The Escape and Return

An hour ago,

Su Xiaoxiao was wandering alone in the snow, aimlessly, her mind focused only on escape. She didn’t have time to think about whether she could escape or not; all she knew was that she had to hide from Xiyue, to avoid returning, or the little fish inside her would be eaten. This obsessive thought left her mind blank, and she didn’t even notice when she reached the edge of the thorn forest. She saw the towering thorn forest before her and, in a moment of heat, stepped inside.

Her dazed state left her hiding and crying, her clothes torn and her shoes damaged, feeling the piercing cold. Waves of terror threatened to overwhelm her. She curled up in a corner of the thorn forest, unaware of how much time had passed, still gripped by fear and panic.

When she heard Xiyue’s voice, Su Xiaoxiao became even more frightened, trembling violently. She curled herself into a ball, her chest pressed against her stomach. She maintained this position for a long time, and then she heard Xiyue’s voice again, getting closer. The faint light was blocked, and Xiyue stood before her, like an insurmountable peak.

Xiyue, unable to wait any longer, walked quickly to where Su Xiaoxiao was hiding. Her anger dissipated when she saw the pitiful state of the little fish. She had expected to be furious and punish her, but seeing Su Xiaoxiao’s bedraggled and frostbitten appearance, she couldn’t find a single word of reprimand.

Instead, she gently removed the disheveled fox cloak and wrapped Su Xiaoxiao tightly, carrying her back to the magic palace, shielding her from the wind and cold. The night had fallen, and Su Xiaoxiao’s small courtyard was bright with lights. Eating Candy was waiting by the bed with food, while Gu Yan was feeding Su Xiaoxiao. Xiyue, with a somber expression, merely accompanied her without much to say, offering her water.

Gu Yan was surprised. She had expected Xiyue to torment and threaten Su Xiaoxiao after catching her, but instead, Xiyue seemed to have changed her mind, saying not a single harsh word. The prepared words of persuasion and resistance were left unused.

For Su Xiaoxiao, the acupuncture was still frightening and painful. She closed her eyes and turned her head, trying to calm herself, but it was barely effective. Her trembling stomach and the little fish inside her betrayed her anxiety. Xiyue put down her cup, pulled Su Xiaoxiao closer, half-embracing her, and instructed Gu Yan, ‘Go ahead and do it.’

Xiyue habitually covered Su Xiaoxiao’s eyes, but the aware Su Xiaoxiao knew exactly what was happening. Xiyue placed a hand on Su Xiaoxiao’s belly, silently channeling her spiritual energy to soothe the little fish before allowing Gu Yan to perform the acupuncture. Whether it was due to habit or Xiyue’s spiritual energy, Su Xiaoxiao didn’t find the process too painful.

The procedure wasn’t as difficult as usual. As Gu Yan was about to leave, she couldn’t help but remind Xiyue, fearing that this calm was merely the lull before a storm. She casually mentioned, ‘Eat something and rest early. For the next two days, just rest in bed and take your medicine on time.’

Su Xiaoxiao nodded weakly, though she lacked energy. Gu Yan glanced at Xiyue and coughed lightly, as if to ensure she had been heard, repeating, ‘She needs to rest well. Don’t scare her.’

‘Busybody!’ Xiyue dismissed Gu Yan and began unbuttoning Su Xiaoxiao’s inner garment. From the moment she saw Su Xiaoxiao, she noticed that the thorns had torn her clothes. Xiyue wasn’t sure if Su Xiaoxiao was injured, so she had to inspect her thoroughly to be assured.

Su Xiaoxiao didn’t struggle, but tears fell silently. Xiyue, with a firm grip, noticed the redness around Su Xiaoxiao’s eyes. ‘Don’t cry,’ Xiyue said indifferently. The little fish, however, couldn’t stop, and in an attempt to hide her tears, she raised her arms to cover her eyes. Xiyue, finding the behavior childish and silly, softened her voice, ‘If you cry too much, you’ll hurt your stomach.’

Su Xiaoxiao feared Xiyue would harm her and the little fish, but Xiyue only wanted to check for injuries. As expected, the thorns were sharp, and though Su Xiaoxiao’s food, clothing, and essentials were always the best, the thorns left red marks, as if she had been whipped. Gu Yan left some medicine, and as Xiyue applied it to Su Xiaoxiao, the little fish, surprisingly, didn’t struggle, only making soft whimpering sounds in Xiyue’s ears.

‘You’re so delicate,’ Xiyue muttered, ‘Crying like this might harm the little fish, or make it stupid. It’s already stupid enough.’ Xiyue, her expression serious, applied the medicine gently but swiftly. This carefree sorceress, after thousands of years of a carefree life, had unexpectedly developed an uncharacteristic patience and tenderness. She checked Su Xiaoxiao thoroughly, even applying medicine to the smallest cuts on her toes. Seeing Su Xiaoxiao still crying, Xiyue didn’t comfort or scold her, but instead, pulled a soft quilt over her, covering her completely.

Xiyue said, ‘Calm down for a bit, then get up and eat.’ She didn’t look at Su Xiaoxiao, letting her settle down on her own. Xiyue realized that Su Xiaoxiao was afraid of her, the more time they spent together, the more the little fish became anxious. Xiyue hadn’t been angry with Su Xiaoxiao, but this didn’t mean she didn’t care about the incident. As soon as she left Su Xiaoxiao’s courtyard, she punished the magic soldiers who had been with Su Xiaoxiao, but it didn’t satisfy her anger.

Xiyue looked at the flowering sea buckthorn tree, feeling irritated and wanting to uproot it, but she restrained herself, remembering that Su Xiaoxiao seemed to like this tree and would often rest and play under it on hot days. Xiyue merely kicked the tree, then, finding the turtles in the pond annoying, she pointed a finger, and a flash of dark light stirred the pond into a small whirlpool, causing the turtles to spin and become dizzy. Satisfied, Xiyue returned to her bedroom, where Su Xiaoxiao had indeed stopped crying, though her eyes were swollen and her eyelids red. Xiyue brought over a special medicinal dish she had prepared for Su Xiaoxiao, which, despite its medicinal nature, had a sweet taste, making it easy to consume. However, Su Xiaoxiao wasn’t used to it, and it affected her appetite, so she didn’t eat much. After eating half a bowl, she shook her head, and Xiyue clicked her tongue, causing Su Xiaoxiao to shrink back, looking at Xiyue with caution. ‘Being this timid and yet disobedient, constantly testing my limits,’ Xiyue thought, ‘I just want her to stay here quietly, and yet she can’t even do that.’

Xiyue even considered chaining Su Xiaoxiao up, thinking it might make her more obedient, but looking at her, she dismissed the idea. ‘Alright, her stomach is already this big, let’s not starve her again.’ Xiyue put down the bowl and instructed Su Xiaoxiao to lie down. They didn’t speak further, and Su Xiaoxiao, exhausted, soon fell asleep. However, in the middle of the night, Xiyue noticed that the little fish’s temperature was abnormal, and she was restless, tossing and turning. Xiyue, half-awake, saw that Su Xiaoxiao had a fever, vomiting everything she had eaten, unable to keep any water down, and crying uncontrollably, her chest feeling like it was on fire, her breathing labored. It was too late, and she had taken medicine recently, so even the best spiritual herbs and medicines couldn’t sustain this level of usage. Xiyue, a water snake turned dragon, had a naturally cool body, but since Su Xiaoxiao was cold, she used her spiritual energy to warm herself before touching her. ‘Warmth’ had become ‘coolness,’ and ‘coolness’ had become ‘warmth.’

‘Want me to hug you?’ Xiyue asked, stripping herself before waiting for Su Xiaoxiao’s response. She sat up, pulling Su Xiaoxiao to sit facing her, placing her head on her chest. ‘Now you know it hurts, so why did you run around so much during the day?’ Su Xiaoxiao coughed drowsily, feeling the cool and soft sensation against her skin. She didn’t feel as uncomfortable anymore and, surprisingly, her fear of Xiyue dissipated. Unaware, she unbuttoned her inner garment, pressing her bare skin against Xiyue’s, finally feeling comfortable.