Chapter 3#
The Little Trash Tamed the Sinister Demon King (03)
The next day, the human procession stopped the bridal sedan chair at the boundary between the human and demon realms, then quietly withdrew.
Ling Yan still lounged lazily on the soft couch inside the sedan, idly stroking the black cat in his arms as he waited for whatever came next.
Before long, a gust of wind stirred outside the sedan, mingled with the sound of hurried footsteps. The black cat in his arms abruptly opened its eyes, a flicker of golden light flashing in its pupils. It sprang up, leaped lightly from Ling Yan’s embrace, and darted out of the sedan.
Ling Yan frowned slightly and called out, “Where are you going?”
He rolled off the couch and lifted the sedan curtain. Outside, a dense crowd of over a hundred demons surrounded the sedan, and the black cat was already nowhere in sight.
Four black bear demons were preparing to lift the sedan. Several pythons nearby fiddled with suonas, as if studying how to play them, while a few rabbits hopped onto the sedan roof scattering flower petals.
Tigers and lions led the procession ahead, peacocks and eagles circled and danced in the sky—a spectacle of “chaotic demon revelry,” truly magnificent.
Ling Yan was silent for a moment, then turned to the black bear demon beside him who was about to lift the sedan.
“Are you all… performing acrobatics?”
Reject animal performances, but you can’t stop the animals from insisting on performing.
The black bear demon gave a simple, honest smile and replied with a thick accent.
“The demon queen must be kidding! We’re here to pick up the bride!”
“…”
The corner of Ling Yan’s mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. “Why do you have an accent when you speak?”
The black bear demon scratched his head sheepishly. “The master who taught me human speech used to live in Henan. Can’t seem to shake this accent.”
“…”
Ling Yan looked at this bizarre bridal procession before him, momentarily speechless.
The black bear demon pointed eagerly at the sedan. “Demon queen, please get in the sedan. Don’t miss the auspicious hour!”
Ling Yan glanced at the black bear demon with slight disdain, sighed helplessly, turned lazily back into the sedan, and reclined on the couch again.
The black bear demon added earnestly in that Henan accent, “Demon queen, don’t forget to put on your red veil!”
Ling Yan glanced at the red veil at his side, casually grabbed it, and draped it over his head—his vision instantly plunged into a sea of red.
The next moment, the black bear demon bellowed, “Lift the sedan!”
The large bridal sedan was steadily lifted by several black bear demons and began to move forward slowly. The rabbits on the roof kept scattering flower petals, which fluttered down in a shower.
The pythons beside them blew their suonas with all their might, producing a screeching, chaotic noise. Their serpentine bodies twisted into several loops in time with the “rhythm.”
A fox scattering flowers laughed and teased, “Brother Snake, your horn-playing is really something!”
The python boasted in the brief gaps between breaths. “Of course! Last night when the demon king said we were picking up the bride, my horn was the loudest!”
“Screech—”
Another jarring blast of the suona rang out. It sounded less like a wedding procession and more like a death knell, an auditory torture in public.
Ling Yan frowned slightly, a vein pulsing on his temple. His inner voice practically ground his teeth: [Second brother, did the nine before me… also have to endure this kind of torture?]
Ling Xiaoqi in the space was completely stunned by this spectacle.
He hurriedly flipped through the records of the previous nine taskers and said dazedly, [No, big brother! The nine before you were all abandoned at the border by the humans and left alone. No demons came to receive them. They had to find their own way into the demon city, and only then were they discovered by the demon king… who crushed them directly, and finally their flesh was sent back to the humans…]
Ling Yan clenched his teeth, the hair-raising sound of the suona still grating on his ears. He practically ground out his words.
[Then what’s going on now?]
[…]
Ling Xiaoqi was silent for a few seconds, then carefully speculated. [Could it be… a new torture method the demon king came up with for the wedding?]
[…]
“Screech—”
The grating suona continued unabated.
Unable to bear it any longer, Ling Yan yanked off the red veil, strode to the side of the sedan, lifted the curtain, and pointed at the python still blowing furiously. “You! Shut up! Yes, I’m talking to you! Stop this instant!”
Instantly, all the demons stopped what they were doing and focused their gazes on him.
The python put down its “horn” in a daze.
The world finally regained its silence.
Ling Yan let out a long sigh of relief, satisfied, and lowered the curtain. He lay back down on the couch.
Outside the sedan, the python played with its instrument in grievance and asked the fox beside him in a low voice, “Fox, why won’t the demon queen let me play my horn?”
The fox was also bewildered. “Well…”
The curtain was suddenly lifted again, and Ling Yan’s stunning face appeared once more.
He glanced at the python casually and said, “That’s a suona, not a horn. And you play it like a funeral dirge, not a wedding march.”
The python sniffled in grievance, staring blankly at the “horn” in his hands—
No, the suona—at a loss.
Ling Yan lowered the curtain again, lazily lay back, casually grabbed the red veil, and carelessly draped it over his head.
The python looked pitifully at the fox, who could only return a helpless gaze. So it could only sorrowfully pick up the suona, silently wriggling its body forward, even shedding two drops of serpent tears.
The demon queen had only just married in on her first day, and the snake got scolded.
Snake feels wronged.
But snake dares not say a word.
－
Meanwhile, after slipping out of the sedan, the black cat flickered and vanished. In an instant, it reappeared deep within the demon city, inside the palace. It leaped lightly onto the long flight of steps, moving swiftly like a shadow.
As it ascended the steps, the black cat’s form gradually elongated and transformed, ultimately taking the shape of a man.
He was tall and straight, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. A flowing black robe swept the ground, embroidered with golden threads in subtle serpent patterns, like a dragon shadow gliding through the dark. His jet-black hair hung straight down to his hips. His face was extraordinarily handsome, with long, narrow eyes as deep as an abyss, exuding a cold golden luster in his pupils.
Especially the small red mole at the outer corner of his left eye, which added a touch of eerie allure to his icy demeanor.
He entered the main hall, and Yan Xi immediately stepped forward, bowing respectfully. “King, you have returned.”
Mo Yan’s narrow golden eyes swept over faintly. “Go, fetch my wedding robe.”
“… "
Seeing Yan Xi make no move, Mo Yan’s gaze darkened, and he frowned. “What are you standing there for?”
Yan Xi rubbed his head dumbly, answering cautiously. “King, there is no wedding robe.”
“What do you mean ’no’?”
“It’s… it hasn’t been made yet.”
Mo Yan’s voice turned cold. “Am I not to be wed? How can a wedding be without a robe?”
“… "
Yan Xi’s body trembled, and he couldn’t help but take half a step back, falling to his knees with a thud. He reported in a low voice. “The king had previously said that the marriage alliance was merely a human conspiracy, not sincere… Your subordinate assumed you were not serious, so… the robe was never prepared.”