A Night of Revelations

When Su Xiaoxiao was with the Demon Tribe, she often felt Xiyue’s hand on her stomach in her dreams or in that state between sleeping and waking. If Su Xiaoxiao was only half-awake, she would push Xiyue’s hand away. If she was too exhausted to open her eyes, she would just grunt and shift her body, knowing it was Xiyue’s hand, but too tired to care.

Su Xiaoxiao had never wondered why Xiyue, a serpent, felt icy cold at first but her hands were always warm when resting on Su Xiaoxiao’s stomach. There was no discomfort; instead, it made her stomach feel pleasantly warm.

Despite herself, Su Xiaoxiao found the sensation so comforting that she didn’t want Xiyue to move her hand away.

Since returning to the Mermaid Tribe, Su Xiaoxiao’s sleep and appetite had improved, and she needed less medicine. However, the little fish in her womb was unusually lively, making Su Xiaoxiao think it was almost time for birth. She didn’t see it as a problem and didn’t want to bother Yunxian, so she kept it to herself.

When Xiyue suddenly revealed the truth, Su Xiaoxiao was naturally shocked. Comparing this to her time in the Demon Tribe, the truth was undeniable, leaving her speechless.

Xiyue withdrew her hand, and although the room was pitch black, she could see Su Xiaoxiao’s expression clearly. ‘Go away,’ Su Xiaoxiao finally managed to say, her voice trembling more than it had when she was in pain.

‘You’re afraid, Su Xiaoxiao,’ Xiyue said, standing by the bed, her tone confident. ‘Change your condition; I can’t agree to that one.’

Xiyue asked her again, ‘What are you afraid of?’

What was she afraid of? Su Xiaoxiao didn’t know. Her feelings were a tangled mess, with no clear direction.

That’s why I said not to let her be born, but you never listened.

Xiyue hadn’t initially felt disgust; later, seeing Su Xiaoxiao’s endless crying, she changed her mind, but it only brought her annoyance.

‘Leave… I don’t want to hear it anymore…’ Su Xiaoxiao’s body began to tremble. She was used to Xiyue’s cruelty, but now, hearing ‘I did all that for your good,’ she couldn’t accept it.

‘I’m not leaving tonight,’ Xiyue declared.

Demons aren’t good at hiding their thoughts. If they want something, they’ll do whatever it takes to get it.

Before, Xiyue thought she was just unwilling, impulsive, and driven by desire. But after Gu Yan’s words, Xiyue realized she had simply fallen for the little fish.

Demons are selfish, greedy, and always seek their own benefit. Especially seeing her mother snake eat her siblings as food, Xiyue was accustomed to such a world from birth. She never stopped her relentless pursuit of power.

During her youth, she and her only brother killed their mother snake. Xiyue saw her brother’s bloody hands and his fierce expression as he swallowed the mother snake’s core.

Later, as the Demon Sovereign, Xiyue learned her brother had followed the same path as their mother.

The phrase ‘heaven’s wheel’ felt more like an inescapable fate, constantly reminding Xiyue of her past misdeeds, from which there was no turning back.

Su Xiaoxiao’s appearance was like a crack in the wheel of fate, disrupting Xiyue’s destined path. Xiyue’s concessions weren’t from a change of heart but from defying her nature for Su Xiaoxiao’s sake.

No wonder even Gu Yan understood, reminding Xiyue to face her true feelings.

Thoughts swirled in her mind, her heart feeling full. Xiyue heard Su Xiaoxiao’s soft, sweet whispers. How could such words of dismissal sound so appealing?

Xiyue’s throat was dry, and she found herself climbing onto the bed. Despite being a demon who only cared for herself, she cautiously asked, ‘Can I stay?’

‘No…’ Su Xiaoxiao’s tears flowed freely, and she tried to move back, but her heavy body wouldn’t budge.

‘Su Xiaoxiao, I’ve fallen for you,’ Xiyue said, not caring if Su Xiaoxiao wanted to hear it or not. ‘Can I stay tonight? I want to stay.’

‘It’s been so long since I touched you. Let me touch you again, okay?’ She spoke softly, but her actions ignored Su Xiaoxiao’s feelings.

Just as Xiyue was about to climb onto the bed, she saw Su Xiaoxiao turn her head, tears streaming down like a broken dam.

For the first time, Xiyue felt the need to restrain herself. She froze and said stiffly, ‘Don’t cry. I won’t touch you if you don’t agree.’

Su Xiaoxiao coughed, her vision blurry from tears. When she came to, she found Xiyue had left.

The next morning, Su Xiaoxiao told Yunxian, who was checking her pulse, ‘Xiyue came last night.’

Yunxian, embarrassed and tense, said, ‘Another nightmare?’

Su Xiaoxiao shook her head. ‘No, it was really her. She even said she likes me.’

Gu Yan, who was cooking medicine, exclaimed. As a doctor, she accidentally burned Su Xiaoxiao with the medicine pot.

Su Xiaoxiao turned to look at her, seeing Gu Yan’s complex expression. ‘Did she really say that?’ Gu Yan asked cautiously after a while.

Su Xiaoxiao nodded, unsure why Gu Yan was so serious. Then she saw blood dripping from Gu Yan’s shoulder. ‘She finally woke up. I thought it would take at least a hundred more years. This is unexpected, like an old tree blooming or an old house on fire.’ Gu Yan smiled happily.

Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t muster any enthusiasm. Yunxian, on the other hand, was furious. He had always disliked the female demon who had taken Su Xiaoxiao and kept the fish in the Demon Tribe for so long, only to return her in such poor health.

Although Su Xiaoxiao was over three hundred years old, in Mermaid Tribe terms, she was still young. There were no cases of such young Mermaids getting pregnant. Yunxian saw Su Xiaoxiao as a child suffering unjustly, a sight that would break any elder’s heart.

Yunxian sneered, ‘What’s there to be happy about?’

Yunxian, being a long-lived elder in the Mermaid Tribe, wasn’t as easily deceived as Su Xiaoxiao. A few words from Gu Yan weren’t enough to fool him. ‘I see how much the Demon Sovereign values you. Seeing you so happy about her affairs, I suppose the stories about escorting Su Xiaoxiao and betraying the Demon Tribe were all lies to deceive my little fish.’

Wisdom comes with age, and so does cunning. Gu Yan’s smile froze on her face.