The Turtles’ Feast and a Plea for Freedom

Chitang shook their head. “……To answer, Master, I haven’t seen them.”

They truly dared not reveal that the small fish in the pond had all been eaten by the two turtles Xiyue gifted.

Su Xiaoxiao furrowed her brows. “This is too strange. Who could have taken my fish?”

Chitang remained silent.

Su Xiaoxiao refused to give up. It couldn’t possibly be Xiyue; after all, she was the Demon Lord. Why would she have the time to steal her fish?

Given Xiyue’s temperament, she would simply unleash a palm strike, capable of destroying the entire courtyard.

Su Xiaoxiao paced around the courtyard several times, unwilling to return and rest.

Before Xiyue departed, she had meticulously instructed her subordinates to watch over Su Xiaoxiao with utmost care.

Su Xiaoxiao’s constitution was not robust. Her current foundation was even weaker than that of a mortal.

Even after just a little extra walking in the courtyard, her complexion had already begun to pale.

Chitang could only interject, “Master, please go back. If they can’t be found, then so be it.

If you wish, tell the Demon Lord, and she will surely find more for you.”

“Perhaps I was distracted and didn’t notice earlier. What if the fish in the pond starve to death if they’re not fed?”

Chitang had no reply.

Su Xiaoxiao, defying all logic, was determined to locate her fish.

‘Could they have… cultivated wings and flown away?’

“Master, your fish have all been eaten…”

Chitang, utterly out of options, finally revealed the truth.

The dozen or so fish in the pond had, astonishingly, all been devoured by the turtles Xiyue had gifted.

Upon hearing this, Su Xiaoxiao’s eyes widened. She stared at the two soundly sleeping turtles, her heart swelling with anger, yet she felt utterly helpless.

Even when she was very young, the Clan Leader had taught them that in the South Sea, and indeed throughout the heavens and earth, every plant, every bird, and every beast possessed its own unique way of survival.

Su Xiaoxiao and her kin were forbidden from disrupting these natural rules of coexistence.

The turtles eating the fish was likely their inherent nature, their method of survival.

Su Xiaoxiao was heartbroken, but with things having come to this, there was nothing she could do but grieve.

She stood in the courtyard for a long time, unwilling to leave. Eventually, her face flushed with anger as she declared to Chitang:

“Do not feed these two turtles for three days!”

Casting a displeased glare at the still-sleeping turtles, she raised her hand to rouse them.

In her mind, she then bestowed names upon the two creatures.

One was named Xiyue.

The other… well, it was also named Xiyue.

****

Xiyue was to be gone for half a month.

It was not Su Xiaoxiao’s imagination; the demon soldiers near her bedchamber had more than doubled.

Gu Yan’s diligent visits were one thing, but now, the moment Su Xiaoxiao stepped out of her inner chamber, even if only into the small courtyard, Chitang was glued to her side.

It seemed as though Chitang’s two rabbit-like eyes were practically affixed to Su Xiaoxiao.

Utterly bored, Su Xiaoxiao remained dutifully in the courtyard.

Unable to feed her fish, she watched the two turtles, like little tyrants, swim in the small pond.

When they grew tired of playing, they would crawl onto the shore, seemingly intrigued, and begin to creep towards Su Xiaoxiao.

The more Su Xiaoxiao watched them, the more she felt they resembled Xiyue.

She retreated far away and instructed Chitang, “Take those two away…”

Chitang couldn’t help but chuckle. “They were sent by the Demon Lord, so they know to recognize and like their master.”

Su Xiaoxiao, hiding behind a crabapple tree, frowned slightly as she looked at the turtles on the ground.

“I don’t like them. All my fish are dead.”

Chitang could only close their mouth. They picked up the two turtles and tossed them back into the water.

It seemed Chitang deliberately aimed to please Su Xiaoxiao, intentionally putting a bit more force into the throw.

The turtles plunged into the water like weights.

*Thud. Thud.*

Su Xiaoxiao let out a soft laugh. Imagining these two turtles as Xiyue felt truly gratifying.

After she had laughed enough, she returned with Chitang, for Gu Yan had arrived and was waiting for her at the table.

Gu Yan visited several times daily. When taking Su Xiaoxiao’s pulse, her brows were always furrowed, creating a rather intimidating expression.

Su Xiaoxiao, feeling a touch of worry, asked, “Is something wrong with the little fish-baby?”

Whenever she posed this question, Gu Yan would earnestly reply, “Xiaoxiao, do you truly like the little fish-baby that much?”

Each time, Su Xiaoxiao’s answer was an unequivocal “Yes.”

For it was her little fish-baby.

****

A week after Xiyue’s departure, Su Xiaoxiao finally grew weary of the two turtles in the pond and began to enact her plan.

She informed Chitang that she wished to leave her bedchamber and take a stroll outside.

Xiyue had explicitly forbidden Su Xiaoxiao from leaving the Demon Palace, instructing them to simply attend to her at all times.

When Su Xiaoxiao expressed her desire for a walk, Gu Yan naturally accompanied her.

However, it wasn’t just the two of them guarding Su Xiaoxiao. On this single outing, more than a dozen demon soldiers trailed behind them.

This grand, overwhelming escort thoroughly unnerved Su Xiaoxiao.

With so many demon soldiers following, how could she possibly find an opportunity to escape?

She turned to Gu Yan and asked, “Can you tell them not to follow?”

Gu Yan: “…”

Gu Yan was not in a position to make such decisions; everything had been arranged by Xiyue before her departure.

She could only shake her head at Su Xiaoxiao with a helpless expression.

“Fine.”

Being monitored everywhere she went, how could she ever find an opening?

Already prone to irritability due to her pregnancy, her current displeasure only intensified her frustration and anger.

She refused to eat properly and couldn’t even muster interest in looking at the turtles in the pond.

Gu Yan maintained regular correspondence with Xiyue, reporting Su Xiaoxiao’s condition in meticulous detail every day.

When Xiyue, who was among the demon tribe, received the letter, she found herself utterly exasperated yet amused.

The letter read:

–She only ate a little, vomited three times, and slept throughout the afternoon.

–She dislikes the turtles you sent.

–She is still very afraid of drinking medicine. Only after being coaxed that it was good for the little fish-baby in her belly did she reluctantly get up to drink it.

–She wants to leave her bedchamber but doesn’t want so many people following her. Because of this, she threw a tantrum and refused to even step out into the small courtyard.

–The turtles sent by the Demon Lord ate all the fish in Su Xiaoxiao’s pond. Su Xiaoxiao is very sad and named the two turtles Xiyue.

At the very bottom, Gu Yan had added an exasperated note: –Demon Lord, if you truly miss the ‘little fish’ so much, why not write the letter to her directly?

After Xiyue finished reading the letter, she left two instructions:

–Let her do whatever she wants, just keep her in good spirits, and ensure she doesn’t leave the Demon Palace.

–Matters with the demon tribe have been settled. I will return in a few days.

The following morning.

When Su Xiaoxiao heard Gu Yan say that she could go for a walk, and without demon soldiers following her, she was overjoyed.

She was so elated that she didn’t even want to eat, eager only to rush outside.

Gu Yan felt that watching Su Xiaoxiao day after day was no different from watching a playful child.

Gu Yan sternly shook her head, insisting that Su Xiaoxiao finish her meal before she would be allowed to leave.

Su Xiaoxiao dejectedly ate her meal. As soon as she finished, she called Chitang to help her get ready.

After she had dressed, Chitang saw Su Xiaoxiao and Gu Yan leave.

Chitang wanted to follow, but Su Xiaoxiao refused, leaving them behind in the small courtyard.

As Gu Yan and Su Xiaoxiao walked through the Demon Palace, it was evident that the palace was vast and indeed far more interesting than Su Xiaoxiao’s small courtyard.

However, Su Xiaoxiao’s purpose this time was not to sightsee.

Behind her, there was no one but Gu Yan.

Gu Yan had initially assumed Su Xiaoxiao was simply tired of staying inside and wished for a change of scenery.

She hadn’t anticipated that this ‘little fish’ would not shy away, daring to lead her towards the very borders of the Demon Palace.

“Xiaoxiao, you…”

Had it been unintentional, Gu Yan would not have given it much thought, but Su Xiaoxiao continued to lead her.

With Gu Yan present, the demon soldiers would not interfere. But as Su Xiaoxiao truly intended to leave the Demon Palace, Gu Yan could no longer hold back.

She reached out and stopped her.

“Su Xiaoxiao!!!”

Gu Yan frowned. “The Demon Lord said you cannot leave the Demon Palace.”

Su Xiaoxiao had no intention of hiding anything from Gu Yan, whom she considered a friend.

Her true intentions exposed, Su Xiaoxiao stated without reservation, “I want to return to the South Sea.”

Gu Yan froze, stunned. After a moment, she finally replied, “No, you cannot go back.”

“Why can’t I go back?!” Su Xiaoxiao asked, her voice laced with urgency.

Clutching her lower abdomen, she confided in Gu Yan, “I can feel it—Xiyue doesn’t like the little fish-baby. She’s violent and unpredictable, and I’m utterly fed up.”

“Xiyue doesn’t want it, I don’t understand! I just want to leave with the little fish-baby and return to the South Sea.”