The Demon Queen Insists on Marrying Me - Chapter 7

Lu Xiaoxiao glanced at the compass, then at Tantai Jing, who pointed at her and said, “Your demonic aura is leaking.”

The trial mission Tantai Jing had received this time was peculiar. Just before her departure, she received an urgent message altering the mission.

The new mission’s location was Zhu Family Town. A few days earlier, Jade Glow Palace had received a letter from Zhu Zhen, a traveling peddler who spent months on the road. As the Lunar New Year approached, Zhu Zhen eagerly returned home, only to be met with devastating news from his wife: his only daughter, Zhu Yujie, was to be sacrificed to the Mountain God.

Zhu Family Town was one of the most prominent clans within a five-hundred-mile radius, with the Clan Leader holding absolute authority. The town had suffered from years of drought, and this year was particularly severe. The crops were withering under the scorching sun. Throughout August, the Ancestral Hall had summoned waves of Daoist priests, slaughtered three pigs, and organized numerous rain-seeking rituals, all to no avail. The desperate villagers grumbled in discontent, while Zhu Liang, the Clan Leader, had aged visibly, his hair streaked with white.

One day, Zhu Liang had a dream that seemed like a celestial realm. In the distance stood a young man wreathed in divine aura. The youth declared himself the Mountain God of Huangping Mountain, guardian of Zhu Family Town’s villagers. Witnessing the townspeople’s desperate plight, he had no choice but to appear in the Clan Leader’s dream. Following the Mountain God’s instructions, the Clan Leader led a group into the mountains. Within three days of their return, torrential rains finally broke the drought, saving the town from disaster. The villagers later built a Mountain God Temple in the mountains, which became a place of constant pilgrimage, its altars perpetually laden with offerings.

However, just a few days ago, Zhu Liang claimed the Mountain God had appeared in his dreams again. This time, the deity warned of a catastrophic flood upstream next year that would engulf Zhu Family Town. The waters would rise to a depth of six meters, followed by a deadly plague. No villager would survive the deluge. Zhu Liang awoke pale and sleepless for days. A few days later, the Mountain God appeared in his dreams once more. This time, the deity revealed a way to avert the disaster, but with a troubled expression, he stipulated the need for two virgin children—a boy and a girl.

The unfortunate Zhu Zhen, who was rarely home, had his orphaned daughter, Zhu Yujie, targeted by Zhu Liang and the villagers, who had long bullied the defenseless mother and daughter. When Zhu Zhen finally returned home, he was struck like lightning. After recovering from the shock, he enlisted the help of a traveling peddler to send a letter to the nearest Immortal Sect, Jade Glow Palace.

What should have been a half-day’s journey was compressed into a single hour by Tantai Jing’s full-speed flight.

The moment they landed, thick snowflakes began to fall from the sky. Zhu Family Town, with its black-tiled roofs and white walls, was divided by a frozen river in the depths of winter. Within moments, the town was blanketed in white, the distant pavilions and towers, and the nearby ancient bridges and archways, all quickly enveloped in snow.

Lu Xiaoxiao, rubbing her frostbitten hands, hopped off her flying sword. “Let’s grab some hot food first to warm up before we start.”

Tantai Jing nodded slightly and led the group toward the town center. The winter chill and falling snow meant they didn’t encounter a single person along the way.

After walking for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, they found an inn and requested a private room. Perhaps business was slow in winter, as the innkeeper eagerly rattled off a string of dishes: lamb tongue skewers, quail soup, fried tripe in yin-yang style, shark sashimi, bl00d powder soup, honey-glazed carved pastries—clearly hoping to fleece Tantai Jing for a fortune. Yet Lu Xiaoxiao accepted everything without hesitation, even ordering two jars of the inn’s strong liquor.

Lu Xiaoxiao stuffed a slice of raw fish into her mouth, her cheeks bulging as she mumbled, “This Jade Glow Palace is perfect in every way, except for the food. No meat at all! Cultivation is fine, but why eat vegetarian?”

Lu Wanbai and Mei Yuanhua nodded in agreement, their mouths full. Tantai Jing ate slowly and deliberately, barely touching the honey-glazed carvings that the others devoured.

This demon is so picky and possessive about food, Lu Xiaoxiao thought. Eating all that sweet stuff—doesn’t she worry about her teeth?

After the feast, the table was a chaotic mess. If not for their elegant attire, the waiter might have mistaken them for famine refugees.

Lu Xiaoxiao took a few sips of the strong liquor, feeling drowsy and eager to retire upstairs for a nap. When Tantai Jing showed no sign of calling for the bill, a sense of unease crept into her heart. She finally asked, “Tantai Jing?”

“What is it?” Tantai Jing replied calmly.

“I’m full and feeling sleepy,” Lu Xiaoxiao said. “It’s not convenient to move around during the day anyway. Let’s go out again tonight.”

“Mm,” Tantai Jing responded, still calm.

Mm my ass! Lu Xiaoxiao mentally roared. Pay the damn bill!

Mei Yuanhua seemed to sense her predicament and said sheepishly, “It’s been too long since I came down from the mountain. I only have spirit stones, no silver.”

The four exchanged glances before their eyes settled on Lu Xiaoxiao. Tantai Jing, rarely blushing, turned to her and said, “Go settle the bill.”

When had a dignified Great Demon ever skipped out on a meal? How could she forget she had no money when asking someone to help her eat?

The notoriously stingy Lu Xiaoxiao retorted, “Why should I?! You can have my person, but not my money!”

Her words elicited a variety of reactions from the others. Mei Yuanhua’s face turned as pale as the wall. Lu Wanbai’s cheeks flushed crimson as she covered her face, thinking, When did these two progress so quickly? How could I have missed something like this?

Tantai Jing’s expression was the most dramatic, alternating between pale and red. “Stop talking nonsense! Just consider it a loan. What do you mean ‘my person’? I only asked you to come help me.” Only after she said this did Mei Yuanhua’s complexion improve, while Lu Wanbai adopted a look of sudden realization. If they were at that stage, I should have noticed some signs earlier.

Hearing it was a loan, Lu Xiaoxiao finally called the waiter over to settle the bill. The total for their meal and lodging came to ten taels of silver—human establishments were truly nothing but black-hearted scams.

After returning to her room, Lu Xiaoxiao, who had downed two cups of wine, fell asleep almost instantly. She didn’t wake up until the ninth hour of the evening (between 7 and 9 p.m.), when the others came to call her for a mission discussion.

In the end, they decided to split into three groups: Lu Wanbai and Mei Yuanhua would investigate the homes of the virgin boys and girls, while Tantai Jing and Lu Xiaoxiao would head to Zhu Liang’s residence and the ancestral hall.

Just as they were about to leave, Mei Yuanhua shyly presented Tantai Jing with a Meridian Compass. He explained that this compass was a family heirloom, capable of detecting demonic aura within a several-mile radius, and that it was the only one of its kind in the world. He hoped it would assist Tantai Jing in the mission.

Lu Xiaoxiao, ever quick-witted, snatched the compass. “Thank you for your kindness,” she said. “This thing is too heavy. As your teammate, I’ll carry it for Tantai Jing.” Mei Yuanhua, seeing Tantai Jing standing nearby, couldn’t protest. He stiffly bid farewell and left.

Once everyone else had departed, leaving only Tantai Jing and her, Lu Xiaoxiao finally examined the compass closely. Crafted from century-old tiger bone wood, it felt surprisingly heavy in her hand. The craftsmanship was exquisite, and it worked perfectly—the needle pointed directly at Tantai Jing, unwavering.

Lu Xiaoxiao glanced at the Meridian Compass, then at Tantai Jing, before pointing at her and saying, “Your demonic aura is leaking.”

Tantai Jing snatched the compass, her face a mask of disbelief. She pulled out the Concealing Pearl from around her neck and examined it, confirming that the pearl’s concealment was ineffective against the compass’s magnetic needle. The pearl could no longer mask her demonic aura. Her expression darkened, as if it could drip water.

Lu Xiaoxiao was about to offer some comforting words when she saw Tantai Jing clench her fist and slam it twice against the compass. After those two blows, she struck it twice more…

“There, fixed,” Tantai Jing declared.

Lu Xiaoxiao cautiously took the compass. Fixed? More like broken! The surface appeared undamaged, but Lu Xiaoxiao felt the compass trembling in her hand, its needle spinning wildly.

Stowing the compass, Lu Xiaoxiao hurried to catch up with Tantai Jing, swallowing hard. “I can now confirm you’re not a fox spirit.”

More likely a wild boar spirit or a black bear spirit.

The night was deep, and not a single light flickered in the streets. Only a full moon hung serenely in the sky, its silvery light cascading down like a layer of frost.

Lu Xiaoxiao followed silently behind Tantai Jing, their footsteps crunching through the snow. Fine particles of snow stung her face with each step.

In the moonlight, Tantai Jing’s slender, graceful figure stood out sharply against the snow. Every movement was clear, even the way her robes billowed as she walked seemed exceptionally ethereal.

Perhaps it was the profound silence that made Lu Xiaoxiao feel as light as the fluttering hem of Tantai Jing’s robes.

Gazing at Tantai Jing’s back, Lu Xiaoxiao rubbed her nose and said, “With this heavy snow, investigating tonight might not be wise. When people wake up tomorrow and start clearing the snow, they’ll see our footprints.”

Tantai Jing replied calmly, “We can’t delay any longer. The sacrificial ceremony is the day after tomorrow. We’ll enter on our swords and land under the eaves.”

Another stretch of silent walking followed.

After walking for the time it takes to brew a pot of tea, they finally spotted a wooden gatehouse. The gatehouse’s facade was adorned with densely packed brackets beneath the eaves, and the horizontal beam was carved with a pair of dragons playing with a pearl. Above it, four large characters proclaimed “Zhu Family Ancestral Hall.”

The two women flew over the wall on their swords, landing beneath the eaves of the innermost building.

Zhu Family Town was small, but the Ancestral Hall was surprisingly large, spanning three courtyards. Only the central hall was lit by candlelight.

When Lu Xiaoxiao pushed open the door, she was greeted by rows upon rows of ancestral tablets and the flickering glow of white candles. Wandering through someone else’s ancestral hall in the dead of night felt indescribably eerie. Lu Xiaoxiao wanted to ask Tantai Jing if ghosts existed in this world—and if so, whether the spirits enshrined on these tablets were watching them. But she feared that speaking aloud might alert the hall’s resident ghosts, so she kept her mouth shut and silently followed Tantai Jing.

Tantai Jing circled the hall once, then picked up a white candle from before one of the tablets and stepped outside.

Lu Xiaoxiao pressed her palms together and muttered, “Sorry for the disturbance… sorry for the disturbance…” She hurried after Tantai Jing, grabbing her arm. “Are you cold? Let me warm you up.”

Tantai Jing glanced at her before continuing down the corridor toward the rear of the hall.

Several trees grew within the Ancestral Hall grounds. In winter, only bare branches remained, rustling like whispers as the wind and snow swept through, creating a sound like someone running up behind them.

The rear room was locked, so Tantai Jing pried open a window, and the two climbed inside. This room was much larger than the one with the ancestral tablets, packed with countless old chests. Lu Xiaoxiao sensed something was off and, under Tantai Jing’s strange gaze, picked up a candle and approached the chests.

Lu Xiaoxiao jumped back three meters in shock. “Damn it! They’re all coffins!”

Tantai Jing chuckled softly. “Wow! Your jumping skills are impressive—better than anyone in our demon realm.”

Lu Xiaoxiao snapped, “Why didn’t you warn me earlier?”

Tantai Jing grinned, stepping past her. “You’re too easily frightened. You need to toughen up.”

Still fuming, Lu Xiaoxiao shook her fist at Tantai Jing’s retreating back before hurrying after him, candle in hand, clutching the corner of his robe. After pacing back and forth twice, Tantai Jing’s brow furrowed.

Coffins upon coffins—likely the Zhu Family’s pre-prepared burial chambers.

Just as she was about to leave, Lu Xiaoxiao spoke up. “Don’t you think that wall over there looks odd? The whole room is filled with coffins, yet there’s a nanmu display shelf here. It doesn’t look like it was discarded. And while all the coffins are covered in dust, why is the area around this shelf so clean?”