Little Pink Starfish

Wow.

Standing in the biting wind, Yuan Yuanyuan had no idea what kind of expression she was supposed to wear. So in the end, she simply thought to herself, Wow.

“The area near the Red Sand Well has already been sealed. Outsiders can’t get in easily,” the human leader beside her said. “We’ll have to pass through several checkpoints.”

Yuan Yuanyuan wasn’t too bothered. Fine, let’s go then. This kind of thing… let’s just treat it like visiting a scenic site.

Don’t ask why she felt the need to make that kind of sarcastic remark. It was because this whole trip really did feel like some kind of guided tour. The entrance was packed with people—there were even ticket booths. Yuan Yuanyuan had half a mind to ask if students got half-price. But before she could say anything, a “tour guide”-like figure led them to a fenced-off area guarded by armed personnel.

There weren’t many people in the group—just her and a few demons. The humans had five people, including the same bald man from last time, though the woman wasn’t there.

As they proceeded further in, the surroundings became more and more remote. Even though the entrance had seemed connected to normal areas, the road they traveled grew increasingly desolate. They drove for a full hour, through layer after layer of checkpoints. Yuan Yuanyuan even saw what looked like tanks.

After one last checkpoint heavily guarded by armed men, the “tour guide” whispered, “We’re here.” Then, an enormous, thick iron gate began to slowly open—revealing what lay beyond.

“Holy crap…” Yuan Yuanyuan stared at the scene in front of her. It was like two completely different worlds on either side of the gate.

Behind the gate stood towering ancient walls. Yuan Yuanyuan had to crane her neck from inside the car to even see the top—they were no smaller than the preserved walls in Xi’an. But these walls were dark green-black, exuding a deathly aura.

It looked like an ancient ghost town. They circled the wall and headed further in. The land had that distinct northwest barrenness—nothing but dry yellow dirt and not a single blade of grass. The further they went, the more unsettling it felt. She expected to see white bones scattered everywhere, but aside from the eerie atmosphere, the place was surprisingly clean. No corpses.

Nothing grew here.

The sky overhead was a dull, overcast yellow, as if rain could fall at any moment—muddy, filthy rain. Yuan Yuanyuan found the place so dark she thought about turning on a flashlight—only to find it didn’t work.

“We’re here,” the guide said. Yuan Yuanyuan blinked. Already?

Before she knew what was happening, they rounded a corner and saw a courtyard-style house with curved eaves. Beyond it, she glimpsed a well—its rim built from green bricks, with a dead tree standing beside it. It looked like any household well. From the dust, it hadn’t been used in ages.

At the time, Yuan Yuanyuan didn’t know what to feel. But she definitely had a sharp thought: It’s… really just a well? What a literal name.

There it sat—still and quiet. If someone had walked over to fetch water from it, it wouldn’t have looked out of place at all.

Yuan Yuanyuan stood silently at the side, watching what the others were doing. She saw the seven captives being forced to drink a bowl of green liquid. She didn’t look too closely, but noticed that after they drank, red blood mixed with green fluid spilled from their mouths.

She turned and whispered to the demon beside her, “Hey, what’s that stuff for?”

The demon beside her was Yu Wu—the only one in the group she knew. With the white-bearded old man absent, Yuan Yuanyuan was now leading the team.

Yu Wu shot her a glare. “What? You never drank it back then?”

Yuan Yuanyuan was speechless. After a moment, she said, “Well… even if I did, how would I know what it was?”

“It makes sure you stay dead—just in case you try to climb back out,” Yu Wu said with a grim smile.

“Oh.” Yuan Yuanyuan nodded in sudden realization, then turned back around.

She didn’t know why Yu Wu hated Yi Qi so much. From her fujoshi perspective… there were definitely some unusual vibes going on there. She lived a pretty modest life, but her mental world was… well, extravagantly indulgent.

The first person was thrown down while she was still talking to Yu Wu.

“When I ‘disappeared’ back then, you’d already been sealed for a long time, right?” she said.

Yu Wu didn’t respond.

“Look, you’ve survived this long. Isn’t it time to let bygones be bygones? Grudges from decades ago… come on, they don’t matter anymore, right? Besides, if you look around—”

Then she saw it—another person thrown in. Her voice stopped cold.

No echo.

She looked up—the sky was still yellowish gray. She looked down—the earth hadn’t turned red.

A second demon was tossed in. Yuan Yuanyuan noticed how eerily calm it all was. No screaming, no struggle. Just silence.

They were thrown in, one by one. Quietly. Mechanically.

Not even a breeze. Complete stillness.

If there’d been even the slightest sign of resistance, she might have processed it differently. But instead, it was this moment that stunned her into silence.

As they were leaving, Yuan Yuanyuan turned for one last look at the well—small, rimmed with green bricks, no strange sounds from inside. It looked like a peaceful village well, serving water to locals.

She turned away.

And felt a chill down her spine.

---

The way back took longer—because of the rain. The demons in the car were growing impatient, wanting to get home. Only Yuan Yuanyuan kept her cap pulled low, resting quietly in the back seat.

The driver seemed nervous, though he said nothing. Yuan Yuanyuan could hear his heart pounding. She rolled over, hearing a demon whisper, “This rain is giving me the creeps.”

“What’s there to be scared of?” Yu Wu snorted. “We’ve got a top-tier expert in the car, don’t we?”

Yuan Yuanyuan kept her eyes closed. She didn’t want to open them—she might end up fighting Yu Wu.

The car drove smoothly, and she eventually fell asleep. When she woke up, the car had already returned to the city, bright with neon lights.

Raindrops streamed down the windows, and the blurred lights made the city look surreal. She looked around—some of the demons had also fallen asleep.

With nothing better to do, she reached for a magazine from the seat pocket and read under the dim overhead light.

“Qing Fuchen…” she read aloud. The magazine bore the image of a Taoist fly-whisk—probably a publication for Taoist practitioners.

Man, living long enough really lets you see everything, she thought, flipping through it idly. To her surprise, the magazine contained surprisingly advanced discussions on Taoist techniques.

“Huh?” She’d started reading just out of curiosity, but the deeper she went, the more engrossed she became.

By the time the car reached the mountain again at dawn, she had finished several volumes and even wanted to read more. But the car had arrived at the inn. The demons began waking up one by one. Yuan Yuanyuan regretfully returned the magazine and stepped out.

Back in the inn, it was as if no one even knew where they’d gone for the past few days. Yuan Yuanyuan didn’t want them to know either. She quietly went upstairs and lay on her bed, finally able to relax a little.

Not long after, someone knocked gently on her door. When she opened it, a messenger informed her that they would be leaving tomorrow.

Only then did she feel a sudden wave of detachment.

So… I can go home tomorrow.

She suddenly realized how terrifying the past few days had been when she thought about it seriously. It had felt like any wrong move would trap her here forever. But then again… whatever. I’ll survive.

Just as she was about to sleep, another knock came.

She opened her eyes wide—red-veined, exhausted. One more person shows up and I’m stabbing them straight through the butt with a thousand-year kill.

But when she opened the door…

It was the old man.

And she decided, Okay, I’m not stabbing an old man. I’ll let this one go.

The old man entered, saying, “I hadn’t planned on telling you this… but I’m afraid that once I leave this time, I may never see you again.”

What, you about to die? Your double-agent act finally got you caught? Yuan Yuanyuan’s mind lit up.

“I understand you don’t want to return to the front lines… but please, consider the future of the demon race,” the old man said with a deep bow. “Since the passing of the former king, the demons have been leaderless. The current king is too weak. We have no powerful elders left… I believe your return was ordained by the Demon God.”

Bull. It was clearly Jiuqiu’s doing.

Yuan Yuanyuan glanced sideways at him. The old man suddenly handed her a mirror.

“This is for you,” he said.

She blinked at the item in surprise.

Without another word, the old man turned and left.

---

The next morning, several demons stood at her door.

When Yuan Yuanyuan stepped out, she and Yu Wu shared a silent look. Their eyes met, both full of meaning. Yuan Yuanyuan twitched the corner of her mouth.

“From today on, we are your subordinates,” one of the demons said. “We will follow your command.”

Yuan Yuanyuan’s mouth twitched again. She looked at Yu Wu… and couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“Pfft… Living long enough really does let you see everything, huh.”