Little Pink Starfish

Another half-month passed uneventfully.

Gu Bai spent his days meditating in his room, undisturbed for the most part. But recently, he noticed that the person delivering his meals had changed.

The replacement was a charming beauty, a perfect blend of a doll-like face with big eyes, a petite nose, and snow-white skin, paired with a curvaceous, mature figure. A mix of Lolita and femme fatale. Her tight-fitting attire highlighted every contour of her body, exuding a blatant sense of uniform seduction.

Kneeling gracefully, her neckline exposed just enough to tease, she seemed caught between shyness and temptation. She spoke in a soft, melodic voice “City Lord, your meal is ready.” Her tone dripped with sweetness, every note a siren’s call.

Gu Bai glanced at her. Miss, aren’t you cold wearing so little? And what the hell has that pervert done now that it’s all falling on me? Still, Gu Bai scoffed inwardly. Do I look that easy to mess with? I used to stare at my reflection a hundred times a day just to cultivate a calm mind! Almost made me fall in love with myself!Besides, even if I’ve resigned myself to the pervert’s whims, I still don’t care for real-life women!

The alluring beauty maintained her suggestive pose for a long while, but Gu Bai remained unresponsive. Her smile started to falter. Her charms had always been unbeatable—what was going on? Could these two men really be so devoted to each other? Yet her professional pride wouldn’t allow her to give up. Even though her legs were going numb, and her waist ached, she persevered.

Gu Bai’s eye twitched. Suddenly, he felt a bit mischievous. He was so bored lately. And judging by today’s setup, eating this meal might come with some… consequences. There were still hours before the pervert came back. Should he eat or not?

After some thought, Gu Bai reached for a piece of suspiciously glossy green vegetable and the beauty visibly relaxed.

But Gu Bai shifted his chopsticks to a golden kernel resembling corn.

Her expression froze momentarily, then eased again.

Gu Bai’s chopsticks moved yet again, picking up a spoon instead to take a bite of plain rice.

Her smile stiffened further.

Suddenly, Gu Bai found himself with quite an appetite. He put down the spoon and reached for the belly of a two-foot-long fish.

A glimmer flashed in the beauty’s eyes.

Gu Bai slid his chopsticks from the fish’s belly to its tail fin.

No reaction.

He kept moving his chopsticks until they hovered over the fish’s eyes.

Her mouth twitched.

Gu Bai plucked out one of the fish’s eyes and ate it. _{[T/N: Pranked.]}

She seemed to take a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm.

Gu Bai followed this with another spoonful of rice. Then, picking up his wine cup, he poured himself a drink.

Though her expression remained neutral, her trembling fingers betrayed her nerves.

Gu Bai held the cup, staring at it with his usual blank face. The room was silent.

Finally, he lifted the cup to his lips. The beauty unconsciously tensed, her anxiety rising.

Instead of drinking, Gu Bai let the wine brush his lips and poured it onto the floor. “Today isn’t a good day for drinking. But the fragrance alone is delightful enough.” Dressed in his pristine white robes, his black hair cascading lightly, Gu Bai’s still demeanour made the scene feel like a serene painting. Even with his impassive expression, his aura alone was captivating enough to stun most people.

But the beauty was too agitated to appreciate it.

The lunch was an exquisite spread: two vegetarian dishes, one meat, and a soup, all meticulously prepared. Even the wine was top-notch.

But every item—whether the innocuous-looking vegetables or the thickest parts of the fish—had been laced with colourless, odourless aphrodisiacs. Each ingredient carried a weak drug individually, but together, they would magnify their effects exponentially, inciting an overwhelming surge of desire.

The wine and soup were similarly spiked with stimulants. A single sip combined with even a bite of rice would trigger the concoction’s effects. The preparation was foolproof, layered to ensure success even if one trap failed.

But no one accounted for this! Someone who only ate plain rice without drinking soup! Someone who suddenly abstained from his daily wine! Someone who ate only fish eyes!

It was absurd. The beauty was at her wit’s end.

Unable to maintain her smile, she watched helplessly as Gu Bai set the wine cup aside and ate a few more bites of plain rice, making it seem like he had no appetite for the dishes.

Not only had her scheme failed, but the kitchen staff would undoubtedly face punishment for their “unappetising” food.

Forcing herself to remain composed, the beauty took her tray and left.

Watching her leave with none of her earlier grace, Gu Bai felt a pang of melancholy. Messing with her was fun, but now I feel empty inside. Stuck in his room, unable to openly cultivate his strength, life here was stifling. For a moment—just a tiny, tiny moment—he almost missed that pervert.

Meanwhile, the pervert in question, Qiguan Rui, was at the infamous underground arena.

The arena wasn’t owned by any one group; all five elders of Demon Domain had stakes in it, making it a cornerstone of Demon Island’s underworld.

Any demon could participate in these brutal matches, and demons held strength above all else. Once outcasts among martial artists, they now embraced their identity and staked their lives for power.

Since entering the underground arena, Qiguan Rui had thrived in ways Xin Xinba never expected. Just like in the original story, after training under the Mighty Ape King’s family, he found his way there to fight for his life. There, he was no different from any other demon—except for his unmatched ruthlessness and brutality.

***

A towering iron cage, forged from steel as thick as a man’s thigh, enclosed the fighting platform, rising tens of metres into the air. Inside, two figures faced off.

On the left stood a tall but slender man, his delicate features adorned with a gentle smile that seemed approachable. Yet, after so many days, that smile no longer felt warm but rather spine-chilling.

On the right was a hulking figure over two metres tall. His oiled torso gleamed under the light, and his legs resembled elephant trunks, each stomp threatening to crack the ground. Two long, curved tusks jutted from beneath his nose, their sharpness and strength undeniable.

Outside the cage, countless demons with crimson-glowing eyes roared with excitement:

“Elephant King! Elephant King!”

“Python God! Python God!”

“Kill! Kill! Kill!”

“Kill him! Kill him!”

The deafening cries had no effect on the two fighters, who remained eerily calm.

Watching from private viewing rooms above the chaos were the elite of Demon Domain, including the Five Elders and their key subordinates. These exclusive boxes, embedded in the walls, offered a clear view without mingling with the common crowd.

In one such box, two burly middle-aged men reclined on plush couches, attended by beautiful demon women.

A robust man with a chiselled chest laughed as he accepted a grape from his servant. “Liu Laogui*, I hear you’re butting heads with Xin Laogui. You even sent your nephew, who awakened the Earth-Splitting Elephant bloodline, to fight to the death?” _{*[T/N: Means old devil, similar to saying “Old Liu” but with a sprinkle of demon-y flavour.]}

The man across from him snorted. “Xin Laogui’s time is up. No legitimate descendants and living too long—if he dies, we’ll be down to Four Elders.” He smirked. “Don’t tell me you’re not tempted, Lou Laogui.”

The two men were none other than the Earth-Splitting Elephant King Liu Wuheng and Thunder Leopard King Lou Pao.

Lou Pao smirked. “No need to play coy. Xin Laogui recently gained a young talent. Not a relative, but close enough to stir up quite a reputation. He’s already rallying support in this arena. Surely, you’re here to see if he’s worth worrying about.”

Liu Wuheng’s sharp eyes narrowed. “Let’s see what he’s capable of!”

On the arena floor, the match began with the toll of a bell.

The ground shook violently as the Elephant King Liu Yanghong charged, his massive legs stomping with earth-shattering force.

The slim youth seemed cornered, about to be crushed—until he smiled. In a flash, his legs transformed into a long snake tail, propelling him upward with a powerful whip-like motion. He soared over the giant’s head and landed behind him like a phantom.

In the next instant, the youth reached out. When he withdrew his hand, a bloody chunk of flesh was clenched in his fist.

The giant’s shoulder had been torn apart, revealing gleaming white bone beneath.