Deviant: No Longer Human

Wang Xiao's aura wasn't just threatening—it was a promise of death.

The kind of power that didn't need to flash a sword to send shivers down your spine.

The kind of man who could be playing with children in a park, and a single glance from him would make your blood run cold.

He could kill without ever lifting a weapon.

Even Ji Xuehong, as cold and indifferent as she was, felt a tremor of fear deep in her heart. Her breaths became shallow as she stepped closer, trying to control the nervous flutter in her chest.

She knew this feeling well—it wasn't her first time facing it.

Unfortunately, his power was something she had witnessed firsthand, and each time she saw him, the memory of his strength stirred something dark and primal in her — fear.

He was restraining himself, always holding back.

And Ji Xuehong knew that better than most.

The closer she approached, the deeper that fear settled in her bones. It wasn't just the fear of his anger, of his violence, but the knowledge that, no matter how strong she had become, he was stronger.

Far stronger.

As she neared the chamber, she heard the low murmur of voices drifting from inside.

"What's her name?" one voice asked, smooth but laced with an unmistakeble power

"Ji Xuehong..."

There was a pause, then a hum of approval. "Hm? That's a good name."

The response came back, quieter, "The person is even better than the name."

She stopped just outside the doorway, listening to the conversation, her heart pounding in her chest.

They were talking about her.

________

"Lord Father."

The cold, emotionless voice cut through the air, immediately grabbing Wang Xiao's attention.

"..."

His relaxed, lazy demeanor stiffened, his expression instantly souring as if he had just bitten into something bitter.

"What?" he snapped, clearly irritated, as if the very phrase had ruined his mood.

Yuzuki and Liu Yanmei exchanged confused glances. They turned toward the source of the voice and were both momentarily stunned by what they saw.

The figure before them had a face almost doll-like in its beauty, round and delicate, but utterly devoid of emotion. Her long, straight red hair shimmered with an eerie, mesmerizing beauty, cascading down her back. But what made the sight more chilling was the black, spiked armor she wore, sharp and menacing, as if she were ready to rip someone apart at any moment.

Renji nearly choked on his drink, glancing back and forth between Ji Xuehong and Wang Xiao in disbelief. 'Lord Father?' He couldn't mistake those words, no matter how surreal they seemed.

His head turned, connecting the dots, but the conclusion felt almost too absurd to grasp.

Zhao Lian, still curled on Wang Xiao's lap, felt an immediate sense of dread wash over her, as if a thousand invisible swords were slicing into her flesh.

Ji Xuehong's gaze was cold, piercing. She didn't have to say a word for Zhao Lian to feel the sheer weight of her presence.

Though Ji Xuehong's face remained expressionless, the intense displeasure radiating from her was growing. It seeped into the air, making Zhao Lian shudder.

It was as though Ji Xuehong's very aura was telling her one thing: You don't belong there.

Zhao Lian had always carried herself with cold arrogance, a woman who prided herself on standing above others.

But now, in the presence of Ji Xuehong, she felt like nothing more than an insignificant ant. Her heart pounded, the terrifying aura of the red-haired woman's, her pressure crushing Zhao Lian's confidence like it was paper.

"Just who let you out?" Wang Xiao stammered for the first time in what seemed like forever, his eyes narrowing, blinking as if trying to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

Ji Xuehong, however, looked at him with slight confusion, her expression indifferent but her voice softening, a rare smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "I've already killed all the warriors who sought your throne. You can claim it now without any significant obstacles."

"..."

"..."

The room fell silent.

Renji, who had braced himself for some sort of confrontation, suddenly felt like a complete fool. She wasn't here to contest the throne? Not only that, but she had already killed those who sought to challenge Wang Xiao—and was apparently his daughter? His daughter? How could no one have known about her?

Wang Xiao had two well-known daughters, but this one... this terrifying creature was never mentioned.

Wang Xiao's face contorted as he reached up to grab his forehead, the meaning of her words sinking in. "Fiona… I asked you, who let you out?" His voice sharpened, tinged with frustration and anger now.

Ji Xuehong—Fiona—shivered for the first time, a flicker of fear crossing her otherwise emotionless face. "Elder sister," she answered quietly.

Wang Xiao's expression darkened immediately. If Eveline had let her out, then today might very well be the last day Eveline walked the earth.

Ji Xuehong, or Fiona Whitehall, was second eldest Eveline's daughter. For reasons only known to Eveline, she had kept her daughters under her own surname, deeming them unworthy of Wang Xiao's family name.

Normally, Wang Xiao didn't care much about Eveline's oddities, but these daughters—they were something else entirely.

The memory of what had happened years ago flashed in his mind, a memory too dark to forget. While he had been away, all of Eveline's daughters, except one, had nearly killed several of his other women and children—Anran, Amelia, Eleanor, Wenxi, Lanlan, Victoria, and Yue.

The rebellion had been led by Fiona herself, but the mastermind behind it had been Eveline.

If his little cotton ball—saw Fiona walking freely outside like this, she might have a heart attack on the spot.

Of all his daughters, Fiona was the most dangerous, not necessarily the most powerful or the deadliest, but definitely the most unpredictable, the one raised like a cold-blooded killer by Eveline herself.

Wang Xiao hadn't known exactly what Eveline had been up to until that incident.

After the failed rebellion, he imprisoned all of them.

Eveline had only recently been let out of confinement, but not without restrictions.

Fiona's strength had long surpassed Eveline's. She had slaughtered their enemies and refined their souls as fuel for her cultivation. Wang Xiao suspected that soon she would achieve an immortal soul, like Athene, and become immortal herself.

But even more troubling was this Elder Sister. She was the only one who hadn't taken part in the rebellion.

Wang Xiao had allowed her to live in seclusion, granting her access to a temporary mountain, but anyone in contact with Eveline was untrustworthy.

No matter how distant or unrelated she might seem, Eveline's influence over all of them like a dark cloud.

Wang Xiao's eyes flickered with cold anger.

This was not the day he had expected, but now he had to decide what to do.

Fiona—Ji Xuehong—was standing right before him, free again.

"When did I give permission for your elder sister to let any of you free?" Wang Xiao's voice was cold, the sharpness of his tone growing.

If there was one redeeming quality in the fourteen daughters of Eveline, it was their unquestionably obedience to his words.

They had been raised differently, saw the world from a different perspective. If he commanded any of them to strip and come to his bed, they would do so without hesitation, without a second thought.

At the same time, there were no romantic feelings involved — It wasn't love or desire between man and woman.