Chapter 67

They made a ruckus in front of the door for a long time before Bai Lianxue finally shuffled out from behind the house. Turns out she hadn’t been home earlier.

“How can she be restored to normal?”

Zhu Ming didn’t ask how Tang Qiaoqi ended up like this; it was most likely the result of spending a night in the demon’s house. She only wanted to know how to turn this little troublemaker back to normal.

Bai Lianxue was holding a small basket of fried dough sticks, sesame flatbread, and tofu pudding. She shrugged. “One sip. I’ll give you the answer and throw in a free breakfast.”

Having just eaten two dry, bland pastries, Zhu Ming licked her lips and shamelessly agreed.

The two humans and one demon sat down right there by her door.

Zhu Ming slightly loosened her grip. Tang Qiaoqi immediately ducked behind Bai Lianxue, grabbing her sleeve and leering at Zhu Ming. “Overthrow the humans… Mmph!”

Zhu Ming swiftly stuffed a fried dough stick into her mouth. She really couldn’t stand hearing her anti-human declarations anymore.

With her mouth blocked, Tang Qiaoqi’s attention was drawn to the fried dough stick. She obediently ate it and quieted down.

Bai Lianxue stroked her hair and truthfully stated, “To undo this state, there’s only one way.”

“What?”

“Complete the mission and leave the dungeon.”

“…”

Having lost her sense of self, Tang Qiaoqi certainly couldn’t tear the Invitation Letter herself after the mission was complete. Zhu Ming would have to help her.

But as anyone could figure, things would be extremely dangerous after mission completion.

If a teammate lacked conscience, the participant who ventured into the tiger’s den would simply become a sacrificial pawn.

Having eaten and drunk her fill, Zhu Ming stood up and brushed her hands off. Tang Qiaoqi alertly looked up and shook her tiny fist at her. Zhu Ming cracked her knuckles threateningly. Tang Qiaoqi retracted her neck and lowered her head, continuing to gnaw on her flatbread.

“Say, can you help keep an eye on her? Don’t let her chase me all over the place.”

Bai Lianxue refused directly. “She is the Fox King’s next fiancée. Demons cannot offend her. So you’ll have to deal with her yourself.”

Never in her wildest dreams did Zhu Ming expect the dungeon’s greatest obstacle to be her own teammate.

Thus, the rest of the day, Zhu Ming and Tang Qiaoqi began an exercise mini-game of ‘she flees, she chases, neither can escape.’

Every time Zhu Ming knocked the weapon out of Tang Qiaoqi’s hands, she’d turn around, slip into someone else’s house, and grab another weapon. Unable to bear it, Zhu Ming would pin her to the ground for a bit, but afraid of crushing her if she pressed too long, she’d let her go to stretch her own limbs.

“Compatriots of the entire Demon Market! The time to rebel has arrived! Charge, charge, charge! Kill, kill, kill! Slice human flesh for hot pot, waa-ya-ya!”

After a cleaver, a sharp knife, a sickle, a wooden club, an iron pot… and other conventional weapons, Tang Qiaoqi fearlessly charged again, hoisting a new weapon.

It was a watermelon. Green and round, plump and heavy.

Tang Qiaoqi’s two skinny arms trembled visibly from the weight; she could barely lift it. Shrieking and wailing, she hurled the melon at Zhu Ming.

Zhu Ming sneered. With a lift of her hand, she caught the melon directly.

Her hands suddenly empty, Tang Qiaoqi froze. “My… melon…”

Holding the melon, Zhu Ming weighed it in her hands. Her heart, tormented all day, was now hard as iron. With the deceptive calm before a storm, she asked gently, “Do you know what kind of fate used to await people like you?”

Tang Qiaoqi clenched her fist, her voice ringing with righteousness. “Overthrow all paper tigers! Sweep away evil humans!”

Zhu Ming: “Heh, very well.”

A vicious grin flashed across her face, and she directly crushed the watermelon.

SPLAT—

The bursting rind, along with bright red flesh and sweet, fragrant watermelon juice, sprayed all over Tang Qiaoqi’s face.

“You can try it. Next time, I’ll see if it’s a watermelon or your head that explodes.”

Faced with such a cruel, ruthless threat, Tang Qiaoqi took a trembling step forward on shaky legs, crying, “I won’t fall until humans fall! I am Earth’s little baby!”

Zhu Ming: “…”

Unable to endure any longer, Zhu Ming directly knocked Tang Qiaoqi out.

She hoped Tang Qiaoqi wouldn’t hold her brutality against her when she woke up. And that two hundred thousand would be transferred without a single cent missing.

A short while later, the setting sun dipped in the west, and the sky grew dark.

Almost all the demons on the street poured out. A festive melody abruptly started up, and someone shouted in a high, thin voice, “The auspicious hour has arrived—the bride ascends the sedan!”

Zhu Ming turned around to see a red sedan chair carried by four short demons who couldn’t yet fully take human form. Four white lanterns hung from the corners of the sedan. Such a festive chair, yet decorated with white lanterns, added an extra layer of eerie malevolence.

Time was too tight. Zhu Ming scooped up Tang Qiaoqi and bolted.

The sedan and its bearers floated after them, light as air, closing the distance rapidly. Closer and tighter it pursued. The auspicious hour has arrived; the bride ascends the sedan —the voice repeated endlessly, like a death knell.

Zhu Ming wasn’t trying to evade entirely; she just wanted to find a safe spot near the square to leave Tang Qiaoqi first.

After putting Tang Qiaoqi down, Zhu Ming cooperatively sat inside the red sedan.

The bearers carried her in a full circle along the town’s main street, with music and fanfare, incredibly festive. It was clearly mimicking a human wedding ceremony.

But sitting inside the sedan, Zhu Ming searched around and still couldn’t find any clue related to lighting the lantern.

What about the bride being able to light the lantern?

Zhu Ming lifted the curtain. The Fox King’s residence was getting closer and closer, and the main gate, which had remained tightly shut all along, finally revealed a deep black opening.

“Since I am the King’s bride, I should have the right to light the lantern. How do I do so, may I ask?”

A sedan bearer slurred, “Only the Great King knows.”

Seeing she’d get no answer here, Zhu Ming had to set aside her question for now. When the red sedan stopped before the Fox King’s gate, a fat red-furred fox, as tall as a human, dressed in a groom’s outfit with a big red flower sash tied across its chest, sauntered out.

Though the fox was in beast form, its four limbs were incredibly nimble. Like a human, it lifted the sedan curtain and tried to tie the other end of the red flower ribbon to Zhu Ming’s hand.

Zhu Ming pulled her hand back. “Great King, what do we do next?”

The Fox King squeaked with laughter. “Pay respects at the wedding altar, of course.” Indeed, this voice was the Dungeon Boss’s.

Zhu Ming asked again, “Like humans, first bow to the heavens and earth?”

The Fox King said, “Yes. You don’t approve?”

Zhu Ming certainly didn’t. “In that case, we can just bow outside too. It’s the same thing. Great King, since you are getting married tonight, shouldn’t we light the lantern for a lively celebration?”

The Fox King squinted and smiled. “You want to light the lantern?”

“Yes. How do I light it?”

The Fox King said, “Are you sure?”

Zhu Ming asked back, “Am I not allowed? Or will the Great King harm me if I light it?”

“No, how could I harm a guest?” The Fox King tugged at his whiskers. “You are right, we should light the lantern to celebrate. My fiancée, please—”

The Fox King gestured for Zhu Ming to take hold of the red ribbon, then led her before the fox statue for the first bow to the heavens and earth.

The demons gathered in the square, laughing and cheering. A bizarrely dressed master of ceremonies sang out:

“The auspicious hour is here, oh my, oh dear! Willow leaves green and flowers so red! The Fox King is here to take a bride! First bow to the heavens with her by his side! Then into the bridal chamber, the groom and the bride! You kiss me and I kiss you, hearts and livers we’ll taste right through! Bone splinters mixed in with the flesh! Liver, brains, and marrow, oh so fresh!”

“First bow to the heavens and earth—”

The Fox King raised his paw, and together with Zhu Ming, tossed the red flower upwards. The flower floated up lightly, higher and higher, until it landed directly on the lantern held by the statue. In an instant, boundless red light blazed forth.

Zhu Ming froze, suddenly feeling her head swim.

Beware the lanterns. What the participants had to light—was also the lantern.

The festive red light shone down from the highest point, illuminating the entire town without leaving a single blind spot. Looking around, everything was bathed in red light. Every demon, without exception, was soaked in its glow. Light reflected in their eyes, their mouths grinned exaggeratedly, emitting sharp, crowding, eerie laughter.

The laughter merged into a continuous wave, drowning Zhu Ming like an endless sea.

The Fox King joyfully wagged his large tail. “Bride, bride, enter my bridal chamber!”

Such merry laughter, such a harmonious, happy little town—it infected Zhu Ming, bringing a smile to her face too.

What a blissful place, what an adorably goofy big fox, what warm and friendly demons! Soon, she too would join this big, happy family.

The sweet, honey-like red light was an omen of happiness. Watching the dancing demons around her, Zhu Ming couldn’t help but shake her limbs and tail along with them… tail?

Where did a tail come from?

Confused, Zhu Ming looked down behind her and saw on her hazy shadow, a long, twisted shadow slowly growing outward.

Did I poop myself?!

Holy crap!

This reflexive, disgusting, and absurd thought exploded inside Zhu Ming’s mind, bringing with it a distinctly human terror and shame that instantly made her aware of the problem.

Of course, she hadn’t actually pooped herself, nor was a real tail growing above her rear.

The problem was with her brain and her shadow.

Zhu Ming pinched herself hard, grimacing from the pain she caused herself.

The Fox King pressed closer step by step. “Time to bow to the parents, bride!”

The master of ceremonies wriggled his waist as he sang: “Bow to the parents, see Mom and Dad! Look down at the red cloth bag! Open the bag and take a peek! All smiles with yellow and white so sleek—”

That singing, that laughter, burrowed into her ears like ants incessantly crawling in.

One moment she was dizzy and confused, the next nauseous and faint. An inexplicable joy and closeness made Zhu Ming desperately want to stay, to become a person of the Demon Market. But her reason told her that if she didn’t flee now, it would be too late.

Zhu Ming turned and ran toward Tang Qiaoqi, stumbling. She had to use pain to maintain her sanity.

“Bride, watch out or I’ll eat you!”

The Fox King leaped in front of Zhu Ming, trying to block her path with his tail.

Zhu Ming sneered and shoved him away. “Get lost! Before the wedding is complete, you can’t make a move against me, can you?”

The Fox King squeaked, not angered, and surprisingly released his grip.

Zhu Ming continued running toward Tang Qiaoqi. Luckily, Tang Qiaoqi was right where she’d left her in the square, close by. But too many demons had gathered to watch. They squeezed in maliciously, preventing Zhu Ming from running straight there.

Wearing the large red flower that symbolized her status, Zhu Ming struggled to push through the demons. The longer she was delayed, the heavier her steps became. It was as if her body refused to obey and just wanted to go back.

No. She had to get Tang Qiaoqi away from here. Just in case… just in case she herself got out first, and Tang Qiaoqi foolishly married the Fox King and got eaten. That would be terrible.

Right, the lantern-lighting mission was complete, so her Supernatural Abilities should be usable now… No, why still couldn’t she use them?

Zhu Ming looked at the demons, who were making no aggressive moves toward her. She roughly understood. In a dungeon, participants and NPCs had equal rights. This dungeon chose to maintain the rules until the very end.

Participants didn’t have to face a frenzied counterattack from the demon horde after completing the mission, but similarly, they still couldn’t use their Supernatural Abilities.

Whether this was a good or bad thing, she didn’t know.

Just as Zhu Ming finally managed to break through the encircling demons and breathe a breath of fresh air, she bumped straight into someone’s embrace.

It was a soft woman, carrying a rich fragrance. She wore a sexy, low-cut long dress, her hair as thick and lush as seaweed, her lips as vivid as fresh blood.

Zhu Ming slowly looked up. There was a brief moment of dazed confusion upon seeing that gorgeous face, then she snapped alert instantly.

This person wore modern attire, clearly not an NPC of the town.

“A participant?”

How had she managed this, hiding in the town without being discovered the entire time?

“Wrong?” The woman’s vermilion-polished fingertip gently tapped Zhu Ming’s lip. “Not a participant, not an NPC. I’m a guest.”

The Fox King squeaked with sharp laughter. “The experiment is a success! Ai ya ya, Miss Zhu, you can’t leave anymore.”

In that moment, driven by her sharp intuition, Zhu Ming subconsciously moved to tear the Invitation Letter in her pocket. But this gorgeous guest directly dislocated Zhu Ming’s arm with a swift move, then bound her tightly with a soft rope.

The rope was very familiar. It was clearly the whip Willow Waist had used, incredibly nimble and deft in her hands.