His Demoness

44 ⚔️ Faraway

Around them, the tall grass swayed in the wind as the night stars above them witnessed the kisses shared between the star-crossed lovers.

As much as they hoped that this moment wouldn't end, the tremor in the girl's voice tugged them back to reality.

"He's calling for me."

Her eyes wavered slightly as she swayed on her feet. She gripped Zhijian's arm tightly for support and he could feel the tremble in her hand.

"I'm hearing his voice in my head," Xiaoyu told him weakly. "We've got to get as far away from here as possible."

She was right. She may have temporarily broken free from Leader Jiang's influence, but she was barely holding on to her self-control. Because of the Puppet Curse, there was no telling when she might lose herself again and lapse right back into the state of oblivion.

Zhijian wrapped his arms around her. "Let's go."

Returning to where they came from, they grabbed one of the horses that the Jiang clansmen had left behind. Zhijian lifted Xiaoyu onto the saddle and settled behind her. Nudging the horse forward, the pair rode off into the night.

They didn't know where they should go, but anywhere was better than staying on their enemy's grounds.

Down the mountain they went. They travelled for a few hours, taking a few breaks in between to rest before setting off once again. In the early hours of the morning, they encountered a small group of travellers, who kindly directed them to the nearest town, the Phoenix City, which was just a couple miles away.

By the time they made it to their destination and located a small inn in the heart of the town, the pair was exhausted. They dismounted the horse and handed the reins to one of the inn workers before making their way to the front desk.

Zhijian was aware that they looked like a mess, especially with their dishevelled hair and dirty clothes. With Xiaoyu leaning heavily against him and looking all pale, they definitely attracted a lot of unwanted attention.

The owner of the inn, a man in his forties with a rag tossed over his shoulder, greeted them warmly with a toothy smile.

"One room, sir?"

"Yes please."

After making payment, the inn owner handed him a key. As Zhijian helped Xiaoyu up the stairs to the second floor, he could hear a few nosy murmurs from the other customers behind their backs.

"What a young couple. Did they elope?"

"I think so. Oh, such pure love. You can hardly see such a thing nowadays."

Ignoring their gossip, Zhijian led Xiaoyu into their room. He sat her down on the only bed available and kneeled before her to take off her shoes.

She was startled by his kind consideration. "I-I can do it."

"Let me do it," he insisted, before clearing his throat. "I hope you don't mind sharing a room because I don't want you out of my sight. You can take the bed while I'll take the floor."

"No."

Surprised, he looked up at her, noticing a shade of pink that tinted her pale cheeks.

"D-don't get me wrong," she corrected herself quickly. "I'm just saying that I feel a lot better when you're right by my side."

A playful smile tugged the corners of his mouth. "And here you got me thinking that you have other plans in mind for us tonight."

Her cheeks flared up in embarrassment at his teasing. With a light chuckle, Zhijian rose to his feet and headed for the wardrobe, pulling out a few clean, white robes for them to change into. "I think we both need a bath."