The Demon Queen Insists on Marrying Me - Chapter 9

He kicked Lu Xiaoxiao’s shin and spat, “Shameless! Vile!”

The next morning, Lu Wanbai and Mei Yuanhua set off to investigate the Mountain God Temple, while Tantai Jing and Lu Xiaoxiao staked out Zhu Liang’s residence all day.

Many people entered the Zhu Family compound, mostly laborers preparing for the next day’s sacrificial rites. Zhu Liang’s son served as a deputy magistrate in the county, and the household consisted only of two servants besides the old man himself. After a full day of observation, the pair hadn’t even caught a glimpse of Zhu Liang, only learning that he was a short, stocky old man with half-gray hair and a square face.

As night fell, they scaled the walls of the Zhu Family Ancestral Hall, overturned the candle, and set the window ablaze. The flames quickly spread, drawing Zhu Liang and his servants out to fight the fire. Seizing the opportunity, the pair slipped into the Zhu Family compound through a secluded section of the wall.

Zhu Liang was the Clan Leader of the Zhu Family, and his household ranked among the wealthiest in Zhu Family Town.

They first searched Zhu Liang’s study, finding only some classical texts and a few letters from his son. Lu Xiaoxiao carefully replaced everything after examining it by candlelight.

The two exchanged glances and shook their heads in unison.

Lu Xiaoxiao retrieved the Meridian Compass. Seeing it still spinning wildly, she asked Tantai Jing, “The compass stopped pointing at you and spinning yesterday. Has it detected demonic aura again?”

Tantai Jing took the compass and examined it. “This time, the spinning isn’t random. I’ve noticed it oscillating between the study and the main chamber. Let’s check the main chamber.”

As soon as they entered Zhu Liang’s bedroom and closed the door, they heard footsteps approaching. Tantai Jing quickly blew out the candle and pulled Lu Xiaoxiao into the wardrobe.

The wardrobe was cramped, with shelves dividing the space. Hiding even one person would have been difficult, forcing them into an awkward position. Tantai Jing sat inside with his legs bent, while Lu Xiaoxiao knelt between his legs, her head tucked down, her hands braced on either side of his face. They were so close that either of them could feel the other’s breath.

When Lu Xiaoxiao glanced up, she realized how close Tantai Jing’s profile was. If she leaned forward just a little, she could kiss him… She froze in the stiff position, awkwardly lowering her head.

From outside the wardrobe, a dark, angry male voice growled, “Fu Kang’an, you fool! How many times have I told you to stop causing trouble? And now you want to devour Boy Attendants and Girl Attendants! You Demon Race are nothing but trouble—you’ll ruin everything sooner or later.”

The voice identified as Fu Kang’an replied wearily, “Hmph, as if you Demonic Race are any better! You’ve been lurking in Jade Glow Palace for ages, yet the Demon-Locking Tower still stands untouched on the palace’s rear mountain.”

The unnamed man retorted mockingly, “A fool is a fool. I came to warn you that Jade Glow Palace has already set its sights on this place. You’d better tuck your tail in quick, or you’ll face the consequences this time.”

Fu Kang’an scoffed, “Relax. You should worry more about yourself. Don’t expose yourself and ruin the Demon King’s plans.”

“Hmph, then what about the corpses in the Zhu Family Ancestral Hall? Enough talk. I’ve already taken care of the bodies. The Jade Glow Palace cultivators arrived before me—they might even be here already. Probably just some Foundation Establishment Stage brats. I don’t know if they’ve discovered anything, but make sure you keep them here tomorrow. Then get out of here as soon as possible.”

Fu Ankang said, “I know, I know. I’ve been wanting to get out of here for ages. Being trapped in this old man’s body all day is a real pain in the ass.”

Tantai Jing hadn’t realized other factions were also eyeing the Demon-Locking Tower. She tried to peek through the crack to see who the sinister-voiced man was, but Lu Xiaoxiao pressed her down, making it impossible to move.

When her attention shifted to Lu Xiaoxiao, she realized the woman was right beside her, Lu Xiaoxiao’s breath constantly brushing against her neck. It felt like a burning ember searing her skin. In a fit of shame and anger, she raised her hand to cover Lu Xiaoxiao’s mouth and nose.

This was Lu Xiaoxiao’s first time eavesdropping, and on two villains no less. She was already on edge, terrified that her quickened breathing might give them away. Now Tantai Jing was suffocating her! Damn you, demoness! Trying to kill me again! she thought furiously.

But she dared not move, fearing discovery would mean instant death in the wardrobe.

Yet if this continued, she felt she would suffocate. Dying in such a humiliating way would be utterly mortifying.

Lu Xiaoxiao’s dimwitted brain finally sparked: No choice… I have to…

Tantai Jing suddenly felt a dampness in her palm. She whipped her head around, glaring at Lu Xiaoxiao. She never imagined Lu Xiaoxiao would be so shameless—actually daring to lick her palm!

If Lu Xiaoxiao had known what Tantai Jing was thinking, she would have felt utterly wronged. It wasn’t a lick, just a quick tap with her tongue. What else could she do to avoid suffocating?

Enraged, Tantai Jing forgot they were still eavesdropping in the wardrobe. She vigorously wiped her palm and then twisted Lu Xiaoxiao’s waist with a sharp pinch.

“Ah~ Ouch! Ouch! Ouch…” Lu Xiaoxiao twisted, slamming into the wardrobe door and tumbling out. She lay on the ground, vigorously rubbing her waist.

Tantai Jing followed her out of the wardrobe, only to find the two people they had been eavesdropping on had already left during their scuffle. She kicked Lu Xiaoxiao’s shin and spat, “Shameless! Filthy!” before chasing after them. Just as she reached the door, she remembered: Since the enemy is in the open and I’m in the shadows, I should use this advantage wisely and not let this delay the mission.

She turned back, intending to return to the Zhu Family, but her ears flushed slightly. She muttered under her breath, “Libertine!” and stalked back to the inn.

Thus, Lu Wanbai and Mei Yuanhua’s first glimpse of the scene was Tantai Jing entering the inn with a faint blush on her face, followed by Lu Xiaoxiao limping in, clutching her waist.

Lu Wanbai whispered to Lu Xiaoxiao, “Look at you, getting ambitious enough to provoke Fellow Daoist Tantai. You’re in for it now.” Lu Xiaoxiao didn’t know what kind of ambition Lu Wanbai was referring to; she only wanted to know if all demons were this strong. The pain was excruciating, making her wonder if she’d broken a bone.

It was no wonder Lu Wanbai had jumped to the wrong conclusion. After all, who had ever seen Tantai Jing blush? Mei Yuanhua, for one, hadn’t. Perhaps he was angry that Lu Xiaoxiao had bullied his goddess, because he now sat glaring at her with a strange expression.

Clearing her throat, Lu Wanbai said, “Five miles north of Zhu Family Town, at the foot of the mountain, stands the Mountain God Temple. It’s a place of thriving incense offerings and abundant tributes. Since you burned down the Zhu Family Ancestral Hall, tomorrow’s sacrificial rites will likely be held there.”

Tantai Jing replied calmly, “This matter may be more complex than we thought. Tonight, at the Zhu Family estate, I discovered that Zhu Liang’s identity is suspicious. His original name is Fu Ankang, and he may be the Aohun in disguise. Moreover, he seems to have detected our presence, suggesting he’s at least at the Golden Core Stage.”

Lu Xiaoxiao didn’t understand why Tantai Jing hadn’t mentioned the Human-Demonic Race spy within the Jade Glow Palace. She clicked her tongue and opened her mouth to speak, but a sharp glare from Tantai Jing silenced her. Grumbling, she rubbed her aching waist and drained a cup of tea in one gulp.

“Then we must report this to the sect immediately!” Mei Yuanhua exclaimed, so startled he forgot to glare at Lu Xiaoxiao.

Though Mei Yuanhua was ranked among the top senior disciples of Jade Glow Palace, his cultivation was unimpressive. Lu Xiaoxiao had assessed his attack power at a mere 80 during their first encounter, barely surpassing her own.

As expected, he barely opened his mouth before Tantai Jing cut him off coldly. “If Senior Brother Mei lacks confidence in us, perhaps he should return to Jade Glow Palace. Lu Wanbai and I are both on the verge of breaking through to the Golden Core Stage. Facing Aohun isn’t a hopeless battle—this fight might even propel us to breakthrough. Isn’t that right, Senior Sister Lu?”

Lu Wanbai glanced at Lu Xiaoxiao, confirming she had no intention of returning to Jade Glow Palace. She then chimed in enthusiastically, “Exactly! Xiaoxiao just needs to protect the Boy Attendants, while you and I can have a satisfying clash with Aohun. It’ll be the perfect catalyst for our breakthroughs!”

Seeing the others dismiss his concerns, Mei Yuanhua waved his hand weakly. “That’s not what I meant. I’m just worried about your… your safety.”

Tantai Jing shot him a disdainful look. “Spare your concern. You’d be better off worrying about yourself.”

The next day at dusk, as the sun dipped below the horizon and darkness began to fall, the four of them split into two teams, guarding the entrances to the Boy Attendant’s and Girl Attendant’s homes. They would eventually converge at the sacrificial site.

“What kind of proper sacrifice takes place at night?” Lu Xiaoxiao frowned, her brow furrowed in confusion. “These people aren’t even thinking! They’re just blindly following Zhu Liang’s orders.”

Tantai Jing’s expression turned grave. “In clans like this, the Clan Leader’s word is law.”

Lu Xiaoxiao nudged her arm. “What were you whispering to Senior Sister earlier, away from Mei Yuanhua and me?”

“They’re coming out!”

As she spoke, four or five burly men emerged from Zhu Zhen’s house carrying a small sedan chair. Zhu Zhen and his wife rushed out, weeping bitterly, but were blocked by two guards. Only after the procession disappeared down the alley did the guards release the couple.

Lu Xiaoxiao glanced back and saw the pair kneeling on the ground, hands clasped in prayer, bowing repeatedly toward the Jade Glow Palace. She tightened her grip on her sword and followed the sedan chair.

After several turns, Lu Xiaoxiao tapped Tantai Jing’s shoulder and whispered, “This route is wrong. It’s not heading toward the Mountain God Temple.”

“Exactly,” Tantai Jing replied. “We’re heading toward the Zhu Family Ancestral Hall.”

“What? The Zhu Family Ancestral Hall has burned down? How can they still hold a ceremony there?” Lu Xiaoxiao exclaimed. “And to make matters worse, we still haven’t seen the other group of worshippers…”

The acrid smell of charred wood reached them long before they arrived at the Zhu Family Ancestral Hall, stinging their nostrils. From a distance, the hall appeared utterly dilapidated, with over a dozen blackened pillars lying scattered across the ground. As the procession entered, the sedan chair’s passage stirred up clouds of white ash that blanketed the area. The burly men who carried the chair set it down hastily and hurried away.

When Tantai Jing and Lu Xiaoxiao entered, they found a sedan chair sitting alone amidst the fire-ravaged ruins, bathed in dim light. The faint sound of a girl’s sobs hung in the air, creating an eerie scene.

After confirming they were alone, the pair lifted the sedan chair’s curtain. Inside sat a delicate, porcelain-skinned girl, her face streaked with tears and snot, clutching a wooden dragonfly tightly in her hand.

Tantai Jing knelt down and spoke gently, “You must be Zhu Yujie. Are you cold? Hungry? Your mother sent me to fetch you. Her name is Rong Yu, right?”

The girl had been crying all the way here, and her emotions were barely stable. Hearing someone show concern for her, her nose twitched, and she burst into fresh sobs.

Lu Xiaoxiao’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. She couldn’t believe she was witnessing the demoness acting so gentle in her lifetime. She took two steps forward, squeezed beside Tantai Jing, crouched down, glanced at the girl, and then reached behind her back to pull out a candied hawthorn skewer, which she stuffed into the girl’s mouth.

The girl’s crying stopped instantly as the sweet taste filled her mouth.

Tantai Jing looked at her and the candied hawthorn skewer in surprise. Then, holding Zhu Yujie in her arms, she tugged at Lu Xiaoxiao’s sleeve to wipe away the girl’s snot and tears.

After letting her use her clothes to clean up, Lu Xiaoxiao, her face expressionless and daring not to protest, pulled out two more candied hawthorn skewers. She popped one into her own mouth and handed the other to the demoness. “Here, I bought one for you too.”

The three people in the sedan chair each held a candied hawthorn skewer until the youngest one finished hers.

Lu Xiaoxiao said to her, “Let me hold you, okay? We’ll play games later. This sister is going to dance for you soon.”

The three stared at each other for a long moment before the sound of footsteps finally approached.

As the sedan chair curtain was lifted, Tantai Jing hurled a flying sword at the intruder’s face. The dilapidated sedan chair burst open, and she spoke to the whip in her hand, “Gui Chen, it’s your turn.”

With a flick of her wrist, the whip cracked sharply, lashing out at the intruder.