A Discordant Night and a Chilling Fall

“You only threaten me, you only force me…”

“I’ve never met anyone worse than you…”

“We are irreconcilable, but this little fish cub isn’t something I can have alone. Why do you always pressure us like this…?”

Su Xiaoxiao’s voice trembled with accusation, her throat hoarse from their recent intimacy.

Xiyue paused slightly, a strange, indescribable feeling stirring within him.

As Xiyue gazed at her face, a thought suddenly struck him: this little fish truly seemed deeply distressed, heartbroken, and terrified.

A rare urge to comfort her arose within him, yet before he could voice it, he heard Su Xiaoxiao say again: “I hate you. I will always hate you…”

Xiyue felt as if he had been struck. The words on the tip of his tongue transformed into, “Then hate me.”

It was a night that ended in discord.

Consequently, Xiyue and Su Xiaoxiao did not speak for several days.

When the day for her acupuncture treatment arrived again, Su Xiaoxiao’s profound fear of needles, stemming from an incident two months prior, caused her body to flinch.

Her sudden movement had caused Gu Yan’s needle to miss its mark, and Su Xiaoxiao had cried out in pain then.

After Xiyue learned of this, he said nothing. Yet, whenever it was time for the treatment, he would appear beside Su Xiaoxiao, holding her, covering her eyes, and secretly channeling spiritual energy into her, a practice that continued to this day.

This time, however, Xiyue did not come. Su Xiaoxiao endured the fear, bearing it alone.

Su Xiaoxiao lay pitifully on the bed, while Gu Yan advised her to get some good rest.

After the needles were removed, her taut emotions finally relaxed. Unable to resist the encroaching sleep, Su Xiaoxiao stopped fighting it and drifted into a deep slumber, unaware even of when Gu Yan had left.

Seeing that Su Xiaoxiao was asleep, Gu Yan tucked her blanket around her, then exited the room with almost silent steps.

When she opened the door, she was startled to find Xiyue standing right outside, having no idea how long he had been there.

As Gu Yan softly closed the door, Xiyue glanced towards the bed and asked in a hushed tone, “How is she?”

Gu Yan was speechless, a silent thought blooming in her mind: ‘This thousand-year-old iron tree may have finally blossomed, but the tree itself refuses to believe it, convinced it’s not a flower, but a heart demon instead.’

“Why didn’t you come in earlier?” Gu Yan asked him.

Xiyue’s voice was frigid. “Answer what I ask. When did you become so verbose?”

Gu Yan rolled her eyes internally, yet maintained her composure as she replied, “She’s simply afraid of needles. It’s an innate fear for merfolk, something that cannot be changed. The fetus is unharmed.”

“She’s exhausted, barely able to keep her eyes open. Just let her sleep for a while.”

Xiyue nodded, but did not let Gu Yan leave.

He cast a spell, isolating their conversation so Su Xiaoxiao would not detect it.

Xiyue then asked Gu Yan, “A couple of days ago, when I wanted to be intimate with her, she refused, crying and shouting that it hurt.”

Full of resentment, Xiyue frowned and demanded, “It’s already been over four months. Why is she still like this?”

“Oh,” Gu Yan said airily, deliberately adding, “Your Excellency, she fears you. After all, last time you were quite…”

Gu Yan did not finish her sentence, but Xiyue understood perfectly well.

Gu Yan explained, “It is the nature of merfolk, especially during pregnancy, to be hyper-vigilant against any perceived danger. This is a deep-seated fear of hers, and I cannot cure it.”

Xiyue persisted, “But I already said I would permit her to keep this little bastard.”

Gu Yan simply trailed off, finally uttering, “This subordinate is untalented and unlearned; I am truly powerless.”

As Xiyue departed in annoyance, Gu Yan reminded him, “If you don’t want Su Xiaoxiao to fear you so much, perhaps treat her better, be gentler.”

“Does she deserve it?” Xiyue retorted without a second thought.

****

The very next day, as Su Xiaoxiao listlessly fed the tortoises in the courtyard, Xiyue suddenly rushed in.

The two tortoises scurried to hide by Su Xiaoxiao’s side, keeping a wide distance from Xiyue.

Neither of them noticed this minor detail, for Xiyue had suddenly seized Su Xiaoxiao’s wrist and, to her surprise, fastened an identical red jade bracelet onto her other hand.

‘What is the meaning of this?!’

Su Xiaoxiao was utterly bewildered.

Xiyue remained silent, his expression as gloomy as ever.

Afterward, Su Xiaoxiao noticed Xiyue’s behavior growing increasingly peculiar. He spoke less to her, yet remained insistent on keeping her by his side, like a useless vase.

Occasionally, Xiyue would join Su Xiaoxiao for a walk in the courtyard.

One day, the four-month-old demon fetus, not receiving enough nourishment within Su Xiaoxiao’s womb, began to agitate her during the day.

A sudden cramp seized her lower abdomen. As she walked across a small arched bridge, still covered with unthawed snow, the unexpected pain distracted her.

She lost her footing and slipped, tumbling to the ground.

Xiyue had been walking ahead of her, a distance separating them, so he was unable to catch Su Xiaoxiao.

The flowing blood stood out starkly against the pristine white snow. When Xiyue saw that jarring crimson, his heart lurched.

It wasn’t as if he had never seen Su Xiaoxiao bleed before. He possessed little patience and was far from gentle in bed, having caused her to bleed multiple times himself.

Yet, never had it felt quite like this, sending a chill down his spine.

Xiyue quickly stepped forward and scooped her into his arms.

Su Xiaoxiao gasped repeatedly from the pain, clutching her lower abdomen as cold sweat beaded on her brow.

Xiyue swiftly carried her back into the house, then dispatched Chitang to summon Gu Yan with haste.

Su Xiaoxiao was terrified. She had read in storybooks about miscarriages caused by accidental falls during pregnancy.

In her panic, she blindly grasped Xiyue’s hand, her face pale with fright as she stammered, “Will the little fish cub be alright? What should we do?”

Xiyue visibly stiffened, his heart seemingly enveloped by something soft.

In a rare moment of gentleness, Xiyue placed his hand on Su Xiaoxiao’s lower abdomen, continuously channeling spiritual energy into her body as he soothed, “Nothing will happen. Don’t be afraid.”

Despite the fall, the demon fetus proved resilient and unharmed. In fact, nourished by the spiritual energy Xiyue provided, it became content and docile, no longer troubling Su Xiaoxiao.

Once Su Xiaoxiao’s pain subsided, she finally felt relieved.

Xiyue withdrew his spiritual energy, but his hand remained, still resting on Su Xiaoxiao’s swollen lower abdomen.

Xiyue spoke softly, “In two days, I will be making a trip to the Ghost Realm.”

Just as Su Xiaoxiao was about to ask what he meant, she heard Xiyue add, “You are so foolish, how could I leave you alone in the Demon Realm? You should come with me.”

“Go where?” Su Xiaoxiao wondered if she had hit her head and was hallucinating.

“The Ghost Realm,” Xiyue uttered plainly.

Su Xiaoxiao’s expression shifted from initial stunned disbelief to widening eyes, her lips curving into an uncontrollable smile.

“Are you saying you’ll take me away from the Demon Realm?”

Xiyue nodded, but cautioned, “I know what you’re thinking. I made it clear to you last time, when your elders were present: if you want to keep this child, you must remain by my side. Otherwise…”

Recalling that past conversation, Su Xiaoxiao’s nascent spark of joy was instantly doused by a bucket of cold water.

She offered no reply, merely pushing Xiyue’s hand away from her abdomen, refusing his touch.

This little fish’s nature was originally docile and compliant, yet after conceiving this demon fetus, she had been affected to this extent. Xiyue, stubbornly insistent on touching her, felt a renewed surge of hatred for the unborn little fish cub.