Queen of Ten Thousand Demons Insists on Marrying Me - Chapter 3

In the distance, the Demonic Beast Mountain Range, veiled in the hazy night, merged with the horizon into a black curtain. Under the moonlight, a flood of wild beasts swept forth like a tide. The sound of their footsteps echoed across the land like drumbeats, interspersed with the roars of giant creatures, seemingly intent on shattering this very world.

At the memorial archway on the west street of Jing’an Town.

Lù Wǎnbái held a long sword glowing with blue light, her expression a mix of eagerness and excitement.

Tántái Jǐng stood silently beside her, gripping a dark-colored long whip, with crimson flames swirling around his body.

Lù Xiǎoxiǎo stood in the middle, clutching the hems of their robes and trembling: “Senior Sister Lù, I already pawned my sword. It’s up to you two now. My life-saver, I must trouble you to save me once more this time. I cannot thank you enough for your great kindness; if I ever have the chance, I will certainly repay you and work for you like an ox or a horse.”

Upon hearing Lù Xiǎoxiǎo offer to serve Tántái Jǐng as an ox or a horse, Lù Wǎnbái couldn’t help but frown and ask: “How could you pawn your most precious Chaoyuan Sword? Xiaoxiao, you are too foolish.”

Tántái Jǐng also raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, his gaze turning to Lù Xiǎoxiǎo with a probing look.

Lù Xiǎoxiǎo looked at the bizarre and ugly demonic beasts rushing over from a distance, terrified out of her wits. Yet, somehow, her tone became a bit firm: “If I can’t even afford to eat, what good is a sword?”

Lù Wǎnbái shook her head, pulled a sword from her storage ring, and handed it to Lù Xiǎoxiǎo: “Just use this for now. We’ll go redeem yours tomorrow.”

Lù Xiǎoxiǎo gripped the sword with both hands, feeling an intense heat. Having spent the last twenty-five years focused on studying and working, she had never even killed a chicken once. Now, she was expected to use a sword to fight for her life against beasts as tall as a person. Her legs went weak again. Oh, my dear heavens, save me.

Lù Xiǎoxiǎo turned her distressed face to Lù Wǎnbái’s back and said: “Senior Sister, I was poisoned in the Demonic Beast Mountain Range. I can’t seem to access my spiritual power.”

Lù Wǎnbái was greatly alarmed: “What kind of strange poison is this? I’ve read tens of thousands of books in the Sutra Repository and have never encountered it.” Puzzled, she turned her head to look at Tántái Jǐng.

Tántái Jǐng met her gaze and shook his head: “Perhaps it’s not poisoning. What do you think, Lù… Xiǎo… Xiǎo?”

Lù Xiǎoxiǎo couldn’t think of anything now. Her vision was like a screen with scrolling bullet comments: Health… Attack Power… Defense Power… Attack Power… Health…

The clearest “comments” belonged to the two people in front of her.

Lù Wǎnbái (Human, Foundation Establishment Stage)

Health: 100

Attack Power: 95

Defense Power: 59

Tántái Jǐng (Half-Human, Foundation Establishment Stage)

Health: 100

Attack Power: 90

Defense Power: 100

The tide of beasts was less than twenty meters from the three. Lù Wǎnbái leaped forward and swept out with her sword. A streak of sword energy sliced through the air, instantly sending the front-row beasts flying back several meters, tearing a gap in the beast tide. Lù Wǎnbái’s moves were lethal; each swing of her sword took out at least seven or eight demonic beasts. Essentially, no beast was able to break past her defenses beneath the archway. In a short time, a large pile of shattered limbs and broken bodies accumulated in front.

Tántái Jǐng dragged his feet forward one step: “Let go!”

Lù Xiǎoxiǎo knelt down, hugging Tántái Jǐng’s ankle: “No way!”

Tántái Jǐng dragged his feet forward two more steps: “I told you to let go!”

Lù Xiǎoxiǎo knelt down, hugging Tántái Jǐng’s thigh: “I think my Senior Sister is perfectly fine. Combat power is continuously increased through practice.” She then squeezed out a teardrop: “I don’t feel safe without you here.”

Tántái Jǐng’s earlobes turned red. Never in his life had anyone clung to his leg so intimately. He exerted force with his leg, shaking the person off slightly, and then kicked her a little further away. Afraid that the person would stick to him again like a plaster, he quickly flew forward to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Lù Wǎnbái.

Ankle… thigh… who knows where she’ll cling to next.

The advantage of a whip is its length and wide attack range. Every time Tántái Jǐng’s flame-wrapped whip lashed out, it could sweep up a large number of demonic beasts. These flying beasts, in turn, knocked down another large group, significantly easing the pressure on Lù Wǎnbái.

Lù Wǎnbái, who had been sweating profusely from exhaustion on the frontline, looked back several times but saw no one coming to help. She wondered what Lù Xiǎoxiǎo was doing in the back, cuddling and clinging to Tántái Jǐng.

Fortunately, just as her spiritual energy began to run low, Tántái Jǐng finally came up with a slightly flushed face. From then on, with Tántái Jǐng as the main force and her assisting, they dealt with the stragglers. After half an hour, they had finally piled up a wall of demonic beast corpses as tall as two people.

Perhaps due to the intense smell of blood, large numbers of demonic beasts ran along both sides of the corpse wall and绕过了 the town. After standing guard for the time it takes two sticks of incense to burn, the two finally leaped down from the archway.

Meanwhile, Lù Xiǎoxiǎo was ten meters away, leaning on her sword and violently vomiting. Lù Xiǎoxiǎo truly could not be blamed. The corpse wall was over two people high, and the smell of blood was so strong that even a whiff made her nauseous. Lù Xiǎoxiǎo suspected the other two might not have a sense of smell.

Lù Wǎnbái turned to Tántái Jǐng and said apologetically: “I’ll take my Junior Sister elsewhere to see if we can help. I must excuse myself now, Daoist Tántái.”

Tántái Jǐng pressed a finger to his nose, his eyes showing unhidden disgust. He waved his hand, and Lù Wǎnbái helped Lù Xiǎoxiǎo walk away as if they were fleeing.

Lù Wǎnbái couldn’t understand how her Junior Sister had become so useless, getting nauseous from just a few demonic beasts. Was the shock too great? With this thought, Lù Wǎnbái felt even more pity for her Junior Sister. Since their Master was gone, as the Senior Disciple, she must take good care of Xiǎoxiǎo.

Lù Xiǎoxiǎo was helped by Lù Wǎnbái to an unoccupied house. After gargling and resting for a long time, she finally recovered. Most of the demonic beasts in the town had been cleared out, and the beast tide was nearing its end. Lù Wǎnbái instructed Lù Xiǎoxiǎo sternly not to wander off and to wait for her return, and then left to assist at other crossroads. Lù Xiǎoxiǎo hadn’t seen any living demonic beasts on her way, which eased her mind, so she sat down on the steps to rest.

She wasn’t sure if it was psychological, but the moonlight made the courtyard look exceptionally pale. Lù Xiǎoxiǎo thought she smelled a strong scent of blood again. A dark, shiny stain by the well made her wonder: Could that be blood…?

No, no. I just drank water from there. Maybe it was just spilled water I didn’t notice. The more Lù Xiǎoxiǎo thought about it, the more frightened she became. Finally, with a resolute heart, she walked toward the unknown liquid…

Phew, thank goodness it’s not. Just as Lù Xiǎoxiǎo patted her chest, she heard the sound of hurried footsteps approaching from the distance. She instinctively squatted down and hid in the shadows.

Listening to the footsteps, there were two people. When they entered the courtyard, she hesitated, unsure if they were friend or foe. She planned to stand up only if she heard Lù Wǎnbái’s voice.

“This subordinate greets Young Master.”

“The outskirts of the Demonic Beast Mountain Range have been quiet for so long. What caused this beast tide?” Lù Xiǎoxiǎo found the voice somewhat familiar but was afraid of being discovered if she looked up, so she repressed her curiosity.

“There are dark clouds swirling with thunder inside the Demonic Beast Mountain Range. This subordinate speculates that a great demon at the Black Wind Cliff in the inner area of the Demonic Beast Mountain Range has broken through.”

“Besides that serpent demon, who else could it be at the Black Wind Cliff? I can’t believe he’s broken through after being stuck at that bottleneck for so many years. The Great King has only been gone for a few years, and now the Demonic Beast Mountain Range is likely to change.” As Lù Xiǎoxiǎo heard the female voice speak the second sentence, a bolt of lightning seemed to flash through her mind. This… this is my life-saver, Tántái Jǐng!

The male voice replied: “Yes, this subordinate will carefully guard the disciples and grand-disciples of Gouwu Mountain, waiting for Young Master to bring the Great King back.”

Tántái Jǐng: “I will. You may withdraw now. Don’t let anyone discover you.”

Then there were more footsteps, sounding as if the man had left. Lù Xiǎoxiǎo’s heart was pounding. Why didn’t both of them leave together? She felt like she had heard a terrible secret—that Tántái Jǐng was from the inner area of the Demonic Beast Mountain Range and did not want others to know her identity. Thinking this, her heart began to thump uncontrollably. She felt that if she had a fitness watch now, it would be beeping an alarm.

“Come out,” the female voice said mockingly.

The inevitable had happened. Sure enough, the abilities of these cultivators were abnormal. She had been squatting there motionless, her legs numb, but she hadn’t dared to move. How was she still discovered? However, she quickly thought that perhaps this person was just overly suspicious, testing to see if anyone was in the courtyard. If the enemy does not move, I shall not move.

“Your heartbeat is too loud.” Tántái Jǐng’s voice was alluring and seductive, but in the nighttime courtyard, it sent a chill down Lù Xiǎoxiǎo’s spine. She continued her futile resistance, certain that Tántái Jǐng was just trying to scare her.

“Did you know? The faster your heart beats, the more violently the blood spurts out when you get injured.”

Frightened by this statement, Lù Xiǎoxiǎo felt her heart was about to jump out of her throat. She slowly brought her hands to her mouth to cover it, holding her breath, convinced that her breathing was too heavy…

Tántái Jǐng’s voice was devoid of warmth: “I’ll count to three, Lù Xiǎoxiǎo.”

“One…”

Lù Xiǎoxiǎo shot up and stretched: “My life-saver, what a coincidence! Why are you here? I was honestly so tired that I fell asleep! Haha! Huh? Senior Sister hasn’t returned yet?” If it weren’t for her faintly trembling legs, Tántái Jǐng might have actually believed she had just woken up.

Tántái Jǐng pulled the whip from her waist and lashed it against the ground: “Let’s be direct. Since we know each other, how would you like to die? I can grant you that wish.”

The person who had just stood up dropped back down with a clatter: “Benefactor, please don’t! I was truly asleep just now, and I didn’t hear anything you were saying. Besides, even if I did hear something, I wouldn’t have understood it at all. You’ve saved me twice already; I haven’t repaid your kindness yet. Let’s not waste your good intentions. Also, I have a sincere heart for you. If you tell me to go East, I would never dare go West. If you tell me to shut up, starting tomorrow—no, starting today—I will be a mute.”

Perhaps Tántái Jǐng was tired of standing, or perhaps she found the judgment of a person’s life and death quite interesting, for she walked over to the well and sat down.

Lù Xiǎoxiǎo continued when she saw no response: “To be honest, I’ve loved demons since I was a child. Fox spirits, white snake spirits, rabbit spirits—I love all kinds of demons. I have never held any prejudice against demons. Humans are born of human mothers, and demons are born of demon mothers; there is fundamentally no difference. They all have two noses and one mouth—Pah! They all have two eyes and one mouth. There is fundamentally no difference. I hate racial discrimination the most, and I despise people with prejudice. My lifelong goal is the harmonious coexistence of humans and demons and the construction of a peaceful world.”

Tántái Jǐng’s red lips curled up slightly: “Oh? Who told you that all demons have two eyes and one mouth? There are plenty with eight eyes and eight legs.”

“The Sect Master of the Profound Heaven Sword Sect is dedicated to slaying demons and eliminating evil. Why does a Young Sect Master like you have such an awareness?”

Lù Xiǎoxiǎo looked at Tántái Jǐng’s red lips, which seemed intensely red, as if she had just eaten a few children and was about to tear her apart and eat her next.

She quickly replied: “All beings in the world are equal; existence is reasonable. My philosophy is completely different from my mother’s, which is why I ran away from home. Furthermore, I haven’t showered for several days; my meat is tough and won’t taste good. I can do many things, and you’ll find keeping me is absolutely worthwhile. You can eat me whenever you get tired of me. You shouldn’t be hungry right now, should you?”

Tántái Jǐng teased: “All beings in the world are equal; existence is reasonable.”

“If I kill you now, do you think it would be reasonable or unreasonable?”

Lù Xiǎoxiǎo said with a bitter face: “Reasonable… but saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. Did you join the Sunset Palace for some reason? Maybe I can help you, or if I can’t, there’s Lù Wǎnbái. Have you heard the saying, ‘Three mediocre people can beat one genius’?”

Tántái Jǐng: “How would Lù Wǎnbái help a demon like me?”

Feeling that she had finally relented, Lù Xiǎoxiǎo quickly said: “As long as I’m around, Lù Wǎnbái will help you. Lù Wǎnbái is bound by the command my mother gave before she died to listen to my orders. With me here, she has no choice but to help you.”

Tántái Jǐng seemed to consider this for a moment. She then walked over to Lù Xiǎoxiǎo, squatted down, pinched her chin, and forced a red pill into her mouth.

Then, like a lover, she gently caressed Lù Xiǎoxiǎo’s cheek: “You’re quite pretty; it would be a shame to let you die.”

“Swallow it!”

Lù Xiǎoxiǎo’s throat tickled, and she swallowed: “Tántái Jǐng, what did you just feed me?”

Tántái Jǐng stood up, dusted her hands, and walked toward the door, leaving behind a truly malicious statement.

“It’s a Golden Money Gu. Remember to come to me for the antidote every month. Otherwise, in less than a day, your chest and abdomen will be racked with pain, swell up like a jar, and you will bleed to death from all seven orifices.”

Lù Xiǎoxiǎo felt a tingling sensation all over her body, as if thousands of insects were gnawing at her.

The empty courtyard was filled with a series of retching sounds.