Chapter Eighteen: You Xiyue's New Favorite

“Mm.” Junyang did not conceal it. “I was asked by someone.”

“The half-demon bloodline is despised by demons, humans, immortals, and devils alike. If one were truly born, the Upper Realm would not be ignorant of it. Yet I have never heard of a half-demon descending into the world,” Yuan Yibai said seriously. “This cannot be a half-demon.”

“It certainly doesn’t look like one.” Junyang tilted his head, examining the white cat from every angle, inside and out, but he could not understand what exactly You Xiyue meant by “more or less.”

Seeing Junyang’s puzzled expression, You Xiyue explained, “This is an incarnation of that half-demon’s heart demon.”

“An incarnation of a heart demon?”

Both Yuan Yibai and Junyang were astonished.

“They probably longed too much to become a true member of the demon clan,” You Xiyue said softly as she scratched the white cat’s chin. “Isn’t that right, half-demon Xun Yu?”

The white cat, thoroughly enjoying the scratch, purred contentedly.

“So there really is a half-demon?” Yuan Yibai was surprised. “But I’ve never heard of one.”

While the white cat basked in comfort, on a distant island within a pitch-black cave, a pair of enchanting eyes slowly opened.

“Heh... So someone still remembers my name.”

...

“Are you going to keep it?” Yuan Yibai eyed the white cat in You Xiyue’s arms.

“I suppose I must...” You Xiyue’s tone was tinged with resignation.

“What about the Phoenix Feather from the Phoenix Clan? Didn’t it steal it?”

The white cat, pricking up its ears at the mention of the Phoenix Feather, glanced up before pretending to close its eyes again.

“Ha, this little rascal clearly heard you. Looks like it has no intention of returning it,” Junyang said, poking the shameless cat with his finger, half amused and half exasperated.

You Xiyue lifted the cat by the chin, facing it directly. “Show it to me.”

The cat’s eyes spun round and round, searching for a chance to escape. But, as fate would have it, there was no way out. Though You Xiyue held its chin with only two fingers, the cat’s body was utterly immobilized. At last, it surrendered, ceased struggling, and spat out the Phoenix Feather.

“Why do you eat everything?” Junyang eyed the feather, still damp with saliva and clumped together, thoroughly disgusted. “If I were that old phoenix Feng Yanhua, I’d want to cook you.”

Yuan Yibai stifled a laugh behind his hand. “This cat is truly entertaining.”

Junyang glanced at the pitiful condition of the feather. “What now? Are we just going to return it like this?”

The white cat seemed reluctant, stretching out a paw to nudge it, then, after a furtive glance at the three of them, tucked its paw away and dejectedly buried itself in You Xiyue’s embrace.

...

“It rather seems like we’re bullying a small child,” Junyang said with an awkward laugh.

“It’s nothing all that precious, is it?” You Xiyue scratched the crestfallen cat and looked up at Junyang. “You still have some, don’t you?”

“What?” Junyang’s gaze darted evasively. “I gave them all to your disciple already.”

You Xiyue stared at him in silence, and Junyang finally caved under the scrutiny. “Alright, you win.”

With that, he held out his hand, conjuring an entire tableful of Phoenix Feathers.

With a casual gesture, You Xiyue summoned two feathers before her. They glimmered with radiant light, warm to the touch, purer than any on that table.

Even Yuan Yibai, heir to one of the five great families, could not help but swallow.

“These are... tail feathers of an ancient divine phoenix?”

“Well, in my wild youth, I was a bit unruly,” Junyang said, though his face betrayed unmistakable pride. “I plucked a few from some old phoenixes.”

Yuan Yibai glanced at the tableful of feathers, thinking, “More like dozens.”

You Xiyue threaded one of the feathers with a divine-locking cord and hung it around the white cat’s neck.

The cat, looking down at it, was overjoyed and rubbed eagerly against You Xiyue’s hand, licking it furiously.

Junyang gathered up the rest of the feathers, taking the one that still floated in the air. “Should I deliver this to the Phoenix Clan?”

“Yes, and tell them not to hold a grudge against Xueyu any longer,” You Xiyue replied.

“Xueyu?” Junyang eyed the white cat, now groveling and licking away. “A new name?”

“Yes.” You Xiyue’s smile was sweet and genuine; she was clearly fond of the fluffy little creature.

“Tch.” Junyang suddenly felt a pang of envy. It was rare to see You Xiyue so fond of anything, and it had taken only half a day for the little thing to be accepted under her wing.

As her contracted beast, his name was Junyang.
His fated island was called Xingruo.
His life-bound artifact was the Cloud Convergence Brocade.
And there was the Moon Glow Sword, a personal weapon You Xiyue almost never used.

But now? A beloved pet—Xueyu.

Junyang felt a twinge of impending neglect. First, the Moon Glow Sword was left forgotten in the spatial ring, then the Cloud Convergence Brocade had its spirit sealed away, and now, with a new favorite, would he be sent back to Xingruo Island to pine away with that old fellow Xingruo for his master?

Noticing Junyang drifting off, You Xiyue blinked in confusion. “You don’t want to go? You still have to help repair their mountain array.”

Junyang snapped back to himself and immediately felt magnanimous again. How could he ever fall out of favor when he was so indispensable and omnipotent? He looked smugly at the abject cat—what use was it, besides getting into trouble?

“I’ll go right away,” Junyang declared with high spirits.

“I’ll come with you, Senior Junyang.”

Yuan Yibai stood up. “Feng Yanhua will still have to give our five families some face. It’ll be easier if I’m present.”

Junyang had no objections; after all, an extra helper was always welcome. “Alright.”

The two of them left the room. You Xiyue set Xueyu on the table, gazing at her intently.

Xueyu tilted her head in puzzlement.

“You can hear me, can’t you?”

Xueyu looked even more confused; at such close range, of course she could hear.

“I mean no harm. Once I’ve dealt with the affairs of the Upper Realm, I’ll help you. Whether you wish to be a demon or an immortal, I can help you.”

Far away, in the darkness of that cavern, the enchanting eyes furrowed slightly, clearly listening. A soft laugh escaped her lips. “Such bold words from a mere little girl.”

“Do you want to know who your parents are?”

At these words, the beautiful eyes narrowed, the fists clenched and slowly relaxed, and she replied coldly, “I do not wish to know.”

“They... are all gone...” You Xiyue sighed. “Sometimes, I, too, wonder who my parents are. And sometimes I think, why should I care? They abandoned me, left me to fend for myself through so many hardships. Why did they even have me, if only to cast me aside? Why should I want to know who they are? Yet I still can’t help but think of them... imagine what they might have been like.”

“Childish,” came the final word, as the beautiful eyes closed and silence fell.

Xueyu, as if half-understanding, rubbed against You Xiyue in comfort.

You Xiyue scooped Xueyu into her arms.

“Come, let’s go check on my disciple.”

She sent her spiritual sense out, quickly locating Feng Qinghe’s room.

At that moment, Feng Qinghe had only eaten half of the Flameheart Ginseng, but his whole body burned as if on fire; his face and neck were flushed a deep red, and sweat poured down in streams.

With a step into the void, You Xiyue appeared in his room, annoyance in her voice. “Do you have a death wish?”

Feng Qinghe curled up in agony, his lips bloodless and pale, barely managing to utter two words, “Master...”