Work Text:
Sha Hualing groaned and swung her legs out of bed, pacing her room for the fifth time.
Her room, which was appropriately luxurious and opulent, fit for the noble Demon Saintess. Sha Hualing, whose name made mortals break out in goosebumps. A celebrated general who was revered for her achievements, strength and beauty alike.
So then why, truly why, did Hualing’s thoughts keep going back to that girl!
It infuriated her!
That common, human girl who hadn’t even received a proper sword yet! (Not that Hualing cared much about pointy pieces of metal, but human cultivators seemed to be fanatically obsessed with them).
Liu Mingyan.
Hualing flopped onto her bed and screamed into her silk pillow.
Hualing had never bothered to remember her opponent’s name. She hadn’t bothered to remember this one’s name! Yet it stuck, and she couldn’t get it out. Every time Hualing had a spare moment, an available braincell, that ugly name kept creeping up uninvited.
MingyanMingyanMingyan
“Shut up!!” Hualing screamed out loud, to no one in particular. Her demon servant, Xiao Li— present at all times for the Demon Saintess’ convenience— knocked apprehensively on the door to her room, asking if the young mistress was well.
Hualing threw her pillow at the closed door, yelling for Xiao Li to go away. When she heard muffled footsteps quickly pitter away, she flopped back on her bed, arms spread wide and staring at the draping canopy of her bed.
Her failed conquest of Cang Qiong Mountain had shamed her reputation within her banner pretty badly. This was of no consequence to her: she was confident in her ability to rebuild her honor again.
The battles she (or at least her servants) had lost didn’t bother her either. They were filth, anyway, born to serve Sha Hualing.
No. What really, genuinely bothered her, was still that veil-wearing, modest goody two-shoes.
Hualing had won! She had ruined Liu Mingyan’s name in front of her martial siblings! There was absolutely no possible or rational reason to dwell on such a lowborn creature.
And yet…
Hualing closed her eyes and let her mind wander back to that day.
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
“Liu Mingyan of Xian Shu peak”, she had introduced herself as.
Her name was of no matter to the Demon Saintess— she would forget it subsequent to her certain victory.
They assumed their stances: Mingyan with her sword held upright, and Hualing ready to rip into her opponent’s delicate flesh.
The fairy of Xian Shu made the first move.
The way Mingyan carried herself was dignified and graceful, like she was floating. Every move was unbearably elegant, motion fluid and precise. Not a single step was wasted, and every action was beautifully calculated to be as lethal as possible.
Mingyan was performing a deadly dance.
Hualing’s chest bubbled with excitement. The fight was exhilarating; it was unlike anything she’d experienced before. It made her momentarily forget the world around her.
The crowd disappeared. Cang Qiong Mountain with its broken rainbow bridges disappeared. Hualing’s entire reason for being in the overworld disappeared. Right now, she was only here to fight Liu Mingyan of Xian Shu peak.
Hualing couldn’t stop the wild grin on her face as she fought with every fiber of her being. She felt no need to use demonic qi, feeling unnervingly satisfied with their simple combat.
Even Mingyan’s dodges were exquisite. Her purple robes were fit with vambraces, capable of action. Yet despite this, her flowing robes resembled a purple butterfly whenever she spun. It was mesmerizing.
Hualing had gotten too caught up in Mingyan’s allure, something she would reprimand herself about later. The human suddenly stretched her leg to the side, ducking low and striking at the demoness’ legs.
For once, Hualing actually lost her footing and stumbled backwards. Unheard of. It made an excellent advantage for Mingyan to perform a perfect strike. She took it, naturally, but not like Hualing had anticipated.
Because when her sword made contact with Hualing’s leg, she indeed drew blood, but then she pulled back.
This series of actions had been so quick and seemingly inconsequential that Hualing doubted any onlookers had noticed. They surely assumed Mingyan was simply out of reach. But the demoness knew better.
She caught herself before she could fall and performed a flip to still herself upright, the red gauze of her garments flaunting with the motion. The cultivator was still ducked low, now in a vulnerable position, which Hualing took advantage of.
Unlike Mingyan, Hualing dealt every blow like it could be the last.
In the end, it had won her the fight. She laughed and acted haughty at the cultivator’s defeat, like her army expected her to. If anyone noticed the corners of her lips twitching or her demeanor being stilted, they valued their life too much to mention it.
She set the whole ordeal aside in her mind. She had won, after all. Nothing else mattered. But inside, a turmoil of unidentifiable emotion roiled, one she would wait to address until after her conquest was finished.
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
Needless to say, her little conquest ended differently than she had hoped. She opened her eyes groggily, still in bed. Somewhere along her reminiscing she had fallen asleep and even dreamt of that irritating girl!
Had she been cursed? Was the girl truly a manipulator of dark forces?! What else could this feeling be, entirely foreign and so annoying!
She sat up and hit her mattress with her pillow— a different one this time, since the other silk pillow still lay at the foot of her door. She could feel her untied bed hair sticking out in every direction as she drew heavy breath in anger.
It was then and there, pillow raised above her unruly head of hair, that she froze and came to a realization.
Hatred. Pure, boiling hatred. There was no other explanation for why her thoughts always strayed back to that girl, or why her pulse would start rushing every time they did.
There had rarely been a reason for Hualing to hate another individual. Others had always been too inferior to waste so much effort on. No one before now had been worth her hatred.
Determined, she got up from her bed; not to pace her room for the sixth time, but to act on all her pent-up energy.
She sat in front of her vanity, ignoring her flushed face to start taming her hair. For hours, she went back and forth between different styles, overthinking the thickness of the braids and the elaborateness of her ornaments.
It only served to infuriate her even further. Never had she been so… self-conscious. Of her appearance. Or of anything, really.
Self-conscious and Hualing were not words that belonged together. The very notion was ridiculous.
She suddenly stood up, slamming her hands on the vanity desk and rattling the various glass bottles and miscellaneous items strewn around.
This would have to be good enough.
Most would be surprised to learn that Hualing’s pajamas were more modest than her everyday clothing. She herself couldn’t care less what they thought.
That day, she took longer to get ready than she ever had. At the end of it all, she purposefully stormed out of her home, ignoring Xiao Li’s confused cries.
Hualing didn’t need to tell anyone where she was going, nor did she need any protection. Demons had always valued independence, anyway.
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
Hualing had heard of Cang Qiong’s Mountain’s Heaven-Ascending Stairs. Supposedly, if one didn’t know the way, they would be forced to ascend thirteen thousand steps to the peak.
Mere days ago, when Hualing had invaded Cang Qiong with her army, she had evaded this security measure with the help of Xiao Li.
The demon servant was timid, shy and physically weak, all traits looked down upon in demon culture. Xiao Li, however, had spent her entire life cultivating demonic portal magic, and was likely one of the strongest wielders of this specific art still alive.
Now, Hualing resorted to brute-forcing her way up, leaping over more than twenty steps at a time. It did wonders to release some of her energy and allowed her to calm down and think.
For one, she couldn’t show up at the gates of Cang Qiong unannounced. Or announced, for that matter. Strategic matters bored Hualing to death, but she wasn’t stupid. Halfway up her climb, she shape-shifted to look like a commoner.
Her facial features broadly remained the same, but everything else screamed ‘innocent and pure young girl’.
No ordinary human could climb the Heaven-Ascending Stairs, so if a common girl seemingly found her way up on her own, they surely couldn’t turn her away! Human cultivators were way too gullible.
Up ahead, she saw two young cultivators acting as guards, absentmindedly (and probably irresponsibly) chatting with one another. Hualing slowed her pace to a normal climb and hunched over, doing her best to look humble.
It was a difficult performance, trying to appear inferior, but she would persevere!
“H-Halt!” One of the boys demanded, having been caught slacking on guard duty. The other boy, taller but lankier, jolted and repeated the same word. His voice cracked.
How pathetic, Hualing thought.
“E-Excuse me?” She said, molding her voice to be as demure and non-threatening as possible, “Is this Cang Qiong Mountain Sect?”
Hualing knew she was pretty, and she could tell she had an effect on the teens who flushed and averted their eyes. The taller boy cleared his throat and addressed the ‘young lady’, “Yes. Do you have a formal invitation?”
He was avoiding eye-contact with Hualing, clearly trying to feign professionalism (and clearly failing). These two had probably never actually encountered visitors on their guard duty.
“Thank goodness, esteemed cultivators! This humble one has been wandering alone for days. Could she trouble these benevolent gentlemen for refuge for but a single night?” She made sure to bat her eyelashes and subtlety prop up her chest under the frankly ridiculous layers of robes.
Seduction was way harder covered up like this, but as long as she could make it into the sect, the hardest part was over!
The boys fumbled over their words like aimless chicks, talking over each other about permission and policy and not letting strangers in. At the same time, they were competing to one-up each other about who would have a better chance of persuading the higher-ups to let Hualing in.
Hualing resisted the urge to tap her foot in impatience. Instead, she attempted to look impressed by their squabbling.
As the two boys argued, a group of girls in lilac robes approached from behind. Sha Hualing didn’t pay any attention to them, but a single name stuck out from their conversation like a nail in the foot.
“—Liu-Shijie, are you coming?”
Liu?!
Hualing’s head shot up, scanning the group of girls for a familiar tall figure. The boys had resorted to pushing each other around and didn’t take any notice of Hualing’s strange behavior.
Lo and behold, at the very back of the group stood a girl with impeccable posture and a veil adorning her face. This particular veil was embroidered with orchids, befitting the spring season. Having her face covered made her grey phoenix eyes shine even brighter.
Hualing noticed that Mingyan had worn a different veil when they had fought. Just who did she think she was?! Bearing a veil was ridiculous in itself, but being shameless enough to own multiple designs was laughable.
The sight of the taller woman made Hualing’s face flush, like it had back in her room. Only this time, the reaction was stronger. She could practically feel her pulse thrumming under her shape-shifted skin.
She wanted nothing more than to jump the foolish human and demand a proper duel, but a piece of overheard information made her pause.
“We are to meet with the Tian Yi Temple disciples for a cross-sect nighthunt.” Mingyan’s voice was deep and rich, just like how Hualing remembered it. When the shortest of the group whined, Mingyan placated her with a headpat. “Don’t complain, Shimei. Shizun says it’s good for building strong relations.”
While her voice was still serious, it contained a hint of a smile. Of course, Hualing couldn’t really know if the veiled girl was smiling. It irked her very soul.
Hualing laughed loudly and stiffly, catching the attention of the bickering boys, “Actually, this one will be fine after all. Thank you so much for your precious time!”
Before they had a chance to answer, she darted down the stairs again, leaving them completely and visibly baffled.
Here, there was a prime opportunity for Hualing to infiltrate Xian Shu’s little nighthunt, to confront that witch Liu Mingyan firsthand!
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
Employing her demonic raven scouts, Hualing easily located the group of inexperienced Tianyi Daoists in their hideous aquamarine robes.
She drew a seal on her palm with raven’s blood and whispered into her hand, transmitting her words directly into the ears of one of the Tian Yi nuns.
Tian Yi cultivators were all superstitious idiots, so naturally when a disembodied voice whispered directly into her ear, the nun Hualing had targeted followed with little to no beckoning.
Sha Hualing had intentionally whispered to the outsider of the group. So, while the Daoists discussed amongst themselves, they didn’t notice the short girl who wordlessly excused herself.
The nun looked shy and uncertain, her eyes darting through the trees as she strayed farther away from the group.
When Hualing deemed the girl was far enough away, she struck, efficiently knocking the Tian Yi nun out.
Hualing immediately noticed that the girl didn’t have any discernable weapons on her person. Evidently, she specialized in weaponless spiritual cultivation. Perhaps healing or another sort of useless sorcery.
Hualing scoffed, but shape-shifted into the poor girl’s appearance anyway. The demoness wouldn’t be able to fight without outing herself, but she could merely play incompetent and stay behind.
This was merely a means to an end, a stepping stone to her real goal.
She left the girl gagged and unconscious up against a tree, not wanting to take responsibility for her murder.
The group of Tian Yi Daoists hadn’t even noticed the nun’s absence. Hualing seamlessly cemented herself back into the small crowd, and right in time before approaching figures in lilac could be seen in the near distance.
Mingyan naturally took the role as leader, conversing with a Tian Yi boy about strategy.
Hualing wasn’t listening. She stood at the back, trying to burn a hole in Mingyan’s veil with her gaze alone.
The Xian Shu disciple had possibly noticed Hualing’s staring, for she met her stare dead-on. Hualing startled, trying to act nonchalant and like the airhead she assumed the nun to be.
It was too soon for her cover to be blown.
Hualing reassumed her stare once Mingyan turned her back, secretly planning how to isolate the veiled beauty from the rest of the irrelevant disciples.
She quickly became bored. Waiting around really wasn’t her style. So, she strutted up beside Mingyan, stealing her attention away from one of the Xian Shu Shimeis.
Like this, the demoness was even shorter than Mingyan than in her original form.
“Jiejie,” She said affectionately, “you look really strong. What’s your name?”
Mingyan regarded her silently, and for a moment, Hualing was almost scared that the cultivator’s piercing eyes had somehow seen through her disguise.
“Liu Mingyan.” She answered, aloof, before her eyes once more focused on the path they were walking.
Not the talkative type, the demoness noted. Hualing had expected as much. Still, she couldn’t resist teasing the taller girl.
“Oh! They call you the Fairy of Xian Shu, right? They say someone as strong as Jiejie has never lost a fight. Is it true?”
Hualing resisted the urge to smirk mockingly.
However, her hidden insults didn’t provoke a reaction. Mingyan didn’t even look indignant or ashamed. Her eyes remained the same when she indifferently replied, “Not true.”
She didn’t even dignify Hualing with a full sentence! Then again, she demoness was disguised as someone else: a timid, unassuming nun from Tian Yi Temple. Maybe Mingyan was simply uninterested in such a boring girl?
Even then, it bothered the Demon Saintess— esteemed princess of the southern territories— to be ignored like this, even when she rationally knew Mingyan wasn’t ignoring Sha Hualing.
Other than to strengthen the bonds between two of the major cultivation sects, the group had been dispatched to eradicate a fox that had grown to a size thrice beyond what should be possible. Nearby village residents that relied on the forest for food and resources had expressed their apprehension, fearing that the fox would cultivate into a Yao soon and terrorize their homes.
The majority of the Daoists from the Tian Yi group specialized in supportive techniques. Before they entered the forest their intel led to, this majority sat down in a circle and started meditating. To Hualing, it was utterly creepy.
“To employ a barrier around us,” the Tian Yi boy Mingyan had been conversing with boasted to the Xian Shu disciple, as if to show off. It was clear that he was trying to win her favor, so Hualing paid him no mind until he decided to keep running his mouth.
“The barrier will alert our group if any malevolent or demonic energy is within its vicinity.”
Hualing choked on her spit, making the two disciples’ attention turn to her.
“Ack— a-ah, is Jiejie worried about me?” She started playing cute again to lessen their suspicions, “No need, but I wouldn’t mind a personal inspection if Jiejie insists!”
Mingyan didn’t respond, merely turned her head away. Hualing, however, swore she saw the purple-clad girl’s eyes roll just slightly. Having annoyed her a little bit, Hualing internally celebrated.
But more importantly!
If the meditating Tian Yi disciples were allowed to erect their barrier, Hualing would immediately be outed as a demon. That would ruin her rightfully earned one-on-one duel with Mingyan!!
“Isn’t this a waste of time?” The demoness tried to persuade the Tian Yi boy, “It’s just a half-baked Yao, surely Shixiong is overthinking.”
“Don’t worry Shimei, it’ll be done soon.”
Soon?!
To escape persecution, Hualing had to do what she did best: create chaos.
“In that case, Shimei will go on ahead!”
With that, Hualing leapt into the forest, leaving the confused yells behind her.
“Shimei! Stop, don’t go into the forest alone! Shimei!”
She resisted the urge to laugh as he leapt further and further away. With her superior skills, she doubted they’d be able to keep up with her. All except for one…
Hualing risked a look back. Sure enough, Mingyan was right on her heels, expression determined as she weaved skillfully through the branches. The demoness couldn’t help grinning; the chase was too exhilarating.
Mingyan’s shapely eyebrows furrowed the exposed part of her face into something concerned. She reached out her arm, almost like she was trying to reach Hualing.
“Watch out!”
In the very short time Hualing had known this girl, she’d never heard her voice sound so frantic. The demoness quickly figured out why when the earth crumbled beneath her feet and she slipped into a hidden ravine.
Hualing barely had time to process her shock when a strong arm wound around her waist and another body fell down with her. In her haste, Mingyan had barely been able to reach the falling girl, and they both hit the rocky ground beneath them hard.
The ravine was deep, more akin to an underground cave than a simple pit. Hitting the ground had been painful, but nothing Hualing couldn’t handle. If something like this brought her down, she wouldn’t be fit to call herself the Demon Saintess.
She groaned, lifting her upper body and breathing heavily to dispel the dizziness clouding her head. A single stream of light from above illuminated the blood that ran down her left shoulder, dripping from her elbow.
“Fuck…” she muttered. Other than her shoulder, her ankle had also twisted in a less than desirable way. Pain throbbed steadily from her foot.
An arm in a lilac sleeve was still wound around her waist, but it had gone limp. The dizziness had mostly gone away, so Hualing turned her head to inspect the owner of the arm— Mingyan, who had surged after a girl she barely knew.
Blood was streaming from her hairline and temple down her face, gathering in her lowered eyelashes and drenching her veil. It indicated a considerable hit to the head, and Hualing feared that the human had already died.
Hualing untangled the arm from around her waist, smearing it with her own blood in the process. She put her arm around Mingyan’s shoulder, lifting her up and shaking her gently.
“Hey! Hey, wake up!”
Nothing.
“Tsk…”
At least her pulse was beating, Hualing noted. Mingyan wasn’t dead, merely knocked out. The demoness dragged the girl to the cave wall, propping her upright all while ignoring the pain that pulsed up her spine.
In her disorientation, Hualing hadn’t noticed her disguise wearing off. Only when pacing back and forth on the rocky ground did she notice her bare feet and the familiar feeling of air on her exposed skin.
She stopped pacing and scrutinized the unconscious Mingyan again. An urge, almost irresistible, welled up in her chest, hot and bitter.
The blood running down the Xian Shu disciple’s face had wetted her purple veil, weighing it down. The fall had furthermore disheveled the piece of cloth, and it was barely held up by the ties that looped around her head.
Hualing’s fingers twitched.
Slowly, one barefooted step at a time, the demoness walked towards the other girl. She crouched down, examining the part of her face that wasn’t covered.
Her eyelashes were incredibly long and jet-black, gracious even when clumped with blood. Even now, her skin shone with an ethereal, fair glow, as if dust couldn’t even touch her.
How was that even possible?!
Hualing would bet her veil hid a hideous scar or a disfigured face. That it was the only thing protecting her dignity. If Hualing could just have closure, then maybe the girl in purple would finally stop haunting her thoughts.
She reached out, pinching the fabric between two fingers and lightly tugging. It took almost no force for it to fall off, landing in Mingyan’s lap. The sight that greeted Hualing made her physically flinch.
She never knew it was possible for a person to be this beautiful. She had to take several deep breaths to process all her theories being proved completely and utterly wrong.
The hatred Hualing expected didn’t come. No jealousy, no bitterness.
Just then, Mingyan groaned and blinked open her eyes. Hualing stood completely still, internally panicking, while Mingyan looked the demoness up and down with an unreadable expression.
Right at the corners of Mingyan’s peach-colored bottom lip were two perfectly symmetrical moles, unbearably charming. They moved as she bit her lip, looking lost and confused.
Hualing wasn’t used to seeing this much of her expression. Being able to actually read Mingyan’s emotions on her face felt incredibly weird, almost wrong.
Mingyan’s usual poise and aloofness seemed to disappear together with her veil. She was still peerlessly graceful and exquisite, but she was also… Cute.
Hualing wanted to slap herself over the face for that thought.
“What… Happened?” Mingyan’s voice was raspy, like she had just woken up from a nap. No way the blow had given her amnesia, right?!
“Do you remember your name?” Hualing asked carefully, making no sudden moves. The beauty thought for a few seconds.
“Liu… Uhm…” Her eyebrows furrowed, and she bit her lip again. “Mother calls me Yan’er…”
Hualing didn’t know if she wanted to laugh or cry. Instead, she spoke, “Your name is Liu Mingyan.”
The aforementioned girl’s face lit up in recognition. It seemed she hadn’t lost her memories but was simply dazed after a blow to the head.
Taking her out now would’ve been so easy. It would also have been awfully unsatisfying, and a complete waste of all Hualing’s efforts so far.
She sighed, lamenting her acquired role of babysitter until Mingyan was no longer confused.
“Do you know who I am?” The demoness asked.
The human gave her another long look, biting her lip yet again. Hualing speculated that the lip-biting was her secret habit, given how no one would’ve been able to call her out on it.
It was the tiniest bit sweet. Mostly pathetic.
Mingyan neither shook nor nodded her head.
“We’ve met before,” her gaze settled on Hualing’s face, “you’re a demon.”
Her tone wasn’t spiteful when mentioning the other girl’s race. It was neutral, and not something Hualing was used to hearing in connotation with her kind. When Mingyan made no move to get up or put her ruined veil back on or anything, Hualing sighed and reached out her hand for the human to grab.
“Get up. We’re getting out of here.”
Mingyan grabbed the hand handed to her, and the demoness hauled her to her feet. She stumbled for a few steps before regaining her balance.
As a demon, Hualing had superior healing abilities to humans, but she wasn’t invincible. Appraising the distance to the opening they’d fallen in, she reckoned she wouldn’t be able to cross the distance while injured, much less while carrying the girl on her back.
The walls were a mess of wet dirt and rocks, completely uneven and ridiculously difficult to climb. More than that, the opening was small, and the roof of the cave closing in over them made it impossible to ascend to the surface.
Luckily, the hole was indeed a cave, and it continued inward. If they were lucky, another opening existed further in.
“Come on,” Hualing sighed, exasperated. Without looking back, the demoness started walking in the only direction they could, noting the footsteps that followed behind her. Part of her took pleasure in the way Mingyan meekly followed her orders. Hualing decided she quite liked the human like this.
Their surroundings soon descended into darkness. Traces of earth disappeared, replaced by rocky terrain. Hualing was thankful for her demonic eyes that were able to see in the dark.
“Stay close to me,” Hualing admonished, knowing the human was most likely only seeing pitch-black. Due to this, the demoness couldn’t be mad when Mingyan placed her hand in the crease of her elbow, but she was still surprised.
“I remember we fought,” Mingyan said suddenly, “Why?”
“Why not?” Hualing responded. She didn’t feel like explaining how she had personally orchestrated an attack on Mingyan’s sect. Despite her love of drama, the demoness’ first priority was currently to get out.
“I see.” Mingyan didn’t even question that train of thought. Hualing resisted a laugh. Maybe the two girls were similar after all, if Hualing’s twisted logic made sense to the human.
“What may I call you?” Mingyan was in a much more talkative mood than Hualing had ever experienced. The latter couldn’t say she hated it.
Hualing had the perfect opportunity to mess with the human, but something indefinite in her compelled the demoness to give Mingyan her real name.
Like this, they exchanged pointless information about one another, walking arm-in-arm. Hualing had never bothered to get to know another person like this before. Even now, she still didn’t understand why Mingyan wanted to know her favorite color or what foods she ate, but she indulged the human nonetheless and even asked her a few questions back.
The Demon Saintess Sha Hualing, small talking with a human weakling? Truly, boredom was formidably scary.
“A hobby? Hmph, you humans sure are funny. The only thing I need is to get stronger.”
“I like reading. You should try it sometimes.”
“Reading? For entertainment? What could you possibly imagine me reading?”
“I write sometimes. You could read that.”
“… Maybe I could be convinced.”
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
Time seemed to fly, and Hualing wasn’t sure how long they’d been walking for. With their leisurely pace, it couldn’t have been too far.
“Stop.” Hualing put her other hand on Mingyan, halting her steps. With her dark vision, Hualing could see how the tunnel they’d been following opened up to a cave not unlike the one they’d initially fallen into, only many times bigger.
Grass grew in patches on the ground, and on the opposite side another tunnel-opening could be seen. It was hard to grasp, but Hualing was almost certain the tunnel went upwards, and that it’d be their way out of here.
A few small holes littered the roof of the massive cave, providing minimal light. It was just enough for Mingyan to be able to perceive the general shape of their surroundings.
Hualing put her finger to Mingyan’s lips, signaling for her to be quiet. Under her fingertip, Hualing noticed the soft and bitten texture of the human’s lip and resisted the urge to run her finger across to truly map out the feeling.
The reason she’d shushed the girl lay in the middle of the cave, seemingly resting or asleep. A fox, at least three times the size of what should’ve been possible, with atypical black markings in the red fur that swirled across the animal’s body and face.
Again, Hualing wanted to curse the heavens for the sheer irony of her situation. First, she was forced to protect the girl she’d wanted to kill, and now she was doing those Tian Yi wimps a favor by offing their target for them.
They were lucky Hualing was a saint.
She leaned in to whisper in Mingyan’s ear, not wanting to alert the prepubescent Yao. The human shivered when Hualing’s breath hit her face.
“There’s a monster ahead. Stay here and I’ll take care of it.”
Before she could leave, Mingyan grabbed her wrist in a tight grip. “Don’t be reckless. I can fight too.”
Hualing laughed quietly, “You’re weaker than me, and you can’t see in the darkness. I won’t abandon you, so just stay put and don’t get in the way.”
Mingyan clearly wanted to argue some more, but Hualing wrestled her wrist free and leapt away before the human could protest.
The demoness landed a kick on the unsuspecting creature’s back. It yowled in pain and surged upwards, taking several steps back from its attacker.
Hualing overpowered the fox in but a few minutes before spotting an opening that would end the fight. To truly take advantage of this opening, she would have to take a hit from the fox.
Her previous injuries from the fall weren’t completely healed but also weren’t bothering Hualing anymore. Taking another hit was the least of her worries, and she was more than willing if it meant ending the fight quicker.
However, before the fox’s hefty claws could make contact with Hualing’s skin, a figure in lilac swooped in and parried the hit.
“Mingyan?!”
Blade met claw, and a metallic clang rang out through the cave. The fox leapt back, having not expected another foe so suddenly. It growled, inspecting the two girls warily.
Mingyan staggered slightly, likely still a bit disorientated, but steadied her bearing quickly.
“Are you hurt?!” The human’s voice was frantic, like it had been when Hualing fell into the hole and Mingyan had caught her. Again, hearing that melodic voice Hualing associated with distant aloofness sound so emotional made the demoness’ heart skip a beat.
“I-I’m fine,” Hualing managed, slightly shaken, “Wait, I told you to stay put! Why did you move?”
“You were about to get hit,” Mingyan stated, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to protect Hualing.
Those words made her face flush (in anger! Definitely in anger!), and she was at a loss for words.
Hualing assumed a fighting stance beside Mingyan, who still had her sword drawn.
“How will you fight without your vision?” Hualing asked.
Mingyan actually had the gall to laugh! “The color of your attire stands out. It’s easy to spot, even in the dim light.” Her laugh was low and almost seductive in nature, and it made Hualing bitter at knowing that a girl could be so captivating without even trying.
Hualing huffed, “Keep up then!”
They leapt together, taking out the apprehensive fox in a single, coordinated attack. With a heartbreaking whimper, the massive creature was slain, and it fell limply to the ground.
Mingyan stared at the corpse in thought for several long seconds.
“What?” Hualing inquired impatiently, wondering why Mingyan wasn’t following behind her anymore.
“A shame that such a beautiful creature had to die.” The human stroked the dead fox’s fur but lingered no longer. “Let’s go.”
Inexplicably, those words stuck with Hualing, no matter how much she tried to dispel them. Their ascent to the top was silent, no longer filled with meaningless chatter.
The closer they got to the surface, the stronger the light of the afternoon became. Rationally, Mingyan didn’t have to hold onto Hualing anymore, just as Hualing didn’t have to utilize her dark vision.
Mingyan kept holding on.
Once out, they were still surrounded by trees, but in a different part of the forest. Demons naturally preferred darkness, but Hualing still found herself thankful for the breath of fresh air and natural light from their time spent in the stifling cave.
Mingyan let go of her arm, and the two girls stared at each other in stuffy silence. Hualing’s mission— her whole reason for being here— had been to kill Mingyan. To beat her in a fair fight, to prove Hualing was superior.
The thought of Mingyan going away made Hualing’s chest tight. Did she have the right to deprive the world of such a beautiful girl?
She had always thought she did.
Mingyan broke the silence, handing her a small, pinkish stone.
“Come visit me at Xian Shu peak. I’ll give you one of my books.”
She placed the stone in Hualing’s palm, holding the demoness’ hand delicately and tapping the stone once. It lit up dimly, the polished surface shining.
“This will alert me to your presence. Use it to contact me.”
The corners of Hualing’s lips lifted. Not in a haughty smirk or a sadistic grin, but in an innocent emotion she hadn’t felt in a long, long time.
The demoness’ rational mind told her to repress this feeling. It was weak and unnecessary. It wouldn’t bring her glory, wouldn’t validate her existence to the world.
“…” Hualing inhaled, ready to reject Mingyan. Ridicule her, punch her, laugh at her— anything.
“I’ll hold you to that, Jiejie.”
Mingyan smiled. Without her veil, it was unbearably radiant. The rays of her smile melted Hualing’s worries away, leaving nothing but a giddy goop of joy.
“Jiejie, do you know your way home?”
“Mn, I think so.”
…
“Jiejie?”
“Mn?”
“Promise you won’t hate me when you get all your memories back.”
“I promise.”
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
Being back in her room reminded Hualing of the reason she’d stormed out in the first place. Her previous hatred had all but disappeared, replaced by a fondness for the girl.
Now, new troubles haunted her.
Mingyan had promised she wouldn’t hate Hualing— promised! Humans took those things seriously, right?
Hualing wasn’t worried. Only weak people worried, while the strong took control. She wasn’t worried.
It was only an insistent feeling of deep-rooted nausea that kept her awake, a prickling sensation around her heart that stole her appetite and made her fidget constantly.
Hualing assumed Mingyan would need at least a few days to recuperate, so she’d been holding off her visit.
But she really couldn’t take it anymore!!
Multiple times a day, she would grab the stone and make to rush out, only to be stopped by this or that thought.
Was Hualing dressed properly? How did Mingyan expect her to look?
Had Mingyan’s head recovered? What if her injury had gotten worse?
What if she refused to see Hualing again.
Xiao Li had noticed her mistress’ distress but could do nothing as Hualing snapped at her daily.
"My Saintess…” Xiao Li addressed cautiously one night while unbraiding Hualing’s hair at the young mistress’ vanity.
“Speak.”
“Forgive this lowly servant for being impudent, but… Is something bothering you?”
Hualing glared at Xiao Li in the mirror. “What’s it to you?!”
“Nothing, my Saintess! Just that… I’m always here to listen, if— if the noble Saintess wishes to… uhm…”
Hualing sighed. If Xiao Li had noticed her mistress’ anguish, then clearly Hualing had taken this too far. She needed to get herself together and take back control of her life, or she’d go insane!
“It’s nothing.”
Tomorrow, she would go to Cang Qiong Mountain Sect again. Hualing clutched the smooth, pink stone to her heart, remembering Mingyan’s smile. Like magic, the weight on her heart lifted.
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
“So this is where Jiejie lives!”
Hualing energetically inspected the room Mingyan had brought her to. Compared to her own bedroom, Mingyan’s could barely be described as a shoe closet. It was plain and clean, with few of the head disciple’s own things to add a touch of personality.
The faint scent of lavender that always clung to Mingyan wafted through the room like pleasant mist, so Hualing couldn’t be too disappointed.
At a reasonable distance from the Heaven-Ascending Stairs, Hualing had contacted Mingyan using the stone the latter had given her. Within minutes, the Xian Shu disciple had appeared from among the underbrush. Today, her veil was embroidered with small, charming forget-me-nots.
She looked as noble and honorable as she always had, perfectly put together and standing tall. Her attitude towards Hualing, however, had become warmer.
Mingyan would look the demoness in the eyes and respond with warm-hearted hums to Hualing’s frivolous comments. When Mingyan’s eyes turned into crescents, Hualing could vividly imagine how her petal lips would lift, how her entire face would light up the world. When Mingyan was lost in thought, Hualing saw in her mind’s eye the way the human would delicately bite her bottom lip.
When Mingyan had snuck Hualing onto Xian Shu peak, the former had insisted that the other girl had to close her eyes to maintain the secrets of Cang Qiong’s Heaven-Ascending Stairs. As head disciple, her principles were unshakable.
Hualing would’ve protested if it didn’t mean that Mingyan had to carry her. That’s why the demoness in turn had insisted that the human hold her in a bridal carry while Hualing kept her eyes closed. Only when arriving at the front door of Mingyan’s quarters did she open her eyes.
“Mn. Please forgive this one for the lack of hospitality.” Hualing almost jumped when Mingyan casually untied her veil and hung it over a spare set of lilac robes like it was nothing. Having gotten over her initial shock, Hualing could only feel happiness at Mingyan’s casualness.
And perhaps… a small suspicion?
“Mingyan-Jiejie, so forward! Were you looking forward to seeing Ling’er this much?”
Hualing draped herself over Mingyan, latching onto the cultivator’s arm. “It can’t be helped. One day you had to fall for my charms!” She really couldn’t help wanting to tease.
The human nodded and responded neutrally, “I’m glad you took my invitation.”
She then proceeded to pat Hualing’s head, like she was her little sister!
Sure, Hualing was shorter, and yes, she liked to act cute, but this—!
“Jiejie, take me seriously!”
Hualing wanted to be mad, but one look at Mingyan’s beautiful face stole all her anger. Come to think of it, that lilted smile almost had a teasing edge to it…
“Mingyan, you made fun of me on purpose!” Hualing wasn’t even aware that the solemn human knew how to joke. She couldn’t help but laugh. Mingyan giggled along with her, elegantly raising a hand to cover her mouth.
The demoness felt like her heart was going to burst out of her chest, like it had grown several sizes bigger from the human’s laughter alone. Instead of banishing this scary and delightful feeling, she chose to welcome it and to chase this fluttering sentimentality.
Despite their worlds being so different, conversation flowed like a river between them. Mingyan would serve tea that Hualing turned her nose at. The next day, Hualing would bring delicacies from the demon realm that Mingyan would regard with a suspicious eye.
Mingyan’s perfect posture no longer irritated Hualing, and Mingyan would no longer comment on Hualing’s crude manner of sitting. The two opposites coexisted, never changing for each other yet fitting together like puzzle pieces.
The more time they spent together, the more Hualing thought of Mingyan as the tranquil moon to her blazing sun. She already reveled at being the one to understand Mingyan like no one else, to be trusted with the fragile inner that hid beneath the surface of her veil.
She wanted more.
And whatever the Demon Saintess wanted, she got.
When they didn’t spend time in Mingyan’s room, they roamed the world together. Receiving her spiritual sword Shui Se gave the cultivator a lot more freedom to spread her wings.
The area the pair found themselves in was a truly difficult rocky terrain. Jagged edges poked out from every direction and no place was stable to stand. For the two of them, jumping across canyons from ledge to ledge was akin to a light jog.
Surprisingly, a round platform of stone stood out amongst the rugged land. At least it would’ve been a surprise if it wasn’t exactly what Hualing was aiming for.
The two girls landed on the platform in sync, and Mingyan raised an eyebrow at the demoness in question. Hualing had merely told the human to follow her, and she had obliged without question, never doubting her companion throughout their journey here.
Hualing leisurely walked to the opposite end of the platform, her adornments jingling serenely. Mingyan seemed to have at least partly caught on, for she stood rooted in spot until the two were opposite one another, much like they’d been on their fateful first meeting.
The Demon Saintess greatly valued that day. Though their first meeting and the days following had been littered with bitter resentment, Hualing wouldn’t trade that moment nor the feelings she had experienced for the world.
“Fight me!” Hualing shouted with a grin, her voice echoing over the rocky landscape and the howling winds. Here, they were completely isolated.
Mingyan’s expression was, as usual, unreadable. However, from their many days spent together, and Hualing’s diligent study of the human’s micro-expressions, she could tell that Mingyan was as excited as she was.
The cultivator drew Shui Se. The sword was of silver metal but managed to shine with all the colors of the rainbow. Within the sword’s spirit was embedded the wielder’s unwavering morals, her courage, her beauty and her virtue.
Hualing had always ridiculed humanity’s obsession with blades, but Shui Se had given her a newfound respect for the ancient art.
On second thought, any sword other than Shui Se still greatly disinterested her.
The raging winds swept Hualing’s hair and clothes in a flurry of black and red. Likewise, Mingyan’s Xian Shu robes created a swirl of vivid lilac. If she really concentrated, Hualing could almost make out a faint scent of lavender carried by the wind from Mingyan’s person.
They didn’t even have to verbally communicate. As soon as Hualing leapt, Mingyan leapt with her.
Since meeting, the two had each grown a lot stronger, leaving them equally as matched as they’d been before. Though their power was greater in scale, their fight was much similar to that day. Hualing felt lucky at being able to relive that moment.
They’d sparred many times before, but now, through a mutual understanding, they held nothing back. Hualing’s slashes were as ruthless as Mingyan’s sword glares were brilliant.
By a stroke of luck, Hualing had managed to disarm Mingyan of Shui Se. Instead of focusing on regaining her weapon, the cultivator aimed for a palm strike directly at the demoness.
Hualing decided to meet this palm with her own, and to give it absolutely everything she had. By the raging spiritual qi emanating from the human, it was evident that Mingyan had the exact same thought.
A deafening blast rang out many miles from the epicenter the moment their skin met. Neither fighter was pushed back; they remained in the same position their palms had met, hand against hand.
The pure destructive force of their combined energy had cracked the solid rock platform beneath them. Luckily, the stone didn’t crumble, but the rifts would remain forever as evidence of their clashing.
Both girls were breathing heavily while the dust settled around them, their palms still touching. Then, as the last pebble quelled, they both collapsed next to each other, heaving and laughing.
“You’ve gotten stronger,” Mingyan breathed, as if it wasn’t obvious.
“Yeah. You too.” For once, Hualing didn’t even have energy for a quip. The sky above them had faded from a bright blue to a darker shade as a sign of night arriving. The moon was not yet bright, but faint signatures of the brightest stars could be made out in the sea of blue.
Slowly, almost shyly, a hand enveloped Hualing’s own. She turned her face to see Mingyan’s dazzling grey eyes already searching for hers. It wasn’t like the human to act coy like this, and it made Hualing’s heart ache sweetly.
For Mingyan to have made the first move did piss the demoness off, so she squeezed their interlinked hands in retaliation.
Never before had Hualing been the one to remove Mingyan’s veil for her. In all her crassness, she had never thought to overstep the cultivator’s boundaries so blatantly. Now, newfound courage allowed Hualing’s seeking hands to find the ties of the veil and allow it to fall to the ground.
Hualing would never tire of Mingyan’s earth-shatteringly gorgeous face. Still, this impossible beauty was far from Hualing’s favorite quality. Her beloved was kind but fierce, brave yet tender.
“I love you,” the demoness confessed, far softer than she had ever spoken anything before. Softer than she’d ever allowed herself to be. She never knew she had the capability to be this vulnerable. Mingyan truly did continue to impress her.
With an action that her muscles surely protested, Mingyan turned to lay on her side, facing Hualing. She bit her lip, looking tentative, before leaning in. Mingyan’s lavender scent overwhelmed Hualing’s senses before a pair of perfect, petal-shaped lips pressed against her own.
Leaning her own weight into the kiss, Sha Hualing knew that her mission had failed, and that her thoughts would never stray from Liu Mingyan ever again.