Queen of Ten Thousand Demons Insists on Marrying Me - Chapter 50

“Good people die young, but villains live a thousand years. Since you and your brother are still running around, how can you do without an audience like me?”

Yan Sihong closed her bone umbrella and clapped her hands: “I really didn’t expect you to be in the Demon Lock Tower too. I wondered why little Jing’er wouldn’t stay properly on Mount Gouwu, but ran off to the Demon Lock Tower instead.”

“Yan Sihong, what are you dawdling for? Get over here quickly!” Yan Gengshen stood not far away, his voice hoarse with anger and pain.

Yan Gengshen stood in the distance. Blood ran down his hanging sleeve cuff, dripping onto the ground and staining an area red, clearly indicating he had suffered a significant injury.

Seeing her brother severely injured, Yan Sihong stopped pestering Fu Zhao. She lightly tapped her toes on the ground, flew towards her brother, and stood obediently by his side.

Fu Zhao looked at Tantai Jing, who was heavily injured and lying in Lu Xiaoxiao’s arms, and couldn’t help but frown. She walked to Tantai Jing’s side, lifted her skirt, and half-squatted, extending her hand to check Tantai Jing’s meridians. She discovered that her internal meridians were severely damaged, with some areas even cracked open.

She quickly took out a healing pill and had her swallow it, asking with concern, “How did you get such severe injuries?”

Lu Xiaoxiao spoke quickly, cutting in first: “Please, Senior, save her. She got injured attempting to break into the Demon Lock Tower alone to rescue you.”

Fu Zhao frowned and looked at her: “Who are you?”

“She is my friend!” Tantai Jing replied weakly.

Hearing this, Lu Xiaoxiao felt a pang of discomfort.

Were they still just ‘friends’ now?

But the situation was urgent, so she had to suppress the feeling for the time being.

Fu Zhao glanced back at the battlefield and saw that the people Yan Gengshen brought were still surrounding and attacking Wan Xuan’er and the others.

Wan Xuan’er was at the end of her rope. The Demon Lock Tower was her natal artifact, and the heavy strike from the Chaos Origin Sword from within, which released all the demons inside, had caused her significant damage.

Fu Zhao rubbed the top of Tantai Jing’s head and said, “Wait for me, little Jing.” She then glanced at Lu Xiaoxiao and said coldly, “Watch her for me.”

With a flash, she transformed into a Nine-Tailed Red Fox and darted forward like an arrow released from a bow. Her nine fox tails danced in the air, appearing soft, but wherever they lashed out, both humans and demons were brutally whipped away.

Her hands instantly became as sharp as blades, rushing toward the demons brought by Yan Gengshen with a howling wind.

Those claw marks were deep enough to show bone and dripping with blood. The demons howled in pain, tumbling and struggling on the ground. The might of the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon was displayed in its entirety at that moment, causing everyone present to feel a tremor in their hearts.

The demons clearly hadn’t expected her to attack her own kind. For a moment, they were all panicked and scattered in all directions.

Yan Gengshen pulled Yan Sihong and flew backward, furious: “Fu Zhao, are you crazy? Have you forgotten that you were also locked in the Demon Lock Tower by her, and have only just gotten out?”

Fu Zhao’s expression changed abruptly, but the speed of her hand movements didn’t decrease; her attacks became even fiercer, forcing Yan Gengshen to retreat steadily.

Yan Gengshen had been fighting Wan Xuan’er for a long time. With Fu Zhao interfering now, if they continued to delay and other immortal sects came to assist, it would be extremely disadvantageous for him.

He could only yell “Lunatic!” at Fu Zhao in frustration and reluctantly retreated from Yaoxia Palace with his subordinates.

Only when all the demons had scattered did Fu Zhao return to her human form. She stared at Wan Xuan’er in the distance for a long time without speaking, then turned, walked to Tantai Jing, picked her up, and prepared to leave.

Lu Xiaoxiao got up and blocked her way: “Wait, Senior!”

However, after taking just one step forward, she was sent flying back by a powerful burst of spiritual energy, crashing into a tree. A sharp pain shot through her lungs, and she instantly spat out a mouthful of blood, fainting on the spot.

Tantai Jing grabbed Fu Zhao’s sleeve, shaking her head and pleading: “Don’t… don’t hurt her. Can you… take her back with us?”

Fu Zhao had already noticed the kiss mark near Tantai Jing’s neck. Hearing her speak up for Lu Xiaoxiao like this, and asking to bring her along, only made her angrier.

“Look at the state you’re in! This is utterly preposterous. She is human, and you are a demon. The human race is the most treacherous. How can you easily trust a human?”

Fu Zhao’s tone was full of anger and disappointment. After speaking, she glared in Wan Xuan’er’s direction, as if the words were meant for someone else.

Wan Xuan’er, however, seemed completely detached. Her figure stood quietly, like a pure lotus separate from the mundane world, not sparing Fu Zhao a single glance.

Tantai Jing looked at the large pool of blood in front of Lu Xiaoxiao, her heart aching as if it were being squeezed by a hand: “She is different…”

Fu Zhao walked forward with her, rejecting her without question: “There’s no difference. They are all just putting on an act to deceive you.” As she spoke, a trace of coldness flashed in her eyes.

She then leaped into the air, and within two breaths, completely vanished from everyone’s sight.

Upon seeing this, the elders rushed forward, ready to chase with their swords drawn. However, Wan Xuan’er raised her hand to stop them.

Wan Xuan’er looked tired: “Don’t chase. It’s useless even if you catch them.” Her gaze was fixed on the direction where Fu Zhao had disappeared, her eyes filled with helplessness and loss.

When Lu Xiaoxiao woke up again, the surroundings were pitch dark. She felt as if all the spiritual energy had been drained from her body. Immediately after, a sharp pain erupted from her lungs, like thousands of needles simultaneously stabbing her, making her gasp sharply.

She tried to move her body to alleviate the pain, but unexpectedly, the movement immediately brought a more unbearable, intense pain from her wrists.

Suppressing the pain, she struggled to look up, only to see her arms tightly bound by two cold chains, hanging high in the air.

She looked around and realized she was locked in a massive cell.

The cell was constructed of sturdy iron bars, marked with the passage of time, clearly having existed for a long time. At the top of the cage, there was only a small window, allowing a faint thread of light to enter, barely enabling her to make out her surroundings.

She smiled somewhat self-mockingly. She should have realized this day would come, but she hadn’t expected Tantai Jing to leave her alone in Yaoxia Palace.

The dungeon was utterly silent. After an unknown period—perhaps days, perhaps months—Lu Xiaoxiao finally heard the sound of faint, slow footsteps.

“Who is it?” She looked up excitedly. If no one spoke to her again, she felt she would be driven mad by the silence of the dungeon.

First, her eyes fell upon a pair of spotless white long boots. The delicate embroidery on the boots shone with a soft luster in the dim light. Lu Xiaoxiao followed these striking white boots slowly upward, until she reached the familiar face—Wan Qingyi.

Wan Qingyi’s expression was cold and devoid of any warmth. She roughly unlocked the heavy shackles on Lu Xiaoxiao’s wrists. The cold metal chains clanged sharply in the empty dungeon, the echo lingering for a long time.

Because all the spiritual energy in her body had been depleted, when Lu Xiaoxiao lost her restraints, her body suddenly lost its support. Like a withered branch drained of all its strength, she fell to the ground unexpectedly with a slight thud.

“It’s you?” Lu Xiaoxiao’s body was extremely weak. Every word seemed to cost her immense effort.

Wan Qingyi stood in the shadows and scoffed: “Who else did you think it would be? Tantai Jing? She rescued her godmother and has already returned to the Demon Realm to enjoy her life. Why would she care about a traitor like you?”

Lu Xiaoxiao struggled to sit up. Freed from the shackles, a tiny bit of spiritual energy finally began to return to her body.

“No, she wouldn’t. She was also heavily injured. Otherwise, she wouldn’t leave me.”

Wan Qingyi called her “stubborn and incorrigible,” then reached out, clamped her chin, forced her mouth open, and popped in a pill.

The moment the pill entered her body, a warm current instantly flowed into her meridians. The speed at which her spiritual energy gathered became faster, and even her injuries recovered slightly.

Feeling grateful, she said to Wan Qingyi: “Thank you. Is Senior Sister doing alright?”

Wan Qingyi sneered: “So you still think about your Senior Sister?”

Lu Xiaoxiao stood up to ask urgently. Her hurried movement caused her slightly recovered wounds to tear open again, and fresh blood seeped onto her thin white robe.

“How is she? This whole matter has nothing to do with her. It’s all because of me.”

Not saying anything would have been better. Lu Xiaoxiao’s mention made Wan Qingyi even angrier.

She stepped forward, tightly grabbed Lu Xiaoxiao’s collar, pinned her against the wall, and questioned her: “Why? Your sect was destroyed because of the Demon Clan! Do you have no conscience at all?! My mother treated you so well, yet you sided with a demon, injured an elder of my Yaoxia Palace, and used the Chaos Origin Sword to wound my mother’s natal artifact! Do you even know that my mother was severely injured!!!”

As she spoke, tears flowed uncontrollably. She threw Lu Xiaoxiao against the wall, turned around, and wiped the tears from her face.

She added, “Lu Wanbai knelt in front of the Yaoxia Palace gate for a month, refusing even a drop of water, just to prove your innocence.”

“All twelve elders who surrounded Tantai Jing had their cultivation level drop by a major realm. In this battle, my Yaoxia Palace lost dozens of disciples, all around your age, all having their own family. Even my mother only woke up yesterday because her natal artifact was damaged and she fell into a coma.”

“I don’t know what heinous wrong the people of my Yaoxia Palace did to make you so ungrateful, disregarding all past affection. I am sending you away today. From now on, I never want to see you again.”

“Come with me. Lu Wanbai is waiting for you outside.”

Wan Qingyi said this and walked straight toward the cell door.

Every word stung her heart. Lu Xiaoxiao in the shadows was already weeping profusely. She had never anticipated things reaching this point.

She had originally thought there was still plenty of time before Tantai Jing would break open the Demon Lock Tower, and that even if the day came, it wouldn’t escalate to the current situation. She thought all she had to do was find a way to break in and rescue the person, without wasting any resources.

But this was all her own assumption. She truly had injured the elders who besieged Tantai Jing, and she had indeed used the Chaos Origin Sword to damage the Demon Lock Tower, which made Wan Xuan’er’s already existing injuries even more severe.

She forced herself to follow behind Wan Qingyi. Only after leaving the dungeon did she realize that the entire dungeon and the area outside were completely unguarded.

Her heart grew even more bitter. She knew that only Wan Xuan’er had the power to do this in Yaoxia Palace; Wan Qingyi was carrying out Wan Xuan’er’s secret order to send her away.

Wan Qingyi led her down the back mountain. The path was clear all the way to the foot of the mountain. Only when she saw Lu Wanbai’s figure not far ahead did she stop.

Wan Qingyi stood with her back to her and said coldly, “Lu Wanbai is right there. Now hurry up and get out.”

“I am sorry. I have wronged Yaoxia Palace, and I have wronged Auntie Wan. If there is ever a need in the future, I will repay Yaoxia Palace tenfold, even a hundredfold… I hope you can relay this to Auntie Wan…”

Wan Qingyi’s expression remained unchanged: “Yaoxia Palace cannot bear it, and my mother cannot bear it. Just don’t get that fool Lu Wanbai killed too.”

“I won’t.”

Lu Xiaoxiao knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times in the direction of Yaoxia Palace, then stood up and walked toward Lu Wanbai.

Wan Qingyi watched her retreating figure, but couldn’t resist speaking up: “Idiot, don’t trust Tantai Jing anymore. She placed a Love Gu on you. Although I don’t know why you’re fine this month, under normal circumstances, you should have already suffered the torture of the Love Gu and died with blood flowing from your seven orifices.”

Lu Xiaoxiao’s footsteps paused briefly. She said softly, “Thank you for the warning. I know.” Then she continued walking toward Lu Wanbai, her figure appearing even frailer.

As she slowly drew closer, Lu Xiaoxiao saw Lu Wanbai standing straight and tall. She held Lu Xiaoxiao’s Formless Sword and her Chaos Origin Sword, but she still couldn’t hide the dark circles under her eyes and the exhaustion on her face.

“Senior Sister… it was my fault.”

Lu Xiaoxiao was filled with numbness and regret, and she knelt straight down in front of Lu Wanbai.

Lu Wanbai walked over, embraced her, felt her thin body, and gently patted her back.

She softly said, “It’s enough that you know your mistake.”

Hearing this, Lu Xiaoxiao could no longer control her emotions. She thought back with lingering fear about what she would have done if her Senior Sister had been hurt that day. She lay in Lu Wanbai’s arms, sobbing continuously, letting her tears soak her collar.

Only when all the resentment and lingering fear in her heart had been released did she straighten up and allow Lu Wanbai to help her walk down the mountain.

Watching Lu Xiaoxiao and Lu Wanbai’s figures gradually walk away, Wan Qingyi turned and walked back to Yaoxia Palace with heavy steps.

She walked through corridors adorned with carved beams and painted rafters, her mood growing heavier, finally stopping in front of an elegantly decorated bedroom.

She gently pushed the door open, walked in, and closed it behind her.

Inside the bedroom, the candlelight flickered, illuminating her face filled with worry. Wan Qingyi walked to the bedside and looked at Wan Xuan’er’s face, which was somewhat pale from her injuries, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

She finally couldn’t hold back, and with tears welling up in her eyes, she whispered, “Mother! Lu Xiaoxiao treated Yaoxia Palace and you like that, yet why did you still risk the elders’ condemnation to let her go?”

Wan Xuan’er hugged her, gently patting her back. Her gaze was deep as she whispered, “No one is perfect, everyone makes mistakes… I believe in Xiaoxiao. She is not a bad child.”

On Mount Gouwu.

Tantai Jing, pale-faced and weak, leaned against the door of the sleeping chamber and said to Luo Mu outside: “Luo Mu, quickly remove the barrier. I still have important things I haven’t done.”

Luo Mu stood outside, her expression complex: “Is Lu Xiaoxiao really that important? You almost lost half your life on this trip. Why aren’t you resting and recovering on the mountain, but still want to go look for that person?”

Since receiving Tantai Jing’s message early, it had been a month since Luo Mu met Fu Zhao, who had just exited the Demon Lock Tower, and the severely injured Tantai Jing outside Yaoxia Palace. During this time, despite her serious injuries, Tantai Jing had repeatedly tried to sneak out and, after being intercepted by Fu Zhao several times, was ordered to stay confined to the chamber to recover and not take a single step outside.

Tantai Jing was extremely anxious.

That night, she ultimately let her mind go blank and planted the Love Gu on Lu Xiaoxiao, but she hadn’t expected to fail to bring Lu Xiaoxiao back to Mount Gouwu the next day. Although the tiger tooth hair ornament she gave Lu Xiaoxiao carried her scent, she herself didn’t know how long Lu Xiaoxiao could last.

“Lu Xiaoxiao is truly important to me. Her successful rescue of godmother is greatly related to her. If it weren’t for her, I would have died inside the Demon Lock Tower, and godmother would never have escaped.”

“Luo Mu, are you still there?”

“Can you let me out? My injuries have fully healed.”

After a long silence, Luo Mu seemed to have left. Tantai Jing slowly slid down the door panel, finally collapsing weakly onto the floor.

Then Luo Mu’s voice suddenly returned: “From what I know, after you left, Lu Xiaoxiao was locked up by Yaoxia Palace. Lu Wanbai knelt in front of the Yaoxia Palace gate for a month, and then she left.”

“Maybe… maybe Lu Xiaoxiao already… otherwise Lu Wanbai wouldn’t have left.” Seeing Tantai Jing so distraught, Luo Mu truly couldn’t bring herself to state the fact that Lu Xiaoxiao might already be dead.

“No, no. Given the relationship between Lu Mingyu and Wan Xuan’er, Wan Xuan’er will surely protect her.”

Tantai Jing immediately retorted, but her heart was uncontrollably filled with doubt: Wan Xuan’er has always been impartial. Would she really defy all opinions to protect Lu Xiaoxiao?

Fu Zhao’s voice suddenly sounded outside the door: “Days ago, Yaoxia Palace spread news claiming that Lu Xiaoxiao was severely punished by the Yaoxia Palace Master, Wan Xuan’er, for three major crimes—betraying Yaoxia Palace, colluding with the Demon Clan, and damaging the Demon Lock Tower. After being subjected to forty-nine bolts of Thunder Punishment, she was imprisoned on the fourth floor of the Demon Lock Tower, sentenced to eternal confinement, never to see the light of day again.”

Fu Zhao opened the door and walked in, arms crossed, staring coldly at Tantai Jing: “After enduring forty-nine bolts of Thunder Punishment, being imprisoned on the fourth floor of the Demon Lock Tower, and with your Love Gu on her, it would be a miracle if she survived for even half a day.”

Seeing Tantai Jing’s weak appearance, she paused, a flicker of heartache in her eyes. When she spoke again, her tone was slightly warmer: “There are countless beautiful women in this world. Why fixate on just one? Jing’er, you should rest and recover properly. Once you’re healed, I won’t stop you from falling for anyone else. Even if it’s a human, I’ll snatch them back for you.”

However, after hearing the first half of Fu Zhao’s statement, Tantai Jing’s brain immediately felt like it was under siege by thousands of bees, emitting a dense, grating buzzing sound that made her feel on the verge of losing consciousness.

She tried desperately to concentrate, but found herself sinking into chaos. Her mind was empty, containing nothing but endless confusion and shock.

She desperately clutched her chest, trying to resist the piercing pain, repeating endlessly: “No… it can’t be. She won’t die that easily.”

Seeing her tendency toward hysteria, which was detrimental to her injuries, Fu Zhao could only temporarily cast a spell to make her faint before carrying her to the bed.

Looking at the haggard face on the bed, eyes tightly closed, brows slightly furrowed, and lips utterly devoid of color, Fu Zhao’s gaze was filled with heartache and reluctance. She gently reached out, her fingertips touching the tears that had slipped from Tantai Jing’s eyes, wiping them away tenderly and carefully.

Then, she mobilized the spiritual energy in her body and injected it into Tantai Jing. The energy circulated through her body, repairing her damaged meridians and easing her pain.

Only when a little color gradually returned to Tantai Jing’s face and her breathing became much more stable did Fu Zhao slowly withdraw her hand and leave.

After she carefully closed Tantai Jing’s door, she recited an incantation, gave a slight wave outside the door, and a faint blue barrier silently enveloped the entire room.

“Auntie Zhao, Yan Gengshen has sent people to invite you again.”

Luo Mu slowly walked to Fu Zhao’s side and whispered.