A black-bellied, seemingly sweet koi fish demon who has fallen to the dark side x a genius, sharp-tongued demon hunter
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Chang Yushui kills her enemies’ entire family to avenge herself. Overnight, her name becomes infamous, and countless people hunt her down.
They fail to kill her. Instead, Chang Yushui kills her enemies, steals their martial arts manuals, cultivates demonic power, and is struck dead by heavenly lightning.
But she isn’t quite dead. Two hundred years later, she comes back to life. Sick of spending her days hiding and running, all she wants is to find a peaceful place to settle down.
Who would have thought the immortal sect would come down the mountain to hunt demons and ruin her peaceful life? To apologize, they decide to escort her somewhere safe.
Chang Yushui, disguised as a human: Have you considered that you might be taking me somewhere dangerous?
Unable to talk them out of it, Chang Yushui reluctantly goes with them. They slay demons and vanquish evil along the way, while she focuses on keeping her identity hidden.
To that end, she decides to stay away from Xing Xishan, the powerful young man in white who looks difficult to approach, one of the trio.
But things don’t go as she hopes. The more she avoids him, the more he comes closer.
He even asks her earnestly, his face cold: “Why are you avoiding me? Am I really that scary?”
Chang Yushui: I don’t know if you’re scary, but I know you’ll kill me if you find out who I really am.
So she guards her little secret identity even more carefully, and even decides to run at a moment’s notice.
But she never gets the chance. Instead, she runs into an enemy who should have been dead, back from the grave. Unable to suppress her hatred, she prepares to kill him again.
Things don’t go smoothly when she makes her move. Someone catches her, and her identity is exposed.
That person is Xing Xishan, the genius demon hunter who has always suspected her.
Chang Yushui watches the young man approach. She assumes he’ll draw his sword and kill her for being a fraud. Instead, he shields her and points his sword at her enemy.
The world says Xing Xishan has gone mad.
He not only turns on his family for that demon, but also breaks his vows for her, only for her to stab him to death.
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Chang Yushui never expected that the young man who’d been traveling with her was descended from her enemy. She never expected the two of them to end up on opposing sides, either.
As the two fight until both are badly wounded, Chang Yushui steps out from behind them and uses demonic energy to kill them.
After killing him, she has to experience being hunted by everyone all over again.
Chang Yushui flees in a wretched state, refusing to see anyone.
Just as she thinks she can forget everything, the young man she stabbed to death comes looking for her. He pins her fiercely against the wall, his life-bound sword inches from her neck. He doesn’t even need to move it. Chang Yushui could kill herself on it.
The pain she expects never comes. The young man withdraws his life-bound sword. His eyes are fierce, but his voice is gentle. “Shuishui, if you kill me, don’t regret it. Otherwise, I’ll think you’ve fallen in love with me.”
Reading guide:
1. My own take on cultivation, with tons of original worldbuilding. I make the rules, and there’s no clearly defined power ranking.
2. The heroine has a blood feud with the hero’s ancestors. That sword thrust was real, and the hero will betray his side later.
3. The hero pursues the heroine. Past and present lives, with flashbacks.
4. The writing is plain and straightforward. If that bothers you, don’t read.
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A lifetime of owing Xishan a debt I can never repay. The love between the leads is inspired by Xin Qiji’s “Partridge Sky: Sleepless.”
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“Once you’ve seen the great ocean, no other water will do. Other clouds pale beside those of Mount Wu.” The heroine and hero’s names are inspired by Yuan Zhen’s “Five Poems on Separation, No. 1.”
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Blurb written on January 17, 2026, and revised on March 21, 2026. Screenshots saved.
Theme: Meeting you is already the best fortune. Why spend the rest of my life simmering in longing?
