The Great King Ordered Me to Marry – Chapter 53
by Little PandaSpeaking of Seeking Demon Traces Outside Jueming Ridge
Well, “not allowed” indeed.
The tiger was baring her fangs, and Kunyu didn’t dare make another sound. For a moment she suspected these two—a tiger and a fox—had come purely to toy with her, so she simply refused to show herself at all.
Grim winds swept through the ridge. The ghostly hosts had lined the path to welcome them for quite a while, unsure whether they’d welcomed the wrong guests—their Demon Lord kept answering but never showed her face.
Longming stood with arms folded among the dead trees, gazing coolly into the depths. She didn’t look like a guest calling on a neighbor—more like someone who’d come to make trouble. Her lips parted, and she spat out just two words.
“Come out.”
The depths of Jueming Ridge remained dead silent.
Kunyu ground her teeth, stubbornly locked in a standoff with these two demons. She simply wouldn’t come out—what could they do about it?
Zhuoxue glanced at Longming, then folded her arms too, entirely riding on Longming’s imposing aura and putting on airs.
Things were different now. She was no longer the fox who came at every beck and call, pouring tea and wine for great demons with utmost deference, and playing Leaf Cards with them.
From the corner of her eye, Longming caught the fox mirroring her posture so precisely that she gave a soft scoff. Then she called to Kunyu again: “It isn’t winter yet. Why are you still lying dormant? Besides, you’re no turtle, snake, or toad.”
“Seeing you two is annoying enough.”
A voice drifted faintly from deep within the ridge.
“I know you’re annoyed, but please be annoyed later,” Zhuoxue urged her languidly.
Kunyu had a fiery temper, and when dealing with this sort of demon, the worst thing was to be blunt and harsh.
This was even more perfunctory than when she brushed off Longming—empty words that seemed to say something but actually said nothing at all.
The fox was being equally stubborn, stopping just short of claiming the mountain for herself.
The ghosts exchanged glances, sensing a faint whiff of wolf smoke1 beneath the surface calm.
What Demon Lords quarreled over was their own business, and disaster didn’t trickle down to subordinates. The ghosts promptly dove underground, pretending to be blind and deaf.
“We’re not here to toy with you,” Longming said flatly. “There’s important business.”
Zhuoxue, having nothing better to do, chimed in from the side: “Far more important than toying with you. Don’t be angry, don’t be angry—fall sick from rage and no demon will take your place.”
Longming laughed again.
The listener couldn’t be angry, and couldn’t not be angry either. She figured she might as well turn into a toad and hibernate.
Born under the toad sign—puffed up at the slightest poke.
A moment later, from among the grave mounds that covered the land, a figure emerged alone, crunching over shattered bones and fallen leaves with a sound like a wild beast chewing its prey.
Kunyu still wore that skull-masked face—just as the hedgehog demon had said, she didn’t look easy to deal with at first glance. No wonder the Nightmare King could frame her without the slightest effort.
Her expression dark, she approached with heavy steps, first glaring at Longming, then at Zhuoxue. She sneered: “Rare guests. One throws her weight around, the other is a fox relying on a tiger’s might2.”
Zhuoxue poked Longming’s lower back. “You tell her off!”
Longming’s lower back tingled faintly. She snorted: “Who’s relying on whom isn’t so certain.”
She wasn’t wrong. Without Zhuoxue, she still wouldn’t have known about that battle a century ago, or so many of its hidden details.
Kunyu’s eyes went wide. “You played Leaf Cards with the fox and lost to her?”
Zhuoxue nodded earnestly, putting on a look of tender affection as she ducked behind Longming. “I’m a cut above Longming in skill. I deliberately lost to you back then out of the goodness of my heart.”
Kunyu grew even more furious—this time it was gunpowder dropped into a pile of firewood.
Longming scoffed: “You’re like Liangmeng—calling me a rare guest the moment you see me.”
That was undoubtedly adding oil to the fire. Kunyu couldn’t stand hearing that name. She said indignantly: “What exactly is this important business? Why bring her up out of nowhere?”
Longming had no time to circle around with Kunyu. She cut straight to the point: “I just came from the Huangliang Dream Market, and learned something unfortunate.”
“Unfortunate?” Kunyu’s face was full of annoyance, but unfortunately she was in Longming’s presence, so no matter how angry she got, she could only swallow it. “You saw her, so you came to mock me?”
“We did see her, and came to see you out of necessity,” Zhuoxue said quietly.
“Necessity?” Kunyu was amused. “The Market Master couldn’t handle something herself, so you have to come beg me.”
But to her surprise, her amusement lasted only an instant before her expression froze.
“She’s been afflicted with the Heart-Piercing Gu, seemingly planted by the Nightmare King,” Longming said slowly.
The more incompatible the two demons were on ordinary days, the worse Kunyu’s face looked at this moment.
A thread of fury rose in Kunyu’s dark eyes. She demanded: “Why would the Nightmare King plant a Heart-Piercing Gu in her? Does he want to seize the Pillow of Red Dust?”
As a former bedfellow, Kunyu naturally knew Liangmeng’s background.
“The Nightmare King guessed I’d go to the Huangliang Dream Market, so he laid a trap to plant the gu. He wanted to take something from me.” Longming didn’t reveal the full picture.
Kunyu couldn’t care less what else Longming was hiding. She started rushing out, looking ready to fight the Nightmare King head-on.
But her steps faltered. She said in confusion: “Even if you placed the Nightmare King’s head in front of Liangmeng, she wouldn’t give him a second glance. When did she meet the Nightmare King?”
“Unfortunately, right outside your Jueming Ridge.” Longming drew out her words.
This was an even greater jolt3.
Kunyu turned back in disbelief. “When was she here?”
“According to the attendants at the pavilion, she came alone the day before yesterday,” Longming said.
Zhuoxue added eerily: “She hadn’t even seen you yet when the Nightmare King intercepted her on the way.”
For a moment Kunyu looked soul-stricken. Then her gaze hardened, fire burning in her chest, the flames spreading to the corners of her eyes and brows.
She raged: “How dare he run wild outside my Jueming Ridge! Does the Nightmare King have any regard for the Demon Lords of the mountain realms?”
“I came here to ask you to rescue Liangmeng, but it’s best not to clash head-on with the Nightmare King.” Seeing that Zhuoxue was tired of standing, Longming turned her palm over and made the dead vines beside her rise and weave into a seat.
Zhuoxue looked at the vine-woven chair and sat down carefully, afraid the dead vines couldn’t bear her weight.
Kunyu frowned. “And you? Where are you going?”
“Zhuoxue and I need to make a trip to Buzhou Mountain,” Longming replied.
Kunyu wanted to ask what the two demons were going to Buzhou Mountain for, but in the end she didn’t. Seeing Longming’s attitude, perhaps she really did need to rely on the fox for something.
But for what?
The Demon Realm was like a boundless deep sea, its dark currents churning endlessly. The Nightmare King saw Longming as a reef beneath the surface, determined to scour her away.
Yet in the past century, the Nightmare King had never revealed a trace of killing intent. This time he was baring his fangs and claws, clearly ready to cast aside even the semblance of peace.
The situation had shifted. Could this fox really save Longming from fire and water?
Kunyu pressed her lips together. Once the Demon Realm fell into turmoil, how could she remain unscathed?
Her heart, still for a century, now boiled like water. She looked at Longming and said: “But how can you be certain the Heart-Piercing Gu was planted by the Nightmare King?”
“It’s my deduction,” Longming said calmly. “Within the Nightmare Tribe today, surely only the Nightmare King knows of the Pillow of Red Dust. Only he could slip into the Huangliang Dream Market without a trace—otherwise, how could he ensure the child gu’s safety?”
“Does the Nightmare King have any traces left from two days ago?” Zhuoxue stood up. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but scorched earth and grave mounds. Even if the Nightmare King had left footprints, they’d be hard to distinguish.
As the Demon Lord of this mountain realm, Kunyu knew the land like the back of her hand. She quickly turned her palm over, carefully discerning any residual aura left in this place. But the realm was vast—she couldn’t sort it all out in an instant.
From among the grave mounds, countless ghostly silhouettes suddenly emerged. Well-trained, they bowed to Kunyu in unison, wholly at her command.
The ghosts said: “We are at your service, Lord.”
Kunyu issued her orders: “Search every inch of land within a hundred li outside Jueming Ridge. If you find any trace of a living person or Liangmeng’s aura, report back immediately—even if it’s only a fragment.”
This mountain realm was grim and terrifying. Only those born and raised here dared to tread freely. Outsiders—not even to mention mortals, but even demons—wouldn’t dare to trespass.
Ten thousand ghosts mobilized. Their black silhouettes scattered in all directions, and as they launched into the air, they wove into a vast dark cloud that nearly blotted out the entire sky above Jueming Ridge.
Zhuoxue had never seen such a spectacle. She couldn’t help but look up, her gaze chasing the leaping figures all the way to the horizon.
Such obedient ghosts—truly not frightening at all. Moreover, they all appeared in mortal form, not casually screwing their heads off their necks to kick around like cuju4 balls.
Kunyu’s heart was still unsettled, her brow still furrowed. Feigning composure, she said: “We’ll likely have to wait a while. Would you like to come in and sit?”
Longming looked at Zhuoxue.
What are you looking at me for? The fox’s golden eyes gleamed—could I still push her around?
Zhuoxue thought to herself that since they were already here, it’d be a shame not to sit a while. She said: “Liangmeng received us with tea. May I ask what the Demon Lord has to offer here?”
Kunyu’s eyes still held traces of anger, but it was directed solely at the Nightmare King. She gave an uncomfortable little huff and replied: “It’s just tea. What doesn’t my Jueming Ridge have? Even if you wanted Annual Tribute Wine, I’ve got that too.”
“Your Annual Tribute Wine was hauled here from Lingkong Mountain,” Longming said offhandedly.
Kunyu bristled: “Since it’s been moved to Jueming Ridge, it’s mine. I love using Annual Tribute Wine to entertain guests.”
Zhuoxue was about to ask for a vat of Annual Tribute Wine, but before the words left her mouth, she remembered the sorry spectacle of herself crawling around searching for her tail not long ago.
Though she no longer needed to search for her tail, she still couldn’t drink.
Her fox ears and tail were intact now, but her fox body wasn’t. Crawling around looking for a fox body would be even more bizarre than ghosts kicking their heads around like cuju balls.
Can’t drink, can’t drink.
Getting drunk at Lingkong Mountain was one thing, but this was Jueming Ridge. She couldn’t lose face in someone else’s territory.
“I’ll go fetch the Annual Tribute Wine,” Kunyu decided on her own.
Zhuoxue hastily stopped her, feigning indifference: “Drinking causes trouble. Tea would be better.”
“We’ll have tea instead of wine. If you want to drink, drink by yourself,” Longming scoffed.
Kunyu muttered: “Tea, then. But I only have one kind of tea.”
“A gift from Liangmeng?” Longming blurted out without mercy.
Kunyu squirmed all over and walked into the cave, saying: “Why ask so many questions? Annoying!”
The cave naturally couldn’t compare to Lingkong Mountain’s bedchamber, nor could it match the Huangliang Dream Market. Objects were strewn haphazardly across the floor, and only the tea table appeared spotless.
The tea table was utterly out of place in the cave—one glance told you it was a gift from someone else.
Never mind a bed—there wasn’t even a cushion to sit on. No wonder Liangmeng had urged Kunyu to come live with her; she simply couldn’t stand Kunyu’s mountain hovel.
“Live with her” was hardly the word—it was plainly to enjoy a life of comfort. Yet Kunyu insisted on living in this austerity.
Zhuoxue sat on the ground, pulling her fox tail to her front to keep it from gathering dust and grime.
Kunyu’s tea-brewing technique was actually quite presentable. Her movements were nearly identical to Lan Hui’s—clearly she’d learned with great care.
Hot tea poured into the cups, Kunyu pushed them before the two demons and said, on pins and needles: “Just brewed casually. Try it, if you like.”
Longming took a sip and said calmly: “You’ve learned Liangmeng’s true craft.”
Even hearing such words, Kunyu didn’t get angry this time.
Zhuoxue marveled inwardly. Sure enough, those who’d harbored secret feelings for each other were different—even grudges could dissolve away.
The wandering souls in Jueming Ridge were already countless. Now that the ghosts had swarmed out, what worry was there about not finding traces left by the Nightmare King or Liangmeng?
The Nightmare King might conceal his aura, but Liangmeng might not.
Zhuoxue had barely swallowed half a mouthful of hot tea, just moistening her throat, when she saw ghostly figures rushing toward them from outside. It startled her so much she nearly sloshed the tea over the rim.
Her fox ears twitched suddenly—all because ghosts’ feet didn’t touch the ground, so they walked without a sound.
The ghosts blocked the cave entrance so thoroughly that if not for the lamp burning inside, it would have been pitch dark.
The ghost squeezed to the front and bowed: “We found no Nightmare Demon aura, but we did detect the residual aura of the master of the Huangliang Dream Market.”
“Lead the way.” Kunyu rose abruptly.
Zhuoxue swallowed the remaining half-mouthful of tea. Once outside the cave, she grabbed Longming’s sleeve. She wanted to go see for herself, but seeing Kunyu’s frantic pace, she might not keep up on foot.
Half a “no” had already risen to Longming’s tongue, but when she saw the fox’s bright, eager eyes, it was silently chewed into a different sound.
Those eyes were like floating light, leaping gold5, and they reflected into her heart.
“Get on.” The silver-haired great demon transformed into her white tiger form, a pair of wings spreading from her back with a whoosh, as powerful as her body itself.
Kunyu was still walking ahead when the sudden surge of demonic pressure stopped her in her tracks. If she hadn’t raised her hand in time, the skull on her face would surely have been blown off.
Zhuoxue mounted the tiger’s back with practiced ease, and in Kunyu’s eyes, she looked insufferably smug.
Kunyu took great effort to steady herself, still two parts dazed. She said nervously: “No need for such grand gestures. I’ll politely decline the ride.”
“I didn’t invite you on,” the white tiger spoke in human tongue.
Zhuoxue, having gotten her wish to ride the white tiger, wagged her fox tail triumphantly. Unable to contain her feelings, she gave the tiger’s large head two light pats.
“You…” the white tiger began, then hesitated.
Zhuoxue made up a string of excuses: “I didn’t sit steady. Bumped into your head, that’s all.”
Longming didn’t believe a word of it—she clearly couldn’t keep her hands to herself.
The little ghost leading the way was fortunate enough to behold the tiger demon’s true form. Had he not glanced at his own Demon Lord first, he would have been unable to resist dropping to the ground in submission.
“Great King, this way please!” The little ghost darted ahead, swift as lightning and shooting stars.
Just three li outside Jueming Ridge, a scorched crater had appeared without explanation in the black earth. Dead trees lay toppled all around, and cracks covered the rocks like shattered glass—clearly the work of magic.
The white tiger landed and in an instant became a slender woman. The fox behind her, still wagging her tail, nearly fell backward.
Kunyu stepped into the crater with a racing heart and bent down to pick something up.
Between her fingers was what looked like half a centipede corpse, covered in red markings—it was none other than the Heart-Piercing Gu.
“Heart-Piercing Gu.” Zhuoxue recognized it. Ignoring the filth, she dug out an auspicious bird flower hairpin that looked like something Liangmeng had dropped.
She handed the hairpin to Kunyu and offered kindly: “When we saw her at the Huangliang Dream Market, she had all her limbs intact. She didn’t look injured.”
What kind of consolation was that? Kunyu’s face remained clouded with worry, showing no improvement.
Kunyu examined the hairpin in her hand, her expression exceedingly grave. She swiped a finger across the pin’s tip, and her fingertip came away stained with dark purple residue.
“It really is the Nightmare Tribe.” She said coldly.
Nightmare Demon blood was unlike any other—once dried, it seemed to carry deadly poison, the color of thick purple paste.
Longming walked over, glanced at it, and said evenly: “Liangmeng is in your hands. You absolutely must not act recklessly, and don’t invade Wugou Stream. If you can find an opportunity to coordinate with Liangmeng from within and without, that would be ideal.”
“Liangmeng was dragged into this—she must know something.” Kunyu gripped the hairpin tightly. “And I—I should know a thing or two as well, shouldn’t I?”
Longming looked at Kunyu for a long time before saying: “The Nightmare Tribe is colluding with Emperor Tianji to throw the three realms into turmoil.”
Kunyu was shaken. “How do we break this deadlock?”
“The deadlock breaks with me.” Zhuoxue smiled radiantly.
Footnotes
- 狼烟 | langyan | Literally 'wolf smoke' — signal fires burned on the Great Wall using dried wolf dung to warn of border incursions; here metaphorically signals brewing conflict between demon lords.
- 狐仗虎势 | hu zhang hu shi | Comedic twist on the classical idiom 狐假虎威, 'a fox borrowing a tiger's terror,' from a fable where a fox tricks other animals into fearing it by walking ahead of a captured tiger; Kunyu mocks Zhuoxue for posturing behind Longming's power.
- 当头棒喝 | dangtou banghe | Zen Buddhist practice where masters struck disciples with a stick or shouted to trigger sudden enlightenment; figuratively, a sharp jolt that awakens one to reality.
- 蹴鞠 | cuju | Ancient Chinese ball game played since the Han dynasty, resembling football; players kicked a stuffed leather ball through a goal without using hands. Here used metaphorically for ghosts kicking a severed head.
- 浮光跃金 | fuguang yuejin | A celebrated phrase from Fan Zhongyan's 'Memorial to Yueyang Tower' (1046), describing sunlight dancing on rippling water like leaping gold; here evokes Zhuoxue's bright, luminous eyes.
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