The Burden of Lineage

Su Xiaoxiao coughed groggily, yet found Xiyue’s body, pressed close against hers, to be icy cold. Resting upon it, however, felt surprisingly soft and much more comfortable.

As Su Xiaoxiao’s discomfort eased, her fear of Xiyue also dissipated. Unconsciously, she unfastened her inner garments, stripping herself bare. With their skin pressed together, she finally felt an immense sense of comfort.

By the time Su Xiaoxiao finally awoke, Xiyue was already asleep again. Su Xiaoxiao had burned with fever for a full two months. When she next regained consciousness, a night had passed, and her fever had finally broken.

Upon waking, she discovered she was completely unclothed. Naturally, she assumed Xiyue had stripped her, and this realization fueled her anger for a long time.

Surprisingly, after this latest escape attempt, Xiyue didn’t erupt in anger towards Su Xiaoxiao.

She didn’t even mention punishment, nor did she utter a single harsh word. It was truly unusual.

Instead, Xiyue instructed Su Xiaoxiao to rest well in bed. Beyond that, her only warning was, “Don’t overestimate yourself. I’ve told you before, that mark on your ankle means I can always track you down, no matter where you go.”

Su Xiaoxiao offered no reply to this pronouncement.

Su Xiaoxiao refrained from initiating conversation with Xiyue. After two days of rest, she recovered significantly, and Gu Yan declared her well enough to leave her bed. However, Su Xiaoxiao immediately became restless, even attempting to run away again. Xiyue was displeased, yet seeing Su Xiaoxiao’s dejected expression, she genuinely worried that her confinement for the past two months was the cause of this change.

These days, Xiyue was preoccupied with cultivation and the ongoing war against the Immortal Clan. Before leaving, she still gripped Su Xiaoxiao’s wrist. The stern words she intended to utter hovered on her lips, but for some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to speak them.

Su Xiaoxiao looked at her timidly.

‘You’re hurting me…’

“Let go of me…”

Xiyue released her, gazing at her for a moment before dropping a single sentence. “If you want to run, with your belly so big, don’t just run around recklessly.”

Su Xiaoxiao remained silent, then unexpectedly posed a question to Xiyue. “I’ve never asked you before, do you have any kin, any siblings? And your parents? You’ve never spoken about them…”

The thought of her lineage and origins immediately brought to Xiyue’s mind those nauseating and terrifying days. They were a period Xiyue most detested recalling, like a permanent stain on her past.

Uncertain why Su Xiaoxiao had suddenly asked such a question, Xiyue’s expression darkened. “No,” she stated unequivocally.

Su Xiaoxiao appeared ready to ask more, but Xiyue, her face grim, departed. She clearly had no desire to elaborate on the matter.

Xiyue’s unwillingness to speak only heightened Su Xiaoxiao’s unease.

When Gu Yan arrived to deliver her medicine, Su Xiaoxiao feigned casualness. “Have you and Xiyue known each other for a long time?” she asked.

“Do you usually call her Xiyue?” Gu Yan inquired.

“I always call her that…”

“Even in front of her?” Gu Yan pressed further. This time, Su Xiaoxiao fell silent.

Gu Yan’s true intention was to encourage Su Xiaoxiao to speak more, hoping to lift her spirits and dispel her melancholy.

“Indeed, I have known her for a very long time,” Gu Yan affirmed.

“Does Xiyue have family?” Su Xiaoxiao questioned.

Gu Yan paused, slightly taken aback. “Why the sudden inquiry?”

“I just wanted to ask.”

“Xiaoxiao, the Mermaid Clan and the Demon Clan are quite different,” Gu Yan explained. “You should know the nature of demons; they are accustomed to a solitary existence.” Gu Yan paused, then continued, “When I first met her, she had just become the Demon King. I heard she once had an older brother.”

“Then, where is he, her older brother?” Su Xiaoxiao pressed, clearly unwilling to relent until Gu Yan answered.

Gu Yan hesitated, noticing Su Xiaoxiao’s face had paled slightly. “Did Xiyue’s brother have children?” she tentatively asked.

“What?” Gu Yan seemed momentarily confused.

Yet Su Xiaoxiao, emboldened, asked, “Did Xiyue’s brother… eat his own child?”

“Xiaoxiao?!” Gu Yan exclaimed sternly. “Why are you suddenly asking this? Who told you such a thing…”

“That day in the tavern, two demons told me some truly unbelievable things.”

Su Xiaoxiao was not adept at lying. Moreover, Gu Yan was not foolish; it would have been truly amiss if she hadn’t already guessed what Su Xiaoxiao was thinking.

“The demon realm is harsh, and food is scarce,” Su Xiaoxiao began, her voice trembling. “During severe cold, when blizzards rage, they… they eat their young as food…”

Her voice trailed off, shaking with emotion. Gu Yan immediately interjected to soothe her, “I know you’re terrified, but there’s no need to let your imagination run wild. Why are you suddenly asking about Xiyue’s brother?”

Gu Yan deliberately kept her voice calm. “Her brother died a long, long time ago.”

“Dead?”

“Yes.”

“How did he die?”

“Xiaoxiao, why are you suddenly asking me all these questions today?” Gu Yan attempted to change the subject.

Su Xiaoxiao refused to be deterred. She looked at Gu Yan with earnest intensity, saying, “Gu Yan, I consider you a friend. Please, I beg you, don’t lie to me about this, okay?”

She was utterly devoid of a sense of security. Her clear, beautiful light blue eyes were filled with terror and brimming with tears.

Gu Yan wrestled with her conscience, yet ultimately decided to tell her everything. “He was… eaten by his own child,” Gu Yan said, her voice as soft as she could make it.

However, the impact on Su Xiaoxiao was still immense. Her tear-filled eyes, moments before, now widened in shock. Gu Yan sighed softly. “That was thousands of years ago, it’s all in the past.”

Su Xiaoxiao remained silent.

“Xiaoxiao, are you worried? Are you scared?” Gu Yan asked again.

Seeing the little mermaid still unresponsive, Gu Yan reassured her. “Xiyue wouldn’t do that! She disdains such crooked methods. If she intended to, she would have done so thousands of years ago.” “Then what *will* she do?” Su Xiaoxiao suddenly asked Gu Yan, her face stark white.

“Xiyue has tried to kill the little fish cub more than once; you must know this,” Su Xiaoxiao stated.

“That was before,” Gu Yan countered. “Isn’t the child perfectly fine now?”

“Xiyue doesn’t like it,” Su Xiaoxiao said, her voice growing increasingly heartbroken and choked with sobs.

“If she doesn’t like it, what will happen to this child?” Su Xiaoxiao asked Gu Yan.

This desperate question momentarily stumped Gu Yan. However, considering Xiyue’s intentions, the likelihood of the child remaining in the Demon Palace seemed slim.

Thousands of years ago, Xiyue had confided in her that offspring were a burden to her. She harbored an intense feeling of disgust and revulsion at the mere thought of others touching her.

Of course, if Xiyue had wanted to bear children, Su Xiaoxiao wouldn’t have been involved at all. After becoming the Demon King, she could have simply chosen any handsome male presented to her from the various clans.

Gu Yan’s silence only solidified Su Xiaoxiao’s resolve that she could not remain in the Demon Palace.

Demons were accustomed to treating their offspring as sustenance for cultivation. The birth of a new life held no particular anticipation for them.

The Mermaid Clan was different. Their traditions, etched into their very bones, were diametrically opposed to those of the demons.

With the conversation having reached this point, Su Xiaoxiao had no further questions.

She informed Gu Yan that she was tired and wished to sleep for a while.

Yet, after Gu Yan left, she remained frozen in thought for a long time.