The Great King Ordered Me to Marry – Chapter 11
by Little PandaSpeaking of the Demon Lord Fighting Ghosts and Saving the Fox
Little did she know that hungry ghosts were formless — even the crevices in mountain rock couldn’t keep them out.
The fox didn’t dare pause for a single step, darting until she was dizzy and disoriented.
The crevices were bitterly cold, as though chased by winter’s wind — but wind, no matter how freezing, only pierced to the bone. The hungry ghosts behind her would likely gnaw her to shreds.
These twisting, winding crevices seemed endless. The fox ran until she was gasping for breath — even being chased by a mob of mortals shouting and throwing blows wouldn’t have left her this wretched.
She had a bad feeling. She shouldn’t have ducked into these crevices — the mountain rock was so thick, so solid, that even if she reached the end, she might dig for ages without breaking through a single inch.
If she couldn’t get out, she’d just have to steel herself and fight.
But her demonic power was meager — she’d never applied herself to cultivation. Dealing with two or three hungry ghosts would have been manageable, but this whole swarm? She’d probably have to burn incense and pray on the spot.
She shouldn’t have come to Lingkong Mountain. It was all Auntie Lan’s fault — why did she have to get that crooked idea!
Behind her, the wailing was ceaseless, the sounds of collision growing closer and closer.
The chilling ghostly energy surged forward like a wave, so fierce and violent that the fox could do nothing, fear welling up inside her.
A thought surfaced abruptly in the fox’s heart: she probably wasn’t going to make it back to Qiufeng Ridge.
She used to run away from Qiufeng Ridge all the time; now she shamelessly wanted to go back.
Truth be told, Qiufeng Ridge was fine in every way — even if compared to other places, it was so barren, so barren that not a single chicken remained.
She wondered whether, if she died, Lan Hui would be frantic when she couldn’t find her.
The stench of decay rushed over her, suffocating the fox. Her steps slowed, her whole body felt bound, her very sinews and bones grinding and creaking.
Why was it so painful? It hurt worse than being struck by the Disciplinary Ruler — a hundred times, a thousand times worse.
The pain made tears stream down her face, her throat seized tight. She couldn’t even cry for help.
This was it — she couldn’t even burn incense and pray now. She couldn’t make a sound, and who knew whether the various demon kings could hear her thoughts.
The hungry ghosts kept pouring into the mountain rock, as if trying to hollow out Lingkong Mountain entirely. The ceaseless press of them made the whole mountain range tremble without end.
Up on the mountain, the demons had been happily chatting and socializing when a sudden tremor struck, sending dishes tumbling off tables and wine splashing everywhere.
Standing guests swayed left and right, as if waving their arms in a dance.
The guests all looked toward Longming — even the powerful Great Demons changed expression.
The silver-haired tiger demon frowned slightly. She curled her index finger and gave a single tap, and boundless pressure rolled outward — like a sky-boulder crashing to earth, pinning the entire Lingkong Mountain motionless.
The lesser demons, their power insufficient, were struck by this force — pale-faced and shivering, they dropped to their knees all across the hall.
A trail of black smoke suddenly appeared in the void, and in the blink of an eye, coalesced into a leopard demon’s form.
Chunxi cupped her hands in salute. “Reporting to My Lord — it’s hungry ghosts causing chaos.”
“Has the infiltrator who scattered the Ghost’s Dread been found?” Longming asked calmly.
Chunxi pressed her lips tight, not daring to answer.
“How many hungry ghosts did the Ghost’s Dread attract?” Longming asked again.
“Over a thousand.”
Longming considered this, then asked after a moment, “Has the Ghost’s Dread been cleared away?”
“The area beneath the main peak has been cleared by the patrol demons, but the other areas haven’t been attended to yet.”
Longming rose. “Come with me down the mountain to see what those hungry ghosts are doing.”
A Great Demon at the banquet fanned himself and said, “If you need assistance, Demon Lord, just say the word.”
Longming nodded impassively, then spun, and vanished without a trace.
At the foot of the mountain, the hungry ghosts swarmed into the rock crevices, dense and countless, apparently damaging the mountain’s foundations — no wonder the whole peak was shaking.
Faint traces of demonic energy lingered at the mountain’s base — but this energy didn’t belong to the pig demon. It carried the scent of a fox.
Longming raised a brow slightly. Catching this weakened demonic energy, she thought of the face so familiar it unsettled her, and felt a twinge of regret.
Chunxi lowered her head. “That fox…”
“I’m afraid only bones remain.” As Longming raised her arm, her robes gleamed ever more brightly, and vast demonic power surged from her palm, sending her silver hair flying.
Chunxi stood still, forced by the demonic power to squeeze her eyes shut. Even her soul was suppressed, bending her involuntarily into a bow.
That overwhelming demonic power condensed into a hand with clearly defined knuckles. With what looked like a casual grab of five fingers, dark ghostly shadows were dragged out from the rock crevices.
Countless hungry ghosts were strung together, and no matter how they struggled, they could no longer pour into the mountain.
Chunxi clenched her teeth and endured the torrential demonic power, casting her magic to bind the hungry ghosts into a mass.
The last hungry ghost came clawing and thrashing out of the crevice. Longming crushed it underfoot, using not even the effort it would take to blow away dust.
She glanced at the mass of hungry ghosts with casual indifference, then struck out with a palm. The ghosts disintegrated into ash, leaving behind only the unfinished echo of a wail.
The ghostly miasma had barely dissipated when a breath slipped out from the crevice — the scent of fox again.
Her aura hadn’t been extinguished?
Longming was genuinely surprised. That fox looked frail enough to topple in a breeze — who knew how she’d survived. Though even if she had, it could only be a bloodied, battered sight.
From within the crevice, a tuft of fur was inching its way out, bit by bit.
Looking closer — it was the fox, backing out rear-first, in tiny steps.
Bloodied and battered? The entire fox hadn’t even picked up much dust — remarkably clean.
Zhuoxue trembled unsteadily. The back of her neck had scraped against something — it had stung something fierce just now.
She couldn’t see the back of her own neck, so naturally she didn’t know how clean her fur was. She was still worrying: if it was just scraped by rock, that was fine, but if the hungry ghosts had clawed her, the wound would probably fester all over.
Thankfully, the hungry ghosts were gone, and hadn’t pulverized her into mush.
She backed out slowly, knowing full well the ghosts wouldn’t vanish without reason. Recalling the overwhelming pressure she’d just felt — that was undoubtedly the silver-haired tiger demon’s doing.
Once she’d eased herself out, Zhuoxue stayed silent.
She felt a prickle down her spine — she didn’t need to think hard to know who that terrifying demonic energy behind her belonged to.
“To still be alive, and looking so intact.”
It really was Longming.
The gratitude that had just surged to her heart vanished in an instant. Zhuoxue shifted into her girl form, a pair of fox ears standing upright on her head.
She listened to those words, feeling a flicker of indignation, but didn’t dare argue.
The White Tiger’s mouth — even after all these years, it was the same as when she’d rescued Grandma Qian. Her words really were unpleasant to hear.
“I have my own clever methods,” Zhuoxue said, pouting.
“Clever methods?” Longming gave a faint smile. “Had I known, I’d have come half a beat later.”
The last threads of lingering fear in Zhuoxue’s heart dissipated too. She steeled herself and turned her head. “You sent me down the mountain to test me?”
The silver-haired Great Demon didn’t deny it. “You arrived at a bad time. I initially thought you and that pig demon were serving the same master1.”
Her little life or her little name?
Zhuoxue had narrowly escaped death, and after all that frantic running, her ears were buzzing — she could hear even less clearly now.
She tried to piece it together for ages but still couldn’t untangle the meaning, so she just said, “What ‘one’s life is gone’? I’m clearly blessed with great fortune and a long life.”
Longming closed her eyes and opened them again. “I thought you and that pig demon were on the same side.”
Zhuoxue understood this time, and said indignantly, “That pig demon was trying to kill me — I’m not on the same side as it.”
Longming’s gaze dropped. She suddenly bent down and moved close, five fingers landing on the back of Zhuoxue’s neck.
Even though it was barely a touch, Zhuoxue’s fur stood on end — as if gripped in a vise. That pale neck of hers gave a single tremor.
She couldn’t force out half a syllable. Her whole body trembled uncontrollably, and the panic she’d been keeping suppressed now surged over her like a tidal wave.
Couldn’t win the argument, so she’d suppress her with demonic power — how despicable!
“What’s on the back of your neck? Why is it glowing?” Longming traced it with her fingertip, rubbing until Zhuoxue’s neck burned hot, pressing the raised fur flat again.
So itchy.
Zhuoxue held still, head tilted up, straining to glance back from the corner of her eye. “What glowing? How would a neck glow? Whose Demonic Core grows on their neck?”
Longming’s rubbing fingertip paused slightly. “It looks like a rune. Did a rune protect you?”
Zhuoxue didn’t believe it. “Absolutely impossible. If a rune really protected me, why would I have had to run?”
The touch withdrew from the back of her neck, leaving behind lingering warmth.
Longming frowned and said slowly, “Or perhaps — the infiltrator knew they couldn’t harm you, and wanted you to use a self-injury ruse2 to earn my trust?”
Zhuoxue clapped a hand over the back of her neck, wide-eyed and speechless. “Great King, please see clearly — I don’t know any pig demon at all.”
Longming gave a derisive snort.
Zhuoxue’s mind raced — then a thunderbolt struck. “Great King, do you think your enemies knew you still yearn for your old friend from the Mortal Realm, and that’s why they specifically sent me here?”
Longming stopped smiling. She reached out and touched the fox’s cheek, tracing it like a blind person reading bones — carefully mapping the brow ridge, then exploring the eyes and ears. Every inch she moved, she lingered with reluctance.
Her gaze was dark, yet the currents flowing within her eyes were revealed in finest detail. Her expression was calm, but beneath it hid furious waves and churning torrents.
“It’s not impossible. All the demons know I bear a Mortal Realm royal surname. Following the vine to find the melon3 — what’s so hard about guessing my past?”
Zhuoxue didn’t know how to refute this. She wanted to cry but had no tears left.
“Borrowing an old friend’s face to get close to me — what are you after?” Longming said quietly.
Zhuoxue pinched her own cheek. “This face is the genuine article. And this fox never deceives anyone.”
Those she didn’t manage to fool didn’t count. Those she did fool — well, none of them were human.
Footnotes
- '效命同主' (xiào mìng tóng zhǔ), meaning 'serving the same master,' sounds similar to '小命呜呼' (xiǎo mìng wū hū), meaning 'one's life is gone' — a near-homophonic confusion in Mandarin, misheard by Zhuoxue due to her hearing impairment.
- From the Thirty-Six Stratagems: deliberately injuring oneself or one's ally to gain an enemy's trust. A famous example is Huang Gai's fake defection at the Battle of Red Cliffs.
- A Chinese idiom meaning to trace something back to its source by following clues, like following a vine to find the melon.
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