Chapter 136: The Storm Within

The bathroom was filled with steam, warm and lingering. Su Mian’s face still burned with a persistent heat, her fingertips unconsciously tracing patterns in the air.

Her mind replayed the scene from the living room, specifically the almost seductive way he had called her “baby.”

She had even softened, acquiescing, at the fleeting glimpse of something in his eyes.

“Truly… what an idiot.”

She buried her burning cheeks in her palms. Above her head, her snowy white fox ears twitched, pulled taut by her turbulent emotions.

Her three tails, heavy and sodden, lay submerged in the bathtub.

***

“Boom!”

A clap of thunder, as if tearing through the night sky, crashed against the window. Instantly, her ears shot up, and her tails stiffened.

She was startled by the sudden, deafening sound. Her heart hammered wildly in her chest before slowly settling.

Su Mian let out a sigh of relief, patting her chest as she resumed her bath. The warm water cascaded over her body, yet it couldn’t wash away the heat in her cheeks.

She felt the outline of the necklace pendant against her collarbone, and her mind replayed it once more: Xiao Moyuan, with that low, deep voice, calling her “baby.”

To her surprise, she hadn’t refuted him. She had softened, silently consenting, at the fleeting “loss” she’d glimpsed in his eyes.

However, when she reached for the bath towel behind the door, her hand met empty air.

‘Damn, I forgot to bring it in.’

She looked around, then remembered that her mind had been so muddled upon entering, she’d forgotten both her towel and her bathrobe in the bedroom.

She hesitantly called out towards the bathroom door.

“Xiao Moyuan?”

Her voice was muffled by the enveloping steam. Outside, the rain suddenly intensified, but after a few days, the house remained silent.

‘Did he go out?’ she wondered, a hint of inexplicable disappointment mingling with her confusion.

Perhaps the Demon Extermination Bureau had another urgent matter for him. After a moment of hesitation, Su Mian decided to retrieve it herself.

She softly unlocked the door and pushed it open a crack, peering out. The corridor was empty, though the living room lights were on, and there was no one in sight.

Assuring herself that she was alone, she tiptoed out of the bathroom, her bare feet touching the cool floor. She didn’t bother to wipe herself dry, letting the water stream down her long hair, leaving a trail of damp footprints.

Her hands instinctively shielded her body, which now subtly revealed its curves as the wet fur, saturated with water, clung to her. She quickly made her way towards his slightly ajar bedroom door.

Suddenly, the thunder roared again!

Next, Su Mian quickly located the light switch on the wall, and the warm yellow light instantly flooded the room.

Her pupils contracted.

A tall figure was curled up in an extremely unnatural posture in front of her wardrobe.

It was Xiao Moyuan.

He hadn’t gone out. He was here, in… the wardrobe.

“Xiao Moyuan?” Her voice was quiet. “Why aren’t you answering me?”

She took two steps closer, her eyes widening as she saw him clearly. The man, who could suppress evil with a flick of his finger, was now entirely curled up inside the open wardrobe, his bones subtly trembling beneath his thin shirt.

“Xiao Moyuan!” she called out again, her voice urgent. “What are you doing hiding in the wardrobe? This isn’t funny!”

There was no response. Only the sound of his suppressed, pained gasps, which he seemed unable to control. This was far too abnormal.

She quickly wrapped herself in a bathrobe and hurried to his side, reaching out to touch his shoulder.

Just then, another clap of thunder seemed to strike the very building itself.

“Ah!” Su Mian flinched, but what truly startled her was the reaction from the wardrobe.

At the instant the thunder boomed, Xiao Moyuan trembled violently, curling up even tighter and desperately clutching his head. A ridiculous, yet persistent, thought surfaced in her mind.

“Xiao Moyuan?” Her voice was extremely soft, laced with an incredulous probing. “You wouldn’t… be afraid of thunder, would you?”

The words felt absurd as they left her lips. How could Xiao Moyuan, who could tear through space and suppress demons in a heartbeat, be afraid of thunder?

In the past, she might have unreservedly mocked him for such a contrast, but now, she couldn’t bring herself to laugh.

Because she felt it clearly: he was truly afraid. A chaotic, extremely violent spiritual energy surged around him, intertwined with tendrils of ominous black energy.

This black energy she had seen before, during his transformation. But now, it was so thick it almost solidified, radiating a brutal pain that made her heart ache. His body trembled like an autumn leaf in the wind.

She remembered that he was cursed. This was him losing control as the curse within him acted up.

She tried to meet his gaze, her voice soft and tender. “Is… is the curse acting up?”

This abnormality could not be explained by a simple fear of thunder. She tentatively placed her hand gently on his trembling shoulder.

“It’s okay, it’s just thunder. Don’t be afraid…”

Before her words could fully register, a sharp crack echoed.

“Smack!”

Her hand was violently slapped away, her palm instantly turning red.

“Get away!” A hoarse growl, utterly unfamiliar, squeezed out from the depths of the wardrobe, suppressing extreme pain and a near-uncontrollable ferocity. “Don’t touch me… stay away from me!”

Su Mian froze. This was the first time Xiao Moyuan had spoken to her in such a tone.

Before she could react, Xiao Moyuan suddenly lifted his head. Their eyes met.

Su Mian’s breath hitched.

That face was utterly disfigured. His once handsome features were now contorted into a terrifying mask. Dark blue-black blood vessels writhed beneath his skin like living things, hideous and grotesque.

She had caught a glimpse of this face that night when he transformed her, but it was nowhere near as severe as this moment.

“Xiao… Xiao Moyuan…” Her voice began to tremble, filled with heartache and fear of losing him. “What… what’s wrong with you?”

Xiao Moyuan’s struggle intensified. He gnashed his teeth, digging his fingers into the wooden planks of the wardrobe, his fingertips bone-white. The blood vessels on his face bulged again, making him even more monstrous.

Su Mian didn’t move. Her nose stung, and her heart ached. The man who was always so composed and powerful now seemed as fragile as shattered glass.

Outside, thunder rolled. Xiao Moyuan let out a low growl like a trapped beast, curling up tighter, the veins on his arms bulging.

Su Mian took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. “If you’re really scared,” she began again, her voice soft but clear, cutting through his pained gasps, “I can hug you.”

Xiao Moyuan lifted his gaze, his dark eyes filled with rejection and warning. Su Mian didn’t back down. “When I was little, I was most afraid of thunder, too,” she continued, her voice like a warm current flowing over ice.

“Every time there was a thunderstorm, I’d hide under the covers. My mom would hold me and gently pat my back, and then I wouldn’t be so scared anymore.”

She reached out again, her fingertips gently touching his shoulder. This time, he didn’t pull away.

The moment their skin met, a searing heat passed through Su Mian’s palm, along with the wild, almost explosive power raging within him. “That’s a good boy…” she murmured softly, trying to transmit a trace of comfort through her palm.

Before her words could finish, an abrupt change occurred!

Black energy, like thick ink, erupted from Xiao Moyuan’s body, instantly engulfing the bedroom light! Su Mian felt a tremendous force hit her, and in a dizzying whirl, she was thrown heavily to the floor.

Her back hit the soft carpet. Before the dizziness could fully dissipate, Xiao Moyuan was already braced above her. He stared intently at her, his dark eyes swirling with terrifying brutality and some unfathomable desire.

His distorted face, however, was filled with struggle. He clenched his jaw, as if using his last ounce of reason to fight against the power of the inner demon.

“Use… use your demonic energy,” he squeezed out fragmented words through gritted teeth, his voice hoarse and strained.

“Push me away… Then, don’t come back tonight…”

The arm braced beside her ear trembled. Every word seemed to exhaust his strength.

Su Mian lay beneath him, gazing up at his close, painfully twisted face. Her heart hammered, yet she spoke with unusual clarity. “I’m not leaving.”

Xiao Moyuan’s pupils constricted.

“We have an equal contract,” her voice trembled slightly, yet each word was firm. “The contract says you can’t actively harm me. So, in this state… you can’t hurt me.”

She looked into his eyes, which were churning with pain. “And… how could I possibly leave you like this?”

It was the truth; she couldn’t do it. Xiao Moyuan’s struggle grew more intense, his arm muscles taut and almost tearing, yet he still hadn’t truly harmed her in the slightest.

Su Mian watched, her heart aching. The soft carpet was already deeply indented where his fingers were digging in, yet he was still desperately trying to control himself. This realization spurred a surge of reckless courage within her.

She suddenly lifted her arms, wrapping them around his sweaty neck, and pulled him close. She buried her face in his rapidly rising and falling chest, her voice muffled, tinged with a resolute tremor. “I remember you once said… that a demon’s blood can help suppress a curse, right?”

Xiao Moyuan’s body instantly stiffened. Su Mian could feel the almost boiling power surging beneath his skin.

She closed her eyes, then spoke in a trembling yet clear voice: “If you’re really in so much pain… bite me.”

Silence fell over the bedroom. Only the pouring rain outside and their intertwined, heavy, suppressed breathing could be heard.

Su Mian kept her eyes tightly shut, her entire body tensed, waiting for the anticipated sting. But it never came.

Instead, a warm drop of liquid landed on her face. Then, a second, a third… carrying a faint, metallic scent of blood.

Su Mian’s eyes snapped open. The sight that greeted her made her heart stop.

Xiao Moyuan hadn’t bitten her. He had bitten his own arm, his teeth deeply embedded in the flesh, blood gushing out and dripping onto her face. It quickly soaked through his shirt sleeve, blooming into a vivid crimson stain on the light-colored carpet.

“Xiao… Xiao Moyuan!!!” Su Mian cried out in alarm, fumbling to pull his hand away. “What are you doing! Let go!”

Xiao Moyuan didn’t release his bite. He kept his eyes closed, his brows furrowed like stone, the blood vessels on his face bulging even more from extreme endurance, making him look monstrous. Blood mixed with cold sweat trickled down his jaw.

Tears instantly welled in Su Mian’s eyes. “You’ve helped me so much… My hand hurts so much, and now that I can finally help you a little… a little blood really doesn’t matter! Let go!”

She forcefully tried to pry open his jaw, but he bit down even harder. Seeing the wound, deep enough to expose bone, Su Mian’s heart ached to the point of suffocation. Why would he rather hurt himself like this?

She no longer hesitated. Demonic energy suddenly surged from within her! Pale red demonic energy permeated the air. She wrapped her hand in this energy, gripped his jaw, and with all her might, pried it open.

“Crack.”

His teeth released. Yet, blood still gushed from the deep, exposed wound on his palm.

Su Mian looked at the wound, her heart feeling like it had been pierced.

She looked up at him; Xiao Moyuan’s eyes were still tightly shut, the black energy on his face undiminished, his pain unalleviated. Self-harm, it seemed, hadn’t truly eased the curse.

She bit her lower lip, a resolute glint flashing in her eyes. Without further hesitation, she abruptly leaned in and kissed his bloodied lips.

It wasn’t a kiss; it was a transfer of blood. She endured the pain as she bit her own tongue, then, without a moment’s hesitation, transferred the blood infused with her pure demonic energy into his mouth.

Xiao Moyuan’s entire body violently trembled, and he suddenly opened his eyes!

The brutality and pain churning in his dark eyes receded like a tide, replaced by an expression of incredible shock. He saw Su Mian’s tightly shut eyes, so close to his.

Her long lashes trembled faintly from the pain, and tears still clung to the corners of her eyes, her cheeks flushed with a flush of emotion and the demonic energy coursing through her.

What reached his tongue was a trace of sweetness amidst the coppery taste of blood, a refreshing, pure demonic energy, like a sweet spring gushing into a burning wasteland. He clearly felt the surging curse power in his limbs and bones.

Upon contact with this fresh blood, it suddenly paused, then slowly began to calm.

The black energy around him receded like a tide. The hideous, bulging blood vessels on his face gradually calmed, and his dark eyes slowly returned to their original deep brown color.

However, Su Mian had yet to notice the change. She kept her eyes closed, concentrating on transferring the blood, her hands unconsciously gripping his bloodied shirt.

Until… something soft and warm gently kissed her back.

Su Mian’s body stiffened, and she abruptly opened her eyes, directly meeting Xiao Moyuan’s now clear gaze.

“—!” Blood rushed to her face, instantly coloring her from her ears to her neck.

Only then did she realize the intimacy and disarray of their position—she was pressed beneath him, her bathrobe already loose, while he was propped above her, his shirt stained with blood, their breaths mingling.

She panicked, wanting to retreat, but as her hand reached out, his warm palm gently clasped it.

Then, Xiao Moyuan lowered his head and kissed her again. This time, it wasn’t a transfer of blood, but a true, tender kiss, filled with the preciousness and deep emotion of one who has escaped a calamity.

He gently caressed her cheek, his fingertips wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes. He kissed her meticulously and lingeringly, as if pouring all his unspoken comfort, gratitude, and unspoken emotions into it.

Su Mian was bewildered, her mind a blank. The intensity of the kiss made her forget to resist, only to instinctively arch her head back, clumsily yet compliantly responding.

Outside the window, the thunder gradually faded, and the rain turned into a gentle drizzle.

In the dim bedroom, the scent of blood lingered, yet something entirely different, a warm and intimate connection, silently spread between them.

***

Su Mian blinked from beneath the covers, her voice soft and drowsy. Xiao Moyuan sat by the bed, his fingertips gently stroking the slightly red corner of her eye.

“Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?” he asked, his tone filled with unconcealed concern.

Su Mian shook her head. The fox demon’s recovery ability left her only with a lazy, slightly sore sensation. She stared at him for a few seconds, then softly said, “My legs are weak… will you carry me?”

Knowing it was a playful plea, Xiao Moyuan smiled calmly. He leaned down, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

The warm water enveloped her entire body, and Su Mian sighed in comfort, her small face, still flushed, emerging from the water as she blew bubbles and secretly eyed him.

Xiao Moyuan stood quietly by the bathtub, watching her, the light outlining the contours of his profile with unusual softness.

Su Mian finally collected herself and asked, “…What exactly happened? Why did the curse suddenly act up? And… why do you have demonic energy on you?”

She distinctly remembered the demonic energy within that black mist.

Xiao Moyuan was silent for a moment, then squatted by the bathtub, meeting her gaze. “The curse on me,” he slowly began, his voice calm yet hiding a heavy weight, “comes from an ancient forbidden art. The caster… was an exceptionally powerful demon.”

Su Mian’s pupils contracted. “So when the curse acts up, it carries the demonic energy characteristics of that great demon.”

He continued, his gaze drifting towards the rain outside, which was gradually subsiding. “As for why it suddenly intensified tonight, perhaps it’s related to the weather. I once made a mistake and hurt a friend, and that’s when I lost control.”

Su Mian suddenly understood. No wonder he had reacted so unusually. Remembering the way he had curled up, trembling, her heart ached anew. “Then… can this curse be completely lifted?” she asked, her eyes filled with concern.

“Yes,” Xiao Moyuan affirmed. He looked into her eyes. “But it will take time, and a special ‘opportunity.'” He didn’t elaborate, but Su Mian could tell that this “opportunity” would be incredibly difficult.

She suddenly reached out from the water, gripping his wrist, her gaze falling on the ancient, already scabbed but still vivid scar on his arm. “From now on,” her voice was light and firm, each word clear, “you’re not allowed to hurt yourself again.”

“You can use my blood. Since it’s effective, then use it. I’m not afraid of pain.” After saying that, she added in a small, honest voice, “…Well, I am a little afraid. But if it’s for you… I can bear it.”

Xiao Moyuan’s heart was touched by her brave demeanor, despite her obvious fear of pain. He leaned down and pressed a solemn, promise-like kiss on her smooth forehead. “Alright,” he whispered in agreement. “I won’t hurt myself again.”

Only then was Su Mian satisfied. The tips of her ears twitched happily, and she shrank back into the water, continuing to blow bubbles.

After a moment of silence, she suddenly resurfaced, her wet eyes bright and sparkling, a mischievous glint in them. “But—this thing about you being afraid of thunder…”

She deliberately drew out her words, a small, triumphant smile playing on her lips. “I’m going to remember that forever! If you ever bully me again, I’ll use this to tease you!”

As she spoke, she reached out a finger, still beaded with water, and lightly scraped her own cheek. Xiao Moyuan chuckled, looking at her smug little expression. He suddenly extended his hand and lightly flicked her exposed, sensitive ear-tip before she could react.

“Ah!” Su Mian’s ear twitched, and she shrank into the water, only her flushed, indignant eyes glaring at him. “Sneak attack!”

“All’s fair in love and war,” Xiao Moyuan said with a laugh, his eyes brimming with warmth. “Don’t soak for too long. Get some rest. You have school tomorrow.”

He turned and left the bathroom, gently closing the door. After a long moment, Su Mian touched her still-burning ear, and the corners of her lips secretly turned up. She lingered in the warm water for a while before slowly getting up.

When she emerged from the bathroom, the bedroom lights had been dimmed. Xiao Moyuan was leaning against the headboard, his tablet glowing faintly, seemingly still working. Seeing her come out, he extended his hand.

“Come here.”

Su Mian blinked, hugging her pillow as she edged towards the bed, a little hesitant. ‘Are… are we going to sleep together?’

Xiao Moyuan raised an eyebrow, a flash of amusement in his eyes. ‘How many times?’

It seemed… it was true. Whether it was the unease from first becoming a demon, or the unconscious reliance of many subsequent nights, she always instinctively gravitated towards him.

She no longer hesitated, climbing into bed and lying down beside him. Xiao Moyuan turned off the lights and gently pulled her into his embrace.

Su Mian nestled in his warm embrace, listening to the steady, strong beat of his heart and inhaling his clean, refreshing scent.

The tension of the past few days, her exhaustion, and the turbulent emotions of the night gradually subsided, transforming into a deep sense of sleepiness.

In her semi-conscious state, she felt a soft kiss land on her hair. Then, his low voice echoed in the darkness, filled with endless tenderness and preciousness.

“Goodnight, baby.”

Su Mian’s ears twitched in the darkness, and she unconsciously burrowed deeper into his embrace, mumbling a sleepy, mischievous reply, wanting to see his reaction.

“Goodnight… Master.”

Xiao Moyuan chuckled softly, his arm tightening around her, circling her closer. He whispered a gentle warning in her ear, yet his tone was full of indulgence:

“Don’t be mischievous. Sleep well.”

Su Mian mumbled something in his arms, finally letting herself sink into a peaceful dream.

Outside the window, the rain had stopped, and only the cool night wind stirred the windowpanes, carrying the damp scent of post-rain vegetation.

The long night was gentle and warm, silently wiping away all the fear, pain, and tears, leaving only the warmth of their embrace.

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