If Yuan Yuanyuan had to name her greatest unsolved mystery, the first would be how she became a half-demon. The second? Why the hell didn’t Si Qun run when he saw a giant snake coming to swallow him?
Was he stunned? Under some kind of spell?
No way. With how violent Si Qun usually was, who could actually overpower him?
Yuan Yuanyuan couldn’t wrap her head around it. All she knew was, if she kept standing around, Si Qun was going to be digested by stomach acid.
She looked down at the fruit cake in her hands, gave it a final glance, and set it aside in a dry, sheltered corner.
Then she jumped off the rooftop and dashed into the tavern.
“Why did a southern faction demon come here?”
In one of the upper chambers, a room full of demons had gathered.
Each one was fully armed. News had spread about thirty minutes earlier, and now every big-name demon in C City was present.
“This isn’t a southern faction demon,” said a man in a pale blue robe, holding a fresh pink blossom. His refined looks clashed oddly with the delicate flower in his hands. “He was exiled from the southern faction. But if he’s here to snatch a share of power… that’s not surprising. That white snake made a huge mess back in the day.”
“Radical types like him are insane,” muttered a middle-aged man in black.
Had Yuan Yuanyuan been there, she would’ve recognized many familiar faces—the East and West District bosses, her supposed “boss” and the white-robed woman, even the silver-haired man who once interrogated her in the greenhouse.
And in a corner, as always in his black robe, stood the man she knew well—the black-cloaked figure, silent and arms crossed, not mingling with anyone else.
“Lord Lian, did you inform Yuan?” someone asked the white-robed woman.
“I did,” she replied. “He only just got the message, though—it was a bit late.”
“We ask everyone here to assist in minimizing damage to C City,” she continued. “The districts have been put on alert. We’ve activated enchantments in public areas and relocated most lower-tier demons.”
“The intruders are reportedly at a well-known tavern in our district,” added Yuan’s flashy boss.
“Autumn Sakura?” she asked.
“Yes, that one.”
“He actually went there…” murmurs broke out immediately. “What’s he doing in that place?”
“Regardless, do not act rashly,” the woman warned. “That area is heavily populated by humans. If we make the wrong move, it’ll blow our cover.”
“Now please begin sweeping the city and clearing out stray invaders. The scale of this attack is insulting—do they think we’ve grown too weak to defend ourselves?”
Yuan Yuanyuan had changed into lighter clothes and quietly slipped downstairs. Her face was hidden by a decorative tavern veil—something normally worn by servers, but it added a layer of anonymity. She blended into the kneeling crowd inside.
The tavern’s ceiling was high. In fact, the first floor had been expanded to four or five stories tall—more like a grand hall than a typical building.
A massive white snake coiled along the rafters, body so huge it looked like it might snap the beams.
Yuan scanned its length, trying to spot where Si Qun had been swallowed, but found nothing. Anxiety crept in—if she couldn’t get him out in time, would there even be anything left of him?
Just as she was preparing to act, a new group of demons barged in, crowding the entrance. She couldn’t hear what they were asking—something about “where is it?”
…What were they looking for?
One of the demons began rolling forward—not walking, but literally rolling. He was inside a thick eggshell-like layer that spun him forward like a hamster in a ball.
Inside that shell, Si Qun rolled along. Suddenly, he bumped into something and stopped.
He turned around—his eyes sparkled.
There’s something here!
Wait… is this my birthday present?!
“If the outside world is filled with wolves, then our C City is a piece of fresh meat,” the white-robed woman said elsewhere. “Our wealth makes us a target. Back then, our strength kept us safe. But now… most of our defenders are gone.”
“C City still counts as a lucky land?” a young demon scoffed. “I always thought it was the messiest place in the country…”
“If you’d ever lived outside, you wouldn’t say that,” she replied.
Back inside the tavern, the interrogating demons approached Yuan Yuanyuan. Three more to go—she counted silently, curious to know what they were really after.
Outside, the sky darkened. Thunder had faded, but the rain grew heavier, like it meant to drown the entire city.
Finally, one of them stood in front of her. His eyes were too large, his face long, nose like Voldemort’s—just two holes. A snake, clearly.
“Do you know… where the secret passage in this tavern is?” he asked.
Yuan froze.
In the kitchen’s underground passage, Li Zi Jie crouched protectively over a few tiny demons.
This tavern had many secret tunnels—like a maze. Yuan had once used one to save Lin Ning. Every employee knew at least one or two.
She’d always assumed they were just service passages. But now, she realized… so many tunnels? That was not normal. They clearly served a deeper purpose.
Li Zi Jie stiffened when the door above creaked open, but relaxed almost immediately.
It was Si Qun. She recognized his footsteps.
“Where’ve you been, huh? Took you long enough!” she scolded.
His clothes were wrinkled. He glanced at her, then dropped his gaze.
“Good, you’re back. I feel better now.” She paused. “What happened to your clothes? Go change.”
He nodded gloomily and trudged toward the back room.
His hand stayed behind his back until he entered. Then he opened his palm—inside were several snow-white bones.
Wait… this doesn’t feel like a birthday gift at all…
Si Qun stared for a long time.
Then, quietly, he set the bones aside and started looking for a change of clothes.
“Is everyone accounted for? No one knows where the secret passage is?” the white snake sat at the head of the hall.
“No, sir,” a demon replied.
The snake’s eyes were blood-red. He licked his lips with a forked tongue.
“Sir, are we… pushing it too far this time?” one of his subordinates asked hesitantly.
“Afraid?” the snake hissed. His crimson eyes flicked over. “We’re out of time.”
Then he raised his head and called out:
“Is Senior Yuan here? I request an audience!”
His voice echoed through the hall.
“Senior Yuan, are you here? I request an audience!”
Yuan Yuanyuan looked up—and the snake vanished from sight.
“…Doesn’t seem like he’s here,” a demon muttered.
The white snake scanned the kneeling crowd. “Then we’ll kill until he shows up.”
As soon as he finished speaking, someone appeared in front of him.
A small figure, barely noticeable, stood before the snake. The snake’s eyes were bigger than his whole head.
“…Why’d you call me out?” Yuan Yuanyuan’s disguised voice asked.
Before the snake could reply, a sharp pain sliced across his throat.
He looked down to see a tiny dagger dragging a red line across his neck—but hadn’t seen the black-cloaked figure move at all.
Shit… this thing won’t cut! Yuan panicked. Her dagger was nearly broken.
She frantically scanned the wound—Where’s Si Qun?!
Then—shadow overhead. She flinched and triggered a teleportation technique.
The snake thrashed, blood-red eyes searching wildly. The hall full of demons stared, dumbfounded, at the tiny black-clad figure dancing across the snake’s massive body.
Compared to the snake, he looked like an ant—but no one could look away.
It was then the realization hit them—the snake had called out for “Yuan.”
A battle unfolded—terrifying, swift, and violent.
That day, for the first time, the demon world witnessed the legendary Blood Jade Demon Arts.
And this battle—Yuan’s first true fight in the demon realm—would be the start of a legend no one would ever forget.
Little Pink Starfish 
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