The demon's bargain
Chapter 12: The Demon's Bargain
The night was restless.
Ye Xian sat inside her quarters, eyes half-lidded as she traced the rim of a porcelain cup. The scent of bitter medicine curled in the air, masking the lingering dampness of the rain outside.
She hadn't slept.
She wasn't going to.
Zhao Fengyun knew.
And that changed everything.
She had expected suspicion from Shen Liwei. Expected to deal with spies from the Azure Wind Sect and hidden assassins from the Imperial Court.
But Zhao Fengyun—**a strategist from the Demonic Clans, a man who thrived in chaos—**was the worst kind of problem.
Because he wasn't just an enemy.
He was unpredictable.
---
An Invitation You Don't Refuse
The knock came just before dawn.
Soft. Precise. Expected.
Ye Xian set the cup down, her expression calm as she walked to the door. She had already slipped a needle into her sleeve before she even touched the handle.
She pulled the door open.
A sect disciple stood there, looking uneasy. "You have been invited to the Lotus Pavilion."
Not summoned.
Invited.
Ye Xian's lips curled slightly. Zhao Fengyun never forced people to come to him. He made them choose.
She stepped past the disciple without a word.
The Lotus Pavilion was an isolated tea house at the far end of the sect, reserved for important guests. It was a place where people spoke in half-truths and left with full regrets.
And tonight, it belonged to Zhao Fengyun.
---
The Smiling Demon
She found him seated by the open balcony, dressed in deep red robes, the color of old wine and slow death. A small tea set sat in front of him, steam curling from the porcelain.
Zhao Fengyun smiled as she entered, but his eyes—his sharp, knowing eyes—never left her.
"I wasn't sure if you'd come," he said lazily.
Ye Xian took a seat across from him, her movements smooth. Not relaxed, but not defensive either.
She tilted her head slightly. "I was curious how much of my time you planned to waste."
Zhao Fengyun laughed. A quiet, amused sound. "Time is valuable. I would never waste it."
His gaze flickered over her face, reading her as if she were a page in a book only he could decipher.
"You've been careful, Ye Xian. But you're playing in someone else's house now."
Ye Xian didn't blink. "And you?"
Zhao Fengyun poured the tea, unhurried. "I never play in someone else's house."
A subtle answer. A dangerous one.
Ye Xian let the silence stretch before she leaned forward slightly, voice even. "What do you want?"
Zhao Fengyun smiled.
"To make a deal."
---
A Bargain Between Blades
Ye Xian exhaled softly.
Of course.
Zhao Fengyun never moved without a reason. He wasn't the kind of man to expose someone just for amusement. If he was revealing himself, it was because he wanted something.
"You know who I am," she said. "That much is clear."
Zhao Fengyun sipped his tea. "I do."
"And yet, you haven't told Shen Liwei."
His lips curled into something almost mocking. "Would that be the smart thing to do?"
Ye Xian met his gaze. Sharp. Dangerous. A chessboard between them.
"You don't care about Shen Liwei," she said. "You care about something else."
Zhao Fengyun let out a small chuckle. "You make it sound so simple."
"Isn't it?"
A pause.
Then—he leaned forward slightly.
"I care about who sent you."
The air tightened between them.
Ye Xian's fingers curled slightly around the edge of her sleeve.
So.
He wasn't after her.
He was after the Hidden Order.
---
A Game Bigger Than Assassination
Ye Xian didn't react immediately.
Because this was the most dangerous moment yet.
Zhao Fengyun wasn't testing her.
He was testing what she knew.
And the next words she spoke would decide whether he let her walk away, or decided she wasn't worth keeping alive.
Slowly, she exhaled.
"You're interested in things that don't concern you, Zhao Fengyun."
The strategist smiled, tilting his head slightly. "Everything concerns me, Ye Xian."
A pause.
Then—his voice dropped lower.
"Your sect doesn't just kill people, does it?"
Ye Xian's grip on her sleeve tightened.
Zhao Fengyun watched her, gaze sharp as a blade. "I've been watching them for years. The Hidden Order doesn't just remove threats."
He leaned back, fingers tapping against the table.
"They control them."
A chill crawled down Ye Xian's spine.
Because he wasn't wrong.
The Hidden Order wasn't just an assassination network. It was something much worse.
And Zhao Fengyun had just confirmed that he knew.
---
The Unspoken Choice
Ye Xian studied him.
She could kill him now.
One poisoned needle, one strike, and Zhao Fengyun would never speak again.
But she knew better.
Zhao Fengyun didn't move without an escape plan. If he was telling her this, it meant he already had protections in place.
So instead, she let out a slow breath.
"And what do you want from me?"
Zhao Fengyun smiled.
"I want to know what you're looking for."
Ye Xian met his gaze. "And if I say nothing?"
His fingers tapped lightly against the porcelain cup. "Then we both leave this room disappointed."
She exhaled through her nose.
A deal.
A risk.
But the game had already started.
So she leaned forward, resting her hands lightly on the table.
"Then let's not waste time," she murmured. "What do you already know?"
Zhao Fengyun's smile widened.
"Good," he said. "Now we're getting somewhere."
---
The Shadow Watching from Afar
Somewhere outside, a shadow lingered in the rain.
They had been watching since the moment Ye Xian had stepped into the pavilion.
They saw the way Zhao Fengyun smiled.
Saw the way Ye Xian leaned forward, the moment their conversation truly began.
And as the rain fell harder, the watcher turned and disappeared into the darkness.
Because they had just found something far more valuable than an assassin in disguise.
They had found a secret worth killing for.
---
End of Chapter 12