The window creaked open almost soundlessly.
A cool night breeze carrying the scent of grass and trees drifted into the room as a figure dressed in black vaulted effortlessly through the window. His movements were so light that they made almost no sound.
Su Wan froze, the apricot in her hand suspended halfway to her mouth.
Looking up, she met Xie Yanci’s unfathomable dark eyes.
He was still wearing the same black training robes from earlier that day, though his sleeves were rolled up slightly, exposing lean yet powerful forearms. The casual air he had carried at the training grounds was gone, replaced by the cold detachment that belonged only to the stillness of the night.
His gaze swept over the neatly arranged green apricots on the table before settling on Su Wan’s startled face. The corners of his lips curved into an ambiguous smile.
“You certainly know how to enjoy yourself.”
“Hiding in your room eating apricots…”
“I suppose there aren’t any mosquitoes tonight.”
Su Wan quickly came back to her senses.
She hurriedly set the apricot down and stood up, her heart racing even as she forced herself to remain composed.
She had never expected Xie Yanci to actually come at this hour.
Taking a steadying breath, she remembered what she had prepared.
Walking to the table, she gently pushed a bundle wrapped in plain cloth toward him.
Inside were healing herbs and medicinal ointment.
Meeting his eyes without hesitation, she spoke sincerely.
“Senior Brother Xie, you’re here.”
“I thought it was already too late and you wouldn’t come tonight.”
She paused, choosing her words carefully, afraid that even one mistake might anger him.
“I know you were injured last night.”
“These are Qingyu Grass and a spiritual ointment that stops bleeding and promotes healing.”
“They’re gentle medicines without any harmful side effects.”
“They should help your injuries.”
“They’re for you.”
Then she smiled sheepishly.
“Hehe… I’m not asking you to catch mosquitoes this time.”
Resting her chin in her hands, she blinked innocently at Xie Yanci as he took a seat across the table.
His eyes darkened slightly.
He looked down at the carefully prepared medicine.
Beneath his calm expression, suspicion, amusement, and an almost imperceptible chill flickered through his gaze.
Finally, he raised his eyes to meet hers.
His voice carried its usual sharp mockery.
“Su Wan.”
“What are you plotting this time?”
“First you pretend to make peace with Qingyuan.”
“Now you’re bringing me medicine.”
“Do you really think this little act is enough to make me lower my guard…”
“…or spare your life?”
To him, Su Wan had always been nothing more than a spoiled, malicious fool—someone full of schemes but lacking the intelligence to carry them through.
Everything she had done recently was so unlike her that he was convinced she must be preparing something even bigger.
Perhaps this medicine itself was a trap.
Or perhaps she intended to use it to uncover his secret.
Su Wan wasn’t surprised by his reaction.
She had expected as much.
Her reputation couldn’t possibly be erased overnight.
Instead of rushing to explain herself, she simply shook her head.
Her voice was calm and earnest.
“I’m not playing any tricks.”
“I saw your shoulder last night.”
“You were badly injured…”
“…and struggling to suppress your demonic aura.”
“I just wanted to help.”
“Is that really so strange?”
A helpless smile appeared on her face.
“Besides…”
“My life is already in your hands.”
“If I tried to harm you…”
“I’d probably die before you did.”
She looked directly into his eyes.
Her gaze was clear.
Steady.
Without the slightest trace of deceit.
Xie Yanci simply stared back.
He made no move to pick up the medicine.
Su Wan let out a quiet sigh.
Then, without another word, she rolled up the sleeve of her pale yellow robe.
Condensing a strand of sword qi with her spiritual energy, she deliberately drew it across her forearm.
A fresh line of blood immediately appeared.
She picked up a stalk of Qingyu Grass.
Infusing it with spiritual energy, she gently pressed it against the wound.
Almost instantly, the bleeding stopped.
Then she opened the ointment, scooped out a little with her fingertip, and carefully spread it over the cut.
The wound began healing before his eyes.
She looked back at him.
“See?”
“It’s not poisoned.”
“I still need to come to you every half month for the antidote to Half-Month Devourer.”
“So I’ll never try to harm you.”
“…or Senior Sister Luo.”
Her words were steady and sincere.
There was no deliberate flattery.
No pleading.
No guilty hesitation.
For the first time…
Xie Yanci found himself at a loss for words.
The woman standing before him was nothing like the Su Wan he remembered.
Gone was the spoiled arrogance.
Gone was the vicious jealousy.
Instead…
There was only quiet determination.
Someone who simply wanted to survive.
He remained silent for a long while.
His eyes searched her face carefully, trying to find the slightest crack in her performance.
Yet…
He found nothing.
His gaze slowly shifted back to the medicine.
His fingers twitched slightly.
His shoulder still throbbed from last night’s injuries.
The demonic aura inside him was still unstable.
These gentle medicinal herbs…
would genuinely help.
“You certainly know how to say the right things.”
He gave a cold snort.
Although his tone remained icy, the murderous intent that had once filled it had lessened noticeably.
“Listen carefully, Su Wan.”
“This is your final warning.”
“Don’t try anything clever.”
“If I discover that you’ve plotted against me…”
“…or reveal even the slightest bit of my secret…”
“I won’t just withhold the antidote.”
“I’ll make your death far worse than last night’s.”
As he finished speaking, he reached out, picked up the medicine, and stored it inside his storage pouch.
Without another word, he turned toward the window.
“Senior Brother!”
Su Wan called after him.
He stopped but didn’t turn around.
His voice was as cold as ever.
“What now?”
Su Wan hesitated before speaking softly.
“Remember to apply the medicine regularly.”
“And…”
“If your demonic aura becomes difficult to suppress again…”
“…you can come find me.”
“I’ll help you…”
Her voice trailed off.
She knew she had already said too much.
The relationship between them wasn’t close enough for such concern.
But remembering the suffering Xie Yanci had endured since childhood…
She simply couldn’t stop herself.
His body stiffened almost imperceptibly.
Standing with his back to her, the coldness surrounding him seemed to soften ever so slightly.
Never…
Not once in his life…
Had he imagined hearing such words from Su Wan.
Since childhood, he had lived beneath contempt, rejection, and suspicion.
Aside from Luo Qingyuan…
No one had ever truly cared whether he was injured.
No one had cared whether he was in pain.
This unexpected kindness…
had come so suddenly…
that even he didn’t know how to respond.
He neither answered nor looked back.
After standing silently for several moments, he leaped out through the window.
Within seconds, his figure disappeared into the darkness.
Only the gently swaying window remained behind, along with the faint, lingering chill he had left inside the room.
Su Wan stared at the now-empty window before finally letting out a long breath.
The weight pressing on her chest eased slightly.
Whether Xie Yanci believed her or not…
She had finally taken the first step toward saving him.
The road ahead would undoubtedly be dangerous.
Her life would remain at risk every step of the way.
But it was still far better than sitting around and waiting for death.
She walked over and quietly closed the window.
Looking back at the remaining green apricots on the table, a faint smile slowly spread across her face.
Slowly…
One day…
I’ll erase his desire to kill me.
I’ll stop him from becoming the Demon Lord.
I’ll rewrite every tragic ending in this story.
Meanwhile…
Deep within the night…
Xie Yanci leaned silently against the trunk of a sturdy apricot tree.
From his storage pouch, he retrieved the bundle of medicine Su Wan had given him.
His fingertips gently brushed over the pale green medicine bottle.
Countless emotions churned beneath his dark eyes.
Confusion.
Suspicion.
Wariness.
And…
A faint stirring that even he himself hadn’t noticed.
After a long silence, he murmured quietly,
“Su Wan…”
“You’d better have truly changed.”
“If I discover even the slightest trace of malicious intent…”
“I won’t show mercy.”
The night breeze stirred the loose strands of hair across his forehead, concealing the emotions hidden in his eyes.
Without either of them realizing it, the relationship that had begun with hatred, suspicion, and calculation had already begun to drift away from the path laid out in the original story.
What Su Wan didn’t know was that her sincere gift of medicine had done more than temporarily extinguish Xie Yanci’s desire to kill her.
Deep within the heart of the man destined to become the future Demon Lord…
she had planted the smallest seed.
A seed called kindness.
Yet the day of the sect’s expedition down the mountain was drawing closer with every passing moment.
And with it…
The day that the original novel had destined for Su Wan’s death crept ever nearer.