The Crazy Fox Demon Devours My Heart - Chapter 15

At the lakeside pavilion—

As dusk settled, the wind rippled across the emerald surface of the lake, sending waves rolling gently, while the lotus blossoms swayed lightly.

At the very center of the lake stood a small, elegant courtyard, encircled entirely by water. A path of smooth river stones stretched from the shore to the heart of the lake, with another branch leading toward a nearby pavilion.

Cang Ya carried Fuyin into the house and immediately fled outside without so much as lifting his eyes—since Qingyu needed to tend her wounds, it wasn’t proper for them to linger.

Once the medicine was applied and the burning pain faded, Fuyin felt much better.

She glanced around the room and found the furnishings very much to the princess’s taste. Unable to help herself, she whispered, “Princess, this demon clan’s young master seems to treat you with great care. Today in the great hall, he even helped you.”

Fuyin had never liked the demons, simply because the princess loathed them, so she also followed suit. But after these two days, she felt the demon young master wasn’t necessarily such a bad person.

Now that they had already entered the demon realm, there was no way of turning back. Earlier in the great hall, the fox clan’s Matriarch and the elders had clearly shown their displeasure toward the princess. If Her Highness continued to resist stubbornly, she feared the princess would suffer greatly.

What she feared even more was that the princess might grow despondent…

Qingyu’s smile faded as she closed the medicine jar and walked to the basin to wash her hands. Afterward, she only told Fuyin to rest and recover well, saying nothing more.

Fuyin was simple by nature, with no ability to hide her emotions. A little kindness was enough to win her complete trust. But Qingyu knew too well—sometimes that sudden kindness could be fatal. After all, a hunter fattens prey before the kill.

Closing the door, Qingyu immediately noticed Fox Yan waiting in the pavilion. The evening breeze carried the scent of flowers, mingling with the faint fragrance clinging to his robes.

In the pavilion, Qingyu leaned against the railing, gazing into the distance.

“Ah-Yu, you look especially beautiful today.”

Fox Yan had no eye for the scenery; his gaze clung to Qingyu. No lotus bloom could match the radiance before him.

In his heart, the most beautiful flower was already standing there.

But for now, he could not pluck it and claim it as his own. By custom, he had to complete his coming-of-age ceremony before marriage. Though he was impatient, she was already here at his side, just as in his countless dreams—dressed in bridal red, so close, within reach.

His long-cherished wish was about to be fulfilled. For that, he could still wait a little longer.

“When is the wedding day?” Qingyu suddenly asked.

Fox Yan froze for a moment, then his eyes burned with passion, overflowing with suppressed affection.

Since learning he was a demon, she had grown cold toward him. This was the first time she had spoken to him of her own accord.

She asked when they would wed—did it mean she was willing to marry him?

“In half a month. Once I come of age, we can marry.” His voice trembled, unable to contain his excitement. He seized the delicate hand he had longed for day and night and pressed it against his chest. “Ah-Yu, are you impatient too?”

Qingyu endured silently, withdrawing her hand.

She had only asked to know the exact date, so she could measure how much time they had left to prepare an escape.

Half a month… that should be enough.

Even as she pulled away, Fox Yan did not grow angry.

Her pale, tender hand was slippery as a loach, hard to grasp. He dared not hold her too tightly, lest he hurt her.

The softness lingered in his palm, making him crave it again. He told himself Ah-Yu was simply shy.

—

In the ancestral hall, Fox Yan was distracted, not hearing the Matriarch and elders scolding him.

“Yan’er!”

The Matriarch’s stern voice snapped him back to attention.

“You have always been disciplined since childhood, never once showing such absent-mindedness!”

“Yan’er, to be overly obsessed with one thing is never good!” the Matriarch warned, her tone heavy with concern.

Elder Tiangong’s temper flared as he saw the boy’s state.

“How did I raise you? Your thoughts should be on the fox clan and the people of the demon realm, not that human princess!”

“I forbade you countless times, yet you insisted on breaking the barrier to fetch her yourself. If anything had gone wrong, how would you face the clansmen who trust you?”

Fox Yan knelt silently, enduring their reprimands.

The Matriarch’s voice softened. “Yan’er, we only wish the best for you. You are not yet of age and cannot understand matters between man and woman. That girl has no feelings for you at all—why force it?”

“She is already here. Best to kill her now and retrieve that severed tail—”

Before she could finish, Fox Yan’s head shot up, his eyes icy.

“I will never harm her. Grandmother once promised never to bring this up again. If Ah-Yu knew, she would doubt me!”

At the thought, his gaze softened again. “Besides, today Ah-Yu asked me when we would wed. She is willing to be with me—surely her heart already holds me. Even if she is cold now, if I remain by her side every day, she will eventually love me.”

Elder Tiangong trembled with fury, pointing at him. “You! Truly incorrigible!”

“You will kneel here and reflect on your actions!”

The Matriarch looked at him, her expression conflicted, thoughts drifting far away.

—

When Fox Yan was born, she had been both overjoyed and fearful.

Joy, because at last, after ten thousand years, the fox clan had birthed another nine-tailed fox—hope for the clan’s revival. Fear, because this child was not just any nine-tailed fox, but a Love Fox.

A Love Fox devotes itself to only one person in its lifetime. Its love can make it immeasurably strong—or drive it into madness.

Love Foxes were exceedingly rare. Ten thousand years ago, one had been born, and instead of revitalizing the fox clan, it had nearly destroyed the demon realm.

That catastrophe drowned the lands in bl00d. Countless great demons perished, sacrificing their souls to finally slay the World-Destroying Fox.

From its demon core, the barrier that protected the demon realm was forged. Only then did their people survive.

The memory of rivers of bl00d and fields of corpses was still vivid. Such a calamity could never be allowed to happen again.

When Fox Yan was born, many argued fiercely that he should be slain in the cradle, to cut off danger at the root.

But when she looked into his newborn eyes—wet and innocent, with nine little tails swaying—she could not bring herself to do it. He was the clan’s only nine-tailed fox, their hope, their future. How could she destroy him with her own hands?

So she entrusted him to Elder Tiangong, ordering him to raise the boy strictly, forbidding any woman from approaching him, ensuring he grew up in seclusion at the lake courtyard, devoted only to cultivation.

From childhood, Fox Yan had been obedient and diligent, never slacking in training, and as he grew, he managed clan affairs with composure and ability, sparing her much worry.

But then, ten years ago—it happened. Fox Yan disappeared.

When they finally found him, his heart’s bl00d had been taken, and one of his tails severed. Gravely wounded, near death.

Upon questioning, he admitted he had severed his own tail—for the sake of a human girl.

Every time her name was mentioned, he became a different person—stubborn, obsessed, deaf to reason.

Even though the severed tail meant his demon soul was incomplete, leaving him to endure constant, agonizing pain, he refused to kill her to retrieve what he had lost.

The Matriarch had tried to persuade him countless times, but each attempt ended in conflict.

It was clear—he had truly chosen her.

The Matriarch sighed heavily. She would have to think carefully about how to deal with that girl…