He thought that he would never see her again.
He was reminded of the first time he had met her in his dream. How she had laid in the frozen waters, deep in slumber.
This time, she was sleeping again. Her face was pale and tranquil as the moon, her hands folded on top of her abdomen. Devoid of any emotion, she looked almost child-like. Her beauty was so surreal that he couldn't seem to tear his gaze away.
How was this possible? Didn't the Jiang clan announce the death of the Demoness?
And yet, they had deceived everyone with their lie. But for what purpose?
As Jiang Ziyi began pushing her brother out of the room, Zhijian retreated and hid behind a wall. When they left, he took the chance to slip into the room that Xiaoyu was in.
He approached her slowly. She was lying so still that he was beginning to think that she might be dead. It was only when her chest rose and fell slightly with each breath did his worst fear dissipate.
He hesitated briefly. When he reached for her hands, he realised that they were cold to the touch. A lock of her raven hair had fallen out of place and he gently tucked it behind her ear. His hand lingered there for a moment before moving to her chin, the back of his fingers trailing along her jaw lightly.
Never before had he touched her like this, especially with such gentleness.
It was awkward, but somehow, it felt right.
As he watched her sleeping form, a surge of anger rose within him.
The Jiang clan was never honest from the very beginning. From what Jiang Ziyi had mentioned earlier, they had sedated her and put her in such a cold, dark place. Whatever they were planning to do was definitely something more than just punishing the Demoness for her crime. By keeping her alive, they wanted to use her for whatever evil motive they harboured.
And just like everybody else, Zhijian bought their story. Now, he could only blame himself for being a fool.
To see her in such a frail state horrified him beyond words. This place was far worse than her being locked up in the dungeon. It was hell.
She was alive, but barely living.
At this moment, he only had one thought on his mind; to get her out of this dreadful place.
With a sense of urgency, he slipped one arm around her shoulders and the other beneath her legs. When he lifted her body off the bed, something cold pressed against his throat.
A warning voice came from behind. "I suggest that you put her down, unless you wish to meet your death."
Whilst he had been so swept up in his emotions and thoughts of bringing Xiaoyu out of this place, he failed to notice Jiang Ziyi's presence when she entered the room.
She stepped into his sight, her cold, hard eyes trained on him. Finding a stranger lurking in their catacomb posed a problem. What was worse was that he had stumbled upon the secret that the Jiang clan was so desperately hiding from everyone.
"Don't make me repeat myself," she hissed. "I don't crack jokes often."
When she exerted a slight pressure on the dagger against his throat, Zhijian did as he was told.
He placed Xiaoyu back on the bed, but made no attempt to leave her side. His stubbornness only made Jiang Ziyi narrow her eyes in disapproval.
"Step away from her," she ordered.
"No."
She gritted her teeth in annoyance. "Listen to me. I'm advising you not to do anything you might regret later on. If you wish to stay alive, you have to forget everything that you have seen here today and leave."
"I refused." Zhijian lifted a brow in an act of defiance. "Kill me if you must. Or perhaps, you can't seem to bring yourself to do it?"
What he said wasn't wrong. Jiang Ziyi had spent the whole time threatening him but she didn't seem to have it in her to kill him. She was all bark and no bite; her cold and menacing character was all just on the surface.
She pursed her lips tightly, knowing that his words were dead on. Instead of answering him, she tried to shove him away from the Demoness.
However, a movement caught her eyes instead.
It seemed like Zhijian's presence and voice were triggering a response from the sleeping Demoness; her fingers were moving slightly, her eyes were trying to flutter open.
The other two gasped in disbelief. They crowded around the bed, watching as she tried to fight against the sedative.
Jiang Ziyi's eyes didn't betray her shock. "This–this is impossible. She shouldn't be able to move."
The dagger that was pressing against his throat dropped to her side and she stepped away. Her eyes flitted back and forth between Xiaoyu and Zhijian. "What are you? What's your relationship to her?"
His jaw clenched in frustration and anger. "That's not what we should be talking about right now. I should be asking you instead. Why would your clan lie about the Demoness's death when she's very much alive? Why did you put her to sleep?"
Her brows knitted in a hard frown. "You really should stop probing. You're putting yourself at risk here."
Zhijian shrugged. "My life has always been at risk everyday, especially in our field of work."
He took a step towards her, causing her to back away. She was growing nervous under his stare and he knew it. "Now, stop avoiding my question and answer me. I won't be leaving here until I get them. What have you guys done to her?"
Her resolve was starting to waver. There was turmoil churning in her eyes as she grew conflicted over what she should do.
After a long moment of uneasy silence, she finally admitted.
"I don't know," she sighed. "They never told me what they were intending to do with her. For as long as I know, her powers have always been their goal. In order to do so, they extracted a vial of her blood to place a puppet curse on her and control her against her will."
"They did what?" His insides burned furiously with growing anger. "This is outrageous! And you're in agreement with their plan?"
"Of course not!" Jiang Ziyi exclaimed. "I do not agree with my father's ruthless method, but there's nothing I can do about it."
Zhijian towered over her angrily. "Simply standing by the side and watching their plan happen is the same as carrying out the act."
Her body froze, remorse and shame written across her face. "I-" She tried to speak, but her words died on the tip of her tongue.
Something about what she said earlier clicked in his mind then.
"Wait a minute," he said. "Let's go back to what you were saying before. Am I right to say that their craving for her powers was the cause of the massacre between the Bai and Jiang clans that happened twenty years ago?"
Her silent look was the confirmation that he needed.
"Yes."
His fists tightened by his sides. His hunch about his soulmate was right after all - she wasn't what everybody perceived to be.
It wasn't Xiaoyu's fault.
She had been innocent all along.
His blood ran cold in his veins. "In other words," he growled angrily, "Your clan pushed all the blame on her and treated her like your experiment subject. How much have you forced her to do?"
"Things have not gone as bad as you think yet," Jiang Ziyi assured him. "The charm bracelet that we have failed to remove on her wrist prohibits her from using her telekinesis and healing powers. But that's not what my father is really after. He is more interested in her other abilities."
His breath hitched in surprise. This was the first time he was hearing about the Demoness's unknown power.
"What ability?" he asked curiously.
She bit her lip. "I'm unaware of the details. Father doesn't share them with me, he's being very cautious. I'm only aware that they are planning to do something during this training event."
"The training event?" Zhijian repeated, crossing his arms with a dark look. "So there's an ulterior motive for calling us all here? Which means we're playing right into his hands right now."
"Yes, unfortunately."
"Well then." Zhijian shuffled his feet, a determined look in his eyes. "I guess we have to get her out before he gets his way."
Jiang Ziyi stepped away from him defiantly. "Do not get carried away, Xu brat. I'm not offering my help to you."
Zhijian raised a brow. "What do you want in exchange for the Demoness's life?"
A cold smile curled her lips. "You cannot give me what I want. You're not capable of it."
"Really? You're not even offering me a chance to listen?"
"Haha. Who do you think you are? A deity who can grant my wish? Becoming the heiress to the Jiang clan is not something you can help me with."
"A heiress?" It was uncommon to hear a female leading a clan, but it wasn't entirely impossible. "You wish to overthrow your father? You do not like your brother and him very much, do you?"
Jiang Ziyi sneered with repulsion. "Of course not. They treat me more like a servant instead of a daughter or sister. After all, my mother had served my father as a mere maid in the past. Being an illegitimate child, I'm someone whom they can kick aside any time. Do you understand what it's like to be living in fear of being abandoned everyday?"
Listening to Jiang Ziyi pour out her honest feelings made Zhijian see her in a completely different light. She was different from her family, which meant this was someone he could trust to be his ally.
"Jiang Ziyi," he addressed her quietly. "Have you ever considered what would happen if the Demoness truly fell into your father's hands? He will obtain more powers. The stronger he becomes, the more unreachable your goal gets. If we do not stop him now, your dream will slip right through your fingers. If we save the Demoness, things will be different. You can be the next heiress to the Jiang clan. I shall even extend my help to assist you in showing everyone how unworthy your brother is as the heir."
Jiang Ziyi lapsed into a long, thoughtful silence until eventually, she conceded with a cold smile. His words had convinced her. "You wish to scare me with words and as much as I hate to admit, you've raised a good point. What is your name?"
"Xu Zhijian."
She straightened her back and stood tall. This time, she picked a polite tone. "Xu Zhijian, it is a pleasure to be your acquaintance. You've gotten yourself a deal. I can't be seen on the same boat as you, but it doesn't mean that I won't be able to help you from the shadows."
She turned around to watch the sleeping Demoness on the bed as her mind concocted a plan. "What we are doing is extremely dangerous. If we're caught, we will both be exiled or executed by our clans," she said firmly. "I will find a rightful time to help you and the Demoness escape. However, a chance is all you get. If you mess up, you will have to bear the consequences with your death."
His voice was filled with hope and gratitude. "I understand."
She nodded once. "You should go now." Placing a hand on his arm, she steered him towards the exit. "Quick. Before someone sees you here. And remember – do not speak of this place to anybody else."
With one last nod, Zhijian gave Xiaoyu a lingering look. Right before he made it past the door, he stopped and spun around with a troubled frown.
"One more thing," he said. "It's about your brother. Can you make sure that he doesn't put his dirty hands on her?" He inclined his head towards the sleeping girl on the bed.
Jiang Ziyi frowned, her brows arched questioningly. "Of course. I promise that not even a strand of her hair will go missing."
Hearing her words, his clenched jaw seemed to loosen slightly. "Good. Because if that actually happens, I might just have to kill the both of you."
In response, she couldn't help but to scoff and roll her eyes at him.
"Ah, a possessive lover. I get it now."
Even when she gave him an amused smile, he never denied her words.