When Xu Zhijian becomes a full-fledged demon hunter, he is given a talisman to summon his familiar. However, he ends up calling forth the sleeping 'Demoness' and finds himself bound to her without a choice.
Days go by and he begins to discover that...
Xiaoyu sat in the corner of her dungeon cell with her chin braced on her drawn-up knees, her eyes staring blankly at the floor. Clad in her thin clothes, shivers racked her delicate body. Her wrists and ankles were shackled in chains, while her fingers and toes were numbed with cold.
Her happiness, though brief, had come to an end.
Knowing that she might not see the boys again, she felt sadness in her heart. She had no way of escaping from this plight that Liqing had put her in. Despite how she was framed for something she didn't do, she found it pointless to feel anger or hatred for the girl.
After all, Liqing's lies paled in comparison to her own sins.
The ugly truth about her past was something that Xiaoyu couldn't deny. She knew it was only a matter of time before she would find herself back in the dungeons once again.
The place was eerie and quiet. Amidst the silence in her cell, the sudden noise of the metal door unlocking startled her. Lifting her head hopefully, she thought that perhaps Zhijian had come to see her.
To her utmost disappointment, it was Leader Xu who was paying her a visit. She froze at the sight of him entering and cringed when his dark, seething eyes settled on hers. With every step he took towards her, she could feel the jitters in her stomach intensified.
"Demoness," he addressed her.
From his hostile eyes and glacial tone, there was no doubt that he believed that Xiaoyu had harmed his precious niece.
He fixed a glare on her. "I thought you would know your place well. But in the end, you fooled us with your splendid act. You dare to lay a finger on one of my people?"
She flinched at his harsh words and sunk back into her corner, her actions didn't go unnoticed. Leader Xu's eyes narrowed at her small form but he remained wherever he was.
After all, he had come here not to berate her for this, but for a far more pressing matter on hand.
"I've come bearing news for you," he told her. "Word has reached the Jiang clan about your return and they're coming for you. Tomorrow morning, they will take you back with them and only heaven knows how they will deal with you afterwards. Especially after what happened twenty years ago when you murdered their people, including the second son of their late leader, the Jiang clan will enjoy tormenting you to death."
Xiaoyu took a sharp intake of breath and dropped her head to stare at the floor dazedly. The screams filling her head was something that she was all too familiar with. Her painful past had finally caught up with her, one which she couldn't escape from.
Disasters certainly never come alone, do they?
There was a slight pause as Leader Xu considered his next words carefully. "If you have a guilty conscience in you somewhere, I implore you to do one last thing right before you leave. Not for us, but for Zhijian."
His request had Xiaoyu's face narrowed with confusion. How could she possibly help them when she was pretty much useless?
He explained to her, watching her expression intently. "I'm sure you're aware about the deadly fevers that Zhijian has been getting every two days, and how he requires the Healing Fire to cure himself. In the Book of Ancient Runes, it is mentioned that the only way to break the curse is when both soulmates have grown to love and accept each other as their partners. But you guys have not progressed that far, which is a relief because I forbid you guys to be together."
If Leader Xu noticed her sudden discomfort and the way she was avoiding his eyes, he didn't comment on it.
"In other words, there's no other solution mentioned in the book. But..." His voice dropped to a low whisper as something flickered in his eyes. "...I might have found another way."
She perked up immediately, showing her surprise. She had seen how much pain Zhijian was in whenever he suffered one of those nasty fevers and hearing the possibility of a solution got her hopes up.
"Two weeks ago, I sent out letters to a few leaders from our ally clans to inquire about the cure. Most of them didn't have the answer that I wanted, except for one – who mentioned something about the soulmate connection. Have you seen a little red thread binding you to Zhijian?" he said.
She nodded quickly, vaguely remembering how she had seen it once in her dream.
"It's called the Red String of Fate," Leader Xu explained patiently. "It's the soulmate bond between you and him. If you cut the thread, it will sever the connection that the both of you share and break the curse forever."
"Please." Gone was the stern-looking leader, who was now replaced with a desperate father instead, one that was trying to save his child's life. He pleaded with her earnestly. "Sever your soulmate bond with my son. If you leave this place without fixing the curse, he will die from the fever. Do you honestly want that to happen?
Hearing the urgent plea in his voice, her chest constricted heavily. She felt as if the whole world came crashing down on her then. Like what he had said, she didn't want Zhijian to die.
Leader Xu watched the way her face fell with sadness, before realisation dawned on him.
"You...you've feelings for my son, don't you?" he said quietly.
His quick observation struck a chord in her.
Had she been so obvious with her feelings? If Leader Xu had noticed, then did Zhijian catch on to it too?
The old man shook his head and gave her a sympathetic look. Once again, he tried to plead with her.
"Please, do it for his sake."
Avoiding his begging eyes, Xiaoyu bit her bottom lip; her fingernails dug into her skin as she fought against her desires and decided to do what was best for them. For him.
Even if Leader Xu hadn't begged her like that, or attempted to manipulate her with his words, she would do it without second thoughts.
She was that much of a fool.
Whilst everyone else had pushed her away from their lives, Zhijian had warmed up to her. Although he wasn't friendly from the start, he tried to learn about her and even began treating her like she was a person. It was a short while, but he was the only one who had given her the chance to live like a normal human.
And this time round, she wanted to be the one to save his life.
Even if it meant she would have to play as the villainess once again.
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