Chapter 9: Emergency

The morning sun cast long golden streaks across the Xiao Manor courtyard, the crisp air carrying the scent of dew-kissed petals. Under a blooming cherry blossom tree, Sukuna sat cross-legged, still garbed in white.

Before him lay a small koi pond. A black fish and a white fish swam in mirrored arcs, their tails occasionally brushing as if in harmony… or conflict.

“They are magnificent, aren’t they?” a voice said from behind.

Sukuna turned his head slowly, crimson eyes landing on Xiao Lie with disinterest. He gave a short nod, his tone cool as he spoke, “One exists because the other does… yin and yang. Harmony masquerading as balance.”

Xiao Lie chuckled softly, stepping forward. “Such insight from one so young. You must have lived long within your thoughts.”

Sukuna’s eyes remained on the pond. “Thought is a prison like any other. But sometimes, it sharpens the blade.”

Xiao Lie tilted his head. “Is that so?” he said thoughtfully. “Perhaps you are right, young man.”

Sukuna offered nothing further, his gaze distant again. A servant quietly arrived and handed Xiao Lie a watering can. Taking it without pause, Xiao Lie moved to tend to his garden the early hour being part of his daily ritual.

Soon, footsteps echoed softly along the stone path. Entering the courtyard were Xiao Che and Xia Qingyue, hand-in-hand though the stiffness in her gait betrayed her discomfort. As always, Xiao Lie noticed everything.

“You came,” he said with a warm smile, continuing to water the vibrant lilies blooming at the edge of the stone path.

“Grandfather, you’re up early again.” Xiao Che greeted politely.

“Qingyue pays her respects to grandfather,” she said with a graceful bow, hiding her simmering emotions with practiced decorum.

Beside the pond, Sukuna did not rise. His presence, however, now drew their attention in full. Even without speaking, his very existence seemed to press subtly against their minds a weight they were unable to ignore.

Xiao Che’s eyes lingered on the robed youth. The aura was strange. It wasn’t exactly cultivation energy no. It wasn’t anything like cultivation. It was… void. An abyss where he couldn’t even sense anything but a deep malevolent force.

‘And yet… his eyes…’

As he stared into Sukuna’s gaze, he felt a chill one not born of wind or temperature. A gaze that could peel the layers of a soul and decide if it was worth keeping intact or would it be reduced to absolutely nothing. It made Xiao Che's breath hitch. Even the Sky Poison Pearl pulsed once, uneasily, as though alert to the presence of something

Poisonous and deeply venomous.

A low, almost mocking smile played on Sukuna’s lips as he looked away, unmoved.

Xiao Lie turned with ease, gesturing toward the seated figure. “Qingyue, this is Sukuna, my guest.”

Xia Qingyue’s sharp eyes evaluated him instantly. Her gaze cool, assessing. “No cultivation.”

Sukuna's smile widened which looked quiet and lethal. “Unfortunately,” he said, voice smooth and low.

A chill licked down her spine. That single word reverberated oddly inside her mind, as though spoken through layers of space.

Then, still smiling, he turned toward Xiao Che. “Same as your husband here. Though… I sense in him dreams that reach far into the horizon.” His tone was amused, but his eyes said otherwise.

Xiao Che frowned slightly. ‘What does he mean by that…?’

Xia Qingyue looked in curiosity. “How did you kill that guard… without any profound energy?”

Sukuna tilted his head, expression unreadable. “There are many things you still don’t understand about the world,” he said, almost gently but his words carried the weight of inevitability.

The Fifth Elder nodded beside him. “Sometimes, the world bends to things outside cultivation... if you've stared death in the eye often enough, it recognizes you as kin.”

A pause followed, filled only by the rustle of leaves.

Then, Xiao Lie turned back to Sukuna. “I must say though, your presence is… unique. And your markings, I have asked but… what do they mean?”

Sukuna raised his arm slightly, displaying the intricate black patterns wrapping his wrist in two circular bands and on his face and forehead as well. “A tradition from my homeland. They appear when one comes of age and signify certain capabilities.”

As the words left his lips, the air thickened imperceptibly slightly. Sukuna noticed. His smile deepened slightly at their discomfort.

“Capabilities indeed,” Xiao Lie muttered with a faint smile, wisely choosing not to press further.

They moved toward the dining area where breakfast had already been laid out for four. Xiao Che, with all the pride of a new husband, dragged Qingyue to sit beside him, never letting go of her hand. Her expression was as calm and lovely as always, but her fingers were ice.

‘She must want to freeze him into a statue,’ Sukuna thought, taking his own seat and watching them with quiet disdain.

No sooner had Xiao Lie pulled his chair closer when hurried footsteps and a rough voice cut through the tranquil moment:

“Fifth Elder! Is the Fifth Elder here?”

Xiao Lie stood. “What is it?”

“Clan Master’s order. Immediate gathering of all elders urgent news concerning the future of the Xiao Clan!”

Xiao Lie frowned, his tone tightening. “Understood.”

He turned to the trio at the table. “It seems something serious is brewing. You three eat first. No need to wait.”

Sukuna didn’t spare him a glance. He calmly reached for a piece of green tea cake and bit in, his attention elsewhere. ‘Urgent clan meeting this early? Something’s either broken… or about to be broken.’ His mind briefly probed for hints or fragments of memory that could explain it but nothing surfaced.

‘Something entertaining better happen soon,’ he thought. ‘Or I’ll make entertainment of this entire city.’

No sooner had the elder departed than Xiao Che released Qingyue’s hand like it was a hot coal. With an awkward hop backwards, he quickly said, “Qingyue my wife, you’re very clever, so you definitely understand the reason I held your hand just now was to give grandfather peace of mind. I didn’t mean anything else. Please don’t be mad, alright?”

Xia Qingyue’s gaze chilled. “If you dare randomly touch my body again, I won’t be so polite.”

“Hey! You wouldn’t go that far, right?!” Xiao Che gave a sheepish smile. “Even if it’s a gratitude marriage, we’re still husband and wife. I’m not asking to touch ‘everywhere’… just your hand. Isn’t that reasonable? You won’t even let me sleep on the same bed, now you’re upset over a hand what kind of wife is this? I feel like I married an empress who hates me!”

Xia Qingyue’s lips twitched. He was ridiculous, but not in a way that bred resentment. Still, she said nothing, only sighed.

“Forget it, let’s sit and eat.”

“So you’re not angry anymore? Ah, that’s my obedient wife!” Xiao Che slid back next to her and placed a green bean cake on her plate. “Eat lots, Qingyue!”

Xia Qingyue silently wondered how her careful one-month plan had turned into a one-day headache.

At the edge of the room, Sukuna rose quietly and moved toward the open air, leaving the domestic idiocy behind. He tilted his head, listening to the wind eyes sharp, mood unreadable.

‘Let’s see what your “emergency” is, old man. If it’s not good… I’ll make it good.’

His grin widened. The koi swam silently in the pond behind him black and white, circling endlessly.