Guilongchao: I played the domineering CEO to the bone.

Chapter 125 Hello? Marriage! (5)

Zhu Sha, a little fox from several hundred years ago.

It was driven out of its pack at birth because its fur was dark reddish-gray and it had three tails, making it look different from other foxes of its kind.

Once, when it was still a little fox, it wandered into human territory—a small mountain village. The simple and honest people in the village, whether old or young, would play with it without any hesitation and throw it some food.

And so, the little cinnabar fox remembered humans as such friendly creatures.

The good times didn't last long. After parting ways with its human friends, it fled into the mountains and encountered the tribe that was driving it away. The foxes, whose fur was mainly orange-red, were disgusted by the grayish-red cinnabar and wanted to drive this outcast away to a faraway place, preferably never to be seen again.

They chased after it, wanting to teach it a lesson; it fled, running away in a panic...

She was forced to a broken cliff, and she fell off the cliff before they stopped.

Fortunately, Zhu Sha, who fell off the cliff, was like the protagonist in a novel. Not only did she not die, but she also gained an opportunity. Yes, it was at that time that Zhu Sha fell into the Dragon Realm of the Ghost Mother. She was infected by the curse and transformed into human form, changing from "it" to "she".

However... whether this is an opportunity or not remains to be seen.

Even after transforming into human form, Zhu Sha retained some wild beast characteristics—three large, fluffy tails trailing behind her, and long, fluffy fox ears atop her head...

When she took human form, she became even more of an anomaly—she was neither human nor beast, nor a dragon skeleton—she couldn't even figure out what she was.

But this human-like body—?

It reminded her of the simple and friendly people in the mountain village.

Speaking of which, when Zhu Sha fell into the Ghost Mother's Dragon Realm, the Ghost Mother noticed her—the Ghost Mother didn't mind letting the insignificant magical power in the Dragon Realm merge with Zhu Sha to create a monster—it saw Zhu Sha's potential and wanted to nurture her properly.

In fact, at that time, the Ghost Mother had already used various means to lure humans into a beautiful illusion through a special ritual. She absorbed their spiritual and soul power as nourishment, and then used the empty shells of these soulless humans to create special dragon skeletons—Ghost Brides—to enhance the foundation of the entire Dragon Realm…

The Ghost Mother thought that if it were a special substance like cinnabar, the ghost bride she created would definitely be amazing, unique, and have great potential.

But Zhu Sha refused!

After she transformed into human form, she was filled with longing for human society and wanted to go back to that small mountain village to see it again.

To win Zhusha's heart, the demon mother hoped to make her a good helper in the future, treating Zhusha as her own daughter. Who would have thought that this little fox spirit would be so ungrateful! She actually refused to wholeheartedly follow her side?!

Zhu Sha felt a certain gratitude towards the Ghost Mother who had transformed her into human form, but she couldn't suppress the urge to leave the Netherworld Dragon Realm and venture into human society. Whenever the Ghost Mother gave her a task, she was always distracted...

The Ghost Mother felt that perhaps her special group of dragon skeletons—the Ghost Bride—needed a rational leader? So she didn't have the heart to turn Zhu Sha into such a irrational monster. Instead, she made her wear a wedding dress, put her under the Ghost Mother's control, and granted her the authority to borrow the Ghost Mother's power.

Year after year, Zhu Sha kept clamoring to go out and see the world, to see where humans live...

Annoyed by the constant nagging, the demon mother threw her out of the Dragon Realm in a fit of anger.

Zhu Sha ran happily toward the place she remembered, bowing repeatedly toward the Dragon Realm of the Yellow Springs Abode, saying that she would come back to see the Ghost Mother again if she had the chance.

The Demon Mother within the Dragon Realm nodded, a wicked smile playing on her lips, suggesting that this matter was not so simple...

Even in human form, Zhu Sha still habitually ran on all fours. She ran and ran...

After she transformed into a human, the cursed power emanating from her and her human form terrified all the wild beasts, who avoided her like the plague—now it was her turn to chase, bite, and drive away the fox pack that had originally driven her away!

However, she didn't exterminate them all; she only retaliated a little, enjoying the thrill of chasing after other foxes—after all, Zhu Sha had to thank them! If it weren't for their expulsion, how would Zhu Sha have had the chance to fall into the Dragon Realm of the Underworld and transform into human form?

'It's so great to be human! It feels so good! Those who used to bully me are all afraid of me now!'

Zhu Sha was covered in dust, his fingernails were thin and long, and between his fingers were faint traces of fox fur and blood left behind during his revenge...

On all fours, with its body low to the ground, it pounced like a cheetah, weaving through branches, grass, mud, and swamps, faster and faster! Faster and faster! Leaving a trail of sharp claw marks!

She was so excited! She couldn't wait to go to that place she remembered! She wanted to play with humans!

Since the birds and beasts in the deep forest don't welcome me, I'll go and live with humans from now on!

And another thing! And another thing! We want to find those humans who fed her when she was a little fox! We want to offer them food too!

Thinking this, Zhu Sha hunted down many jackals, tigers, and leopards on her way to the human village. They were bloodied and disemboweled, their clothes stained crimson with blood, their intestines spilling out onto the ground...

She plans to give these "food" items to her human friends as gifts! They'll be so happy, won't they?!

Gifts... of course, the bigger the better! The more the better! Right?

And so, Zhu Sha dragged the carcasses of wild beasts all over the ground back to the small mountain village she remembered.

'Hmm...did I go to the wrong place? That shouldn't be the case...?'

Zhu Sha gazed at the small mountain village before her. Oh... perhaps it should be called Big Mountain Village now. The houses were all so tall; the little houses made of wood and hay that Zhu Sha remembered were almost nowhere to be seen...

There are hundreds of people in the village! There were only a few dozen back then... How much time has passed? Human reproduction is so fast!

Carrying a "gift," Zhu Sha, covered in blood, emerged from the jungle and entered the small mountain village.

But no matter how she looked, she couldn't see a single human being she remembered.

What is going on here?

Why do these humans run away as soon as they see me? Why don't they come up and feed me meat? Why don't they come up and groom my fur?

How strange! Why did they pick up so many long sticks with metal plates stuck in them (hoes), three long, pointed sticks (forks), and... oh! Those are tables and chairs!

Oh no! They've spotted me! They're coming towards me! Why didn't they bring any food?

No problem! I have some here!

Zhu Sha revealed what he thought was a friendly smile—his face, blurred by blood and dust, still bearing traces of blood, revealed sharp, fanged teeth...

"Ouch—that hurts! Why did they hit me!"

The villagers tentatively attacked Zhu Sha, mercilessly slashing at him with their weapons.

"Monster! Monster!"

'Aww! ...A monster? What's a monster? Why are they calling me a monster...?'

Zhu Sha winced in pain, instinctively baring its claws. It crouched on the ground, its three tails bristling, scaring the villagers into retreating in fear...

But then, several brave young men stepped forward, saying things like, "Monsters can get hurt too!", "Monsters can be killed!", "Don't be afraid!", "To protect the village!" and so on...

In short, the villagers seemed to have been awakened and were no longer afraid of Zhu Sha. They picked up their tools and started hitting Zhu Sha on the head!

Zhu Sha dodged away.

'Why? Why are humans afraid of me too? They weren't like this before. Why aren't they... afraid of me now?'

She hesitated for a moment, but remembering the help and kindness humans had shown her years ago, she didn't harm the villagers. She ran away as fast as she could, not even bothering to pick up the "gifts" on the ground, nor even having time to utter a single word of the human language she had just learned and was still not very familiar with...

During her escape, Zhu Sha happened to see several houses with their doors open, displaying black and white portraits of people she knew.

'But... I've come to repay a debt of gratitude, where have you all gone?'

She turned around, and her sensitive fox ears could still faintly hear the triumphant cheers of the humans...

'They're... so happy... just because they chased me away...?'

Zhu Sha, driven away from the village again, wandered alone until she stumbled upon a family holding a wedding—a ceremony filled with vibrant colors...

It seems that after going through this ceremony, the two can spend their lives together? Grow old together?

That's amazing...

I want cinnabar too!

She longed for the day when, as an outsider, she too could share that ceremony with the person she chose—

Perhaps? Then I can escape this feeling of loneliness, of being rejected everywhere I go?

With nowhere else to go, Zhu Sha eventually returned to the Dragon Realm of the Underworld. She didn't quite understand the wedding, human emotions, and the change in attitude towards her, so she wanted to ask the Ghost Mother.

The Demon Mother has lived for so long, she must know a lot, right?

The demon mother tricked her, saying, "That wedding is a kind of magical ritual! If you get married, the magic of the ritual will bind the two people together, so they will never be separated."

"What if the two people don't want to be together?"

Zhu Sha asked, bewildered.

Can rituals really make someone want to be with you?

The demon mother told her decisively, "Don't want to? Then use 'bewitching incense' and 'nectar' to change their minds! That way you can ensure a lifelong marriage!"

Seemingly still not quite finished speaking, even without asking Zhu Sha, the Ghost Mother continued to talk to her on her own:

"That's how everything in the world is! They're all intertwined! So-called love is the most fragile and intangible thing! Vows of eternal love and promises of growing old together are all self-deceiving lies!"

"A wedding banquet that promises eternal union is, in the end, nothing more than a transaction between the man and woman!"

"Feelings are the easiest thing to change! They can vanish like peach blossoms drifting on flowing water! Love can always turn into resentment one day! There is no such thing as a perfect marriage in this world!"

"Only by tightly binding the other person to one's side with spells and magic... can happiness be achieved."

However, these topics were still too profound for the immature little fox Zhu Sha. She could only nod as if she understood, and keep the ghost mother's words in mind.

The demon mother saw through Zhu Sha's desire for marriage—and used marriage as bait.

To make wedding dresses and arrange wedding ceremonies for cinnabar.

Knowing that Zhu Sha still possessed a wild nature and loved hunting, they entrusted her with the task of luring and capturing lone humans into the Dragon Realm...

The demon mother tricked Zhu Sha, telling her that the humans she abducted were grooms prepared for her, and that as long as they passed the test, they could marry Zhu Sha!

Zhu Sha was overjoyed and extremely grateful to the Ghost Mother!

From then on, he obeyed the ghost mother's every word.

As a henchman of the Demon Mother, she repeatedly abducted humans from the Dragon Realm. Each time she succeeded, she would happily cover herself with a veil and sit demurely in her room, waiting for her groom to lift it...

But countless expectations turned into disappointment—those humans she captured and brought to the Dragon Realm were all turned into special dragon skeletons called "Ghost Brides" by the Ghost Mother.

Perhaps Zhu Sha was aware of what the Ghost Mother had done.

However, she lacked the strength to resist the Ghost Mother, and her knowledge was insufficient to discern whether the Ghost Mother's actions were right or wrong, or whether they were for her own benefit.

Perhaps the humans we captured weren't suitable?

Zhu Sha thought: That's right! I'm an anomaly, neither human nor beast nor dragon skeleton, so those humans will definitely reject me... just like they did back then... Maybe this is what the Ghost Mother meant by "unsuitable"?

So what kind of groom is suitable?

Zhu Sha thought about it for a long, long time...

I got it!

Of course, someone who's different should marry someone who's different!

Zhu Sha has a very keen sense of smell—so she decided to find someone whose aura is neither human, beast, nor dragon skeleton to be her groom!

Persistence pays off. After years of searching, Zhu Sha finally found one—a creature with golden eyes. Zhu Sha had never smelled any aura on her in humans, beasts, or dragon remains!

She must be an oddball like me! She must be as lonely as me!

If she comes to get married... then neither of us will be lonely!

But... but she's a woman. Can a woman be the groom?

Can a woman of different genders and a woman with cinnabar hair get married?

I don't care! The Demon Mother didn't say so! It's okay!

Zhu Sha excitedly sent the bridal sedan chair to invite the bride to the wedding—but little did she know that the sedan chair wasn't very smart and instead went to Xiao Guang, who also had golden eyes, first...

But the outcome was good—the golden-eyed official she had her eye on finally arrived!

The shrouded sacrificial rites dragged the two, Tong and Xiaoguang, who were in a daze like a lump of mud, into Zhu Sha's boudoir, and then silently withdrew.

The so-called bridal chamber is actually the "bridal chamber" that the director enters after completing the wedding ceremony.

Zhu Sha raised her hand and released red magical power that transformed into threads that wrapped around Tong and Xiao Guang on the ground, dragging them onto the spacious wedding bed.

Xiao Guang had already fallen into a coma and was sleeping soundly;

Tong was still struggling unconsciously, her whole body burning up... She murmured unconsciously, "So...hot..."

Zhu Sha bent down to examine Tong's figure and appearance, and was very satisfied:

"As expected of the man I've chosen—he's truly handsome!"

"Your strength is quite impressive; you almost made it through the many trials set by the Demon Mother to reach me."

"By the way, why didn't we see the Ghost Mother today?"

Zhu Sha gazed at Tong with rapt attention, her small hands restlessly caressing Tong's flushed cheeks...

This action seemed to trigger a stress response in Tong; her unconscious, flailing hands, in a daze, pulled off the red veil that was half-covered by vermilion...

"Oh dear, my lord is so impatient!"

"Well... the night is too short... um~"

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