The Great King Ordered Me to Marry – Chapter 44
by Little PandaSpeaking of the Fox and Tiger Joining Forces to Shatter the Nightmare Dream.
She actually still remembered the gourd ladle.
But come to think of it, Longming remembered events from a hundred years ago with such clarity—recalling a gourd ladle from two days ago was hardly difficult.
Zhuoxue fell silent. She only dared to wield that gourd ladle and move earth on Tai Sui’s head1 because they were currently inside the Nightmare Dream.
And to sneakily touch a tiger’s buttocks2, no less.
“Two times,” Longming said.
She even remembered the count. Zhuoxue shook her wrist and said with a shameless grin, “I hit you twice, you tied me up—doesn’t that settle the score?”
Longming led her to the front of the crowd and said evenly, “It doesn’t. We still have to enter the mountain.”
Beside them, someone was sobbing uncontrollably. Another was cursing vehemently, lambasting the entire village up and down.
Zhuoxue couldn’t see anything. She only sensed someone splashing through puddles as they jogged closer, their footsteps slapping wetly, stopping right beside her.
Someone said, “Lord, we found Suli.”
Though she knew everyone in this Nightmare Dream was fabricated except Longming, Zhuoxue still couldn’t help cursing inwardly: Idiot!
This Suli must have come looking for her here when she didn’t show up—wasn’t that just courting death?
Longming asked, “Where did you see her?”
“At the village west gate. I was guarding the entrance when I spotted a figure skulking about in the distance. Went to grab her, and it turned out to be her.” The speaker was panting. “But didn’t catch her—she got away.”
“Since she got away, why report it?” Longming shot him a cold glare.
“Th-then, Lord, should we still try to capture her?”
Before Longming could respond, Zhuoxue cut in, “Capture her for what? If you miss the appointed hour, what will you pay in compensation? You might as well take her place.”
“You!” The man glared, eyes wide. “You certainly aren’t afraid!”
Zhuoxue raised her wrist, the red satin tether rising with it, and said languidly, “What is your arsenic is my honey3—I savor every drop.”
Longming glanced at her, blew a sharp note on the bone whistle, and signaled everyone to get moving. “Let her go. No need to bother. The auspicious hour has arrived—it is time to enter the mountain.”
Zhuoxue breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
Copper gongs clanged the whole way, and suona4 wailed the whole way, sounding jubilant and festive. Unfortunately, only half the people wore expressions of joy.
The remaining nearly half were going as tribute offerings—how could they smile?
Chickens, ducks, cattle, and sheep destined for slaughter got to ride in carriages into the mountain. Living humans still had to trudge through wet mud, rain beating down on their heads.
Perhaps the tribute offerings weren’t allowed to cry or make noise, lest they disturb the Fox Immortal’s peace. When it was time to enter the mountain, they had to stuff something into the tribute offerings’ mouths to gag them.
Zhuoxue was walking along when the person ahead suddenly stopped and turned back. “Open your mouth.”
She didn’t understand why. She thought to herself—hadn’t they already eaten the decapitation meal5 back at the village? Why did they need to eat again now? Was this a midnight snack?
She opened her mouth, only to find that what went in wasn’t food but a cloth rag. The cloth had been wadded into a ball, seemingly stuffed with cooked rice, giving off a faint rice fragrance.
Zhuoxue struggled to open her mouth wider, but her tongue couldn’t push the wad out, so she gave up. Then the red satin tied to her wrist was yanked taut again. The person ahead took one step, and she was dragged to follow.
Bird calls occasionally echoed through the mountain. The rain couldn’t drown out the murmur of the stream. When crossing the single-log bridge, a wave of cold air washed over them.
The log bridge creaked and groaned. Zhuoxue, terrified of falling into the stream, reached forward along the red satin, almost managing to grab Longming’s hand.
Longming released the loop of red satin around her wrist and said dismissively, “The log is wide enough. As long as you walk straight, you won’t fall into the water.”
Zhuoxue couldn’t speak. The rumbling of wheels had faded from her ears—the carriage must have taken a different route.
The villagers crept along behind them. Someone whispered, “Lord, what if spirits and monsters suddenly appear in this deep mountain?”
“Unknown,” Longming said.
Hearing this, the villagers struck their copper gongs more softly than before. The suona players trembled with fear, sounding as though they’d sprung air leaks, their tunes falling apart into discordant noise.
Zhuoxue hadn’t been afraid at first. But after being blindfolded and marched all this way, unease crept into her heart.
Were they really going to enter the mountain like this without being wiped out by the Nightmare Demon in one fell swoop?
Another villager spoke with a trembling voice. “Lord, do we have to deliver the tribute offerings into the Fox Den this time too? My legs are weak—I can barely walk.”
Another whispered, “I can’t walk anymore either.”
Longming’s voice turned cold. “If none of you go in, then who will lead the ropes? Who will drive the carriages?”
No one answered.
“You don’t even care about the rise and fall of Qiufeng anymore?” Longming was colder than the freezing rain beating down on them. “So cowardly—what use does Qiufeng have for you? You might as well swap places with those who were named.”
Everyone sobbed and sniffled. Someone wailed, “Lord, I’m the only one left in my family—this won’t do!”
After a long pause, Longming said in a flat tone, “The tribute offerings can be placed outside the Fox Den. Set them down and you may leave. I will enter alone to present them to the Fox Immortal.”
The villagers exchanged glances. They could barely contain their relief and said in a rush, “Many thanks, Lord! Please take care of yourself!”
Longming cast a glance at the carriage. The swaddle was on the carriage at this moment. She said unhurriedly, “I frequently cast divinations to consult the Fox Immortal. He surely won’t make things difficult for me. There is no need for concern.”
Counting the whole village, only the village chief’s daughter had any connection with the Fox Immortal. The villagers weren’t worried about that—they were only worried about their own lives.
The road into the mountain was long. As far as the eye could see, there wasn’t even a path. Grass cut last year had grown back to waist height.
Someone hacked through the grass ahead to clear a path. Once they confirmed the way was passable, they called out, “The carriage can get through!”
The mountain path was far from even. As the carriage wheels rolled, everything on board jangled and clattered. A living creature might be jolted to death on the spot.
Longming stopped and said, “Give me the swaddle. I will carry it in my arms.”
The villager driving the carriage hastily lifted out the swaddle, feeling nothing amiss about whatever was wrapped inside the thin blanket.
Longming took it, cradling it in one arm, and continued leading Zhuoxue forward, saying with perfect composure, “We are nearly there. Do not rush.”
From a distance, they could make out a cave sealed off by vines. Snakes coiled before the entrance, their green, glossy bodies looking nearly identical to the vines.
The villagers clearing the path ahead saw a green snake flick its tongue and hurriedly said, “Lord, there are snakes—so many snakes! The Fox Den is right ahead. Do we still need to go forward?”
“You truly grow more useless by the year. You don’t even dare approach the Fox Den.” Longming sneered coldly.
The crowd was too busy being terrified to notice anything different about the village chief’s daughter compared to usual.
“Set the offerings down. Tie the tribute offerings to the trees, and you may go,” Longming added.
The words had barely left her mouth when the villagers holding the ropes scrambled to tie the red satin to nearby trees. Once secured, they immediately turned around, not even caring about the lanterns.
They ran fast enough. The bound tribute offerings could only pace in place, crying and struggling endlessly, but unable to make a sound through their gags.
The carriage driver leaped down. The basket-carriers hastily abandoned their baskets. The whole crowd of villagers turned and fled, one of them taking a wrong turn and tumbling into a ditch.
Hearing that splash, Zhuoxue leaned back slightly, as if she had felt the pain herself.
The villagers seemed to have all turned into rabbit spirits. Their scattered footsteps gradually faded into the distance. Aside from those who were tied up, she seemed to be the only one left beside Longming.
Zhuoxue’s heart pounded with dread. But with her mouth firmly gagged, even if she wanted to ask something, she couldn’t utter a word.
It grew colder and more sinister ahead. Perhaps they were drawing closer to the Fox Den. She could even hear the snakes hissing, tongues flicking.
Longming pushed aside the vines. Unexpectedly, a venomous snake lunged at her. She raised her arm and swatted the flying snake aside, stepping into the cave without a word.
Inside the cave, it was even colder and damper. Wind blew from an unknown source. As it swept past her ears, it sounded like ghosts howling right against them.
Zhuoxue’s vision was blood-red through the blindfold. She shook her head violently twice but couldn’t dislodge the red silk covering her eyes.
“Mmm mmm mmm.”
Let me go.
Longming kept walking forward.
“Mmm mmm mmm mmm.”
I can’t see!
Who knew what this Fox Immortal really was—most likely a manifestation of the Nightmare Demon, waiting for them to dig their own graves.
Run or not run?
Zhuoxue was hesitating when she suddenly heard Longming speak.
Longming said, “This year’s tribute offerings have been delivered. I invite the Fox Immortal to graciously accept them.”
A cold wind drifted closer. It seemed formless. As it faintly enveloped Zhuoxue’s face, there was barely any physical sensation.
Zhuoxue found it strange. This Fox Immortal had no fox musk, didn’t seem to shed fur either, and made no sound when approaching.
Fortunately, Longming hadn’t kept the red satin too taut. When Longming turned, Zhuoxue yanked the red satin free and stumbled forward toward the faint light, crashing headlong into the vines.
The vines were like a spider’s web, dense and tight across the cave entrance, not easily pushed aside.
This was completely different from when they had entered. Back then, the vines had been nowhere near this sturdy, nor this tightly woven.
An overwhelming chill surged from behind. Terror erupted instantaneously. Every hair on her body stood on end. She was pinned in place in an instant, unable to flee even if she wanted to.
This was demonic pressure!
Then, a flash of cold light struck. The vines shattered into flying debris with a crack.
Zhuoxue heard the sound but remained completely unharmed. She knew Longming had helped her. Without hesitation, she dashed out of the cave, finally tearing off the red satin from her wrists and pulling off the blindfold along with it.
The lanterns abandoned by the villagers still lay where they’d been dropped. The people offered as sacrifices were sobbing, gasping for breath.
Inside the cave, thunderous roars echoed without cease. Cold flashes and dark shadows darted back and forth like shuttles. These were unmistakably traces of demonic arts!
Zhuoxue hastily pulled the gag from her mouth. Belatedly, she wondered—how had Longming shattered those vines for her just now?
Wasn’t demonic power unusable inside the Nightmare Dream? How was Longming now fighting that “Fox Immortal” inside?
Zhuoxue was about to call out to Longming when she saw rubble cascading from the cave entrance. The entire mountain shook without end. Then, a silver light flashed out of the cave, carrying an object out with it.
The object landed at her feet—it was the silk pouch wrapped inside the swaddle.
Zhuoxue bent down and picked it up. Terrified that the Nightmare Demon might rush out to snatch it, she quickly ran to a distance, hiding herself completely behind a tree.
Unexpectedly, the Nightmare Demon didn’t pursue.
Inside the cave, violet lightning surged toward the entrance, but extinguished silently within a single breath.
Black winds billowed, clouds surged like tides. No matter how much demonic power was contained within, none of it could burst out of the cave by even a hair’s breadth.
Zhuoxue watched, heart pounding with terror. Her thoughts crystallized in this instant. Could this cave be the boundary of the Nightmare Dream? And only inside the cave could demonic power be used?
It had to be. Otherwise, how could Longming contend with the Nightmare Demon?
It seemed that even the weaver of the nightmare himself was constrained by the Nightmare Dream.
Therefore, the Nightmare Demon hadn’t pursued them—not because he couldn’t, but because he didn’t dare.
Zhuoxue steadied her mind and couldn’t help but feel fortunate. This mating heat had come at just the right time. If she and Longming had both been submerged in the illusion, the silk pouch would already be in the Nightmare Demon’s hands by now.
And she would already have lost her life.
But how were she and Longming supposed to break free of this situation? Did they have to capture the Nightmare Demon to get out of here?
Zhuoxue didn’t dare act rashly. The silk pouch was in her hands. Naturally, the farther she was from the cave, the better.
Inside the cave, thunder raged and lightning fumed. Suddenly, a tiger’s roar thundered forth.
The mountain crumbled. The ground split open. Giant trees and tangled thickets all plunged into the crevices.
The spiritual power sustaining the Nightmare Dream collapsed instantly. Spiritual energy swirled chaotically across the sky, circling like a flock of birds.
The circling lasted less than half a moment before the bird-like spiritual energy shrieked as it funneled back into the cave, returning to where it had come from.
Zhuoxue stood stunned and called out, “Longming, Longming—”
Longming did not appear.
Zhuoxue walked anxiously toward the cave. Suddenly, she heard the sound of shattering glass. Then the world spun around her. In an instant, she felt as light as a firefly, as if falling from the heavens back to the mortal realm.
The moment she steadied herself, the deep mountain forest was gone. She was clearly back in the Yunjing inn. Only the night remained the same.
Zhuoxue was about to set down the shadow puppet6 in her hand, only to realize the silk pouch was also in her palm. She looked back at Longming in alarm and said, “Were we in the Nightmare Dream just now?”
Longming’s gaze was cold. She seemed to be gripping something in her hand, but with her five fingers still clenched, Zhuoxue couldn’t see what it was.
“When entering stillness for meditation, if the mind wanders even slightly, the Nightmare Demon can easily exploit the opening,” Longming said.
“Why did your mind wander?” Zhuoxue asked, surprised.
Longming stared at her without blinking and did not answer.
Zhuoxue understood. Her antics had disrupted Longming’s concentration.
Longming’s eyes were deep and dark. “And what about you? Why weren’t you ensnared?”
Zhuoxue’s mating heat still hadn’t subsided. Now it was her turn to fall silent for a moment. After a while, she muttered in a small voice, “Maybe he didn’t think I was worth bothering with and focused entirely on ensnaring you.”
Longming gave a faint scoff. She rose and surveyed their surroundings. After a long while, the frost in her eyes finally receded. She said, “I underestimated the Nightmare King. He actually dared to use demonic arts in Yunjing. After nearly a hundred years apart, his nightmare techniques have grown more refined—the flaws are harder to find.”
Zhuoxue quickly stored the shadow puppet back in its box, still somewhat shaken. “Where did the Nightmare King go? Why didn’t you capture him just now?”
Longming gave a cold laugh. “His body is in Wugou Stream. He didn’t come to Yunjing in person. But for one whose nightmare techniques are this sophisticated, even separated by thousands of li, he can still cast them freely.”
“No wonder he could only trick us instead of coming forward to seize things directly,” Zhuoxue said.
“His little disruption means we should leave too.” Longming rose.
“Is the Huangliang Dream Market gate open?” Zhuoxue’s heart leaped.
“The hour has passed. We can only wait until tomorrow.” Longming looked down at her hand, her five fingers clenching tightly. “The Nightmare King’s use of demonic power will inevitably attract celestials. If we don’t leave now, you and I will have to take the blame for him.”
Zhuoxue had already packed up. She pushed open the window and asked, “Which way?”
Naturally, through the inn’s front door.
The innkeeper, roused from sleep in the middle of the night, had been about to grumble a few words. But the guest was generous—a silver ingot clanged onto the counter, snapping him fully awake.
“Take care, honored guests, take care.” The innkeeper bowed with a smile.
Once outside Yunjing, Longming transformed into a white tiger, carrying the fox on her back, and in one dash covered three li.
There was no sign of human habitation around them, and naturally no lavish inn either. The two demons could only camp in the wilderness.
Zhuoxue slid down from the tiger’s back, her palms slick with sweat. She watched Longming shift back to human form and quickly offered the silk pouch. “You take it. Keeping this on me doesn’t seem very safe.”
Longming secured the silk pouch, then took Zhuoxue’s wrist instead and turned her palm upward.
Zhuoxue was puzzled. “What are you giving me?”
“The spiritual power the Nightmare King failed to withdraw in time—I intercepted it halfway,” Longming said frankly.
The Nightmare King was the current master of Wugou Stream. His spiritual power was so overbearing that no ordinary demon could withstand it.
It was like thin paper holding water—before it could be filled to brimming, the paper would tear apart.
Zhuoxue suddenly clenched her fingers. Right now she was in the throes of mating heat. Even if she could absorb this vast spiritual power, she might not be able to calm her mind enough to break through her cultivation boundary.
“Perhaps this one measure is all that’s needed, and the restriction can be broken.” Longming stared straight at her.
Footnotes
- 太岁头上动土 | tai sui tou shang dong tu | A Chinese idiom meaning to provoke someone powerful or dangerous; Tai Sui is the deity governing the year, and disturbing the ground above him invites calamity.
- 老虎屁股 | laohu pigu | A playful allusion to the idiom 'a tiger's buttocks cannot be touched,' meaning someone too powerful to provoke; here doubling as literal comedy since Longming is a tiger demon.
- 汝之砒霜，我之蜜糖 | ru zhi pishuang, wo zhi mitang | A classical Chinese literary expression meaning 'what is your arsenic is my honey'—one person's poison is another's delight; a variation of the proverb '甲之蜜糖，乙之砒霜'.
- 唢呐 | suona | A traditional Chinese double-reed wind instrument with a distinctive piercing, celebratory tone, commonly used in processions, weddings, and funerals.
- 断头饭 | duantou fan | A final meal served to condemned prisoners before execution in traditional Chinese practice, symbolizing the last sustenance before death.
- 皮影人 | piyingren | An articulated leather shadow puppet used in traditional Chinese shadow play, manipulated behind a lit screen to tell stories.
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