Little Pink Starfish

Several small items lay scattered across Yuan Yuanyuan’s desk. She flicked on the little yellow lamp by her bed and began to seriously examine the demon technique records in front of her.

After wandering around the marketplace, she hadn’t managed to buy anything particularly useful—but she had seen just how chaotic the world of demon spell recording could be.

She had spent 3,000 yuan—basically her entire savings—to buy the three objects now laid out before her: a smooth white pebble, a speckled pebble, and a horn comb.

The first two were fairly standard, but the third one—the comb—had caught her attention.

She picked it up and examined it under the yellow lamp. Semi-transparent. Who would’ve thought something like a comb could be used to record demon spells?

Pulling out a pen, Yuan Yuanyuan began reading the inscriptions and jotting down notes. She had expected this to be a long-term effort, costing lots of time and money. But unexpectedly, the very first white pebble she opened already mentioned what she was looking for.

As soon as she saw it, her whole body jolted awake. Eyes locked on the carved lines, her mind worked nonstop to decode them.

There wasn’t a ton of useful content—mostly rambling and filler. Clearly a money-grab by the stall owner. But for Yuan Yuanyuan, this was perfect.

Military… war… blood jade… demons… humans…

An hour later, her face was ghost-pale.

She finally had a general idea of what was going on.

Yes, there had indeed been a real army, and the blood jade she possessed was tied directly to that war—apparently a symbol of it.

The war itself was famous. Yuan Yuanyuan roughly estimated that it had taken place around the late Qing Dynasty to early Republican era.

The battle had been between demons and humans.

She’d always known there was tension between the two, but she hadn’t realized they had already clashed multiple times. According to the stone, this had been “the most recent large-scale war between demons and humans.” That phrasing made it clear—it hadn’t been the first.

Like the World Wars, this must’ve had multiple rounds.

As for the exact number, she didn’t know. Even this one, she’d only just found out about.

She realized then just how lacking her knowledge of the demon world really was—like a kid from a remote mountain village suddenly thrown into history class. Her foundation was embarrassingly weak.

This particular record seemed to be written by an old man. It rambled like an oral story, clearly someone recounting memories of the past. At the time of the war, the author had been a young demon, but the event had clearly left a deep impression.

And there it was, written plainly: blood jade.

It had been worn by every member of a certain army—called the Blood Jade Demon Army. Each member practiced a rapid cultivation method. They were all elites. Every soldier wore a blood jade around their neck.

Yuan Yuanyuan learned about this army through the author’s deeply respectful words. Their battlefield presence had been fierce. The entire unit perished in that war—not a single survivor. If they had been human, they would’ve been considered national heroes.

The old man recalled seeing one of those soldiers in his youth, and it had left a lasting mark on him.

He wrote that the Blood Jade Demon Army were his lifelong role models, and he lived by their code of conduct.

By this point, Yuan Yuanyuan was fully shook.

An entire army of demons practiced the blood jade spell—a spell that required human blood. Each of them an elite. That wasn’t just an army—that was a slaughter machine.

She forced herself to calm down and reread the material. But it was written in the first person, so there wasn’t a ton of concrete detail. Much was expressed through vague wording, nicknames, and even symbols—some of which looked more like encrypted codes than language.

Yuan Yuanyuan looked at the messy notes she had scribbled, then tore out the page. She lit a small flame at her fingertip and watched as the paper slowly burned to ash.

Blowing out the flame, she looked down at the white jade resting on her chest.

So… the previous owner of this jade must’ve been a serious figure.

A tragic one.

While the record didn’t give many details, it was clear enough from the tone: everyone else had died—except one.

No wonder the one who lived got labeled a coward, a traitor. That pink-clad woman from before… Now that Yuan Yuanyuan thought about it, she suspected the author of this record may have shared in that blind admiration—unable to stomach the fact that someone had deserted.

The thought of one person escaping while the rest of the Blood Jade Army died… it made sense that others would despise them.

But what if this “survivor” had their own untold story?

If Ji Qiu had told her, “You’re replacing a big villain,” she wouldn’t have questioned anything. But he had said, “You’re replacing a tragic character.”

Yuan Yuanyuan cursed out loud.

Everyone died—only this person survived—and it was still considered tragic?

Then how much tragedy was this person carrying?

Her expression contorted as she thought further. It was like a life worse than death. This guy must’ve suffered hard.

What kind of situation would truly be worse than death?

To Yuan Yuanyuan, ideas like “the pain of immortality” or “the anguish of eternal love” were BS. Her philosophy was simple—living is good, dying is bad.

Loneliness? Bring it on. Eternal suffering? She’d take it—so long as she was still breathing.

She rubbed her temples. This mystery was growing more tangled by the day. Tossing the stone back into the drawer, she picked up the speckled pebble…

---

The tavern had a lot of regulars. Even after being closed for a few days, plenty came to support them once they reopened.

As Yuan Yuanyuan walked around the floor, she noticed many demons were now familiar with Yaoji. Maybe they’d once scoffed at human comics, but ever since that panel dropped, even the most aloof demons were checking it out.

A great demon was no small matter.

Even Li Zi Jie had said not to get involved. Yuan Yuanyuan realized that the demon community was starting to sense that something was off.

At first, she thought the whole thing was a prank by some high-level demon.

But lately, Yaoji was being mentioned more and more around the tavern, and that feeling of “off-ness” only grew.

In a place filled with demons—of all ranks and powers—no one seemed to know who Ji Qiu really was.

After finishing her dishwashing shift, Yuan Yuanyuan quietly snuck behind a pillar in the main hall. From there, she listened to the commotion.

Other demons were also hiding behind pillars. Even powerful ones like Li Zi Jie didn’t dare intervene. The tavern owner herself had come out to calm down a drunken customer.

“That comic is full of lies!”

In the center of the hall, a massive creature sat, clearly drunk, its original form fully exposed.

A few small demons had nearly been crushed—pulled away just in time.

Everyone watched this unfamiliar guest nervously.

The creature was huge, like a building. Yuan Yuanyuan had to crane her neck to even see its face. Judging from its shape, it looked feline—but its snarling expression made it hard to be sure.

Dark demon energy swirled all around, mixing with the tavern’s soft purple-blue mist like ink in water.

“That can’t be true… Who even is Ji Qiu? How does he know all this? If I ever find him…”

CRASH!

More plates and cups shattered on the ground.

Yuan Yuanyuan winced, eyeing the broken porcelain. Poor Si Qun would probably cry when he saw this later—they’d both worked hard to wash those.

“Yes, yes, customer, please calm down,” said the boss lady.

This was Yuan Yuanyuan’s first time seeing her.

She was a mature, elegant woman, dressed in a purple gown and heavy makeup, wearing a strange, ornate hairpiece. She stood beside the monster, gently stroking its fur. Compared to its size, she looked like a tiny ant.

Yuan Yuanyuan worried she might get crushed.

From behind the pillar, Yuan Yuanyuan reached out to comfort a tiny, trembling demon beside her.

She had been in the kitchen just moments ago, but when she heard the ruckus, she slipped out to investigate.

Her thoughts were a whirlwind.

Another one who can’t handle the truth… not that I blame him. Even I can barely accept this.

Just as she was thinking that, she suddenly felt a hand cover her mouth.

Startled, she spun around—only to see Si Qun standing behind her, wearing dishwashing sleeves and still smelling faintly of soap.

Yuan Yuanyuan blinked at him, signaling with her eyes: Don’t drag me away—I’m gathering intel!

She figured she was being pretty clear. But to her surprise, Si Qun’s eyes filled with tears.

He looked at the massive demon in the distance, his big black eyes widening… then he shook his head.

What are you shaking your head for?! Let me go!

Yuan Yuanyuan glared at him. Si Qun hesitated, then finally let go of her mouth.

Before she could say anything—he took a step back… and then charged.

In front of everyone, Si Qun sprinted across the floor—straight toward the massive creature.

Yuan Yuanyuan stared, completely dumbfounded.

What the hell?! Our hard-working little dishwasher just went airborne…

Si Qun, WHAT are you doing?! I didn’t tell you to go beat him up! This is not that kind of mission!!