They arrived just before dusk, shadows stretching long over the courtyard as Xue Laohu led the demon siblings through the towering gates of the sect. Sect Leader Mao had already made the arrangements, though not without cost. He'd agreed—after much coaxing and one too many headaches—to temporarily allow the demon siblings to reside within the sect. It was a decision that sent ripples of discontent through the elder council, and it didn't take long for the storm to land squarely in his study.
The scent of jasmine tea hung in the air, curling in thin wisps from the porcelain cups placed before each elder. It did little to soften the tension. Elder Kuoyu, always the first to ignite, slammed his calloused fist against the lacquered table, the sharp sound cracking through the silence.
"Has our sect become a haven for demons?" he roared, his brows drawn tightly together as his eyes burned with righteous fury. "Are we now cultivating the demonic path?"
"I must concur," said Elder Zhiwu, his tone cold and clipped as he adjusted the sleeves of his robe. "If we allow demons to roam freely within our walls, how can we claim to follow the righteous path? It undermines everything our sect stands for."
Sect Leader Mao remained seated at the head of the table, fingers tightening around the delicate jade of his teacup. He listened in silence, his expression unreadable, though his gaze drifted toward Elder Yansen—his unspoken hope for moderation.
She exhaled slowly, reclined in her chair with a look of exhausted disinterest, arms crossed over her chest. "Do we even know if Grandmaster Xue has taken them in as disciples?" she asked, voice languid but firm. "If not, then they are guests—nothing more. I see no harm in that."
Elder Kuoyu's eyes narrowed. His lips curled into a sneer. "Don't tell me you're siding with Grandmaster Xue. Do you still harbor feelings for—"
He never finished.
In a blur of motion, Elder Yansen rose and crossed the space between them in a heartbeat. Her hand closed tightly around Elder Kuoyu's throat, lifting him halfway from his chair. The teacup before him rattled from the sudden force. His eyes bulged, hands clawing at her grip as he wheezed and coughed.
"You talk too much," she whispered coolly into his ear.
"Mercy—!" he rasped, voice choked.
"That's enough," Sect Leader Mao finally said, the words soft yet carrying the weight of command. He placed his teacup down with a delicate clink, though his fingers lingered on the rim. He didn't drink. Not yet.
Elder Yansen released Elder Kuoyu without ceremony, letting him collapse into his seat, gasping and red-faced. She returned to her chair with a huff, crossing one leg over the other, brushing her raven hair over her shoulder as though nothing had happened.
Sect Leader Mao lifted the cup to his nose, breathing in the scent of the tea before setting it aside again untouched. His voice, though calm, held a weary edge.
"There are rumors of a demon, powerful enough to tear through entire villages, moving like wildfire across the provinces. Slaughtering indiscriminately." Elder Zhiwu said leaning forward, his gaze piercing. "And while that creature prowls the land, you want us to open our gates to its kin?" His voice rose, urgency creeping in. "Sect Leader, please—reconsider."
From the far end of the table, Elder Kuoyu coughed roughly, massaging the bruises already darkening on his neck. "How do we know this isn't part of some infiltration?" he spat, glaring daggers at Elder Yansen. "We let them in, they gut us from the inside."
"If they attack," Elder Yansen said, her voice razor-sharp and unmoved, "we kill them. It's that simple."
Silence followed, taut and heavy.
Sect Leader Mao closed his eyes for a moment, as though the weight of every word pressed upon his shoulders. When he opened them again, the lines in his face seemed deeper. His fingers trembled ever so slightly, his whiskers twitching at the corners of his mouth.
"Then we watch," he said at last. "We observe. Grandmaster Xue has placed his trust in them. For now, so will we. But the moment that trust is broken…" his gaze swept across the room, lingering on each elder, "we act."
Shudu rose from the bed in silence, the golden rays of morning sunlight spilled through the open windows. It kissed his bronze skin, dancing along the ridges of his spine and the curve of his shoulders. The scent of sweat, pine resin, and lingering incense clung faintly in the air—a ghost of the night's intensity.
Beside him, Xue Tuzi lay tangled beneath layers of bedding, his face half-buried in a pillow, breathing deep and steady. Strands of earthy brown hair stuck to his cheek. Shudu leaned in, brushing them away with gentle fingers, unable to help the softness in his touch. He watched him like that for a moment—so vulnerable in sleep, the soft rise and fall of his chest, the faint crease between his brows already reacting to the sunlight creeping across the sheets.
Tuanzhu lay curled nearby, her tiny nubs wrapped protectively around Ruan Tang—a faded, chubby worm-shaped plush doll that had once belonged to Jiao Jiao. She now clung to it like treasure, her chubby cheeks smushed against the soft fabric. Her small body rose and fell with the rhythm of sleep, and her barely audible snores puffed from her nose like whispers of a dream.
Shudu returned his attention to Xue Tuzi, who stirred as the sunlight reached his face. His brows knit tightly together, and with a soft, annoyed sound, he burrowed deeper into the bed, trying to escape the morning.
A smile tugged at Shudu's lips. He brought his thumb to Xue Tuzi's mouth, rubbing gently at the tiny mole nestled at the corner of his lips. It was a mark Shudu had kissed too many times to count. He leaned down now, brushing his lips over it, unable to resist the pull. What started as a kiss deepened, slowly, possessively—like tasting something he already owned, yet longed for anew.
He had spent the entire night mounting Xue Tuzi over and over again, consumed by an ache he could neither name nor quiet. Yet even now, as the morning light broke across the horizon, the craving remained sharp and unsatisfied. The demon inside him was never truly sated.
Xue Tuzi whimpered sleepily, retreating further under the covers, trying to escape both the sun and Shudu's relentless need. Still, Shudu lingered, whispering his name with aching tenderness.
"Tuzi..."
At last, Xue Tuzi stirred, turning his face toward him. His lashes fluttered open like moth wings, revealing hazy, milk-colored eyes glazed with sleep but filled with warmth. He reached up and nestled his cheek into Shudu's hand, nuzzling him with childlike affection. A lazy grin played on his lips, and his tongue flicked out playfully to lap at Shudu's fingers. The jewel embedded in his tongue caught the light, leaving a faint, wet shimmer on Shudu's skin.
Shudu stared, jaw clenched. His throat tightened. How could he say it?
The truth coiled behind his teeth like poison: every time they dual cultivated, every time he touched Xue Tuzi under the illusion of love and union, he had been feeding—stealing—drawing out Xue Tuzi's spiritual energy. Not all at once, but slowly. Drop by drop. Kiss by kiss. Breath by breath.
And now… Xue Tuzi's core was flickering. Dimming.
If he continued, he would devour him completely.
Kill him.
And still… the hunger gnawed at his insides. Still, his mouth burned with the want of him.
He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against Xue Tuzi's, breathing in the scent of his hair. Then, with a shuddering breath, he said, barely audible, "I… I'm leaving."
Xue Tuzi's entire body went rigid.
Without a word, he turned over, violently yanking the covers over himself, shoulders curled inward. "If you leave," he said through gritted teeth, "don't come back."
Shudu flinched, reaching to pull the blanket back down. "Tuzi—"
"No." Xue Tuzi gripped the blankets with trembling fingers, resisting. "Why are you leaving me?" His voice wavered. "Was I just… something for you to use and discard?"
Shudu sat there, frozen, breath caught in his throat. The silence that followed felt colder than death.
"Don't ever come back!" Xue Tuzi snapped, tears falling freely now as he pulled the covers over his head again, curling into himself like a wounded animal.
Shudu sighed rising slowly, as if leaving would shatter him completely.
But he left.
The news of Shudu's departure hadn't fully spread through the sect, but it reached Xue Laohu quickly enough. He found Shudu at the gates just as the sun began to dip below the horizon, its last rays bathing the courtyard in molten gold. Shudu stood silently, his silhouette outlined by the warm light, hands calmly securing the heavy sword across his back.
"Where are you going?" Xue Laohu called, breathless as he hurried across the courtyard. "Why are you leaving without a word?"
Shudu turned at the voice, offering a soft, enigmatic smile. His hand moved in one fluid motion, pulling the final knot on his sword's sash. "There's something I must do. Grandmaster Xue need not worry—"
But Xue Laohu stepped forward, cutting him off with a sharpness that caught even Shudu off guard. "What about A-Tuzi?" His voice cracked ever so slightly. "Are you just going to walk away from him like this?"
Shudu's smile faltered. His expression darkened, the shadows stretching across his face like storm clouds. He didn't respond right away. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the far side of the sect, where the roofs shimmered under the dying sun. His voice, when it finally came, was low, tight with restraint.
"If I stay by his side… I'll destroy him. Every moment I touch him, I take from him. And I can't stop." His eyes glinted—not with guilt, but hunger held back by the thinnest thread of will. "I have to sever the desire to devour him before I lose control."
Xue Laohu looked like he wanted to argue, but the words died on his tongue. He had seen the way Shudu consumed Xue Tuzi. The way the demon feasted on his disciples body without restraint. Xue Tuzi was left weak after every encounter. There was love, yes, but also danger.
Shudu lingered by the courtyard gate long after that conversation ended, his eyes occasionally lifting as if expecting someone. At last, figures emerged from the shadows—Li Zhameng and the demon siblings, their robes rustling softly in the evening breeze.
"Shu-ge!" the demon siblings called out in unison, rushing forward with worried expressions.
"Are you really leaving?" the youngest asked, clutching at the edge of Shudu's robe.
Li Zhameng hung back, his gaze scanning the courtyard. "Shizun… where's A-Tuzi?" he asked softly.
Xue Laohu sighed deeply, folding his arms. "He… hasn't left his room."
The group fell quiet for a moment, the rustling of leaves and distant wind chimes the only sound. He turned his head one last time toward the inner courtyard—and there, standing beneath the shade of the peach blossom tree, was Xue Tuzi.
Draped in white robes, he looked almost ghostly in the waning light. His face was pale, too pale, and his eyes red-rimmed and weary. His lips were flushed a soft rose, parted slightly as if he were caught mid-breath. Their gazes met, and Shudu's smile returned—soft, aching, and unbearably fond. One sharp canine peeked out as his lips curved.
"I thought," Shudu murmured, walking toward him, "you wouldn't come to see me off."
Xue Tuzi said nothing. His eyes, cool and unreadable, watching every step Shudu took.
As the demon reached him, he wrapped an arm around Xue Tuzi's waist, pulling him flush against his chest and lowering his face for a kiss.
Thwack!
A sharp smack landed against Shudu's cheek—not from Xue Tuzi, but from a furious little Tuanzhu. The Gu worm puffed her cheeks indignantly, her glossy eyes narrowed into slits. She had been crying with Xue Tuzi all day, and she wasn't going to let her demon daddy off so easily.
"I promise to come back," Shudu whispered, brushing past Tuanzhu and sealing his lips to Xue Tuzi's.
The kiss deepened, slow and tender, then fevered and desperate. Xue Tuzi clung to him, arms wrapping around the demon's neck as he stood on tiptoe, returning the kiss like a man drowning—like someone memorizing it with every nerve in his body.
Tuanzhu was crushed gently between them, squeaking in protest.
When they finally pulled apart, lips still brushing, breath mingling, Xue Tuzi whispered against his mouth, "Take me with you."
Shudu's hand trembled as it held the small of his back. He pressed his forehead to Xue Tuzi's.
"I can't," he said, voice ragged.
Xue Tuzi leaned his head into the demon's chest, inhaling his scent as if to trap it in his lungs. "Then… come back to me soon," he murmured.
His hands cupped Shudu's face, and he kissed him again—one last time, heated and aching. When their lips parted, he didn't say goodbye. Instead, he jabbed Shudu in the stomach with a swift, sharp punch.
"Ow—! What was that for?" Shudu grunted, clutching his abdomen.
Xue Tuzi's lips curved into a mischievous smirk, the tiny mole at the corner twitching with the motion. "In case your eyes wander to someone else while you're gone."
Shudu laughed through the pain, the sound hoarse and warm. He stepped back slowly, his eyes never leaving Xue Tuzi's face until the very last moment. And then, the demon turned—and walked away. The sun disappeared beyond the mountains, and the night closed in behind him.