A Terrifying Lesson

“Why are you still drinking plain water?” one sneered. “If you’d just call me ‘Big Brother,’ I’d make sure you were well-fed and cared for.”

“The weather is bitter cold, and heavy snow is expected in a few days,” the other added, his gaze lingering on her. “Food is scarce, but a beauty like you, with us two brothers, certainly wouldn’t suffer.”

Su Xiaoxiao struggled to comprehend the customs of the Demon Realm. Among the Southern Mermaids, her own kind, a pregnant Mermaid would never be harassed by their kin. A mate, too, was always singular.

Su Xiaoxiao wished to avoid conversation, yet their aggressive stance made it clear they wouldn’t depart easily.

To deter them, she finally spoke. “I am already pregnant,” she stated, her voice firm. “Perhaps you two should just leave.”

The two demons, however, remained unfazed by her declaration. They merely chuckled.

“No matter,” one of them drawled, “I’ve got a few cubs in my cave already.”

“In a few more days, food will become even scarcer,” the other added, a chilling smile playing on his lips. “The one in your belly probably won’t be enough to sustain you. Why not come with us two brothers? We guarantee you’ll survive safely.”

Su Xiaoxiao froze, utterly bewildered by their words.

‘What were they saying?’

‘Eat?’

‘Food scarce? What could they possibly mean to eat?’

Su Xiaoxiao stared blankly. “What are you talking about?” she stammered. “Eat what?”

“What else could we eat?” one demon scoffed. “The child, of course!”

The two demons exchanged a knowing glance, a laugh bubbling up between them. Su Xiaoxiao’s utterly bewildered expression only fueled their amusement.

‘Eat… a child? How could they possibly…’

Su Xiaoxiao felt as though she had just heard the most horrifying statement in her entire three centuries of life.

“Why not?” one demon asked, genuinely perplexed. “Isn’t everyone like this?!”

They simply found Su Xiaoxiao, this cat demon, rather peculiar.

“If you’re unwilling,” the other suggested, “then we can just swap children when the time comes. You eat mine, and I’ll eat yours. Wouldn’t that solve everything?”

Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t even bear to imagine such a scene. “That’s utterly barbaric!” she cried, her voice trembling. “How could anyone do such a thing!”

Overcome with profound nausea, she couldn’t stand another moment in their presence. She rose, intent on immediate departure.

However, the two demons had no intention of letting her escape.

In their eyes, Su Xiaoxiao, despite her illusionary magic, was nothing more than a slender, delicate, and moderately attractive cat-folk. She was someone they could easily overpower, making her departure utterly out of the question.

“Stop!” one demon roared, rising to his feet. “Did I say you could leave?! You ungrateful wretch!”

He swiftly pressed down on Su Xiaoxiao’s shoulder, his grip like a vise.

The force he exerted was immense, instantly tearing Su Xiaoxiao’s fox cloak from her shoulders.

Beneath where the cloak had been, a jade pendant became visible, bearing the distinct imprint of Xiyue.

****

The entire tavern fell silent. Not just the two demons, but every patron seemed to hold their breath the moment the jade pendant around Su Xiaoxiao’s neck was revealed.

The two demons, who had just moments ago been leering and attempting to abduct her as a mate, reacted the most dramatically. They instantly dropped to their knees at Su Xiaoxiao’s feet.

“Thump, thump,” the sound echoed, making Su Xiaoxiao’s own knees ache in sympathy. The two demons were so towering that even prostrate, they nearly matched her standing height.

“You…” Su Xiaoxiao began, utterly flustered.

“We were truly blind, just now,” one whimpered, his voice trembling. “Please, Your Highness, spare our lives…”

Su Xiaoxiao, thoroughly frightened, instinctively stumbled backward. In a ripple effect, every demon in the tavern followed suit, prostrating themselves on the floor and begging for mercy.

Moments before, they had been guffawing and ridiculing Su Xiaoxiao, savoring the spectacle. Now, every single one of them shivered uncontrollably.

The terrifying spectacle overwhelmed Su Xiaoxiao. Unable to endure it for another second, she fled the tavern, not even pausing to retrieve her fox cloak from the floor.

She had barely taken ten steps outside when the carriage she had arrived in pulled to a halt. Several demons disembarked, and the one leading them approached Su Xiaoxiao.

“Does Your Highness wish to return to the Demon Palace?” the demon inquired respectfully.

Without her fox cloak, Su Xiaoxiao shivered as the biting cold wind assailed her. She nodded blankly, her mind still reeling.

Supported by a cat-person attendant, amidst the clamor of the demon market, and before the astonished gazes of countless demons, she ascended into the Demon King’s carriage.

****

All the way back to the Demon Palace, Su Xiaoxiao’s complexion remained pallid and distressed.

She had not uttered a single word throughout the journey. Once back in the Demon Palace, she only managed to drink a little water, completely forgoing dinner.

Instead, she had retreated to her bed early, curling into a tight, miserable ball.

A little later, Xiyue returned. As she approached the bedside, she immediately sensed that the ‘little fish’ was not asleep.

“I knew you’d be awake,” Xiyue stated softly.

Su Xiaoxiao had no choice but to poke her head out from the soft, comforting layers of the quilt. Her eyes were swollen and red, a clear testament to her tears.

She gazed timidly at Xiyue, who simply lifted her quilt and gently helped her to sit upright on the bed.

“W-what are you doing?” Su Xiaoxiao stammered, her voice trembling.

“Put on your clothes,” Xiyue replied, extending a hand to assist her off the bed.

With her enlarged belly, Su Xiaoxiao found bending down to put on shoes awkward and cumbersome. Xiyue, seeing no issue with this, knelt down and personally fastened the shoes for her.

Chitang arrived with a new fox cloak. Xiyue carefully draped it over Su Xiaoxiao’s shoulders, then took her hand and led her out of the sleeping chambers, past the small courtyard.

“Wh-where are we going?” Su Xiaoxiao asked, her voice laced with apprehension. The wind and snow had begun anew, and the sky was steadily darkening.

Having been so thoroughly frightened today, she wished for nothing more than to remain indoors. She yearned to curl up in a quiet sanctuary, to be with her own thoughts.

Xiyue remained silent, leading Su Xiaoxiao into a place they had visited once before.

“What are you going to do?” Su Xiaoxiao asked, her voice close to tears. As they reached the top of a flight of stairs, she balked, refusing to descend.

“W-what are you doing?” she sobbed, looking at Xiyue.

Xiyue couldn’t truly drag her down the steps. Seeing Su Xiaoxiao’s choked sobs, she simply reached out and scooped her up.

Su Xiaoxiao still felt surprisingly light. It seemed that all the nourishment she had consumed lately had been diverted to the demon fetus growing within her.

Su Xiaoxiao dared not struggle, fearing she might fall.

Finally, Xiyue carried her to a dimly lit prison cell.

Inside, sprawled on the ground, were the very two demons who had harassed her in the tavern earlier that day. As for the demons who had harbored lustful thoughts towards Su Xiaoxiao on the streets before?

They lay in a corner, though Su Xiaoxiao didn’t register them as distinct individuals, but rather as mangled heaps.

Black cloths covered their forms, yet the pervasive scent of blood allowed Su Xiaoxiao to vividly imagine the gruesome state of the two demons beneath.

Xiyue cast a glance at a Demon Soldier within the cell. The soldier promptly approached Su Xiaoxiao, carrying a tray, and bowed slightly.

Arranged on the tray were four severed demon claws.

Su Xiaoxiao knew, without a word being spoken, that these were the very hands of the dying demons sprawled on the floor.

Su Xiaoxiao’s face grew even paler. Instinctively, she tightened her grip on Xiyue’s arm.

“Why did you bring me here?” she asked frantically, her voice barely a whisper.

“Weren’t you wronged?” Xiyue replied calmly. “I brought you here so you could witness their fate and perhaps calm your anger.”

Xiyue, for her part, saw absolutely nothing amiss with this display.

Su Xiaoxiao clapped a hand over her mouth, dry-heaving and coughing uncontrollably. “I want to leave…”

Having ensured Su Xiaoxiao had seen what she intended, Xiyue led her back out.

Xiyue had assumed that by avenging the ‘little fish,’ Su Xiaoxiao would no longer be afraid, and would return to eat and rest properly. Instead, Su Xiaoxiao refused to utter a single word, sinking into an even deeper silence.

Tears streamed down her face, seemingly without end.

“Didn’t I help you get your anger out?” Xiyue asked, her brow furrowed in confusion. “Why are you still crying? Are you truly that terrified?”

Su Xiaoxiao continued to keep her head bowed. Xiyue’s patience began to wane, and her tone grew sharper.

When no response came, she was on the verge of losing her temper. “I’m asking you a question!!!”

Su Xiaoxiao appeared utterly pathetic.

Her wide, sorrowful eyes brimmed with unshed tears. With a gentle flutter of her long lashes, they cascaded down her cheeks in shimmering strings.