Inner Demons and a Fading Smile

Suddenly, Su Xiaoxiao’s clear voice emerged from the darkness, startling Xiyue.

Black vines coiled around Su Xiaoxiao’s feet, yet her face radiated a sweet smile, leaving Xiyue utterly stunned.

The darkness gradually spread, devouring the light. Xiyue gazed at Su Xiaoxiao’s face, a flicker of bewilderment crossing her features.

She had almost never seen Su Xiaoxiao smile at her; the young woman always seemed fearful, always evasive.

Those beautiful, sapphire-like eyes, which Xiyue had instantly remembered from their first encounter in Shanghai Huatian, were often filled with tears, frequently clouded with fear and grievance.

Su Xiaoxiao continued to smile, her voice ethereal, as she asked Xiyue, “Why aren’t you speaking?”

“I…” Xiyue stammered, though a part of her knew this was merely a hallucination born from her inner demons.

Su Xiaoxiao’s smile vanished. Her expression became serious, devoid of emotion, as she stared at Xiyue. “Why are you ignoring me?”

Xiyue instinctively replied, “I’m not.”

She failed to notice her consciousness being eroded by the inner demons, instead staring blankly at Su Xiaoxiao.

In an instant, Su Xiaoxiao was obscured by the encroaching darkness. Xiyue heard her voice, laced with sorrow, “I won’t talk to you anymore.”

Utter darkness enveloped her. Xiyue’s spiritual consciousness had been thoroughly disrupted by the inner demons.

She lifted her head, cold sweat beading on her forehead, desperately trying to repel them.

Suddenly, a warmth bloomed in her palm. Xiyue turned, only to see Su Xiaoxiao, who had just vanished, reappear behind her.

She was smiling again, a smile that captivated Xiyue, making it impossible to look away.

This was an inner demon, yet Xiyue’s hand was too rigid to move, unable to push her away.

Su Xiaoxiao’s hand slowly moved from Xiyue’s palm up her arm, her body pressing softly against Xiyue’s. “Do you like this?”

Xiyue heard her alluring voice and frowned slightly. Just as she attempted to push her away, Su Xiaoxiao nestled her head against Xiyue’s chest, then looked up, scoffing, “Don’t you like it?”

Xiyue remained unmoved. Su Xiaoxiao, however, rose onto her tiptoes, slowly bringing her lips closer to Xiyue’s.

The soft, delicate tongue, tasted many times before, twisted and contorted into a monstrous, gaping maw, threatening to devour Xiyue whole.

At the last possible moment, Xiyue struck her away, clinging to her last shred of sanity.

Her spiritual consciousness shattered. The black flood dragon coiled within the cold spring opened its eyes.

With a flash of dark light, Xiyue transformed back into her human form, standing naked in the spring.

The wound on her arm had not only failed to heal but had deepened further.

She paid it no mind, yet Su Xiaoxiao’s weeping echoed in her ears, amplified in the cavernous hollow.

“Wuwuwu…”

Xiyue looked down, only to see Su Xiaoxiao’s image from a few days prior, atop the cliff, surface on the water.

Su Xiaoxiao screamed in utter despair, her voice wretched and hoarse. “No—”

The scene depicted her resolute turn, her leap downwards, her body covered in blood, her pulse barely a whisper.

Xiyue’s throat felt constricted, her movements beyond her control. The water’s surface rippled with the image of Su Xiaoxiao!

Su Xiaoxiao!

Xiyue’s head throbbed excruciatingly. Looking into the water again, the scene had shifted to a recent memory: Su Xiaoxiao holding a sharp shard of mirror against her own throat.

“What you’ve done… the young fish knows everything you’ve done, and she will hate you!”

“I will die with her. She will understand me; she won’t blame me…”

Xiyue clenched her fists, sweat beading on her forehead, her gaze fixed intently on the water’s surface.

It felt as if the blood in her veins had completely congealed.

The intense pain made it impossible to bear. She toppled forward into the water, extending her hand as if to embrace the weeping, broken Su Xiaoxiao.

The vision shattered. Her touch met only with icy water.

Like a flower in a mirror, a moon in the water—beautiful, yet unattainable.

Xiaoxiao…

In the empty cavern, amidst the dripping water, she heard Su Xiaoxiao’s voice once more.

“It’s useless.”

Useless, useless, useless…

Xiyue clutched her chest, her body wracked with a tearing agony. Finally, she coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood, staining the water red, before collapsing into the pool.

****

Dawn was gradually breaking. Su Xiaoxiao’s wrists and ankles were bound, limiting her movement to the bedside.

She sat on the floor, gazing at the sun slowly rising outside the window.

The morning light streamed through the window, painting the carpet in hues of red. The weather was growing warmer.

Su Xiaoxiao stared blankly at the crimson glow, lost in thought.

She had been awake all night, her eyes swollen and red, unable to shed another tear.

Her body felt heavy and exhausted, yet sleep eluded her completely.

She hadn’t touched a drop of water, feeling as though she was being slowly roasted alive.

A red jade bracelet still adorned her wrist, its color appearing significantly paler than before.

She sat huddled, her heart hollow, occasionally seized by a suffocating inability to breathe.

When Gu Yan entered, she uncharacteristically carried no medicine. Seeing Su Xiaoxiao’s fragile and pitiful state, Gu Yan felt a pang of discomfort.

She slowly walked over to Su Xiaoxiao and knelt before her.

“Xiaoxiao, let’s leave this place,” Gu Yan whispered, as if a louder sound might startle Su Xiaoxiao.

Su Xiaoxiao did not look at her, her head still bowed, her eyes unfocused and devoid of any emotion.

It was as if she hadn’t heard a word Gu Yan said.

“I’ll help you leave,” Gu Yan stated earnestly, repeating herself once more.

This time, Su Xiaoxiao raised her head. She resented Xiyue because Xiyue constantly hurt her.

Gu Yan, though acting under Xiyue’s instruction, had shown her genuine kindness since they first met.

She vaguely recalled the several times Gu Yan had helped her, only to incur Xiyue’s wrath and punishment…

“There’s no need.” Having not spoken for a long time, and without any water, Su Xiaoxiao’s voice was impossibly hoarse.

Gu Yan rose, poured a cup of water, and offered it to Su Xiaoxiao, feigning nonchalance. “I’m serious.”

Su Xiaoxiao did not reach for it, but Gu Yan gently pressed it into her hand. “Honestly, I’ve been tired of staying in the Demon Clan for ages. After thousands of years, it’s really time for a change of scenery.”

Su Xiaoxiao didn’t quite understand what Gu Yan meant, only looking at her with a puzzled expression.

“Xiaoxiao, if I can take you away from the Demon Clan, could your South Sea temporarily shelter me for a while?” Gu Yan smiled at her, trying to make her words sound harmless and gentle.

Su Xiaoxiao blinked, a flicker of light igniting in her eyes, only to quickly dim again.

She wore no shoes, and when she looked down, she could see her bare ankles, encircled by a vermilion talisman.

It was through this talisman that Xiyue had found her the last time she hid in the thorny thicket.

Xiyue had once said that no matter where Su Xiaoxiao went, she would always find her.

Su Xiaoxiao’s spirits plummeted instantly. She didn’t want to implicate Gu Yan, so she shook her head. “Let’s not. I’m afraid I’ll drag you down.”

Gu Yan felt a throbbing headache.

She recalled Xiyue, who had appeared like a ghost in the middle of the night, utterly distraught and with her cultivation scattered.

Gu Yan hadn’t known what had happened to her. Just as she was about to speak, Xiyue had said, “Go and persuade Xiaoxiao.”

Gu Yan didn’t understand what she meant. “What?”

Xiyue had explained, “She no longer has any desire to live. Today, she sought death in front of me once again.”

Gu Yan wondered if she was hallucinating, for Xiyue’s voice had been incredibly low, laced with profound reluctance and helplessness.

“You once said that the Demon Clan was not conducive to her recovery. Soon, she will be giving birth, and if she doesn’t recuperate properly, she will likely suffer greatly.”

“Send her back to the Mermaid Clan. Watch over her carefully for me.”

Gu Yan was utterly bewildered, stammering, “Th-this…”

How could she easily agree to such a monumental task? Her mind was a jumbled mess.

After a long silence, she finally managed to blurt out, “Such an important matter, I truly…”

Gu Yan trailed off, then sighed deeply, asking Xiyue, “Why have you suddenly had a change of heart?”

After all, the curses Xiyue had placed on Su Xiaoxiao didn’t suggest she was ready to let go.

Xiyue didn’t hesitate, though her voice remained heavy and subdued. “I don’t want to see her die.”

Xiyue then told Gu Yan, “Take her back to the Mermaid Clan, but don’t tell her I agreed. She hates me and won’t listen to anything from me.”

“I will not touch the South Sea Mermaid Clan, even if they choose to ally with the Immortal Clan.”

Gu Yan had never imagined Xiyue would concede so much for Su Xiaoxiao.

She was utterly stunned, unable to speak for a long time, listening as Xiyue spoke unhurriedly, as if making her final arrangements.

Ultimately, she agreed to Xiyue’s request.

****

Gu Yan returned to the present moment, then addressed Su Xiaoxiao, “You won’t drag me down. I have a plan, and I will safely send you back to the Mermaid Clan.”

She smiled at the skeptical Su Xiaoxiao. “However, you must listen to me. First, you need to recuperate. In seven days, we will depart.”