When Xiang Liu opened his eyes, he found a beautiful young woman dressed in tarnished yellow robes sitting by his side, busy chopping up herbs. It came to his attention that he was naked from the waist up. He tried to sit up, maybe cover his modesty, but every inch of him hurt. An involuntary gasp left him. It made his cheeks heat up. The demon's eyes fell on the woman again. It seemed like his antics had not caught her attention, or she was choosing to ignore him. Either way, he was glad for it. Lying back down, he took in his surroundings. 

The woman had large doe eyes and full, bow-shaped lips. Her hair was tied in a soft bun held by an ornate jade hairpin, with a good chunk of it fanned over her shoulder. At the moment, the contents between her fingers held her complete attention. She seemed familiar, but that was obviously impossible. It hadn't been long since he had attained his human form and was yet to venture into the human world. Strangely, his body felt larger as well. 

"How much longer are you going to stare at me?" The woman asked the bewildered creature. 

A part of him wanted to hiss at her and hide, while the other wanted to snuggle up against her bosom. He did neither and continued to stare. 

The woman smiled; it made the demon feel warm and fuzzy. It was a novel and strange sensation. If the creature was honest with himself, he would have admitted that he would not mind feeling like this forever. "What should I call you?" she asked, abandoning the herbs and plopping down next to him. 

The creature blinked, "Who are you?" his voice came out coarse like he hadn't had a drink in decades. 

The woman's eyes widened. "Are you kidding me right now?"

Xiang Liu shook his head and demanded again, "Who are you?" A hint of uncertainty lined his query. Why did it look like the woman was offended at not being recognized? 

His attendant's brows creased. "Do you really not know who I am?"

The demon shook his head, feeling more vulnerable than he had done moments ago; he looked around for something… anything to cover himself with. 

As if reading his mind, the woman shrugged out of her outer robe and covered as much of the demon's exposed skin as she could. "Xiang Liu, tell me the truth. What are you playing at?" She asked with a tinge of suspicion in her words; her actions, however, as she took her patient's hand, checked his condition, and fussed over him like a mother hen, were gentle.  

Xiang Liu felt out of his depth. The woman, as it turned out, knew his name. Did she also know who he was? If yes, why was she not scared? More importantly, why did her touch feel so familiar? 

"I don't know what you mean, woman." Xiang Liu spoke in his most menacing voice. It looked to have no effect on the woman. She merely lowered her head and smiled. 

'How rude!' The serpent demon was flustered. Did she not know what he was capable of? Granted, he hadn't displayed his powers in the mortal realm yet, but he was going to… eventually. Still, he had already made a name for himself in the demonic and heavenly realms. Had the woman heard nothing of it?

When Xiao Yao looked at him next, her eyes shone with mischief. Xiang Liu's heart somersaulted in his chest. The beast inside him hissed in delight; this sensation- like the one before it- was entirely new to him. Shame flooded his being as blood rushed to his nether regions, making him wonder who the woman was and why was she having this effect on him? 

Chapter word count: 638
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ord count so far: 3224