Queen of Ten Thousand Demons Insists on Marrying Me - Chapter 18

Lu Xiaoxiao took the slap entirely unprepared, feeling deeply wronged. She angrily rubbed her cheek, saying, “Your temper is terrible, your personality is awful, and your striking force is strong. In your Demon Realm, there surely aren’t many people who like you.”

Seeing the other person just give her a blank look and remain silent, the slightly emboldened Lu Xiaoxiao continued, “It seems I was correct. I guess you were never beaten as a child. Once I get out of the Demon-Locking Pagoda, I will definitely practice the Talisman Arts  diligently, head held high and pounding my temples, and sooner or later, I will let you experience a complete childhood.”

Dantai Jing abruptly stood up.

Lu Xiaoxiao quickly raised her hands to shield her head and retreated a few steps further back.

Dantai Jing casually glanced at her hand and said, “That is indeed true. However, you must have been beaten often as a child. Fortunately, you grew up and met me. In the future, I will help your respected father and mother complete that ‘complete childhood’ for you.”

Lu Xiaoxiao knew it was better to stop arguing verbally and interrupted, “Let’s talk about the important matter. What happened to you this time? Did you run into a tough opponent?”

“What is a ‘tough opponent’?”

Lu Xiaoxiao clarified, “Someone you cannot defeat.”

Dantai Jing understood and recounted everything that happened after she was teleported to the other space verbatim to Lu Xiaoxiao.

Lu Xiaoxiao paced back and forth, scratching her head, “What should we do about this? How long can you last against her? Moreover, you fled from Zǐ Shí (Midnight) until Mǎo Shí (Rooster Hour) there, yet you didn’t see any other demons. And that snake demon said she hadn’t seen a living person in many years—could it be that she has eaten all the demons inside?”

“That is highly possible. She surpassed my breakthrough by two hundred years; lasting two shí (shí meaning a two-hour period) is already my limit. But if I had another twenty years…”

Lu Xiaoxiao interrupted, “Forget twenty years; let’s talk about the two shí first.”

Dantai Jing continued, “I was afflicted with her snake poison. Although some of this poison has been cleared by my Gu-worm, it is not life-threatening, but it is suppressing my spiritual power.” She glanced at Lu Xiaoxiao after speaking.

Then, with a crestfallen tone, she added, “If she is still waiting for me in the same spot where I disappeared, I fear I won’t last two shí this time before…”

Lu Xiaoxiao had a headache, “You didn’t foresee this situation at all? You just rushed blindly into the Demon-Locking Pagoda?!” She then looked at Dantai Jing with eyes full of anticipation, “You must have some contingency plan, right?”

“I do have one…”

Lu Xiaoxiao was overjoyed, “Then quickly show it to me! We are both grasshoppers tied to the same rope now; stop hiding anything.”

Dantai Jing guiltily pointed at Lu Xiaoxiao.

“Me?”

“Mhm…”

Lu Xiaoxiao asked again, unwilling to give up, “Me?”

Dantai Jing’s gaze became somewhat unnatural, “I thought that by pulling you in with me, Wan Xuan’er would be hesitant to harm me inside the Demon-Locking Pagoda while you were there. Who knew there were two spaces inside? Because I am a Half-Demon, I was sent to the demon side at the Yǒu Shí (4 PM to 6 PM) hour…”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

Lu Xiaoxiao knelt down, covering her face, and wept silently.

Wan Xuan’er had done nothing wrong; no one could have guessed that Dantai Jing of the Yaoxia Palace  was a Half-Demon, and that this fact was tied directly to her own life.

Lu Xiaoxiao replied sullenly, “Why don’t you just give me the antidote? I can go to Gouwu Mountain  and deliver a message to your demon descendants later, so at least you can have a gravestone erected.”

Hearing this, Dantai Jing fell silent.

After a moment, she replied calmly, “After you get out, search under the pillow in my room for the antidote; it can grant you three extra months of life. It’s not that I don’t want to completely cure you, but a vital medicinal ingredient is missing. If there’s a chance in the future, I hope you can deliver a message to Gouwu Mountain for me: tell them that Dantai Jing and her Godmother  cannot return.”

“What? The person you want to save is your Godmother?”

“That’s right. I lost my father at age three and my mother at age seven. At twelve, I was sold to a brothel by my only relative, my maternal uncle, and only managed to escape after breaking a leg. In the Human Realm, I often went hungry and cold, begging on the streets during the day and sleeping in mountain temples at night. Later, my Godmother found me and took me to Gouwu Mountain, where I discovered that not only did humans reject me, but demons did too. Because of my bloodline, they mocked and cursed me daily, and several times they almost ate me.”

“You… you had such a difficult life.”

The situation was completely beyond her expectations. Previously, seeing Dantai Jing’s skill, coupled with her usual arrogant, noble, and seemingly invincible demeanor, Lu Xiaoxiao had guessed it all stemmed from being pampered by her family. She never imagined her background held such a tragic past, and hearing this made Lu Xiaoxiao’s heart clench.

Dantai Jing unconsciously wiped away her own tears, “When I was little, no demon was willing to pay attention to me, so I could only play alone in the mountains. It was my bad luck; I was captured by a cultivator who intended to refine me into a pill. My Godmother searched for me for more than ten days before catching up to that cultivator. In the ensuing fight, she accidentally killed him, and Wan Xuan’er happened to witness it. My Godmother sacrificed a hundred years of her cultivation just to let me escape, but she was captured by Wan Xuan’er and thrown into the Demon-Locking Pagoda.”

Lu Xiaoxiao turned and fiercely wiped a tear away.

“I still have five mid-grade Five Thunder Talismans. If I give them to you, will it increase our chances of winning?”

Dantai Jing, with tears still on her face, looked up at Lu Xiaoxiao: “Xiao Xiao, you truly are a good person. Besides my Godmother, you are the only person in this world who has willingly been kind to me.”

Dantai Jing’s appearance was already exceptional, and seeing her now looking so pitiful and vulnerable, Lu Xiaoxiao’s last bit of resistance vanished. If she didn’t help, she would be utterly wicked. Thinking of this, she felt she would suffer sleepless nights later if she didn’t act.

The resentment from being slapped earlier had long since dissipated. Such a tragic background explained her personality flaws; perhaps the current situation was just a bug, and dying meant returning to modern times as a corporate drone anyway.

“Why don’t I go in with you? It will increase our chances.”

Dantai Jing’s eyes widened, “Really? You are truly willing to help me?”

“Yes! Anyway, if I get out alive, I only get three more months of life. But if we both successfully survive this time, you absolutely must give me the antidote.”

Dantai Jing replied shyly, “Mhm, I promise you.” She hadn’t expected Lu Xiaoxiao to be so agreeable, and then continued, “Actually, there is one thing I have been hiding from you.”

“It’s fine, just tell me.” Lu Xiaoxiao felt like a caring older sister now, gentle and considerate.

“Actually, I obtained the Chaoyuan Sword  later. It is rumored throughout the Demon Realm that the future of the Demon Clan will eventually be controlled by the master of the Chaoyuan Sword… I hope you won’t blame me…”

As soon as the words fell, an immortal sword emanating a blue glow appeared. A blue extraterrestrial jewel was embedded in the hilt, and it joyfully flew to Lu Xiaoxiao’s side, even rubbing its hilt against her shoulder.

Lu Xiaoxiao was surprised. She hadn’t expected the Chaoyuan Sword to be with Dantai Jing, nor had she expected the immortal sword to possess such spirit. She couldn’t help but reach out and touch it: “That’s completely a rumor. How can a mere sword be so powerful? Why didn’t you keep it for yourself?”

The Chaoyuan Sword seemed displeased upon hearing this; it separated slightly from her and turned its back.

Dantai Jing didn’t speak. She reached out to grasp the hilt, only to see a blue flame erupt from the hilt, scorching the palm of her hand.

“Because the Chaoyuan Sword can only be wielded by the person it recognizes as its master. Anyone else who touches it will be met with its resistance, especially demons.”

Lu Xiaoxiao quickly picked up her hand and saw that the skin on her palm was already scorched in that brief moment. She didn’t expect the girl to be so reckless and hurriedly took out medicinal ointment to apply it carefully.

She said with a hint of anger in her tone, “You could have just told me next time. Why would you test something so dangerous yourself?”

Dantai Jing, startled by Lu Xiaoxiao’s sudden concern, withdrew her hand behind her back. She was somewhat unaccustomed to the other person suddenly becoming gentle.

Dantai Jing had expected Lu Xiaoxiao to blame her again, after all, she had taken the other’s ancestral treasure. However, Dantai Jing never would have guessed that Lu Xiaoxiao had known the treasure for less than half a day, and losing it didn’t matter much since she had considered it worth only one thousand two hundred silver taels back then.

She looked down at the medicine Lu Xiaoxiao had applied to her palm, then looked up to meet the other person’s eager gaze. Lu Xiaoxiao said happily, “In that case, doesn’t our chance of success increase?”

A faint smile finally appeared on Dantai Jing’s face: “That’s right! Let me think… When the time comes, I will feign being injured by Yan Sihong, and then, when she is caught off guard, I will stab her once with the Chaoyuan Sword. This situation can then be resolved. No matter how high her cultivation is, she cannot withstand a direct strike to the heart from the Chaoyuan Sword.”

“Even if the first strike isn’t fatal, I can at least fight her to a draw.”

Lu Xiaoxiao urgently objected, “You can’t wield the Chaoyuan Sword, so how can you be the bait? Let me do it. My cultivation is low; she will definitely be less wary of me.”

Dantai Jing was surprised that Lu Xiaoxiao was willing to go to such lengths for her. She reluctantly agreed, “Then… alright then. When the Yǒu Shí arrives, you and I will hold hands, and I believe that will allow me to bring you to the other space in the Demon-Locking Pagoda as well.”

With time to spare, Lu Xiaoxiao told Dantai Jing to sleep first, as she hadn’t rested properly in two days.

Perhaps knowing Dantai Jing’s tragic past, seeing her resting with her eyes closed, deathly pale, and severely injured, Lu Xiaoxiao felt the girl was pitiful—beautiful and filial. She wondered if her own careless words in the past had hurt her feelings.

The Demon-Locking Pagoda was so dangerous; how could someone who dared to enter, knowing it was nine parts death and one part life, possibly be a bad person?

In the blink of an eye, Yǒu Shí arrived. The two stood opposite each other, holding each other’s hands, so close that they could even feel the other’s breath.

A white light burst forth. Dantai Jing nodded to her, and Lu Xiaoxiao knew they were about to be teleported.

But just at the moment before the teleportation, Lu Xiaoxiao thought she saw a trace of a cunning smile on Dantai Jing’s face.