Accidentally Married A Fox God - The sovereign lord spoils his wife
Chapter 10 - Truly Mesmerizing
Chapter 10 - Truly Mesmerizing
Finding Zhou Shang was indeed quite easy. Bai QingYue swiftly glided through the barren hills, dense forests and run-down villages until he reached a more densely populated region.
The moment he ventured in among the humans, he was met with no end of curious glances and peculiar stares.
Realizing quickly that he had to disguise himself, and making do with what resources he had, he snatched a large round hat with a veil and tied his hair up neatly in a bun to hide its striking and unusual colour, as well as conceal his facial features. As it were, being so tall, he still stood out. Luckily he managed to pass for a human.
His keen sense of smell led him to a tall building called The Blossoming Petals. As he walked in, strong artificial scents mixed with alcohol assaulted his sensitive nose. Had he not certainly tracked the Demon Hunter's scent moving into the tavern, this chaos of smells might have been enough to throw him off the trail.
The lodge was crowded, filled to the brim with people. Men in varying stages of inebriation were cheering for the dancers on the main stage. There were dim yellow lights and heavy smoke from incense spread everywhere. His senses ached from this environment yet he gave away nothing in his facial expression. Bai Qingyue maintained an aloof and uninterested facade.
A woman in a blood red dress rose to the stage and hushed the crowd. The men then settled down and Bai Qingyue hid at the corner of the room, lurking in the shadows.
Almost immediately, he spotted Zhou Shang, who stood out rather prominently with his large fur cloak and rugged features.
Suddenly, he detected the familiar scent of iron mixed with something sweet. Fresh blood. Glancing towards the stage again, his gaze was captured by a girl whose wrist was being held up by the Red Woman operating the show, as blood trickled down her arm.
The bleeding girl was a vision clad in silk like the rest of the girls on stage, but something about her made him unable to look away. Her luscious lips and beguiling eyes called to him, her jet-black hair flowed and swayed around her like a black halo as she miserably tried to escape the older woman's grasp.
Perhaps, he thought, that it was that frightened expression of a cornered rabbit that truly captivated him.
The men were bidding on her. Her value apparently lessened because of the scars on her face.
Just watching the scene aggravated him. His bright eyes darkened into molten amber, and the temperature around him plummeted to a murderous chill.
As luck would have it, his target was the one who made the final bid on the girl.
Zhou Shang still sat there casually, completely unaware of his impending demise...
Soon the bidding came to an end and all the girls were dragged away. Those who bid highest quickly scattered to enjoy their purchases, the rest demanded more entertainment.
Bai Qingyue followed Zhou Shang silently and undetected. This might have been more difficult to accomplish, had Zhou Shang not been tipsy with alcohol, his mind clouded. As he slipped past them, his keen hearing caught onto the words of a few whispering villagers.
"I ran away to the city as soon as I heard the news."
"Nearly all of the monastery… slaughtered, It was the work of a Weasel Demoness out for revenge and a Fox Demon colluding together. The Weasel died but the Fox escaped unharmed."
"There are hunters everywhere tonight looking for the Fox Demon, one of the priests that survived managed to draw up a portrait. Even the famous Virtuous Sword sect had sent disciples to apprehend the creature."
'Great. More trouble.' thought Bai Qingyue, clacking his tongue. It seemed he would have to go into hiding after this ordeal. Zhou Shang disappeared into one of the rooms and, silent as a shadow, he slipped in after him.
The girl was inside, pleading for the man to let her go.
She screamed and shrieked, the salty scent of her tears struck him as he opened the door and caught the man on top of her with his trousers hung low and defenseless. Seizing the perfect opportunity, he quickly grabbed one of the arrows scattered in the corner and shoved it straight into Zhou Shang's heart through his broad back.
Zhou Shang would have screamed with his last breath, had Bai Qingyue not flexed his claws and slashed through his vocal cords like butter.
Unfortunately, the girl ended up screaming instead.
"Help! Help me please!" She wailed beneath the dying man.
Bai Qingyue revealed himself as he took off the hat and veil.
"This is to express my gratitude for capturing me at my weakest moment and selling me to Taoist phonies." He said his cold, pitiless farewell to Zhou Shang, just as his life came to an end.
Bai Qingyue pulled the arrow out with a spurt of blood from the open wound and tossed the fresh corpse aside. Zhou Shang's lifeless body hit the corner of the room with a thud, crashing onto his bow and arrows.
He turned back to face the girl on the bed.
Once again he found himself strangely hypnotized by her. All bathed in blood and half covered in silk, the harsh colour on her pale skin created a beautiful contrast, matching her painted red lips. It was all framed by a mass of raven hair spread out on the bed around her like seaweed. Her eyes were moist and shining with tears, black as starry midnight, dark as the abyss, mesmerizing. She was truly a work of art.
She gazed back at him, awe and gratitude clearly showing all over her expression. She viewed him as her saviour, and the sight made him remember what was just about to occur. He couldn't help but sneer in disgust.
He found that he was rather pleased to have reached her in time before she could be defiled. As they stared at each other in silence, his ears picked up the noise outside of people passing by.
They had heard the shrieks and assumed it was the pain of a girl's v.i.r.g.i.nity being taken.
However, it was the following footsteps that alerted him. Someone was approaching fast, quietly and at a steady pace.
It was the softness of the footsteps that made him realize he was dealing with people better trained in martial arts than those he came across before. Still recuperating from his wounds, he preferred to lay low for the night instead of causing an all-out brawl right at that moment.
The girl stared at him dazedly and just as she was opened her mouth, he warned her, lest she decided to scream again.
"Girl, be quiet or speak softly, I won't hesitate to wipe you out as well if you screech again." He noticed how quickly his words changed her attitude. Her cheeks heated up and she requested privacy to dress.
Her embarrassment was strangely endearing, and he found himself wishing to see more of it. Then, realizing his own thoughts, he snorted aloud. What came over him?
With his back turned to her, he assured her that he wouldn't be touching her, his voice filled with disgust.
Just thinking about that man placing his hands on her soured his mood and filled him with unexpected rage.
When she finished dressing, he heard her soft voice calling behind him, it sounded gentle to his ears, almost sweet.
"Thank you so much for saving me. I don't know what I would have done without you. May I please know your name?"
Bai Qingyue glanced back at her, she covered herself better but finding her here in this situation still upset him for reasons unknown to him.
"And here I thought you were just doing your job… my name is not to be uttered by the likes of you."
The fact of the matter was, he was hiding his identity. Why, though? Would she consider him a monster like the rest of the human folk he had encountered here? Best to err on the side of caution.
"Ahem, I should thank you anyway. If you are leaving, can you please take me with you? I beg you, just help me get out of here, and I would owe you a favour for life!" She knelt down in front of him and kowtowed, pleading.
Bai Qingyue was transfixed by her, struck by a spell. The more he saw, the more he liked. The more he heard, the more pleasant she became. Honestly, this strange feeling was already maddening the Fox God. He had never experienced anything like this before.
However, he showed none of his internal conflicts. Masking his thoughts, he smirked at the girl, acting unfazed.
"What could you possibly offer me?" He responded, flexing his fingers.
'If you offer me yourself, I shall consider,' he thought secretly and was brought up short by this. Before she had a chance to say anything, he quickly hushed her and continued.
With a practised sigh, he quickly answered. "Don't bother. I will take you out of here, from the kindness of my heart. But we will have to spend the night in this room, with the stench of this corpse, without you making a sound. I have annoying pests hunting me down now and I need a place to hide for the night."
A half-truth it was. He indeed needed to hide but his instincts also told him not to let this girl leave his sight. She nodded enthusiastically to his demands. His cold eyes glowed in response. The more he gazed at her, the hotter the room became.
In fact, it was becoming so suffocating that he loosened his collar. Exhaling heavily, he couldn't help but mumble under his breath. "Why is it so hot in this tiny place?"
The girl shook her head confused, but her eyes wandered towards the stool on the side of the room where a burnt out candle smoke spread about. His eyes followed hers and his nostrils flared.
