The Demon Lord and the Goddess
Linda 张玟玟 220110405
Tan Taijin was a born Demon Lord, and Li Susu a born Goddess—her very existence destined to bring about his death.
When the great war between immortals and demons shattered the Six Realms, the immortals used their magic to send Li Susu, the daughter of the Immortal Sect Leader and the last hope of all, back in time five hundred years. Her mission: to extract the evil bone from Tan Taijin before he fully ascended as the Demon Lord and save the Six Realms.
When Li Susu opened her eyes again, her soul had taken possession of the third young lady of the Zhou State’s Prime Minister’s residence—and the boy who would become the Demon Lord in five hundred years was now her husband. Tan Taijin had been trapped in darkness since childhood: abandoned by his father, the Emperor of Xia, tormented by his elder brothers, bullied by servants, sent to Zhou as a hostage, and finally ordered to marry Li Susu in a political alliance. Though Li Susu hated the atrocities he would commit as the Demon Lord, she couldn’t bear to see this innocent boy suffer such misery. Perhaps his tragic fate was what drove him to become the Demon Lord. She resolved to protect him, guide him to goodness, and wait for the right moment to extract his evil bone.
As they lived together, Li Susu noticed that Tan Taijin felt no affection for her—even disdain—yet he was drawn to her elder sister, Ye Bingshang. She wondered: how could a Demon Lord without a heart or emotions fall for someone? (Unbeknownst to her, Ye Bingshang had accidentally gained an extra thread of love in her youth, making her irresistible to others—even a heartless Demon Lord like Tan Taijin.) Despite this, Li Susu and Tan Taijin’s paths intertwined deeply. She defended him, insisting he hadn’t stolen the mansion’s jewelry; helped him slay the Chiyan Wasps, a vicious monster; stood against his enemies; rescued him when he was reduced to a useless wreck and sacrificed her left eye to restore his sight; fought tree demons alongside him; and endured the agony of the “World-Shaking Flower”for him. A Demon Lord born without emotions, he gradually fell for her boundless kindness—yet he didn’t understand love, mistaking his feelings for a spell she’d cast.
He secretly amassed power and eventually became the Emperor of Xia. Defying his ministers, he insisted on making Li Susu his empress. On the Flower Festival, he held her tightly and promised her a lifetime of devotion. He had never believed in gods, his first half-life marred by abuse and abandonment—but for her, he knelt in prayer and personally embroidered a wedding veil with his own hands. Even a demon had come to trust in blessings, hoping the gods would smile upon their union. The young Demon Lord’s love was silent, his heart stirred without him knowing. And Li Susu, too, had fallen for him in their time together. But he carried the evil bone, and she bore the weight of the Immortal Sect’s survival. Compared to the greater good of the world, she couldn’t indulge in her personal love for him. With tears in her eyes, she drove six “Soul-Destroying Nails”—capable of extracting the evil bone—into Tan Taijin’s heart.
His body ached everywhere, but the pain in his heart was the worst. The only person who had ever truly cared for him wanted nothing more than to kill him. He hated her—locked her in a secret chamber, banished her to the cold palace, humiliated her—but he could never bring himself to end her life.
Seizing the opportunity, his enemies captured Li Susu and Ye Bingshang, knowing these two women held his heart. They threatened him, forcing him to choose which one would live. Under the dark sky, the two young women stood: one bit her lip, staring at him with tearful, pleading eyes; the other—her obsidian-like gaze fixed on the gloomy heavens—didn’t even look his way, even though she was blind. She had never been cherished, never been loved. If she hadn’t come with a mission, perhaps things would have been different. In her time on earth, she had only given, never received. She was not a cold, emotionless god—she had hoped, in these two years, that someone had cared for her.
Amidst the howling blizzard, Li Susu heard the young emperor’s cold voice from the carriage: “Let Bingshang go.” The wind fell silent in her ears, and her world went quiet. “So Tan Taijin never loved me,”she thought, her heart shattered. “He still loves Ye Bingshang.” Ye Bingshang’s eyes filled with tears, and a smile tugged at her lips. Tan Taijin couldn’t help but glance at Li Susu. He didn’t know what expression he hoped to see—anger, jealousy, anything but indifference and contempt. He wanted her to regret, to feel intense hatred and resentment, to recognize who held the power to give her everything. But Li Susu, standing atop the tall city wall, only froze for a moment before breaking into a faint smile. It held no anger, only a sense of relief.
A terrible premonition gripped Tan Taijin’s heart. He looked up, his breath catching—he realized things had spiraled out of his control. When he turned again, Li Susu had broken free of her ropes and climbed to the wall’s highest point. Something inside him sank. He forced a cold expression, but panic laced his voice: “Li Susu! Step away!” Purple and black qi swirled in his eyes, and the hidden purple thunder in the sky gathered above her, creating a terrifying spectacle. Her slender, pale fingers formed a graceful seal. The thunder struck her one after another, and blood spilled from her lips. The Dao was unfeeling, and so too should she be—no hatred, no resentment. Her sacrifice would make the world bloom five hundred years later. Her Dao heart was fully resolute.
He bit down hard on his lip, blood filling his mouth. “Whatever you’re planning, I order you to stop!” He had never been so terrified.
“Tan Taijin,” Li Susu heard his voice and opened her eyes. Her dark pupils “looked” at him calmly, her tone cold: “I’m sorry for the six Soul-Destroying Nails.”No, that’s not true, a voice screamed in Tan Taijin’s heart. Don’t apologize! He suddenly feared what was to come, his body trembling slightly. On the wall, Li Susu’s eyes softened. Even in darkness, she said gently: “If this is retribution, I’ve repaid you with an eye. I’ll take your evil bone and give you a divine marrow. We are even now. All the past—let it be a karmic fate. I wish never to see you again, not even in the depths of darkness, for all eternity.”
“No! No! Li Susu, don’t you dare!” He was wrong. He shouldn’t have retaliated. Why had he argued with her? As long as she lived, what did it matter if she didn’t love him, if she hated him and wanted to kill him? But Li Susu didn’t look at him, didn’t hear his cries. The thunderclouds dispersed, and the sky brightened. A heavy snow began to fall, swirling around them. She spread her arms like a delicate butterfly and leaped from the wall.
Below, the figure in black went mad, rushing to catch her. He ran as fast as he could, falling and scrambling back up—but he was too far away, the distance like an endless road with no hope. Tan Taijin finally reached the wall and held her cold body in his arms. In that moment, seven hundred days and nights of memories flooded back, clear and vivid. He remembered embroidering the wedding veil with hope and joy, stitch by stitch. The way his heart would race when he saw her, the urge to follow her every move. The long-overdue thread of love took root and grew like clinging vines, wrapping around his heart, causing him unbearable pain—every breath felt like a knife. What would he do? Who could save her? His jet-black hair turned white inch by inch as he clung to her, sobbing helplessly. He wanted to beg, but didn’t know who to pray to. He wanted to hate, but didn’t know who to blame. Tears washed the blood from his face, and he collapsed, spitting up a mouthful of blood.
