Little Pink Starfish

Yuan Yuanyuan stared at the sudden panel that had been inserted into the comic. She looked at it for a long while before grabbing her tea and taking a sip to calm herself.

Her mind drifted back, replaying everything that had happened since she’d met the City Lord.

From the very first invitation, to the City Lord’s surprisingly casual demeanor when they met. The man had never clearly stated why he invited her—just made small talk about everyday things.

“Thank you so much for coming today.”

Oh… so that was what this was all about… That’s what it was, huh…

“Boss, you want something to eat?” Liu An asked from the side.

“No,” Yuan Yuanyuan replied, flipping to the next page of the comic, still deep in thought.

“I’m gonna make instant noodles then,” Liu An said as he walked into the kitchen, leaving her alone in the living room.

Yuan Yuanyuan looked back at the panel—it was the scene where the old man lifted the carriage curtain and asked someone outside where they were.

She remembered how she had internally joked at the time, Why is he saying we just got back into the city—did we take a detour outside? But now… it seemed they had taken a detour, after all.

Because in the comic, it clearly stated that the parade had deliberately circled the outer city before returning—to send a message, a show of force.

Yuan Yuanyuan didn’t know if that intimidation tactic had worked… but for her, just reading it gave her cold sweats.

Thank God no one attacked them that night, she thought. If someone had, I might not have made it back alive.

“But wait… Fa Ning went out to watch the Hundred Demon Festival too?” Yuan Yuanyuan suddenly realized.

She actually liked Fa Ning—unlike certain other exorcists who rubbed her the wrong way. Though he had a hint of a dark side now, he still seemed like a decent, likable young man. Most importantly—he had a pretty face.

She figured that last night was probably Fa Ning’s first time seeing the festival in person. No way a Taoist stronghold would let demons throw parties like this, especially now when demons were in decline.

[Fa Ning had barely walked a block before he heard an excited voice shout beside him.]

“Look! It’s the City Lord! The City Lord is here!”

[He turned sharply at the sound. From somewhere far off came a strange song—soft, distant. He looked up and saw a massive procession appear on the horizon.]

[It was endless—an ocean of demons stretching to infinity, passing from a distant land straight to his eyes. The sky began to glow with the first light of dawn.]

[A rolling thunder of drums suddenly erupted—thousands, it seemed. Deep and shallow, booming in an ancient rhythm that pounded straight into his chest.]

[Black clouds swept across the horizon like an unstoppable sandstorm.]

[At that moment, Fa Ning’s skin erupted in goosebumps.]

Yuan Yuanyuan stared at the illustration and involuntarily whispered, “Holy crap!”

Afraid Liu An would overhear, she quickly lowered her voice.

She kept staring at that image. If a Hyakki Yagyō was meant to serve as a display of power, this one sure nailed the sensory impact.

Yuan Yuanyuan hadn’t felt a thing that night—but now, seeing it in the comic, she finally understood.

Apparently, what she’d witnessed wasn’t the true parade at all. Somehow, Fa Ning on the ground had gotten a better view than she had in the carriage.

[The small demons nearby surged forward like mad. Fa Ning struggled to stay upright, overwhelmed by the sudden frenzy. The laid-back atmosphere had transformed into something almost fanatical.]

[“Quick! Get over here!” someone shouted faintly in the chaos. Fa Ning grabbed a lamppost to avoid being trampled.]

[“These demons… are they always like this?” he screamed internally. “It’s like watching a horde of rabid fangirls at a boyband concert…”]

[When the carriages passed overhead, Fa Ning felt a pressure like a helicopter taking off above him. Wind surged down, whipping his hair into a miniature tornado.]

[The surrounding demons were flattened like wheat in a field. Fa Ning gripped the pole even tighter, his face twisted as he looked up at the carriages—so high they seemed to hover at skyscraper-level. Dear god…]

[Though the moment was brief, it felt like a typhoon to those below.]

[When it finally passed, Fa Ning got up… stunned.]

[For the first time, he truly understood why the Hyakki Yagyō…]

[The other demons were still chasing after the departing carriages, shouting madly. Fa Ning rubbed his arms, baffled by their extreme reaction.]

[But somehow… it felt oddly normal.]

[A question of cultural perspective, Fa Ning thought. Given his own unique constitution, maybe he’d become the first Taoist to truly experience demon life. He should publish a book about it, educate the exorcist world—if anyone would read it.]

Yuan Yuanyuan set her phone down and looked at Liu An, who had at some point returned with his bowl of noodles and was now watching her while slurping.

“Boss, is it good?” he asked.

“It’s good,” she said simply.

“Oh…” Liu An stopped talking and returned to his noodles.

Yuan Yuanyuan thought Fa Ning’s dreaming. If anyone had the right to write a book comparing demon and human society, it would be her. But hey… maybe after she’s done “working” for Ji Qiu, she could write a memoir.

“Cough—” Liu An choked mid-bite, trying to speak. After a few coughs, he said, “Boss… that Hyakki Yagyō is really something else.”

“You didn’t go see it?” Yuan Yuanyuan blinked. “Oh right, you stayed inside that night…”

Liu An fell silent, sipping broth. Yuan Yuanyuan looked back at her phone and muttered, almost to herself, “Yeah… it really was something.”

“It must’ve looked even more incredible from inside the carriage,” Liu An added, a touch of envy creeping into his voice.

Yuan Yuanyuan turned toward him, surprised by that look on his face—a subtle, wistful envy.

And suddenly, she was stunned.

She remembered some long-buried thoughts from ages ago… thoughts she’d once had: If I could become someone like that… wouldn’t that be amazing?

Outside, someone triggered a car alarm. The sound wailed long and low through the darkened street.

Inside the dim room, Yuan Yuanyuan stared at Liu An for a long moment. Then, quietly, she said:

“…It’s not all that. Being up there isn’t nearly as fun as being down below.”

“Huh? Why not?” Liu An looked up, noodles still in his mouth.

“Because…” Yuan Yuanyuan frowned. “It looks cool from the ground, but up there? You can’t see anything. Just a tiny curtain you have to peek through. It’s like being stuck in a boring meeting.”

“And,” she continued, her voice rising slightly as if finally finding someone she could rant to, “the sound is super faint. In the carriage, it’s basically a lullaby.”

Liu An’s face fell in real time. Yuan Yuanyuan nearly laughed at the look of crushed dreams. She waved a hand in front of his face and teased, “Hey now, don’t look like the meaning of life just shattered.”

“Must’ve just been your demon squad that was low-tier,” Liu An snapped back as he recovered. “The one in the comic? That one’s definitely top-notch.”

Yuan Yuanyuan rolled her eyes. “They’re all the same. No way one’s any different.”

As they bickered, the car alarm outside finally stopped. The street returned to peace. Since the Hundred Demon Festival ended, the number of demons had dropped off sharply, while humans were slowly becoming more visible again.

Yuan Yuanyuan looked at Liu An, who was now too demoralized to finish his noodles. A smug little smile crept across her face.

She flipped to the last pages of the comic. Fa Ning’s internal monologue played out alone.

[He looked up at the sky where the demon procession had vanished and suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to go with them.]

[But he couldn’t fly. If he wanted to, he’d need some Taoist technique to help him.]

[“That carriage… it held the City Lord and the great figure who helped anchor tonight’s event,” someone nearby explained. “They just came back from the city’s edge… so majestic.”]

[Both the City Lord and that mysterious figure were in there? Fa Ning looked toward the sky.]

[They’d just come back from the outskirts? Probably to intimidate the surrounding demons…]

[Fa Ning stared at the disappearing caravan and suddenly had a single, dazed thought.]

[To sit in a carriage like that, take part in a Hyakki Yagyō, make the little demons below crane their necks in awe, and even frighten the ones nearby…]

[That’s… really something amazing.]