After Saving the Miaojiang Boy

[Boisterous, straightforward heroine of the righteous path x gloomy, obsessive young man from Miaojiang]

While wandering the martial world alone with her sword, Xie Chouyu accidentally enters Miaojiang and meets a young man from the region who cannot speak.

At the time, he is covered in injuries. Being the chivalrous sort, Xie Chouyu saves him without a second thought.

After spending time together, she learns that he isn't unable to speak. He simply doesn't want to.

Xie Chouyu tries everything she can think of and finally learns that he is the youngest son of the Old Miao King. He was ambushed during the struggle for the throne and only managed to escape after great effort.

Hearing about what the young man has endured, Xie Chouyu feels deeply for him. Seeing him lower his eyes as if about to cry, looking so obedient and pitiful, she immediately thumps her chest, eyes determined, and promises to help him reclaim the throne.

*

Later, after seeing him safely ascend the throne, Xie Chouyu claps her hands and prepares to go home and let her father know she's safe. But just as she's about to leave Miaojiang, her whole body suddenly stiffens, and she loses control of it.

Xie Chouyu stares in horror as her body turns around like a puppet on strings and heads back into Miaojiang.

Before long, after she passes through a dense forest, a tall, graceful figure comes into view. The young man's slender fingertips hold a translucent gu worm, which he gently waves at her from afar.

The cold wind blowing through the forest lifts his robes, making them crackle in the breeze. He walks toward her one step at a time, the jade ornaments at his waist chiming against Xie Chouyu's heart.

The Miaojiang King lifts Xie Chouyu's trembling chin with his pale, slender fingers and says with a chilling laugh, "Little Fish, the world is vast, but you can't escape me."

"Stay by my side, like a good girl."

*

From the hero's perspective:

Though Qing Yan is the Old Miao King's youngest son, he has carried a curse since childhood and grew up amid turmoil in the Miaojiang royal palace.

During the attempt to seize the throne after coming of age, he took a dangerous gamble and ultimately lost. Covered in blood, he fled the palace and collapsed in the dense forest.

When his life hangs by a thread, a girl from the Central Plains appears in his blurry vision. At first, he only intends to use her, but he falls for her as she protects him with unwavering sincerity, time and again.

Later, after reclaiming the throne, he thinks that at last he can give her a life of comfort and luxury. But through the gu worm inside her body, he senses that she is about to leave.

Qing Yan's eyes turn bloodshot. He controls the gu worm and takes control of Xie Chouyu's body, darting through the forest.

The veins stand out on the back of the hand gripping her chin, but he doesn't hurt her at all.

"Stay by my side."

His large hand grips Xie Chouyu's trembling shoulder as he whispers in her ear.

[Reading guide]

1. One-on-one romance, both leads' first and only partners, happy ending

2. This story is entirely fictional and set in a completely imaginary world

3. Many original worldbuilding details

4. More to be added if I think of anything

Theme: When you love someone, give them your whole heart