Chapter Twenty-One: Inner Demons

"Bang," a loud noise shattered the tranquility of the night.

Zisan bolted upright and looked towards the door. It had been kicked open, allowing moonlight to flood in. The shadow on the ground stretched long, cast by the figure standing in the doorway with the light at their back.

With head bowed, their arms hung limply at their sides, almost as if the bones had been removed, and the long whip in their hand dragged heavily on the ground.

"Who are you?" Zisan asked, but there was no answer. She cautiously stepped forward to probe further.

"Zisan," the person suddenly spoke. Their previously limp body stiffened, revealing a grotesque face that looked even more sinister under the moonlight.

Startled, Zisan took several steps back.

"Yufu!" Zisan called out when she recognized her, but there was no response, as if Yufu didn't even hear her.

Yufu advanced towards her like a walking corpse, pointing the whip at her. "Why? Why did you kill my father? Why? I must avenge him. Give me your life!"

As Yufu spoke, she lashed the whip at Zisan repeatedly. Zisan dodged left and right, avoiding the relentless attack.

Amidst her evasive maneuvers, the whip suddenly came straight at her face, as if in slow motion, searing itself into her vision. When Zisan opened her eyes again, she found herself plunged into darkness. Everything had disappeared—Yufu, the whip, everything.

Panic set in as she searched desperately for a way out. She began to run, and kept running, but no matter what, she couldn't escape. There was no light, no path, no people—just an isolated space.

She shouted loudly, but no one could hear her; no one responded. Despair enveloped her as she stood alone, a solitary figure in the darkness...

"…San'er," a voice suddenly called her name. She turned around excitedly to see her father smiling at her just as he always did, beckoning to her.

"San'er, come, come to father."

Tears finally spilled from Zisan's eyes. Even though she knew this wasn't real, she wanted to believe it, to believe that her father still existed in this world.

Her father beckoned again, "San'er, come to father."

Hearing his call, Zisan wiped away her tears and rushed towards him, but she ended up clutching at air.

She looked again and saw that her father was now holding a little girl who looked just like Zisan did as a child.

Little Zisan clung to their father, crying uncontrollably. Their father asked, "San'er, why are you crying so sadly? Did something upset you?"

Little Zisan wiped her tears and whimpered, "I went to play with Yufu and the others, but they don't like me and won't play with me."

Her father comforted her with a doting smile, "It's okay, it's okay. How about playing with father instead?"

"Okay," she replied.

As past memories played out before her, Zisan watched little Zisan happily leaning on their father's shoulder, tears of happiness filling her own eyes.

"What's the matter, feeling nostalgic?" Little Zisan suddenly had a strange expression and spoke words that seemed beyond her age.

Startled, Zisan waved her hand, and the scene dissipated like dust, replaced by the ferocious face of King Chenrui. He glared at her with a menacing look.

"You know the pain of losing a loved one. Why must you make others share your pain? Why did you separate me from my daughter? Why? Why? Why...?"

Zisan woke up from the nightmare, sweating and breathing heavily, her hair sticking to her face. She looked around frantically. Everything was still there; the door had not been kicked open. She sighed in relief—it had just been a dream.

Unable to fall back asleep after the nightmare, Zisan decided to go out for some fresh air to clear her mind. Unexpectedly, she encountered Nan Xianyi, who was also unable to sleep. They both pretended not to see each other.

The hut was situated in the middle of a stream, connected to the shore by a wooden bridge. Zisan was on one side of the bridge, while Nan Xianyi was on the other. Both had their backs to each other.

The surroundings were very quiet, so quiet that even their breathing seemed too loud.

A soft flute melody began to play, touching the heartstrings, rising and falling, winding and turning. Zisan leaned against a wooden post, listening to the pleasant sound of the flute, a barely noticeable smile on her face.

…

Thinking Zisan was asleep, Nan Xianyi quietly tiptoed towards her. As he reached the corner and peeked, their eyes met.

Awkwardly, Nan Xianyi moved to sit beside Zisan, trying to muster the courage to speak. Before he could, Zisan teasingly said, "What brings the esteemed Immortal Lord Fusang to seek me out?"

"I... um, I have something to tell you," Nan Xianyi stammered after gathering his thoughts, but Zisan seemed to find it amusing.

"What could you possibly want to discuss with a murderous demon like me? Aren't you afraid of tarnishing your status?"

"I..."

"And besides," Zisan interrupted again, "Weren't you sent down from the mountain to capture me? What now, planning to make a move?"

Nan Xianyi was frustrated. Can't she just listen to me for once?

"Can't you let me finish a sentence?" he burst out, his words finally breaking through.

"Fine, go ahead. I'm listening," Zisan replied unexpectedly calmly, surprising Nan Xianyi.

Having prepared to apologize, Nan Xianyi softened his tone, trying to appear sincere. "About today, I wanted to apologize. I was too impulsive. I... I'm sorry. I take back what I said earlier, okay?"

They locked eyes for a long moment before Zisan looked away.

Still stubborn, even after Nan Xianyi had lowered himself to apologize, she retorted, "There's no need to apologize. After all, I did kill King Chenrui."

"Sorry," Nan Xianyi repeated.

"You already said that," Zisan muttered.

Nan Xianyi chuckled softly. "The first sorry was for losing my temper with you today. The second is for not asking your reasons before blaming you."

"I thought about it and realized you had your reasons, your difficulties. I shouldn't have judged you without understanding."

"San'er, please forgive me. I've realized my mistake. Just this once, forgive me?"

As he spoke, he tugged at Zisan's sleeve, trying to act cute. Zisan shuddered, quickly pulling her sleeve away.

Proudly, she said, "Do you think a simple sorry can make up for bullying this princess? You'll have to treat me to a meal too, otherwise, no deal."

"Alright, alright, my ancestor. I'll cook for you tomorrow!"

"Good. Then this princess will be magnanimous and forgive you," she said.

…

Their cheerful conversation was witnessed by someone else. Wuchen sat by the wall, feeling as though the warmth had drained from his heart. He was engulfed in darkness, almost merging with it.