Ordered to Marry by the High King - Chapter 9

Are there truly demons this hard of hearing?

Longming assumed the fox was joking and continued holding her by the tail, not letting go. After a long pause, she finally said, “But when I looked again, I felt it wasn’t such a resemblance after all.”

Saying a demon looks like another demon—that could make sense. But to say a demon resembles a human? That would sound like a provocation to other demons. Yet the fox didn’t take it as such. After all, this tiger demon—High King Longming—wasn’t like other demons who held mortals in contempt. When she said “resemble,” she clearly meant no insult.

Still, Zhuoxue couldn’t understand it. Was her face really so common?

After a long moment of thought, she finally realized: it wasn’t “ten thousand people”—it was an old acquaintance.

She was still being dragged by the tail, her claws unable to grip the stone floor. She was pulled all the way to the base of the bone throne, her fur almost brushing against Longming’s leg. Since she couldn’t run, she simply flopped down and lay there.

At death’s door, she could only hope for a last-minute reprieve. Bracing herself, she asked, “My lord… the person I reminded you of—could they have been a member of the mortal world’s royal family?”

The words “mortal world” were not spoken lightly in the presence of the demon lord of the Cangqiong Realm. All other demons treated it as sacred taboo, avoiding the term in front of Longming for fear of provoking her wrath. Only this fox dared—knowing the mountain had a tiger, yet still walking straight toward it.

Even if they hadn’t witnessed it themselves, the demons could guess how much Longming had suffered back then. Once the rightful ruler of Wugou River, she had fought to protect the Demon Realm, even daring to challenge the heavens.

But the battle ended in defeat, and midway through, the Nightmare Clan had taken advantage of the chaos to seize the throne of Wugou River.

After that, the Nightmare Clan made a great show of searching the Demon Realm for Longming, but any sharp-eyed demon could see—they weren’t trying to restore a fallen ruler. They were trying to eliminate her for good.

With Wugou River in their hands, the Nightmare King’s power surged. And with the demon races weakened and divided, there was no unity, no strength left to resist. They could only watch helplessly as the Nightmare Clan turned everything upside down.

Perhaps this was why Longming chose to wander in the mortal world for five long years, rather than show herself in the Demon Realm.

But what kind of place is the human world?

A barren land with sparse spiritual energy. In a thousand years, only a handful of cultivators might reach enlightenment. For a demon to heal there, five years was far from enough.

Yet Longming was different. In just five short years, she had restored 70% of her demonic power.

It was astounding. Unless she had completely drained the human world’s spiritual energy, she had to possess extraordinary talent.

Clearly, Longming was the latter. Even if she was no longer the ruler of Wugou River, she still possessed strength capable of shaking mountains. No one dared speak lightly in her presence. That’s why no other demons dared to mention the mortal world, nor comment on Longming’s time there—no matter that she now bore a mortal surname and seemed unbothered by the gossip.

…

Zhuoxue didn’t think about any of that. She just figured her life was worthless anyway, so she might as well ask. What if the person she resembled was truly special—and might just make Longming go soft?

The moment the words “mortal world” left her mouth, Longming was visibly stunned.

How long had it been since she’d heard those words spoken aloud?

The mortal world…

Longming’s gaze, which had been resting on the fox, drifted in an instant—miles and centuries away.

Zhuoxue didn’t dare move a muscle. She lay flat like a piece of fox fur. Seeing Longming silent, and sensing a storm on the horizon, she quickly pleaded, “My lord, I truly mean no harm! The illusion array below the mountain wasn’t broken by me, and the hungry ghosts weren’t summoned by me either! I swear by the heavens above, my intentions are pure!” Those lines, naturally, were learned in a mortal world teahouse.

Longming’s gaze sharpened, her eyes clearing like mist dissipating. Crimson pupils glowed like fire in the night. “You’re quite bold,” she said. “Where are you from? What business do you have on Lingkong Mountain?”

Zhuoxue didn’t dare reveal Lanhui’s ambitions. Thinking fast, she answered, “From Qiufeng Ridge—I came to see the world.”

And wasn’t that the truth? Before coming to Lingkong Mountain, she never realized just how barren Qiufeng Ridge was. All the demons there together probably weren’t as strong as a single servant here.

“Qiufeng Ridge, hm? I haven’t seen that mountain lord in quite some time,” Longming said with a cold, inexplicable smile that never reached her eyes. “Now that you’re here—do you still want to see more of the world?”

The fox curled at the base of the throne hadn’t planned to move. But when she heard those words, both ears instinctively flicked back.

Did this mean she wasn’t going to be killed—or have her fingers chopped off?

So that old acquaintance really was special… Had Longming softened?

Zhuoxue couldn’t guess what Longming was thinking. But since she’d asked, she could only respond as sincerely—and as dramatically—as she could. “How could I not? Who wouldn’t want to see more of this vast and beautiful land? The blooming sights are dazzling—I’m utterly captivated, reluctant to ever leave.”

The mortal world teahouses really were something—after just a few days of listening in, Zhuoxue could already spout flowery words with ease.

“Very well. Since you wish to serve as a demon attendant of Lingkong Mountain, I’ll allow it.” Longming finally let go of the fox’s tail, casting a casual glance at the little bundle of fur at her feet.

The fox turned around slowly, knowing full well that heaven never drops pies—only traps. She asked cautiously, “My lord, do you truly mean it?”

“I do. I’m not teasing you. Today I simply don’t feel like eating fox meat,” Longming replied with a faint sneer. Her gaze remained as sharp and cold as ever—utterly intimidating.

Her posture was relaxed… almost as if—she’d grown tired of eating it.

“Th-thank you, High King!”

The fox shivered. She’d heard storytellers in mortal teahouses say that in famine-stricken regions of the human world, starving people would eat others. Of course, demons “eating” demons was even more common—but not for hunger. It was to absorb cultivation and refine demon cores. This tiger demon had spent time in the mortal world—had she perhaps picked up some of those famine-born habits from humans?

Swallowing prey alive… it sounded far more brutal than stealing a demon core. Horrifying, terrifying!

Forget it—so long as she didn’t kill her, that made her a good demon.

The fox sat up and began to wink dramatically—but worried that doing it too much might make her seem unlike that old acquaintance.

But she wasn’t even in human form right now—what kind of expression could she even make? It wasn’t like Longming could tell.

Longming, as if in thought, flicked a finger lightly at her ear and said, “Transform into your human form.”

Yes! Human form! the fox muttered to herself. That old acquaintance certainly wasn’t some furry creature. She needed to become hairless to even begin to resemble her.

The fluffy white fox transformed in a flash into a kneeling young girl. Silver bells at her ankles chimed crisply. Were it not for the purity and clarity in her eyes, her appearance might have carried a trace of allure.

Zhuoxue felt regretful—she had never seen that old acquaintance and didn’t know how to better resemble her. “I’ve transformed,” she said, gathering her courage. “Is it because I look like your old acquaintance that you’ve kept me as your attendant? When you said I resemble her, my lord—was it my features, or my expression?” If she resembled her even a little, her chances of survival would increase by ten percent. Two parts resemblance? Twenty percent.

The demon lord reclining on the bone throne suddenly leaned forward. Her silver hair brushed against the fox’s face, even her strands of hair carried a chill. She was too close. The fox’s pale irises quivered, like a lake of amber rippling from a brush of willow.

Longming’s warm breath, despite its softness, carried an oppressive force. It was scalding, as though it could seep into her bones and stir her very mind. Zhuoxue froze her breath, forced to tilt her head upward and meet the demon’s eyes.

Their first meeting had been across the great hall’s entrance. Now, only a breath apart, with just a few strands of silver hair in between, tickling her cheeks.

What was she doing? Did one need to get this close just to examine someone’s features? Was she sniffing her flesh to see if it was fresh—just like how Zhuoxue herself smelled chicken before eating it? 

Then she was doomed—she was pretty fresh. After all, she’d only been a demon for eighteen years, far fresher than those ancient old monsters.

“F-fresh?” Zhuoxue’s fur stood on end.

“Hm?”

“I mean… do I resemble her?” She stammered inwardly, Stupid mouth—why did I say that out loud!

The demon lord raised her arm and placed her palm on the side of the fox’s face. Her hand alone seemed big enough to cover her entire cheek.

Something was off. If it were just an ordinary old acquaintance, would she really get this handsy? Could it be someone she admired? A cinnabar mole in her heart, a distant moonlight she could never reach?

Longming leaned in even closer, so much so that the cold black markings beneath her eyes nearly pressed against Zhuoxue’s face. It was far too intimate—even Lanhui had never looked at her like this.

“From a distance, the features are similar. Up close, not so much.” Longming let her hand drop and sat upright, not the slightest trace of fondness in her movement.

Zhuoxue quickly said, “Still, there is some resemblance, isn’t there? When you miss your old acquaintance, you might as well look at me.”

Longming chuckled lightly. “You certainly know how to talk. I suppose I can look at you a bit more for comfort.”

Zhuoxue still had concerns. What if that old acquaintance suddenly reincarnated and returned? Then she’d be completely useless. “If you miss her so much, my lord, why not visit Yellow Springs Palace? I heard that people have three lives in three worlds and can be reincarnated after death,” she said.

Longming lowered her gaze. “I did go looking. But her name wasn’t on the registry—perhaps that was her final life.”

The fox’s heart bloomed with joy. Good! She’s not coming back. Then this replacement role is mine to keep.

Forget just staying alive—with this kind of proximity, sooner or later, a marriage was bound to happen.