When Xu Zhijian becomes a full-fledged demon hunter, he is given a talisman to summon his familiar. However, he ends up calling forth the sleeping 'Demoness' and finds himself bound to her without a choice.
Days go by and he begins to discover that...
It was never easy to see people being controlled by her against their wills. She was pulling on the strings of puppets – livehumans – and the guilt that came along with it was something she didn't know how to deal with. But it wasn't something she could think about right now.
After all, saving Zhixuan was her top priority.
The journey back to the Jiang residence was long and nerve-wracking. The rocking motion of the carriage didn't help to quell the queasy feeling in her stomach. Did anybody realise that she was missing? How did Zhijian react? She knew he would be angry if he found that she had disappeared without telling him, but not once did she regret her decision.
It was, she believed, the right thing to do.
The time passed excruciatingly slowly. When she finally heard the loud sound of waters gushing out from the cliffs and into the deep pool below, she knew that they had arrived. The sight of the familiar waterfalls and the palace sitting on top of it were tall and intimidating, causing her breath to quicken and she could feel her heart pounding against her rib cage.
With Jiang Yifeng taking the front, she let the men lead the rest of the way. Arriving at the entrance of the palace, she finally spotted her target – Leader Jiang. He was flanked by his men. One of them was holding onto a boy, who was kicking and wriggling about to break free.
At the sight of her, Zhixuan wailed. He tried to run to her but he was firmly held in place. With tears running down his cheeks, he sobbed loudly. "Princess! Save me!"
Hearing his cries of hysteria, her heart ached. She closed the distance between them hastily, but her legs halted when she heard someone calling her.
"Welcome back, my sweet puppet."
The voice was so alluring and naturally drew her to sleep. Her head grew heavy and black dots started circling her vision. As she fought for her consciousness, it was hard to focus on Zhixuan. Behind her, she could vaguely hear the confused voices belonging to Jiang Yifeng, Liqing and the rest of the group, and she knew that her enchantment was broken.
"Father!" Jiang Yifeng was horrified. "She manipulated us!"
As he struggled to explain to him, her back hunched and she clutched at her chest, trying to take deep breaths. When she glanced up, she saw how Leader Jiang was watching her with a look of surprise.
"Did she?" he asked amusedly. With a slight nod at his men, he flicked his fingers in Liqing's direction instead of hers. "Seize that girl."
His order baffled them. Liqing's eyes had grown wide in pure terror. "What are you doing?" She was almost screaming when she was grabbed by her arms and was dragged towards him. "You promised to return the child if I bring her here! I've done what you've asked. Why are you breaking your promise?!"
Leader Jiang watched her calmly. "You're not in any position to demand something from me. Besides, I need you for my little test."
His gaze shifted to Xiaoyu, whose courage had vanished and her body was shuddering. She was afraid. Afraid that she would lose grip on her control over her body. If he gained control over her, everything was over. She would never wake up again to see the light or Zhijian.
"Kill this wench," she heard him tell her. "Take the sword and kill her."
His words gripped her. Without thinking, her hand reached for the nearest person and snatched his sword. She gasped in horror when she felt her legs moving on their own, taking one slow step at a time. Seeing her approach, Liqing screamed harder and tried to break free, but her effort was futile.
"Stop," Xiaoyu pleaded, her voice cracking and her tears threatening to spill. "Don't make me do this."
The vicious man tilted his head in confusion. "Why not? Don't you hate this girl? She mistreated you when she first met you."
Her voice was shaking with fear and anger as she answered him. "What about you? Her treatment towards me isn't comparable to yours! I would much rather kill you!"
Leader Jiang watched as she struggled to stop herself from getting closer to Liqing. "You want to kill me?" he mocked. "You can try. I won't stop you, but first, you've to break free from the curse that I gave you. You see, no puppet can harm their master."
He threw his head back and gave a loud bark of laughter. The screams intensified and Liqing's face turned pale when Xiaoyu stood just a step away. Raising the sword high, she heard Leader Jiang telling her to kill again and she swung it down. But at the last second, it stopped a few inches away from the girl's delicate neck.
"Kill her," Leader Jiang repeated, his eyes flashing with anticipation. "Do it."
Her body trembled. Her right hand that was clutching the sword rose up high again. This time, she squeezed her eyes shut. Her forehead glistened with sweat as she tried to claim back her full control over her body.
Someone, please.
Please stop me.
Using every last bit of willpower in her, she screamed at herself to stop just as her hand brought down the sword.
Her prayer was answered. A hand grabbed her wrist in the nick of time before she almost slit Liqing's throat. Relieved, her eyes fluttered open immediately and she glanced up at her saviour in earnest gratitude, but she was met with a pair of fiery eyes that blazed with anger.
Zhijian.
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A/N: We are almost at the end. Thank you for sticking with me this far! ❤️
