“When did the Celestial Clan start using demonic charms from my realm to brew their potions?”
Deep within Fire-Ice Island, beneath a peach tree, Fan Yue, dressed in red, eyed Bai Shuo with a mocking smile.
How did this demon end up in the Eastern Sea?! Bai Shuo raged inwardly, though she showed no hint of it. Her hand clutched the medicine bag behind her as she shrank back, making sure her eyes betrayed a suitable amount of fear as she cowered behind Chong Zhao. “De-de-demon…”
“How bold, Demon Clan, to trespass into our Celestial realm!” Chong Zhao shielded Bai Shuo, his gaze flicking briefly toward the sacred spring, then returning to Fan Yue with an icy stare.
“I’m a demon?” Fan Yue sneered. “Then what does that make you?”
“Arrogant!” Chong Zhao scoffed, conjuring a celestial sword from his palm. With a swift slash, he leaped forward to attack.
Fan Yue waved his sleeve, summoning a surge of icy demonic energy that easily deflected the sword’s glow. The force pushed Chong Zhao back a few steps, his face paling as he exclaimed, “The Hall of the Moon’s Master?!”
Fan Yue’s eyes narrowed in mild surprise. “One blow and you’ve recognized me? I underestimated you. Three years and now the stench clings to you even more than when you were a mere mortal.”
“You!” Chong Zhao hesitated, his gaze briefly shadowed as he aimed his sword at Fan Yue. “Fan Yue, spare me your deceit. Today, you’ll not leave here alive!”
Fan Yue let out a mocking laugh before moving in an instant, suddenly appearing right behind Bai Shuo. His speed was such that even Chong Zhao couldn’t react. Yet, as if she had anticipated it, Bai Shuo deftly sidestepped out of Fan Yue’s reach, narrowly avoiding his grasp. She darted behind the slumbering white tiger, raising the vial she’d used to tranquilize it and shouted, “Demon! Don’t come any closer!”
Fan Yue paused, glancing at his empty hand with a faint smirk, before his gaze shifted to Bai Shuo. She winced, his expression triggering a memory of their encounter three years ago when she’d called him a “demon.”
“Do you remember me?” His voice was low, dangerous.
“W-what are you talking about?! This…this is our first meeting!” Bai Shuo shook her head fervently.
“Then why are you avoiding me?”
“I… I’m a Celestial, and you’re…” She started, only to be interrupted by a yelp as her collar was lifted, leaving her dangling in mid-air. She turned, only to meet Fan Yue’s steely gaze as he demanded, “I’m what, exactly?”
“Devastatingly handsome, most dashing demon under the heavens!” She blurted out, driven by pure survival instinct.
A low chuckle rumbled from his throat as he nodded approvingly. “I suppose that’s true.”
Bai Shuo, thoroughly dazed, felt her heart skip a beat, inexplicably mesmerized by the glint in his eyes. It was the first time she’d seen him genuinely smile.
“Let her go!” A voice shouted from nearby, snapping both of them back to their senses. They turned to see Chong Zhao, sword pointed at Fan Yue, face cold with determination.
“Yes, yes! Let me go! Or I’ll put you to sleep just like the white tiger!” Bai Shuo waved her vial, as if about to unseal it.
Fan Yue gave her a dismissive look. “That sleeping incense made from enchanted flowers? It won’t work on me.”
“Fair enough.” Bai Shuo tucked the vial back into her pouch, giving an apologetic nod. “My apologies, Your Highness.”
Ignoring her, Fan Yue turned his attention back to Chong Zhao. “Such concern over a pathetic excuse of a wandering soul. Leave your life behind, and I’ll grant you a quick death.”
“Demon, how dare you trespass on Miao Miao’s grounds with such insolence!” Chong Zhao scoffed.
“What’s this ‘Miao Miao’? Some backwater Celestial sect?” Fan Yue glanced at Chong Zhao with mild interest. “You, however, are intriguing… from mortal to Celestial in just three years. That’s rare.”
“Look, your excellency,” Bai Shuo interjected from where she dangled, eyes innocently wide as she pointed to the ice chain around her neck, “could you possibly let me down while you reminisce?”
“No.” Fan Yue’s curt refusal was swift, and Bai Shuo took that moment to wrap her arms around his waist, shouting to Chong Zhao, “A-Zhao, run!”
Caught off guard, Chong Zhao hesitated.
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