A Mother’s Plea and a Demon’s Cruelty

The bedchamber was dim, and with her back to Xiyue, Su Xiaoxiao’s belly seemed unusually large. She spoke in a voice so soft, it felt as though a mere gust of wind could shatter it.

Clenching her palms, she asked Xiyue, “Do you truly… despise Little Fish?”

Su Xiaoxiao’s earnestness in her question startled Xiyue herself.

After a moment, Xiyue withdrew her hand, stating indifferently, “No, I don’t like it. Who would ever like a little bastard?”

‘What could possibly be born from a flood dragon and a fish?’ Xiyue herself didn’t know. She was well aware of her own deplorable character; even if she blended her bloodline, nothing good could come of it.

Furthermore, in the demonic realm’s understanding, offspring were entirely unnecessary. They were nothing but trouble, merely competing for vital resources. What reason was there to keep them?

And, of course, the most crucial point: Xiyue would never bear a child for anyone else.

Had Su Xiaoxiao not repeatedly cried and pleaded with her, Xiyue would never have let the child remain until now.

Su Xiaoxiao wasn’t overly surprised by Xiyue’s words, though a gloom settled deep within her heart. After a long silence, she finally responded, feigning indifference.

Before long, Xiyue reached out again, her movements conveying a hint of irritation. The arm she wrapped around Su Xiaoxiao tightened perceptibly.

Su Xiaoxiao closed her eyes, attempting to force herself to sleep. Yet, Xiyue’s touch, like a suddenly snapping string, made her tears flow uncontrollably.

Even her softest sobs did not escape Xiyue’s ears.

Xiyue turned slightly, facing her. “Why are you crying again?” she demanded. “Is it because I said I don’t like this little bastard?”

‘How could anyone refer to their own child as a little bastard?’

Su Xiaoxiao’s spirits plummeted further, and she pushed at Xiyue’s arm. “Don’t touch me…”

Xiyue, however, possessed a cruel, beastly nature. The sound of Su Xiaoxiao’s tearful, soft pleas inexplicably sparked a perverse interest within her.

The more Su Xiaoxiao resisted her touch, the more Xiyue delighted in defying her. She snarled, “What exactly are you so upset about? I already promised I’d let her stay.”

Su Xiaoxiao, however, wouldn’t listen; she was submerged in a sorrow that was always difficult to appease. Xiyue, for her part, made no effort to comfort her, expecting Su Xiaoxiao to simply shut up after a few words. If Su Xiaoxiao failed to comply, Xiyue would resort to veiled threats.

That night, Su Xiaoxiao barely slept.

For several days thereafter, her spirits remained low. She ate very little and struggled to ingest her medicine, which meant that a treatment previously required only once every seven days now became necessary every three days. Unable to take her medicine, they considered dietary supplements.

Su Xiaoxiao ought to go out and walk, to change her mood; she had told Xiyue this more than once.

Xiyue, however, paid little heed, retorting, “With so much snow and the weather so cold, if she doesn’t want to go out, then she shouldn’t.”

“That’s very bad for her.” Gu Yan spoke bluntly, without preamble. “Her emotional state is terrible; something will inevitably go wrong, and she’ll suffer greatly during childbirth. At that point, it might even become a case of ‘one corpse, two lives.'”

“What did you say?” Xiyue demanded, her voice chilling.

‘One corpse, two lives? How could that be?!’ ‘Su Xiaoxiao wore two protective bracelets; they weren’t mere useless trinkets.’

Xiyue frowned, keenly aware of how delicate the ‘fish’ she kept truly was.

****

That very day, Xiyue dragged Su Xiaoxiao from where she sat daydreaming on the soft couch, her demeanor akin to a bandit.

“W-what are you doing?” Su Xiaoxiao stammered, terrified that Xiyue intended to engage in ‘that’ business in broad daylight again.

Instead, Xiyue personally retrieved a thick fur coat and a fox-fur cloak, helping her put them on. As they left, she even pulled the hood of the fox-fur cloak over Su Xiaoxiao’s head.

Su Xiaoxiao was utterly bewildered, but Xiyue simply led her into the courtyard for a walk.

****

Seeing Su Xiaoxiao’s lack of enthusiasm, Xiyue took her hand and led her out of the small courtyard.

“Didn’t you always love running outside before?”

“I didn’t…” Su Xiaoxiao whispered timidly, unable to decipher Xiyue’s true intentions. “I was wrong… I won’t dare again.”

‘Was this some new form of punishment?’

Su Xiaoxiao didn’t understand. The wind and snow blew, but despite her thick clothing, she felt no cold; instead, Xiyue’s grim expression made her break into a cold sweat.

Now, whenever Xiyue heard Su Xiaoxiao’s bewildered apologies, she was instantly filled with fury.

She ‘tsk’ed, then roared, “I told you to come out for a walk, so why are you apologizing?! Utter such foolishness again, and I’ll truly make sure you can’t get out of bed, so you’ll know what ‘not daring’ really means!”

Su Xiaoxiao watched her, shrinking into herself, and offered no further reply.

The two walked along the corridor for a while. Su Xiaoxiao, with her current condition, easily exhausted her strength and even suffered a calf cramp.

She had to stop. Xiyue turned to her, asking, “What’s wrong?”

Su Xiaoxiao’s face was contorted in pain; she arched her back, wanting to rub her leg. The sudden swelling made Xiyue’s heart clench.

“My leg, it hurts a little…” Su Xiaoxiao managed. As soon as she spoke, Xiyue pulled her into a hall and onto a small couch to rest.

Su Xiaoxiao watched as Xiyue, her brow furrowed in annoyance, restlessly tapped her own leg.

‘Only one thought filled Su Xiaoxiao’s mind: Xiyue wasn’t going to snap her leg, was she?’

At the mere thought, Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but draw back her leg, but Xiyue seized it.

She didn’t let go. “Don’t move around!”

Su Xiaoxiao dared not move again. To her surprise, Xiyue merely began to massage her leg, an action that thoroughly startled Su Xiaoxiao.

After a short while of kneading, Su Xiaoxiao looked at Xiyue, who was crouched, massaging her leg, and let out a startled gasp.

Once the discomfort slowly receded, Xiyue no longer made her walk. Instead, she led her back to the small courtyard.

Su Xiaoxiao remained preoccupied, still unwilling to speak to Xiyue willingly. Even a slightly raised voice could agitate her.

She truly cried so easily; Gu Yan said it was an unavoidable pregnancy symptom.

Xiyue, however, felt something was amiss; this ‘little fish’ was simply too sensitive.

Upon their return, Xiyue recounted all of Su Xiaoxiao’s recent reactions to Gu Yan.

‘Gu Yan sneered inwardly.’ ‘When Xiyue could have treated her well, she had always been self-absorbed, tormenting her until she was scarred.’ ‘Now, to suddenly feel anxious, what good would it do?’

Gu Yan then said to her, “Perhaps she’s simply afraid of you, Your Honor. Having been confined for so long, it’s natural for her to be unaccustomed. Next time, let her go out for a walk by herself; perhaps her mood will significantly improve.”

Xiyue was not so dense as to miss the sarcastic undertone. She retorted with her own jab at Gu Yan, “I see your courage has grown considerably now.”

Gu Yan bowed, stating dispassionately, “This subordinate would not dare.”

Nevertheless, Xiyue took her words to heart.

****

That day, Xiyue was having a meal with Su Xiaoxiao.

Given Xiyue’s cultivation level, food was no longer a necessity for her. Yet, she now made an effort to eat alongside Su Xiaoxiao.

Su Xiaoxiao sat with her head bowed, holding her chopsticks for a long time before taking just two bites. Xiyue suppressed her irritation, but then a Demon Soldier outside shouted loudly, “Reporting to Your Honor! A dispatch has arrived!”

The single shout was enough to make Su Xiaoxiao drop her chopsticks.

Xiyue cast a cold glance at the Demon Soldier. As she rose to leave, she told Su Xiaoxiao, “After dinner, go out for a walk by yourself.”

“By myself?” Su Xiaoxiao asked foolishly.

“You don’t want to?” Xiyue countered.

Su Xiaoxiao lowered her head again, clearly quite unwilling.

The phrase ‘one corpse, two lives’ had been lingering in Xiyue’s mind recently.

Xiyue impatiently ‘tsk’ed. “Even if you don’t want to, you must go.”

“I-I understand…” Seeing the clear frustration in Xiyue’s eyes, Su Xiaoxiao dared not refuse.

Just before leaving, Xiyue added, “Don’t walk into the snowy areas, and make sure you put on your fox-fur cloak before you go out.”

Once Xiyue had departed, Su Xiaoxiao lost her appetite to continue eating. However, she dared not disobey Xiyue’s words.