The Little Peacock Raises a Snake (GL) Chapter 1

Blood blurred her vision.
These eyes were too heavy. To open them would take half a lifetime of courage.
But all she could see was endless black. She could not see her own fingers before her face, and her palm was empty too.
No matter how hard she clenched her hand, in the end she could only let go in confusion and let that endless chill slip away through her fingers.
The darkness scattered. Her mind first awakened.
“It is only a tribulation. Why rush it? Being an immortal is not that wonderful. It is much happier to be a demon.” In the first haze of awareness, someone seemed to stand before her in flowing red robes, graceful and bright, brows clear, smile lazy. “If you are born because of a tribulation and die because of that tribulation, would that not make this whole trip through the mortal world a waste?”
But demons did not live as long as immortals. Their lives were not as precious as mortals’, either. Their world was one where the weak were prey to the strong. How could it be as steady as being an immortal?
She had come down to this mortal world for one reason: to pass her tribulation and ascend.
Love tribulation or killing tribulation, it did not matter. Whoever helped her through it would be her benefactor.
…
Winter snow was cold. The little black snake had gone off somewhere again. She had to find it quickly before it froze.
Yet in the wind and snow, a slender woman came walking toward her.
Her black hair fell like a waterfall. One look could make a person forget the world.
The less clearly she could see the woman’s face, the more curious her heart became.
But when she strode forward and left uneven prints in the snow, that woman only moved farther and farther away.
No matter how stubbornly she chased, the woman stayed out of reach. Even when she ran until she was exhausted, she could not touch a single corner of that person’s robe.
…
“Come back with me. Whatever you want, I will give it to you.”
In a daze, someone spoke beside her ear.
“I do not care whether it is a love tribulation or a killing tribulation. Since you followed me, I will not let you suffer that disaster.”
What was this…
So strange, yet like a thorn in her heart. Touching it hurt. Pulling it out would kill her.
“Do not be afraid. As long as I still have one breath left, no one will take you away from me!”
She faintly remembered that she had once cared about that person so much.
So much that she could gamble away her three souls and seven spirits, every bone and every drop of blood, betting that person would never hurt her in the slightest.
But who was that person?
Who exactly was that person?
*
For thousands of years, the liveliest day in the immortal realm was the wedding day of Divine Lord Zhiming and Sovereign Lady Yun Su.
The Northern Xuan Palace, always cold and quiet enough that all the immortals wished they could walk around it, was covered in red silk for the first time. Guests from the three realms crowded in. The celebration was grand and bright.
To tell the story properly, the engagement between the two upper gods had been set fifteen hundred years ago.
Back then, Sovereign Lady Yun Su had only been a Blue Luan under the Western Queen Mother’s seat, delivering messages. Her merit was incomplete, and she had not yet undergone her tribulation. She was far from worthy of the proud, aloof Divine Lord Zhiming, who governed the northern heavens and earth.
Fortunately, eight hundred years ago, a black flood dragon had trespassed into the heavenly realm. The Blue Luan fairy, by some lucky accident, stabbed her in the chest. The flood dragon fled with serious injuries, and that mistake became Yun Su’s road to ascension.
Only, immortals always had to suffer a little before they ascended.
“Blue Luan Fairy, a killing tribulation or a love tribulation. Pick one.” The Star Lord of Fate held his little book and looked with great interest at Yun Su, who stood before him with a completely blank face.
Yun Su thought for a moment and asked, “If I choose the killing tribulation… will I die very badly?”
The Star Lord of Fate rubbed his chin and said tactfully, “I will try to be gentle.”
The corner of Yun Su’s mouth twitched. She had always been afraid of pain and did not want to put herself in danger. “Then how about the love tribulation?”
“Then allow me to discuss it with the Old Man Under the Moon.” After the Star Lord of Fate said that, he turned and left.
Several days later, the Star Lord of Fate came before Yun Su again and said two words to her.
“All set!”
As for how it was set, she knew nothing and dared ask nothing. The next day, she leaped down from the Reincarnation Platform.
For an immortal, undergoing tribulation only required one lifetime. A mortal life lasted barely half a century.
But Fairy Yun Su was gone for more than five hundred years.
The reason, when told, was ridiculous.
When Divine Lord Zhiming heard that Fairy Yun Su was descending to the mortal world for a love tribulation, he thought it over again and again, and finally decided to accompany her down for one mortal life.
When the Star Lord of Fate and the Old Man Under the Moon received this news, the two immortals went sleepless for days. They scratched their heads raw and wrote a love tribulation full of tangled affection and moving twists. Time, place, and people were all arranged. All that was left was for the two main characters to be reborn as mortals together and answer that one-life tribulation.
Who could have expected that the Blue Luan fairy had not done her lessons before jumping from the Reincarnation Platform? With one leap, she entered the animal path. She would have to cultivate for at least five hundred years before she could take human form.
Because of this accident, the script that the Star Lord of Fate and the Old Man Under the Moon had poured their hearts into never even got to the first scene before it became completely useless. It also troubled Divine Lord Zhiming into spending one lonely mortal life below. He did nothing at all, then returned to the heavenly realm with that same icy face.
Five hundred years later, Yun Su returned from her tribulation and forgot every bit of that past life.
For some unknown reason, Divine Lord Zhiming, who had once ignored her, seemed like thawing snow and spring wind now. He was no longer as cold and thin-hearted as before. His careful, gentle attention made countless immortal maids envy her.
And today, three hundred years after her return from tribulation…
The wedding of two upper gods should have been a perfect match, a celebration for all three realms.
But then, just a tiny little problem appeared.
In broad daylight, under everyone’s eyes, no one expected that the great demon black flood dragon, who had entered the Northern Xuan Palace with a wedding invitation, would dare rise up with her people, knock Sovereign Lady Yun Su unconscious, and carry her away in front of all the immortal guests.
Even more shocking was that Divine Lord Zhiming calmly watched the entire robbery of the bride from the side. From beginning to end, he did not lift a finger, as if the bride being taken today had nothing to do with him.
At the end, Zhiming looked at the ruined wedding hall and said mildly, “Forget it.”
With one sweep of his sleeve, he took away all the red from the hall.
Only one person remained, lonely in red.
*
On the day of the wedding, the person dressing before the mirror accidentally knocked the wooden comb from the edge of the table.
The comb fell to the ground with a dull sound.
For no reason, resistance surged in her heart.
“So careless.” The Flower Goddess’s youngest daughter curved her brows and smiled brightly. With a light hook of her finger, the wooden comb flew into her hand. “In all the heavenly realm, only Divine Lord Zhiming would indulge that careless nature of yours.”
“A-Yin, I do not want to marry.”
“Why not?” The little flower fairy tilted her head, her eyes full of confusion. “Divine Lord Zhiming treats you so well! Aside from him, who else could treat you like that?”
Yes. Aside from Zhiming, who else would give her such endless kindness?
…
Yun Su knew Zhiming treated her well. But she was afraid precisely because he treated her too well. She feared she would never be able to repay it.
She often dreamed of a person. That person seemed very important to her.
Like something carved into her bones and blood. In dreams, she was obsessed. On waking, she was lost.
She did not want to marry herself off in such confusion, but she also did not know how to resist the Heavenly Empress’s decree.
Whether it was fortune or disaster, something went wrong on the wedding day. She had just stepped down from the wedding carriage when a woman pulled her hard into an embrace.
In that instant, icy spiritual power invaded her body. Yet she did not feel afraid. She only lifted her eyes by instinct, wanting to see that person’s face. But before the veil covering her eyes could slip down, her vision went black, and she lost consciousness.
When she opened her eyes again, Yun Su finally realized what an absurd thing had happened to her.
She had been kidnapped. By coincidence, on the very day of her wedding to Divine Lord Zhiming.
The moment her mind cleared, she felt weak all over and could not summon even a trace of spiritual power.
In the dim light, she could vaguely make out a sharply defined and very beautiful face.
Silver hair, black robes. A pair of Cloud-Tangling maces hung at her waist. Narrow eyes, thin lips. A little cold, a little distant.
Without question, the one who had brought her here was the flood dragon clan leader who had been stabbed by her eight hundred years ago and had defected to the Demon Lord three hundred years ago: the black flood dragon, Qu Linyan.
This woman was vicious and cruel. Eight hundred years ago, she had thrown the heavenly realm into disorder. Now she had attached herself to the Demon Lord. She held all things beneath her eyes and feared no law.
It was so quiet. The huge stone cavern was quiet enough that even the sound of wine being poured seemed sharp.
Qu Linyan bent her long, bony fingers and tapped the stone table two or three times.
Then she lifted her brows and looked at Yun Su. “Blue Luan Upper God, long time no see.”
Yun Su shrank to the side by instinct. She was still in her wedding clothes, though her phoenix crown had fallen to the ground at some point. Pearl flowers were scattered everywhere. Her hair was loose and messy. Under the red gauze of her sleeves, her helpless hands trembled faintly.
Her phoenix eyes looked pitiful.
This black flood dragon had not remembered the grudge from that one sword strike all the way until today, had she? Had she prepared long ago to send Yun Su’s three souls and seven spirits back to heaven and earth on this joyful wedding day?
Please no. It had been eight hundred years. Surely it was not that serious!
“You, you… why did you bring me here?”
As soon as Yun Su spoke, she saw Qu Linyan rise and sweep her sleeve. Layer after layer of red silk hung through the stone cavern, and hundreds of red candles warmed the chill in the room.
Qu Linyan curved her eyes, walked to the bedside, and sat down. Her thin lips parted. “Naturally, to consummate our marriage.”
After she said that, she leaned closer, intending to remove the wedding dress from the person before her.
Yun Su was frightened half to death by this sudden turn. She hurriedly pressed down on Qu Linyan’s unruly hands.
“Wait, wait!” Yun Su had not recovered from the shock. “This is not… not proper, is it? I have already married Divine Lord Zhiming, I…”
“You never bowed to heaven and earth. It does not count.” As Qu Linyan spoke, one hand locked around Yun Su’s wrists while the other sealed Yun Su’s spiritual points. She leaned beside Yun Su’s ear. Her breath was warm, stirring the heart. “You are mine.”
The next moment, she followed the curve of Yun Su’s earlobe down and pressed a kiss to her neck.
After that, kiss after kiss fell in scattered, gentle lingering.
“Wait! Wait!” Yun Su’s face flushed. She wanted to dodge, but she could not move. The sight was especially tempting. “You, you… we are both women…”
“It does not matter. I do not mind.”
“…” Yun Su panicked. “Black flood dragon, you dare!”
Qu Linyan lifted her brows. “Why would I not dare?”
“Zhiming, Zhiming will kill you…”
“He had no intention of saving you! If he wanted to save you, how could I have brought you here without a scratch?” Qu Linyan gave a cold laugh. “To him, you are nothing but a burden, are you not?”
Yun Su knew very well that if she lost herself to this demon on the day of her wedding, even if she escaped this demon’s claws one day, she would never have the face to return to the heavenly realm.
Was this humiliation?
The shame and anger of being handled by someone else surged up in an instant, making Yun Su wish she could die on the spot.
“You… you wretched beast! You are despicable and shameless…”
Her voice trembled faintly, almost choking with sobs.
Qu Linyan could not help stopping her movements. She looked at the Blue Luan Upper God beneath her, clothes in disorder, tears at the corners of her eyes, face full of shame, anger, and fear. A trace of hesitation and pity entered her gaze.
“How am I despicable and shameless?” The person before her should have belonged to her in the first place.
“I… I am not a loose woman. I would rather die than become your plaything!” Yun Su bit her lip, her brows drawn tight, her eyes red. Angrily, she said, “If you hate me for that sword strike back then, you can simply kill me. Why use such a vile method to humiliate me?”
In that instant, the resolve in Yun Su’s eyes made Qu Linyan’s heart freeze.
After she came back to herself, she rose and sat on the edge of the bed. She straightened her clothes. For a long while, she wanted to speak but did not. Only then did her fingertips lightly brush the tear mark at the corner of Yun Su’s eye.
Her movement was gentle, but the grief in her gaze could not be hidden.
“Are you pretending to be heartless, or do you truly… remember nothing?”
A trace of spiritual light passed under her fingertips, gently releasing the seal on Yun Su’s spiritual points.
The instant her body could move, Yun Su shoved Qu Linyan away with all her strength. In panic, she gathered her torn collar and curled up in the corner of the bed with her knees hugged to her chest. Her back pressed against the cold stone wall, and her whole body trembled uncontrollably.
After several seconds of silence, she lifted her eyes timidly and happened to meet Qu Linyan’s deep black gaze.
It should have been strange, yet somehow it felt so familiar.
“Three hundred years ago, in one mortal life, you and I promised never to part.” Qu Linyan frowned, her eyes faintly red. “You… forgot all of it?”
Only at this moment did Yun Su discover that the demon before her looked at her with an obsession so deep it had no bottom.
So it was her…
The person in Yun Su’s dreams for three hundred years was her.
Yun Su pressed a hand tightly over her chest and bit her lip. “If it happened during a tribulation, then it should not count…”
“How does it not count?” Qu Linyan’s eyes reddened.
“What if it does count? Those few hundred years were only a flash of a white horse passing a crack to you and to me. A lifetime has already passed. Since I forgot it, it must not have held much weight. You and I…”
“That was your lifetime.” Qu Linyan cut her off in anger, her gaze especially stubborn. “I am alive. I remember. How can those vows be set aside?”
Yun Su could not help clenching her hands, as if she wanted to seize something with all her strength. But she only tore the flesh of her palms.
At that moment, something seemed to surge into her heart. It was clearly about to break free, yet it gently brushed the bloodstained thorn in the deepest, most untouchable part of her heart.
*
“Fu Xiaoba, if immortals and demons are fated never to blend, will you save me, or stay with me?”
“If you ask me to stay, I will not leave.”
“Then I will protect you life after life. Even if I must spend every bone and drop of blood, I will not fail this promise.”
“Then it is settled. When I need you, you must be there!”
If that was truly so…
Why, in the end, did we part?