Queen of Ten Thousand Demons Insists on Marrying Me - Chapter 71

By the time Lu Xiaoxiao dragged her exhausted body back to the hot spring, the sky had long since darkened, making the already poor visibility even harder to navigate.

The mud clinging to her body had already solidified into cracked clumps. She slowly untied the ribbon, removed her outer robe, and washed it clean near the shore using the clear water.

The surroundings were damp, and she couldn’t find any fire to dry her clothes, so she simply hung them on a nearby tree, hoping the gentle breeze would help.

“Can you help me dry my clothes later, Chaoyuan?” Lu Xiaoxiao asked.

The Chaoyuan Sword saw her miserable state and lost all desire to tease her, agreeing readily.

“This pool water makes people lose their spiritual energy. Why are you still getting in?”

Lu Xiaoxiao replied helplessly: “I’ve already lost my spiritual energy anyway, and I don’t know how to get out of this wretched place. I might as well clean myself up first.”

With that, she stuck the Chaoyuan Sword diagonally into the ground beneath the tree where her clothes were hanging, turned, and stepped into the hot spring.

As she slowly stepped into the spring, the water surface rippled outward. A pair of slender, fair legs gradually submerged in the spring water, revealing her slender, easily grasped waist. Her white shoulders were like shelled lychees, save for a noticeable bruise on one shoulder. Finally, her jet-black hair floated on the water surface, resembling spread ink-colored silk.

Lu Xiaoxiao cupped a handful of clear water and poured it over her face. Water droplets along the corner of her eyes streamed down her cheeks to her chin; it was impossible to tell if it was spring water or tears.

The hot spring water was very warm, causing Lu Xiaoxiao to instinctively stretch out her body, swimming back and forth in the spring.

After easing the fatigue throughout her body, the events of the day surfaced in her mind. She felt a profound sense of loss, and even the warm, clear spring water seemed rather bland and uninteresting.

With her back to the tree where the Chaoyuan Sword was located, Lu Xiaoxiao asked: “Chaoyuan, do you think I was too impulsive? I shouldn’t have argued with her.”

The Chaoyuan Sword replied while emitting bursts of heat from its blade: “I don’t think so. I think she was too impulsive. No matter what, she shouldn’t have struck you.”

Lu Xiaoxiao gently brushed the bruise on her shoulder. A dull ache radiated from the spot, causing her to involuntarily gasp.

“Alas~”

“If you ask me, that woman has a really bad temper. When I couldn’t speak, I saw her bullying you every day. Even after marriage, she would have you completely under her thumb. She’d order you to go east, and you wouldn’t dare go west,” the Chaoyuan Sword became more animated as it spoke, completely oblivious that the subject of its criticism was watching it with extremely cold eyes from not far behind.

“Demon races are certainly beautiful, but this ‘mother tiger,’ I feel she isn’t quite right for you. Your nature is too gentle. If you ask me, you should look for… hmm… maybe a little white rabbit, cat, tree, or grass demon. They are gentle and stable in temperament. I brought you over from your original world, and I don’t want you to suffer hardship. After all, I’m kind of like your family here.”

Lu Xiaoxiao sighed: “Forget it, let’s not talk about it. I have no headspace for anything right now. I just want to leave this wretched place quickly and go back to find my Senior Sister.”

How could she not know that Tantai Jing sometimes had a bad temper? But she just happened to like Tantai Jing.

She thought in her heart about how to sincerely apologize to Tantai Jing tomorrow, but she dared not mention it to Chaoyuan, fearing the sword would think she had no spine, rushing to seek out an angry face.

“However, I think we should still go back the way we came tomorrow. We didn’t see any obstacles on the round trip. If you carry me, we can fly quickly and avoid bumping into anything.”

If they moved quickly this way, perhaps they could still catch up to Tantai Jing.

Meanwhile, the Chaoyuan Sword was diligently drying Lu Xiaoxiao’s clothes when it suddenly felt a bone-chilling coldness. Then, the entire sword was lifted by Tantai Jing.

Firelight glowed in Tantai Jing’s eyes: “You just said she was brought over by you from another world. What did you mean?”

Although the Chaoyuan Sword was a Divine Artifact, it sensed that if it didn’t answer her, things would take a terrible turn.

“Uh, I wasn’t speaking ill of you just now, just stating facts, okay? She is indeed Lu Xiaoxiao, but she’s not the original Lu Xiaoxiao. People have three souls. After death, the Heavenly Soul returns to the celestial realm for rebirth, the Earthly Soul returns to the underworld to resolve earthly karma, and the Human Soul remains by the grave.”

“When the original Lu Xiaoxiao of the Xuan Tian Sword Sect died, I intended to defy fate and summon her soul back. But for some reason, I summoned the current Lu Xiaoxiao instead. So, although she isn’t the Lu Xiaoxiao of the Xuan Tian Sword Sect, she is definitely related to the original Lu Xiaoxiao.”

“I see. No wonder I always felt she was a little different from before,” Tantai Jing’s expression turned severe again: “Will she still leave this place and return to her original world?”

Chaoyuan saw her looking very nervous and scared. It recalled that Tantai Jing was often capricious toward Lu Xiaoxiao, yet clearly deeply in love with her. Since she was willing to come back and look for Lu Xiaoxiao, she must still care about her.

“Speak quickly! My Demon Realm has many foul places. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to come home with me for a visit, would you?” Tantai Jing threatened when the sword remained silent.

“I’ll speak! I’ll speak! Perhaps… she might return to her original world,” it thought to itself: I’ve never used this method before, so how should I know? But saying this might make Tantai Jing more anxious about Lu Xiaoxiao.

Immediately after answering, Chaoyuan’s vision went dark; it had been instantly sealed into Tantai Jing’s storage ring.

Inside the empty storage ring, the Chaoyuan Sword’s wails echoed: “Damn it, I shouldn’t have also recognized you as my master.”

Lu Xiaoxiao was unaware of what was happening behind the tree. She was wondering why Chaoyuan wasn’t responding when she suddenly felt uneasy and cautiously swam toward the shore.

“Chaoyuan!”

“Chaoyuan—”

As soon as she reached the shore and looked up, Lu Xiaoxiao saw a pair of bare feet standing right in front of her. She hurriedly backed up two steps, shielding her naked body with her hands.

“You, didn’t you say the affection between you and me ends here? Why are you back looking for me?”

Seeing Tantai Jing, Lu Xiaoxiao couldn’t deny she was happy, but since the fault wasn’t entirely hers this time, she didn’t want to swallow her pride too soon.

“So you wanted to go back, then?” Tantai Jing didn’t know what was wrong with her today. Her emotions were easily affected, swinging from raging jealousy to deep regret, and now sadness mixed with anger.

Lu Xiaoxiao didn’t know what she meant. The trial hadn’t ended, so even if she wanted to leave, she couldn’t.

Seeing blood dripping from her tightly clenched fist, Lu Xiaoxiao’s anger instantly dissipated. She unconsciously took two steps forward, completely unaware that the hands she was using to cover herself had subtly shifted, revealing some of her bare skin: “How did you get hurt? Who hurt you?”

Tantai Jing sensed that Lu Xiaoxiao still cared about her, and her anger instantly vanished. However, a surge of sourness welled up: Lu Xiaoxiao was unwilling to tell her such an important matter. Was it because she was wary of Tantai Jing being a demon, ensuring she had an escape route if they had a conflict one day?

“Answer me first: Do you want to leave me?”

Tantai Jing’s eyes were slightly red, with a faint watery shimmer. She might have concealed some things from Lu Xiaoxiao in the past, but since leaving the Demon Locking Tower, she had been entirely devoted.

Lu Xiaoxiao was annoyed that Tantai Jing wasn’t taking care of her body. She was a Mahayana cultivator; healing a wound should take mere moments. She also recalled their argument earlier, where Tantai Jing always spoke without regard for her feelings.

“I certainly do not! You were the one who suggested breaking up, and you were the one who left first. How can you now turn around and blame me?” Lu Xiaoxiao turned sideways, refusing to look at Tantai Jing, afraid that if she looked at her one more time, she would immediately forgive her.

Tantai Jing suddenly grew anxious, wanting to defend herself. But the words had indeed come from her own mouth. She was also terrified that Lu Xiaoxiao might suddenly vanish from this place. Not having her firmly tied to her side gave her no sense of security.

Lu Xiaoxiao was waiting expectantly for Tantai Jing to apologize when she suddenly felt a cold touch around her waist. Looking down, she saw that the Guichen Sword had somehow coiled around her waist, pulling her from the spring onto the shore. She tumbled right into Tantai Jing’s embrace.

Tantai Jing wrapped one arm around her waist, placed the other hand on her shoulder, and used her wide sleeve to cover Lu Xiaoxiao’s lower body: “Don’t leave me. I shouldn’t have said that just now.”

“I… I’m not wearing any clothes! What are you doing?” Lu Xiaoxiao was completely naked, her face flushed crimson with shame and embarrassment. A gust of cold wind swept over Lu Xiaoxiao’s body, making her tremble slightly.

A faint light flashed in Tantai Jing’s hand. A small paper boat drifted with the wind and landed in the spring, instantly transforming into an elegant wooden spirit boat.

Lu Xiaoxiao suddenly felt dizzy. When she opened her eyes again, she was already in a bedroom inside the spirit boat with Tantai Jing.

Tantai Jing’s angry expression from the day was gone; she now looked at Lu Xiaoxiao with incomparable tenderness.

“What are you doing? Close your eyes first; I need to get dressed.” Lu Xiaoxiao placed one hand on Tantai Jing’s shoulder and the other over her eyes.

However, Tantai Jing gently pushed aside the hand blocking her vision, stroked the bruise on Lu Xiaoxiao’s shoulder, and tenderly used spiritual energy to treat her: “Why? You can look at me, so why won’t you let me look at you? Are you truly tired of me because of what happened earlier?”

Lu Xiaoxiao’s earlobes were burning red, and she couldn’t break free and flee to the bed: “That’s different. That was… and now it’s not. I’m shy. Please find me some clothes first!”

“Then you really are tired of me,” Tantai Jing didn’t look for clothes, her eyes lowered and filled with sadness, as if she might burst into tears any second.

“I’m not! Just find me something to wear, and then we can talk about the argument today, okay?” Lu Xiaoxiao urged.

Tantai Jing pushed her toward the bed step by step, her voice choked: “I don’t believe you. You’re still angry.”

Not until her legs touched the edge of the bed did Lu Xiaoxiao flip over, lift the blanket, and quickly burrow inside, leaving only her head exposed. She let out a deep breath.

Looking back at Tantai Jing, her panic subsided, and she noticed that Tantai Jing seemed slightly off. Firelight shone in her eyes—something that usually only happened when she was actively using spells.

A thought flashed through Lu Xiaoxiao’s mind: When she first left the hot spring, Tantai Jing didn’t seem this angry. It was only after walking in the mist for a long time that she suddenly lost her temper. And I also became irritable and started arguing with Tantai Jing around the same time.

Just as she was pondering, she heard Tantai Jing speak again: “It’s true, then. What exactly will it take for you not to leave me?”

Lu Xiaoxiao didn’t know what Tantai Jing was talking about, but something was definitely wrong: “Wait, I’m not leaving you. What exactly are you talking about? Can you be more specific? Also, did you notice anything strange after staying in the mist for so long?”

The firelight in Tantai Jing’s eyes intensified. She reached out to pull back the blanket covering Lu Xiaoxiao: “Is it still not enough, even if I give you my mind and body?”

Lu Xiaoxiao’s heart clenched, filled with both panic and nervousness. She grabbed the blanket with both hands and pulled it back: “Wait! Why don’t we discuss serious matters first? I feel like something is wrong with you. No… something is wrong with me, too. In that mist, neither of us seemed quite right, and only after boarding your spirit boat did I start to feel clear-headed.”

But in Tantai Jing’s eyes, Lu Xiaoxiao now only saw pure possessiveness, completely unlike her usual calm and reserved demeanor.

Could it be related to cultivation? Do higher cultivation levels make one more susceptible to influence?

Lu Xiaoxiao’s vision went black as a warmth instantly pressed against her lips. Her hands, which were clutching the blanket, were forcibly pressed apart by Tantai Jing and intertwined with hers.

She turned her head away, and Tantai Jing’s lips slid from the corner of her mouth to her ear. A layer of fine goosebumps instantly rose behind her ear, and her entire body trembled in Tantai Jing’s embrace.

“Wai… wait. It seems your mind is being affected by the mist,” Lu Xiaoxiao’s voice was broken and quiet as a mosquito’s buzz.

This was because Tantai Jing’s restless lips gently nipped her earlobe, lingering on her sensitive neck, occasionally sucking and lightly biting. Each nip made her tremble uncontrollably.

“Mmm~ Not yet. I’m not ready,” Lu Xiaoxiao pulled free from Tantai Jing’s hands and pushed hard, but at this point, Tantai Jing’s gentle, close kisses had already left her limp and weak.

She had considered that this day would come with Tantai Jing, but she never expected it to be in the Lancang Demon Domain. Outside, dangers lurked everywhere, and enemies could appear at any moment. Now was absolutely not the right time.

The bothersome blanket wedged between them had long since been tossed away by Tantai Jing. The candlelight flickered, emitting crackling sounds, and the firelight swayed with it.

Lu Xiaoxiao’s vision became increasingly blurred. By the candlelight, she saw Tantai Jing buried in her chest. A wave of numbness spread across her body, and she couldn’t stop panting. Her previously clear mind grew increasingly clouded.

It wasn’t until Tantai Jing’s leg pressed between her own that Lu Xiaoxiao felt she was about to be completely taken. She used all her strength to push Tantai Jing off her.

“Stop… now… now is not the time,” her voice was fragmented and mixed with gasps.

But the other person pressed down even more forcefully. The initially gentle, lingering kisses became slightly rough, biting her until it stung faintly.

Lu Xiaoxiao was angry in her heart. Just as she was about to push Tantai Jing away harder to try and wake her up, she felt cold droplets fall on her face, wetting her lashes.

Her hand movements paused involuntarily. She couldn’t bear to push Tantai Jing away again.

Fine, fine. After all, we are meant to be one. What difference does a moment make?

She wrapped her arms around Tantai Jing’s shoulders, meeting Tantai Jing’s kiss and gently kissing away the tears that fell from her eyes: “Turn… turn on the barrier… turn on the barrier.”

“The light… turn off the light, too… Jing’er.”

Tantai Jing’s tears flowed uncontrollably. She wanted to keep Lu Xiaoxiao so desperately.

She felt a flicker of clarity in her mind now, but she didn’t want to stop anymore.

Lu Xiaoxiao could only belong to her…

She pressed down with slightly increased force…

Lu Xiaoxiao’s fingernails dug deeply into her shoulder, leaving streaks of red marks…

“Mmm…”