Queen of Ten Thousand Demons Insists on Marrying Me - Chapter 24

Lu Xiaoxiao said in shock: “I’ve always treated you as a friend, and yet you’re still laughing at me at a time like this.”

Dantai Jing desperately suppressed her laughter and said seriously: “You vomited quickly, and that person was clearly a mortal. The effects of the drug should not be difficult for a cultivator to suppress.”

Lu Xiaoxiao’s expression improved slightly, but she felt her face and body getting hotter and hotter, accompanied by a strange sensation in her body.

She tugged at her collar, wanting to ask Dantai Jing how long it would take to return to normal, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it.

Dantai Jing noticed that Lu Xiaoxiao’s gaze toward her was growing increasingly ardent, which made her feel a little uncomfortable.

“The bathwater that was delivered earlier should have cooled down. Go soak in it.”

Lu Xiaoxiao pulled off her outer robe, jumped into the tub, and cast a Cold Ice Spell to make the water even colder.

“So cold!” Instantly, her entire body was frozen, and any suggestive thoughts vanished completely.

The other person in the room picked up the bowl of iced cream and leisurely savored it, occasionally glancing at Lu Xiaoxiao with a smile in her eyes.

Lu Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes: “Can you stop laughing? When can I be alright? Why don’t we switch rooms? You can go to mine for a while.”

“About half an hour. No, I must stay here and watch you. What if someone comes in if I leave?”

Lu Xiaoxiao shivered in the tub: “Why would anyone come in?”

“Did you forget what happened next door just now?”

Lu Xiaoxiao fell silent.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Lu Xiaoxiao’s teeth chattered as she said: “I feel like an hour has passed. I don’t feel anything now. Can I get out?”

Dantai Jing walked over and leaned against the edge of the tub, watching the person inside who was shivering like a poor, rain-soaked puppy with drooping ears.

Her throat felt tight, and she gently said: “Not yet. Why don’t I help you test it?”

Lu Xiaoxiao opened her eyes, looking at the woman in front of her who wore a cunning smile, unsure of her ill intentions.

But she couldn’t resist the cold: “Any way you test is fine, as long as I can get out quickly.”

Lu Xiaoxiao closed her eyes. She sensed the person bend down and stop right behind her, close to her ear.

She vaguely felt a breath of hot air, a temperature she coveted, making her want to lean closer. But remembering the test Dantai Jing mentioned, she dared not make any unnecessary movements.

She collected herself and nervously asked: “Is that it? Did I pass the test?”

There was no reply.

Suddenly, she felt the person blow a puff of air into her ear. Instantly, her whole body went numb, her body softened, and she couldn’t help but tremble. The heat she had suppressed in her lower abdomen suddenly surged up again.

Her throat bobbed slightly on her slender neck, accompanied by an almost inaudible “gulp” that sounded particularly clear in the quiet environment.

Lu Xiaoxiao slowly opened her eyes and turned to look at Dantai Jing’s breathtakingly beautiful face. Her skin was crystal clear, as if a slight touch would make it blush. Their distance was so close that she could smell the unique sandalwood scent on the other person.

Driven by an impulse she couldn’t explain, she leaned forward, wanting to rub her face against the other person to feel more warmth.

But the other person did not intend to let her succeed. Dantai Jing suddenly retracted her upper body and stood up, leaving behind a clean set of clothes, and walked out behind the screen alone.

Disappointed, Lu Xiaoxiao heard a low, husky voice: “Not… not yet. The test was not passed.”

The person in the tub blushed. She submerged herself completely in the icy water and only came up after a long while.

Her jet-black long hair, drenched with cold water, clung tightly to her cheeks and back. Water droplets slowly slid down her delicate skin, leaving sparkling trails. Perhaps due to the icy water, a faint pink color showed on her face, like a blooming peach blossom.

Dantai Jing glanced from behind the screen and caught sight of Lu Xiaoxiao’s soaked clothes, through which her tender skin was visible. She quickly looked away.

From then on, the two didn’t speak another word.

When Dantai Jing finally told Lu Xiaoxiao she could leave, Lu Xiaoxiao quickly grabbed the dry clothes Dantai Jing had left and rushed out the door back to her own room.

Once back in her room, she curled up in bed, covering herself completely from head to toe with the quilt, perhaps due to the cold, or perhaps due to embarrassment…

The next day, as expected, Lu Xiaoxiao developed a high fever. Lu Wanbai called out for a long time outside the door without response. Finally, she broke down the door and found that Lu Xiaoxiao was already delirious with fever. She rushed out immediately to call a physician.

When Lu Xiaoxiao was woken up, she felt aching all over and intensely cold, as if she were still in the ice tub from the night before. In her haze, she felt someone feeding her food and medicine, and it seemed like two more quilts were added. Only when she finally felt less cold did she fall back asleep.

When she woke up again, the room was dim, and she wasn’t sure what time it was. She slightly raised her hand, wanting to tuck the quilt in more securely, but someone moved faster than her.

“Dantai Jing? Why are you here? Where are Lu Wanbai and the others? What time is it now?”

Dantai Jing pressed the back of her hand against Lu Xiaoxiao’s forehead and replied: “They went out to look for traces of Wan Xuan’er. It should be the hour of Xu (戌時, 7-9 pm) now. The medicine will be ready soon. Eat something and then go back to sleep.”

Still feeling dizzy, Lu Xiaoxiao nodded and snuggled back under the covers, leaving only her bird’s nest-like head exposed.

Dantai Jing soon returned with a bowl of herbal soup and rice porridge. She looked at the person on the bed, whose face was flushed red and whose eyes lacked their usual vitality.

She asked: “Can you eat by yourself?”

Lu Xiaoxiao nodded, propped herself up against the bed, took two spoonfuls of the rice porridge, and complained with a long, aggrieved face: “It tastes awful, no flavor. How can you feed a patient something like this? I already have no appetite, and it’s so bland.”

Dantai Jing’s action of flipping the book paused slightly, “Then what would you like to eat?”

“A roast chicken will do! You don’t know, but the sicker you are, the more you need nourishment. Drinking porridge is useless and will only make me feel worse.”

Dantai Jing was noncommittal, elegantly turning the page of her book and ignoring the person on the bed.

Lu Xiaoxiao, realizing her attempt was futile, spiritlessly drank a few mouthfuls of porridge. She pinched her nose and quickly swallowed the herbal soup in one go.

Good medicine tastes bitter. This herbal soup was sour, astringent, and bitter, making her feel nauseous after drinking it. Her small face was tightly wrinkled into a knot.

Dantai Jing reached out, pulled out a paper packet, and handed it over. It was malt candy. After one piece, Lu Xiaoxiao’s face finally relaxed.

“Wow, I didn’t expect you to be so thoughtful and prepare malt candy for me.”

“It was just that there was a vendor shouting outside the door.”

“Is that so? Why didn’t I hear him in the room? As expected of the largest inn in Qingzhou City, it’s quite soundproof.”

Dantai Jing did not respond, turning the conversation away: “Lu Wanbai sent back a letter through a messenger, saying that she saw Wan Xuan’er in Qingzhou City. Mei Ce’s death may be related to the demon race, and they have followed the trail out of the city.”

The conversation successfully diverted Lu Xiaoxiao’s attention. Lu Xiaoxiao was surprised: “Ah? No way. Based on your understanding of the demon race, why do you think they would want to kill Mei Ce? To incite conflict between the Mei family and Yaoxia Palace?”

“The demon who died in Zhujia Town last time was a subordinate of the Demonic Venerable Geng Shen, who is Yan Sihong’s older brother. Since my godmother was taken away by Wan Xuan’er, he has been the most active. Yan Geng Shen has secretly colluded with demon spies in Yaoxia Palace, either plotting for the Demon Locking Tower or Yaoxia Palace—it’s always one of the two. Perhaps he intends to use public opinion to cause a feud between the Mei family and Yaoxia Palace.”

Lu Xiaoxiao didn’t understand the intricacies of this plot and only asked about something that concerned her.

“Then wouldn’t us killing Yan Sihong mean we’ve made an enemy of that Geng Shen?”

Dantai Jing nodded, then said: “But what happened inside the Demon Locking Tower, if you don’t speak of it and I don’t speak of it, no one will know.”

Hearing the other person say this, Lu Xiaoxiao settled back into the soft quilt: “Then what about your godmother? We didn’t see her after entering the Demon Locking Tower.”

Dantai Jing looked slightly unnatural: “If what Yan Sihong said is not wrong—and I mean if… then my godmother was once in the Demon Locking Tower but is no longer there. It’s very possible that Wan Xuan’er moved her to another location for confinement. Let’s just follow Wan Xuan’er for now.”

She had intended to wait for Lu Xiaoxiao to offer some suggestions, but then heard the person say: “Dantai Jing, I’m still so cold. Can you lend me your tail to warm up again?”

A book was slammed toward the patient’s face on the bed. By the time Lu Xiaoxiao raised her hand to block the book, Qingzhou Anecdotes, the person in front of the bed had vanished.

Having experienced this many times, Lu Xiaoxiao no longer cared. She yawned and fell back into a deep, hazy sleep.

Late the next evening, Lu Wanbai rushed back, covered in dust.

Lu Wanbai’s eyes were red: “Xiaoxiao, I truly saw Master yesterday. Hurry up and get up; I’ll take you to find her.”

Lu Xiaoxiao and Dantai Jing exchanged glances, both seeing the suspicion in the other’s eyes. Lu Xiaoxiao thought to herself: Even in the world of cultivation, resurrection shouldn’t be so easy.

But she didn’t have much time to think. She replied to Lu Wanbai and was pulled out by the arm.

The three didn’t walk far before they saw a solemn and majestic mansion. From a distance, it appeared to occupy one-third of Qingzhou City’s area.

The gate was carved from thousand-year-old ancient wood, with complex runes engraved on the lintel. In the center, the two characters for Mei Family (梅家) were carved in flowing calligraphy on the plaque.

Lu Xiaoxiao asked: “Elder Sister Lu… why would she be here?”

Lu Wanbai frowned deeply: “I don’t know. Palace Mistress Wan and I chased the demonic aura out of the city gate, but the demon’s magic was too skillful, allowing him to escape. On our way back, we saw a figure strongly resembling Master sneaking into the Mei family. Palace Mistress Wan and Qingyi went in ahead of us and told me to come back and find you.”

After saying that, she started walking toward the entrance, but Lu Xiaoxiao quickly stopped her.

“Wait, I feel like this whole thing is too strange. Master suddenly appearing to lead you to the Mei family—if there’s anything suspicious, we won’t find anything by just walking in boldly. Since Aunt Wan is already inside, why don’t we sneak in while they are occupied receiving Aunt Wan and look for anything unusual?”

Dantai Jing also chimed in: “That makes sense.”

Sneaking in uninvited in the middle of the night was something Lu Xiaoxiao had become quite experienced with, thanks to Dantai Jing. The three found a quiet corner near the wall, just about to climb over.

They suddenly heard a faint rustling sound, forcing the three to crouch down and hide again.

A moment later, a figure in white flew out from within the wall not far away.

Lu Xiaoxiao thought to herself: This person is probably doing something similar to what we’re about to do. How utterly pretentious. Why wouldn’t they change into dark clothes when sneaking into someone’s house late at night?

Lu Wanbai suddenly stood up and took two steps toward the figure.

She shouted, “Master!” and then flew off on her sword to follow.