Chapter 20: Xunxun, You’re Too Playful
Nan Xun was just about to say something when, all of a sudden, Little Eight excitedly shouted, “Whoa whoa whoa! I just checked—the Demon King’s malice value has dropped by another five points! It’s 70 now!”
Hearing this, Nan Xun’s eyes lit up. She immediately felt that the future was bright—bringing the Demon King’s malice value down to zero was just around the corner!
Once her mood improved, her appetite improved as well, which made Lu Sui and the others greatly relieved.
For several days in a row, every night at midnight, the Demon King would sneak into Nan Xun’s small hall and then cling to her desperately, tumbling and turning as he “flipped pancakes” over and over again.
Nan Xun really wanted to open her eyes and catch him red-handed, but for some reason, although she could clearly feel him, she simply couldn’t open her eyes. Aside from moaning and panting, she couldn’t utter a single extra word.
Nan Xun was so frustrated she felt stifled.
After the Demon King climbed into her bed night after night, yet rumors still spread the next day that he spent every night in revelry, favoring demon beasts, Nan Xun finally understood—those tales of the Demon King bedding multiple women were all smoke and mirrors. He had never actually touched those female demon beasts.
“Xunxun.”
The man’s deep, hoarse voice, tinged with the mellow scent of wine, sounded softly by her ear, intoxicating her slightly.
Nan Xun had told Lu Sui and the other maids that her nickname was Xunxun. She’d been afraid that if someone called her Xuanxuan or Little Xuan, she might not react in time and give herself away. But she had only ever heard the maids call her Xunxun in playful, teasing tones—never in a voice so deep, gentle, and carrying a scorching warmth that seemed to touch the soul itself.
Her ears felt itchy, tingly, almost numb, as though she were pregnant again.
Nan Xun desperately wanted to open her eyes. This time, she finally managed to do so. She felt the heavy weight pressing down on her and saw, in the darkness, those blood-red eyes shimmering with a faint glow.
Those blood-colored pupils stared straight at her.
“You—” Nan Xun opened her mouth, but before she could finish her sentence, the man’s cool, thin lips suddenly clamped down on hers, sealing her words away.
When Nan Xun once again melted into a puddle of weakness, the Demon King wrapped her entirely in his arms from behind, resting his chin atop her head and tightly locking his hands around her slender waist.
Both pairs of eyes gazed out at the moon beyond the window—one jet-black and bright, the other blood-red and frightening. For a time, neither spoke.
“The moon is really big and round tonight…” Nan Xun murmured dryly.
The Demon King hummed softly behind her and said, “No matter how beautiful the scenery, in my eyes it doesn’t compare to even one-thousandth of Xunxun.”
Nan Xun’s mouth twitched. “Little Eight, what’s wrong with the Demon King today? It’s like he suddenly unlocked the sweet-talker skill overnight.”
The cowardly Little Eight didn’t dare make a sound at this moment.
“Xunxun, do you still resent me?” the Demon King asked.
Nan Xun froze. “Resent you for what? For making me drink the abortion potion, or for neglecting me for several months?”
These words made the Demon King’s arms tighten abruptly. After a long moment, his guilt-filled voice sounded from behind her. “Xunxun, I… don’t blame me. Xunxun, that child truly couldn’t be kept. With your mere human body, how could you withstand the tyrannical bloodline of a four-clawed Crimson Blood Teng Snake? The child would have taken your life, and I couldn’t bear to see you die. As for those women rumored outside, I never touched a single one of them.”
“I don’t believe you,” Nan Xun snorted lightly.
The Demon King sighed, somewhat helpless. “Although I am a demon beast, I never lie.”
Nan Xun touched her belly. Seeing this, the guilt in the Demon King’s eyes deepened even further.
“Then… will I never be able to have children in the future?” Nan Xun asked softly, tinged with sadness.
The Demon King pulled her fiercely into his arms and said in a low voice, “Xunxun, you will. I will find a way to improve your constitution so that you can bear my bloodline. So this time—don’t blame me, alright?”
Nan Xun nodded slightly and replied softly, “Alright. I’ll trust you this once. You call me Xunxun—then what should I call you? Do you have a name?”
The Demon King paused.
A name…
“Call me Xue Ming,” he said. His gaze shifted slightly as he added with a touch of self-mockery, “No one has called me by that name for tens of thousands of years.”
Nan Xun turned around, looked at him earnestly, and cupped his face. “Then I’ll call you that every day, okay? Xue Ming, Xue Ming, Xue Ming…”
That name—unused for tens of thousands of years—was softly murmured again and again from the lips of the woman before him. Xue Ming’s heart pounded fiercely. His blood-red eyes narrowed, and he flipped over, pinning her beneath him.
Nan Xun sighed inwardly. “Little Eight, you were right. Snakes really are inherently lewd—especially an old lecherous snake.”
After riding out another wave, Xue Ming directly carried Nan Xun back to the Demon King’s sleeping palace, where there was an especially large bathing pool.
This great demon’s possessiveness was far too strong. He wouldn’t allow the maids to wash Nan Xun; instead, he did it himself, truly scrubbing her from head to toe, inside and out.
Just after finishing, he stared at Nan Xun’s naked body, and suddenly his gaze burned once more—so intense it felt as if it could bore holes straight through her.
Nan Xun knew things were bad. She kicked him straight into the water, making Xue Ming swallow several mouthfuls of her bathwater, then scrambled frantically toward the edge of the pool.
But the very next moment, something happened in that bath that Nan Xun would never forget for the rest of her life.
A slippery snake tail suddenly coiled around her waist—blood-red, its scales gleaming with a crimson sheen, terrifying to behold.
“Xunxun, you’re too playful,” came the man’s dark voice from behind, carrying a trace of icy amusement.
Nan Xun was on the verge of tears. “Holy crap, Little Eight—such a huge snake tail! I knew this day would come, but I didn’t think it’d come this fast…”
Dragged backward by the snake tail, Nan Xun was pulled all the way back into the man’s arms.
Seeing that handsome, wickedly charming face, Nan Xun let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness—at least when she turned around, she wasn’t faced with a gigantic snake head. Half-human, half-snake was still barely acceptable.
“Xunxun, are you afraid of me?” Xue Ming asked, his voice carrying a rare gentleness.
Nan Xun forced out a smile. “Seeing it suddenly like this is naturally a bit scary, but once I see it more often, I’ll definitely stop being afraid.”
Xue Ming’s thin lips curled. “I understand. From now on, I’ll half-transform every day. Once you get used to seeing me like this, I’ll reveal my full beast form. By then, you won’t be afraid anymore.”
Nan Xun: “……”
Seeing her fall silent, Xue Ming’s gaze darkened, and his voice suddenly turned cold. “Were you lying to me just now? Are you afraid of my beast form? Do you think my beast form is ugly?”
Nan Xun wailed inwardly. “Little Eight, the Demon King is a moody, deranged lunatic! With this half-man, half-snake monstrosity, am I supposed to say it looks good? But if I say his beast form is ugly, do you think he’ll fly into a rage and eat me?”
The cowardly Little Eight was destined not to answer her.
