The Great King Ordered Me to Marry – Chapter 14
by Little PandaSpeaking of the Restriction on the Fox’s Back
Snap.
A crisp crack echoed through the air.
The thick black fog choking the cave’s mouth was formed of demonic energy—the greater the energy, the denser the mist.
Yet fog as ink-black as this could not shield the Pig Demon in the slightest. Like a ripple shattered at a single touch, Longming parted it effortlessly with her bare hand.
The Pig Demon’s hand bent at a grotesque angle, the palm dangling limply like a useless hunk of flesh carved from a limb.
But Longming clearly had no intention of merely breaking his hand. Her five fingers did not loosen as she sought to reach along that arm and delve deep into the fog, looking for all the world as though she meant to rip out his heart and tear out his liver.
Yet before Longming could seize him, the length of bone protruding from the fog whipped violently outward, severed clean at the break, flinging the severed hand away in a violent jerk.
The Pig Demon preferred to abandon the hand rather than allow himself to be captured.
With that, the thick fog pouring into the cave’s mouth rushed backward like a raging torrent, vanishing into thin air in an instant.
The severed hand thudded bloodily to the ground. Driven perhaps by a residual connection to his demonic core1, it twitched twice like a dead fish before slumping completely still.
Such cloak-and-dagger behavior was clearly intended to conceal his identity; whoever commanded him behind the scenes undoubtedly could not stand the light of day either.
What a pity. To abandon a hand meant losing at least a century of cultivation.
Zhuoxue had no time to feel pity for the Pig Demon. He had only lost a bit of cultivation, whereas she had nearly met her end.
Her gaze was vacant, her heart leaping entirely out of her chest. Only when Longming drew back her hand did her eyes blink slightly.
Thank goodness she was still alive. Her prayers had been of some use after all; otherwise, a white tiger would hardly have fallen from the sky.
“I originally thought that Pig Demon was after Lingkong Mountain,” Longming said calmly. “As it turns out, it was you who brought disaster to Lingkong Mountain.”
The white tiger remained behind the fox. Her slowed voice sounded almost like a chant, woven through with her distinct, sharp coldness.
The cavern was chill, and the breath falling upon the fox’s ear was damp and warm, yet it was by no means gentle—it carried a sense of pervasive, inescapable intrusion.
Before this, Zhuoxue would have retorted no matter what, but looking at things now, the Pig Demon truly seemed to have come for her.
Once was a coincidence, but twice?
There were so many patrol guards on the mountain. Why was no one else attacked except her?
She was rendered defenseless, unable to explain herself. She wracked her brains, but she could not imagine what connection she could possibly have with that Pig Demon.
Could he be an archenemy of Lan Hui?
Since Lan Hui never left her mountain, the Pig Demon could do nothing to her, so he could only target the fox she had raised!
After this chain of deduction, Zhuoxue experienced a sudden flash of insight. It must be so!
It was precisely because of enemies lurking outside that Lan Hui had forbidden her from leaving Qiufeng Ridge, terrified that she might meet with calamity.
Lan Hui’s past was deeply enigmatic. No one on Qiufeng Ridge knew where she came from or what her true form was. She remained cooped up inside year in, year out, shunning all company. If she did not have countless enemies, it truly made no sense.
“So a little fox like you can actually attract enemies?” Following Zhuoxue’s gaze, Longming looked unhurriedly toward the cave entrance.
The Pig Demon would surely try to flee, but Longming had no intention of allowing him to escape.
The hand dangling at Longming’s side moved without warning, snapping her fingers with a crisp clack. The sound rang out like an imperial decree, sweeping outward with overwhelming momentum.
Snap.
Though it was late at night, the demon servants and patrol guards jolted awake as if summoned, surging forth in every direction simultaneously.
Nor was that all. Longming’s pressure rippled outward, instantly smothering all the peaks of Lingkong Mountain in a claustrophobic haze as an invisible force enveloped the entire range.
As a result, not even half a mosquito could leave Lingkong Mountain now.
This was clearly meant to seal off all the Pig Demon’s escape routes—a true attempt at catching a turtle in a jar2, and doing so alive.
Zhuoxue was so stifled by the overwhelming pressure that she could barely breathe. She trembled uncontrollably, and only when Longming eased her aura slightly after a long moment did she manage to squeak out, “I don’t have any enemies! I’ve never done anything terrible!”
Stealing chickens…
Stealing chickens naturally didn’t count! She even paid her debts back later—how wicked could she possibly be?
Besides, the chickens she ate were raised by mortals in the Mortal Realm, not by demons. Why was a demon getting involved?
“The reason I did not seal the mountain earlier was that I wished to see what that Pig Demon was after,” Longming said with cold candor. “When he launched his ambush last time, I found it strange. I did not restrict your movements afterward precisely so I could use you as bait.”
How arrogant! Yet it seemed a trait born inherently into the king of all beasts.
“You—” Rage surged in Zhuoxue’s chest, yet she had nowhere to vent it. She spun her head around to glare at the demon lord behind her, speechless.
Having been played for a fool twice, what good would getting angry do? Even if she exhausted all her demonic power, she probably couldn’t snap a single strand of Longming’s silver hair.
The silver-haired demon lord raised a hand, her palm alone completely covering the back of the fox’s neck.
It felt as though she had inadvertently reverted to her true form and was now being lifted by the scruff of her neck.
The fine hairs that had just settled flat immediately stood on end once more.
Zhuoxue’s heart pounded like a war drum. She didn’t even realize she was quivering, looking for all the world like a fish flopping helplessly on land.
“I had a proper look this time,” Longming said coldly, her hand slowly stroking the skin beneath her palm. “There is indeed a rune branded onto the back of your neck. However, it is a rune I have never seen before.”
The glowing rune was gradually fading, leaving behind only a faint mark. Doubtless before long, the back of her neck would return to its fair, smooth state.
In the dire peril just now, Zhuoxue had forgotten the heat and pain. Only now did she realize the back of her neck was still burning warm, as though the intense heat earlier had seared directly into her flesh. When that hand touched it, she couldn’t help but shudder.
“How could that be? I never knew any rune was there. Don’t go fooling me,” Zhuoxue muttered, still disbelieving. If there was a rune, why wouldn’t Lan Hui have told her?
Unless Lan Hui had intentionally hidden it from her… or someone had secretly branded her with it without Lan Hui ever knowing.
How bizarre. She couldn’t possibly have been branded without realizing it! When this rune burned, it hurt terribly—it must have hurt even more when it was seared into her skin.
Longming flipped her palm, summoning a bronze mirror. Though the mirror was not angled directly behind the fox, it reflected the rune on her neck with crystalline clarity.
“Since you do not believe me, see for yourself,” Longming said.
In the mirror, that segment of jade-white neck shrank back slightly in apprehension. Intricate, wild runes covered the nape of her neck, extending down beneath her collar.
It glowed with a subtle golden light, seeming to carry divine power from another realm—like an intricate restriction that was nigh impossible to dispel, guarding secrets that forbade outside eyes from prying.
As the golden light shimmered, it made the delicate skin of her neck appear all the more fine and lustrous, like unpolished jade beckoning one to explore.
Zhuoxue took the bronze mirror, pinched her sleeve, and wiped frantically at the glass, but no matter what she did, the rune in the reflection did not fade in the slightest.
It was real—not just a pattern etched onto the mirror!
“It was… burning just now. It hurt so much,” she mumbled stupidly. “It burned once before, too, when the hungry ghosts were chasing me earlier today.”
“Burning?”
Longming pressed her palm back against her neck, but as the rune was slowly fading away, she could detect nothing beyond the skin’s residual warmth.
In the mirror, the demon lord’s expression turned grave as she parted the fox’s collar, sliding the thin sheer outer robe down her shoulders.
With the outer robe removed, her inner garments remained.
The fox hastily clutched her collar, shivering as she stammered, “This… this seems a bit too fast.”
“Hmm?”
“I haven’t prepared myself yet,” the fox squeaked nervously.
Wait, that’s not right either! It was supposed to be her trying to touch a tiger’s buttocks3, so why did it feel like things were completely reversed now?
“I intend to see what your origins truly are,” Longming said, pulling down the plain white fabric. “Before the rune fades completely, I must see its full extent. Pardon me.”
Her arms reached forward, loosely encircling the fox’s waist.
As demons, they did not care overmuch about their human forms—whether beautiful or hideous, bared or wrapped tightly, it mattered little.
Her actions were so natural that they seemed entirely reasonable.
Immediately after, her belt adorned with silver beads jingled as it tumbled down, pooling alongside the hem of her skirt onto the cold mountain rock like a stream infused with dye.
The fox didn’t dare move an inch. She could only feel her garments slipping off layer by layer until only her chest binder remained draped over her upper body, while her silk skirt sagged beneath her waist, barely covering the small of her back.
A fox whose fur was like snow was equally lustrous and fair when taking human form.
The fine hairs on her back and waist were clearly visible. The fox pressed her lips tightly together, looking for all the world like a shy flower bud trembling delicately in the rain.
As the demon lord pressed a hand against her lower back, her tightly closed lips parted involuntarily. Her back arched as her upper body strained forward.
The mirror slipped from her hand, but fortunately it didn’t roll far, wobbling a few times before settling right within her reach.
She pressed both palms against the rock and gasped softly, sensing that beautiful hand tracing down her spine, its fingertips sinking slightly into her silk skirt.
The demon lord’s hand and her back were both clearly reflected in the mirror. She had felt terrified at first, but glancing back in panic, she couldn’t help but feel…
Curiously sensual.
It was entirely the demon lord’s fault for looking so earnestly and feeling about so thoroughly.
Covered by her silk skirt, the strange rune indeed was not fully exposed; it presumably extended all the way down to her buttocks.
However, the lower it went, the blurrier it became, with only the portion at her neck remaining reasonably distinct.
“It is a restriction,” Longming said, her palm vibrating slightly as she attempted to force her demonic power into the rune. “Not a protective talisman.”
Instantly, Zhuoxue felt as though she were being skinned and deboned. In too much agony to hold herself up, she cried out and collapsed against the rock.
“It hurts! It hurts so much—”
Seeing that her demonic power could not penetrate the rune in the slightest, Longming withdrew her hand. “I did not mean to harm you. I merely wanted to test whether this restriction could be broken.”
Trembling, Zhuoxue cast a side glance into the mirror and saw Longming tracing the stroke paths of the rune with her index finger.
The universe was truly turned upside down—she hadn’t even gotten to touch a tiger’s buttocks, yet now it was the tiger touching her.
“Aren’t you done looking yet? Is Along the River During the Lantern Festival embroidered on my back?” Zhuoxue shivered uncontrollably.
“I must commit it to memory,” Longming said, her delicate brows knitting slightly. “Curious. It is a rune I have never seen before, capable of repelling even my demonic power. It looks like…”
“Looks like what?” Zhuoxue asked, her heart in her throat.
“It looks as though it originates from Kunlun Jade Capital4.” Having traced it once, Longming hooked the thin outer garment resting on the stone. “What is your true identity?”
Kunlun Jade Capital?
Zhuoxue was shaken. According to Lan Hui, she had been carried to Qiufeng Ridge by river waters as an infant.
All these years, she had accomplished nothing—unable to break through her cultivation realm, possessing no extraordinary talents, just an ordinary wild fox. What other identity could she possibly have?
“Things from the Immortal Realm5 bring endless trouble if not disposed of.” The demon lord was quite meticulous, even pulling the fox’s collar closed for her. “What did Qiufeng Ridge mean by sending such a gift?”
The word disposed of was spoken with utter coldness.
Zhuoxue shivered in dread.
She was a demon, and so young—how could she be disposed of just like that?
Once her clothes were neatly dressed and the belt with silver beads hung at her waist once more, Zhuoxue burst out in cold sweat:
“I… I might be a once-in-a-ten-thousand-years Great Demon6 who was tragically sealed! If you help me break this restriction so I can return to Qiufeng Ridge, I will bestow a thousand years of demonic power upon you! I promise!”
Footnotes
- In Chinese Xianxia fiction, a demonic core (yaodan) is the condensed nucleus of spiritual power cultivated by a demon, acting as the primary source of their strength and vitality.
- A Chinese idiom (weng zhong zhuo bie) describing a situation where an opponent is trapped within an enclosed space, making their capture completely effortless and inescapable, like reaching into a jar to grab a turtle.
- Derived from the Chinese proverb 'a tiger's buttocks cannot be touched' (laohu pigu mo bude), this idiom refers to daring to provoke a dangerous, untouchable, or highly sensitive authority figure.
- In Chinese mythology and Daoist cosmology, Kunlun Yaojing refers to the Jade Capital atop the sacred Mount Kunlun, revered as the supreme seat of celestial immortals and deities.
- In Chinese fantasy literature, the Immortal Realm (xianjie) is the elevated celestial plane inhabited by heavenly deities, immortals, and transcendent beings who have achieved divine spiritual cultivation.
- In Chinese folklore and Xianxia fiction, a Great Demon (dayao) denotes an ancient, highly powerful demon entity that has accumulated centuries or millennia of spiritual cultivation.
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