I Heard The Demon Lord Has A Crush On Me? - Chapter 3

Seeking death?

Qingmo narrowed his eyes, deliberately deepening his breathing to feign a sound sleep.

Outside the half-open window, a small green snake flicked its bright red tongue. After confirming multiple times that the person inside was fast asleep, it cautiously slithered in.

Chaos erupted in a single instant!

The extinguished candle suddenly reignited, chasing away the deep darkness. Before the little green snake could react, a slender, fair hand seized it by the fate of its throat.

That pair of peach blossom eyes carried a soul-stirring beauty, yet the voice remained cold, “A little mudfish? I will boil it into soup tomorrow morning.”

“Ah! Let me go!” The little snake struggled wildly in panic. The person looked slender, but his strength was terrifyingly great.

“Oh, it can even speak?” Qingmo raised an eyebrow, “You must have cultivated for at least twenty years, right?”

“Eighteen years! Stop looking down on snakes!”

After receiving a firm flick to the head, Qingmo used a reverse grip to tie the serpent’s flexible body into a dead knot and secured it to the bed canopy. “Two years more or less makes no difference, you are going into the pot anyway.”

Unable to move, the trapped snake felt a surge of survival instinct that squashed any desire to become snake soup, and it shrieked at the top of its lungs, “Little Furball! Save me!”

The bedding that still held lingering warmth stirred slightly as a white furball poked its head out. After lifting its tail to see its poor friend tied to the bed canopy, it immediately burrowed back under the covers.

Life and death are ordained, wealth and honor depend on heaven, this brother is retreating first!

The little snake: “…”

Qingmo let out his first explosive laugh of the day.

After acting as a bed canopy tie-rope for a while, the little green snake lost all its arrogance, hanging its head in a wilted, pitiful state.

Qingmo playfully examined his handiwork. Once he finished messing with it, he untied the snake and offered some earnest, lecturing advice while tying another dead knot, “You are too young to learn bad habits, anyone climbing windows in the middle of the night is a flower-picker!”

The little green snake retorted, “I came to save Little Furball, hurry up and let us go!”

With a sudden flash, it darted straight into the bedding where the little fox was hiding. Qingmo ripped open the covers to find the emerald-green strip wrapped tightly around the white furball like they were clinging to each other for warmth.

He felt like a wicked tyrant breaking up a mandarin duck couple. “Just you? You would snap with a two-finger pinch.”

The little snake sniffled, raising the tip of its tail to wipe away tears, its tone full of remorse, “Sob… Little Furball, it is my fault you are dragged into this, if I had known I would never have brought you out, sob…”

“You left from the demon realm.” Hearing this, Qingmo half-squatted by the edge of the bed with a bounce, bringing himself level with the snake. “Then have you ever seen… well, a monster that specializes in eating mortal children, one that looks exceptionally ugly!”

He was far too curious about what kind of hideous creature Suyan could possibly fancy.

The creature put away its fake tears and replied perfunctorily, “Yes, the demon realm is full of ugly monsters, except for me and Little Furball, hehe… ouch!”

Qingmo slapped it across the room straight toward the bronze mirror. “Go look in the mirror, you are not much to look at yourself.”

Hmph! The little snake slid down from the mirror in bitter resentment, its thin, long, emerald-green figure reflected under the flickering candlelight.

It looked just fine!

“Or let me ask you another way,” Qingmo refused to give up, grabbing the creature for further torment. “Has Suyan had any ugly monsters around him lately?”

“Ugh…!” As the pressure in the palm tightened, the snake sensed real danger and finally took his question seriously. “I… I have never even seen the Lord’s face, how would I know what monsters are around him…”

“Useless. What use do I have for you?” Qingmo tossed it aside in disgust, leaped onto the bed, and curled around Little Furball with every intention of finishing his interrupted nap.

The spring night breeze still carried a hint of chill. After freezing on the floor for a moment, the little snake finally got its wits about it. Grudgingly crawling back over after a long hesitation, it used the tip of its tail to poke Qingmo’s back.

“What?” The sheer tone of voice made it abundantly clear how annoyed he was.

“Th… that…” The little snake’s voice grew softer and softer. “Since you recognize the Lord, can you take me to find him?”

This person’s aura did not resemble a mortal’s, and his tone when mentioning the Demon Lord was far too familiar. Although his words earlier were a bit wounding to snake pride, he had not actually inflicted any substantial harm, proving that his nature was not truly bad.

“No.”

Qingmo pulled Little Furball closer into his embrace. First of all, he was not a particularly warmhearted person, and second, if Suyan found out, his Little Furball would not be safe.

“Then can you at least return Little Furball to me? We can go look for the Lord ourselves and won’t bother you.” The little snake attempted to negotiate further.

“No.”

“…”

The little snake slithered up onto the bed, reared up above his head, and flicked its tongue menacingly, looking like a vengeful ghost demanding a life. “This is no and that is no, what on earth do you want!”

Slap!

History always repeated itself with astonishing accuracy as Qingmo once again batted it down to the floor.

Sitting cross-legged with his quilt draped over his head like a cocoon, revealing only his face, he offered a merciful proclamation, “Spit it out. What are you trying to accomplish by finding Suyan?”

Landing face-first this time, the little snake mumbled its grievance, “Another little nine-tailed fox was captured, and I want to beg the Lord to save it.”

Little Furball’s two paws reached up over the edge of the quilt, resting right against Qingmo’s chin to peek out as well, while the former gently massaged its tail inside the blankets.

Two nine-tailed foxes disappearing from the demon realm in succession was far too suspicious. He had only recently been ordered to suppress a fierce beast, and now the demon realm was stirring up trouble as well. Things had certainly been quite turbulent lately.

“How about this,” seeing that the little snake was genuinely pitiful, Qingmo relented. “Where is that little nine-tailed fox? I will go help you rescue it, and in a few days, I can deliver both of you to Suyan together.”

Such kindness? The little snake widened its eyes in disbelief. “What on earth is your relationship with the Lord?”

“Colleagues.”

At the hour of Chen the next morning, Tan Zhao pushed open the bedroom door carrying a steaming breakfast.

A major incident had occurred in the imperial city overnight. A plump middle-aged man along with several arrogant demon-subduing masters had been beaten black and blue, strung up in a neat row along the city walls. Passing citizens gathered to watch the spectacle, all discussing which hero was doling out justice on behalf of heaven, with many enthusiastically cheering them on.

Qingmo was always satisfied with the results of Tan Zhao’s handling. Crawling out of bed, he steered the conversation directly, “By the way, what did Suyan say?”

“He asked this subordinate to express his gratitude on his behalf.”

“Such a big matter, and just a simple thank you?” Qingmo took a vicious bite out of a steamed bun and dropped the subject. “Did you track down the place the snake mentioned?”

“The exact location remains unconfirmed, but a gambling house in the west city has suspicious movements. Lose three, win three.”

Having not touched a gambling table in a long time, Qingmo rubbed his hands together with secret anticipation, completely thrilled. “You even have to lose? Wouldn’t that ruin the fun?”

Ghost kings were versatile, excelling in everything from the scholarly arts of zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting down to eating and gambling.

Tan Zhao asked, “Does my lord require this subordinate to accompany you?”

At that moment, two small heads poked out from beneath the bedding, and Qingmo glanced back at the two little baggage-toting passengers. “Too many people make it easy to startle the prey. You stay behind and take care of the Yanyun Pavilion.”

The gambling house in the west city was the largest and most bustling establishment in the entire imperial city. To avoid unnecessary trouble, Qingmo donned a veil before stepping inside and heading straight for the gaming tables.

Yet certain inherent traits could never be entirely masked by a simple veil.

With fair, slender fingers holding the dice cup, Qingmo deliberately lost three times as agreed, only to be interrupted right as he prepared to mount a comeback.

The culprit was a sturdy brute whose ill-intentioned gaze had locked onto him the moment he stepped through the door, taking advantage of the chaotic crowd to slide close beside him.

“Beauty, here alone?”

Qingmo possessed exceptional looks, and having lived for so many years, he had seen plenty of scoundrels. Giving the man a sidelong glance, he retorted unceremoniously, “I am afraid half a person would scare you to death.”

“Hey, what kind of talk is that!” The burly man was momentarily at a loss for words, but seeing how delicate and weak the youth looked with zero apparent skill, he grew even more brazen, leering, “Such a fiery temper on a beauty. Seeing that you have nearly lost all your silver, do you need some help?”

With those words, a greasy hand reached toward his waistline.

Qingmo naturally had no intention of letting him succeed. When traveling outside, keeping oneself free from grievance was paramount, and a razor-thin, inconspicuous string lay hidden within his sleeve, primed and ready to draw blood if necessary.

“Ouch!”

The burly man let out a miserable shriek before he had even managed to complete his action.

A youth carrying a longsword with intricate scabbard patterns brought it down heavily, striking that offensive hand. “Shameless scoundrel! How dare you act so brazenly in broad daylight? Get lost immediately, or I will report you to the authorities!”

Oh?

Qingmo tilted his head to take a look. The young man radiated a sense of absolute righteousness, talking about officials and magistrates as if completely oblivious to the fact that this was a shady gambling den, entirely unafraid of making a scene.

The burly man was a coward who bullied the soft and feared the hard; encountering a genuine tough guy, he dared not push his luck. Failing to gain any advantage, he cursed under his breath, threw out a few harsh threats, and scurried off.

To his surprise, the youth showed no intention of striking up a casual conversation. He simply nodded slightly toward Qingmo in acknowledgment before turning and heading to a neighboring gaming table.

“I thought it was a hero saving a beauty, but it turns out to be pure meddling.” Qingmo shook his head with an amused smile.

Because ghost kings were far too formidable, ordinary people tended to keep their distance, meaning he had not experienced someone standing up for him in a very long time.

The securely wrapped collar of his robes suddenly stirred. The little snake, squeezed tightly between his inner garments and outer robes, was struggling to breathe and whispered urgently, “What happened? Is it over yet, it is suffocating in here.”

“Shut up.”

The final three rounds went remarkably smoothly. The moment he stepped away from the gaming table, a wave of peculiar, exotic fragrance swept over him, plunging Qingmo into sudden unconsciousness.

When he woke up again, he was inside a suspended high-platform room, able to clearly overlook the auction stage below by peering out.

This was an auction house, and the items being auctioned below were entirely captured fierce beasts and supernatural creatures.

The door was locked from the outside. An attendant-like figure walked inside bearing a kettle of tea. “Please rest for a moment, guest. The auction will commence in an hour.”

“An auction? All the silver I brought was lost at the gambling house,” Qingmo said in feigned bewilderment.

The attendant covered his mouth with a giggle. “Having no silver matters not. You are simply unfamiliar with the rules here. If your funds fall short, you can pay with your legs, your arms, or even your eyes. As long as it is attached to your body, anything can be traded for fine treasures.”

After offering this brief explanation, the attendant withdrew, locking the door securely behind him.

Qingmo stared blankly at the door for a moment before fishing two creatures out from his robes, one white and one green. “Your daddy possesses heavenly beauty, yet they actually want to turn me into a disabled person!”

Little Furball remained entirely unbothered, while the little green snake wriggled about, secretly scoffing in disdain: You always call me a narcissist, but you are just as bad.