Queen of Ten Thousand Demons Insists on Marrying Me - Chapter 43

After listening to Dong Qinglan’s words, the two sighed with emotion.

Her parents had died when she was young, and she had grown up supporting her biological brother. Yet, after he inherited the City Lord position, he intended to sell his own sister to the Demon Race during a family crisis. Upon realizing her defiance, he attempted to kill her childhood sweetheart, whom she mutually loved.

Dong Qinglan’s eyes trembled slightly: “That is the whole story. Qian’er has been innocent from beginning to end. Please, let her go. Everything started because I was unwilling to follow Dong Shuo’s plan and marry Yan Gengshen.”

“But if you were me, and Lu Xiaoxiao were Zhou Qian’er, what would you do?”

Dong Qinglan’s final question was like a stone dropped into the water, stirring layer upon layer of ripples in Tantai Jing’s heart, which had originally been calm and unperturbed.

Fu Zhao’s face suddenly appeared in Tantai Jing’s mind.

Fu Zhao’s usual benevolent smile gradually overlapped with Dong Shuo’s crazed appearance.

If that day truly came, what choice would Fu Zhao make?

But then she thought again: Fu Zhao was not Dong Shuo, she was not Dong Qinglan, and Lu Xiaoxiao was certainly not Zhou Qian’er.

Why bother with unnecessary worries?

Seeing Tantai Jing lost in thought, Lu Xiaoxiao lightly nudged her hand, wanting to remind her to stop overthinking. She spoke to Dong Qinglan: “Why do you care what we would do? We would never have that day. Right now, I want you to immediately, tomorrow, announce to the world that the person who killed your brother was not me, Lu Xiaoxiao.”

Lu Xiaoxiao then considered how Dong Qinglan and Zhou Qian’er had worked so hard to finally be together. Although they had schemed against her, she still felt a pang of sympathy: “I don’t care who the specific murderer is, as long as my name is cleared.”

Dong Qinglan looked at Tantai Jing: “I actually met with Palace Lord Wan today. We agreed that six days from now, on the day of my wedding to Yan Gengshen, the Yaoxia Palace will set up the Ten Directions Demon Execution Array to eliminate Yan Gengshen within the City Lord’s Mansion. Once the matter is settled, everything can be blamed on Yan Gengshen. I wonder if this arrangement is acceptable?”

“Hey! I’m talking to you!!! Why do you keep answering Tantai Jing?” Lu Xiaoxiao waved her hand in front of Dong Qinglan’s eyes.

“Acceptable.” Tantai Jing suddenly released her grip, pushing Zhou Qian’er toward Dong Qinglan.

Zhou Qian’er stumbled into Dong Qinglan’s arms.

Just as Dong Qinglan steadied herself, she saw a pair of pale golden eyes swiftly approach, and then her mind went blank as she lost consciousness.

“What’s wrong, Qinglan?”

Zhou Qian’er saw Tantai Jing and Dong Qinglan exchange a look, and then Dong Qinglan’s eyes glazed over and she stopped speaking, staring blankly at Tantai Jing.

Zhou Qian’er turned, standing defiantly in front of Dong Qinglan, shielding her with both hands: “What exactly do you want to do? We have already confessed everything we know.”

Tantai Jing didn’t even glance at Zhou Qian’er.

“Dong Qinglan, what exactly does Yan Gengshen want from the City Lord’s Mansion?”

Dong Qinglan stood frozen in place, answering honestly: “The Dongchang City teleportation array key and the mantra to activate the array.”

No one understood the importance of the teleportation array to the City Lord’s Mansion better than Zhou Qian’er. She frantically turned and covered Dong Qinglan’s mouth, trying to stop her from saying anything more.

Lu Xiaoxiao quickly grabbed Zhou Qian’er’s arm and pulled her aside: “Don’t you understand the situation right now? Didn’t the place where Tantai Jing pinched you hurt? Is your life more important, or is that stupid teleportation array key more important?”

Although Tantai Jing was treating her quite well now, Lu Xiaoxiao was keenly aware of how bad her temper originally was.

Zhou Qian’er: “But…”

“Stop with the ‘buts’! Do you really think you can do anything?” Lu Xiaoxiao interrupted, then turned and saw that Dong Qinglan had already placed an ink-colored jade plaque into Tantai Jing’s hand.

Tantai Jing tucked away the jade plaque and smiled sweetly at Lu Xiaoxiao: “Xiaoxiao, let’s go back.”

Looking at the ink-colored jade plaque, Lu Xiaoxiao felt an uneasy intuition. What did Tantai Jing need this teleportation array key for? Was it for an escape after rescuing Fu Zhao?

“Oh, okay.”

She released Zhou Qian’er and followed Tantai Jing toward the door.

As they left, she glanced back. Zhou Qian’er was recounting to the recovered Dong Qinglan how she had been mesmerized by Tantai Jing. Dong Qinglan’s face, however, maintained a smile as she stroked Zhou Qian’er’s face, as if soothing her.

On the way back, Tantai Jing kept smiling. Lu Xiaoxiao could sense she was genuinely happy, and the corners of her own mouth unconsciously curved up.

“Congratulations, Miss Tantai.”

“To us both. Your name will be cleared soon, too.”

Back at the inn, Lu Xiaoxiao tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. The scene from the City Lord’s bathhouse kept flashing in her mind.

The air was misty and hazy, the light soft and warm.

The air in the bathhouse was humid and sticky. Two young women flirted and played in the pool, then suddenly embraced, their lips entwined.

Their legs overlapped beneath the water, without any gap…

“Lu Xiaoxiao, why aren’t you sleeping yet?”

Lu Xiaoxiao was startled by Tantai Jing’s sudden voice, feeling like she had been caught red-handed doing something wrong.

“Ah, nothing. I’ll sleep right away. It’s a little hot, and I’m not very comfortable.”

“A little hot?”

It was already the ninth month of the lunar calendar, late autumn. Lu Xiaoxiao’s body was always sensitive to the cold. Why was she feeling hot now?

Tantai Jing touched Lu Xiaoxiao’s forehead and then pressed her cheek against it. She frowned and said, “It is a bit warm. Did you catch a cold? I’ll go find a medical cultivator to check on you.” With that, she threw back the blanket and started to put on her clothes to leave.

Cultivators’ bodies are naturally resistant to illness, so Tantai Jing was concerned it wasn’t a simple cold.

Lu Xiaoxiao quickly pulled her back under the blanket: “It’s nothing, I’m fine. Don’t bother going out in the middle of the night. I’ll be fine soon.”

Tantai Jing lay back down. Seeing Lu Xiaoxiao’s flushed face and evasive gaze, she instantly understood everything.

“What? Did you get excited after looking at an erotic painting (Chūngōng tú)?”

Tantai Jing chuckled softly. Worried that Lu Xiaoxiao would catch a chill, she grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer into her embrace.

She had worried that Lu Xiaoxiao was a clueless blockhead, seeing as they had shared a bed for so long, and Lu Xiaoxiao only knew to treat her like a warm furnace to hug. After all this time, she was starting to doubt Lu Xiaoxiao’s taste.

Though she could hear Lu Xiaoxiao’s heart beating like a drum every time they touched intimately.

But all Lu Xiaoxiao did was “beat the drum.” Was she really expected to make the first move?

“Do you like looking at them? Should I buy you a few more?”

Lu Xiaoxiao was already internally restless. Now, being pulled into Tantai Jing’s arms and enveloped by softness, her heart couldn’t help but sway.

Her body temperature rose, and she was drowning in Tantai Jing’s sandalwood scent. Tantai Jing’s voice just now was lost to Lu Xiaoxiao’s mind. The only thing in her line of sight was that pair of rosy lips.

Seeing those vermilion lips slightly parted, she felt a sudden impulse to press her own lips against them and have a good taste.

“What’s wrong?” Tantai Jing, seeing Lu Xiaoxiao remain silent, couldn’t help but ask.

The single question jolted Lu Xiaoxiao’s thoughts back. She struggled to control herself, flipped over, and turned her back to Tantai Jing.

No, too close.

“I didn’t. Who likes looking at those things?”

Liar. Your current state clearly shows arousal.

However, knowing that the person was thin-skinned, Tantai Jing didn’t press the matter, but secretly resolved to buy a few sets to give to Lu Xiaoxiao later.

It wasn’t that Lu Xiaoxiao didn’t want to, but she didn’t dare.

Tantai Jing had indeed kissed her on the cheek before, but what she wanted to kiss just now was her mouth. That was completely different.

In truth, Lu Xiaoxiao had faintly sensed that Tantai Jing’s feelings for her had changed a bit. But she was a coward and didn’t dare to probe, as Tantai Jing’s Guichen whip was not to be trifled with.

If she messed up and Tantai Jing “stir-fried her with bamboo shoots” (beat her up severely), she could lose half her life.

Lu Xiaoxiao went to sleep very late that night.

In her dream, she was back in the City Lord’s bathhouse. There were still two women cuddling and playing in the pool, but the people in the pool had become her and Tantai Jing.

Tantai Jing in the dream had silver frost-like hair, a cherry-red mark between her brows, and seductive, silky eyes. She gazed at Lu Xiaoxiao in her arms with deep affection.

Her vermilion lips were slightly parted, moist and glossy, seemingly saying something to her.

But the Lu Xiaoxiao in the dream heard nothing. Her hands clamped Tantai Jing’s slender waist and pushed her against the edge of the pool.

Her actions were a little rough due to her urgency. Tantai Jing’s body seemed to hit the edge of the pool, letting out a soft moan. When she looked up at Lu Xiaoxiao again, a hint of mist rose in her eyes, seemingly blaming her for lacking pity for the fairer sex.

Lu Xiaoxiao couldn’t worry about niceties. One hand tightly hugged her waist, and the other laced through her fingers, making it impossible for the person in her arms to escape.

Their lips pressed together. Feeling the coolness and softness of Tantai Jing’s lips, Lu Xiaoxiao’s mind went blank.

“Mmm~” A comfortable groan escaped Tantai Jing’s lips as they connected.

Lu Xiaoxiao felt the sound pierce her scalp, a tingling current that instantly flowed through her limbs and bones.

“Phew~”

Lu Xiaoxiao woke up drenched in sweat.

She turned to look out the window. There was still a faint light outside, but there was still some time before sunrise.

Looking at Tantai Jing in her arms, she looked exactly the same as the person in her dream.

The scenes from the dream flashed in her mind. She hurriedly scrambled out of Tantai Jing’s embrace, quietly walked behind the screen, used a spell to summon a bucket of cold water, and gingerly slipped in.

It wasn’t until her entire body had been submerged for a few seconds that she slowly floated back to the surface, water droplets tracing lines down her cheeks and dripping into the water, spreading ripples.

Time flew by, and soon it was the wedding day of Dong Qinglan and Yan Gengshen.

Since Yan Gengshen was marrying into the City Lord’s Mansion, many rituals were omitted. Furthermore, Yan Gengshen had changed his name. The man marrying into the City Lord’s Mansion was named Yan Hui.

On the day of the wedding, the entire Dongchang City was decorated festively. Red silk banners hung everywhere in the city, lanterns glittered, turning the place into a sea of joy. Busy and happy figures could be seen all over the mansion, with servants bustling about, preparing everything.

As the auspicious hour approached, drums and music blared. The melodious and cheerful tunes echoed through the air, attracting guests from all directions.

The guests invited to Dong Qinglan’s wedding were certainly not common folk. They were all dressed in lavish attire, carrying rare and peerless treasures as gifts, each one demonstrating the absolute glory and power of the Dong family.

Lu Xiaoxiao and Tantai Jing absolutely had to attend such a lively event. The two, in disguise, stood on the periphery, watching the aristocratic families of Dongchang City and the people from the Yaoxia Palace line up and enter the City Lord’s Mansion one by one.

Taking advantage of the servants at the entrance being busy entertaining important guests and checking invitations, they slipped into the crowd.

As she brushed past the crowd, Lu Xiaoxiao saw Lu Wanbai with a deep frown and a tired face, Wan Qingyi sitting beside her comforting her, and the rest of the Yaoxia Palace disciples sitting in a circle around Wan Xuan’er.

The two found a secluded corner and sat down, quietly waiting for the main characters to enter.

Coincidentally, Zhou Qian’er, perhaps unable to bear watching her beloved marry someone else, was also sitting at their table.

Tantai Jing noticed Zhou Qian’er’s downcast expression, the sour taste of heartache clearly reaching the dinner table.

She turned to Lu Xiaoxiao and asked: “If the person you love married someone else, what would you do?”

Lu Xiaoxiao stared at the fish on the table without lifting her eyes and replied casually: “That depends on whether the person I love loves me.”

“What if they love you, but are forced to marry someone else, like Dong Qinglan?”

“Then I would take my Chaoyuan Sword and turn their wedding upside down! Whoever dares to steal my person, I’d cleave them into pieces right there at the wedding, adding a splash of red to their celebration. Then I’d step onto a colorful auspicious cloud, take my beloved, and swagger away.”

She thought about it and felt it wasn’t enough: “In short, I’d stop whoever gets in my way, be they gods or Buddhas. I’d kill anyone who tried to block me.”

Hearing her speak so fiercely, Tantai Jing seemed very pleased. She didn’t wait for the banquet to start and picked up a piece of the fish that Lu Xiaoxiao was eyeing, putting it in her bowl.

“That’s a beautiful thing to say, but I wonder how many people your cultivation level can kill.”

Lu Xiaoxiao swallowed a mouthful of fish and grinned: “If I can’t do it, I have backups. If I can’t beat them, I’ll find Lu Wanbai to help me. If Lu Wanbai can’t do it, I’ll find Wan Qingyi; that second-generation Immortal must have lots of subordinates. If that still fails, I’ll find Aunt Wan to back me up. But I definitely won’t let the person I love marry another.”

She listed all the familiar names, not sure of her intentions, but Tantai Jing was notably absent from the list.

“You speak with great confidence.”

Tantai Jing spoke with a hint of disbelief, but under the table, her hand covered Lu Xiaoxiao’s hand resting on her knee.

Feeling the sudden warmth on the back of her hand, Lu Xiaoxiao’s heart skipped a beat, and she lowered her head even further.

She had tried to avoid contact with Tantai Jing for the past few days, but the erotic dreams kept coming. And each dream advanced the plot a little further; for instance, when she woke up this morning, she remembered throwing Tantai Jing onto the bed while embracing her.

“A good match ordained by the Three Lives Stone, affectionate couple tied by a red thread.”

Before Lu Xiaoxiao could think any further, the ceremony officially began.

A pair of newcomers in red wedding robes entered. The groom was handsome and tall, with a large red flower ball tied in front of him, holding a red silk thread. On the other end of the silk, wearing a red veil, was undoubtedly Dong Qinglan.

“Oh, what a match made in heaven.”

“City Lord Youlan has excellent taste, picking such a fine husband!”

Zhou Qian’er, sitting opposite them, glared hatefully at Yan Gengshen. Hearing the continuous stream of compliments from the guests, she bit her lower lip fiercely, her face devoid of color. Unconsciously, the white handkerchief in her hand was nearly shredded.

Meanwhile, the main characters of the wedding remained oblivious.

Yan Gengshen smiled and asked in a voice only Dong Qinglan could hear: “You said Lu Xiaoxiao would bring the thing I want to the site today. I wonder if she has arrived yet.”

Dong Qinglan replied in an equally low voice: “Of course she has come. She is deeply in love with me and would never allow me to marry you. Whatever you want, she will give it to you. When that happens, please release us, this pair of star-crossed lovers.”

It turned out that Dong Qinglan had also tricked Yan Gengshen, making him mistakenly believe that she and Lu Xiaoxiao were lovers, and that they had killed Dong Shuo in a moment of panic because he opposed them. Dong Qinglan, unwilling to see Lu Xiaoxiao die, first captured her, then arranged the fire to let her escape.

She had also given the teleportation array key to Lu Xiaoxiao to show her sincerity, betting that Lu Xiaoxiao, deeply in love with her, would rush back to crash the wedding and save her upon learning of her marriage to Yan Gengshen.

In this way, Dong Qinglan deceived Yan Gengshen into a fake marriage, intending to use the Yaoxia Palace to eliminate him and permanently solve this problem.

The outwardly glorious City Lord’s wedding was, in fact, filled with undercurrents. Behind every smiling face, a selfish heart was hidden.

The two quickly walked to the front of the clan elders, and the ceremony began.

“First Bow to Heaven and Earth!”

The newlyweds turned and bowed toward the outside of the hall.

At this moment, the Yaoxia Palace members placed their hands on their sword scabbards, waiting for the announcement “Enter the bridal chamber” and Dong Qinglan’s departure from the hall before rising to set up the array against Yan Gengshen.

“Second Bow to the Ancestors!”

Yan Gengshen, pulling the red silk, bowed again toward the ancestral tablets of Dong Qinglan’s parents in the hall.

“Husband and Wife Bow!”

Dong Qinglan slowly bent down. Through the veil, she could see Wan Xuan’er standing nearby, and she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

“Enter the bridal chamber! Rites complete!”

The white-bearded clan elder laughed heartily. Dong Qinglan, the only bloodline of the Dong family, was no less talented than Dong Shuo and was more adept at dealing with people, and a daughter was always easier to control.

Two maids came forward, ready to help Dong Qinglan to the back hall to rest. One of the maids reached out for the red silk in Yan Gengshen’s hand but found she couldn’t pull it away at all.

Assuming the son-in-law didn’t understand the wedding etiquette, she smiled at Yan Gengshen: “Young Master, the rites are complete. Please give me the red silk, and I will lead the City Lord inside to rest.”

Yan Gengshen smiled, tightened his grip on the red silk, yanked Dong Qinglan back, and with a swift flick of his wrist, violently tore off Dong Qinglan’s red veil.

The red veil flew up in the air, swirling before landing at Wan Xuan’er’s feet.

Yan Gengshen grabbed Dong Qinglan’s wrist and turned to face Wan Xuan’er’s direction.

“Rites complete? I think the real show is just beginning.”