A Desperate Plea for Home

Gu Yan was furious. Su Xiaoxiao had suffered so many losses; why wouldn’t she learn?

“The South Sea, the South Sea! Su Xiaoxiao, is the South Sea all you ever think about?!”

“Su Xiaoxiao, will you ever learn your lesson?!”

“You can’t go back!!” Gu Yan had never been this angry before. After she finished shouting, she saw Su Xiaoxiao’s eyes redden, as if tears were about to spill.

A wave of regret washed over Gu Yan. She shouldn’t have yelled. She had forgotten that Su Xiaoxiao was merely a little mermaid over three hundred years old, innocent and lively, at an age brimming with expectation and hope for everything.

Su Xiaoxiao hadn’t done anything wrong. She simply wanted to return home.

“I’m sorry, Xiaoxiao. I shouldn’t have yelled at you.” Gu Yan immediately went to Su Xiaoxiao’s side and bowed in apology.

Su Xiaoxiao helped Gu Yan up. “It’s… it’s alright. I know you’re very kind to me, and I’m not angry with you.”

“Gu Yan, I consider you a friend. I know you’re not truly of the Demon Race, and following Xiyue is not a wise path.”

Su Xiaoxiao spoke to her earnestly. “Gu Yan, come back to the South Sea with me. Our clan leader is very kind, and the elders are wonderful. Our people will definitely accept you.”

“Our Mermaid Race does not fear Xiyue. You must know that our Elder Yunjie is the Heavenly Empress. The Immortal Race won’t stand by idly. If you return to the South Sea with me, you will surely…”

“No! Su Xiaoxiao! You truly cannot leave!” Gu Yan, unable to persuade her, could only grab hold of her firmly.

Su Xiaoxiao was somewhat startled, yet she struggled fiercely to break free from Gu Yan’s grasp. “If you truly consider me a friend, you shouldn’t stop me from returning to my kin.”

“N-no, that’s not it!!” Gu Yan, having been shaken off, reached out to grab her again. However, Su Xiaoxiao was as stubborn as an ox, forcing Gu Yan to blurt out a vague explanation.

“You really can’t leave. The moment you step out of the Demon Race territory, the Venerable One will immediately know. You won’t even make it to the South Sea…”

Her heart seemed to stop beating. Su Xiaoxiao fell silent instantly. After a long moment, she hesitantly asked, “What do you mean by that? How would she know? As long as you don’t say anything, I’ll…”

Gu Yan interjected urgently, “Even if I don’t say anything, you still cannot leave!”

“You… you…” Gu Yan’s gaze dropped to Su Xiaoxiao’s feet. She hadn’t wanted to reveal it, but she knew even more clearly that if she didn’t speak now, the moment Su Xiaoxiao stepped out of the Demonic Palace, Xiyue would instantly be aware.

If Xiyue were to capture Su Xiaoxiao again, everything would change. The situation would spiral out of control, and whether Su Xiaoxiao would even survive would become an unknown.

“Haven’t you felt any discomfort in your legs these past few days?”

Su Xiaoxiao pondered for a moment, then slowly replied, “My ankle did ache a bit a few days ago. Why do you ask?”

“Xiyue placed a spiritual curse on your foot. No matter where you are, she’ll be able to find you.”

At these words, Su Xiaoxiao felt as though she were suffocating, unable to utter a single sound.

“You’re lying to me!!!” Su Xiaoxiao refused to believe it. She hastily kicked off her shoes and looked down, indeed discovering a string of cinnabar-red runes on her right ankle.

A red jade bracelet on her wrist, and cinnabar runes on her ankle.

Su Xiaoxiao crouched on the ground, silent. Gu Yan stood beside her, unsure what to say to comfort her, watching as tears slowly began to fall onto the floor.

“Gu Yan…” Su Xiaoxiao choked out, “Am I… am I truly destined never to return to the South Sea in this lifetime?”

With a tearful voice, Su Xiaoxiao gazed at the wide-open gates of the Demonic Palace. “I want to go home. I don’t want to be here.”

“I want to go home.”

Su Xiaoxiao cried for a long time, her legs growing numb from crouching, before Gu Yan finally managed to console her and lead her back inside.

****

Su Xiaoxiao returned with swollen, red eyes, diving onto the bed. She pulled the covers over herself, transforming into a ‘fish dumpling’ and refusing to emerge. Chitang entered, carrying lunch, and seeing Su Xiaoxiao’s unusual state, asked Gu Yan, “What’s wrong with the mistress?”

Gu Yan shook her head. “She won’t eat now. Bring it back later.”

The truth was too cruel. It was only natural for Su Xiaoxiao to find it difficult to accept.

Given the situation, Gu Yan had nothing left to hide. As she left, she added, “The Venerable One should return within a day or two. If she makes a decision, you… you must not argue with her. Yielding to her is the best course of action, otherwise, you’ll only suffer without being able to change anything.”

Su Xiaoxiao, at this moment, was still unaware that Xiyue’s ‘decision,’ as Gu Yan referred to it, was to eliminate her little fish-cub.

****

Xiyue indeed returned on the second day. Su Xiaoxiao lay in bed, neither eating nor drinking, refusing to speak to anyone.

Having been away for some time, Xiyue was in a remarkably cheerful mood upon her return.

Su Xiaoxiao remained curled on the bed, ignoring her. Xiyue, however, wasn’t angered. Instead, she patiently sat on the edge of the bed, asking with a rare gentleness, “What’s wrong? Chitang told me you haven’t eaten since you came back yesterday.”

As she spoke, she reached out, intending to pull Su Xiaoxiao into an embrace.

But the moment she touched Su Xiaoxiao, the little mermaid flared up, swatting Xiyue’s hand away. “Get lost! Don’t touch me!!!”

Having been cursed at and struck, Xiyue’s expression instantly darkened, yet she did not erupt in anger.

She observed Su Xiaoxiao, whom she hadn’t seen in days. Her face was pale and bloodless, her chin noticeably sharper. She appeared thinner, yet her temper was far worse than when Xiyue had left.

In the absence of Xiyue’s transferred spiritual energy these past few days, relying solely on Gu Yan’s medicine was entirely insufficient for the demonic fetus to develop properly.

It was one thing when Xiyue was away, but now that she had just returned, the demonic fetus within Su Xiaoxiao’s womb grew excited and restless, causing a sudden, sharp pain to seize Su Xiaoxiao’s abdomen.

No sooner had Su Xiaoxiao finished shouting than she bent over, clutching her stomach in extreme agony, gasping for breath.

Xiyue watched her, thinking, ‘The little fish shouldn’t be like this. It must be the demonic fetus within Su Xiaoxiao’s womb acting up.’

‘It cannot be kept. It cannot be kept.’

The time Gu Yan had spoken of had now arrived. Better today than tomorrow; this demonic fetus had to be removed.

“Chitang, go fetch Gu Yan.” Xiyue instructed Chitang, who stood outside the door with lunch.

“This servant understands, Venerable One.”

Upon receiving the order, Chitang first brought the lunch inside and placed it on the table, then departed to find Gu Yan at the demonic physician’s residence.

As Xiyue watched Chitang leave, she immediately pressed Su Xiaoxiao onto the bed, ignoring her struggles. She clasped Su Xiaoxiao’s wrists, her voice soft, as if coaxing her.

“It might hurt a little in a moment. Bear with it, and you’ll be fine afterward.”

Su Xiaoxiao, thinking Xiyue wanted to engage in *that* act immediately upon her return, began to struggle fiercely. “I don’t want to! I refuse! Let me go!”

Xiyue easily subdued Su Xiaoxiao’s movements by locking her wrists, stating calmly, “It’s not about what you want.”

She placed her hand on Su Xiaoxiao’s lower abdomen. “After waiting this long, this demonic fetus must be eradicated today.”

A wave of numbness washed over Su Xiaoxiao. ‘It shouldn’t be like this. It shouldn’t be like this…’

‘In the clan, I’ve seen pregnant mermaids. Their partners aren’t like this…’

‘There should be anticipation for a new life’s arrival, sweet companionship, and warm discussions about what to name the child after birth.’

‘Why does Xiyue not anticipate it? Why does Xiyue say she wants to eradicate it…?’