Beneath the Cold Facade

By the time Gu Yan reached the dungeon, Su Xiaoxiao was on the brink of collapse from the biting cold. So weakened was she that even when Gu Yan offered her medicine, she swallowed it without her usual protests or complaints of bitterness. As the medicine coursed down her throat, a sliver of clarity returned to Su Xiaoxiao’s mind. She gazed at Gu Yan, her spirit utterly despondent, and murmured, “Why bother saving me? It’s futile; I won’t live much longer anyway.”

Xiyue often called Su Xiaoxiao a foolish fish, and it seemed there was indeed truth to her words. Merfolk truly were stubborn, yet remarkably susceptible to trusting others.

Gu Yan’s gaze fell upon the faintly glowing red bracelet adorning Su Xiaoxiao’s wrist. With a sigh of exasperation, she retorted, “Nonsense, not survive! If your life truly hung by such a thread, do you think I would still be standing here?”

She retrieved a thick quilt and draped it over Su Xiaoxiao, then channeled her spiritual energy to regulate Su Xiaoxiao’s meridians.

The frost adorning Su Xiaoxiao’s brows slowly receded, yet her body remained in discomfort. She whispered weakly, “Gu Yan, you are truly kind to me…”

Su Xiaoxiao, genuinely grateful, added, “Please, could you help me return to the South Sea? My elders and my people would be eternally thankful. Whatever it is you wish for, if the South Sea possesses it, we will most certainly…”

“Hold on, hold on!!!” Gu Yan nearly suffered a qi deviation from the shock.

Only after ensuring Su Xiaoxiao’s spiritual meridians were flowing smoothly did Gu Yan caution, “You truly mustn’t implicate me.”

Su Xiaoxiao pursed her lips, and tears visibly began to well in her eyes once more.

Gu Yan sighed, “In all sincerity, the Demon Lord has treated you exceptionally well. Just look at the small courtyard you inhabit. Do you comprehend the immense spiritual energy required to cultivate a patch of green and coax trees into bloom within the Demon Realm, a place where not a single blade of grass naturally grows?”

“Are you aware of the rarity and immense value of the primary ingredients in the medicine you consume daily?”

“The carpets adorning your chambers are selections of a thousand, and the charcoal that burns continuously is far from ordinary.”

Gu Yan and Xiyue had been acquainted for many years; though technically a subordinate, she considered herself half a friend. It was a rare sight to witness Xiyue, this old ‘iron tree’ who understood nothing of affection, finally begin to blossom. Gu Yan was resolute in seeing this through, offering her unwavering support.

Xiyue had always disdained discussing such matters with Su Xiaoxiao. Now, with Gu Yan meticulously enumerating each point, Su Xiaoxiao found herself utterly dumbfounded.

Noticing Su Xiaoxiao’s stirred expression, Gu Yan pressed on, “Do you honestly believe it was solely your good fortune and audacious spirit that enabled your escape from the Demon Realm? No, that was entirely due to…”

Gu Yan glanced at the bracelet on Su Xiaoxiao’s wrist, then swallowed the remainder of her sentence.

Lectured into silence, Su Xiaoxiao found herself at a loss for words, yet she latched onto the crucial detail from Gu Yan’s final statement.

“You said I had left the Demon Realm?” Su Xiaoxiao questioned her.

Without a second thought, Gu Yan affirmed, “Indeed. You escaped the Demon Realm and even plunged into the Man-Eating River. Had the Demon Lord not arrived promptly, your precious merfolk life would surely have been forfeit.”

Su Xiaoxiao fell silent, her head bowed as she stared at the bracelet on her wrist. She couldn’t help but recall the moment Xiyue had forcefully fastened it upon her.

Xiyue had said at the time:

“It binds your spiritual power, preventing any escape.”

“Should you dare to flee, this bracelet will shatter your hand the moment you step outside the Demon Realm.”

Gu Yan had no conceivable reason to deceive her. Yet, if what Gu Yan claimed was true—that she had indeed ventured beyond the Demon Realm’s borders—then Xiyue’s earlier words were nothing but a fabrication…

Concealing her burgeoning thoughts, Su Xiaoxiao posed the question to Gu Yan once more, “Are you certain I was outside the Demon Realm?”

Gu Yan, bewildered by Su Xiaoxiao’s persistence, inquired, “Yes, why do you keep pressing the matter?”

Su Xiaoxiao mumbled vaguely, “Oh, just a casual inquiry.”

She raised her hand once more, an answer already forming in her mind, yet she still wished to confirm with Gu Yan. “When I was first imprisoned, I was so terribly cold I nearly believed I would perish. But this bracelet began to radiate warmth, and my body became less unbearable.”

“This bracelet was a gift from Xiyue. Given its reaction, is it truly responsible for my improved condition?”

Su Xiaoxiao had already begun to suspect that Xiyue’s claims about the bracelet locking her spiritual power and restricting her were false. Thus, she deliberately posed the question, hoping to gauge Gu Yan’s reaction.

Gu Yan, oblivious to the subtle dynamic between Xiyue and Su Xiaoxiao, had no idea that Xiyue performed good deeds yet chose to remain silent about them.

She nodded at Su Xiaoxiao. “Yes, this bracelet is a truly peerless treasure, and its primary purpose is to safeguard you completely.”

Su Xiaoxiao’s heart instantly became a tempest, as if a sudden tsunami had erupted upon a placid sea, shattering its tranquility.

She wrapped her arms around her knees, shrinking into herself and remaining silent.

Gu Yan, not wishing to linger, rose to leave once she observed Su Xiaoxiao’s condition had improved.

****

Barely two steps beyond the dungeon’s massive door, Gu Yan encountered the rabbit spirit, Chitang, who usually attended to Su Xiaoxiao. With an expression that was anything but “affected” and entirely “sincere,” they theatrically stumbled before Gu Yan, “accidentally” dropping the items they carried onto the ground.

Gu Yan: “…”

‘I find myself utterly speechless far too often these days.’

‘These two… no, a stubborn serpent and a stubborn fish.’

‘Ah, such exhaustion of the heart.’

Chitang, their ears still bandaged, lay sprawled in the snow, offering Gu Yan a smile. “Esteemed Ghost Physician,” they greeted.

Gu Yan’s gaze fell upon the enormous luminous pearl on the ground, and she instantly understood. The charade, however transparent, still required them to play their parts, even if both of them saw through it perfectly.

“What is the meaning of this?”

Chitang scrambled to their feet, brushing snow from their form, and feigned nonchalance. “The Venerable One declared this luminous pearl unpleasantly large and instructed me to dispose of it. As a humble demon, unversed in the ways of the world, how could I possibly know how to handle such a treasure?”

They bowed deeply to Gu Yan. “Esteemed Ghost Physician, with your vast knowledge and experience, perhaps you could take this burden off my hands?”

Gu Yan: “…” ‘That stubborn Xiyue, always so unyielding.’

Chitang winked conspiratorially at her.

Gu Yan suppressed a sigh, then, feigning solemnity, inquired, “And the Venerable One would not hold you accountable, regardless of where it is disposed of?”

Chitang nodded with vigorous affirmation, their eyes fixed on Gu Yan, radiating an eagerness that was both intense and utterly charming.

The unspoken hung heavy in the air, understood by both.

Gu Yan picked up the luminous pearl. “Very well, I shall assist you with this task. Now, go report back to the Venerable One.”

Chitang offered their thanks. As Gu Yan turned to re-enter the dungeon, she paused to add, “Go back and inform the Demon Lord that the snow is falling too heavily; she should calm her temper soon.”

“Understood.”

****

Within the dungeon, despite the luminous pearl and thick quilt Gu Yan had provided, Su Xiaoxiao remained terribly cold.

Previously, she had always attributed her lack of spiritual power to the bracelet Xiyue had given her. Now, however, it seemed that was not the true cause.

She attempted to circulate her spiritual energy to regulate her meridians, only to find her spiritual power utterly depleted. After several strenuous attempts, a searing pain erupted in her chest, provoking an unstoppable bout of coughing that left her drenched in cold sweat.

Her mind raced through many possibilities, ultimately concluding that the cause must have been the palm strike she endured to her chest when she first arrived in the Demon Realm and “fought” Xiyue—though “fought” was a generous term, as it was more akin to being effortlessly slammed against a wall with a single blow…

The world often spoke of the merfolk’s prowess in medicine, yet young merfolk like Su Xiaoxiao, who were merely a few centuries old, had not yet formally begun such studies. Typically, the elders focused solely on their cultivation and the acquisition of literacy and wisdom.

Now, with her spiritual power so severely depleted, Su Xiaoxiao naturally felt a pang of sorrow, yet she was far from despair. She knew that once she returned to the South Sea, her elders and the chieftain would undoubtedly possess the means to restore her health.

As these thoughts surfaced, her mind inevitably drifted back to Xiyue.

Upon closer reflection, in the days they had spent together, Xiyue, apart from her occasional severity in their chambers, had never once truly mistreated Su Xiaoxiao regarding her sustenance, attire, or daily provisions.

Indeed, as Gu Yan’s words had suggested, Xiyue was, in fact, quite kind to her. It was merely that she perpetually wore a frigid expression, and the words she uttered were often rather harsh.

Su Xiaoxiao gazed at the luminous pearl, which cast a bright glow throughout the dungeon, her heart a tangle of complex emotions.