Ordered to Marry by the High King - Chapter 15

Even Longming couldn’t decipher the scrawled sigil—let alone Zhuoxue, who was a completely illiterate fox. How could she possibly understand it? She had no idea what kind of seal it was or where it came from—but there was no harm in removing it first. It was such a strange thing; only a great demon like Longming might have the power to undo it.

Once the seal was broken, it would be time for her to leave. She would have to vanish without a trace; otherwise, who knew what kind of trouble she’d be caught up in.

Zhuoxue pondered, Maybe…

Maybe she really was the reincarnation of some incredibly powerful demon. Perhaps even the Kunlun Yaojing had failed to destroy her, resorting instead to sealing her away. She marveled silently—how impressive she must be, to end up in such a situation!

It wasn’t like she wanted to be that impressive, though—her days of peace were about to fly away like startled birds.

Slumped on the ground, the dejected fox hung her head. Maybe because her mind was in such chaos, she lost control for a moment. Without warning, a pair of fuzzy fox ears popped up on her head, and even a tail flicked out from her lower back.

Truly weak in demon power—she couldn’t even hold her full human form. But after all that rolling and scrambling, her fur was still as white as the first snow, utterly pristine.

The fox ears and tail moved with her breath, like a half-transformed demon who hadn’t yet mastered shape-shifting. To others, she looked like someone you could easily toy with just by reaching out.

Longming let out a soft snort of laughter and looked down. “A once-in-ten-thousand-years great demon?”

Zhuoxue had just been boasting a moment ago—now she didn’t dare respond. All she could do was force a silly grin, her courage expanding and shrinking on demand.

“This seal must be broken. If you really are some great demon, you might even save the Demon Realm from disaster. How could I stand by and watch Kunlun Yaojing destroy a rare talent?” Longming teased, clearly not taking it seriously, and lazily extended her index finger.

Her fingertip landed on the fox’s nape, as light as willow fluff, gliding to the edge of her collar like a gentle tickle. It was a kind of warning—using the calmest tone and the gentlest touch, she told the fox not to act recklessly.

Zhuoxue grinned so hard her face nearly froze, trying to get Longming to lower her guard. But even with her head tilted up, she didn’t dare meet Longming’s eyes.

The black markings under the white tiger’s eyes were sharp and fierce—like unpolished blades, soaked in the cold snow of winter and stained with the deep hues of night. So deep, it left people afraid to look further.

“What could I possibly do to save the Demon Realm? The Demon Realm doesn’t need me to save it—doesn’t it already have a great demon like you?” Zhuoxue dodged her gaze.

“Is that enough? If it were, the Demon Realm wouldn’t have lost back then.” Longming suddenly smiled, though the smile didn’t reach her eyes. She added, “There’s something you surely know: since the beginning of time, immortals and demons have been enemies.”

Zhuoxue didn’t understand. Why was this tiger demon suddenly bringing that up?

“If Kunlun Yaojing had concerns, why didn’t they simply eliminate the threat? Why leave a potential disaster behind instead?” Longming’s voice was quiet and slow. “A ten-thousand-year demon should especially not be allowed to remain.”

Inside the cave, a strong wind roared through from the other end. It whipped her silver hair into the air, and her sleeves brushed lightly across the fox’s face like soft fronds.

“Do you think just one seal is enough to put the Heavenly Realm’s fears to rest? A seal can always be broken—what will they do when that happens?” Longming said coldly.

Zhuoxue hadn’t thought that far. What ten-thousand-year demon? She’d just made that up on the spot. “Maybe the Heavenly Realm didn’t have the power to destroy a great demon, so they had to resort to cheap tricks,” she lied smoothly, sweat soaking her back.

“Then why did that pig demon try to hurt you? Don’t tell me he’s working with the Heavenly Realm too?” Longming mocked. “So what you’re saying is—there are demons colluding with Kunlun Yaojing to disrupt the Three Realms?”

“Exactly!” Zhuoxue blurted out without thinking.

Luckily, Longming didn’t press further. She looked away as she said, “In that case, I definitely have to keep you. Otherwise, I might not know who’s friend or foe and hand over this once-in-a-millennium demon to the enemy.”

Only a fool wouldn’t hear the sarcasm in that.

Zhuoxue couldn’t backtrack anymore. She simply pulled a long face and admitted, “The whole ten-thousand-year demon thing—I made that up. Kunlun Yaojing didn’t want to kill me for no reason, but they also didn’t want me spreading rumors. So they had no choice but to put this seal on me.”

“Made it up? Funny—I think it actually makes sense,” Longming said, pressing her fingertip lightly on the thin fabric. She wasn’t gripping Zhuoxue’s neck at all, but somehow it still made her breath catch. After saying that, her hand shifted forward, fingertip brushing across Zhuoxue’s lips. “Kunlun Yaojing wouldn’t waste effort on something like this for nothing. If they just wanted to silence you, a simple speech-ban spell would’ve sufficed.”

If that were the case, this fox wouldn’t just be hard of hearing—she’d be mute too.

“Then maybe someone in Kunlun Yaojing slipped up and used the wrong seal,” Zhuoxue offered. She didn’t know if Kunlun Yaojing’s hands were shaky, but hers sure were now.

“Then the Heavenly Realm really is a bunch of amateurs,” Longming said with a faint smirk.

“Right? How could they compare to the demon race?” Zhuoxue let out a shaky breath and stole a quick glance at the white tiger’s crimson eyes.

So red—like she’d just eaten someone. And now, she was about to eat a fox.

“If I peeled off your entire skin, would it still shine?” Longming asked in a casual tone—though the words themselves were tinged with blood.

Zhuoxue feared the tiger demon might really cut her open then and there. She whispered a plea, “If you peel it off, it probably won’t anymore…”

“The seal is closely tied to you, so naturally, I can’t carve it out,” said Longming calmly. “Coincidentally, you want to stay on Lingkong Mountain as an attendant—I’ll allow it. But as long as this seal remains, you cannot leave.”

“I never intended to leave anyway,” replied Zhuoxue, though her words didn’t match her heart. Her lips moved slightly as she spoke, almost biting down on the tip of her index finger. She flushed red and fell silent, her cheeks looking as if rouge had been brushed on them.

Longming straightened up. Her demonic energy wrapped around the fox’s waist, making Zhuoxue stand up as well.

Startled, Zhuoxue’s fox ears drooped backward. Only then did she realize that at some point, her ears and tail had been exposed. A jolt ran through her as she hurried to cover her ears.

Longming looked at her with amused eyes and raised her hand slightly. The fox tail beside her, like a twisted snack from the mortal world, loosely curled up toward her.

Back on Qiufeng Ridge, Zhuoxue was used to clinging to Lanhui. Now, with just a little tease, her tail involuntarily curled upward, completely forgetting who was beside her. 

She had just tried to retract her tail when the tip was pinched precisely. Her whole body shuddered, and she froze with wide eyes.

She was done for. Was this white tiger still thinking about skinning her?

Zhuoxue quickly said, “High King, it’s late. Let me serve you for the night.”

“Change back to your original form,” said Longming.

Zhuoxue’s heart pounded. She remembered how earlier in the hall, the tiger had said she wouldn’t eat a fox—that’s why she was allowed to take human form. She drew a sharp breath and stammered, “If you’re hungry, I can go to the kitchen to prepare some side dishes. Domesticated foxes don’t taste as good as wild ones.”

“There are still faint traces of the seal on your body. Don’t let others see them,” Longming said with a sidelong glance.

With a whoosh, Zhuoxue transformed into her beast form. She used to be tall enough to stand on the ground; now she was just a limp fox, limbs splayed and suspended mid-air.

Still gripping her tail tip, Longming felt the weight in her hand and simply slung the fox over her shoulder.

Dangling in midair, Zhuoxue’s heart fluttered wildly. Now that she was finally grounded, she still didn’t dare to breathe too heavily. Who dared to breathe freely on Longming’s shoulder? One wrong breath and this white tiger might take her life.

After settling the fox in place, Longming turned and walked out of the cave.

The cave was long and winding. Zhuoxue grew impatient. She wanted so badly to leap off Longming’s shoulder—half worried she’d crush the demon lord’s shoulder, half worried her claws would scratch the sacred robe.

As they stepped out of the cave, the stars and moon bathed the human world in shimmering light. Were it not for the dull pain all over her body and her thundering heart, Zhuoxue would have thought the earlier events were just a nightmare.

A mountain patrol demon passed by. Seeing Longming, he halted in fear and bowed. “High King, good evening.” His eyes shifted and spotted the fox on Longming’s shoulder. Wasn’t that the white fox from earlier? What a capable young master—she had actually made it to the demon lord’s shoulder.

Zhuoxue stared straight ahead, not wanting the patrol demon to guess she’d been captured. She sat up straighter, lifting her head even higher than Longming’s. But she lost her balance—Longming’s robe was too smooth, causing the white fox to slip sideways. Her four paws flailed helplessly in mid-air.

She didn’t fall to the ground. Hanging upside down, the fox froze again—her tail tip caught once more. Like a dead fox, she stopped moving entirely. Her paws didn’t twitch, her eyes didn’t roll.

Longming nodded slightly to the patrol demon, then carried the fox back inside. Just before entering, she said lightly to someone outside, “Tell Qiurou, there’s no need to arrange a separate room for this fox.”

***

On the other end, Qiurou received the message and was baffled. Could it be that the demon lord wanted to keep the little fox by her side to lure out hidden enemies?

Then she remembered—Longming’s bedroom only had one soft couch and one quilt. If master and servant were to sleep toe-to-toe, wouldn’t that be improper? Having spent much time around the demon lord, Qiurou always felt that she lived more like a mortal—sleeping just anywhere at night wasn’t right. After thinking it over, she ordered a little demon to deliver an extra bedding. Even if the fox had to sleep on the floor, it should be a little more comfortable.

The little demon, doing this kind of task for the first time, took the bedding and knocked on the demon lord’s door. 

Inside, candlelight glowed, casting shadows—one sitting, one lying—on the paper window.

“Come in.”

Even through the door, the demon lord’s voice was tinged with a suggestive undertone.

The little demon opened the door nervously, his eyes twitching at the scene.

The fox, barefoot and kneeling on the ground, half her body entwined like lotus vines, leaned softly against the bed’s edge. Her slender fingers extended slowly from her sleeve, cautiously and boldly reaching forward…

The little demon shouted, “You can’t touch a tiger’s butt—!”