I Heard The Demon Lord Has A Crush On Me? - Chapter 4

Inside the long corridor, a man, a fox, and a snake pressed against the wall like a band of petty thieves, cautiously sticking their heads out to look around.

The guards were not merely numerous; they were practically everywhere.

“Are you certain my little fox is locked up in here?” Qingmo asked the small snake.

The latter nodded with absolute confidence. “Indeed. Many spirit beasts are imprisoned in this place. I saw with my own eyes; wait, when did it become your fox?”

Having accidentally spoken his true thoughts, Qingmo could not be bothered to deny it. He removed his veil, letting the two little creatures line up on his shoulders. “I shall perform a magic trick for you, so do not blink.”

“Are you even reliable at all?” This fellow lacked genuine skills but possessed an endless array of parlor tricks. The snake was already beginning to regret its choices, thinking it would have been far safer to seek out the Sovereign directly from the beginning.

As it calculated the probability of turning traitor and escaping right then and there, it suddenly felt its body grow weightless. In less than a moment, the scenery all around completely transformed.

Rows upon rows of familiar iron cages were shrouded in black cloth. The humid air was tainted with wisps of bloody stench, and the low, mournful whimpers of captive spirit beasts echoed faintly.

This, this, spatial teleportation?!

These young demons, still wet behind the ears, often gathered to listen to the clan elders recount tales of the outside world. In those stories, the entity possessing such terrifying ability was invariably the malicious ghost fond of devouring the hearts of the living.

The small ball of fur let out a squeak and leaped down from Qingmo’s shoulder to scamper away, leaving the little snake petrified and frozen in place. All of its emotions instantly collapsed into sheer terror.

And here it had been inquiring with this lunatic about the child-eating monster, when the monster was standing right here!

“Frightened?” Qingmo chuckled softly. His delicate features appeared exceptionally eerie in the dim light as he issued a vicious threat, “If you know fear, why do you not quickly roll off my person?”

He had no idea the little snake had already linked him directly to the child-eating monster of legends.

The snake darted to the floor with a swift whoosh, its body trembling violently and its attitude suddenly turning far more deferential than before. “Well, you are a magnanimous lord, please do not deign to bicker with a mere creature like me…”

The ball of fur was still an infant, completely oblivious to the perilous situation. Following a scent, it scampered over to an inconspicuous corner, baring its tiny milk teeth to tug at the black cloth draped over a small cage.

Inside the iron cage, the trapped little demon sensed a familiar aura and timidly let out a soft whine.

Qingmo followed closely behind the ball of fur, stepping forward to fling the cage open. Inside was indeed another young nine-tailed fox, though unlike the snow-white ball of fur, this one was a little red fox.

“You are adorable, too.” Qingmo pried the iron bars apart with his bare hands, scooped the soft little creature into his arms, and rubbed his cheek against it while cooing involuntarily.

Then, adopting a threatening tone, he deliberately questioned the little snake: “Tell me, is this little fox mine now as well?”

“Yes, absolutely!” Whatever you say goes! The snake bobbed its head frantically, terrified that being a second too slow would cost it its heart.

Regarding the legends of the Ghost Fiend in recent years, Qingmo himself had heard a thing or two. They had been exaggerated to an absurd degree; for a time, virtually every evil deed committed anywhere was pinned squarely on him. He thanked the heavens for clear-sighted justice, otherwise who knew how many wrongful convictions he would have suffered.

Nearby, the ball of fur sat obediently for a moment. Realizing it had nothing left to do, it trotted away on stubby little legs to cause more trouble.

Reaching an iron cage radiating a faint, dark glow, it once again sank its teeth into the black cloth. The cover had not been secured tightly and easily slid away.

As the barrier fell between them, a youth with delicate features sat with his eyes closed. A pair of magnificent, oversized tails rested flat against the ground, and embedded within that tail were scales that emitted a soft, luminous sheen.

This was a merman.

“Ying, ying!”

Having never laid eyes on such a dazzling creature, the ball of fur widened its dewy eyes in sheer shock.

After tucking the red fox securely away and terrifying the snake into submission, Qingmo turned his head only to find that this disobedient little brat had landed him in massive trouble.

Light pierced through the darkness as the merman slowly opened his eyes. He blinked in surprise upon seeing the intruders, his gaze instantly locking onto Qingmo’s face and blooming into a brilliant smile. “So pretty…”

While the merman clan possessed striking appearances and the ability to turn tears into pearls, they suffered from one fatal flaw: they loved expressing their emotions through song, entirely regardless of the time or place.

Case in point, right now.

Years ago, Qingmo and Su Yuan had jointly investigated a case involving the merman clan. Both had covered their faces beforehand, but for reasons unknown, Qingmo’s veil always managed to slip off at the most critical moment, and his melodious singing had brought them no end of unnecessary trouble. Consequently, whenever the demon realm brought it up, they always whispered that he was the colleague most capable of stirring up chaos by Su Yuan’s side.

So why on earth had he removed his veil just a moment ago? Qingmo could not fathom it; it was clearly never intentional.

The merman’s singing drifted into the ears of the guards stationed outside. The little snake wound tightly around his arm, asking in a panicked voice, “What do we do now? Can you get us out of here?!”

“I certainly can.” Unfazed, Qingmo leisurely retrieved the little red fox from his robes. Glancing at the mangled, ruined iron cage, the corners of his lips curved upward in a playful smirk. “However, I have just thought of a much more entertaining method.”

Since things were already this chaotic, he might as well stir the pot a little further.

A thief had broken into the auction grounds. Curiously, while the holding cages had been thoroughly vandalized, the rare nine-tailed red fox remained completely uncaptured.

To prevent any complications arising from prolonged delays, the mastermind urged the subordinates to carry the red fox straight onto the auction stage.

Crouched inside a newly reinforced iron cage, Qingmo flicked his magnificent, fluffy tails, finding the experience rather novel.

Earlier, he had instructed the snake to take the two young beasts and hide while he shape-shifted into the appearance of the red fox to draw away the guards, agreeing to rendezvous and escape once the auction concluded.

He possessed an absolute adoration for fluffy things; virtually every stray cat outside the Misty Cloud Pavilion had been thoroughly petted by him, yet he had never imagined he could transform into a fluffy creature himself.

Wait, petting himself? How did that feel so utterly bizarre?

Nine-tailed foxes were exceptionally rare in the mortal and demon realms. The moment he was brought on stage, it sparked a fierce bidding war, ultimately fetching a staggering sum of ten thousand taels of gold. Anyone capable of producing such a vast fortune on the spot without paying in flesh and blood must certainly be a person of considerable status.

This played right into Qingmo’s hands. He had never intended to leave empty-handed without causing a commotion, and if the buyer happened to be someone prominent, it would only make blowing the situation wide open that much easier.

He flexed his wicked little claws. Well, who told him he simply loved creating trouble?

A pair of attendants carried the cage containing the nine-tailed red fox into a private chamber, bowing respectfully before withdrawing.

With his field of vision somewhat restricted, Qingmo could not observe the full layout of the room, but judging by the trajectory upon entering, this chamber was undoubtedly located right next to his own.

By now, that useless little snake ought to have brought the two little ones back, correct?

The appearance of a pair of embroidered shoes broke his train of thought. Through the gaps in the iron bars, he caught sight of a man draped in black robes seated beside a wooden table.

The garment looked somewhat familiar, but because his line of sight was restricted to merely half a sleeve, he could not recall where he had previously seen it.

Whoever he was, it mattered not! He readied his milk-scented claws, poised to revert to human form the moment the cage door opened, intending to directly rip out the man’s heart, a specialized cultivation technique unique to the Ghost Fiend.

Yet imagination was magnificent, while reality proved brutally mundane.

The man made a gentle movement, and a voice tinged with lingering exhaustion drifted to his ears: “Do not be afraid, little one. You are safe now.”

Such a familiar, yet intensely irritating voice.

The woman squatting down in front of Qingmo unlatched the iron cage. Her bright, intelligent eyes scrutinized the small fox before breaking into a sweet smile. “Aren’t you just the cutest little thing.”

Her smile failed to charm him in the slightest; if anything, it made him want to give her a swift scratch across the face.

The next second, he was transferred directly into Su Yuan’s hands.

Entering his line of sight was indeed a face of sickly pallor. The features were delicate yet retained a masculine edge, complemented by a striking pair of heterochromatic eyes that lent him an aura of profound mystery.

As expected of the number-one beauty across the six realms, Qingmo stared blankly for a moment, utterly lacking spine. He had always deeply admired those eyes, but this was his first time observing them from such agonizing proximity.

Sigh, what a pity that someone possessing such stunning looks had ultimately been snatched up by an ugly monster.

The medicinal scent lingering around Su Yuan was somewhat potent, causing Qingmo to wrinkle his nose in distaste. Mistaking the reaction for fright, the man cradled the little creature even more carefully within the crook of his arm, gently stroking its fur.

Ying. That made the scent even more choking!

Noticing the animal’s listless demeanor and fearing it might have fallen ill, Su Yuan scooped it up with both hands, brought its tiny paws right up to his eyes, and asked in a soft murmur, “Does something hurt?”

Qingmo averted his gaze, refusing to look. Everything hurt.

Only then did he realize the little creature seemed distinctly displeased with him. Rubbing the fluffy cheeks of the fox and deciding not to force the issue, Su Yuan suddenly furrowed his brow, murmuring, “The aura feels rather peculiar.”

Ah, blast it all.

The heterochromatic eyes drew closer and closer. The tiny fox nervously swallowed a mouthful of saliva, hesitating whether to unsheath its claws and carve up a messy painting across that flawless face. If Su Yuan’s face were ruined, he could simply step in and claim the title of the realm’s number-one beauty himself.

At that critical juncture, a noisy commotion abruptly rang out from the adjoining room:

“Ying!”

“Stop running about! Little ball of fur, quiet down, or that monster will come back and eat you alive!”

Who exactly the monster referred to was a mystery to outsiders, but Qingmo knew with crystal clarity.

With a loud poof, he reverted to his human form, abruptly breaking free from Su Yuan’s embrace entirely unaware that he had been sitting squarely on the man’s lap the moment before. He charged toward the adjoining wall and roared angrily, “If you dare spread rumors about me again, I will throw you into a pot and stew you!”

Separated by a single partition, the room on the other side instantly fell dead silent.

Su Yuan sighed quietly in resignation, smoothing out the wrinkles pressed into his robes by the unexpected weight. He closed his eyes, leaning one hand against the edge of the table to support his forehead.

Chenyin blinked blankly, appearing completely unable to snap out of the shock of seeing the little fox instantly transform into a full-grown person.

She twitched the corner of her lips and probed cautiously, “Lord, Lord Ghost Fiend?”

Qingmo froze visibly on the spot, taking a deep breath before turning around, attempting to mask his mortification with a hearty greeting: “Lady Chenyin, it has been quite some time.”

Recognizing his awkward predicament, Su Yuan pointed toward the thin partition and said, “Qingmo, go fetch those little fellows over first. We can discuss everything else shortly.”

Catching sight of the Demon Lord, the little snake, whose nerves had been stretched taut for days, finally felt the tension snap. It wailed aloud in grief, determined to vent every single grievance it had suffered under Qingmo’s thumb.

“Wuuwuuwa! Sovereign, I nearly ended up as snake soup trying to rescue that little ball of fur, wuuwuu…”

Yet, to its utter astonishment, the Sovereign’s loyalties clearly favored the outsider, as every word spoken was in Qingmo’s defense. “Qingmo is fundamentally a good person; he merely enjoys a bit of mischief. There must have been some misunderstanding in the middle.”

The snake’s tear-filled eyes darted sideways to cast a terrified glance at the terrifying ghost beside them, before continuing its sniffles and accusations: “Hmph, he was even inquiring about someone you keep close,唔!”

“You certainly have an abundance of words! Shall I pull your teeth out?” Quick as lightning, Qingmo clamped his hand over its mouth, silencing it before the word “ugly” could slip out, and deftly tied the snake into a firm dead knot around the table leg.