A Mother’s Fury, A Demon’s Torment

The young girl was speechless. “Mommy? You—why are you here?”

She wondered if her eyes were playing tricks on her, or if she had already died and this was a mere hallucination. Her own mother, Yunjie, who had never once left Shanghuatian since the day she could remember, had actually appeared in the Ghost Realm and saved her life.

Yunjie retrieved the long blade that had been blocking her path, then gently asked, “Are you hurt?”

It truly was her mother! It had been so long since she last saw her!

The young girl scrambled to her feet, a flush of excitement and embarrassment coloring her cheeks. “I’m fine, not hurt at all,” she gushed. “It’s just my clothes are a bit torn. Mommy, will you make me new ones later? Mommy, I…”

Suddenly, she transformed into a small puppy, its tail wagging as if it might snap off. All traces of composure vanished as she circled Yunjie, incessantly calling out “Mommy,” chattering without end. She had completely forgotten the perilous situation they were in, oblivious to the fact that this was hardly the time for a reunion.

“It’s good that you’re fine,” Yunjie interjected. She turned back, meticulously scrutinizing the young girl from head to toe. Despite this, the girl continued to beam at her.

A sharp crack echoed.

Yunjie raised her hand and delivered a stinging slap across her face. “Xilin,” she stated sternly, “the mistakes you’ve made, I will settle with you slowly later.”

The little Crown Princess Xilin was utterly dumbfounded. Since the day she was born, Yunjie had never once laid a hand on her; even a stern word of criticism was a rarity.

Yunjie possessed an exceptionally gentle nature, speaking little, yet embodying both tenderness and formidable strength. To think she had provoked her mother to such an extent…

Struck by the blow, Xilin clutched her face, utterly disbelieving.

Yunjie paid Xilin no mind. Instead, she drew the long blade that had been before her and turned to Su Xiaoxiao. “Xiaoxiao,” she said, “it’s good to see you unharmed. Yunli has been very worried about you.”

Su Xiaoxiao instinctively moved to walk towards Yunjie. However, Xiyue’s voice cut through the air, cold and sharp. “Su Xiaoxiao,” she warned, “you’d best stay put, or you’ll have a very unpleasant time of it later.”

Terrified, Su Xiaoxiao froze. Yunjie, her brows furrowed, turned her gaze to Xiyue.

Xiyue offered a thin smile. “I’ve heard that Empress Yunjie slew countless demonic creatures in the last Immortal-Demon War,” she stated. “Today, I’d like to see just how formidable you truly are.”

Addressing Xiyue, Yunjie’s tone remained remarkably gentle. “My daughter is young,” she pleaded, “I hope the Demon Lord will be magnanimous.”

Xiyue let out a cold scoff. “And what if I refuse?”

Yunjie gripped the half-man-tall long blade, her stance neither humble nor arrogant. The blade’s tip pointed directly at Xiyue. “I humbly request the Demon Lord’s instruction,” she stated.

Since her birth, Su Xiaoxiao had never met Yunjie. She only knew that the Mermaid clan had formed a marital alliance with the Immortal race, and that the current Empress Yunjie was an elder of their Mermaid clan who had yet to return.

The Mermaid clan had always harbored a deep fear of sharp objects and blades. A young mermaid like Su Xiaoxiao, not even five hundred years old and possessing no extraordinary talents, didn’t even own a single magical artifact.

Elder Yunjie was truly this powerful…

She gazed at the imposing blade, so utterly contrary to Yunjie’s gentle demeanor, her eyes filled with profound admiration.

“Mommy…” Xilin’s voice was a mere whisper. Never in her life had she witnessed her mother engage in a fight.

Her mother had always been so gentle, never once harsh with her. Yet today, Xilin had first endured a slap from her, and now she was about to force her mother to battle Xiyue, that formidable fiend.

“Xiyue! You mustn’t!” Su Xiaoxiao, too, felt a surge of panic. Yunjie was an elder, after all.

“Both of you,” the Ghost King interjected, having rushed to the scene. “This is my Ghost Realm territory, after all. Please, grant me some deference.”

Xiyue, it seemed, had abandoned her earlier and vanished without a trace.

The Ghost King had only surmised that the masked young woman was an Immortal of considerable standing, never imagining she was actually the little Crown Princess of Shanghuatian.

“Yunjie, it’s been a long time.” The Ghost King harbored goodwill towards all of the Mermaid clan, and she and Yunjie had, in fact, met a few times before.

Yunjie did not offer the Ghost King a pleasant expression. Instead, she frowned, replying, “It would be better if the Ghost King and I did not meet, lest I recall certain sickening events from the past.”

The Ghost King fell silent, turning instead to try and persuade Xiyue.

Ultimately, the fight did not commence.

Perhaps it was the exhaustion from her recent escape, or perhaps her movements had been too vigorous, but from that moment, Su Xiaoxiao’s lower abdomen began to ache.

She initially believed it was merely a fleeting discomfort that would subside with a moment’s rest. However, the pain intensified, growing so severe that she could barely stand.

Xiyue’s gaze darkened. Noticing Su Xiaoxiao’s subtle movements once more, she spoke with a severe tone. “Didn’t I tell you to stand there and not move?!” she demanded. “How could you…”

Xiyue’s words trailed off. Su Xiaoxiao could no longer endure the pain, and one knee buckled, sending her to the ground.

Yunjie, having already heard of Su Xiaoxiao’s pregnancy, reacted even quicker than Xiyue. She moved to check on Su Xiaoxiao’s condition, but Xiyue’s black sword descended with furious intent, severing Yunjie’s efforts.

Yunjie spoke, a note of warning in her voice. “Xiyue,” she cautioned, “it seems she’s experiencing a disturbance in her fetal qi.”

“That is none of your concern,” Xiyue retorted unceremoniously. “Even if her fetal qi is disturbed, you should ask your dear daughter who is responsible for it.”

Yunjie glanced back. Xilin was currently comforting the small mermaid, Jingling, who was so terrified she had forgotten how to cry.

The little Crown Princess, having received a single glance from her mother, resembled a pitiful puppy, unable to resist wagging its tail at its owner.

Seizing the opportunity, the Ghost King proposed, “Demon Lord, let us put aside this conflict for now. Take Su Xiaoxiao back to be examined. Should anything truly happen, you would surely live to regret it.”

As the Ghost King uttered those final words—’live to regret it’—a rare expression of disgust flickered across Yunjie’s face, a woman typically known for her serene and graceful demeanor.

“Mommy?” the little Crown Princess whimpered, calling out to her. Yunjie, however, did not acknowledge her.

Xiyue approached Su Xiaoxiao. Fearing that Xiyue truly meant to fight Yunjie, Su Xiaoxiao quickly seized Xiyue’s hand, gripping it tightly and refusing to let go.

The fetus in her womb thrashed ceaselessly. This agony was not feigned by Su Xiaoxiao. “It hurts so much…” she gasped.

Xiyue gazed into her eyes, remaining silent. Her expression was deeply displeased, seemingly disbelieving Su Xiaoxiao’s words.

This little fish had deceived her too many times, never learning her lesson. So foolishly self-righteous, she would always adopt this vulnerable posture after being exposed and caught.

Xiyue clenched her palm. “Now you know pain,” she retorted coldly. “But when you were running, when you were conspiring to deceive me, why did you not feel it then?”

Su Xiaoxiao dared not utter another sound, fearing that Xiyue’s murderous aura would once again rise.

Xiyue raised a hand to caress Su Xiaoxiao’s lower abdomen. Yet, unlike previous times, she did not press her palm directly against Su Xiaoxiao’s belly to infuse spiritual energy and soothe the turbulent little fish-child.

Instead, she questioned Su Xiaoxiao with a chilling intensity. “Your belly is already swollen, and yet you still tried to run,” she accused. “You know full well what fate awaits you if I catch you.”

Then she asked Su Xiaoxiao, “Do you truly intend to keep this child?”

Su Xiaoxiao clung to Xiyue’s hand, her lips parting as if to explain. But the unbearable abdominal pain overwhelmed her, and she fainted from the sheer agony. Even unconscious, her grip on Xiyue’s hand remained unbroken.

Yunjie, the Ghost King, the little Crown Princess, and even the small mermaid all reacted with far greater alarm than Xiyue. Yet Xiyue’s face remained as placid as still water.

She had never truly desired to keep this child, attempting to get rid of it on several occasions.

Had it not been for Su Xiaoxiao’s incessant pleas and tears, and her final, desperate declaration that if Xiyue truly killed the little bastard, Su Xiaoxiao would have no will to live, things would have been different. How else could Xiyue have possibly allowed this little bastard to remain?

She had agreed to Su Xiaoxiao’s wishes, intending merely to turn a blind eye. Yet, this little bastard proved endlessly troublesome.

Witnessing Su Xiaoxiao’s considerable torment, Xiyue would, on the following day, transfer some spiritual energy to her to alleviate her discomfort.

She had restrained her own desires, not daring to even touch Su Xiaoxiao. But what was the outcome?! Su Xiaoxiao would seize every single opportunity to escape! Time and again, it was the same; time and again, she was punished, yet time and again, she failed to learn.

‘I am far too kind to her.’

Xiyue roughly lifted Su Xiaoxiao from the ground, cradling her in an embrace that lacked gentleness.

Xiyue looked at the worried Yunjie. “Empress,” she stated, “if you are truly so idle, then perhaps you should manage your little Crown Princess more effectively. The next time I encounter her, she may not be so fortunate.”

“Today’s events are far from over. When war eventually breaks out, I will ensure that today’s account is thoroughly settled.”

With that, Xiyue departed, carrying Su Xiaoxiao.