The Crazy Fox Demon Devours My Heart - Chapter 7

Exiting the shop’s doorway, a loud hawking voice caught Qingyu’s attention.

On the street, an old man hunched with age carried a tray in his hands, loudly calling out.

Upon a closer look, it was filled with pieces of pink pastries shaped like flower petals, radiating a rich, sweet fragrance.

“Peach blossom cakes… it’s been a long time since I last had one.”

Qingyu’s gaze lingered quietly on the pastries, as though they had stirred distant memories.

Her thoughts drifted away, and she lost herself for a brief moment.

When she was a child, her favorite pastry was the peach blossom cake that her mother made with her own hands.

Unlike the overly sweet ones made by palace chefs, her mother’s always carried a light, refreshing flavor that suited her taste perfectly.

Since her mother’s passing, she had only eaten it once more—when a nursemaid had painstakingly gathered the ingredients and recreated it from memory inside the cold palace.

When she came back to herself, Fox Yan was already holding a small piece of peach blossom cake to her lips.

“Try it.”

Qingyu shook her head. “No need. The taste I remember is long gone.”

Yet Fox Yan didn’t lower his hand. His eyes were filled with gentle insistence.

“How can you know it isn’t the taste in your memory if you haven’t tried?”

Unable to refuse his persistence, Qingyu reluctantly took a small bite.

At once, that familiar sweetness spread across her tongue, and her eyes widened slightly in surprise.

This peach blossom cake… it tasted exactly the same as the ones her mother used to make.

She stared at the old vendor, her thoughts a little scattered. Was this only a coincidence?

Glancing around, she felt that today’s Fuguang Town seemed far too peaceful.

Everything was perfectly in place—so perfectly that it felt deliberate.

Yet the rumors claimed that Fuguang Town was a perilous place.

Fox Yan’s gaze fell on the tiny sugar crumb at the corner of her lips. He reached out and brushed it away.

Qingyu froze in place as his cool fingers brushed against her mouth, her mind momentarily blank.

Fox Yan withdrew his hand with a calm smile.

“You had something on your lips.”

Flustered, Qingyu quickly rubbed at her mouth with her sleeve.

“I can do it myself.”

After they left, Cangya appeared by the peach blossom cake stall.

The old man instantly transformed into a red-furred monkey.

Scratching at the fur on his head, he bared his teeth in a grimace. “Lord Cangya, when will that exalted person finally leave? It’s been half a month now. Everyone’s getting tired of pretending, always yielding to those cultivators—it’s stifling!”

“What’s the rush? Tomorrow the young master himself will come to claim the bride.”

The monkey scratched under his armpit.

“The princess’s carriage only arrived yesterday—why come so early, making everyone wait like this? And forcing me to sell something he personally made to that princess, of all things!”

Cangya’s grip tightened on his blade, his eyes sharp with warning.

“The young master’s words are yours to obey. Ask nothing more.”

The red-furred monkey dared not protest further. With a thump, he shifted back into the form of an old man and resumed hawking loudly.

——

The two of them wandered around for half a day, until Qingyu grew a little tired.

She had planned to return, but Fox Yan told her there was a mountain nearby with a breathtaking view at the summit. He insisted she should see it.

His vivid description of the scenery tempted her, and Qingyu eventually agreed.

Having lived confined in the palace, her body was not strong. By the time she reached the summit, she was breathless and nearly faint.

Fox Yan, on the other hand, showed no sign of fatigue. His robes remained spotless, his breathing calm.

When they reached the top, night had already fallen.

Holding her aching side, Qingyu asked, “Why did you bring me here?”

Fox Yan smiled faintly without answering, and instead pointed behind her.

Qingyu turned—and gasped.

The night sky was filled with dazzling floating lights, woven together like silken brocade, dreamy and surreal. She had never seen anything so beautiful.

The cliffside wind roared freely, whipping their clothes so that they snapped and fluttered.

Qingyu was entranced by the sight, feeling freer than she ever had before.

Fox Yan, however, kept his eyes only on her. In a low, gentle voice he said, “There is something I want to tell you.”

Qingyu closed her eyes, stretching out her arms, letting the mountain wind slip between her fingers. “What is it?”

“Actually, I—”

Before he could finish, blades suddenly slashed through the air toward them.

Sensing danger, Qingyu’s eyes flew open just in time to dodge one strike, the blade grazing her cheek and severing a strand of hair.

Another curved blade swung at her from the side, aiming straight for her neck.

Fox Yan reacted instantly—his five fingers transformed into razor-sharp claws, blocking the strike. He pulled Qingyu behind him, shielding her with his body.

Kicking one assailant aside, he shot into the air.

Eight long black fox tails unfurled behind him, their tips writhing like bloodthirsty serpents, each waiting to strike its prey with deadly force.

His demonic aura was overwhelming, stirring up a gale at the cliffside.

Sand and gravel whirled through the air, stinging eyes and skin.

Qingyu shielded her face with her arms, struggling to keep her eyes open, but even through the chaos she saw his true form.

Under the moonlight, Fox Yan’s black hair streamed wildly. His eyes glowed with feral light.

Sharp fangs glinted in his open mouth, and claws flashed coldly under the moon.

Behind him, eight massive tails swayed ominously.

He was a demon!

He had been hiding in human form all this time, right by her side—and she had never once suspected.

The near loss of her life had shaken Fox Yan deeply.

In his desperation, he had revealed his true form.

Those wretches—he would see them die without mercy!

Consumed with bloodlust, he darted through the air like a phantom.

In just one exchange, his enemies were struck down.

But he did not grant them a swift death—he crippled them first, then tore them apart piece by piece, drawing screams of agony.

Two survivors, unable to move, watched in horror as their companions were slaughtered.

Knowing they would not survive, they ignited their demon cores, transforming into a leopard and a tiger, and charged toward Qingyu.

She was their target all along.

Qingyu backed away in terror as the beasts closed in.

But behind her lay only the cliff’s edge. One more step and she would fall into the abyss.

Fox Yan roared into the night, his fox cry echoing through the valley.

In a blur, he appeared before the two demons, his claws slicing them into bloody fragments.

Through the downpour of bl00d, Qingyu saw his dark figure walking toward her.

Moonlight illuminated his face—devastatingly beautiful, yet smeared with bl00d, radiating a wicked allure.

His demonic form had not yet receded; bl00d dripped from his claws.

Chunks of flesh fell at her feet, but none of it frightened her as much as the man approaching.

Instinctively, her feet retreated—until she stepped into empty air.

She had forgotten about the cliff.

A crushing sense of weightlessness overtook her as she plummeted downward.

As the wind howled in her ears, her life replayed in her mind.

All these years of survival… it had all felt meaningless.

But perhaps this was for the best. At least she would not have to marry a demon and suffer humiliation.

“Ah Yu!”

Fox Yan’s eyes burned red as he watched her fall.

Without hesitation, he leapt after her.

In Qingyu’s stunned gaze, he wrapped his arms tightly around her, twisting their bodies so that he fell beneath her.

She was above, he was below!

His eight tails coiled around her, binding her securely.

With a splash, they plunged into the icy pool below.

The freezing water surged into her nose and mouth.

Qingyu swallowed mouthfuls of water, bubbles escaping as she flailed desperately.

Fox Yan held her firmly, his tails slicing through the water until they surfaced.

She gasped for breath, hair plastered across her face.

Fox Yan cupped her cheeks, sweeping her wet strands aside, urgently scanning her condition.

Seeing her cough uncontrollably, he quickly carried her ashore.

On land, Qingyu collapsed weakly against a rock, vomiting water.

Fox Yan crouched beside her, checking her frantically from head to toe.

“Are you hurt anywhere? Do you feel any pain?”

Catching her breath, Qingyu shook her head. Aside from shivering from the soaked garments, she felt no serious injuries.

But Fox Yan was another matter—his once-pristine robes were torn and bloodied, wounds seeping across his body, and his face bore scratches.

Her eyes drifted to the eight massive tails behind him.

Flustered, Fox Yan tried to hide them behind his back.

But the bloodied, mangled tails were far too large to conceal—every wound laid bare before her eyes.