Without anybody knowing, Xiaoyu left the tavern. Together with Liqing, she was returning to the place where she had escaped from.
It was strange how she was feeling a lot calmer than she expected. With each step she took, her courage only heightened. The fact that she knew that Zhijian's little brother was held hostage by the Jiang clan infuriated her and filled her with a determination to crush them all.
But there was one only question which she didn't have the answer to — how was she going to break free from the Puppet Curse?
Leaving the Valley of the Dawn, they continued to press forward. Not a word was exchanged between them as they were both engrossed in their own thoughts. It was only when they almost reached the meeting place did someone finally speak.
"Thank you," Liqing said quietly. Her shoulders were tense and she was unable to meet her eyes. "I'll never forget what you did today. I'll make sure to get Zhixuan out safely."
Xiaoyu gave a grim smile. "You better uphold that promise."
Even if she didn't trust her, she didn't have a choice but to hold her word for it. Even if it meant using her voice as a weapon.
Moreover, the magic in her voice had definitely effectuated some form of control over Liqing's promise. Realising that Xiaoyu had spoken out loud, the girl stumbled away from her. Her face paled with shock.
"Y-you can talk after all... I-I..."
It was weird to see her being this unnerved. When they first met, she was wild, harsh and deceitful. But seeing this frightened side of her, Xiaoyu finally understood. Her cruel facade was nothing but an act to protect herself.
In the end, she was just a weak and vile person.
They walked for another hour as the moon loomed high over their heads. Their feet were aching and throbbing, but it was nothing compared to the fear and trepidation that they were feeling. After a few minutes, an anxious Liqing came to a sudden halt, her eyes narrowing at the wooden carriage waiting up ahead on the footpath running along the bottom of the hill and leading towards the next city.
"We're here."
She walked ahead, leaving Xiaoyu behind. The men were watching them with anticipation, and she recognised one of them immediately. It was another one of the few people she detested seeing – Jiang Yifeng. He had a face she would never forget.
"Demoness." His face brightened at the sight of her. Just like his father, they always wore the same sickly sweet smile when they saw her. "You've returned to us."
His dark eyes raked over her with greed like she was his prey. But what he failed to realise now was that she had changed, she wasn't going to let herself be their plaything again.
"Lead the way." Her voice was steady and clear, easily seizing control of his mind and everybody else in the area who could hear her. The figures stood motionless, their blank eyes staring back at her. She levelled a glare at Jiang Yifeng.
"Give me a knife," she ordered. "And take me to your father."
He obeyed. Pulling out a sheathed knife from his belt, he handed it over to her. She grasped the cool sheath, feeling the heaviness in her chest that came along with it, before slipping it into the hidden pocket in her robe. Without wasting any more time, she got onto the carriage with the spellbound Liqing, watched the other men get onto the horses and pulled them away.
It was never easy to see people being controlled by her against their wills. She was pulling on the strings of puppets – live humans – 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.
A/N: We are almost at the end. Thank you for sticking with me this far! ❤️