An eternity later...
Gasp!
Su Xiaobai's eyes abruptly snapped open again.
Frustration surged through his body like a flood, and for a mont, all he could think was: Not again. His fists clenched tight, nails digging into his palms.
He didn't want to be tossed back into the cycle, into another nightmare where he was powerless.
At first, everything felt wrong.
His vision was blurry, and a strange sensation pressed against his cheek. A soft poke, then another, prodding him again and again.
"What...?"
He tried to swat the annoyance away, only to realize his arm felt too short. Too weak. He blinked, confused. He didn't understand.
His hand shot out to catch the offending finger, but instead of grabbing it easily, he had to wrap his entire palm around it. "Why does this finger seem so... big?"
With growing frustration, Su Xiaobai stared up, only to find a beautiful woman, holding a soft smile as she gently poked his chubby baby face again.
A beautiful face — a familiar, soothing fragrance wafted into his nostrils. It was warm, gentle, the kind of sll that chased away shadows.
His breath stilled.
Her cold red eyes, which he later found so fearso, now looked oddly affectionate. Her long white hair frad her pale, ageless face.
"Isn't he cute?" she murmured, her voice like a soft wind, reserved only for him.
Su Xiaobai scowled—or tried to—but his face was too soft to express his usual irritation. 'What the hell is happening? Did I reincarnate?'
"Stop it," he wanted to yell, but only a baby's whine escaped his lips. "I don't want this!"
Eternal Su kept poking him, her smile never fading.
She tilted her head, inspecting him with cold curiosity.
Su Xiaobai groaned internally.
Another life?
Another damn story?
I don't want to play these gas anymore!
Just kill already!
But the world kept moving, and he grew up, slowly forgetting his past tornt.
_____
Rustle...
At age six, Su Xiaobai sat at a small table, scribbling lazily on parchnt.
He barely paid attention to the beast sketch he was working on. From the corner of his eye, he could see 'Matriarch Su' standing nearby, watching him with her usual cold, tall deanor.
Her long white hair hung down like a veil, and her red eyes stared into him.
"What are you drawing?" she asked, her voice distant, though she made an effort to sound interested.
Su Xiaobai shrugged without looking up. "Just so random beast."
Matriarch Su said nothing for a mont, then walked over and gently ran her fingers through his dark hair, as if testing her affection.
Su Xiaobai squird under her touch, his brow furrowing in annoyance. "You don't have to pretend to care," he muttered, but despite himself, a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
Her attempts at affection were rare, but sohow, they always got to him.
"You're my son," she replied, her tone still cold, though her hand lingered in his hair longer than usual. "I care."
He rolled his eyes. 'Cute,' he thought, but he wouldn't say it aloud.
_____
At age eight, Su Xiaobai sprinted toward the training post, his feet kicking up dust. His father, Hua Sheng, stood tall, inspecting the rows of weapons. His towering fra radiated power, and his sharp, calm gaze never missed a detail.
His short black hair and weathered face were typical of a warrior who had seen countless battles.
"Hey, old man!" Su Xiaobai called out, puffing out his chest. "Wanna see how strong I've gotten?"
Hua Sheng turned his head, his gaze sharp but calm. "Show , then."
Su Xiaobai grinned and took his stance, but before he could strike, Hua Sheng's eyes shifted, as if seeing sothing far beyond the training post—sothing only he could understand.
His lips pressed into a thin line, his mind elsewhere.
That was the last ti Su Xiaobai ever trained with him.
____
After Hua Sheng died, everything changed.
They were forced to flee 'Wuxia Province', leaving behind their ho and the prestige of the family na. The sha followed them like a curse, rumors spreading that Su Xiaobai's father had died from the disgrace his son brought upon him—or worse, that Matriarch Su had killed him out of sha.
Su Xiaobai had been ten when they left.
He rembered Su Yiran's tense silence as they left the only ho they had ever known.
Her long white hair swayed slightly in the cold wind, and her blue eyes, which were usually so intense, were cold and unreadable.
Xiao i, her long white hair trailing behind her, sobbed softly, clutching her small pet close.
Matriarch Su led them forward without a word, her face an icy mask.
In an attempt to break the tension, Su Xiaobai grinned. "Guess we're the rebels now, huh?"
But no one laughed.
____
Xiao i lay sprawled across her bed, her long white hair tangled as she played with her pet, Pang Nue'er. Her light blue eyes sparkled with innocent joy, her fingers idly stroking the fur of the small creature.
The room slled like flowers, her favorite scent.
"Hey, i-i!" Su Xiaobai called, bursting into the room with a grin. "How's the little furball today?"
Xiao i puffed her cheeks and pretended to be mad, but she couldn't stop herself from smiling. "Ge-ge, you're so annoying!"
He walked over, ruffling her hair. "Suits you better this way..."
"Ge-ge!" she pouted, swatting his hand away. "I just brushed it!" But there was laughter in her voice.
Su Xiaobai chuckled, the tension in his chest easing.
It was monts like this that made him forget the world outside their ho—if only for a while.
____
By age sixteen, Su Xiaobai had beco used to Su Yiran's cold indifference.
Her long white hair swayed as she practiced her sword forms in the courtyard, her blue eyes fixed on her blade. Every motion was deliberate, deadly.
He approached her, determined. "Yiran, take with you next ti."
She didn't even pause. "No."
"Why not?"
"You'll slow down," she said, her voice as cold as the steel she wielded.
Su Xiaobai scowled. "I'm not a kid anymore. I can handle myself."
Su Yiran didn't look at him. "You're not ready."
Frustrated, Su Xiaobai left, ignoring her words.
If she wouldn't take him, he'd go on his own.
_____
Wandering near 'Vermillion City', Su Xiaobai found himself lost in thought, only to be snapped back to reality by a sharp voice.
"SU XIAOBAI!"
He froze.
Standing a few feet away was Long Lian, his fiancée in na. Her long black hair whipped in the wind, and her blue eyes blazed with anger.
He barely had ti to process before her aunt, Long Lifen, erged from behind her—an A-ranked Guardian like his own mother had been.
"You dare show your face back inside Wuxia province?" Long Lifen spat, stepping forward, her rage growing. "You're a disgrace!"
Before Su Xiaobai could open his mouth, Long Lian smirked and drew her blade. "Aunty, let your sweet little niece deal with this trash."
"Wait, wait—" Su Xiaobai stamred, trying to back away, but Long Lian's killing intent surged like a storm.
Long Lian unsheathed her own sword. "I'll kill you myself."
Before their blades could fall, a flash of white interrupted them—Su Yiran. Her long white hair flowed behind her, and her blue eyes flashed with icy fury as she caught Long Lian's strike mid-motion.
"Back off, both of you," Su Yiran commanded, her voice as cold as a winter storm. "He's still my family."
Long Lian glared, but withdrew her blade. "He's worthless."
Su Yiran didn't flinch. "He's mine to protect."
Without another word, the two won left, leaving Su Xiaobai standing next to his sister, feeling more humiliated than ever.
"You should've stayed back," Su Yiran said flatly. Seeing his unresponsiveness, she sighed softly. "Where do you want to go? I would take you there, next ti, tell first before running away on your own..."
Su Xiaobai stood there in silence, his mind blank.
He understood—he lacked strength—but did that warrant killing him for it?
The engagent wasn't even his to break; she should take it up with the Dragon Lord, who had arranged it and refused to cancel it.
For the first ti, he truly grasped the brutal nature of this dog-eat-dog world, where people killed over the slightest inconvenience.
"Let's go back ho," he finally responded to Su Yiran, blankly.
_____
Years later, Su Xiaobai, now twenty-one, pushed open the door to Xiao i's room. She looked up from her bed, her light blue eyes glimring with curiosity as her small pet, Pang Nue'er, rested on her lap.
"Ge-ge, did you eat the spiritual fruit I kept?" she asked, her voice light and filled with suspicion.
Su Xiaobai shrugged nonchalantly. "Just a fruit. No big deal."
Xiao i puffed out her cheeks and stuck out her tongue. "That was mine!"
Without missing a second, Su Xiaobai reached out and grabbed her tongue lightly between his fingers. "Gotcha."
"Ah!?"
Xiao i's eyes widened in panic, her cheeks flushing as she waved her hands frantically. "Ge-ge!"
He released her tongue with a smirk and ruffled her hair again. "Still a brat..."
Xiao i crossed her arms, pouting as she tried to look serious. "You're the worst."
Su Xiaobai laughed, savoring the rare monts where the world outside their exile seed far away.
Reviews
All reviews (0)