Queen of Ten Thousand Demons Insists on Marrying Me - Chapter 36

There were simply too many people on the Immortal Ascension Platform, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t squeeze out more than a few meters.

“Lu Xiaoxiao, what are you doing?”

Hearing the familiar voice, she looked back and saw the person she was looking for.

She quickly pulled that person and squeezed out of the crowd, finding a slightly less populated area. She whispered, “How did you end up here? Let’s go quickly! Xi Xiaoshuang’s matter has been exposed, and Auntie Wan is conducting a thorough inspection in the palace today. Just now, one spy was exposed and died right in front of me. That Ban Cheng’s cultivation is probably comparable to Auntie Wan’s.”

Tantai Jing had seen everything that just happened clearly. Especially the moment Ban Cheng instantly moved behind the female disciple and killed her with a single sword stroke after Lu Xiaoxiao closed her eyes.

“What? Are you afraid I’ll be discovered and you won’t get the antidote later?”

“Oh, don’t be angry! What happened yesterday was my fault. I apologize. It was all my careless talk that offended you. Afterwards, I thought about it, too. Auntie Wan was still there then, and if we had rushed out, we would have been exposed. If you hadn’t managed to find that demon later, we wouldn’t have been able to avenge that young couple.”

“Please be the bigger person and forgive little me.”

Tantai Jing replied with a cold face: “Hmph! We’ll see. It depends on your future performance.”

Seeing a potential turning point, Lu Xiaoxiao stopped pressing, taking it as being forgiven.

She looked at the guard teams in the distance. There were five groups, with ten people in each. In every group, one person held a compass resembling an azimuth dial. As long as someone placed their hand on it, it took less than two breaths to test if they were a non-human race. Already, three demon spies who had infiltrated were found.

She whispered, “Before they get to us, why don’t we run? Where there’s life, there’s hope.”

Tantai Jing said exasperatedly, “How do we run? Didn’t you see how fast the person who ran just now died? Do you want to get me killed?”

Lu Xiaoxiao choked on her words, thinking internally: What was that person’s cultivation, and what is yours? She couldn’t escape, but wouldn’t it be easy for you to run away?

But she dared not retort. She figured that with Tantai Jing’s confidence in staying here, she must have a backup plan. Maybe the Concealment Pearl could evade the compass detection.

She could only say, “I wouldn’t dare. It was just me not thinking things through properly.”

Tantai Jing, however, wouldn’t let it go and stared into her eyes, saying, “It seems you truly wish for me to die here today.”

Lu Xiaoxiao’s mind exploded. She stared at Tantai Jing, speechless. What is she talking about? Why do you get to say everything?!

Tantai Jing seemed to realize her words were somewhat problematic, coughed twice awkwardly, and then just said, “Hold tight to your Chaos Origin Sword,” before falling silent.

After hearing this, Lu Xiaoxiao watched the approaching guards, her hand instinctively touching the Chaos Origin Sword.

Tantai Jing wouldn’t be so reckless, would she? Two and a half people against the entire Yaoxia Palace—that’s madness! And among those two and a half people was Lu Wanbai, who might even turn to Yaoxia Palace’s side when the time came.

Lu Xiaoxiao’s subconscious action, however, aroused suspicion in the guards. Two of them were seen whispering to each other while staring at her, and then they walked towards them.

One of them asked, “Name?” His eyes constantly scrutinized Lu Xiaoxiao, while the other had already placed his hand on his saber, just waiting for the test to reveal an anomaly to strike and cut her down.

“Lu Xiaoxiao.”

“Never heard of you. Which elder are you apprenticed to?”

Lu Xiaoxiao: “None of them. I’m here to take refuge with my godmother.”

The moment she finished speaking, the men were already raising their sabers in preparation: “What godmother? Just anyone can’t enter my Yaoxia Palace. Quickly put your hand on the Demon Subduing Disk.”

Lu Xiaoxiao secretly thought: My bloodline is very pure. But maybe not entirely. What if the original owner was also the child of Lu Mingyu and a demon? What then? Her hand, however, was obediently placed on the disk, and though she was fine initially, the fear instilled by the two men caused her hand to tremble slightly.

Perhaps feeling that she was acting a bit timid, she asserted stiffly, “My godmother is your Palace Master, Wan Xuan’er.”

The two men glanced at her disdainfully: “So what if she’s the Palace Master? We didn’t do anything to you; it’s just routine.” Seeing the Demon Subduing Disk light up green, one added, “Alright, take your hand back. Since there’s no problem, why are you staring at us? Can’t you be more straightforward?”

The other man grumbled, “Must have done something bad, feeling guilty.”

Lu Xiaoxiao felt despised by the two men and said angrily, “What’s wrong with you two? What are your names? The test showed I’m fine. Why are you still chattering? Do you want me to complain about you to Elder Ban?”

“Zhang San.”

“Li Si.”

Lu Xiaoxiao was utterly infuriated by these two. What kind of attitude is that?!

“Who is actually named Zhang San and Li Si?”

After reporting their names, the two men addressed Tantai Jing politely, “May we ask this Junior Sister’s name? Could you please put your hand on the Demon Subduing Disk for testing? We apologize for the inconvenience.”

Tantai Jing merely smiled faintly: “The names of the two Senior Brothers are quite amusing. My name is Tantai Jing.” Saying this, she slowly extended her hand toward the Demon Subduing Disk.

No longer able to argue with the two men, Lu Xiaoxiao remembered Tantai Jing’s instruction, and her fingers slowly moved onto the Chaos Origin Sword. In for a penny, in for a pound. Following Tantai Jing’s orders might mean she would show mercy and take Lu Xiaoxiao with her to escape. Since she truly couldn’t bring herself to kill Zhang San and Li Si, she decided she would just wave her sword randomly later to force the two men away.

Lu Xiaoxiao’s heart was pounding wildly. She felt that if Zhang San and Li Si had slightly better hearing, they might even hear her heart thumping.

Zhang San and Li Si couldn’t hear it, but Tantai Jing certainly could, and she couldn’t help but glance back at her.

Green meant passed, and red meant there was a problem.

One breath…

Two breaths…

Five breaths…

Why hasn’t it lit up yet? A pea-sized drop of sweat slid down Lu Xiaoxiao’s forehead. A quick death is better than a slow one. Can’t it just be over quickly?!

The four people were only about two feet apart. Lu Xiaoxiao clearly saw that even the expressions of Zhang San and Li Si had become more serious, and their hands were back on their saber hilts. Yet, Tantai Jing continued to stare at Lu Xiaoxiao without blinking.

It lit up!

“This thing is probably about to break; it took almost ten breaths to light up. Thank you for your patience, Junior Sister. Please wait a little longer; you can leave once everyone in this area is finished testing,” Zhang San said, shaking the compass.

Lu Xiaoxiao watched the two figures leave, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and was about to ask Tantai Jing how the green light had come on.

Suddenly, someone clapped her heavily on the shoulder, startling her so much she nearly jumped ten feet in the air.

“Xiaoxiao, so you’re here! I’ve been looking for you for ages and couldn’t find you. Turns out you came to find Tantai Jing again,” Lu Wanbai said, grinning widely.

Lu Xiaoxiao clutched her chest and bent over, saying, “Senior Sister! Can you make some noise when you walk? You scared me to death! I thought Zhang San and Li Si had circled back.”

Lu Wanbai looked puzzled: “Who are Zhang San and Li Si?”

Tantai Jing: “They are Elder Ban’s favored disciples. Both were picked up by Elder Ban when they were young. Elder Ban has never been very good at naming, so he just gave them casual names.”

Lu Wanbai: “Oh right, I just saw Qing Yi. She gave me a token and said we don’t need to be tested. She wants the three of us to take the token and go find Auntie Wan.”

Lu Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes: “What were you doing all this time?”

“Looking for you!” Lu Wanbai replied innocently.

On the Immortal Ascension Platform, Wan Xuan’er sat in the central seat of honor, looking down at the many disciples.

Lu Xiaoxiao stepped forward and bowed: “Auntie Wan, I hope you are well. Although some petty individuals have infiltrated Yaoxia Palace, under your governance, I’m sure they will all be captured today. We must show the Demon and Devil Clans the might of our Yaoxia Palace.”

Although Wan Xuan’er was actually several hundred years old, she still smiled like a young maiden.

She chuckled softly: “Xiaoxiao, you are still the best at comforting people. I should have investigated the traitors in the palace sooner, but I was delayed by the Mei Ce incident. After checking today, I never expected to find so many traitors in my palace; one has even been in the palace for seven years. Alas!”

Lu Xiaoxiao glanced at Tantai Jing out of the corner of her eye: “The Devil Clan is truly insidious, like a persistent skin disease. They are utterly hateful.”

Wan Xuan’er said wistfully: “The Devil Clan is actually not much to worry about. Did you know that the Devil Clan was long ago annexed by the Demon Clan, and even the Mystic Heaven Sword Sect was actually besieged under the Demon Clan’s direction? It’s just that the demonic energy was so strong that day that Wanbai couldn’t detect it.”

Lu Xiaoxiao replied sadly: “I truly didn’t know that. That I couldn’t share the fate of the Mystic Heaven Sword Sect that day is the regret of my life.” (Share the fate of? she thought, secretly feeling fortunate that the original owner had run away with a few followers at the time.)

As the only bloodline left by her close friend, Wan Xuan’er felt a twinge of pity upon seeing Lu Xiaoxiao in this state.

“Xiaoxiao, the matters in Yaoxia Palace might continue for a while. Why don’t you let Tantai Jing accompany the two of you to go out and travel? Don’t let the palace’s foul atmosphere affect your moods.”

As expected of Auntie Wan, Lu Xiaoxiao was very pleased with this suggestion. Just as she was about to agree, she heard Ban Cheng speak.

“Palace Master, Xie Hu sent a message back saying that matters in Dongchang City are unusual and require more manpower. Additionally, it is said that Dongchang City’s City Lord’s sister, Dong Qinglan, will be holding a grand wedding next month. Why don’t I take a group of younger disciples to deliver a congratulatory gift? It would also give them a chance to gain some experience.”

Wan Xuan’er uttered a surprised sound: “Dong Qinglan’s wedding? Why didn’t I receive an invitation?”

Ban Cheng replied: “If Xie Hu and the others hadn’t gone to Dongchang City this time, I’m afraid the news of this grand wedding wouldn’t have reached our Yaoxia Palace. Although they didn’t send an invitation, in my view, we still need to make a trip to Dongchang City.”

“Very well. Then let Elder Ban select a few people and find a plausible excuse to go for a visit. You can take Xiaoxiao and the other two along, treating it as a distraction for them.”

Ban Cheng laughed: “If I take them, it won’t be just a distraction. I’m determined to give them good training, especially since the Young Sect Master of the Mystic Heaven Sword Sect still has great potential for improvement in her cultivation.”

With a back-and-forth exchange, the two of them settled the upcoming itinerary for Lu Xiaoxiao and the others. Lu Xiaoxiao didn’t mind, but she worried that Tantai Jing might be displeased.

She turned and glanced at the other person, and seeing her give a slight nod, she then stepped forward and said, “Then I will trouble Elder Ban for his care on this journey. Xiaoxiao will certainly heed your instructions, and I ask Elder Ban to offer the younger generation more guidance.”

Seeing Lu Xiaoxiao’s demeanor, Ban Cheng nodded with satisfaction.

“Truly the daughter of Lu Mingyu. She has her mother’s demeanor from back then. It’s not so much guidance, but rather some experience I can share.”