Little Pink Starfish

Yuan Yuanyuan had been on the ship for a total of seven days.

Even though there was no internet or electricity, she surprisingly hadn’t felt bored. After all, getting bored on this kind of ship was actually pretty hard to do.

Sometimes she’d look up at the ship’s ceiling and wonder—what would humans think if they saw this ship?

But then she’d remember: it probably wouldn’t even be that hard for humans to see it… considering a certain peeping creep called Ji Qiu kept drawing demon stuff for humans to see. Who knew—he might draw this ship too.

Over the past few days, Yuan Yuanyuan had been popping in and out like a ghost. She mostly came out at night to walk around on deck, spending the rest of her time holed up in her room. She noticed that most of the demons on the ship were more active at night—there were way more people on the deck at night than during the day.

During the day, you could see white clouds surrounding the ship. When the sun rose or set, the clouds would glow red… it was a beautiful sight that sometimes made Yuan Yuanyuan suddenly think, Maybe being a half-demon isn’t so bad after all.

She’d almost lost track of time up here—until one sunset, when golden-red light painted the deck in a fiery hue.

She had just woken up from a nap, glanced out the window… and was startled. The deck was full of demons—far more than usual, easily double the usual number.

What the hell… What’s going on?

She peered down at the deck, confused. She noticed a lot of unfamiliar faces—clearly some new arrivals.

From a glance, it was obvious there were several distinct factions. Some stood together in matching outfits or wore similar accessories.

Yuan Yuanyuan quickly spotted a few very powerful demons. The kind of overwhelming aura that could practically be seen with the naked eye.

She sat up from bed, still dazed, and that’s when she heard a bell tolling overhead. The sound rang out from the very top of the ship, then spread through the entire vessel.

It was long and melodious, but carried a strange tremor that made it oddly… eerie.

The moment the sound reached her ears, Yuan Yuanyuan suddenly froze.

It was as if a jolt of electricity had passed through her mind.

…

She sat there in a daze for a long time. She was sure this was the first time she had ever heard this sound.

But… it also felt like she had heard it long, long ago. Like a sound buried deep in her genes.

Still stunned, she noticed more and more demons pouring out of the building. Each one came out and immediately looked up at the sky.

Those who had been on the ship longer didn’t seem fazed by the bell at all. But the newer arrivals—like her—were clearly confused.

Seeing this, Yuan Yuanyuan scrambled to get dressed, changed her appearance, and hurried out too.

The deck was already packed. She had to push through the crowd. A mist-like purple ribbon floated in the air around her—she reached out instinctively, but couldn’t touch it.

Just as she was about to try again, the crowd began parting in front of her.

A man stood at the end of the cleared path, holding a small bell.

Ding—ding—

A deep, resonant chime echoed through the air—shockingly, it came from that tiny bell.

Yuan Yuanyuan happened to be standing right at the edge of the cleared path, on the left side. She turned slightly and saw the man clearly.

He was an old man with a face full of long white beard, his skin wrinkled like the bark of the tree in front of her house. He looked around slowly, cleared his throat, and said to the gathered demons:

“Since everyone’s here, I’ll go ahead and make the announcement. We’re expected to arrive at the Northwest Line around midnight tonight… This is the largest mobilization we’ve had in almost eight years.”

As soon as he finished, whispers spread rapidly through the crowd. Low murmurs filled the air like the buzz of insects.

As a born gossiper herself, Yuan Yuanyuan really wanted to chat with someone too. But looking around at the tiny demons nearby—all under 1.5 meters tall and suspiciously cute-looking—she realized there wasn’t really anyone to talk to. These little guys were probably brought along just to be adorable.

So she stuck out like a sore thumb.

Since she’d come out late, she couldn’t push through to the front either.

Bored, she began scanning the crowd—and suddenly saw a familiar figure. A girl in a white princess dress, frilly and puffed like a doll, waving at her enthusiastically.

Yuan Yuanyuan blinked. The girl mouthed something that looked like, “Come here.”

Yuan Yuanyuan glanced around hesitantly and shook her head. Moving in this crowd was a pain. Not worth it.

She turned back around and saw the old man walking down the path, speaking slowly as he went.

His voice was gentle and deliberate, oddly captivating.

“Some of you may be experiencing a Thousand-Demon Night Parade for the first time, and some of you may have done this before. But regardless, I’m sure all of you have at least heard of these grand processions…”

Okay… What? What’s he saying? Yuan Yuanyuan scratched her ear, trying to keep up.

“This time, we’re headed to the border zone for the night parade. I imagine some of you feel excited or nervous… After all, aside from the big demons aboard, most of you have never experienced anything like this.”

“But,” his voice suddenly turned stern, “since you were chosen to board this ship, I trust you’ve mentally prepared yourselves.”

Mental preparation for what? Yuan Yuanyuan glanced around, mildly horrified. She noticed the demons nearby were all showing signs of excitement, even flushing red with anticipation.

“This is our first border-zone night parade in eight years. The last time was near the end of the war… Maybe you’ve heard rumors, so I won’t dwell on that.”

“But the night parade has always carried a special meaning—it is a symbol of our kind. In our darkest times, it was the parade that revived morale, that pushed back our enemies.”

“But this symbol… has been lost for eight years.”

Silence fell.

The crowd went still. Only the soft crackle of fire could be heard.

Even the floating purple ribbons in the air seemed to dim.

Yuan Yuanyuan looked around. She was so caught in the moment, she didn’t dare speak. It felt like something heavy, ominous, was pressing down on everyone.

“But this time is different!” the old man’s voice suddenly rose. “After eight long years… we return once more! We will appear before the humans again!”

“We will reclaim our pride!”

As he shouted the final line, the crowd erupted in a guttural roar.

It wasn’t a cheer. It was a howl—low and primal, filled with pent-up rage and fury.

Yuan Yuanyuan practically jumped out of her skin.

WHAT THE HELL?!

Her first reaction was shock. Then… irritation.

Like when you’re sleeping peacefully and someone suddenly starts hammering downstairs.

Of course, no one noticed her frustration. The little demons around her were all excitedly whispering.

The atmosphere was electric—even the big demons couldn’t hide their excitement. Yuan Yuanyuan suddenly felt like she was at some kind of… fanatical cult rally. Her skin crawled.

“Oh right—this time, we’ve got a veteran joining us,” the old man added, like an afterthought. “Someone who’s participated in many border-line parades before… So there’s no need to worry.”

“Wait, for real?!” someone blurted out before he could finish.

Instant uproar.

Everyone started talking at once—even the little demons near Yuan Yuanyuan were whispering in awe.

She frowned, listening closely. Some of them were saying things like, “It’s really him!” and “Did C City really allow him out? Wasn’t he supposed to be a traitor?”

The moment she heard C City and traitor, Yuan Yuanyuan’s ears perked up.

Wait… what??

The old man cleared his throat and continued, “Alright, everyone, calm down. We’re headed to the Northwest line. I’ve heard the relay station has already been prepared. We’ll be staying there for a while. It’s been years since we’ve shown ourselves to humans in this scale, so please be mindful.”

“What exactly should we be mindful of?” a rather cocky big demon asked.

The old man put the bell back into his sleeve and replied calmly, “Just maintain your aura. All the lead demons have been carefully chosen. Many of you have done this before. With such large numbers, the momentum speaks for itself. The amount of demon-thread we’ve gathered is staggering.”

He glanced around. “When the time comes, I want everyone to release your aura. There will be humans present… and even ghost clans, I’ve heard. We must make an impression. A grand banquet will be served shortly. Eat, rest, and at midnight we descend. Big demons in front, little demons follow. We are leading this parade.”

…

Even after everyone dispersed, Yuan Yuanyuan stood there in a daze.

She hadn’t fully processed what had just happened until the girl in the white dress came running over.

“Lantern! Why are you just standing here alone? Come join us up front!” she said excitedly.

“No thanks. I have to stick with my big demon,” Yuan Yuanyuan replied.

“Big demon, big demon—you’re always talking about your big demon!” the girl huffed and stormed off.

Yuan Yuanyuan stood there with a blank, vaguely innocent expression.

…

In a provincial capital in the northwest, Liu An looked up at the sky.

He’d arrived several days ago and was staying at a loose cultivator hostel, sharing a room with all sorts of people. Still, the demons hadn’t arrived yet.

They probably need a few days to organize, Liu An thought.

But after reaching the front lines himself, he realized things weren’t nearly as serious as the rumors made them out to be.

The seven demons who were captured had apparently crossed the border under false pretenses and even attacked a human patrol. They were detained according to standard procedure.

Meanwhile, the demon side hadn’t released any statement.

It was unsettling.

If Liu An hadn’t come in person and lived among the demons, he would’ve never figured it out.

Spreading rumors inside, scheming outside… tsk. The demons are really good at this. Way better than humans.

He looked up again.

This parade clearly wasn’t just about those seven demons. From what Liu An had gathered during his work with the recycling agency, nobody up top would care enough about them to mount a response like this.

No, something much bigger was brewing. The official story was that the demons were using the current popularity of Demon Chronicles to make a move.

The reason so many loose cultivators had gathered here was because of this rumor.

As Liu An stood there thinking, someone came running past, shouting, “They’re here! They’ve entered the city!”

…

Yuan Yuanyuan sat on her bed for a long time.

It wasn’t until the bell rang again that she snapped out of it.

She was about to head out when she suddenly remembered something. She rushed to her suitcase, pulled out a change of clothes, got dressed, and hurried downstairs.

Ugh… better to stay covered. I’ll feel safer that way.

As she opened the door, she bumped face-to-face into someone.

Both of them froze.

After a long pause, the other person gave Yuan Yuanyuan a slight bow… then turned and calmly walked away down the stairs.