Queen of Ten Thousand Demons Insists on Marrying Me - Chapter 45

It was late at night in the City Lord’s Mansion.

Heavy dark clouds pressed down upon Dongchang City.

The autumn wind was mournful and cold, carrying the acrid, sulfurous smell left behind by the day’s firecrackers. It violently swept up the confetti from the ground.

The flickering red light of the lanterns swayed in the dense night, resembling the red eyes of monsters opening in the abyss.

A corner of the large red ‘囍’ (double happiness) character on the high gate outside the mansion was lifted by the strong wind, the precarious red looking glaringly eerie against the backdrop of the lanterns.

A simply dressed servant, leading three medical cultivators, hurried toward the inner residential area. Along the windows and corridors, smooth and expensive red silk streamers were hung.

“Thank you for your trouble, esteemed healers. It’s just around the corner,” the servant respectfully whispered to the three medical cultivators.

Just as they were about to turn the corner of the corridor draped with red silk and red lanterns, the area ahead suddenly became noisy.

The agonizing cries of young men and women mixed with the low sobs of several young maidens.

The three medical cultivators emerged from the corridor. They were met by the sight of Yaoxia Palace cultivators lying on the floor of the opposite hall. Their faces were dark, and black blood flowed from their wounds, clearly indicating they had been poisoned.

Furthermore, four other cultivators, indistinguishable by gender, were completely covered with white cloths, laid on the open ground outside the hall.

The medical cultivators walked past them, noting the arms dangling outside the white cloths were completely black and blue, clearly having succumbed to the potent venom.

The servant quickly walked up to Dong Qinglan and knelt: “City Lord, I have brought three more medical cultivators. These are the last three outstanding healers in Dongchang City.”

Dong Qinglan, having just drunk a bowl of herbal soup, raised her pale face and said: “Stop with the idle chatter and go save people! Why are you reporting to me?”

The servant hastily scrambled up, waved his hand at the healers behind him, indicating they should dispense with the courtesies and rush to treat the injured.

Dong Qinglan stood up with the support of Zhou Qian’er. The single palm strike from Yan Gengshen, which merely pushed her away, had still caused her significant injury.

“Qian’er, help me go see Lu Xiaoxiao again. I wonder how she is now, and if she has woken up.”

“Mmm.” Zhou Qian’er carefully helped Dong Qinglan out of the room and toward the neighboring courtyard.

After only two steps, they saw the corpses of the four Yaoxia Palace disciples who had succumbed to the poison. The light of the red lanterns reflected in Dong Qinglan’s eyes, and a feeling of dull red pressed down on her heart.

Feeling an onset of irritation, she commanded the servant beside her: “Quickly tear down these rotten lanterns and red cloth and burn them. Don’t let me see them when I come out later, they are an eyesore.”

Lu Xiaoxiao felt like she had a very long dream, but when she woke up, she couldn’t remember anything, only that her entire body was numb and swollen. As soon as she tried to move even slightly, bone-deep pain swept over her entire body.

Her eyelids fluttered repeatedly, but everything before her was pitch black. She couldn’t see anything.

Is the sky that dark already…?

Suddenly, Tantai Jing’s trembling voice sounded in her ear: “Xiaoxiao, you’re awake? The Palace Lord has given you the antidote medicine. How do you feel now?”

“Xiaoxiao, does it still hurt?”

“Lu Xiaoxiao, can you hear me?”

“Xiaoxiao, Xiaoxiao!”

Lu Wanbai, Wan Qingyi, Wan Xuan’er… so everyone was here.

She opened her mouth, her pale lips moving as she whispered: “Can you light a lamp? I can’t quite see you all.”

Hearing this, Tantai Jing’s hand, gripping Lu Xiaoxiao’s, began to shake uncontrollably.

The sounds of concern instantly quieted down.

The four disciples lying outside earlier had said similar things upon waking up before bleeding from the seven orifices and dying within the hour.

“I implore Palace Lord Wan to save my junior sister’s life! I, Lu Wanbai, am willing to be a slave to the Yaoxia Palace for all my reincarnated lives to repay the Palace Lord’s kindness!!!”

Lu Wanbai knelt on both legs toward Wan Xuan’er, begging.

Then, Lu Xiaoxiao heard several dull “thumping” sounds.

“Mother, please think of another way!”

Wan Qingyi quickly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. Although she hadn’t known Lu Xiaoxiao for long, she already considered her a friend.

Seeing Lu Xiaoxiao’s originally clear eyes turn this grayish-white color, and her friend Lu Wanbai kneeling and kowtowing to her mother for help, a wave of bitterness swelled up in her eyes.

Wan Xuan’er frowned deeply, shook her head, and said dejectedly: “I have given them every antidote pill I could think of. It’s not that I’m unwilling to use the pills, but… all my best antidotes are already gone.”

Lu Xiaoxiao was the only daughter of a close friend who had shared life and death with her. If there was hope, she absolutely would not stand by and let her die, but she truly had done her best.

After all, Lu Xiaoxiao had been poisoned by Yan Gengshen’s true form venom. Her survival until now was entirely due to the “Jie Jue Dan” (Extinction-Solving Pill) that Wan Xuan’er had stored for many years, which she had given Lu Xiaoxiao to sustain her life.

Hearing Wan Xuan’er’s reply, Tantai Jing suddenly seized the arm of the physician who claimed to be the best in Dongchang City, violently pulling her to the bedside and roaring: “Check her now! Tell me exactly what her condition is!”

The physician was a middle-aged woman, highly respected in Dongchang City. She had never suffered such humiliation. Pulled by Tantai Jing, her medicine chest nearly fell to the floor.

She adjusted her clothes and looked at Tantai Jing with some displeasure, intending to voice her complaint, but found Tantai Jing’s eyes fierce and abnormal, as if she would be swallowed alive if she delayed even a second longer in this room.

The physician could only obediently probe Lu Xiaoxiao’s body with her spiritual energy, tracing the veins. She then shook her head, sighed, and withdrew her hand.

“It is beyond salvation. The potent venom has entered her internal organs. The heart opens into the tongue, the spleen opens into the mouth, the lungs open into the nose, the liver opens into the eyes, and the kidneys open into the ears. Since the snake venom has already entered her lungs and liver, the patient is likely not only blind but probably cannot smell either. I estimate that in about another hour, the venom will spread throughout her body, causing her to lose all five senses and die from bleeding from the seven orifices.”

Every word from the physician was like a needle piercing Tantai Jing’s heart. Before the physician finished speaking, her eyes were already overflowing with tears. She tightly grasped Lu Xiaoxiao’s hand and asked, choked with emotion: “Xiaoxiao, can you still smell anything?”

Lu Xiaoxiao sniffed: “I… I can’t smell the sandalwood scent on you anymore.”

Then, Lu Xiaoxiao only felt Tantai Jing gently touch her face, say something about waiting for her return, and then heard the wooden door slam shut with a clang. She assumed Tantai Jing had left.

The moment Tantai Jing stepped out the door, she instantly activated the ink-colored jade pendant in her hand. The next second, she appeared in Huang Xiuzhu’s courtyard.

She sped toward Huang Xiuzhu, grabbed his neck, and fiercely demanded: “Where is Yan Gengshen?”

Huang Xiuzhu looked at the person before him—filled with killing intent, their eyes red and near-crazed, like a vengeful spirit crawled out of the boundless hell.

Huang Xiuzhu’s face turned crimson, choked and unable to breathe. He wanted to say something but could only manage a weak “Hah… hah…” He pointed a trembling finger toward an adjacent room.

Following Huang Xiuzhu’s hand, Tantai Jing’s gaze turned even colder. Without any hesitation, her five fingers suddenly tightened. A crunching sound of breaking bones was heard, and the color instantly drained from Huang Xiuzhu’s face.

His eyes were wide open, full of disbelief. Finally, his head drooped limply to one side, and he collapsed softly against the cold wall.

“I wondered who was sending me a message to break through on the east side. So, it was you, Tantai Jing? I thought the spy planted in the Yaoxia Palace was still alive. What a pity.”

Yan Gengshen’s voice came from the room.

“Give me the antidote. I’ll help you get the Dongchang City teleportation array key,” Tantai Jing said, kicking the door open and getting straight to the point when she saw Yan Gengshen.

Yan Gengshen glanced sideways at her: “Why should I trust you?”

Tantai Jing clenched her jaw: “If I hadn’t controlled those poisonous snakes to injure people in the City Lord’s Mansion, and secretly sent you a message on how to break through the Demon Locking Tower, you would have been locked inside the tower to see your sister by now.”

“You have to believe me. You are severely injured now. I can save you, and I can also immediately inform Wan Xuan’er to come and capture you.”

Yan Gengshen covered his injured arm and said calmly: “You won’t. You’ve been lurking in the Yaoxia Palace for so long just to save Fu Zhao. Why would you ruin everything when Wan Xuan’er’s cultivation is restricted?”

“How do you know I won’t?” With that, Tantai Jing pulled out a specially made Yaoxia Palace flare, her finger lightly pulling the fuse, ready to shoot it into the sky.

Yan Gengshen raised his hand to stop her: “Wait! Let’s talk nicely. It’s just an antidote; I have plenty here. Did you bring the teleportation array key?”

Tantai Jing’s finger, grasping the fuse, was white knuckles. She maintained her composure: “When you are ready to break the Demon Locking Tower, inform me in advance, and I will come to Dongchang City to activate the teleportation array for you.”

Yan Gengshen remained silent, only giving a playful smile as he stared intensely into her eyes.

Tantai Jing returned his stare, refusing to back down in the slightest.

A moment later, Yan Gengshen threw something into Tantai Jing’s hand and turned to walk back into the room.

“I will contact you then.”

After Yan Gengshen entered the room, Tantai Jing finally opened her palm. A small gourd, about an inch high, lay in her hand.

She exhaled deeply, clutched the gourd tightly, and quickly rushed out of the courtyard toward the City Lord’s Mansion. She turned a corner and disappeared, only to reappear outside the City Lord’s Mansion the next second.

Since Tantai Jing left, Lu Wanbai had been holding Lu Xiaoxiao’s hand, comforting her.

Lu Xiaoxiao had initially thought she would die under Yan Gengshen’s attack, but she never expected to be poisoned by him.

She heard that this venom would cause a person to gradually lose all five senses, turning them into a living corpse, before dying from bleeding from the seven orifices.

Profound fear enveloped her.

It hadn’t been long since the Golden Coin Gu was solved, and now she was poisoned by the venom of a Great Ascension stage demon, and the manner of death was the same: bleeding from the seven orifices.

Bleeding from the seven orifices was too horrible, too ugly a death. To lose all five senses… she wouldn’t even know if anyone was by her side when she died. How despairing would that be?

She couldn’t hear a single word Lu Wanbai was saying beside her anymore. She silently tried to gauge the time in her heart. After losing her vision, time felt incredibly long. The physician had said she only had an hour to live, but she felt much more time had passed already.

“Senior Sister, what time is it now?”

Lu Wanbai thought of the watchman’s calls outside and sobbed: “It’s the hour of Hai (9 PM – 11 PM). Miss Tantai has been gone for nearly half an hour.”

Good, then I still have half an hour to wait for her return.

I truly hope I can hear Tantai Jing’s voice one last time before I die, and that Tantai Jing will hug me again…

It’s so cold. My bones are aching from the cold.

Lu Wanbai was still saying something about how she failed Lu Mingyu and failed to protect herself, words to that effect.

But Lu Xiaoxiao couldn’t hear clearly anymore.

Now… I don’t know. All she felt was a faint rustling sound. But I’m afraid it’s not Lu Wanbai talking anymore…

Vision, smell, hearing… what’s next? Next should be death.

Tantai Jing… are you still by my side…? I miss you so much…

I’m so cold, so much pain…

It’s too dark here. I’m so scared…

Suddenly, her mouth felt cold, and something like a pill went into her mouth.

A pair of warm hands suddenly cupped her cheeks, stiffly stroking her face.

“Tantai Jing? Did you come back?” It was a familiar touch. Lu Xiaoxiao anxiously asked.

“Yes, it’s me. Does it hurt now? Are you uncomfortable anywhere?”

Tantai Jing sat by the bed, letting tears stream down her face. Her hand clung greedily to Lu Xiaoxiao’s cheek.

For the first time in her life, she felt profound terror. If she hadn’t retrieved the antidote from Yan Gengshen, or if Lu Xiaoxiao had already stopped breathing upon her return, she would never have forgiven herself.

Had she known Lu Xiaoxiao would risk her life to confront Yan Gengshen for her, she would never have coveted Yan Gengshen’s power and secretly helped him escape.

“Tantai Jing? Did you come back?”

“Tantai Jing?”

“Am I… still unable to hear…”

Lu Xiaoxiao seemed unable to hear anything, constantly grabbing at the air, anxiously asking if it was her.

Seeing this, Tantai Jing’s heart sank. Did Yan Gengshen deceive me again?!

She quickly called the physician to examine Lu Xiaoxiao.

After a thorough examination, the physician smiled with relief: “This antidote is indeed effective. Her originally bruised skin already shows some color. However, since the potent venom entered her organs, she will still require careful nursing to recover completely.”

The physician added: “I also observed an internal ailment in her body, seemingly caused by an extremely domineering cold energy intrusion. This ailment might usually be harmless, but it has been greatly exacerbated by the snake venom. After her recovery, she must be carefully nourished and not be careless in the slightest. Otherwise, if these latent ailments continue to lurk in her body, accumulating over time, it may lead to even greater problems. At that point, even a Golden Immortal in this world would be powerless to save her.”

Lu Wanbai anxiously pressed: “What internal ailment? How come I don’t know Xiaoxiao suffered any severe injury? And how should she be treated and nursed?”

“It’s the Cold Ice Bone-Forging Rain injury. She sustained it in the Demon Locking Tower while protecting me,” Tantai Jing murmured softly, sitting by the side.

The medical cultivator suddenly understood: “So that’s it! It’s the Cold Ice Bone-Forging Rain from the Demon Locking Tower! It’s already remarkable that this young friend, with only Golden Core stage cultivation, survived exposure to that rain. She must have been saved with powerful elixirs.”

The others had no idea Lu Xiaoxiao had endured the Cold Ice Bone-Forging Rain, and Tantai Jing sank into a deep silence.

If it weren’t for me, Xiaoxiao wouldn’t have gone to Zhujia Town. She wouldn’t have been imprisoned with me in the Demon Locking Tower, and she wouldn’t have suffered the damage from the Cold Ice Bone-Forging Rain.

If it weren’t for me, she wouldn’t have been poisoned this time…

Past experiences flashed through Tantai Jing’s mind.

Zhujia Town, the Demon Locking Tower, Wule Temple, Dongchang City… every injury Xiaoxiao sustained, all of it was because of me…

A helpless sense of self-reproach made it hard for Tantai Jing to breathe.

Her vision blurred, and tears burst from her eyes like a dam breaking. Her tightly bitten lips trembled incessantly. She repeatedly dug her nails into her own palm until streaks of blood appeared, yet she did not utter a single sound.

Seeing no response, the physician could only offer an awkward smile: “In fact, all that is needed is a cultivator with a Fire spiritual root to help her regulate her meridians daily. Over time, the cold energy in her body will naturally dissipate. Most importantly, during this period, her meridians must not be damaged again, nor must she be subjected to any further cold intrusion.”

Lu Wanbai repeated the instructions in a low voice several times until she had memorized every detail, then respectfully saw the physician out.

Tantai Jing looked up at the remaining people and said solemnly: “Please leave as well. I want to spend some time alone with Xiaoxiao.”

Everyone had seen how close Lu Xiaoxiao and Tantai Jing were, so no one objected. Only Lu Wanbai reminded her to get some rest soon, and they all filed out.

Wan Xuan’er paused at the doorway and suddenly asked: “The snake venom of Yan Gengshen is one that even I cannot cure. Where did you find the antidote?”

Tantai Jing’s back instantly stiffened, and she dared not turn around: “It is an inherited spiritual pill from my family. My elder only said it could be used to save a life in times of crisis. I don’t know its specific origin.”

“Oh, Mother, don’t worry about it. She only had one antidote, of course she had to save the person she cares about,” Wan Qingyi said, assuming Wan Xuan’er wanted to ask Tantai Jing for the medicine to save the other poisoned disciples. Fearing she would put Tantai Jing in a difficult position, she quickly pulled Wan Xuan’er out of the room.

Outside the door, Wan Xuan’er stopped and asked Wan Qingyi: “Where have Tantai Jing and Lu Xiaoxiao been staying these past two days?”

“I don’t know. Since they changed their appearance, they must have been staying at an inn.”

“Would a life-saving family elixir be so easily left in an inn?” Wan Xuan’er muttered to herself, staring at the door of Lu Xiaoxiao’s room.

Seeing everyone leave, Tantai Jing let out a long breath, turned, and brought Lu Xiaoxiao’s hand to her face, pressing it tightly against her own cheek.

She reached out to brush the stray hair from Lu Xiaoxiao’s forehead. Lu Xiaoxiao’s bloodless face and grayish-white eyes came into view, and a wave of bitterness surged in her heart again.

“How could you be so foolish… You hate pain the most, and you are so timid, yet you had to rush in front of me and play the hero.”

“I don’t hurt. Not at all. Don’t cry.”

Lu Xiaoxiao felt the wetness on Tantai Jing’s face and quickly wiped it away with her hand.

“You can hear me, Xiaoxiao!”

Hearing Lu Xiaoxiao’s response, immense joy washed away the previous sorrow. Tantai Jing threw herself onto Lu Xiaoxiao, tightly embracing her neck.

Lu Xiaoxiao returned the hug with both hands: “Mmm-hmm, I heard you just now when Aunt Wan asked you. Will she suspect you? Did you go to Yan Gengshen for the antidote? Then… did you give him the teleportation array key?”

Tantai Jing whispered into her ear: “Don’t worry, I didn’t give it to him. Let her suspect me. You were heavily poisoned; I couldn’t think about anything else. Although I genuinely can’t think of any legitimate excuse to placate her, as long as there’s no evidence that I got the antidote from Yan Gengshen, it’s fine.”

Hearing Tantai Jing’s concern for her, Lu Xiaoxiao felt as if she wasn’t lying in bed but floating on a cloud.

“Am I… am I that important? That you would risk exposing yourself to save me?”

Lu Xiaoxiao asked cautiously, but was only met with Tantai Jing’s silence.

She hastily tried to cover it up: “Ha… I was just joking. You definitely have other…”

A strange sensation suddenly interrupted Lu Xiaoxiao’s words.

A scarcely noticeable coolness suddenly descended upon Lu Xiaoxiao’s lips, like the softest wind in the night sky, casually skimming the surface of a lake, stirring up delicate ripples.

The coolness vanished in an instant, and then, a warm, soft feeling gradually spread. It was like the surface of the sea on the fifth level of the Demon Locking Tower; she was lying in a small boat filled with the scent of sandalwood.

The small boat was sinking, and she was about to drown in this sea of tenderness.

Tantai Jing slowly sucked at her lips, then gently nibbled them like fine rain, causing Lu Xiaoxiao to involuntarily hold her breath, allowing Tantai Jing to guide her, completely immersed in the moment.

After a long while, their lips parted.

Tantai Jing breathed softly: “What else could I have?”

“Besides you, I have nothing.”

“Do you understand now how important you are to me?”

Lu Xiaoxiao was both shy and delighted. She stammered at the end: “I… I forgot how to breathe.”

Tantai Jing collapsed on top of her, pressing tightly against her chest, and lightly tapped the corner of her mouth, laughing despite herself: “You must have been too nervous.”

Lu Xiaoxiao suddenly sat up, gripped Tantai Jing’s waist, and pressed her down beneath her. In an instant, their positions were reversed.

“You’re not well yet; don’t move around,” Tantai Jing allowed herself to be pinned, not daring to use any strength, afraid of hurting the delicate person above her.

Lu Xiaoxiao’s eyes hadn’t recovered, and she still couldn’t see anything.

She reached out, groping for Tantai Jing’s face, trying to find the place she had just longed for.

“I… I want to… It feels like if you kiss me, the pain lessens.” Lu Xiaoxiao stuttered.

Tantai Jing wrapped her arms around Lu Xiaoxiao’s neck, gently chastising her, but her voice was overflowing with unconcealed tenderness: “Didn’t you just say you weren’t hurting?”

“I am! It hurts terribly!”

Lu Xiaoxiao swallowed hard and followed Tantai Jing’s two cherry-red lips, covering them once more…