The Great King Ordered Me to Marry – Chapter 28
by Little PandaSpeaking of the Fox Getting Drunk and Looking for Her Tail
Seeing Longming’s composed expression, as though she had thought it through deeply—yet half of this sentence had come from the fox’s own mouth.
Zhuoxue grumbled inwardly. What a big tiger, stooping to pick up others’ clever lines1. But a fox’s belly could hold a boat2, so she wouldn’t quibble over such things.
But she had to admit, Longming’s words hit the right note. The fear that had just surged in her heart vanished in an instant. Yellow Springs Bureau, underworld paths—none of it was worth mentioning.
Did the fox believe it? Only half.
After all, there were iron roosters3 and smiling tigers4 in this world. Who knew how much of Longming’s words held genuine sincerity.
The fox was not what she used to be—she had cultivated now, and would never be easily deceived.
Zhuoxue asked suspiciously, “The journey may be foolproof, but what about before and after? If the King of Hell comes chasing after us, who’ll block him for me?”
Longming pulled the paperweight over and pressed the White Deer Paper down firmly, saying as she did, “I’ll block him for you.”
“The capable bear more of the burden,” Zhuoxue said approvingly.
Longming fell silent for a moment, then cast a glance that was neither cold nor warm.
The two black markings cradled her eyes, lending her presence a fierce edge. They said a tiger’s roar stirred the winds5—but she was different. She could shake the heavens without making a sound.
Longming said, “But whether I can protect you thoroughly before and after, that I cannot guarantee. First, you must not delay matters. Second, whatever I say, you do as instructed.”
Zhuoxue clicked her tongue softly. She knew it—this big tiger was not easy to deal with at all.
Longming continued, “What I can protect, I will naturally find a way to protect.”
Zhuoxue understood—wasn’t this just a flatbread painted on paper6? She had no intention of taking a bite; there wasn’t a speck of filling in it.
She simply stopped counting on Longming. At crucial moments, she’d have to fend for herself.
Truly a fox walking into a tiger’s mouth7, trembling with fear.
“Sly and cunning,” Zhuoxue muttered under her breath. “If I meet my end at the Yellow Springs, who knows who’d profit.”
The fox was so used to being hard of hearing that she assumed others couldn’t hear her muttering either.
Longming gave a soft scoff. “I wouldn’t let you lose your life at the Yellow Springs.”
Her voice carried a hint of coldness, sounding thoroughly unreasonable, as if she were teasing—
She would certainly protect her life, but whether she’d remain in one piece was another matter entirely.
Truly alarming. Zhuoxue quailed, “You and I share the bond of bedfellows, and you don’t even care for the fox beside your pillow? What a cruel heart.”
One moment it was “the bond of bedfellows,” the next it was “the fox beside your pillow”—if this fell into others’ ears, who knew what kind of romantic, sensual scenes they’d fabricate.
The silver-haired Great Demon was speechless, wondering what on earth filled this fox’s head.
Yet the fox’s eyes were perfectly clear, and after speaking she even puffed out a breath in her cheeks. Not a trace of impropriety showed on her face—she was purer than the sheet of White Deer Paper on the desk.
Longming snorted. This fox had clearly learned a few things in the mortal realm—half-learned and half-abandoned, never fully understanding, never grasping the essence.
“What’s so funny?” Zhuoxue was completely baffled as to how Longming could laugh.
Longming said, “You were at the foot of the bed, not beside the pillow.”
This was irrefutable. Zhuoxue changed tack: “Then it doesn’t matter whether you protect me or not, whether thoroughly or not. If there’s danger, just give me a heads-up and I’ll turn tail and run.”
She was the best at running—twenty mortals surrounding her from all sides hadn’t been able to trap her.
“Don’t run the wrong way this time,” Longming said meaningfully.
“Once my restriction is lifted, I won’t make that hard-of-hearing mistake again,” Zhuoxue said indignantly.
It was all Lingkong Mountain’s fault—why did it have to sound so similar to Ninghong Mountain!
Longming raised her eyes, her gaze sweeping over the faintly visible silver threads in the fox’s hair. “Your cultivation has gradually increased, and you can already resist the restriction a little. Can you hear more clearly now?”
“Naturally.” Zhuoxue’s tone lifted, a touch of pride in it.
If she were in beast form, her fox tail would surely be pointing straight up to the sky.
Longming gave a soft scoff. “Earlier you didn’t even want to practice those hundred spell techniques.”
Zhuoxue stammered, “If I hadn’t experienced it myself, I wouldn’t have known it had such benefits.”
“Another hundred?” Longming’s expression was serious.
Zhuoxue immediately wanted to bolt for the window, terrified that another dense swarm of characters would drill into her brain.
Her eyes darted, and she couldn’t help glancing outside. A small slice of sky was visible, green grass stretching like a carpet in the distance.
The fox’s feet had slipped before, and now her feet wanted to slip again—only she didn’t know if that Nightmare Tribe demon envoy might suddenly return.
“Where are you thinking of going? The Nightmare Tribe demon envoy has gone far away; they certainly won’t come back for another visit right now.” Longming saw right through the fox’s thoughts.
Zhuoxue pulled her head back and said righteously, “I wake up and it’s nothing but practicing spells. Haven’t even had any meat. I’m starving now—where would I find the energy to learn another hundred?”
“I had Qiu Ruo leave some for you. It’s sitting on the stove,” Longming said, a rare show of kindness.
Zhuoxue’s heart had already leapt outside, and her body tried to follow—but she got stuck squarely on the windowsill. Only then did she remember she wasn’t in beast form.
Since Longming wouldn’t let her transform back into beast form, she simply wouldn’t.
She truly couldn’t stay in this room any longer. If she stayed, she’d probably get her head muddled by spells and talismans again. She turned around and dashed out the door in a whirl, not stopping for a single step.
She absolutely wasn’t craving meat—she just wanted to slip away.
The main peak was thronging with demons. The banquet featured every delicacy imaginable, bowls overflowing with rich broths. The demons feasted heartily, and no one noticed the fox flashing past.
Zhuoxue disdained it all, making a beeline for the kitchen. She lifted the wooden lid and found a pot of fragrant stewed chicken.
Golden-brown and scattered with a few green onion bits—it was clearly left in the pot on purpose, not just leftovers.
Zhuoxue ate to her heart’s content, not even noticing when another demon entered the kitchen. That demon was standing beside her, dumbfounded.
She only vaguely made out a figure. When she turned her head, she nearly choked—it was the demon servant Jiejie8 who had helped her sneak onto the main peak that day.
The wooden plaque that day had a name carved on it—what was it again?
“Qinghuai,” the fox greeted.
Qinghuai hadn’t seen this fox demon in quite a while. That day, she had watched helplessly as the fox was hauled out by the manager, thinking she had caused a terrible disaster.
Fortunately, the manager hadn’t pursued the matter, and the Demon Lord had inexplicably rewarded her with spiritual jade. She had been overwhelmed by the unexpected favor, truly unable to fathom how this fox had become the Mountain Lord’s personal demon servant—and let her inexplicably share in the good fortune.
“Why are you here?” Times had changed, and Qinghuai had become cautious.
Zhuoxue fetched a clean bowl and even dug out a long ladle, filling it to the brim. “Everyone who sees gets a share. You try some too—if it weren’t for you that day, I wouldn’t have made it onto the main peak.”
Qinghuai didn’t dare accept, waving her hands repeatedly and stammering, “There is one thing I… can’t figure out.”
Zhuoxue knew that a forcibly picked melon isn’t sweet9, and forcibly fed rice wasn’t fragrant either. She pulled her hand back and took a sip of broth herself, asking indistinctly, “What is it?”
Not sure whether she should ask, Qinghuai hesitated a moment before saying, “Since you’re the Demon Lord’s personal demon servant, how could Head Steward Qiu Ruo not know?”
Zhuoxue blinked. “The Demon Lord handpicked me. Of course the head steward wouldn’t know.”
There had been plenty of rumors in the mountain these past two days. The small demons gossiped avidly in private, but unfortunately not a single word of it reached Longming’s ears.
Qinghuai’s expression shifted several times. She blushed crimson and stepped back, not daring to come within half an inch of the fox.
Broth still on her lips, Zhuoxue was puzzled. “What’s wrong, you don’t like meat?”
She only realized after asking—what meat would a stone demon eat? That was like skimming cream from plain water10.
Qinghuai smiled awkwardly, staring at her own shoe tips, her back pressed against the doorway. “Don’t let my aura rub off on you, and don’t get too close to other demons either, or the Demon Lord will definitely get angry.”
With that, she turned to leave.
Zhuoxue hurriedly asked, “What did Longming reward you with?”
The stone demon’s footsteps halted. With a bitter face, she pulled a piece of spiritual jade from her sleeve and said reluctantly, “You’re not jealous, are you? This spiritual jade was rewarded by the Great King. If Fox Lord wants it, I’ll give it to Fox Lord.”
It was only a piece of spiritual jade. Zhuoxue lowered her gaze and shook her head, declining. “Jealous of what? The fragrant chicken? I won’t lie—this stewed version is indeed sweeter and more fragrant.”
The fox’s appetite was thoroughly aroused, and she ate to her satisfaction. Even after finishing, she didn’t want to return to Longming’s bedchamber—instead, she wandered off to wherever was lively.
The demons at the banquet had changed again. Not a single face she’d grown familiar with from the day before remained.
The fox simply grabbed hold of the newly arrived demons and cheerfully taught them Leaf Cards all over again.
The demons were quick learners. Zhuoxue played to her heart’s content, and before she knew it, she had drunk too much Annual Tribute Wine. She slumped drunkenly over the card table.
She clutched a handful of Leaf Cards, but couldn’t even make out the patterns on them anymore.
The small demons were drunk too. Their Leaf Cards scattered across the table with a clatter, and they toppled stiffly to the ground. The moment their heads hit the floor, they transformed into beast form.
Zhuoxue also wanted to transform into beast form, but in her muddled state, she remembered that Longming had forbidden her from changing back into her fox form.
She had no choice but to curl up her long legs and arms miserably, glaring at the Leaf Cards in her hand. “What number is this? I can’t make it out at all.”
No demon answered. The seats were filled with murmured dream-talk.
Curling up, Zhuoxue wanted to sleep too. She was used to resting her head on her tail when sleeping, but now she couldn’t get comfortable no matter how she lay. She lifted her skirt and rummaged around, bewildered. “Where’s my tail?”
The layers of fabric were like the white camellias of Qiufeng Ridge. She could feel two legs, but her tail alone she couldn’t find.
Under the bright moonlight, Zhuoxue was frantic.
She didn’t know how long she’d been away from Longming. Longming had told her not to leave her side for a single step, and yet she’d eaten a wolf’s heart and a leopard’s gall11, wandering around outside for half a day.
But she was panicking now and truly couldn’t go back. She stumbled dizzy among the banquet tables, searching on top and underneath, even pushing aside the sleeping demons to look.
When Longming arrived, demons lay scattered everywhere. Only the fox was still wandering about like a restless spirit, swaying this way and that.
“What are you looking for?” Longming couldn’t make sense of it.
Zhuoxue heard the voice but couldn’t make out who was speaking. She spun in place in desperation, crying, “I’m looking for my tail! My tail is missing!”
Longming knew at once—the fox was definitely drunk.
The Annual Tribute Wine buried beneath Lingkong Mountain was known as “ten steps and you fall.” Ordinary demons couldn’t handle more than a few sips, yet this fox had poured cup after cup into her belly, not even realizing the wine had gone to her head.
“Your tail is with me.” Longming gave a faint scoff, somehow seized by the urge to tease.
The silver-haired Great Demon was draped in moonlight. Beneath her black cloak, her robes with their mountain-and-water patterns rippled in the wind. Her figure was like a jade tree—elegant and upright, as if she’d stepped out of a painting.
Zhuoxue turned at the sound and stared blankly for a long while. The Great Demon’s hands were empty—where had she hidden her tail?
She walked forward unsteadily, pinching the corner of Longming’s wind-fluttering robe, and looked up. “You hid my tail? Why did you hide it? You like my tail, don’t you?”
“Can you see clearly who I am, fox?” Longming looked down.
Zhuoxue leaned in to study her, lightly sniffing to tell who it was.
The fragrance of Annual Tribute Wine wafted straight into Longming’s face. Longming stood motionless, letting her look.
Zhuoxue didn’t answer. Her hand burrowed into Longming’s sleeve, five fingers pressing against that jade-smooth arm and climbing upward. “I don’t care who you are—you hid my tail, so give it back right now!”
Longming started slightly and caught that wildly darting hand, pulling it out.
Zhuoxue changed tactics and started groping randomly around Longming’s waist, even reaching behind her, frantic. “Where’s my tail?”
The fox’s paw was just about to touch the tiger’s buttocks when it was caught firmly. No matter how hard the fox struggled, she couldn’t reach past.
“I know—you’re wearing my tail, aren’t you? That’s why you won’t let me touch it!” Zhuoxue insisted on touching anyway, but Longming’s five fingers clamped around her wrist, pinning her in place.
“You truly can’t recognize me?” Longming asked at her leisure.
With no other choice, Zhuoxue stood on tiptoe and leaned in close. Her warm breath fell on Longming’s face, her lips only a hair’s breadth from Longming’s nose.
“Who are you? Are you new? I’ve never seen you before,” Zhuoxue said in confusion.
“Where is this?” Longming asked again.
Zhuoxue pulled back slightly, looking at her as if she were an idiot. “Qiufeng Ridge. You don’t even know Qiufeng Ridge?”
Longming had no desire to waste more words on a drunk fox. She gripped that slender wrist and turned around. “It’s late. Let’s go back and rest.”
“I’m not going back! I haven’t found my tail yet!” Zhuoxue shook her wrist twice but couldn’t shake off Longming’s hand.
Demons lay everywhere here. If this kept up, some demon would definitely be roused from their drunken sleep by this fox.
“I’ll take you to find your tail.” The silver-haired Great Demon tried to pull the fox back toward the bedchamber, but after two tugs, her hand only grew heavier.
It was because Zhuoxue had squatted down on the ground. Red-eyed, she looked behind herself and choked, “I had such a big tail. It was just here a moment ago.”
Longming could bear it no longer. She simply scooped the fox up horizontally, her arm sliding under those kicking legs, letting the fox lean against her chest.
Zhuoxue went still. Her side was given a pat—not too light, not too heavy. Her lips pressed together, and a faint gasp was swallowed down her throat.
The fox buried her head. Her eyes were like crabapple blossoms after rain, lightly brushed with rouge.
Back in the bedchamber, Longming didn’t bother laying out a floor cushion. She simply placed Zhuoxue on the bed, then turned and flicked her fingers to cast a spell, sweeping away every trace of the wine’s scent.
The wine scent had barely dissipated when a muffled voice came from behind her.
“So you weren’t lying to me after all.”
Zhuoxue hadn’t fully transformed into beast form. She lay on her back with knees bent, that soft fox tail—like first snow—folded forward between her legs, cradled in her arms.
“I found my tail!”
Footnotes
- A Chinese idiom meaning 'to plagiarize' or 'repeat others' words as one's own,' literally 'picking up others' teeth-wisdom.'
- A play on the Chinese saying 'a prime minister's belly can hold a boat,' meaning to be magnanimous; here adapted with 'fox' instead of 'prime minister.'
- A Chinese idiom meaning 'miser,' from the saying 'you can't pull a single feather from an iron rooster.'
- A Chinese idiom meaning 'someone who appears friendly but is dangerous,' literally 'smiling tiger'—doubly apt here as Longming is a tiger demon.
- From the classical saying 'when a tiger roars, winds arise' (虎啸风生), originating from the I Ching, meaning that powerful beings naturally command influence.
- A Chinese idiom meaning 'empty promises,' from 'drawing a flatbread to satisfy hunger' (画饼充饥), referring to plans that look appealing but lack substance.
- A variation of the Chinese idiom 'a sheep walking into a tiger's mouth' (羊入虎口), meaning to walk into certain danger—here adapted with 'fox' instead of 'sheep,' doubly apt as Zhuoxue is a fox and Longming a tiger.
- A Chinese kinship term meaning 'older sister,' used affectionately for an older female acquaintance.
- A Chinese proverb meaning 'forced things don't turn out well,' literally 'a forcibly picked melon isn't sweet.'
- A Chinese expression meaning 'a pointless endeavor,' comparing an impossible task to trying to skim cream from a pot of plain water.
- A Chinese expression meaning 'to have extraordinary audacity,' literally 'to have eaten a wolf's heart and a leopard's gall.'
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