A Glimmer of Tenderness

After being forcibly given the medicine, Su Xiaoxiao clamped a hand over her mouth, recoiling from Xiyue’s embrace. Surprisingly, she didn’t vomit it back up. Xiyue, feigning ignorance of Su Xiaoxiao’s horrified gaze, turned to Gu Yan. “Where are the attendants with the charcoal brazier? Why are they moving at such a snail’s pace?”

Su Xiaoxiao remained silent.

Her hands remained clasped over her mouth, a gesture born of both wariness and an inexplicable flush of shyness. Moments ago, the mere scent of the medicine had sent her retching, every drop she swallowed immediately expelled. Yet, now, after this demonic Xiyue had fed her mouth-to-mouth, she found herself unable to vomit. ‘What in the world was happening…?’

Unbeknownst to her, it wasn’t Xiyue’s kiss that had quelled her nausea. Rather, from the moment Xiyue had entered the room and taken her into her arms, right up until the medicine was administered, a steady flow of spiritual energy had been coursing into Su Xiaoxiao.

Su Xiaoxiao, unwilling to confront the truth, could only conclude she had become a wanton, immodest fish.

Thankfully, neither Xiyue nor Gu Yan seemed to dwell on it. Xiyue, typically a woman of few words, had been in a prolonged spat with Su Xiaoxiao for days, making her even more reserved now. She even made an effort to avoid meeting Su Xiaoxiao’s gaze.

Gu Yan, seeing that some of the medicine had been consumed, finally breathed a sigh of relief. She then produced the usual pills Su Xiaoxiao was prescribed. The moment the jet-black pill was brought closer, Su Xiaoxiao began to gag.

Instinctively, she tugged at Xiyue’s sleeve. “I… I don’t want to eat this…”

It wasn’t an act of dependence on Xiyue, but rather that in the entire room, aside from Gu Yan who was administering the medicine, Xiyue was the only other person present.

Such behavior, to Xiyue’s eyes, was nothing short of blatant coquetry. ‘This little fish was locked in my dungeon for two days; how did she emerge with such a drastic change in disposition?’

Gu Yan, growing impatient, spoke with a sharp edge to her voice. “Don’t be childish! Is this something you can simply refuse just because you don’t feel like it?! Do you have any idea what state your body is in right now…?”

Xiyue cut her off, her brows furrowed. “Why are you scolding her?”

Gu Yan’s jaw dropped.

‘Listen to yourself!’ She was on the verge of a bewildered laugh. Wasn’t Xiyue, this great demon, the primary culprit for tormenting this ‘little fish’ in the first place?

Xiyue took the pill, effortlessly splitting it in half, then turned back to Su Xiaoxiao. “What about this?”

‘A mere childish trick,’ Gu Yan thought, utterly unimpressed. To her astonishment, Su Xiaoxiao merely blinked her eyes a few times before nodding her head in a dazed manner.

Gu Yan was speechless.

‘Fine, so it seems I’m the villain here. Xiyue puts in a modicum of effort and suddenly she’s a benevolent saint.’

Even with the single pill divided into two smaller halves, Su Xiaoxiao’s face remained contorted in a grimace of discomfort and internal struggle, her reluctance to swallow painfully evident.

Surprisingly, Xiyue, too, exhibited an unusual patience, quietly waiting as Su Xiaoxiao continued to dally.

Gu Yan stood nearby, several times on the verge of urging Su Xiaoxiao to take her medicine quickly while she still had some energy, and then to drink some nourishing porridge to regain her strength. Yet, each time, before a sound could escape her lips, she was met with Xiyue’s icy stare. That look, sharp as a piercing sword, rendered Gu Yan utterly speechless, forcing her to swallow every word of impatience back down.

Just as Gu Yan had anticipated, Su Xiaoxiao’s physical condition was truly dire. Even after receiving such a significant infusion of Xiyue’s spiritual energy, her vitality remained fleeting. She hadn’t even managed to drink the porridge before collapsing back into a weak, unconscious state.

Xiyue, however, did not leave. She remained seated by Su Xiaoxiao’s bedside, periodically reaching out to touch Su Xiaoxiao’s forehead, checking if her fever had subsided.

Gu Yan, having been on her feet for an extended period, wished to return and concoct new medicine for Su Xiaoxiao. She also hoped to snatch a moment of respite, leaving Xiyue to fret over Su Xiaoxiao alone. She let out a languid yawn, which surprisingly brought a tear to her eye. Wiping it away, she had just articulated her intention to depart when Xiyue called out to her.

“Wait—”

Gu Yan turned, only to see Xiyue subtly indicate the courtyard with a tilt of her chin. “Have someone replant that begonia tree.”

Gu Yan was silent.

‘Hahahahahahaha… Damn it, I’m just a glorified errand runner.’

Gu Yan couldn’t help but be amused. Xiyue’s expression was remarkably awkward, a stark contrast to her usual cold-blooded indifference.

“It’s merely to prevent this little fish from causing a fuss once she recovers and notices the tree is gone. It would be quite bothersome.”

Gu Yan suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. She didn’t seize the opportunity to tease Xiyue, merely muttering vaguely as she left, “If only you had known this sooner, why bother in the first place?”

After Gu Yan found a few demons to replant the begonia tree, she returned to concoct new medicine for Su Xiaoxiao. Nurtured by the spiritual ley line buried beneath the courtyard, the begonia tree had never truly died. Within half a day of its replanting, its blossoms unfurled anew.

****

This time, Su Xiaoxiao slept for a full twelve hours before stirring awake.

During her slumber, she had been given medicine once more, personally administered by Xiyue. The usually tyrannical and arrogant Xiyue had surprisingly shown immense patience, even thoughtfully feeding Su Xiaoxiao water twice while she slept, fearing the little fish might grow thirsty. And how, one might ask, was it administered? Naturally, mouth-to-mouth. Su Xiaoxiao, deep in her unconscious state, remained oblivious to the many liberties this great demon had taken.

Upon waking, Xiyue was still there.

A silent understanding passed between them, and neither brought up the two harrowing days in the dungeon.

In days past, Xiyue had always delighted in deliberately teasing Su Xiaoxiao, uttering words designed to provoke her, and only relenting once she had brought Su Xiaoxiao to tears or fury. Su Xiaoxiao, for her part, always rose to the challenge, often overestimating her own strength and pouncing on Xiyue, scratching and biting. This usually ended with Xiyue dragging her back to bed for a ‘lesson,’ leaving Su Xiaoxiao with a sore and swollen backside.

Today, however, an odd quiet permeated the air between Xiyue and Su Xiaoxiao. Both were uncharacteristically silent; Xiyue was less abrasive than usual, and Su Xiaoxiao, in turn, was far more docile.

The two days in the dungeon, each feeling like a year, had exacerbated Su Xiaoxiao’s already fragile health. Already frail, with damaged spiritual meridians, and injured heart and lungs, she had always been prone to uncontrollable choking coughs whenever she became emotionally agitated. Now, even without Xiyue’s provocations, she would cough herself awake from sleep, her face contorted in pain, as if struggling for breath.

With Xiyue staying in her room, any sign of distress from Su Xiaoxiao would trigger an immediate, almost instinctual reaction from her. Her body moved faster than her thoughts; she would already have pulled Su Xiaoxiao into her embrace, one hand pressed to her chest to channel spiritual energy, the other gently stroking Su Xiaoxiao’s back, as if to soothe her breathing.

Once the paroxysm subsided, Su Xiaoxiao would lie pliant and still in Xiyue’s arms, enveloped by her aura, feeling the warmth of her body chase away the lingering chill.

This side of Xiyue was one Gu Yan had never witnessed. Otherwise, she would undoubtedly have been loudly proclaiming to Xiyue, “You stubborn old iron tree, quickly abandon your resistance! You’ve fallen, you’ve fallen in love!” Alas, Gu Yan was not privy to this tender facet of Xiyue’s character.

Even a dazed Su Xiaoxiao, in her confused state, would wonder if she was merely hallucinating.

Xiyue would hold Su Xiaoxiao close, her voice a soft murmur. “Where else does it hurt?”

Su Xiaoxiao’s hand instinctively clutched her chest, her voice a faint whisper. “It feels like it’s burning… it hurts so much…”

Xiyue understood the cause of her suffering, and was momentarily rendered speechless, unsure how to respond.

Su Xiaoxiao’s head rested in the soft hollow of Xiyue’s shoulder, her lips almost brushing Xiyue’s ear as she whispered, “I want to go out and soak in some water. I think I might feel better after a short dip.”

While soaking in water might alleviate surface burns or scalds, Su Xiaoxiao’s injuries were to her spiritual meridians, heart, and lungs—not superficial wounds. Soaking would offer no relief. The snow continued to fall outside, and taking her out now would surely be ill-advised.

Xiyue was about to voice her refusal when Su Xiaoxiao nuzzled her head against her, her cool lips brushing Xiyue’s ear, like a feather-light kiss.

“Xiyue, I’ve been lying here for days. I just want to go out for a walk.”

“Please?”