Queen of Ten Thousand Demons Insists on Marrying Me - Chapter 8

Lu Xiaoxiao took out the Sub-Meridian Compass, the needle pointing steadily toward the curio shelf…

“The Sub-Meridian Compass isn’t pointing at you anymore.”

Tan Taijing grabbed the two-hundred-pound curio shelf with one hand and forcefully pulled it to the right, saying, “This Sub-Meridian Compass still has a bit of sentience. If it points at me again, I’ll smash it.”

The moment the curio shelf was moved, Lu Xiaoxiao was hit by a wave of damp, nauseating stench. Covering their noses and mouths, the two stepped forward and shone the light inside. To their surprise, there was a tunnel leading underground.

The tunnel was narrow and enclosed. Lu Xiaoxiao could only follow behind Tan Taijing with the candle. In the flickering candlelight, Lu Xiaoxiao saw an unidentified object in the corner and called for a halt. Tan Taijing crouched down to examine it.

Lu Xiaoxiao wondered aloud, “Why is there a shoe here? The sole of this straw sandal is completely worn out, and two of the straw ropes on the upper are broken. The area near the toe is white, which looks like it was caused by forceful dragging.”

Tan Taijing’s vision was far superior to that of a mortal. The tunnel was filled with unbearably foul demonic qi and a strong smell of decay. She had naturally seen the straw sandal long ago, and not only the shoe, but also…

A sudden gust of wind blew through the darkness, extinguishing the candle. Lu Xiaoxiao’s body shivered, and she whispered, “Tan Taijing…”

A warmth transmitted through her palm, and she heard the other person say, “I’ll lead you. I can see clearer than you even without a candle.”

Perhaps because she couldn’t see, time passed exceptionally slowly. Lu Xiaoxiao felt like she had been led for a long time before finally seeing a faint green light ahead. When they got closer, she realized it was actually ghost fire (will-o’-the-wisp).

The end of the tunnel opened into a spacious secret chamber. The walls of the chamber were covered with scattered black marks. Clothes were piled up on the floor—all without exception were ragged and filthy garments. They could even see that some sleeves had been violently torn off.

Lu Xiaoxiao’s eyes widened: “This? Is this a demon…?”

Tan Taijing’s eyes flashed with disgust: “That’s right. These tattered clothes, filthy hair, bones strewn everywhere, and blood splattered on the walls… This is a cannibalistic demon.”

Lu Xiaoxiao stood stunned: “There are about a dozen skeletons here. Why wasn’t the disappearance of so many people in the town mentioned in the letter?”

Tan Taijing: “Perhaps because they were all beggars…” Even Tan Taijing had never witnessed such a cruel and horrifying scene.

“Do all demons like…” to eat people? Before Lu Xiaoxiao could finish, she was interrupted.

Tan Taijing turned to her and said urgently, “No! Mortals eat all sorts of grains and are the most unclean. The demons I know don’t eat people. They dedicate themselves to cultivation in deep mountains and caves. Cannibalistic demons are either inherently cruel or practice evil techniques.” If it were any other time, Tan Taijing might have scared her a bit more, but after today’s events, she suddenly didn’t want Lu Xiaoxiao to compare her to this demon.

Seeing her agitated, Lu Xiaoxiao quickly said, “I understand. I just don’t know much and was curious. Although I haven’t met a ‘good’ demon, I know there are many ‘bad’ people in the world too.” Of course, Tan Taijing doesn’t count as a good demon. A good demon wouldn’t cast a Gu on me.

Lu Xiaoxiao: “Can you guess what kind of demon did this?” She avoided the ghost fire, using her sword sheath to poke at the blood-stained clothes on the ground, trying to find more clues.

Tan Taijing pondered for a moment before saying, “It’s an Ao-Qin (fierce Ao), a rare beast that only eats living creatures and never eats spoiled food. Their diet is very particular; they like to eat human flesh and animals. The Ao-Qin looks like an ox, has four horns on its head, and its fur is like a woven straw cape.”

Lu Wanbai and Mei Yuanhua left the inn, took several turns, and finally arrived at an alley entrance, where they found two young men guarding the door of Zhu Zhen’s house. Left with no choice, the two had to circle around, climb over the wall, and throw two stones at the necks of the two men in the courtyard. The men fell into the snow with a dull thud.

A haggard-looking man rushed out of the house and stared at the two of them in surprise.

Lu Wanbai tentatively asked, “Zhu Zhen?” She then pointed to Mei Yuanhua and herself: “We are from Yao Xia Palace.”

The man nodded: “Please, come in quickly, come in quickly. I am Zhu Zhen. I finally waited for your arrival.”

Fearing that the two men who had fainted outside would freeze to death in the snow and ice, Lu Wanbai and Zhu Zhen dragged them inside the house.

The furniture in the room was a bit old but clean and tidy. There was a brazier burning on the heated brick bed. A little girl, appearing to be three or four years old, was playing with a small wooden horse, occasionally waving her arms and legs happily. The woman sitting on the brick bed had bloodshot eyes, suggesting she had been weeping all day. She held needle and thread in her hands, weaving something.

Seeing Lu Wanbai and Mei Yuanhua, the woman stopped her needlework. Tears streamed uncontrollably from her eyes. Without even putting on her shoes, she knelt down, reaching out to grasp Lu Wanbai’s sleeve, but then seeing her expensive clothing, she cautiously drew her hand back.

“Benefactor, you finally came. Please save my girl. She is only three years old. How can I live without her?”

The little girl saw her mother kneeling and sobbing uncontrollably. Apparently frightened, she also stepped forward, clung to her mother’s arm, and began to cry loudly.

The man, his face pale, rubbed his eyes hard, stepped forward, and helped his wife up: “Immortals have traveled a long way in this bitter cold. Please let them sit down first. You go and boil some water.”

Mei Yuanhua had leaped back and hidden behind Lu Wanbai the moment the woman knelt, looking like he didn’t want to be touched.

Lu Wanbai stepped forward and, along with Zhu Zhen, helped comfort his wife and child: “Don’t worry. Since we are here, we will certainly do our best to rescue her.”

The woman thanked them emotionally, covered her face, and went out to boil water.

Zhu Zhen said, “Please don’t be offended, Immortals. It’s just that my wife is too worried and hasn’t been able to sleep at night. Having finally waited for you, she’s a little emotional.”

Lu Wanbai: “Brother Zhu, please stop calling me ‘Immortal.’ My name is Lu Wanbai. This is my Senior Brother, Mei Yuanhua. We are merely mortals who have learned some Daoist techniques.”

Zhu Zhen’s wife is named Rong Yu. The couple knew very little about the so-called “Zhujia Town Savior,” and their account was no different from the letter. Zhu Zhen then recounted the events in the letter once more. The little girl continued to cling to Lu Wanbai’s leg, playing with the ink-colored jade pendant that hung from Lu Wanbai’s waist. At first, the couple tried to stop her, but after Lu Wanbai said it was fine, they didn’t try to pull her away, though they still watched anxiously, afraid that Lu Wanbai would lose her temper and not tolerate the three-year-old girl’s mischief.

Lu Wanbai knew the family wasn’t wealthy, but there were many delicate little toys in the room, and the three-year-old girl, who was at the age of loving to play and cause mischief, had clean clothes. It was clear that this family truly cared for her. To suffer such unwarranted disaster—if that letter hadn’t been delivered to Yao Xia Palace… Thinking of this, Lu Wanbai didn’t dare to contemplate further.

Lu Wanbai questioned Zhu Zhen and his wife about a few other matters. Since the two men outside were likely to wake up soon, she promised that they would absolutely ensure the safety of their little daughter, Zhu Yujie.

Before leaving, Lu Wanbai took back the jade pendant from Zhu Yujie’s hand and took out a few talismans, saying: “Little Sister, this jade pendant was left to me by my mother, so I can’t give it to you. But here are three protective talismans that can keep you safe in a critical moment…”

Subsequently, Lu Wanbai and Mei Yuanhua visited the boy victim’s house. When they returned to the inn, it was nearly the hour of Chou (1–3 AM). The two who had left earlier were already waiting at the inn. Hearing Lu Xiaoxiao and Tan Taijing say that the monster was an Ao-Qin, Lu Wanbai’s face also took on a rare look of solemnity.

Mei Yuanhua said worriedly, “For safety’s sake, shouldn’t we send a message back to the Palace? The Ao-Qin is no ordinary demon. Can the four of us handle it?”

Lu Wanbai didn’t understand why Tan Taijing was so obsessed with the position of Deputy Head of the Enforcement Hall, but seeing the little girl who was to be sacrificed at Zhu Zhen’s house today, she also felt that being cautious would be better.

Tan Taijing frowned: “No. If people from the Palace come for support, this mission will be considered a failure.” She added, “I will definitely protect those two children. I promise.”

Ultimately, Lu Xiaoxiao played the mediator, and the group dispersed to their rooms.

On the way back to her room, Lu Xiaoxiao stopped in front of Tan Taijing’s door and asked, “How sure are you?”

Tan Taijing rested her hand on the door, looking at her resolutely: “If it’s just Lu Wanbai and I, I’m seven-tenths sure. If it’s just me alone, it’s ten-tenths.”

Seeing the questioning look in Lu Xiaoxiao’s eyes, she whispered, “Because in order to hide my demonic qi, seven-tenths of my cultivation is sealed.”

“I see. Tomorrow, I will find a way to distract those two…”