Little Pink Starfish

Hit! A! Person!
Why the face?!
—No, wait.
The real question was, why would a demon king, of all people, grab a mere Bone Refining Realm cultivator just to slap him?!

The three demon kings who had followed behind were utterly baffled.

Luo Hu Demon King hesitated, glancing over. That boy… doesn’t look more handsome than our king…
Heavenly Wolf Demon King frowned. Does our king have a grudge against him? If so, shouldn’t he just kill him?
Golden Ape Demon King was puzzled. If it was about discipline, why did our king personally do it?

Meanwhile, at the front, the Empty Mountain Demon King walked away as if nothing had happened, heading straight toward the auction’s inner hall.

The three demon kings exchanged awkward glances. Ah… maybe our king is acting up again…
Then, as if they had collectively imagined everything, they briskly followed after him.
Behind them, the demon soldiers stepped forward in unison, vanishing in a single wave.

Swift as the wind—such were the ways of the demon clan!

The spectators who had witnessed everything: Are you kidding?! That was real! Don’t lower our intelligence like this!

Gu Xing, who had just been slapped out of nowhere: “…”
He had no idea why this disaster had befallen him.
Had he ever offended that man?
This humiliation—unforgivable!

Just then, Shangguan Jue arrived late, only to see Gu Xing’s swollen face. He shut his folding fan with a snap, pointed at Gu Xing, and burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! Gu Xing, look at you! Got your face turned into a pig’s head, huh? Wahahahaha!”

Gu Xing’s face darkened.
His anger surged, and before Shangguan Jue could react, he lunged forward, wrapped an arm around his neck, and dragged him into a nearby alleyway.

Fifteen minutes later…

Two people emerged from the alley.
Both of them… now had matching pig-faced bruises.

Shangguan Jue: Damn bastard!
Gu Xing: …That was satisfying.

·

Meanwhile, the Empty Mountain Demon King walked on at a steady pace, but his gaze flickered with a hidden darkness.
Why did his hands itch the moment he saw that face?
What… did this mean? Could it be related to the memories he had lost?

Lost in thought, he stepped into the inner hall.
Then, he lifted his eyes—
And saw someone.

In that instant, nothing else existed.

---

As a Star Lord with a keen sense of narrative trends, Ziche Shubai was well aware of how persistent plotlines could be. So, to atone for the failure of his subordinates, he had them spread out to search for those two troublemakers—though he had little hope of finding them.
After all, in every classic Shidian cultivation novel, the protagonist was bound to stumble upon countless fateful encounters. And in a harem-style novel, coincidences were an absolute necessity for meeting potential love interests.

Speaking of which, this novel, Martial Dominion Across the Stars, was written by his former best friend, Wei Liang. Unlike Ziche Shubai’s past self, Gu Bai—who leaned toward a far more… indulgent stallion style—Wei Liang’s version had a more restrained romantic harem approach.

What did “romantic harem” mean?
It meant the protagonist focused on love and relationships, with lingering emotional entanglements as the main attraction—rather than explicit scenes.

Gu Bai’s philosophy had been: If the goal is already set on sex, why pretend? Just be upfront about it!
Wei Liang, on the other hand, had firmly insisted: A proper facade must be maintained!

—But back to the story at hand.

In the original novel, Gu Xing had met one of his destined true loves here at the auction—Lian Qiao.
(Note: She belonged to the clever and mischievous category of female leads.)

Originally, this meeting occurred when Shangguan Jue spotted Gu Xing at the auction, deliberately provoked him, and rallied a group of rich playboys to beat him up.
Lian Qiao happened to witness the injustice and stepped in to stop it.

But now, since Gu Xing had come along with the Shangguan family’s group, and Shangguan Jue had somehow disappeared as well—
Did this mean the plot was unfolding again?
Had the protagonist already met his destined love interest… one of them?

Ziche Shubai blanked out for a moment, sipping his tea with an expressionless face.
Then, he suddenly sensed a sharp, invasive gaze from the entrance.

Mā de!* Who the hell dares to stare at me like that?! _{*[T/N: Like damn it.]}
Whoever it is, I’ll make them understand why flowers bloom red—

…Wait.

Ziche Shubai froze.

That face—just a little less handsome than his own!
That deeply twisted aura!
That unmistakable insane vibe!

…Wasn’t this his long-lost damn pervert?!

For a brief moment, Ziche Shubai felt a flicker of joy.
Yes, just a flicker.
I am a reserved man. I absolutely did not hear flowers blooming in my heart.
I was absolutely not waiting for this maniac to show up!

The so-called pervert wore a dark robe (→ admittedly stylish), his long hair flowing behind him (→ fine, maybe a bit enchanting), his sleeves fluttering as he strode forward (→ okay, the posture was graceful too).

Ziche Shubai stared at him, his expression unreadable.

Then, the pervert reached him.
Then, the pervert spoke—his voice as gentle as ever, dripping with honeyed tones.

“This gentleman looks quite familiar. I am Kongshan. May I have the pleasure of making your acquaintance?”

Ziche Shubai: “…”
What the hell does that even mean?!

Taking a closer look, Ziche Shubai realized—
This pervert, even if he turned to ash, would still be recognizable. The possessiveness in his eyes was as intense as ever, yet his expression showed… unfamiliarity.

He didn’t remember him.
He really didn’t remember him!
Ahhh!

Rage…

Ziche Shubai was extremely displeased.

His gaze drifted over the people accompanying the pervert—
Hmph. A rather alluring woman, huh?
Living quite the comfortable life, aren’t you?!
No surprise for a former stallion novel protagonist—always surrounded by beauties!
…How utterly obnoxious!

Without a word, Ziche Shubai turned on his heel.
“Qing Tong, we’re leaving.”

Qing Tong gave the strange man—who had so boldly approached her master—a scornful side-eye, then spun around and led the elite guards away in a grand procession.

What a shameless flirt! Walking up and claiming ‘we look familiar’? Our Star Lord doesn’t entertain cheap pick-up lines!

Ziche Shubai left without a backward glance, leaving Kongshan and his entourage behind. His body language made it clear—
He was ignoring him.

Kongshan’s face darkened instantly.

His gaze swept toward Qing Tong’s back, and a murderous intent surged within him.

An eyesore…
Such an eyesore…
She should die.

The bloodthirst in his expression flickered for a moment before he suppressed it, his scorching gaze locking back onto Ziche Shubai.

This person feels both familiar and foreign.
He is not in my memories, but… he should be mine.
Mine to hold, mine to cherish, mine to entangle with forever.

But I can’t.
…Why can’t I?

This feeling was wrong.

Kongshan had never needed someone so much before.
And yet—this person’s gaze toward him was all wrong.
Why was he ignoring him?
Why was he walking away?
Why… was he unhappy?

He is mine. He is mine. He is mine!

Kongshan clenched his fist, his nails digging into his palm.
I must not make him angry.
No—I must make him happy. I must offer him everything.

Calming his turbulent emotions, Kongshan’s expression softened.
Then, he stepped forward.

As he approached, a group of men blocked his way.

Instantly, his eyes turned ice-cold.

Men… trying to stand between them?
Unforgivable.

But—
I must not make him angry.

With a flick of his sleeve, an invisible force swept through, effortlessly pushing aside every obstacle. Even Qing Tong and Liu Su were thrown to the sides.

Finally, Kongshan reached Ziche Shubai.

He reached out—
And grasped Ziche Shubai’s wrist.

“You…”

Qing Tong: WTF! I failed! His precious hands have been desecrated!
Liu Su: Why is everyone so dramatic…?
The elite guards: We failed! We beg forgiveness!

Ziche Shubai, deadpan, stared at his old flame.

Kongshan’s expression softened to an almost heartbreaking tenderness.

“Don’t be angry with me, alright?”

The three demon kings: ” =口= “
The demon soldiers: ” =口= !! “

Mā de! What the hell just happened?!