Qixi! The Magic Apprentice and the Demon

Today was the last day before the magic academy's holiday break. Lu Mingqiu majored in summoning, and the vice principal who taught the class waved his wand just as class was ending. A tiny bell shot from its tip, ringing twice.

"Students, after a year of study, I trust you've all mastered the intricacies of summoning and how to communicate amiably with the beings you call forth. So this year's assignment is to summon a companion creature. Any species, any attribute. You must spend the holiday with it, and when school resumes next year, bring it back and take the compatibility test."

"Some of you might wonder: what happens if your summon dies, goes missing, or clashes with you halfway through? You can dismiss it and summon another, but remember—you only have one holiday. If you fail the compatibility test next semester..."

The vice principal, gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, narrowed his eyes. "Then I'll have no choice but to fail you."

After class, the vice principal left. In an instant, the silence shattered like a drop of cold water into hot oil. The classroom erupted with chatter, students buzzing with excitement about what kind of summon they wanted.

Lu Mingqiu packed her textbooks into her bag, but her face didn't show the same joy as the others. Her deskmate noticed, suppressed her own smile, and leaned in to whisper, "Hey, why not stay at my place during the break?"

"Thanks," Lu Mingqiu said, her eyes grateful, but she shook her head. "If I don't go home, my parents will be upset."

"No worries. See you next semester."

Her deskmate could only wave as Lu Mingqiu slung her bag over her shoulder and walked out.

Students of all years and disciplines poured out of the school, joyfully racing toward the gates. Some boarded carriages or buses; others rode bicycles, horses, or magical beasts—each displaying their own mode of transport.

Lu Mingqiu's home was far away, but she had neither a beast to ride nor money for bus fare. However, she had her own way.

She took off her glasses, pulled out her wand, and spoke an incantation over it.

The arm-length brown wand gave a *pop* and transformed into a wide broom. Lu Mingqiu perched on the bristles, and with a whoosh, she shot up into the sky.

The wind blew back her hood, revealing a thick mane of curly red hair—so red it resembled azaleas, camellias, the first blush of sunset.

Even the vice principal, a stern teacher, couldn't help but admire it—red hair was a sign of exceptional magical talent.

And indeed, she was: top of her class by a wide margin, far ahead of many wealthier peers. This, of course, earned her a measure of jealousy.

Above her stretched a clear sky; below, rolling green woods. A bird with a black back and white belly, sporting long tail feathers, boldly landed on the front of the broom and hitched a ride for a while.

Lu Mingqiu leaned back, hands pillowing her head, watching the clouds drift apart and together.

Half a day passed. Her stomach growled, and the broom swooped downward, landing beside a clear green lake.

The girl hopped off, and the broom reverted to a short wand in her hand. In the next instant, the wand shifted into a fishing net. She cast it out with a flick, hauled it in, and several lively fish flopped into the mesh.

Lu Mingqiu kept only one and tossed the rest back into the lake.

After a satisfying roasted fish, she set off again.

Whenever hungry, she caught some game; when tired, she pitched her tent and slept. It took her two days to reach home.

Her house nestled in a mountain hollow, with a stream running beside a small village.

Lu Mingqiu flew over and landed in a courtyard containing a three-story house. An old man who looked like a steward was sweeping fallen leaves. "Young miss, welcome home."

"Grandpa steward, is Father home?" She tucked away her wand, tidied her tousled hair, smoothed the wrinkles in her skirt, and became once more a prim, proper young lady.

"The master is in his study," the steward said.

She nodded, placed her luggage in her room, then headed to the second-floor study.

Her father, always expressionless, sat in a cavernous leather chair, feet planted on a faded crimson rug. "Show me your report card."

Lu Mingqiu handed over a sheet full of A's. Her father studied it for a long time before letting out an "Mm." "Study well. The family's revival rests on your shoulders. Don't disappoint the years I've spent on you."

She acknowledged and left the study.

Her mother was out—probably shopping for daily necessities.

She walked along the corridor and noticed several spots of peeling paint on the stairs. She took out her wand and patched them up. She fixed the flaking plaster on the walls too, making the rundown old house look a bit better.

After these chores, it was time for homework. Lu Mingqiu headed to the basement, which had been converted into a private practice room. Her father, the head of the family, took her studies very seriously and had ordered that no one disturb her when she practiced.

She also came here when she wanted some time alone.

What should she summon? In terms of raw power, a demon was obviously the best, but she was merely an apprentice, and demons were naturally cunning—even under contract, they could easily turn on their summoner.

Maybe an elf? Water spirits were gentle, the easiest option, and herbivorous magical beasts were also a fine choice. But despite seemingly having options, she actually had none.

She had to maintain her top grades. Her father's pressure, her mother's expectations, the weight of the family—all rested on her shoulders. She *must* come in first, or she'd be a betrayer of her family, an unworthy descendant.

So she needed to summon a demon, preferably a high-tier one, to outshine everyone else.

A demon...

Lu Mingqiu set her jaw, meticulously drawing the summoning array: a pentagram, a goat's head, then lighting candles.

With preparations complete, she took a deep breath, sliced her finger, and let the blood drip onto the center of the circle. Suddenly, winds howled, the magic lamps flickered, and phantom visions assailed her—the scorching scent of brimstone, the hard rock of blasted landscapes, a blood-red sky, and distant howls.

Black flames erupted with a roar, licking upward and spreading across the ceiling. A grinding, teeth-jarring whisper drilled into her ears, flashing cravings—greed, bloodlust, hunger. Just as she was about to give out, the flames abruptly withdrew into a humanoid shadow.

The lamps steadied, casting the silhouette of a horned figure on the wall.

"Human." The demon spoke, its deep amber eyes suddenly glowing.

A humanoid demon, with horizontal-slit pupils and ram horns—a greater demon, no doubt. How could she have summoned a greater demon!

Lu Mingqiu forced herself to stay calm. No matter what it was—as long as it had passed through the array, a contract was sealed, and it was bound by rules. It couldn't actively harm her.

Calm. Stay calm.

The first step was to offer the blood sacrifice a demon would savor. Her expression stiffened as her gaze fell on a raw veal shank on the side table.

Did humanoid demons eat raw meat?

The demon noticed it too. "Oh, is that for me?"

She casually stepped out of the summoning circle, making Lu Mingqiu's pupils contract. Her mind screamed: *How can she just walk out on her own?!*

The demon's shadow melted away, revealing her true form: curved black horns spiraling from her head, hair as dark as ink with perpetual black flames dancing atop, pale skin, amber eyes, a robe like a raven's feather, and... cloven hooves.

Every step left a charred hoofprint and burned through the magic circle beneath.

The demon picked up the raw shank, sniffed it, then opened her mouth and took a bite. She chewed thoughtfully and commented, "A six-month-old calf—quite tender."

Lu Mingqiu saw teeth like a shark's, serrated and sharp, cutting through bone as if it were a biscuit. Soon the entire shank was gone, nothing left.

*Hello, my name is Lu Mingqiu, sixteen, a magic apprentice. Today, I will die to a summer assignment. Please place sunflowers on my grave—if any remains of me are left.*

The demon finished the shank, turned her gaze to Lu Mingqiu, and said flatly, "Why so quiet? Are you mute?"

Lu Mingqiu hesitated a beat. "Greetings. I'm merely surprised. With my level of power, I shouldn't be able to summon someone like you."

"True, your magic is like a cup of water—weak, meager, no flavor," the demon said coolly. "But I wished to visit the mortal world, and this happened to be convenient."

"What do you seek by summoning a demon?" she asked.

Lu Mingqiu hesitated again, catching the implication: she'd help fulfill the contract quickly, then be free as a bird to roam the mortal realm.

Splendid.

The apprentice, clad in her robe, gripped her wand and did her best to steady her voice. "To complete my summer assignment and take the compatibility test with my summon when school resumes."

Demon: "School test?"

Lu Mingqiu forced herself to explain. "In September, classes start, and the teachers evaluate the relationship between students and their summoned partners."

Demon: "What month is it now?"

Lu Mingqiu: "...July." In the uneasy silence, she added quietly, "The third."

The demon slowly blinked once. "July."

Nine minus seven equals two. Simple arithmetic.

The demon's expression remained aloof. Her cloven hooves clicked crisply on the floor as she drew near, folding in her black flames, bowing her head and leaning close to Lu Mingqiu's neck.

Perhaps when one is too frightened, one suddenly goes calm. The girl's thoughts began to run away with her, wondering whether her blood would spray across the floor or be drained dry, speculating whether her flesh would be considered fresh.

She hadn't dared stare before, but now she noticed in surprise that the demon's lashes were a pure white. And her breath was scorching hot, as if it carried the air over an entire lake of magma.

"Fine," the demon said.

Lu Mingqiu snapped out of it. "What?"

"I'll accompany you through your test." The horned demon replied thus.

****

How strange.

Lu Mingqiu sat by the river reciting next semester's spells, but she couldn't stop stealing glances at the demon sitting on another rock, also staring at the water.

There'd been a minor upheaval when she brought the demon upstairs—her mother shrieked and knocked over a fruit basket, her father grabbed a stool, and it took a great deal of explaining before she persuaded them the demon was her summon.

To be honest, even after more than half a month, she still couldn't quite believe it and couldn't understand why the demon had agreed.

Normally, before a summoner formally binds a contract, the summoning circle acts as a cage to prevent creatures from attacking. Without the summoner's explicit permission, a summoned being shouldn't—and can't—leave the circle's bounds; that way, it's easier to dismiss creatures that fail to reach an agreement or prove unsuitable.

But this one could move freely.

Lu Mingqiu genuinely wondered whether the contract had any hold over this demon.

And if the demon had agreed to stay, what was she really after?

The demon knew her doubts but showed no intention of explaining.

She watched the fish swimming in the river, then reached out and snatched a fluttering butterfly. She blew on it softly.

Abyssal power transformed the white-winged butterfly into a monstrous creature—huge, lined with teeth and spiked limbs.

The monster beat its bone-spiked wings and plunged into the water, hauling out a lively fish. It brought the catch intact to its creator.

The demon gripped the fish by the tail, expression blank, and opened her maw wide to display her sharp fangs. She bit it clean in half and chewed slowly.

Blood and gore splattered. She frowned, clearly unimpressed, and tossed the other half back into the river.

Lu Mingqiu was dumbstruck.

She didn't know whether to ask about the butterfly monster or the fish that had met an untimely end.

"It..." She collected herself. "Is that, er, your servant?"

"It's no servant of mine," the demon refuted. "Just a lowly imp. Not worthy to serve me. You may practice on it."

"Very well," Lu Mingqiu said.

The mutated butterfly perched quietly on the ground, offering no opinion on its imminent, lingering demise.

"I don't get it," Lu Mingqiu said as she experimented one by one with new spells she'd taught herself, but she couldn't hold it in any longer. "Why did you agree?"

Even without a summoning medium, the demon surely had other ways to reach the mortal world, right? This worry had bothered her for far too long. She couldn't settle with the truth unknown.

"Because my purpose in coming to the mortal realm was none other than to find you," the demon said.

She rose and walked toward Lu Mingqiu. As she passed the mutated butterfly, black flames licked up without warning and consumed it silently—nothing left, not even a soul.

The demon stood over her, looking down. "An innocent one. The one who, according to prophecy, will kill me."

The wind picked up, fluttering Lu Mingqiu's clothes and stealing the cold sweat from her skin.

"Will you kill me, then?" Her voice came out hoarse.

The demon's face stayed impassive. "The prophecy also says the two of us shall wed."

Lu Mingqiu: ?

One moment deadly enemies, the next lovers—wasn't that a bit of a leap?

"Humans all possess a clever tongue, skilled at spinning sly lies. I've been wondering..." The demon raised a finger to Lu Mingqiu's lips. Her fingertip was black as ink, harboring the most passionate venom. A mere scratch against a wound would set even the purest angel to falling into a beast of lust.

"—Is it that you've used that tongue to spin me lies and lead me onto prophecy's path?"

Lu Mingqiu dared not flinch, could not move, and could only stand frozen, defending herself. "After all these days together, you must have seen that I have not spoken a single falsehood to you."

Only a madman would lie before a demon skilled in bending minds.

"Then you used your honesty to tempt me," the demon declared, ignoring logic. "You flaunt something that doesn't exist in hell before my very eyes—that's an obvious invitation."

During this period, Lu Mingqiu and the demon had shared some conversations, and to her surprise, though the demon was quiet, she was absolutely reasonable.

She'd secretly speculated that perhaps this was the grace befitting a greater demon—that, unlike the pleasure-driven lower demons, greater ones were better at disguising and more like humans.

After hearing this speech today, she realized just how fatal overthinking could be.

She could only choke out, "You know I have no such intention."

"Why not?" The demon stepped closer; the black feathers of her robe brushed against the girl's hand, surprisingly warm. "Why won't you tempt me?"

"Position above all others, power within grasp, mountains of gold, countless treasures. Humans all want those. Don't you?"

The demon's tone remained flat, yet it naturally carried the power to seduce. Visions bloomed before Lu Mingqiu—all the ecstasies of the mortal world.

"I don't want them." Lu Mingqiu pulled free of the illusion, no greed in her eyes. "I'm a top student with real talent. I'll definitely become a first-rate archmage. These things I can obtain by myself. I have my own plans for life; I don't need such means."

The demon seemed to ponder. "The prophecy was right. You truly are exceptional."

She lowered her gaze. "I should devour you."

Lu Mingqiu paled instantly and tried to flee, but her legs were pinned as if fixed in place, unable to take a single step. She tried to brandish her wand, but her arm was like clay. When she opened her mouth to shout, her head froze too. From head to toe, she was locked in place, utterly immobile, forced to watch as the demon lowered her head closer and closer.

Then her lips scorched.

A forked tongue, like a serpent's, pried open her teeth and delved straight in—slick, burning hot, reaching depths no ordinary tongue could—then licked from the inside out.

Lu Mingqiu bore it in panic and terror. As pressure on her shoulder pushed her backward, she anticipated the pain of hitting the ground, but none came—only an endless fall.

In the weightless descent, the demon bit the corner of her mouth and lovingly lapped up every drop of blood. "You taste good."

Lu Mingqiu was certain that "good" in the demon's mouth was meant in the most literal, most bloody sense.

After an unknown span, she finally landed, on a soft, circular bed.

Abyssal power filled the air, and the ever-present scent of sulfur lingered at her nose.

This was hell.

The demon's bedroom was opulent beyond measure and terrifyingly vast, but she remained immobile, able only to glimpse beyond the bed through drifting curtains.

*Spoils.*

The demon called her that and kept her imprisoned in the palace.

Every day, at unpredictable hours, whenever the whim struck, she would do unspeakable things to Lu Mingqiu.

But each time, she was both restrained and outrageous.

The demon would caress only a single part at random—sometimes her palm, sometimes her calf—and with a slow, unceasing rhythm, kindle the flames of desire across her body.

Or she would take Lu Mingqiu out to see hell's spectacles—bloody, betrayal-soaked carnage; or to a treasure vault piled high with gold and gems, where picking up any jewel revealed value beyond the world's reckoning.

Sometimes, she did nothing at all, and took the human girl to watch the first light when the purple moon rose, or the aurora-like ribbons of cyan light scattering across the sky, or a pink lake, or the white blossoms on a thorn vine that grew from a crack in the rock.

The girl couldn't stomach hell's fare, so the demon went up to the mortal world and brought back delicacies—foods humans had never tasted before.

This was unquestionably seduction.

The demon was both restrained and audacious. She seemed to care for the girl, yet at the same time, as if she were just a plaything.

Lu Mingqiu was still a teenager. Though her family circumstances made her more mature than her peers, her mind wasn't fully hardened.

Against the demon's aggressive advances, she soon surrendered. And yet, she kept a shred of wariness—she wasn't the type to lose her head easily.

Finally, one day, the demon came before her and, without a kiss or an outing, asked simply: "Have you fallen for me?"

Lu Mingqiu did not lie. She nodded.

The demon's face finally betrayed a sliver of pleasure. "The prophecy also said I would fall for you first and go willingly to my death. Now we can prove it utterly wrong."

"Then why don't you kill me?" Lu Mingqiu asked calmly. "If you kill me, wouldn't the prophecy be broken anyway?"

The demon grew angry. Her power surged, incinerating the room's furniture to ash—yet it deliberately spared the girl standing at the center of the room.

"Are you provoking me?" she snapped, her eyes turning to pitch black.

The human wrapped her arms around the demon's waist, and the raging flames gradually subsided.

"You don't seem much like a demon," she said, smiling.

"You don't seem much like a human either," the demon countered.

The End.