently brushed her finger over it, a rare, subtle curve gracing the corner of her lips.

“Now she won’t be able to run off anymore,” Xiyue murmured to herself.

As the pain in her ankle gradually subsided, Su Xiaoxiao, cradled in Xiyue’s arms, became significantly calmer.

As Gu Yan departed, she cast a glance back. She saw Xiyue still holding Su Xiaoxiao in the same posture, then watched her lean down slightly to press a kiss upon Su Xiaoxiao’s forehead.

That tender, affectionate gesture momentarily entranced Gu Yan. ‘Could this truly be the same bloodthirsty, ruthless Demon Overlord?’ she wondered.

Stepping out of the bedchamber, Gu Yan watched the crabapple petals rustle in the wind and drift to the ground. She let out a deep sigh.

‘With delicate dice, red beans are set; a longing so deep, do you know it yet?’ ‘Xiyue, you have fallen in love, yet remain utterly unaware.’

****

Su Xiaoxiao slept for an exceptionally long time, so much so that her own awakening surprised her.

Xiyue had already departed, her whereabouts unknown.

Su Xiaoxiao rose, and Chitang attended to her washing and dining needs.

Whether she was truly hungry from her prolonged slumber, or simply in a better mood due to Xiyue’s absence, Su Xiaoxiao certainly ate more than usual.

Feeling overly full after her meal, she took a walk in the courtyard to aid digestion. Along the way, she accepted the fish food Chitang offered, intending to feed the two turtles Xiyue had given her.

After searching for a while, she finally located the two turtles, nestled asleep at the edge of the pond’s bottom.

Su Xiaoxiao remarked to Chitang, who stood beside her, “These turtles are quite intriguing. Unlike those from our South Sea, they simply remain asleep at the bottom of the pond.”

Su Xiaoxiao then asked, “Do you recognize this type?”

Chitang shook their head. “This servant does not know,” they replied.

With Xiyue’s turtles still asleep, Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t feed them. Instead, she decided to feed the fish that had been brought over earlier.

Though it wasn’t the original pond of fish she had once tended, Chitang had mentioned that Xiyue decreed only Su Xiaoxiao was permitted to feed these particular fish. If Su Xiaoxiao refused, their fate, be it life or death, was of no further concern.

As they were all fish living under someone else’s roof, Su Xiaoxiao felt a kinship with them. She truly did not wish to see another pond full of dead fish.

Yet, it was strange. Exceptionally strange.

While the courtyard’s ponds were interconnected, and perhaps not particularly large, they shouldn’t have been so vast as to appear empty.

In the past, one could spot small fish swimming playfully within just a few steps. Why then, after walking for so long today, could she not see a single one?!

Su Xiaoxiao initially thought she wasn’t paying enough attention, or perhaps the little fish were hiding beneath the lotus leaves. She walked around diligently twice more, yet still, not a single fish appeared.

How could this be?!

Alarmed, Su Xiaoxiao turned to Chitang. “Did you see any fish when you were with me just now?”

Chitang shook their head. “…Replying to master, I did not,” they said. They simply dared not reveal that the little fish in the pond had all been eaten by the two turtles Xiyue had gifted.