Chapter 73: The Forceful Rejection of Marriage

Yun Jiao felt a burning fire in her chest and had the urge to tear the paper apart right then and there. Yet her face remained calm and composed, her voice as steady as ever.

“What is the meaning of this?”

“This is the marriage contract Father just wrote,” Ji Chen replied as he followed her into the room.

“No,” Yun Jiao blinked in disbelief. “Wasn’t he going to prepare my payment? Why did he suddenly send me a marriage contract?”

“This is the payment,” Ji Chen said matter-of-factly. “The most precious thing in the Demon King’s palace is, of course, the position of queen.” His tone was perfectly serious, but his eyes carried a hint of resentment—an expression that said: I treated you as my savior, but you want to become my stepmother?

What kind of casual nonsense was this demon realm running on?!

“Who said I wanted to be—” Yun Jiao had a hundred curses on the tip of her tongue.

Before she could continue, all the attendants in the room suddenly knelt before her and shouted in unison,

“Congratulations, Your Majesty the Queen!”

“……”

Queen your sister! Stop calling me that, for heaven’s sake!

“Ever since my mother passed away five hundred years ago, Father has never shown interest in taking another wife. I never thought he would decide to marry again—and to you, no less.” Ji Chen looked at her with a mixture of melancholy and pity.

What the hell—so this was going to be a second marriage?! And what was that look supposed to mean?! Why did he sound like the victim here?!

Yun Jiao took a deep breath, forcing down the stampeding herd of curses in her chest, and found her composure again. “I think there’s been a misunderstanding. Where is the Demon King right now? I need to talk to him.”

She only wanted her payment, not revenge!

“Father has already announced the marriage to the entire demon realm,” Ji Chen said gravely. “He’s probably busy discussing the wedding arrangements right now.”

“Take me to him.” She had to clear this up immediately.

“But…” Ji Chen hesitated. “The wedding is tomorrow. You shouldn’t meet before the ceremony—it’s bad luck.”

“Tomorrow?!” Yun Jiao was dumbfounded. How fast do these demons get married?!

“Take me to him. Now. Immediately.”

“Doctor Yun—”

“If you don’t want anything to happen to your sister,” she said coldly, glancing at the cat demon on the bed, “you’d better do as I say.”

Ji Chen froze, then sighed and turned to lead her toward the side hall.

---

The Demon King had been single for over five centuries. Never had he imagined that he would one day find himself remarrying—and to a mortal, no less.

Just thinking about that little Doctor Yun made his heart feel strangely warm.

He had never thought much of mortals. In his eyes, humans were devious creatures, unlike demons who were straightforward—if there was a disagreement, you simply fought it out. Besides, humans were so weak; one accidental blow and they’d die.

Sure, some demons liked to harvest human life energy to enhance their cultivation, but he’d always found that practice ridiculous. Human life force was so fragile—what use could it be? It was far more effective to cultivate on your own.

He had looked down on mortals his entire life… until Hu Ji brought back this “Doctor Yun.”

At first, he hadn’t expected much. Yet in mere moments, she had done what all the demon physicians of the realm had failed to accomplish—she healed Li’er’s seemingly hopeless wounds. Using nothing but a few silver needles, she saved his daughter’s life and even restored her human form.

For the first time, the Demon King had to rethink his view of mortals. He realized he had underestimated the human world—there were truly remarkable individuals among them. If such a person could be brought to serve the demon realm, their standing among the Three Realms might rise considerably.

As a capable ruler, the thought of keeping her in the demon realm naturally crossed his mind. But when she asked for “the most precious reward,” he had paused to think carefully.

For someone of her skill, gold and jewels were meaningless. Rare herbs and spiritual treasures—she must have already seen plenty of those. Surely many had offered her mountains of treasures just to seek her aid.

As the Demon King, he mentally went through all the priceless artifacts in his palace, yet none felt “precious” enough. Unless… she hadn’t meant an object at all, but something else.

After much deliberation, he realized that the most precious thing in his entire palace—aside from himself—was the position of queen.

Could it be that what she truly wanted… was to marry him?

The Demon King’s face flushed red. He hadn’t thought much of it earlier, but now that everything was arranged, his heart was pounding uncontrollably.

Over the years, many female demons had tried to court him, but none had ever stirred his heart. Yet somehow, when it came to Doctor Yun, he had agreed instantly, almost instinctively.

Half of it was for practical reasons—she was clearly a talent, and keeping her would only benefit the demon realm.

But the other half… well, he couldn’t deny it. The image of her composed, stern face flashed through his mind, and he suddenly realized—she was actually quite pretty. Unexpectedly, she was exactly his type.

(//▽//)

His heart beat even faster.

“Your Majesty,” a demon soldier reported, bowing deeply. “The order announcing your marriage has been sent across the entire demon realm. Every tribe within a hundred miles of the palace has already begun traveling to the capital to attend the ceremony.”

The demons were efficient creatures. Their king had been single for centuries, and everyone had long hoped he would finally take a consort. Now that he had decided to remarry, their excitement was unmatched.

And since demons weren’t bound by human formalities, things moved quickly—within just half an hour, the news of the Demon King’s wedding had spread throughout the entire realm. By now, countless demons had already gathered in the royal city, ready to witness the event.

“Good,” the Demon King said, coughing lightly as he composed himself. “Make sure everything is handled perfectly.”

“Yes, my king!”

Just as he was about to give more instructions, a small demon rushed in. “Your Majesty, Doctor Yun is waiting outside the hall. She says she has something urgent to discuss.”

“She… she’s here?” The Demon King was startled. Could it be she was so eager to see him that she couldn’t wait even a moment longer?

A wave of excitement swept through him. His heart fluttered with a strange sweetness, and he was about to say, Let her in, when the doors burst open and Yun Jiao stormed in.

“Your Majesty, there’s been a misunderstanding—I can explain!” she said, waving the marriage contract in her hand. Her heart was blazing with fury, though her face remained calm and composed.

The demons who had been discussing the wedding preparations all turned to look at her, their gazes flicking meaningfully toward the Demon King—some even carried faintly teasing smiles.

The Demon King coughed awkwardly and straightened up, his chest swelling slightly with pride. See? he thought smugly. That’s your future queen.

“You may all leave,” he said, waving his attendants away. Once the hall was empty, he turned toward the intruder with a warm smile. “Doctor Yun—ah, I mean… Little Yun, what’s so urgent?”

“My name is Yun Jiao!” she snapped. Little Yun? What the hell kind of nickname is that?!

“Yun Jiao,” the Demon King repeated obediently, his tone soft and indulgent—three parts amusement, seven parts… affection.

(End of Chapter)