I Heard The Demon Lord Has A Crush On Me? - Chapter 8

Heaven and water met at the summit of the mountain ranges.

Today, the Ghost Fiend’s residence was exceptionally lively.

Knowing that Qingmo loved fluffy creatures, Su Yuan not only gave him the small ball of fur he had promised, but also had the entire nine-tailed clan packed up and brought over for a temporary stay.

Guiyu had yet to wake up after being knocked unconscious by Su Yuan, who was tied to his sickbed and feeling drained. Handing the nine-tailed clan over to the Ghost Fiend’s residence turned out to be the best decision.

With the ball of fur perched atop his head, Qingmo cornered Ashi with unyielding questions: “Are you certain you do not know who used that spice?”

Ashi repeated for the third time, “How could I possibly question where the Sovereign’s requested items are used?”

The skull curse on his forehead had vanished once he snapped out of his control. Su Yuan had summoned him once afterward, asking only for key details regarding the period before he was controlled, but ever since arriving at this Ghost Fiend residence, Qingmo had persistently obsessed over insignificant, bizarre questions.

Sigh.

Just who on earth was the legendary ugly person?!

Disappointed, Qingmo turned to leave. Watching his dejected back, Ashi unexpectedly felt a twinge of sympathy. “Although I do not know who used the spice requested by the Sovereign, however…”

Ashi paused, glancing up at the eaves. “The sachets hanging around your residence possess a scent quite similar to the calming incense I concoct.”

“Sachets?” Only then did Qingmo notice a neat row of exquisitely crafted little sachets hanging beneath the eaves.

He scratched his head in confusion, entirely baffled. “When did I ever hang such trinkets up…”

Compared to the Ghost Fiend’s residence, he much preferred living in the Misty Cloud Pavilion. At times, even the bedchamber here felt unfamiliar to him, let alone keeping track of whatever miscellaneous items had been added to the estate.

Reaching up to pull one down, he noticed the sachet had already accumulated a layer of dust, having hung there for goodness knows how long. “Tch, it is covered in dust and filthy. Tan Chao, clear this garbage away immediately.”

Acknowledging the order, Tan Chao took down the sachets that Su Yuan had painstakingly hung up one by one, gathering them together like trash.

Ashi opened his mouth as if to say something, but stopped. “However…”

He did not recognize where the sachets came from, but the fragrance of the spice matched the custom blend he made for the Sovereign. Vaguely, he felt that the relationship between the Sovereign and the Ghost Fiend might not be quite so ordinary.

“Be a good lad, we do not want things of unknown origin.” Assuming Ashi felt bad seeing such finely made sachets being treated as trash, Qingmo patted him reassuringly on the shoulder.

Outside the door, the small blue kites perched in a neat row on the tree as a figure suddenly darted up.

“Chirp! Lord Ghost Fiend, you are back?”

Qingmo had been tasked by the Dao of Heaven to thoroughly investigate the origins of the skull markings. Pretending to be diligent, he threw the work to the winds the moment he stepped out of the hall, turning right back around to gossip with the small blue kites about the Demon Queen.

“I can now confirm that Su Yuan truly has hidden a lover away, only he protects the person so well that not a whisper leaks out.”

“That person must be very fortunate,” the chubby kite began to daydream. “The Demon Lord is both gorgeous and gentle. To win his sincere affection would truly be a blessing.”

“Such lack of ambition.” Qingmo poked it on the head, causing the chubby ball of feathers to wobble. “Are you not even the slightest bit curious about what that ugly person actually looks like?”

“Of course I am curious.” The chubby kite flew onto Qingmo’s shoulder to curry favor, firmly uniting with his front. “We have just been waiting for you to hunt them down!”

Cupping his cheeks in both hands, Qingmo pouted with grievance. “I probed so many times without any results, and I keep getting played in circles by Su Yuan!”

He had gone through all the trouble of helping Su Yuan rescue the merman, find Ashi, and fight Guiyu, all to unmask the true identity of the Demon Queen. Yet after all that hustle, he was simply brushed off with a casual mention of the one at home.

“Why not… just pay a visit to the demon palace directly?” The slender kite offered a terrible idea from the side. “You are both colleagues after all, the Demon Lord surely would not chase you out.”

Qingmo rubbed his chin. The probability of Su Yuan shutting the doors and refusing to see him was actually far higher.

Back at the Ghost Fiend’s residence, the merman’s tail was wrapped in a layer of bandages, and the entire fish was draped over Ashi. Pushing away the shadow guards who had come to separate them, the youth argued fiercely, “Do not touch me! I will not be separated from Ashi!”

As soon as Qingmo returned, he caught the merman acting up and said coldly, “The little fox was a gift from Su Yuan, but as for you… you are just about large enough for a pot of fish ball soup.”

He was remarkably skilled at frightening children. The merman sucked in a sharp breath of air, his scales bristling as his defiant momentum instantly evaporated.

“Tch, coward!”

Returning to pack his things for a visit to the demon palace, Qingmo quietly hatched his little schemes while Tan Chao handed him a letter.

“Master, a letter from Chizhou City.”

Glancing at it without even touching the envelope, Qingmo treated it like something utterly ill-omened. “Throw it away, throw it away immediately! If anyone asks, I never received it!”

The guards at the demon palace were not nearly as strict as imagined; in fact, the place could almost be described as deserted.

Qingmo’s little scheme fell flat once again. True to Su Yuan’s words, the majority of his official duties were handled on his behalf by Chenyin.

“The Sovereign has not visited in a very long time.”

Chenyin hauled in a heavy stack of official documents, dropping them onto the desk with a heavy thud.

From the moment he stepped through the doors, Qingmo’s eyes darted around in stealthy observation, every single word framed as a probe. “How is it that there are not even any attendants? Su Yuan dislikes having people wait on him, but what about everyone else?”

“What everyone else? The demon palace has only one master.” Chenyin stated it as a matter of course, even more convinced that Qingmo harbored unspeakable feelings for the Sovereign, prompting her to constantly sing Su Yuan’s praises.

“The Sovereign has always walked alone, and there is absolutely no one else by his side. If you do not believe me, go take a look at his home!”

The Ghost Fiend was truly cautious. Rather than confessing to someone he liked, he chose to investigate everything about that person’s inner circle first, putting the cart before the horse, though it certainly matched Qingmo’s personality.

“Home?” Qingmo raised an eyebrow. “Where is his home?”

Having previously heard Su Yuan mention home, he had assumed it meant the demon palace and had not pressed further.

“In the imperial capital, close to the Spirit Illusion Bureau,” Chenyin eagerly plotted the path to the Sovereign’s future happiness. “You know that Misty Cloud Pavilion with the notoriously terrible reputation, right? The Sovereign lives on the street directly behind it!”

That was hardly a compliment.

“What? Have you ever been to the Misty Cloud Pavilion?”

“Certainly not, but that is what everyone in the mortal realm says. I heard their proprietor is fierce and ruthless, beating up customers at the drop of a hat!”

“Hmph.”

Before departing, Qingmo made sure she experienced the Misty Cloud Pavilion’s hospitality firsthand.

Before him stood two towering, intricately carved wooden doors whose delicate patterns lost nothing in majesty, reflecting the careful effort of their designer.

The moment Qingmo drew close, he sensed the aura of the Dao of Heaven. Hesitating and unwilling to step forward and knock, he squatted in front of the gates and locked gazes with the pair of stone lions.

Why had he never noticed such a massive estate in this area before?

His slender, fair fingers hooked onto the door knocker only to pull back repeatedly. He gazed up at the sky in distress, trying to convince himself that retaliation against Su Yuan was completely justified, but doing so right under the nose of the Dao of Heaven carried far too much risk.

Perhaps… he should come back another day?

Just as he was about to chicken out before the expedition even began, a voice from behind stopped him.

“Are you… Qingmo?”

Turning around, he saw an unfamiliar man around thirty years of age with ordinary features. Yet, the gentle aura radiating from him could not be ignored. A servant carrying various bags trailed beside him, looking as though they had just returned from a shopping trip.

Qingmo was certain he had never met this man, yet the stranger acted as though they were old acquaintances, enthusiastically pulling him into the courtyard without a word. “You must be here to see Migao. He is resting in his room right now, I will take you to him.”

“Ah…? Er… um.”

Something felt off, but he could not quite pinpoint what. And who on earth was Migao?

…Forget it. Since he had arrived, he might as well see it through.

Perhaps because the man was exceedingly gentle, Qingmo could not connect him with the mysterious Demon Queen in any way. In his impression, the Demon Queen ought to be a terrifying monster fond of eating children.

The man led him to a small courtyard filled with medicinal herbs whose scent was identical to the one Su Yuan carried year-round. An old, weather-beaten swing hung beneath a tree, though it was clean and meticulously maintained.

From some distance away, a fit of tearing coughs echoed from inside the room.

“Sigh… Migao this child, knowing full well his health is poor yet running about everywhere. He nearly scared me to death last night.”

Now he knew who Migao was. Qingmo felt rather awkward, offering an embarrassed smile without speaking.

If this man knew that the person running amok with Su Yuan was none other than himself, would he toss him out right this second?

Pushing the door open, a dense wave of bitter medicinal scent rushed forward. Su Yuan sat leaning against the head of the bed with furrowed brows, a book clutched in his hand accompanied by occasional light coughs, while a docile little calico cat curled up quietly across his lap.

The heterochromatic eyes shifted, lifting to look at the newcomer. “Father…”

Hearing that, Qingmo froze mid-step, looking at the man with newfound astonishment and secretly thanking himself for keeping his mouth shut earlier.

Upon spotting him, Su Yuan thought he was dreaming. “Qingmo? How did you find this place?”

“Surprise, right? Chenyin told me.” Qingmo put on a smug expression, realizing a moment too late that he ought to tone it down. “Um… I heard you fell ill, so I came to check on you.”

“Is… that so?” Su Yuan remained deeply skeptical.

Leaving aside the fact that Qingmo had arrived empty-handed to visit a patient, his chronic illness was nothing new, and he had never seen Qingmo go out of his way to fawn over him before.

“You two chat, I am going to make something delicious.”

Liuze had viewed Qingmo favorably from the start. Leaving them space alone, he beckoned to the small calico cat. “Tanggao, let us leave and not disturb big brother.”

“Meow~”

Tanggao was also a soft, cotton-ball-like kitten. Qingmo desperately wanted to pet it, but felt too shy to ask. Reading his yearning gaze, Su Yuan told Liuze, “It is fine, leave Tanggao here. Qingmo likes cats.”

“Oh?”

How did Qingmo himself not know this? He did not particularly love cats; he simply loved every single fluffy creature in existence.

“I see.” Liuze wore a meaningful smile as he turned and closed the door behind him.

With the room quieted down, Qingmo hugged Tanggao tightly, playing with it to his heart’s content—burying his face in the cotton-like fur one moment, and rubbing against its pink paws the next.

Tanggao seemed quite fond of this strange visitor on its first home visit, showing no resistance whatsoever as it exposed its soft belly for him to scratch.

“Tanggao was only picked up by Father last year. Normally it runs away the moment it sees anyone, so it is rare to see it so relaxed around a stranger.”

“Naturally, that is thanks to my pet-stroking technique.” Qingmo scratched Tanggao’s soft tummy, eliciting a comfortable purr from the kitten.

Shifting the conversation with a sharp edge, Qingmo asked, “Tanggao was picked up, and what about Migao?”

Su Yuan lowered the book, a layer of amusement coloring his dark eyes. “Migao was picked up, too.”

“Oh~”

The bed was warm, and Su Yuan felt too lazy to get up, seeing no need to stand on ceremony with him. He patted the edge of the bed, signaling Qingmo to sit closer. “Father is getting on in years and his memory is not quite what it used to be, constantly mixing people up. He did not frighten you, did he?”

Clinging tightly to Tanggao and refusing to let go, Qingmo sat down beside him. “Not at all, your father is very kind. So, about the family members you mentioned earlier…”

Su Yuan nodded slightly, explaining, “Father has been plagued by nightmares for a long time, and my elder brother could find no solution. Only the incense crafted by Ashi can provide some relief.”

So the so-called family members represented not just a romantic partner, but actual kin.

Qingmo had no family; he had been an orphan since birth, spending his earliest memories begging on the streets and scavenging unwanted vegetable leaves for sustenance, which was why he had subconsciously overlooked that possibility.

Resting against his neck, Tanggao seemed to sense his gloomy mood, lifting a paw to pat his face and rubbing its cheek against his.

Lowering his head, Qingmo planted a kiss on the sensible little creature’s head, feigning a relaxed tone. “So that was it. I actually thought you had started a romance, what a misunderstanding.”

Su Yuan fell abruptly silent, his thin lips pressed tightly together.

“…Surely not?”

The heterochromatic eyes deliberately evaded his questioning gaze.

“Really?” Qingmo asked cautiously.

“…Mm.”