The Demon Lord’s Legacy and a Prodigy’s Awakening

Time, ever fleeting, had slipped away like sand through fingers, bringing with it the rise and fall of seas and the ceaseless turning of sun and moon. Three years had passed with startling swiftness since the devastating war between immortals and demons.

Beyond the Mermaid Clan’s protective barrier, peace remained an elusive dream. Where ambition festered, conflict was an inevitable companion.

Those who had once allied against the immortal realm now found themselves embroiled in bitter disputes, their alliances shattered, and a treacherous undercurrent of betrayal swelling between them.

Demon Lord Xiyue, during the immortal-demon war three years prior, had faced her Heavenly Tribulation, failing in her attempt to ascend into a dragon, and was utterly annihilated.

The Demon Clan, consequently, was placed under the interim management of the Demon Race.

The world had initially worried that the Demon Lord Xiyue might merely be in temporary seclusion, certain to return.

Yet, three years had unfurled, and Xiyue’s shadow remained unseen. Only then did the world truly accept that the Demon Lord was indeed gone, her grand tribulation to become a dragon not so easily overcome.

With this reality cemented, those with rapacious ambitions multiplied. The Demon Venerable was dead, leaving the Demon Clan leaderless. Not only did other races eye their territories greedily, but even the demons themselves began to scheme.

Numerous coups were attempted, but all were suppressed by the combined might of the Ghost King and the Demon King.

The Demon King, inherently treacherous, had initially been swayed by Ghost King Beimuxue’s cunning. Though he harbored intentions, he also doubted Xiyue’s true demise, fearing she might merely be in temporary seclusion and would eventually return. Thus, he reluctantly took on the interim management of the Demon Clan.

However, as more demonic entities cast covetous gazes upon the Demon Clan, a plump piece of meat ripe for the taking, the Demon King, whose intentions were never pure, slowly began to unfurl his own ambitions.

Xiyue was dead. Who wouldn’t want to carve up the Demon Clan’s vast territories?

Ghost King Beimuxue had diligently guarded Xiyue’s position for three years. Yet, even she could not contend with the irreversible reality.

The Demon King, seizing the opportune moment, claimed the majority of the Demon Venerable’s territories for himself. Whether out of foolishness or shrewd calculation, when emissaries from the Immortal Clan arrived, he grandly offered a small portion of the Demon Clan’s lands as a gesture of goodwill, seeking to forge amicable relations with the immortals.

“When that Demon Lord Xiyue proposed annihilating the Wu Clan, I did my utmost to obstruct her. However, her oppressive force left me no choice. Now that Xiyue has perished in the Heavenly Tribulation, my disposition, unlike her bloodthirsty and murderous nature, aligns with the current peace and harmony across the Nine Provinces. This, too, is a fortunate turn of events.”

“Return and inform the Emperor that this Demon Lord is no more. Consider a segment of the Demon Clan’s territory a small token of goodwill, a gift to the Emperor.”

Having spoken, the Demon King handed a rolled scroll to the emissary. The emissary returned a smile, accepted the offering, and after exchanging a few hollow pleasantries, departed.

****

The clamor and chaos of the outside world were utterly shut out by the Mermaid Clan’s protective barrier.

Three years had passed, yet they seemed to have brought no change to the Mermaid Clan.

The breeze remained gentle, the sea crystal clear, and the sun, a comforting warmth without oppressive heat.

Beneath the rocking chair in her courtyard, Su Xiaoxiao was meticulously stitching a small bellyband. Suddenly, the patter of tiny feet echoed nearby. As she looked up, a round, white, glutinous-rice-ball-like little girl barreled straight into her arms.

Su Xiaoxiao quickly raised her needle and thread, fearing she might accidentally prick her little ‘glutinous rice ball’.

“Mama…” The jade-white mermaid in her embrace looked up. Her face was still streaked with fresh tears, and the whiny, crybaby voice whimpered, “A scale fell off my tail, boohoo…”

She unfolded her plump little palm, showing it to Su Xiaoxiao.

A scale, shimmering in hues of jade and sky-blue, was clutched tightly in her hand. Perhaps from the urgency of her run back, the scale had pressed so hard it left a red imprint on her tender, pale palm.

“Why did you bring it back?” Su Xiaoxiao asked, a fond smile playing on her lips as she gently ruffled the child’s hair.

“Will I die?” Ruoli asked innocently. Her pale blue eyes, strikingly similar to Su Xiaoxiao’s, brimmed with tears. It seemed as though a single blink would send them cascading down in streams.

“Of course not.” Su Xiaoxiao took out a handkerchief, wiping away the tears from the corners of Ruoli’s eyes and the sweat from her forehead. She comforted her, “All little fishlings shed their scales once. You were just too anxious earlier and didn’t observe carefully. It’s not that a scale suddenly fell off; it’s because you grew a new one! Do you understand?”

The little fishling nodded, a look of partial understanding on her face. Right there in the courtyard, she transformed her legs back into a tail.

She hugged her tail, examining it closely.

Su Xiaoxiao had never considered herself a particularly clever mermaid. Growing up, while training and studying with her peers, she had always been unremarkable, lacking ambition or a competitive spirit.

Yet, the little fishling she had given birth to was exceptionally bright. The day she was born, an elder had cradled her and declared, “This child possesses remarkable talent for cultivation.”

And indeed, it was true. Though only three years old, Ruoli had, without any formal instruction, mastered the ability to transform her form at will.

Other young mermaids her age either possessed legs or only their mermaid tails. Without the assistance of parents or elders, they found it incredibly difficult to transform independently.

But her own little fishling seemed to have learned without a teacher. Su Xiaoxiao had never even instructed her.

One morning, after waking, as Su Xiaoxiao was preparing food for Ruoli in the kitchen, she heard her own mother’s agitated cries from nearby, “Mama! Mama!”

The urgency in the voice was such that Su Xiaoxiao nearly dropped her bowl. She rushed over in a panic, expecting the worst.

Instead, she found Ruoli sitting on the bed, swinging her tail towards her. “Mama, look! I have a tail now, it’s as pretty as yours, isn’t it?”

Both Su Xiaoxiao and her mother were dumbfounded, standing frozen outside the door.

“How could this be?” It was her first time as a mother, and she was utterly inexperienced. Yet, she knew that typically, mermaid children would not manifest like this until at least ten years of age…

Frightened, Su Xiaoxiao quickly scooped Ruoli into her arms. Without even removing her apron, she rushed to find Yunxian. Her frantic demeanor along the way alarmed Ruoli, who softly asked, “Mama? What’s wrong?!”

The little fishling, it seemed, had inherited her mother’s disposition. She was also prone to tears.

When the large and small figures burst into Yunxian’s medical clinic, their tumultuous entrance startled him so much that he dropped the spiritual herbs he was holding. “What has happened?!” he exclaimed.

With an agitated expression, Su Xiaoxiao cried out to Yunxian, “Elder, please, quickly examine her! What’s going on?!”

Yunxian replied, “Alright, I understand. Xiaoxiao, please place her on the bed so I can observe.”

After a moment, once Yunxian had a clear understanding and had learned the full story, he chuckled. He gently stroked Ruoli’s head and said, “Ruoli, you’ve truly grown up. When you were born, we spoke of your extraordinary talent. Now, it seems our predictions were indeed true.”

He wiped Ruoli’s tears, then reassured Su Xiaoxiao, who stood nearby. “There’s no need to panic; this is a good thing. I’ll send for Yun Sheng shortly; she will undoubtedly be delighted when she hears.”

Yun Sheng was assisting Yunyi with farm work in the fields. Upon hearing the news from Yunxian, she immediately rushed over with Yunyi.

Strangely enough, despite her young age, Ruoli was unlike other young mermaids. Far from being afraid of Yun Sheng, she would always hum and fuss, eager to be held.

Yun Sheng, too, held an exceptional affection for Ruoli. This was partly because Su Xiaoxiao, whom Yun Sheng had guided into adulthood, had suffered immensely due to Yun Sheng’s momentary oversight when they left the Mermaid Clan, enduring so many hardships at such a tender age.

Yun Sheng had always carried a sense of guilt towards Su Xiaoxiao. Her heart ached for Su Xiaoxiao, and consequently, she took a special interest in Su Xiaoxiao’s child.

Moreover, from the moment Ruoli was born, they knew this child was destined for greatness, certain to achieve remarkable things.

“Elder Grandma,” Ruoli exclaimed, reaching out her hands as soon as she spotted Yunli.

She was so charming and affectionate, and so beautiful. Who could possibly dislike her?

Even someone as seemingly aloof as Yunli found her heart melting at the sight.

Yunli approached, maintaining a composed demeanor, and did not treat Ruoli like an ordinary child. She first praised Ruoli’s talent, then taught her the incantation for transformation.

After only one demonstration, even Yunli herself hadn’t expected Ruoli to actually learn it.

Ruoli’s mermaid tail transformed into legs, and she found it utterly magical. ‘It’s real!’

She even found it amusing, repeatedly changing her legs back into a tail and vice versa. Excitedly, she turned to Su Xiaoxiao, “Mama, come quickly and look at my tail!”

Su Xiaoxiao smiled back at her. “That’s amazing, little Ruoli.”

Ruoli offered a shy smile, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Yunli, who stood nearby, was likely so astonished by Ruoli’s prodigious talent that she mumbled almost unconsciously, “Is this demon lord’s bloodline truly so potent?”

Su Xiaoxiao heard it clearly but did not turn back, nor did she dwell on the words. She pretended not to hear, reaching instead to stroke Ruoli’s head.

Yunli hadn’t immediately realized her slip of the tongue, but a subtle shake of the head from Yunling beside her made her snap back to awareness.

She quickly covered her mouth and anxiously glanced at Su Xiaoxiao. Seeing her expression remained unchanged, Yunli finally let out a breath of relief.

Observing Ruoli’s exceptional intelligence, Yunli turned to Su Xiaoxiao. “Starting tomorrow, I wish to begin her cultivation. Xiaoxiao, what do you think?”

“But… she is still so young. Surely a fishling of her age doesn’t need to cultivate yet? We, back then, didn’t start until we were at least fifty in mortal years. Ruoli is so small; shouldn’t she be enjoying her innocent childhood, playing all day?”

“She possesses great talent; such children are rare and should…”

This time, it was Yunli who interrupted her. Her eyes held a hint of melancholy, and her brow was slightly furrowed. Yunli didn’t even utter the rest of her sentence; she simply gazed at the other Yunli, who then understood her unspoken meaning.

After a moment, Yunli turned back to Su Xiaoxiao. “Never mind. Indeed, I was too hasty. There’s no need for such urgency. Perhaps the effects of cultivation will be even better when she is older.”

Since the little fishling was fine, and it had merely been a false alarm, Su Xiaoxiao later took Ruoli’s small hand and walked back home together.

Having unexpectedly heard the words “Xiyue,” Su Xiaoxiao remained distracted on the way back. Only when Ruoli was asleep did she dare to ask her, “Mama, are you unhappy?”

Su Xiaoxiao quickly shook her head, denying it. After her child was truly asleep, Su Xiaoxiao put on her coat and rose.

She stood in the courtyard for a long time, the evening breeze blowing, yet her heart remained restless. Finally, she returned to the room, opened the bottommost drawer, and retrieved a locked wooden box. Inside the box lay a dazzling, crystalline red jade bracelet.

Su Xiaoxiao held it in her palm, gazing at it for a long time. After making up her mind, she returned to the bedside, took Ruoli’s pale, tender hand, and slipped the bracelet onto her wrist.

Then, with a flash of red light, the bracelet transformed into a size perfectly suited for Ruoli, securely adorning her hand, an exact replica of the one on Su Xiaoxiao’s own wrist.