Little Pink Starfish

“Seventeen?” The one with the black-and-red avatar must have also covered the lower half of the face. A minute later, they sent a message:

“Holy crap! I didn’t see it at all until I covered the mouth. How can they look this alike? Gave me a damn fright.”

“Scared you?” replied the group owner. “When I figured it out, I scared myself. You’ve got to cover everything else—otherwise, you’d never notice the similarity in their eyes.”

Yuan Yuanyuan was shaken. She changed into her transformed form, walked to the mirror, and held her phone up to compare her face.

At first glance, the two faces didn’t look alike at all. After all, her transformation had been based on a cool, stoic archetype. When she wasn’t moving, no demon markings on her face, she looked like a handsome guy with a sharp, composed expression.

Meanwhile, the figure in the picture had none of that sharpness. Only… seduction. Bright lipstick. Just standing there simply, like gentle spring water.

To be honest, Yuan Yuanyuan didn’t think modern girls were even this delicate anymore. Most of them were tough and capable, at least a bit tomboyish. But the person in the picture looked like a traditional beauty from ancient times—exuding seductiveness down to the bone. Yuan Yuanyuan thought: He could totally play a courtesan from Qinhuai River and no one would question it.

That wasn’t just her imagination—it was a deeply real feeling. She still remembered the first time she saw that person’s portrait in the tavern. She had firmly believed it was a woman. Learning today that “she” was a man had completely upended her worldview.

—On the art of crossdressing perfected over a hundred years.

Yuan Yuanyuan couldn’t help but recall a Chinese spy—one who crossdressed during China’s most turbulent times, married a foreigner, collected tons of intel, and even adopted a few kids… only to be discovered over a decade later to be a man.

No connection to this Seventeen guy, but both had blown her mind. Clearly, being a spy required serious commitment.

She tried to accept the reality that this “beautiful woman” was actually a man. Then she scrolled through more messages from the group.

“I swear,” Black-and-Red said, “That Yuan guy is totally Seventeen. Just those eyes are enough proof.”

“I don’t want to believe it,” said the group owner, “but those eyes are too convincing. I could recognize them even from the manga… But wasn’t Seventeen executed during a temporary ceasefire? With Taoist priests, demons, and even a few healers watching?”

“If that really is him, then things are about to blow up,” said Black-and-Red. “Not just among demons—Taoists, humans, everyone. Especially since it was the humans who demanded he be handed over. No one ever thought he survived.”

Yuan Yuanyuan stared at their chat. They were tossing around all kinds of references she didn’t understand, slipping out weird bits of information. She couldn’t help but ask,

“Uh… how exactly did he die?”

A brief pause.

“I need to teach my little sister not to grow up clueless like you,” the group owner muttered.

“No offense,” he continued, “but you C City demons are so disconnected from history. I actually wanted to visit C City too. Isn’t that where the current Yaoji arc is taking place? They even renamed it ‘Chaos City’—what a dumb name.”

Yuan Yuanyuan looked at the new file the group owner sent—this one scanned from an old book. An actual printed ancient text. She stared at the characters, then pieced together the story:

This Seventeen guy wasn’t a professional spy. Most demon spies were trained, but he was just an ordinary demon with a humble background. His original form was unknown due to military secrecy. He basically joined the demon army to survive.

At that time, no one had any photos or drawings of him. Those luxuries were for the wealthy. Then the war between humans and demons broke out. He was sent to the battlefield and assigned to the spy division. He disappeared for a while.

When he resurfaced… he looked like that.

That war involved nearly all spiritual beings—not just the strongest demons and humans, but many other clans too. Even the usually neutral ghost clan was eventually dragged in.

Yuan Yuanyuan reviewed Seventeen’s war record. The guy was a weirdo, a genius even. Every entry felt surreal.

“Destroyed Red Sand Well – morale boosted, major victory.”
“Infiltrated a sect as a female disciple – stole their ultimate treasure, reduced battlefield casualties.”

She kept reading, each entry more insane than the last. This guy was a literal legend.

And then… came his final battle. The most dramatic of all.

At a crucial point in the war—supplies depleted, both sides weary—Seventeen alone infiltrated the human forces, dodged attacks from over ten sects, and brought back vital intel.

At the time, humans had planned a final, devastating strike. If they succeeded, the demon side would have lost for sure.

But thanks to Seventeen’s information, the demons avoided the trap. The humans were forced to surrender temporarily.

That mission made Seventeen the most renowned spy of the war. Say the word “spy,” and people thought of him.

The humans, reeling from the loss, had no choice but to propose a truce. The demons, also exhausted, agreed. A peace agreement was signed—with multiple compromises from both sides.

---

The Treaty:

1. Humans would send annual tribute. Demons wouldn’t attack without provocation.
2. Humans would retreat from occupied demon lands. Demons wouldn’t trespass into human territory.
3. The demon side would execute Seventeen.

---

Yuan Yuanyuan stared at that third clause.

“Huh?”

Alone in her room, she blinked. No one to answer her.

She double-checked the traditional characters to make sure she hadn’t misread.

Nope. It was real.

Wait, wait. So… Seventeen wins the war. And then humans demand his death or they won’t surrender. And the demons… agree?

Ten seconds passed. Yuan Yuanyuan’s mind ascended to a new plane.

What the hell?! He’s a war hero! And they just handed him over like that?

Even though her heart was naturally inclined to side with humans… this was ridiculous! What the hell did he do to deserve that? She couldn’t help but sympathize.

She wiped her face with her hands. Maybe she could understand the humans—after all, they’d put so much effort into that plan only for it to be ruined by a spy. They probably wanted to eat him alive.

Back then, humans must have cursed Seventeen’s name constantly. Killing him might’ve even been a morale boost. Like that meme:

“We can lose the teamfight, but Teemo must die.”

But the demon side… they actually agreed?!

Yuan Yuanyuan wiped her face again. She always knew demons could be cold-blooded, but this was next-level. It chilled her.

Maybe that was why, ten years later when the war resumed, the demons lost horribly and were forced to sign another set of unequal treaties—many of which were still in effect today.

For example:

“Demons must not appear en masse before ordinary humans.”

That was from back then. And unlike human treaties, breaking this one incurred divine punishment.

Yuan Yuanyuan checked again where Seventeen had been executed… and her stomach turned. It was—

Red Sand Well.

The site of his greatest victory.

What kind of grudge is that?!

After reading everything, Yuan Yuanyuan felt an inexplicable heaviness in her chest. Maybe it was just too tragic.

War is never happy. Even war movies used to leave her feeling awful.

She rubbed her head and checked the time. Work.

Tidied her hair, grabbed her bag, and headed out with a cool face.

When she entered the tavern kitchen, she saw a few tiny demons throwing red embroidered balls at Siqun. He stood there, 1.8 meters tall, being pelted by little puffballs.

Yuan Yuanyuan hung her bag on the rack, turned around, and finally smiled a little as she watched.

The little demons were tiny—barely palm-sized. Usually they floated around lighting lanterns. It took a few of them to lift one ball, then they’d hurl it toward Siqun, faces flushed… and it would only roll about a meter.

Didn’t even reach his feet.

After each throw, they’d chirp and rush off to retrieve the ball. Yuan Yuanyuan saw Siqun quietly step closer so they had a better shot.

This time, the ball smacked right into his head.

The little demons cheered and flew off joyfully.