Chains of Betrayal

The red jade bracelet on her wrist remained perfectly intact, without even a flicker of its crimson light. Xiyue, in her haste to shove Su Xiaoxiao away, hadn’t anticipated the impact, but the bracelet was unharmed.

Xiyue’s voice was frigid. “Stop feigning. Get up, now.”

The absence of the bracelet’s red glow indicated Su Xiaoxiao’s life wasn’t in danger, yet the pain she currently endured was undeniably real.

Gu Yan helped her up from the ground. Xiyue’s command was chilling. “Examine her.”

Not only Gu Yan, but Su Xiaoxiao herself was utterly baffled by Xiyue’s intentions. First, she had been dragged in so roughly, and now Xiyue was ordering Gu Yan to examine her.

Gu Yan yearned to ask if Xiyue had been possessed by a heart demon, one that had perhaps also taken over her mind.

Gu Yan guided Su Xiaoxiao to the edge of the bed. Though the earlier collision hadn’t caused internal injury, the little fish-cub, previously slumbering peacefully in her womb, had been roused by the impact.

The little one, presumably displeased at being disturbed, was now throwing a tantrum within Su Xiaoxiao’s belly, like a miniature demon king.

Gu Yan took her pulse and checked Su Xiaoxiao’s spirit veins, noting that the fetus’s development was quite poor. She then inquired if Su Xiaoxiao had experienced any discomfort while in the Ghost Realm.

Since the collision, Su Xiaoxiao had kept her head bowed, utterly silent.

Her sorrowful and pitiful demeanor, however, only seemed to enrage Xiyue, who stood nearby. “Are you deaf? I’m speaking to you! Why aren’t you answering?! Tell me, what exactly did you do in the Ghost Realm?”

“Why are you being so fierce with her?” Gu Yan was somewhat dumbfounded. Seeing that Su Xiaoxiao refused to speak, she decided not to press the matter further.

“It’s alright. If you don’t want to talk, then don’t.”

After diagnosing her pulse and preparing a prescription, Gu Yan finally turned to Xiyue. “She still needs continued dietary supplements. Her constitution is far too weak.”

Xiyue, however, acted as if she hadn’t heard a word, offering no reaction. After listening to Gu Yan’s lengthy advice, she merely uttered, “As long as she doesn’t die, it’s fine.”

Not only was Gu Yan stunned, but Su Xiaoxiao’s own heart gave a sudden lurch.

Gu Yan was then dismissed by Xiyue, leaving only Su Xiaoxiao and Xiyue in the room.

Su Xiaoxiao, her eyes brimming with tears, watched Xiyue approach. The bed was such a confined space; there was nowhere to hide.

She knew Xiyue was furious. The little fish-cub in her belly was stirring, as if trying to assert its presence to Su Xiaoxiao.

Su Xiaoxiao dared not reveal her pain, fearing that Xiyue, in her rage, might take it out on the little fish-cub.

Xiyue reached out. Su Xiaoxiao nervously squeezed her eyes shut, her voice trembling as she hastily explained to Xiyue, “I just wanted to go back and see… I missed home…”

Xiyue’s hand hovered in mid-air. Su Xiaoxiao, tears welling, didn’t know if she was about to be struck, but she was terribly afraid.

She explained in a soft, faint voice, “I know I can’t escape. I just wanted to go back and see. I haven’t been back in a long time.”

As Su Xiaoxiao spoke, her tears fell even more profusely. She was terrified that Xiyue might lose control and do something to harm the little fish-cub. “Please don’t be angry, and don’t hit me…”

Xiyue stood before her. Though not particularly tall, she loomed like a towering mountain in that moment.

Su Xiaoxiao was truly so small, much younger than herself. Her mind wasn’t very clever, and she was a tiny, frail, and tearful creature. Yet, she always seemed to be disobedient, with a courage that fluctuated between daring and timid.

“You were swayed by a mere child’s few words. I don’t believe you simply wanted to go back and ‘see’.” Xiyue’s disbelief was palpable.

“Do you truly believe that little fool’s concoction could conceal your tracks? Why did Yunjie and the Heavenly Soldiers arrive the moment you left the Ghost Realm?”

Xiyue’s words left Su Xiaoxiao utterly speechless. She hadn’t known, and Elder Yunjie’s child, Xilin, hadn’t mentioned any outside assistance.

“Alas, your calculations were flawed. Do you think the spell I cast upon you is so easily broken?”

“Su Xiaoxiao, I truly underestimated you. You constantly feign weakness, collude with others to orchestrate elaborate deceptions against me, and then, when exposed, you put on this pretense of sorrow, apologizing and begging for mercy.”

Xiyue’s voice turned chilling. “In reality, you’re just an untamable dog, one that never learns. Do you know what happens to dogs that don’t learn?”

Xiyue’s words were scathing, yet Su Xiaoxiao, despite her tear-streaked face, seemed oblivious to her pain. Xiyue, seizing her, began to speak as she pulled her along. “Do you know?” Xiyue questioned, to which Su Xiaoxiao could only shake her head.

Xiyue transformed the bed curtains into crimson iron chains, which then coiled around Su Xiaoxiao’s neck and wrists. “Then you can only be chained. Only with chains will a dog learn its lesson.”

Xiyue intended to bind the chains around Su Xiaoxiao’s abdomen as well, but when Su Xiaoxiao finally came to her senses, she erupted into screams, struggling, and weeping uncontrollably.

She struggled violently, trying to pull away. The iron chains wrapped around her neck chafed against her delicate skin, drawing blood.

“No—”

“Let me go! Let me go!! Don’t—” The moment the chains touched her belly, Su Xiaoxiao was on the verge of collapse. “Xiyue, I was wrong… I truly don’t know why the Heavenly Soldiers came… I won’t do it again. Please, don’t chain me…”

As the chains were fastened around her slightly swollen abdomen, the little fish-cub inside naturally felt the violent struggle, thrashing so forcefully it seemed intent on tearing through Su Xiaoxiao’s belly.

“Wuwu… I just wanted to go home…”

One end of the chain was secured to Su Xiaoxiao’s abdomen, while the other was held firmly in Xiyue’s hand.

Xiyue looked down upon her, asking, “Aren’t you most fond of this little bastard? Yet, when you were held hostage with a dagger to your throat, tricking me, why weren’t you afraid then?”

“It hurts so much! It really, really hurts!” The chains wrapped around her belly were icy cold and terribly tight.

Su Xiaoxiao shrieked, “Xiyue!!! Let me go!!!”

“When begging for mercy fails, you resort to furious indignation?” Xiyue retorted, then sneered coldly, “Su Xiaoxiao, do you know that what I hate most is deceit?”

She felt Xiyue tighten her grip. “Ah! Ahhh—”

Su Xiaoxiao’s throat was hoarse, her entire face drenched in tears. Never before had she felt such terror towards Xiyue.

While Xiyue had angered and harmed her in the past, this was the first time she felt such profound fear, as if the Xiyue before her had transformed into an entirely different person.

A crimson mark pulsed between Xiyue’s brows. It was only when Su Xiaoxiao’s violent coughing intensified and she teetered on the brink of unconsciousness that Xiyue finally loosened the chain wrapped around her abdomen.

“Since you enjoy it so much,” Xiyue declared, “you’ll remain in this room from now on. Don’t even think about leaving. Just keep your legs open and bear children, until you’re pregnant again.”

Although Su Xiaoxiao was in too much pain to think clearly, Xiyue’s words still registered. She doubled over, coughing violently.

Xiyue stood by, and when she saw the red jade bracelet on Su Xiaoxiao’s wrist glow crimson, she paused. She transferred some spiritual energy to Su Xiaoxiao, preventing her from fully losing consciousness, yet continued her torment, prolonging Su Xiaoxiao’s suffering repeatedly.

In just two hours, Su Xiaoxiao’s spirit was on the verge of collapse. No matter what Xiyue said to her, she would only clutch her belly, trembling, repeating that she was wrong and that she wouldn’t dare again.

Xiyue seized her, her hand clamping around Su Xiaoxiao’s throat. Her eyes were icy as she forced Su Xiaoxiao into a difficult kneeling position, compelling her to meet her gaze.

“Will there be a next time?” Xiyue asked, her eyes bloodshot.

Su Xiaoxiao choked out, “I was wrong… I won’t dare again…”

Xiyue stroked her swollen eyelids, then smiled with satisfaction, finally releasing Su Xiaoxiao.

“You conspired with the Immortal Clan to deceive me. Where was this fragility when you were attempting to escape? Now, a mere fright reduces you to this state. It’s no wonder your Mermaid clan can ally with the Immortal Clan; you are all equally duplicitous.”

Xiyue continued her tirade, but Su Xiaoxiao dared not utter a single sound. She clutched her belly, her fingers trembling, and desperately tried to shrink back, wanting to distance herself from Xiyue.

This small movement, however, inexplicably enraged Xiyue once more. She was suddenly grabbed. Xiyue’s strength was too great, and Su Xiaoxiao’s head slammed against the edge of the bed.

A dull thud echoed.

The sound was loud, a solid, undeniable impact.

A gash appeared on her forehead, and blood immediately began to stream down. Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t withstand it.

Xiyue called her name. Even as she slipped into unconsciousness, Su Xiaoxiao’s lips parted in a soft murmur: “I was wrong… I won’t dare again…”