Hugging the Demon Lord's Thigh

After giving birth to a whole litter of foxes, I kicked over the rotten man stifling his laughter beside the bed.

“It’s all your fault! All your fault!”

Yin Linfeng slouched onto the daybed, his collar slipping open. Truly a cunning old shoulder-baring rascal.

His fox eyes curved slightly. His lazy voice carried laughter.

“Oh? I remember it was niangzi who took the initiative to do this and that to me. Now it’s my fault?”

Translator’s note: Niangzi is an affectionate or traditional address for one’s wife. “Cunning old shoulder-baring rascal” plays on 老肩巨猾, replacing the “treacherous” in 老奸巨猾 with the same-sounding “shoulder.”

“Y-you weren’t like this before!”

01

I transmigrated into a condemned immortal.

LOL. Because she couldn’t forget the Heavenly Lord’s son, she had struggled to cross the River of Oblivion for thirty thousand years and still hadn’t made it across.

With my soul about to scatter into nothing, I teleported straight to the Demon Lord’s thigh.

I hugged it tight, tears and snot streaming.

“Dage! Give me a spot as your underling, I’m begging you!”

Translator’s note: Dage means “big brother” and can also address a boss or respected older man. Hugging someone’s thigh means attaching yourself to a powerful backer; here, she’s being literal too.

Actually, the Demon Lord’s thigh was nice and springy. Felt pretty good.

Who knew if I’d survive tonight?

Might as well get in a few more strokes!

“Have you touched enough?”

“It’s all right.”

The Demon Lord lifted my chin with an icy hand.

When he saw my face, a flicker of astonishment crossed his eyes, but he quickly concealed it.

The ends of his long, narrow eyes tilted up slightly as he sneered.

“The mighty War Goddess Ying Li has actually come to hug my thigh?”

“The Demon Lord is mighty! What does a lousy little Heavenly Realm War Goddess like me amount to?”

Well. Not one word had followed the Demon Lord’s predictions.

His narrow eyes visibly widened by two sizes. It took him several seconds to digest that bold declaration.

He pressed a hand to his forehead and frowned.

But those crimson lips delivered two icy words.

“Let go.”

“If you don’t agree, I won’t let go! I swear to become the Demon Lord’s most loyal dogleg, even in death!”

Physically.

Demon Lord Yin Linfeng’s lips twitched twice. He tugged up the splendid robe I’d pulled down.

Looking at his almost-exposed upper body and the row of scantily clad beauties beside the bed, I wondered: was this the serving-him-in-bed portion of the evening?

Only then did I realize my arrival was rather awkwardly timed.

I might have disturbed the Demon Lord’s pleasure…

The Demon Lord waved impatiently, his voice languid.

“Out.”

“You got it!”

I immediately withdrew my paws and ran toward the door, calling as I went.

“Thank you for taking me in, Demon Lord! I’ll leave right now. Don’t trouble yourself arranging anything for me. I’ll make myself at home in the Demon Realm!”

Then I looked back and threw them a knowing glance.

“Carry on, carry on!”

Whoosh. The door in front of me disappeared.

Who knew what spell Yin Linfeng had used? The corridor instantly shortened. After all that running, I turned around and found myself still beside his bed…

“I said, they should leave. You—stay.”

02

Before leaving, the beauties gave me a look that said I was on my own.

I bared my big white teeth in an honest, simple grin.

“Hehe, Dage, have you misunderstood? I-I only want to be your underling…”

Yin Linfeng swept his sleeve. Chilly winds immediately rose outside.

The candlelight in the room swayed with them, illuminating his exquisite face.

With those soul-stealing fox eyes and that almost-smiling mouth, he might as well have had “ruin nations and destroy their people” written across his forehead.

His skin was extremely fair, but not frighteningly pale. Instead, a delicate pink showed through.

Long legs, slim waist—even from behind, he was a delicate beauty of a man.

I’d long heard the new Demon Lord was a nine-tailed demon fox. I hadn’t imagined he could be this bewitching.

No wonder the heavenly clan had suffered defeat after defeat in recent years.

Once he showed that face, what heavenly soldier or general would still have the heart to fight?

I’d never seen a beauty this devastatingly handsome from so close.

Shamefully, I licked my lips and swallowed.

“Heh.”

Accustomed to such shameless expressions, Yin Linfeng gave a faint sneer.

Crap. Caught coveting a handsome man!

He approached step by step, his light footsteps seeming to land on my heart and make it itch.

He looked completely harmless. Yet as soon as he reached me, his large hand closed around my throat.

Sharp nails transformed into animal claws grazed my face.

Yin Linfeng looked down at me as though I were garbage.

I didn’t dare breathe deeply. After a long moment, he tilted his head left like a little animal.

“This face is passable.”

He released me.

“Since you’re so eager, you’ll do for tonight.”

Huh???

Isn’t that a little inappropriate? I instinctively covered my collar.

Then I saw Yin Linfeng’s face and lowered my hand again.

Actually, I seemed to be the one getting the better deal…

Even flopping casually onto the couch, Yin Linfeng made a portrait of a beauty.

His shimmering fox eyes fixed on me.

“Begin.”

03

Did the Demon Lord prefer other people to take the initiative?

I shyly turned around and began undoing my belt with trembling hands.

“What are you doing?”

Huh? Did I have to say it aloud?

While I stared in shock, Yin Linfeng spoke impatiently.

“Hurry up and transform so I can see.”

!!! Transform too?

“Th-that’s not appropriate, is it?”

“What’s inappropriate? Naturally, my mount must be the most beautiful and impressive.”

Seriously, Yin Linfeng, is something wrong with your brain?

You’d been inspecting all those beauties to choose a mount?

I’d already undone my belt, and now you tell me this???

Flustered and furious, I cinched my belt tight again.

“Sorry, Demon Lord. I came to seek refuge because the Demon Realm is free. I didn’t come to be your mount.”

A warrior may be killed, but not humiliated. I made to leave.

Yin Linfeng picked up a wine cup and sipped.

“The Heavenly Realm sealed your War Goddess power and sentenced you to cross the River of Oblivion. Without a Demon Realm mark from me, your soul will scatter completely within four hours.”

Hearing that, I actually stopped feeling anxious.

If you had only four hours left to live, what would you do?

Smiling, I walked over, picked up his wine flask, and took a huge swig. Refreshing!

“Since I don’t have long to live anyway, I might as well be a little unrestrained!”

Perhaps Yin Linfeng had never met anyone so shameless. He froze for quite a while.

Then he actually laughed.

The light in his eyes seemed about to spill over.

I’d never seen anyone look so beautiful laughing.

As though possessed, I cupped his face and kissed him.

Seeing Yin Linfeng’s astonishment, I laughed freely.

But the next second, I couldn’t laugh anymore.

Could someone tell me what was going on with the tiny white fox in my arms?

The little fox and I stared at each other.

Of course, that was exactly when someone arrived with a report.

“Demon Lord! Xuan Yu, the Heavenly Emperor’s son, has come to our door! He says we abducted his wife!”

04

My foot was as quick as my eye. I kicked the door shut.

There was a great crash.

The little dog demon bringing the news fell flat on his face.

I poked the little fox in my arms.

“Laogong—no, Demon Lord! Say something, Demon Lord!”

Translator’s note: Laogong is a familiar way to address one’s husband.

The little fox narrowed his eyes, a murderous gleam flashing through them.

Unfortunately, he was one fluffy little ball without the slightest intimidation factor. He looked exactly like a puffed-up dandelion.

When he didn’t speak, I poked him again with my index finger.

The little fox kicked his legs. Under my expectant gaze, he shook his head and smoothed his fur.

Standing calmly, he opened his mouth toward the door and shouted.

“Ying!”

I was dumbfounded.

So was he.

The little dog demon outside was very dedicated to his work. He pounded on the door.

“Demon Lord! Demon Lord! Xuan Yu, the Heavenly Emperor’s son, is here! He says we abducted his wife!”

“Did you hear me, Demon Lord?”

“What should we do? Xuan Yu is already at the entrance to the Demon Realm!”

I bent down, scooped up the petrified little fox, stuffed him into my pocket, and opened the door.

Forcing myself to stay calm, I imitated the immortals in TV dramas.

“No matter. If he wishes to wait, let him.”

The little dog demon’s eyes lit up when he saw me.

“A fairy!”

“Our Demon Lord is something else! He really did abduct the Heavenly Emperor’s son’s wife!”

His tail spun like a propeller.

“I have to tell every demon in the Demon Realm this good news! Our Demon Lord really knows how to fall in love!”

“Our demon clan has finally gotten one over on the heavenly clan!”

…

Gee, thanks.

The fox in my arms suddenly began wriggling.

I put him down. He tilted his head for me to follow.

Every few steps, he haughtily glanced back at me.

I followed the little fox all the way to a cave.

Unremarkable from outside, it contained a whole other world.

Abundant spiritual energy. Ideal for cultivation.

The little fox rummaged through a medicine chest and found two pills.

He swallowed one himself and pushed the other at me.

Pinching the pill, I looked at him.

“It’s not poison, right?”

05

For once, the little fox opened big, innocent eyes. He even wagged his tail to act cute.

Shameless!

More shameful still: it worked on me.

The moment the pill went down, the little fox changed his face.

“Speak. What did you do to me?”

“I don’t know either! You were handsome, so I kissed you. How was I supposed to know you’d shrink…?”

“Wait. You can speak human language!”

I stared at the little fox in amazement.

He visibly rolled his eyes.

“What did you give me? It’s amazing!”

“A One-Heart Pill.”

“After eating it, I can understand you?”

“Mm.”

Yin Linfeng’s tone grew worse and worse. I instinctively shut up.

He jumped onto a shelf and looked down at me.

“Finished asking?”

Strange. He was clearly just an adorable, fluffy little fox.

Why was he so oppressive when he spoke?

I nodded.

“Then fetch the fifty-third ancient volume on the ninth shelf.”

Tsk. He was cuter when he couldn’t talk.

“Stop babbling. Hurry.”

Holy crap. Was the One-Heart Pill that powerful? He could hear my thoughts too?

You can’t just peek at a girl’s thoughts!

So I started singing in my head.

“Sisters! Ready, ready! Tonight! A perfect chance!”

…

Yin Linfeng looked at me as though I were an idiot.

An incense stick’s worth of time later, Yin Linfeng was studying the ancient book seriously.

I’d wanted to read along. Then I leaned over and discovered I couldn’t recognize a single character.

Defeated before the campaign began, I gave up.

With my nimble little hands, I became Yin Linfeng’s page-turning servant instead.

Yin Linfeng wasn’t sleepy. My eyelids, however, were already fighting.

Noticing that he’d spent quite a while on this page, I asked, “Shall I turn it?”

“No need. I know why now.”

That woke me right up.

“Why?”

06

Yin Linfeng stamped his fox paws.

“Your true form is a white tiger?” he demanded angrily.

Me: …

Huh???

“How would I know…? Probably…?”

Yin Linfeng pressed a fox paw to his forehead.

“You formed the tiger clan’s pact with me. Its rank suppression, combined with your sealed War Goddess power, dragged me straight down into animal form.”

Woohoo. In other words, Yin Linfeng was weak right now?

What was I afraid of, then?

I flicked my bangs, propped both legs on the table, and relaxed.

Yin Linfeng sneered.

“A demoted immortal, all right. You know nothing of how dangerous survival is.”

“I have plenty of enemies. Weak as I am now, any little demon could kill me.”

“If I die, under the pact, you won’t live either.”

What kind of bullshit pact was that?

This was the first I’d heard of initiating a pact and throwing your own little life into the bargain!

Yin Linfeng’s cold voice descended slowly, like wind and snow in the bitterest days of winter.

“Your tiger clan’s lovers’ pact.”

Ah. Well. I rubbed my hands, a little embarrassed.

“Sorry about that. What can I do to change you back?”

“Hurry up and cultivate. Unseal your War Goddess power.”

Damn it! I didn’t know how to cultivate either!

But to keep Yin Linfeng calm, I said, “I’ll do my best.”

Yin Linfeng said, “You don’t even know how to cultivate. What can you do?”

Oh… I’d forgotten he could hear my thoughts.

My toes curled into the ground with embarrassment.

Then I suddenly realized I couldn’t find my toes…

My hands were fading too…

Crap!

I’d escaped from the River of Oblivion into the Demon Realm!

Without a Demon Realm mark, was my soul about to scatter after all?

I looked at Yin Linfeng. His ears were gradually turning transparent too.

In a flash, he jumped onto my shoulder.

And bit my neck…

07

“Hiss—”

Sharp pain shot through the back of my neck.

I shrank inward. Yin Linfeng kicked off with his little legs and landed steadily on the table.

“Even on the verge of death, you have to get a mouthful of blood. You’re really something!”

Yin Linfeng ignored me and snorted haughtily.

I felt the wound on the back of my neck. No blood.

Wait. My hand was back!

I gazed at Yin Linfeng with watery eyes.

“I’m sorry! I misjudged you. You were giving me a Demon Realm mark. Your underling bows in thanks to the Demon Venerable!”

“You’re welcome. It’s a Life-and-Death Curse. I can’t give you a Demon Realm mark in my current state. This curse merely lets you share mine.”

A Life-and-Death Curse? A curse binding life and death together?

“Correct. From now on, stay alive for me. Otherwise…”

Yin Linfeng didn’t finish. I only felt a chill at my neck.

I took my thanks back.

Yin Linfeng wrinkled his nose and circled me three times, sniffing.

Even the way he looked at me changed.

For the first time, I saw disdain on a fox’s face.

“Heh. They needed the Nine Heavens Lock to suppress you?”

“Exactly, exactly,” I agreed.

Yin Linfeng: …

Sincerity was the ultimate killing move, forever.

“There. Jump in.”

Yin Linfeng lifted his chin toward a clear pool bubbling away.

Steam rose from its hot spring, immortal mist curling around it.

“I get it! This must be a hot spring that’s greatly beneficial for cultivation!”

Splash. I jumped in.

Every meridian in my body was being nourished. So comfortable!

“Want to join me?”

Even as I asked, I was already pulling Yin Linfeng into the spring.

I don’t want to…

Ying! So comfortable…

Tsk. This proud, contrary fox.

Realizing I could hear his thoughts, Yin Linfeng’s fox ears gradually turned faintly pink.

He closed his eyes, his voice still cool.

“Hmph. Shameless.”

One human and one fox, we cultivated in that cave for a month.

Yin Linfeng was a competent teacher.

That month nearly worked me to death.

He taught me not only to recognize characters and read, but also secret cultivation arts.

Unfortunately, I was hopeless.

No matter how I cultivated, the progress bar wouldn’t budge.

Yin Linfeng slouched on the couch, looking listless.

“Are you really the Heavenly Realm’s War Goddess?”

Extra training every day, and constant mockery from Yin Linfeng.

Even a clay figure has a temper!

I stopped meditating and collapsed on the jade platform.

“I’m done. Once I’ve rested, I’ll choose an auspicious day to hang myself.”

08

“Dying by someone else’s hand is never as dignified as dying by your own.”

“Do you have a preferred time? I’ll take it into consideration.”

Noticing my low spirits, Yin Linfeng hopped over in a few steps and forced out consolation through gritted teeth.

“Actually, you’re not entirely useless.”

“Oh? Elaborate.”

“Mm…”

A breeze passed, drying out the silence.

Watching the little fox rack his brains, an evil thought suddenly arose.

I’d petted dogs and cats in my life, but never a fox!

Besides, that snowy white fur had to feel wonderful, right?

The little fox stared at me warily.

He took one very deliberate step back.

Fierce on the outside and weak within, Yin Linfeng said, “No. If you dare, you’re dead!”

Hehehe. You’re a little fox, and I’m human.

Humans petting foxes is only natural. You don’t get a say!

“I heard that when someone’s about to die, there’s something called end-of-life care.”

“Just consider it a good deed. Give me a little care, hmm?”

“I promise I’ll be very gentle!”

I scooped up the little fox and rubbed him in my arms.

So soft!

So fragrant!

So cute!

Slender, supple, fluffy—that healing sensation almost made me cry.

Gradually, I took a mile when given an inch.

From simply stroking his head, I moved to pressing the little fox belly-up on the couch and burying my face in him.

“Ahh…” I sighed in satisfaction.

Then, with a sudden bang, the little fox transformed…

My left hand held Yin Linfeng’s left wrist. My right hand pinned his right wrist.

My entire body sprawled over him in an extremely indecent pose.

Ambiguous to the extreme.

Yin Linfeng and I were nose to nose.

So close I’d forgotten how to breathe.

Those fox eyes were already beautiful enough to steal a person’s soul.

Now I dared even less to meet them.

After all, you can’t hide the look of wanting to stab someone.

I rolled off and tried to run, only to be caught by my belt and dragged back into his arms.

“Why stop petting? Weren’t you being quite—”

He leaned toward my neck and drew out the word.

“Arrogant?”

09

For the first time, I heard three feet of ice in someone’s voice.

Terrifying.

“Hehe. Hehehe.”

When in doubt, smile first.

As the old saying goes, you don’t strike a smiling face.

I turned around and started kneading Yin Linfeng’s shoulders, fawning.

“You’ve been working so hard teaching this rotten piece of wood lately. I was just giving you a relaxing massage!”

“How is it? The pressure’s pretty good, right?”

Yin Linfeng straightened the outer robe I’d pulled loose, his fox ears angling slightly outward.

He gave a quiet snort.

Who knew what he was thinking…?

“Eh? I don’t think I can hear your thoughts anymore.”

“The medicine wore off. What, want another?”

I hurriedly waved my hands.

“How could I casually pry into the Demon Lord’s thoughts?”

While I was still flattering him, Yin Linfeng suddenly seized my wrist.

Damn, he was strong. He nearly lifted me off the ground.

“Ow, ow, ow…”

Instinctively, I moved closer to avoid the pain.

Yin Linfeng stared straight at me with those fox eyes.

Had being petted humiliated him? Did he want to regain face?

I spread my arms with righteous resolve.

“Demon Lord, if you’re really that angry, pet me back!”

“I have only one tiny request. Could you teach me to transform first, and pet me after?”

“Petting a person is a little weird, after all…”

Yin Linfeng flung my wrist aside.

“Hmph. Shameless!”

“I noticed your War Goddess power had loosened. I was only checking why.”

“Oh? What was the reason?”

Yin Linfeng swept his sleeve, looking weary.

“I don’t know. Think back. What just happened?”

I scratched my head.

“Just now, while petting you—uh, giving your animal form a massage—I felt very satisfied and happy inside…”

Who knew what spell Yin Linfeng used?

Light flashed through white mist.

Nine tails suddenly appeared behind him, dancing in the air.

“Keep petting,” he ordered.

10

Well, this…

The huge tails behind Yin Linfeng were taller than I was.

Combined with his expression of wanting to eat someone in the next second, I really couldn’t bring myself to reach out.

“What are you waiting for?”

His fox tails stretched out and wound around me.

Bracing myself, I stroked them.

Hey. Smooth as water, smooth as silk.

Like one of those fox-fur coats.

The thought made me laugh despite myself.

Blue light flashed over my body. The Nine Heavens Lock flickered into view, a tiny crack opening in it.

The cave’s spiritual energy poured madly into my body, as if it had found an outlet.

Spiritual energy surged within me. Every limb and bone felt more comfortable than ever.

All the spells Yin Linfeng had taught me this month became clear in that instant.

I looked at him in amazement.

“Demon Lord, you’re incredible. Just touching you increases my cultivation.”

Yin Linfeng’s mouth twitched.

He seized my wrist again, brows slightly furrowed, as though trying to stare a hole through me.

Suddenly, the spiritual energy in the cave shifted.

“I merely came to find my wife. I have no wish to make enemies of the demon clan.”

For some reason, that voice was so familiar it made my heart ache.

The little dog demon argued his case.

“Xuan Yu-xianjun, our Demon Lord won his wife fair and square! If you can even lose your own wife, there can’t have been much affection between you. Please go back!”

Translator’s note: Xianjun is an honorific for an immortal lord.

“Ying Li, are you in this cave?”

Pain stabbed my ankle. A red thread appeared.

The next moment, someone seized my collar and lifted me before him.

Yin Linfeng’s eyes were bloodshot. His nails dug into my neck.

Several red scratches instantly appeared on his own pale neck.

“You led him here? Striking when I’m weakest—the Heavenly Realm is as calculating as ever!”

“Cough, cough!” I flailed at Yin Linfeng’s arm.

11

“D-Dage, it wasn’t me! Calm down first. Our lives are linked now. How could I possibly harm you?”

Conquered by my sincerity, Yin Linfeng put me down.

Finally able to breathe, I silently rolled my eyes.

My fingers brushed his badly scratched neck.

Wherever they passed, his skin returned to normal.

The discomfort in my own neck vanished too.

Yin Linfeng swept his large hand over his throat. His lashes trembled as he stared straight at me.

“And you call yourself the Demon Lord? Is killing and fighting all you know? You don’t even heal your injuries?”

“Injury is something only the weak suffer. It’s been a very long time since I was injured.”

…

Damn. He’d successfully shown off.

When I pulled Yin Linfeng to the cave entrance, the little dog demon had just been knocked flat.

Seeing us, he turned into a little husky.

Wagging his tail, he limped over and threw himself at our legs.

“Awoo! Demon Lord! Fairy! He’s bullying me! Awooo!”

The immortal outside lightly stroked his folding fan.

Sword brows, starry eyes, and the faintest trace of a smile always lingering at his lips.

Yet his whole bearing was cool and aloof.

Only his dark clothes seemed somewhat at odds with the immortal aura around him.

This had to be the childhood sweetheart I’d inherited: Xuan Yu, the Heavenly Emperor’s son.

He stroked his folding fan and nodded slightly to Yin Linfeng.

His unreadable gaze settled on me.

“My apologies, Demon Lord. My wife has caused you trouble lately. I’ve come to take her home.”

Yin Linfeng nodded.

“Mm. Quite troublesome indeed. But—

“You won’t be taking her back.”

“Ying Li’s legs belong to her. She is free to decide where she goes. Demon Lord, you shouldn’t force her against her will.”

Good grief. Did this idiot think I was a prisoner?

Both Xuan Yu and Yin Linfeng wore smiles.

Beneath them, they were secretly testing each other.

One was the future ruler of the Heavenly Realm. The other was the current Demon Lord.

Neither lost in presence.

I quietly moved between them and pointed out the blind spot.

“Um, may I ask who this wife of yours is?”

Yin Linfeng couldn’t hold back a thoroughly wicked laugh.

Xuan Yu’s eyes widened.

“Ying Li, you… don’t remember me?”

12

Remember? How could I not?

“Oh. Are you the Xuan Yu who got me sentenced to cross the River of Oblivion and nearly had my soul destroyed?”

Back when we put down the rebellion in the Heavenly Realm, Xuan Yu sent me into battle without obtaining a deployment order.

The rebellion was quelled. But the minor immortals who had stirred up trouble had countless ties to the elders.

As a result, I offended quite a few high gods.

I’d thought the Heavenly Emperor would protect me.

Yet that slippery old fox, hoping to win people over, used my deployment without an order as grounds to seal my War Goddess power with the Nine Heavens Lock and sentence me to cross the River of Oblivion.

What was the River of Oblivion? A passage that washed away memories before one descended to the mortal world to undergo tribulations.

The ridiculous part was that my love for Xuan Yu had been too deep. I couldn’t forget him at all.

And so I struggled in that river for thirty thousand years.

Thirty thousand whole years.

If I hadn’t transmigrated as the deadline approached, just before her soul was extinguished, this original host would probably have ceased to exist long ago.

Xuan Yu closed his fan. Guilt flickered through his eyes.

“Ying Li, you know I was deceived by my imperial father too…”

I met his gaze.

“Oh? Then during my thirty thousand years of suffering in the River of Oblivion, why didn’t you visit me even once?”

“I…”

His voice weakened.

“I was busy with official duties. Besides, I never imagined you wouldn’t be able to cross…”

I smiled, feeling it hadn’t been worth it for the original host.

That endless, dayless and nightless suffering at the very extremes had ultimately been wasted on the wrong person.

“Xuan Yu, Ying Li already died in the River of Oblivion.”

I was sincerely telling him the truth.

Ying Li really had died when I transmigrated.

But Xuan Yu didn’t think so. He only thought I was angry and throwing a tantrum.

Perhaps my tone was too sincere.

His initial composure turned to nervousness.

“Ying Li, have you forgotten? You’re my destined wife. I haven’t married you and brought you home yet…”

Heh heh. His destined wife, whose life or death he couldn’t care less about?

He reached for my hand. I swept my sleeve and avoided him.

“Since you haven’t married me, stop calling me your wife.”

It was disgusting.

Wasn’t this just like a scumbag calling his long-term girlfriend his wife to other people, yet never actually proposing?

13

He hadn’t expected me to be so resolute.

At a loss, Xuan Yu murmured, “Ying Li…”

Not wanting further entanglement, I pushed Yin Linfeng’s narrow waist forward to display him.

“There. You know about our tiger clan’s lovers’ pact, right? I’ve already formed one with him. From now on, whether in birth, aging, sickness, or death, whether we enjoy unparalleled glory or beg on a street corner, I’ll be with this person. We’ll never part.”

With that, I bent down and snapped the red thread between Xuan Yu and me.

“Impossible!” Xuan Yu looked incredulous.

Yin Linfeng’s fox tail swayed. He seemed to be in a very good mood.

“What’s impossible?” he asked lazily.

Then he lifted my chin and kissed me.

He didn’t forget to throw Xuan Yu a provocative glance.

I followed his gaze.

Only for a certain someone to hold the back of my neck.

“Not concentrating, hmm?”

??? As though you were so focused yourself!

Somehow, those words I’d said outside the cave to make Xuan Yu give up had struck a chord with Yin Linfeng.

Ever since Xuan Yu left, the corners of his mouth hadn’t come down.

Lately, Yin Linfeng had taught me quite a few characters.

I was leafing through an ancient text, repeatedly frowning at my half-understanding, when his handsome face suddenly appeared before mine and startled me.

“Don’t worry. I won’t let you beg on the streets.”

I didn’t know whether foxes were naturally affectionate or only Yin Linfeng was like this.

Looking into those clear, bright eyes, my heart missed a beat.

Joy sprouted from the cracks.

Blue light flashed over my body. The crack in the Nine Heavens Lock widened.

“Demon Lord, look!”

I happily pointed out the crack to Yin Linfeng, unable to hide my excitement.

The corner of his mouth lifted.

As he smiled, his long, narrow eyes curved into crescents.

“Ying Li, you like me.”

“Hm? How do you know? Wait, no—how dare you slander me without evidence!”

14

Yin Linfeng smiled and patted my head.

That supremely self-assured look of his really deserved a beating.

“What I said just now pleased you. You were happy, weren’t you?”

I nodded in embarrassment.

Come on. Who wouldn’t lose their head when a handsome man said something like that?

“I happen to enjoy reading in my spare time, and happened upon a record of the Nine Heavens Lock.”

I blinked starry eyes at him, encouraging him to continue.

“The Nine Heavens Lock restrains desire. Given enough time, even the mightiest god will die of melancholy. Conversely, if one does not suppress desire and stays joyful, the lock will fail of its own accord without needing to be removed. Unfortunately, most bound immortals torment themselves so much internally that they simply cannot be happy.”

“As expected of the Demon Lord. Here, have some tea!”

I’d heard that while someone was talking, they would accept anything handed to them.

Sure enough, Yin Linfeng accepted the cup and drank it down.

He continued his unhurried explanation.

“So just now, my promise made you happy, and the Nine Heavens Lock cracked. You like me!”

He certainly knew how to grasp the main point.

I stood on the chair, held Yin Linfeng’s shoulders, and looked straight into his eyes.

“What about you? Do you like me?”

Yin Linfeng’s pupils abruptly contracted. He froze.

“I know we’re bound together now because of an accident. By chance.”

“But I’m the sort of person who takes responsibility after kissing someone. Yin Linfeng, I’ve really fallen for you.”

“If you don’t like me, that’s all right. Once my War Goddess power is unsealed, shall we cancel the pact?”

It was my first confession. Even I hadn’t imagined I could be so brave.

Sure enough, love made girls bold and boys timid.

Yin Linfeng instinctively tried to avoid me, but I caught his chin.

After a long while, his eyes flicked right and he bit his thin lip.

“O-of course not.”

Of course I do.

“How could I possibly take a fancy to you?”

You’re beautiful. More beautiful than every immortal maiden, demon maiden, and spirit maiden I’ve ever seen.

“It’s only a pact. Who would take it seriously?”

What do you mean, cancel it? Is forming a pact with me so embarrassing?

Listening to Yin Linfeng say the exact opposite of his inner voice, my smile grew more and more unrestrained.

His fox ears emerged, tinged pink.

“What are you laughing at?”

I leaned down and kissed his ear.

“Demon Lord Linfeng, I like you too!”

15

“What do you mean, too? You’re the one with a one-sided crush. I haven’t agreed yet!”

I pressed my lips together to hold back laughter.

Then I leaned close to Yin Linfeng’s ear.

“I put a One-Heart Pill in the tea I made you…”

His beautiful fox eyes abruptly widened.

A blush rose over his fair face too.

He covered his face with his sleeve and murmured, “You’re cheating…”

I hopped off the chair and hugged his waist.

Hah, hah. So slim!

“Yin Linfeng, do you know Xu Xian?”

He shook his head.

“Xu Xian once said: A human life is only seventy years. Take away ten years of ignorance and ten years of frailty, and only fifty remain. Take away the half spent in darkness, and you have twenty-five. Then consider eating, drinking tea, bathing, changing clothes, working, falling ill, and running here and there—how much more time does that consume? Count up the days truly left to spend with the person you love, and they’re pitifully few.”

I looked into his shining eyes.

“Yin Linfeng, I don’t know how long we can live. But I don’t want to give any of our days together to suspicion and misunderstanding.”

He smiled, wrapped his arms tightly around me, and softly answered with one word.

“All right.”

Remembering something, I told him, “I don’t like Xuan Yu.”

I like you, so I can’t bear for you to get jealous or angry over someone irrelevant.

Yin Linfeng rested his head on mine, his body softening.

“I know.”

In the days that followed, removing my Nine Heavens Lock became the top priority.

Which meant Yin Linfeng devised new ways to cheer me up every day.

“Come. I’ll take you to see fireworks today.”

Standing at a volcano’s crater in the Demon Realm, with mountain winds howling and ghostly energy all around, I wondered why I’d fallen for Yin Linfeng’s nonsense…

Lately, as my Nine Heavens Lock loosened, his cultivation had improved too. He’d caught a few evil ghosts along the way.

My mouth twitched.

“Where are the fireworks?”

Yin Linfeng gave a wicked smile. Standing on the summit, he threw those evil ghosts down with a ferocious air.

Accompanied by their wails, the volcano belched several satisfied bursts of colored sparks.

There was a bizarre sort of beauty to it.

Looking at Yin Linfeng’s smug expression, practically begging for praise, I couldn’t help laughing.

“That’s it?”

16

Yin Linfeng looked innocent.

“I discovered it by chance and thought it was fun. That’s why I brought you.”

I took his hand.

“It’s beautiful. The most unusual fireworks I’ve ever seen.”

Suddenly, one foot sank into soft mud.

I reached down. It was still-warm volcanic mud!

Since transmigrating, I hadn’t done skincare in ages.

Just when I wanted to sleep, someone handed me a pillow.

I scooped up a handful of volcanic mud and smeared it on my face.

“Ugh. Filthy.”

Yin Linfeng sounded disgusted, but a doting smile hung at his lips.

“It’s good for your skin. Want some?”

Without waiting for him to refuse, I reached for his face with the mud.

He fled. I chased. Even wings wouldn’t save him.

Finally, tired from running, we lay on the ground covered in mud.

We simply ended up having a mud bath.

I laughed freely.

“Yin Linfeng, you know what? If this were back home, my mom would beat my butt into blooming flowers! Ever since I was little, she wouldn’t even buy me light-colored clothes, let alone let me roll in mud!”

What was my mother doing now?

Had the me in that world died too?

Countless stars reflected in Yin Linfeng’s eyes. I nestled into his arms.

“Yin Linfeng, I’m homesick…”

“I was never Ying Li. I came from another world…”

He rubbed my little hand, his voice gentle.

“I know.”

That night, we talked about many things.

“What are weddings like where you’re from?”

Yin Linfeng was very curious about my world.

“Weddings? Western-style ones are simpler. Chinese-style ones are like those in the mortal world here. The bride and groom wear bright red wedding clothes, and the character for joy is pasted around the house. Friends and relatives gather to celebrate…”

Yin Linfeng pinched my cheek.

“I know that. Our fox weddings are like that too.”

“Ah. I heard foxes bring sunshowers. Is that true?”

Yin Linfeng proudly swished his tail.

“Of course.”

…

Lately, the people in the Demon Realm were acting strange.

Especially the little dog demon, sneaking around like a shifty dog all day. Who knew what he was busy with?

Whenever he saw me, he ran away guiltily.

I stopped a few newly arrived demon maidens.

“Is there a banquet coming up? Why are you preparing so many things?”

17

The two demon maidens exchanged smiles. One, a beautiful, mature-looking jiejie, nodded.

Translator’s note: Jiejie means “older sister,” also used warmly for an unrelated young woman.

“Yes! The Demon Realm hasn’t held such a grand banquet in a long time.”

Stranger still, Yin Linfeng had been appearing and disappearing like a ghost lately.

What kind of guest was worth all this nervousness?

Just as I was about to find him and ask, I ran into the little dog demon.

His tail wagged furiously. He looked excited.

Clearly, he had something to tell me.

Yet he only circled me twice, gave two awoos, and ran off.

I picked up the paper-cut “joy” character he’d dropped. Warmth filled my heart.

No wonder Yin Linfeng kept asking what I liked lately.

No wonder he’d been stumbling over his words.

He was preparing our wedding.

A scent of peach blossoms drifted over.

Yin Linfeng appeared out of thin air before me.

I secretly tucked the “joy” character into my sleeve.

Protecting his surprise.

From behind his back, he produced a branch covered in peach blossoms.

“The first peach blossoms of spring this year. For you.”

Their fragrance, sharp with cold wind, washed over me.

I picked a twig out of his hair and hugged him.

“Thank you. I love them.”

Yin Linfeng curled his lips.

“Heh. A little trick like this is all it takes to win you over?”

I grabbed his ear.

“This jiejie doesn’t accept peach blossoms from just anyone, okay? You’re saved by your good looks! Otherwise, with that way of talking, someone would’ve beaten you to death long ago!”

“Hey! Ow, ow, ow!”

Yin Linfeng bent under the pain and scooped me up.

“To make amends, I’ll take you somewhere.”

Before I could react, he’d already set me steadily on the ground.

Familiar cries rose from the streets and alleys.

“Sharpen your scissors—grind your kitchen knives—”

“Signed portraits of the capital’s most handsome man! Ten taels of silver each! First come, first served!”

“Sugar-roasted chestnuts! Freshly roasted chestnuts!”

I stared at Yin Linfeng with wide eyes.

“You brought me to the mortal world?”

18

He smiled and took my hand.

“Weren’t you homesick? From your description, I thought the mortal world sounded like your home. So I brought you to see.”

As expected of the fox clan. Even their way of dating made the heart flutter.

Looking at the bustle of mortal life, I was so moved I briefly lost my words. I could only grip his hand tightly.

“Gege, gege, buy a skewer of candied hawthorn for jiejie?”

Translator’s note: Gege means “older brother,” also used affectionately for an unrelated young man.

A little girl no taller than his knee tugged at Yin Linfeng’s robe, looking up at us with watery eyes.

My heart melted.

Seeing Yin Linfeng frown and look about to kick the child away, I scooped her up.

“Jiejie will buy one!”

“Okay, okay!”

The little girl led us to her grandfather’s stall.

I held the candied hawthorn while Yin Linfeng paid.

I bit off a hawthorn.

“Hiss—”

It was so sour my eyes rolled back.

No wonder this grandfather couldn’t sell his candied hawthorn. It was far too sour.

After paying, Yin Linfeng slung an arm over my shoulders from behind.

“How is it? Sweet?”

“Sweet! So sweet and delicious!”

Smiling more sweetly than the candied hawthorn, I offered it to him.

“Have a taste!”

Completely unguarded, Yin Linfeng took an enormous bite.

“Mmph… I… this…”

The sourness left him utterly incoherent and at a loss.

“Ying. Li!”

Grinding his teeth, Yin Linfeng chased me through eight streets…

At last, he stopped outside a ready-made clothing shop that looked expensive at a glance and dragged me inside.

Clothes filled the shop in dazzling variety, every piece exquisitely made.

Quite a few young ladies were selecting fabrics and patterns.

At the sight of Yin Linfeng and me, they covered their faces and whispered.

“That young master is so handsome! Which family is he from? I’ll have my father propose a match!”

“With me here, when would it ever be your turn?”

“Oh, stop arguing, both of you! Haven’t you seen the girl beside him? She looks like a fairy. What could you possibly compete with?”

…

The girls teased and whispered among themselves, but Yin Linfeng and I both had excellent hearing.

I nudged his waist and grinned wickedly.

“Hey, heard that? Someone wants to propose to you!”

“Really? Then this little fairy had better hold on tighter.”

19

The shopkeeper emerged, looking like a handsome young gentleman.

Yet every step carried a thousand kinds of charm.

His eyes swept me up and down.

“This is that sweetheart of yours?”

Yin Linfeng openly took my hand and nodded.

The young gentleman twisted his barrel waist and rolled his eyes.

“Fine. She can’t compare to me, but she does have a little beauty.”

Then he took us to the rear courtyard.

I asked Yin Linfeng quietly, “Who is this?”

“Our fox clan’s Matchmaking Fox. A union recognized by the Matchmaking Fox receives a wedding robe woven with our clan’s secret art, symbolizing its blessing.”

The Matchmaking Fox cast a spell. A bright red wedding robe fell into his hands.

He beckoned at me with his eyes, his tone languid.

“Our fox clan has always been devoted. There’s only one such wedding robe in a lifetime. You are a lucky one!”

He’d gone to all this trouble to give me the fox clan’s highest courtesy?

Yin Linfeng’s ears turned faintly pink. He refused to look up.

“I… I only came to get a bargain. Don’t overthink it.”

When I appeared in the wedding robe, Yin Linfeng stared.

“Does it look good?”

I twirled.

“Beautiful.”

His smile was sincere.

Yin Linfeng changed into bright red wedding clothes too.

A breeze brushed past. Even the spring flowers in the courtyard lost their color beside him.

I coaxed him into trying several more handsome outfits.

Who would’ve thought Yin Linfeng was so vain? He liked pale colors. White.

Dead memories suddenly attacked me.

Xuan Yu always wore dark clothes. Black.

He said that way, enemies couldn’t see when he bled in battle.

The original host had been moved by that too, and begun feeling sorry for Xuan Yu-xianjun.

Sure enough, pity a man and suffer bad luck for a lifetime…

“Demon Lord Linfeng, why don’t you wear black? Then blood wouldn’t show if you were injured. Wouldn’t that suit a Demon Lord better?”

Yin Linfeng changed into a crisp, plain white robe and scoffed.

“No need.”

“Hm?”

“Only noobs rely on such crooked tricks. Who could make me bleed?”

20

I know you’re strong, but isn’t praising yourself like that a little much?

The Matchmaking Fox and I turned around in perfect understanding and discussed fabric.

“This cloth has a nice color.”

“I think so too…”

Dong. Dong. Dong.

The bell in the drum tower sounded several times.

The Matchmaking Fox immediately began closing up.

The young ladies in the shop hurried outside too.

Before long, the street was deserted.

But it wasn’t even dark yet!

“Why close so early?”

The Matchmaking Fox shook his head.

“Things haven’t been peaceful lately. You should go home early too!”

I looked southeast of the town. Sure enough, black mist rose, threatening to conceal the sky and sun.

“Where’s that?” I asked.

“Qiushui Town.”

Clutching his fabric, he sighed.

“When immortals fight, mortals suffer!”

This wasn’t a place to linger. Yin Linfeng and I left hand in hand.

We met Xuan Yu leading a group of heavenly soldiers toward Qiushui Town.

Still in black robes, Xuan Yu looked anxious.

As we hurried past each other, his gaze briefly paused on our joined hands.

Yin Linfeng tightened his grip.

“Want to go watch the excitement? I’ll certainly keep you safe.”

I wrapped my arms around his waist.

“No need. I’m no longer the Heavenly Realm’s War Goddess. From now on, upholding justice and ridding the people of harm can be left to the heavenly clan.”

I looked up into Yin Linfeng’s eyes, which seemed to smile even when he didn’t.

I didn’t want to be some great hero who saved all living beings. I only wanted a simple life with the person before me.

Yin Linfeng and I were getting married.

In the end, the little dog demon couldn’t keep the secret.

Before Yin Linfeng proposed, he’d already let the “surprise” slip.

Beneath the peach tree, Yin Linfeng didn’t use a single word of the proposal vows he’d spent several whole nights preparing.

He only stood in the rain of peach blossoms, eyes red, and ordered in a trembling voice, “M-marry me.”

21

He looked ready to cry if I refused.

Who could say no to a proud, contrary little fox?

I rubbed his ears and agreed.

The wedding was set for three days later.

But lately, the demon lands had been unstable.

In a sense, the Demon Realm was actually doing fairly well.

Because all three realms were in peril.

No one could have imagined that the cause of it all was an ordinary mortal.

Du Sheng of Qiushui Town.

Xuan Yu’s previous trip to Qiushui Town had been to eliminate him.

Unfortunately, Xuan Yu lacked experience, and Du Sheng was far too cunning.

On the surface, he pretended to have been eradicated root and branch. In reality, his true body had long since escaped somewhere safe.

One day in heaven was one year on earth.

In only a few hours, Du Sheng had grown powerful enough to wreak havoc across the three realms.

This did have quite an impact on the Heavenly and Mortal Realms.

For the Demon Realm, though, it really wasn’t so bad.

After all, our place was pretty chaotic to begin with.

Only with Yin Linfeng presiding over it these past few years had it acquired a little organization and discipline.

But Du Sheng was so inhumane that he’d even made the weather erratic.

It was supposed to be warm spring in the third month, yet at night it alternated between snow and fierce winds.

I was susceptible to cold. Lately, I could sleep peacefully only if Yin Linfeng brought out his tails and let me curl up inside all nine.

For some reason, he’d grown drowsy too, often sleeping for almost half a day.

That night, I woke to use the toilet and patted Yin Linfeng.

Still half asleep, he turned into a little fox.

I scooped him into my arms.

The moment I opened the door, I saw a group of heavenly soldiers and generals kneeling outside.

A sea of white, except for Xuan Yu in black at their head.

“We are incompetent! We beg the War Goddess to return to her post!”

Seriously, is this how you camp outside someone’s door?

You scared my pee right back in!

The little fox in my arms twitched his ears and listlessly lifted his eyelids.

With a small spell, he took me back into the room.

When we appeared before them again, we were properly dressed.

Before going out, Yin Linfeng had even draped a phoenix-feather cloak over me.

“We are incompetent! We beg the War Goddess to return to her post!”

“We are incompetent! We beg the War Goddess to return to her post!”

…

Looking at those soldiers who had once fought beside me, I felt an ache in my heart.

They looked up, tears swimming in their eyes.

Only then did I notice that almost every one of them was wounded.

Some injuries were fresh and still bleeding. Others had scabbed over dark brown.

I opened my mouth several times, but didn’t know what to say.

Yin Linfeng put an arm around my waist and whispered in my ear.

“Whatever you want to say, whatever you want to do, say it and do it. Your husband can settle everything for you.”

22

With Yin Linfeng’s reassurance, courage grew from the bottom of my heart.

“Look at you. Old, weak, sick, injured—how can you keep fighting?”

The soldiers remained silent.

“What was the first rule I gave you when I was War Goddess?”

Their expressions shifted. They looked at one another.

Fools. I was telling them so clearly to go back and rest, yet they still wouldn’t leave.

Instead, they knelt even straighter.

“We are incompetent! We beg the War Goddess to return to her post!”

Truly wooden heads!

Helpless, I could only speak plainly.

“All officers, hear my command. Return to camp, regroup, and rest!”

“We obey!”

The heavenly soldiers and generals helped one another away.

Xuan Yu staggered to his feet.

His lips were deathly pale. He must have lost too much blood.

Slowly, he lifted his head toward me. The loose hair before his forehead stirred, revealing cool, clear eyes.

“If it were you, you’d have realized immediately that what we destroyed wasn’t his true body, wouldn’t you?”

Xuan Yu gave a self-mocking smile. Boundless desolation filled his eyes.

“Then Du Sheng wouldn’t have had the chance to plunge the three realms into this chaos…”

“Not necessarily. Du Sheng is cunning. No one could have predicted it. When a problem appears, solve it. Xuan Yu-xianjun, there’s no need to belittle yourself.”

Hearing my consolation, Xuan Yu looked at me.

“Haha. Ying Li, see? No matter how hard I try, I can never compare to you. The heavenly soldiers recognize only you as their War Goddess. No matter how difficult the situation, you’re always calm and resolute, choosing the best response…”

Only then did I realize that perhaps, in Xuan Yu’s heart, Ying Li had been more than his destined wife.

She had also been a rival he struggled to surpass.

How could he not have known about all the misunderstandings and abandonment the original host had suffered over the years?

He’d simply chosen to ignore them.

A chill of revulsion rose within me. Yin Linfeng tightened his arm around my waist.

“My wife is outstanding. There’s no need for a little immortal lord to list her merits one by one. Rather than envy others, you’d do better to consider improving yourself.”

Yin Linfeng always hit the nail on the head.

Being firmly chosen and defended felt wonderful.

23

The wind was strong outside. I burrowed into Yin Linfeng’s arms and dismissed our guest.

“Xuan Yu-xianjun, please go back. I’m no War Goddess. Your own people should handle this sort of thing.”

Xuan Yu lowered his head in shame.

“Ying Li… I came this time to remove the Nine Heavens Lock.”

“Imperial Father has already submitted your name to the Heavenly Dao. You are its designated War Goddess. Eliminating Du Sheng has become your mission.”

He paused.

“You know that the fate decreed by the Heavenly Dao cannot be defied. If you defy it, you… won’t survive either.”

He lowered his eyes, his face full of guilt.

Heh. What a fine calculation by the Heavenly Realm.

Our tiger clan was bound by this bullshit Heavenly Dao.

We fought north and south for that old Heavenly Emperor, giving our lives to him generation after generation.

By my generation, only this one last seedling remained.

I was so angry I laughed. For a moment, I didn’t even know what to say.

Yin Linfeng tightened his arms, wrapping me more securely.

His voice retained its usual lazy drawl.

“If that’s the case, why bring all those heavenly soldiers and generals to put on this performance?”

Yin Linfeng was angry on my behalf.

“Oh, let me guess. Could it be that you want to threaten someone into risking her life for you, but don’t want anyone else to find out?”

Officially, I’d be moved by the heavenly soldiers to return to battle. In reality, my life was in their hands.

Doing the dirty deed while demanding a monument to their virtue.

Xuan Yu’s hands fell limply to his sides.

“Ying Li… I have no choice either.”

I believed Xuan Yu did have feelings for Ying Li.

But Ying Li was too strong.

Over all those years, whenever she suffered unfair treatment, Xuan Yu had simply grown accustomed to taking everyone else’s side.

He approached me, looking at me with complicated emotions.

“Ying Li, let me remove the Nine Heavens Lock first.”

I smiled, stepped into the wind, and turned in a circle.

“No need. My Nine Heavens Lock was removed long ago.”

Yin Linfeng and I exchanged a smile.

“Yin Linfeng has taken very good care of me.”

Xuan Yu’s outstretched hand froze in midair.

After a long while, his eyes reddened, and he smiled too.

“No wonder. You’re a little plumper than before, a little prettier. You smile more too.”

He’s taken very good care of you.

Better than I did…

24

On the way to Qiushui Town, I apologized to Yin Linfeng.

“Sorry, mighty Demon Lord. For the sake of my little life, I’ve troubled you to come all this way with me.”

Yin Linfeng tapped my forehead.

“What are you apologizing for? It’s what your husband should do.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

“Then will you find me troublesome? Thinking about it, ever since you met me, it’s been one problem after another…”

Sensing my unease, he placed a light kiss beside my ear.

“To me, it’s sweet as honey.”

In only a few months, the mortal world had become a land of starvation and misery.

Once peaceful, bustling markets were shrouded in black energy. People ate one another…

More terrifying than this unknown baleful energy was the human heart.

Several sturdy men had seized a little girl and were about to roast her over a fire.

I lightly swept my sleeve, rescued her, and held her in my arms.

Too light. Her bones pressed painfully against me.

She was black with grime from head to foot. Only close up did I recognize her.

Wasn’t this the child who’d coaxed me into buying candied hawthorn that day?

After sobbing for a long while, she recognized me too.

“Jiejie! I don’t have a grandfather anymore! I don’t have a grandfather anymore…”

As she cried, she suddenly stopped and clenched her fists.

A fierceness that didn’t belong to her age flashed in her eyes.

“It’s all Du Sheng’s fault! I’ll kill him and avenge my grandfather!”

The wind of the mortal world carried not only omnipresent baleful energy, but also overwhelming resentment and hatred.

I stroked the little girl’s back.

“It’s all right, it’s all right. Jiejie is here.”

Who knew how this defenseless little girl had survived?

Exhausted from crying, she fell asleep.

I handed her to a heavenly soldier behind us to look after.

We’d arrived at the place where the baleful energy was strongest: Qiushui Town.

I asked Xuan Yu, “You’ve dealt with Du Sheng. Do you know why he’s doing this?”

Xuan Yu lowered his head and handed me a file.

But it was pitifully thin.

It showed only that Du Sheng was from Qiushui Town.

All the other important information had been torn out.

“When I was ordered to eliminate him, this was all there was…”

The road ahead was dark, heavy with fog.

25

The other heavenly soldiers and generals remained outside to stand guard.

Yin Linfeng, Xuan Yu, and I entered Qiushui Town.

Before we went in, Xuan Yu warned us.

“Be especially careful of Du Sheng’s illusions.”

The three of us exchanged looks and nodded, then leaped into the mist.

Du Sheng’s illusion arts were powerful indeed.

As soon as I entered, the surrounding baleful energy dispersed. Everything was blank.

Not even a breeze. It was as quiet as stepping inside a sheet of white paper.

I turned to take Yin Linfeng’s hand and discovered that both men were gone.

I was alone in the entire illusion.

Bored out of my mind, I lay down in it.

I even took a little nap.

“You really can stay put.”

A clear voice sounded.

At some point, a young man in blue-green robes had appeared before me.

Gentle and refined, he radiated a scholar’s air.

A tea table rose before him.

He leisurely tasted his tea and poured a cup for me too.

“You’re Du Sheng?”

The young man smiled. Only after unhurriedly finishing his tea did he answer.

“My unworthy self, indeed.”

He indicated the cup with his eyes.

“Good tea. Try some?”

I didn’t stand on ceremony. I drained it in one gulp.

“Delicious!”

“Hahahaha! This is the first time I’ve seen someone drink tea as freely as wine.”

Du Sheng laughed.

“As expected of the renowned War Goddess Ying Li. Interesting, interesting!”

“If you know I’m War Goddess Ying Li, you must also know I’ve come to kill you.”

Du Sheng continued pouring tea, neither servile nor arrogant.

“I know. I simply didn’t expect that the War Goddess would have nothing she feared in the depths of her heart. My illusion is useless against you.”

I put on an unfathomable expression.

Inside, I had a guess. Perhaps it was because mine was a newly arrived soul.

“You don’t seem unreasonable, sir. Why go this far? The one who tied the bell must untie it. If I secure justice for you, will you restore peace to the world?”

“Hahaha! Justice. What excellent justice!”

Du Sheng’s body suddenly grew several times larger, his emotions surging.

“Fine! Then let me see you secure justice for me!”

The scene changed like shifting winds and clouds. When I opened my eyes again, I was inside a shrine.

Statues of the Heavenly Emperor and Heavenly Empress were enshrined there.

26

Back then, Du Sheng was still young.

When he was nine, a passing immortal lord split the mountain behind his home to make a little immortal maiden smile. His parents happened to be gathering herbs on the mountain. Both died…

When he was nineteen, a heavenly princess fell in love with a mortal. The Heavenly Empress intervened, sending rain unseen in ten thousand years. Du Sheng’s wife died in that flood…

At first, Du Sheng still firmly believed that the gods his family had worshipped for generations would give him justice.

He prayed to the gods of small temples and bowed to the immortals of grand ones.

Gods protected gods. Immortals were all connected.

Nothing ever came of it.

Yet Du Sheng never doubted the gods. He only thought he wasn’t sincere enough.

Until, when he was twenty-nine, his young daughter caught the Heavenly Emperor’s eye while making an offering to a statue…

In a few brief moments, I experienced Du Sheng’s entire life.

Before the scenes had faded, the youthful-looking Du Sheng walked toward me.

“Can the War Goddess still give me justice?”

I was silent for a moment.

“The Heavenly Realm brought this upon itself.”

“Hahahaha. The War Goddess really is different from those other immortals.”

“But every grievance has its culprit, every debt its debtor. Wreaking havoc across the three realms is wrong regardless. I’ll deal with the Heavenly Emperor. You should stop too, and pay for what you’ve done.”

Du Sheng’s eyes were full of death.

He no longer believed me.

He swept his sleeve, and the scene before me changed again.

His voice seemed to come from far away.

“If you haven’t suffered another person’s pain, don’t urge them to be kind. War Goddess, it won’t be too late to talk big after you’ve experienced it yourself.”

I opened my eyes and found myself lying on a couch.

A smaller Yin Linfeng knelt before me, playing a pipa.

I wanted to call to him, but couldn’t make a sound.

This…

Was Yin Linfeng’s illusion.

His mother was the nine-tailed demon fox Yin Wangxue.

To repay a debt of gratitude, she had married Xuan Ye, the Heavenly Emperor, while he was still mortal.

When Xuan Ye discovered she was a nine-tailed fox, his first reaction wasn’t fear.

It was to wonder how to use her demon core to ascend.

27

Even gouging out Yin Wangxue’s demon core hadn’t satisfied Xuan Ye.

He wanted young Yin Linfeng’s too.

Risking her life, Yin Wangxue fled with Yin Linfeng to the border between the human and demon lands.

There, she died.

Heavy snow fell that day. It was very cold.

A man said to young Yin Linfeng, “Want to go somewhere warm?”

Young Yin Linfeng was sold to the pleasure quarter at the border.

Demon fox, male prostitute—young Yin Linfeng became its star attraction.

He suffered every kind of abuse…

Watching him suffer, my heart bled. Without realizing it, tears covered my face.

I suddenly remembered that when the original host was young, she had investigated that pleasure quarter.

Because she lacked experience, she’d only scratched the surface.

She hadn’t touched its roots.

Then official duties kept her busy, and she put it off again and again.

By the time she remembered and went back to investigate, the pleasure quarter was scorched earth.

Nothing but ruins.

The locals said the things done there had been so wicked that heaven could no longer bear to watch and had sent a fire.

Only today did I learn the truth.

It hadn’t been some accidental fire.

Yin Linfeng had fallen into demonhood…

Music reached my ears. The scene shifted, and I was on the couch again.

Young Yin Linfeng knelt at my feet.

His movements were seductive, his expression innocent, his voice soft and sweet.

“Master, how should I serve you?”

My heart hurt so badly I couldn’t breathe.

Was this how my Yin Linfeng had grown up?

Little by little, he moved toward me. Suddenly, his eyes turned pitch-black.

He extended his claws and pierced straight through my chest.

“Pfft!” I immediately coughed up blood.

“Like this? Hahahaha! Or like this?”

The room began to burn.

Ignoring the pain, I moved forward against young Yin Linfeng’s sharp claws and held him.

He froze.

I gently stroked his back.

Not knowing what to say, I imitated the way my mother had comforted me when I fell as a child.

Over and over, I repeated, “It’s all right. It’s all right…”

Yin Linfeng was crying.

My consciousness gradually blurred.

Before I lost awareness completely, I heard a familiar voice, torn apart with anguish.

“Ying Li—”

28

When I woke again, I was back in the familiar cave.

Yin Linfeng noticed immediately.

But when he handed me water, he was painfully careful, afraid to touch me or even look up.

I deliberately didn’t take it.

“Feed me,” I said hoarsely.

He stood before me for a long while before giving in.

Even lying in his arms, I could feel his muscles drawn tight.

As soon as he’d helped me drink, he tried to leave.

I caught his hand.

He wanted to pull away, but feared hurting me.

Finally, he looked at me with reddened eyes.

“Let go. I’m… dirty.”

My tears poured down at once. Ignoring my wound, I clung tightly to Yin Linfeng.

“Fool. You’re not dirty at all!”

Yin Linfeng couldn’t out-stubborn me. Like two injured little animals seeking warmth, we huddled together.

I told Yin Linfeng stories about my world.

“You know, where I come from, there are bad people who hurt little boys and girls too. But people don’t think it’s the victim’s fault. We condemn the bad people.”

“Yin Linfeng, it wasn’t your fault. It was those bad people’s fault…”

I’d known an ordinary mortal like Du Sheng couldn’t have caused a calamity this great on his own.

It turned out that after being hurt again and again, he’d stopped praying to gods and begun praying to demons.

And summoned the inner demon Yin Linfeng had sealed away all those years ago.

Now that inner demon had borrowed Du Sheng’s body and developed a physical form.

But the inner demon was a part of Yin Linfeng. If it were utterly destroyed…

Yin Linfeng would die too.

I was bound by the Heavenly Dao. If I didn’t eliminate Du Sheng, I would die.

And my life was linked to Yin Linfeng’s…

Didn’t that mean we’d both die no matter what?

Things suddenly became simple.

Two days before our wedding, Yin Linfeng and I stormed the Ninth Heaven and exposed the Heavenly Emperor’s years of evil deeds to the world.

We took Xuan Ye’s head, appeasing the anger of countless people like Du Sheng.

Xuan Yu became the new Heavenly Emperor.

Through the Heavenly Dao, we established rules for the divine clan.

Anyone who obstructed immortals’ freedom to fall in love, by any means, would be reduced to dust and ashes.

Love freely, however you wished. Anyone who harmed others in doing so would have their soul scattered.

29

Carrying Xuan Ye’s head, I went to see Du Sheng.

Du Sheng’s lingering consciousness took form. For a long time, he laughed and cried in broken fits.

“What use is it?”

“What use is any of it?”

…

I truly couldn’t offer words of comfort. Once harm was done, things could never return to what they had been.

Du Sheng was pitiful. But being hurt was never a reason to hurt others.

Before disappearing, he bowed deeply to me.

His final words scattered on the wind.

“If only I’d met you sooner…”

Yes.

If only he’d met me sooner.

Yin Linfeng imprisoned the inner demon within himself and grew even sleepier.

Presumably, the inner demon had caused his drowsiness those earlier days too.

But he’d always endured in silence. No matter how terrible the pain, he wouldn’t make a sound.

On our wedding day, Yin Linfeng had grown much thinner.

Even the wedding clothes tailored for him now hung loosely.

I gently supported his waist from behind.

Whenever he looked at me, he was smiling.

Many people came to our wedding banquet.

From the Mortal Realm, the Heavenly Realm, the Demon Realm.

Everyone who had survived the catastrophe came with gratitude in their hearts.

Because they knew.

The peace of the three realms today had been bought by Yin Linfeng locking the inner demon inside his body.

Only I knew that Yin Linfeng was already an arrow at the end of its flight.

He wouldn’t last beyond today.

Everyone was considerate. They offered a simple blessing and left.

Leaving the time for the two of us.

Yin Linfeng could no longer eat.

He even spat out the grapes I’d peeled for him.

He leaned against my shoulder. Together, we watched the moon.

“A-Li, now you’re my niangzi! Cough, cough!”

I patted his back.

“Yes, my husband.”

Yin Linfeng smiled sweetly, his fox tail swaying a little.

“A-Li, I can’t bear it.”

“Can’t bear what?”

He nestled closer against me.

“Can’t bear to leave you.”

“Can’t bear to make you kill me…”

“Still less can I bear it if you refuse to kill me, choose punishment from the Heavenly Dao instead, and leave me to follow you.”

As expected of a nine-tailed demon fox. So perceptive.

He even knew what I was thinking.

How could I possibly kill the person I loved most?

30

I’d long since decided to die from the Heavenly Dao’s backlash, then use our bond to take Yin Linfeng with me painlessly.

Yin Linfeng coughed several times.

I was about to get him water when he smiled, his face pale.

“Niangzi, bring wine. We haven’t drunk our cross-cupped wedding wine yet.”

But I never imagined Yin Linfeng would poison his own cup.

After drinking, he began coughing up blood.

By the time I realized, it was too late.

Yin Linfeng lay in my arms, his red clothes more vivid than blood.

He said, “Niangzi, I lied to you. I used to get hurt often too. Cough, cough…”

“Stop talking. Stop…”

“Though I don’t wear black, I do wear red.”

My tears fell like beads from a broken string. No matter how I wiped them, they wouldn’t stop.

With difficulty, Yin Linfeng raised his icy hand to wipe my tears.

“Don’t cry, niangzi. Crying makes you less beautiful.”

“Niangzi, do you think we’ll meet again?”

I nodded hard.

We would. We definitely would.

But with an inner demon, there could be no reincarnation. We both knew that.

Yin Linfeng curved his lips. One tear slipped from the corner of his eye.

“Then in the future, we’ll have lots and lots of children. They should take after me. Fox cubs…”

“Yes. Yes, we’ll have lots and lots of fox cubs.”

Yin Linfeng leaned toward my ear, as though he wanted to say something else.

I turned to look at him.

He seized the chance to kiss me. Successful in stealing that kiss, he smiled in satisfaction.

“And there’s something else I lied to you about. Niangzi must forgive me…”

Yin Linfeng fell asleep in my arms.

Forever.

I held him and kept watch for who knew how many days and nights.

I didn’t die.

Only later did I learn what Yin Linfeng had lied about.

The tiger clan was domineering by nature. Though it was called a lovers’ curse, even if the person bound by the pact died, the one who initiated it would be unharmed.

The fox clan was born deeply affectionate. The Life-and-Death Curse sounded terrifying, but a fox’s death would have no effect on the other person.

It was the fortune of three lifetimes to be loved so deeply by Yin Linfeng.

31

I lived for many, many years.

The little dog demon had a little-little dog demon.

That little-little dog demon had a little-little-little dog demon…

One day, the youngest dog demon returned from the mortal world.

He brought me a skewer of candied hawthorn.

“Demon Lord, here! Eat!”

I took it and bit into one.

Tears immediately fell.

Yin Linfeng, I missed you…

The youngest dog demon asked, “Grandma Demon Lord, why are you crying? Doesn’t it taste good?”

I wiped my tears.

“It tastes good. It’s just too sour…”

Having suffered from not reading, I read all the books in the world, trying to find a way to bring Yin Linfeng back.

I’d just finished the last book in my hands when Xuan Yu arrived with new ones.

Xuan Yu was a good Heavenly Emperor.

All these years, he’d worked diligently. Under his rule, no tragedy like Du Sheng’s had ever happened again.

But he remained unmarried. People outside all said he was waiting for me.

“I’ll leave the books here?”

Naturally, Xuan Yu placed them beside my bed.

“Ahem. You’re busy with official duties. In future, there’s no need to personally handle little things like bringing books.”

“No matter. It’s no trouble.”

I lifted my eyelids slightly. My manner was becoming more and more like Yin Linfeng’s.

“What I mean is, you’re an unmarried bachelor. Stop running over to a widow’s house for no reason. How will you marry in the future?”

Xuan Yu lowered his gaze.

“But the person I want to marry is right here.”

“Ying Li, do you know that back in the illusion at Qiushui Town, you…”

“Stop! Xuan Yu, keep this up and we won’t even be friends anymore.”

Sensibly, Xuan Yu closed his mouth.

Finally, he gave a faint smile.

“All right. Friends it is.”

32

I wasn’t someone who liked studying.

But for Yin Linfeng, I studied every day.

I even found a way to go home.

While my parents were still alive, I spent a long time going home by day and returning to the Demon Realm at night.

It was thanks to Yin Linfeng, too, that I learned to face separation in life and death.

Only, all that studying was making me bald.

Would Yin Linfeng dislike me when he saw?

No. I had to find a way to grow hair.

Effort rewards the determined. In books about hair growth, I actually found a kind of silkworm.

It could weave longing.

My longing, day and night, finally found a body one evening.

Yin Linfeng leaned against the doorway, looking at me with a wicked smile.

“Niangzi, your husband is home.”

Later, sure enough, I gave birth to a whole litter of foxes…

Not a single tiger cub!

But Yin Linfeng said it didn’t matter. Next litter, he could give me tigers…

While we admired the moon at Mid-Autumn, Yin Linfeng asked me, “A-Li, how did you stay certain I’d come back?

“If it were me, after so many years, I’d have broken down long ago…”

I curled my lips and showed off a little.

“In the Northern Song period of my world, there was a philosopher named Shao Yong.

“According to his calculations, everything in the world would recur in its entirety after 129,600 years.

“Hawking’s theory of a contracting universe also said that space and time would rewind in exactly the same way.”

“I never dared ask for you to return. I was only looking forward to meeting you again.”

Fortunately, I’d always been a little lucky.

(The End)