Xiyue’s Unsettling Embrace and a Demonic Invitation

Xiyue did not return until the early hours of the following day.

Su Xiaoxiao, unable to sleep, felt her mind drift into a daze.

As Su Xiaoxiao harbored a slight fear of the dark, a few small lamps were always kept lit in the sleeping quarters at night, preventing the entire room from plunging into complete darkness.

Bracing her hands against the bed, she rose somewhat clumsily. The moment her gaze fell upon Xiyue, her eyes uncontrollably welled up with tears.

“Do you not know the time? Why are you not sleeping?” Xiyue paused for a moment, her tone far from gentle.

Su Xiaoxiao noticed a crimson mark between Xiyue’s brows. Unlike the fleeting impressions of the past, this one was clearly etched upon her forehead.

Su Xiaoxiao simply stared at her, unable to speak. She found this version of Xiyue even more terrifying, especially with the unpleasant, metallic tang of blood that clung to her.

Xiyue advanced. Su Xiaoxiao, seated on the bed, had nowhere to retreat and was thus caught, her shoulders firmly grasped by Xiyue.

Xiyue’s grip was incredibly strong. Su Xiaoxiao, uncertain of her intentions, instantly burst into tears from the pain. “It hurts so much…”

Xiyue’s movements faltered. She gazed at Su Xiaoxiao intently, yet still released her.

“Move further in,” Xiyue commanded, her voice cold and devoid of emotion. Her tone and expression instantly brought back Su Xiaoxiao’s memories of being captured and brought to the Demon Tribe.

With her belly making movement awkward, Su Xiaoxiao was rather clumsy. Xiyue, however, did not offer her usual helping hand. Instead, she merely watched Su Xiaoxiao’s awkward attempts, making her feel even more embarrassed.

Once Su Xiaoxiao had retreated into a corner, Xiyue lay down on the bed and then abruptly pulled Su Xiaoxiao back into her arms.

Her grip was incredibly tight, as if she intended to snap Su Xiaoxiao’s waist. “It hurts so much! Please don’t hold me like this! My belly…”

Xiyue chuckled softly. Despite Su Xiaoxiao’s reluctance as a mermaid, Xiyue’s hand still settled upon her abdomen.

Unlike previous gentle touches, Xiyue’s pressure this time was immense, as if the full weight of her arm bore down.

Su Xiaoxiao struggled to escape, bewildered by Xiyue’s sudden madness. The pain brought tears streaming down her face.

Xiyue watched Su Xiaoxiao’s tear-filled eyes for a moment before slowly loosening her grip.

Her voice deepened as she questioned Su Xiaoxiao, “Why aren’t you eating properly? Are you dissatisfied? What exactly are you thinking?”

Su Xiaoxiao’s broken sobs echoed in Xiyue’s ears. She wanted to apologize and explain, but the words eluded her.

Xiyue’s hand, long enough to nearly cover Su Xiaoxiao’s entire small face, roughly wiped away her tears. Then, as if growing impatient, she demanded, “I’m asking you a question!”

“You refuse to speak?”

Xiyue was terrifyingly unfamiliar. Su Xiaoxiao dared not speak rashly, so after a moment of thought, she honestly replied, “It’s not the first time I’ve been like this. Haven’t you always known that pregnancy affects my appetite?!”

‘Release me! You’re pressing on my belly!’

She felt a surge of despair, yet Xiyue seemed rather pleased with her answer.

Su Xiaoxiao heard Xiyue chuckle twice near her ear. Xiyue stopped her actions, merely stating with chilling indifference, “Then don’t bother keeping it. It would be just as well if it simply disappeared like this.”

‘This is insane. We haven’t even seen each other for a day, yet Xiyue is speaking so wildly.’

Su Xiaoxiao’s body stiffened, but Xiyue then let out a laugh, “I’m just teasing you.”

Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t fathom why Xiyue was acting this way tonight. Fortunately, Xiyue made no further excessive moves. She held Su Xiaoxiao tightly, refusing to let go. As Su Xiaoxiao’s palms grew sweaty from anxiety, Xiyue embraced her, her voice softening considerably. “You should sleep now.”

Sleep was far from Su Xiaoxiao’s mind. She asked Xiyue, “Are you going to imprison me?”

“What?”

“You said you would throw me into the dungeon. Was that true or false?”

Su Xiaoxiao knew firsthand what the dungeon was like: cold, dark, damp, and filled with the occasional pained howl.

Xiyue offered no reply, instead urging Su Xiaoxiao to be quiet and to go to sleep quickly.

With Xiyue, so unusually, keeping Su Xiaoxiao confined in her embrace, how could Su Xiaoxiao possibly sleep? She remained terrified until dawn, when Xiyue finally rose.

Su Xiaoxiao opened her eyes, noticing the lingering crimson mark between Xiyue’s brows, its purpose unknown. Still, she spoke weakly, “I’d like to go for a walk later today.”

Seeing her awake, Xiyue said little. She merely observed Su Xiaoxiao, her gaze finally resting on Su Xiaoxiao’s ankle, which was not covered by the bedding.

A cinnabar-red talisman was coiled around Su Xiaoxiao’s fair skin, looking like an alluring ankle cuff.

Xiyue simply dropped a single phrase: “Do as you please.”

She departed, leaving Su Xiaoxiao, her heart still trembling with fear, to shake alone for a long time.

****

Xiyue sought out Gu Yan, who, upon seeing her, fell silent and did not press her about why she had uttered such hurtful words to Su Xiaoxiao the previous day.

Xiyue remained there for the morning. After taking the medicinal pills provided by Gu Yan and meditating to regulate her breath, the crimson mark between her brows finally dimmed somewhat.

“The Heavenly Tribulation should be within these next two months.”

Gu Yan was stunned. “Why so much earlier?!”

Xiyue remained silent until a commotion outside broke the stillness. Chitang came scrambling in, barely able to articulate her words. “Your Majesty… Her Majesty, she…”

Xiyue had not ordered Su Xiaoxiao to be confined. Moreover, Su Xiaoxiao possessed Xiyue’s jade token, which, when worn around her neck, ensured no one dared impede her movements.

When Su Xiaoxiao expressed her desire to go out, the junior demons serving below her would never dare to defy her wishes.

Her true intention for venturing out this time was to find the Ghost King.

Back in the Ghost Realm, Su Xiaoxiao had observed the Ghost King’s exceptional protection of the Mermaid Tribe. She simply wished to ask the Ghost King to inform her clan leaders and elders of the choices and predicament she now faced.

As a small mermaid, Su Xiaoxiao knew that even racking her brains wouldn’t yield a good solution. It seemed better to have the Ghost King deliver a message; if Xiyue learned of the consequences, Su Xiaoxiao would accept her fate.

However, she did not encounter the Ghost King. Instead, she came across the Enchanting Demoness who had clung to Xiyue that day.

Su Xiaoxiao had no desire to get entangled with her. The moment she spotted the demoness from afar, she tried to hide, but unexpectedly, the demoness noticed her.

“Little mermaid, why do you hide when you see me?” The Enchanting Demoness approached with a smile, sending white threads from her fingertips to entangle Su Xiaoxiao’s feet, forcing her to stop and look at her.

“Are you here looking for the Demon Lord?” she continued to smile. Her beautiful appearance, with eyes that seemed to ensnare, was even more captivating than any sea enchantress.

“I’m just… passing by,” Su Xiaoxiao replied. She disliked being near the demoness, feeling as though she was being watched by some predatory beast.

“Liar,” the demoness scoffed, disbelieving. She reached out and touched Su Xiaoxiao’s cheek, then let her gaze fall to Su Xiaoxiao’s abdomen.

The clothes she wore today did not conceal her belly well, so her pregnancy was naturally impossible to hide.

The demoness showed little surprise. “I noticed that day. It’s truly amusing that the Demon Lord could make you pregnant.”

“I need to leave, please release me,” Su Xiaoxiao said. Beside her, the Demon Soldiers Xiyue had assigned to protect her also stepped forward.

The Enchanting Demoness retracted her white threads and smiled. Watching Su Xiaoxiao turn her back to leave, she lazily remarked, “Don’t you want to know about the Mermaid Tribe?”

Su Xiaoxiao’s footsteps faltered. She turned her head to look back at the demoness.

“I can tell you.”

Su Xiaoxiao gazed at her. In the days since leaving the Southern Sea, Su Xiaoxiao had gradually come to understand certain truths. Before, she had only heard the elders teach that there were no free lunches in the world, nor any kindness without reason.

Now, having arrived in the Demon Realm, Su Xiaoxiao fully grasped this. She calmly asked, “What do you want?”

“I see you’re quite beautiful. What’s the point of staying with that Demon Lord? Although I’m slightly less attractive than her, why don’t you come back to the Demon Tribe with me?” she suggested earnestly.

Su Xiaoxiao, however, was speechless, finding the suggestion utterly absurd.

Yet, the demoness seemed serious, reaching out to take advantage. Fortunately, the nearby Demon Soldiers intervened and stopped her.

“You…”

The Enchanting Demoness continued, “I wasn’t joking with you. If you prefer women, how about me?”