Little Pink Starfish

Recently, the atmosphere in City C has become quite tense—many demons have taken notice.

City C has always been a gathering place for wandering demons, and only the ones in the Juvenile District are still a bit naive and carefree. The elder demons didn’t want to make this tension widely known, but anyone with a hint of sensitivity could sense that something was off.

For instance, the little demons handing out flyers on the streets had quietly been replaced with sturdier ones…

And the “Hua” family, responsible for corpse cleanups in City C, had become especially busy lately…

The city’s higher-ups also dispatched all kinds of personnel to maintain order. Traditionally, security in City C had been managed by several prominent clans. The most influential among them were the “Tie” family and the “Li” family, whose members had recently become more visible in public.

Yet, amidst this chaos, the Juvenile District stood out in its eerie calm—like a bizarre glitch in the system, unusually peaceful, without the slightest sign of trouble.

As the outside world was thrown into stormy unrest, more and more demons started to take notice of this area. After all, it had been over a month—too long to ignore.

At first, the oddity of the Juvenile District hadn’t been too obvious. But as the number of foreign demons entering City C grew, this district began to stand out—like a monk in a brothel.

And then, the rumors began.

Some curious demons started to direct their attention toward the Juvenile District…

---

Yuan Yuanyuan silently peeled an orange as she stared at the blood jade inscribed with demon magic, trying to decipher its meaning.

“No shadow, no form… no trace.”

She wiped off her small blade and slid it into her sleeve.

Hmm… probably time to go test this out.

But who should she test it on?

Yuan Yuanyuan glanced back and shouted upstairs, “Tang Shi! Come down and watch the shop!”

“Coming!” A girl clattered down the stairs. Yuan Yuanyuan stood up and pulled a bag of oranges over to her.

“Just focus on your homework. I’m heading out for a bit. If you want to go home, remember to lock the door.”

“Got it, just go.” Tang Shi waved her off with a workbook in hand.

Yuan Yuanyuan pushed open the door, looked up at the sky, and thought: Yesterday, she spotted two suspicious demons lurking around Yingchun West Road. Might as well go stake that place out again today—could get lucky.

That road was near the border of the Juvenile District, so she often found small groups of foreign demons there.

Ever since she gave herself a nosebleed trying out the “Di Sha Zizai Jue” technique, she had been practicing it relentlessly, hoping to master it.

She was genuinely intrigued by the description in the blood jade—about moving freely through heaven and earth, untraceable and untouchable.

If she could really master this technique… what would that look like? Would she truly be able to go anywhere undetected?

She quietly pulled her hat down and stepped outside. Ever since she got the hang of the “Di Sha” and “Tian Gang” techniques, her escape success rate had skyrocketed—in short, she’d gotten bolder. Recently, she’d been out looking for demons to spar with.

Using the Di Sha technique and a knife to slash at demons turned out to be surprisingly effective—even if she messed up a bit the first time. After refining her practice, she realized just how powerful it really was.

She wasn’t even sure how she came up with that technique combo, but she had secretly praised herself about it for several days…

Compared to the “Tian Gang” technique, which hides one underground, “Di Sha” was harder to use, and its concealment time was shorter.

She tested it—under the same amount of demon power, she could use Tian Gang for ten minutes, but Di Sha only lasted one minute. A 1:10 ratio.

So clearly, it wasn’t meant solely for stealth. At least not while Tian Gang existed—Di Sha wasn’t the best choice for hiding.

Her gut told her this technique was meant to complement offensive demon magic—like, when your opponent’s fully focused on you and you suddenly disappear into thin air using Di Sha, they’d freeze up.

Then you silently appear behind them… and stab them in the kidney. So satisfying.

While Yuan Yuanyuan was working hard on this, she had no idea…

—That back in the day, this exact move—appearing silently behind enemies—was one of the Blood Jade Demon Army Assassination Squad’s signature techniques.

On the battlefield, Blood Jade demons would vanish like smoke, reappearing behind enemies with weapons pressed against their necks.

That’s why the technique was so feared. Fortunately, not many had mastered both Tian Gang and Di Sha. Most only knew one. In the army, few had access to both.

And within the Blood Jade Demon Army, only two departments ever required stealth…

One of them was the spy corps.

---

“So this is the Juvenile District?” a cute little boy asked. “I’ve never been here before.”

“Feels like there aren’t any high-level demons,” sniffed a little girl beside him. “All I smell are small ones.”

“I don’t think this is necessary,” said an older demon escorting the kids. “This place has no real competition, so of course there aren’t many outsiders. If you’re worried, bringing them here is fine—but honestly, it’s not really needed. Might just make things worse.”

“Still,” another said, “things are too chaotic elsewhere. This area being so peaceful… it’s suspicious.”

“Just because it’s peaceful now doesn’t mean it always will be,” the first adult demon replied.

“You don’t get it,” the second demon shook his head. “The only reason it’s so peaceful now is…”

—“Because someone powerful is guarding it. The chaos outside doesn’t reach here, because a high-level demon is holding the line.”

Rumors kept growing. Some demons were certain: there was a powerful demon stationed in the Juvenile District.

Compared to those who believed in divine protection or in the inherent kindness of outsiders sparing this place, most were convinced the high-ups had recognized the district’s fragility and dispatched their strongest force.

The identity of this mysterious demon was a hot topic.

Some speculated it was one of the renowned scions of the Tie or Li families. Especially the eldest sons—they were top guesses. But neither family confirmed anything.

Others believed the protector was a reclusive master—one who had lived in City C in secret for years and finally stepped forward in a time of crisis.

Both theories were compelling.

The public loves their imagination. One theory satisfies the fantasy of elite families; the other paints the image of a mysterious, noble old demon…

And so, the rumors kept spreading…

---

Yuan Yuanyuan walked down the street, hands in her pockets, a mask over her face, revealing only her eyes.

She had completely suppressed her demon aura—blending in like any ordinary human. Demons passed by her one after another, and none of them noticed a thing.

She caught some chatter with her sharp ears. A boy and girl were chattering, followed by their parents.

Yuan Yuanyuan passed them and continued walking away.

She strolled around the city again—east to west, north to south. Ran into a few weaklings—nothing impressive. Oddly, she felt a bit disappointed. After beating them half to death and tossing them aside, a strange sadness settled in.

“Damn… am I turning into a violent thug?”

After dealing with them, she walked back to the shop. When she opened the door, Tang Shi was already asleep at the table.

A candle flickered quietly. Yuan Yuanyuan walked over and gently nudged her.

She’d heard Tang Shi’s parents were often away. Though the Juvenile District allowed visits from family, especially dangerous demons weren’t permitted to linger. Tang Shi’s parents, from what Yuan Yuanyuan heard, were brutal enough to make the human world’s most wanted list… so they rarely visited.

Once Tang Shi grew up, she was supposed to join them. But their work was dangerous—if she didn’t learn anything useful, she might end up dead in an alley.

“Wake up. Go home. It’s late,” Yuan Yuanyuan said.

“Mmm…” Tang Shi rubbed her eyes and looked up, dazed. “Boss, you’re back. Where’d you go…”

“Don’t sleep here. Go home and rest,” Yuan Yuanyuan replied. “Want me to walk you?”

“No need. It’s not far,” Tang Shi yawned and walked out.

Yuan Yuanyuan looked around the small building. She thought… maybe she’d just crash here tonight. Going home would take half an hour. And she had no work tomorrow. Kind of a hassle.

She took the candle and headed upstairs. Halfway out, Tang Shi suddenly felt the light behind her grow brighter.

She turned around—and saw a blurry figure standing behind the second-floor window. A tall, thin silhouette holding a candle.

The figure moved to draw the curtains but spotted Tang Shi looking up from below and came closer. He said something, but Tang Shi couldn’t hear. She only saw the shape of the words—maybe something like: Go home soon.

Behind the frosted glass, the only clear feature was a pair of red lips.

Those lips nearly touched the glass, like they were about to kiss it. The rest of the face was hidden in shadow.

Tang Shi had always thought the shop owner was kind of a hopeless bum—lazy and pervy.

But just for that one instant… she felt like she was in a movie.

One of those really old, black-and-white films, where a fleeting glimpse stays with you for life.

Tang Shi snapped out of it. When she looked again, the curtain had already been drawn.

The figure vanished behind it. The light faded.

…A hallucination?

Tang Shi shook her head and walked away.