The Demon Queen Insists on Marrying Me - Chapter 4

The morning breeze swept through the streets, now tinged with the pale dawn after a night of the beast tide. Tantai Jing, tall and graceful, walked through the ravaged, chaotic streets, the whip at her waist swaying with each step. It should have been a striking sight, but Lu Xiaoxiao felt a chill in her heart.

Trailing behind, Lu Xiaoxiao muttered under her breath, “Demoness… definitely a demoness. Cruel, disgusting, and utterly heinous.” The thought made her gag involuntarily.

The woman ahead suddenly stopped. “Do you know the difference between demons and humans?”

Startled by her abrupt halt, Lu Xiaoxiao stammered, “I don’t, pretty sister. But since you’re so beautiful, I imagine your relatives must be just as stunning.” Unsure of the demoness’s intentions, Lu Xiaoxiao figured it was best to flatter her—after all, her life was in her hands.

Tantai Jing stared at her, circling her slowly. “Our Demon Race’s advantage lies in our incredibly sharp senses of smell and hearing. I can smell the milky sweetness on you, like a newborn infant.” Her tone shifted abruptly. “And of course, our methods are notoriously cruel, our actions utterly heinous. You should know that very well by now.”

Tantai Jing’s gaze made Lu Xiaoxiao’s skin crawl, but she forced a smile. “Ha… haha, you’re so funny, beautiful sister! I haven’t bathed in days—how could I possibly smell good?”

Tantai Jing let out a silvery laugh and continued toward Yuelai Inn. Lu Xiaoxiao surreptitiously raised her arm to sniff herself, wondering if she should eat more garlic in the future. But then she thought better of it—that would just be adding seasoning for her.

At an intersection, they ran into Lu Wanbai, who had come to fetch Lu Xiaoxiao. Lu Wanbai heard Tantai Jing’s laughter from afar and was surprised.

Fellow Daoist Tantai always seems so stern and serious, he thought. Xiaoxiao used to be as quiet as a clam. What could they be talking about to make them so cheerful? Did they hit it off immediately?

After exchanging greetings, the group returned to the inn together. Fortunately, the cultivator stationed there had kept the beast tide from reaching the area. To show his gratitude, the innkeeper had prepared breakfast early, and several tables were already occupied in the dining hall.

Before Tantai Jing could even sit down, Lu Xiaoxiao, ever perceptive, swiftly stepped forward and wiped the bench with her sleeve. With a radiant smile, she gestured for Tantai Jing to sit, looking as if she were about to ask for a five-star review after Tantai Jing settled in.

Tantai Jing responded with a bashful expression, “Thank you, Fellow Daoist Xiaoxiao.”

Lu Wanbai stared in disbelief as Lu Xiaoxiao returned Tantai Jing’s smile and casually took her seat.

She strode out the door and glanced at the sky, thinking, Wait, the sun isn’t rising in the west, is it?

Even someone as slow-witted as her sensed something was amiss. Could it be… could it be that her Junior Sister had developed feelings for Tantai Jing? But it wouldn’t be surprising if her Junior Sister had fallen for Tantai Jing. With his handsome looks, high cultivation, and impeccable character, he was truly a rare and excellent Dao companion. The only problem was that her Junior Sister had lost all her spiritual energy and become much more timid. It seemed unlikely that someone as radiant and refined as Fellow Daoist Tantai would be interested in her. Still, Master always said, “Different strokes for different folks.” Who knew? Fellow Daoist Tantai might just have a soft spot for someone as delicate as her Junior Sister.

With this in mind, Lu Wanbai decided to seize the opportunity. “Fellow Daoist Tantai, to be honest, Xiaoxiao and I were just about to seek a sect to join. We’ve long admired the Jade Glow Palace. Would you be willing to introduce us?”

Tantai Jing replied, “Fellow Daoist Lu has held the top position on the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends Ranking for quite some time. Breaking through to the Golden Core Stage is merely a matter of time. If you express interest in joining another sect, every Immortal Sect will extend an olive branch, offering you their best resources. The Jade Glow Palace would undoubtedly value someone of your caliber highly.”

Lu Wanbai demurred, “My talent is rather mediocre; I’m unworthy of such praise. Any progress I’ve made today is solely due to diligent cultivation and unwavering dedication. I can’t compare to Fellow Daoist Tantai’s innate brilliance. When it comes to the most gifted individual of our era, that title undoubtedly belongs to you…”

Over the course of their meal, Lu Wanbai’s admiration for Tantai Jing and the Jade Glow Palace only deepened. She resolved then and there to switch her allegiance to the Jade Glow Palace.

It was said that Wan Xuan’er, the Palace Mistress of Jade Glow Palace, possessed extraordinary cultivation and harbored a deep-seated hatred for the Demon Race. Since assuming her position, few demons had ever escaped her grasp. The palace also housed the Demon-Locking Tower, specifically designed to imprison the Great Demons she captured. Within its walls, the imprisoned demons endured daily torment: at noon, they were subjected to scorching flames, and at midnight, they suffered the agony of icy hell. For over a thousand years, not a single demon had ever escaped.

The mere thought of this made Lu Xiaoxiao’s bones tremble and her limbs go numb. How could Tantai Jing remain so composed, his face impassive and his heart unmoved, even as he planned to infiltrate Jade Glow Palace as an undercover agent?

Lu Xiaoxiao felt as if she had stumbled upon a momentous secret.

It must be that Tantai Jing’s Great King is imprisoned there! They’re deeply in love!

Having spent her youth immersed in romance novels, Lu Xiaoxiao’s mind conjured only one image: Fahai, the monk who couldn’t understand love, had imprisoned Tantai Jing’s lover in the Demon-Locking Tower. Heartbroken and desperate, Tantai Jing had concealed his identity and infiltrated Jade Glow Palace to rescue his beloved. How touching! He sounds like a tragic hero!

Wait a minute… Tantai Jing was cunning, treacherous, and ruthless. How could someone she loved be any different? She must be an irredeemable demon, a criminal who deserved imprisonment by Palace Mistress Wan. And Tantai Jing, stubbornly unrepentant, is plotting to break her lover out of prison!

Now her thoughts were crystal clear.

Since Jade Glow Palace was a place that couldn’t tolerate demons, all she had to do was find a way to lock Tantai Jing in the Demon-Locking Tower and force her to hand over the antidote. It might seem like repaying kindness with malice, but Tantai Jing had tried to kill her too, hadn’t she? At worst, she could find a way to rescue Tantai Jing later. If that failed, she’d pull some strings to get her and her lover cellmates—that would at least fulfill her wish, right? Being imprisoned together was still being together.

Lu Xiaoxiao, convinced she’d cracked the case, slapped her thigh and burst into maniacal laughter, the laughter growing wilder and more uncontrollable.

Lu Wanbai touched Lu Xiaoxiao’s forehead. “You don’t have a fever, Xiaoxiao. Once we reach Jade Glow Palace, I’ll take you to the best physician to cure your illness and detoxify you. Even though the Profound Heaven Sword Sect is gone, I’m still here. Don’t be too sad.”

Tantai Jing cast Lu Xiaoxiao a meaningful glance. “Madness is incurable.”

After a hearty meal, the trio planned to redeem Lu Xiaoxiao’s Chaoyuan Sword and continue their journey to Jade Glow Palace. However, when they went to retrieve the sword, they were told it had gone missing. It wasn’t until they met Lu Wanbai that Lu Xiaoxiao learned the Chaoyuan Sword was a spiritual blade passed down since the founding of the Profound Heaven Sword Sect. Containing a Sword Spirit, it was an exceptionally rare and top-tier spiritual weapon. This revelation filled her with anguish—she had sold such a peerless blade for only a thousand coins, a truly devastating loss. Fortunately, Lu Wanbai reassured her that Chaoyuan was a spiritual sword that had already recognized its master. If left uncontrolled, it would eventually seek her out on its own, which eased her distress somewhat.

Jade Glow Palace was several days’ journey from Jing’an Town, and with the day growing late, the trio decided to hire a horse-drawn carriage to reach the palace quickly. After settling in, they would then consider how to recover the Chaoyuan Sword.

A sharp crack echoed through the air.

A horse-drawn carriage sped along the official road, towering trees blurring past on either side. Lu Wanbai sat perched on the edge of the carriage, skillfully driving the horses. Inside the cramped cabin, two breathtaking beauties sat facing each other. Tantai Jing stared intently at the other woman, making Lu Xiaoxiao squirm with discomfort. Her eyes darted up and down, finding no comfortable place to rest, and she fidgeted in her seat, twisting and turning until she could bear it no longer.

The two women sat in awkward silence. Lu Xiaoxiao cleared her throat and blurted out, “Pretty sister, what kind of demon are you? You’re so beautiful—are you a fox spirit?” The words were barely out of her mouth before she regretted them. I don’t even know if people here are traditional. What if Tantai Jing thinks I’m insulting her?

Tantai Jing cast a Dao barrier around them. “Who are you really? When did you possess Lu Xiaoxiao?”

Lu Xiaoxiao’s eyes widened. “What are you talking about? I don’t understand what you mean by ‘possess’!”

Tantai Jing leaned forward and gripped Lu Xiaoxiao’s wrist. Lu Xiaoxiao felt a warm current surge from her wrist, tracing a circuit through her meridians before converging in her lower abdomen. An indescribable comfort washed over her, banishing much of her accumulated fatigue from the past few days.

“Your spiritual energy is still intact,” Tantai Jing said. “Why did you lie about being poisoned?”

“It suddenly returned after dinner,” Lu Xiaoxiao replied. “I hadn’t had a chance to share the good news yet.”

Tantai Jing smiled wryly. “Then why are you so different from when we met you on Mount Lümeng? Back then, you were arrogant and impractical. Now you’re glib-tongued and utterly common. Still claiming you haven’t been possessed?”

Lu Xiaoxiao maintained her composure, smiling calmly. “I was in a bad mood that day, so I came across as irritable. My apologies for the poor impression.”

Tantai Jing abruptly tossed a book into her lap. Lu Xiaoxiao opened it to reveal the title: Purple Qi Comes Eastward Manual.

“I found this in the courtyard that night. I figured it might be yours. Also, you can just call me by my name next time.”

“Thank you…” Lu Xiaoxiao murmured.