Never hide your truths from me

Never hide your truths from me : a Xiang Liu one-shot story

Xiang Liu/Xiao Yao

The 9-headed demon, who has hidden his love for the young woman who pretended to be a man, will reveal himself to her fully.

There is a 9-headed demon in Chinese mythology that is in the form of a bird, but other pictures of ancient art depict XiangLiu as having a dragon snake body and nine human-looking heads coming from one neck. I prefer the more modern depictions of nine heads, each with its own neck. And I prefer thinking of the hydra look, with dragon-like heads.

This is my first cdrama fanfic, so I may not have the show's details correct, forgive me.

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Xiao Yao was an enigma to the immortal demon Xiang Liu. For a time, after nearly three hundred years of wandering the country with a lost memory, she lived as a man, becoming a doctor named Wen Xiao Liu, and taking residence in Qing Shui Town. She became especially adept at making medicinals and poisons, something Xiang Liu made use of when it suited either Xiao Yao or himself. It had become a game between the two of giving the poison, taking the poison, then being given the antidote.

Xiang Liu occasionally drank from his blood servant. It was usually when he was hurt and needed to heal, her blood being curative in nature, but unknown to the magically disguised woman, sometimes he used her because it created a connection between them. After the poisonous bug had been drawn into his heart, the connection grew stronger. Their relationship was one he did not understand, but wanted never to end. He had suspected the male doctor was hiding a secret, and that he was not what he appeared to be, but once the demon lord knew she was a woman, his need to be with her only grew stronger.

When she finally returned home to the Haoling Kingdom, Xiao Yao took up her true identity of Princess of Haoling, thinking never to see Xiang Liu again. But he did not allow that to happen.

He had found her, not revealing himself to her right away. Xiang Liu preferred baiting the pretty young woman. He wanted her to know it was him without him telling her. She had guessed the handsome brunette's identity, but he denied it, until he'd snuck into her room one night, injured and needing her as he always had. He had uttered the words Xiao Yao was used to, and knew that this was her old nemesis. Her only demand was he take her healing fluid from her wrist and not her neck.

When he asked her in his surprise, why, she told him when he had used her in that way before, she was  in the gender guise of a man. Now she was herself, a woman and a Haoling princess. It was not suitable, and so he drank from her wrist. A bit too much, it turned out. He made her comfortable and lay beside her, watching her as she slept.

In his guise as the playboy Fang Feng Bei, Xiang Liu could be a companion to Xiao Yao, going shopping with her, eating meals with her, or introducing her to secret places to visit.

Xiao Yao found she didn't mind being with Fang Feng Bei, knowing it was Xiang Liu. But everything between them was that same game they had always played. She would test his sincerity, then nothing would change.

For his part, he wanted to know what love was, what it felt like, wondering how would he know if he was in love with the young woman. He was jealous of the easy relationships she had with other men, when theirs was an uneasy alliance.

One day, when the couple was out walking underneath the flowering peach trees, Xiao Yao asked Xiang Liu to show himself to her.

"I know you are the feared and respected 9-headed demon, but I want to see you, as you truly appear."