Little Pink Starfish

Gao Ling looked up at the figure inside the paper lantern, unaware that the person inside was just as bewildered as she was.

Yuan Yuanyuan had just heard some things from the proprietress and, after piecing it together, arrived at a rather terrifying conclusion. Only then did the scenes inside the tavern start playing back in her mind.

Right… no wonder there were always so many strange guests, and a few of the rooms at the end of the hall were always sealed shut.

There had also always been a lot of people badmouthing Yuan in the tavern… ever since he first appeared in Demon Notes, there had been tons. Just today, while she was working, she overheard countless people cursing him.

Yuan Yuanyuan suddenly felt a bit absurd. Right now, she really was like a rat that had snuck into a den of cats. The proprietress’s voice echoed in her ear again, filled with grievance, “Listening to them curse you—don’t you feel happy? How could you leave for so many years without a word?”

That aggrieved tone made Yuan Yuanyuan feel like she was about to blurt out, You heartless bastard.

Crap, crap, crap—this was getting overwhelming again.

Yuan Yuanyuan realized she was already exposed, but thankfully, the proprietress was someone she knew and didn’t seem to have any intention of killing her—possibly even an ally. So she didn’t feel much psychological pressure and even considered getting up and walking away.

But just as she moved, the room below erupted again—first a wave of chaos, then a sudden and complete silence. Cold sweat instantly broke out on Yuan Yuanyuan’s back.

What the hell?

It felt… ominous.

Everyone below was looking up at her. Yuan Yuanyuan froze, afraid to move, and ended up holding her position again.

This scene… felt weirdly like she was giving a lecture to a bunch of employees, didn’t it?

She had always been the one getting scolded. This was the first time she was in the position of doing the scolding. It made her a bit nervous—and she still couldn’t leave.

A hundred years ago, Autumn Sakura already existed. But back then, it didn’t look like this, and the people inside weren’t the same.

The proprietress, however, was the same. Whether or not she and Seventeen had hooked up at the time, one thing was certain: Seventeen was already a prominent anti-bloodline general with a clearly defined stance.

From beginning to end, Seventeen had never been associated with this little tavern in the public eye. He had never interacted with the proprietress—despite the fact that the tavern was named after his sister’s nickname, and both of them lived in City C.

Still, back then, Autumn Sakura was undeniably a well-known base for anti-bloodline ideology… It almost didn’t survive the war. If not for the later death of the old King of All Demons, the tavern likely would’ve had to change names.

Back then, everyone knew there was a powerful demon backing Autumn Sakura. But nobody knew who it was—no name, no face. Only a few core members knew bits and pieces.

Rumor had it this person liked to smoke a long pipe, never showed their face, always stayed behind curtains or paper screens, only revealing a silhouette.

Just who… was that person?

The proprietress’s sultry voice continued to speak in Yuan Yuanyuan’s ear. As a girl, Yuan Yuanyuan’s knees were about to go weak. She thought, Damn, all these pretty girls in the tavern got nothing on the proprietress. One word from her and everyone else turns to dust. Truly a senior demon.

Still, Yuan Yuanyuan knew to be cautious. It was better to keep her distance from this woman. While letting the proprietress fish for information, she kept watching the people below.

“What are you planning to do?” the woman complained. “You’ve always hidden away before. Are you going to keep doing that? Isn’t that a bit much?”

Before? When had Seventeen ever hidden? Yuan Yuanyuan genuinely didn’t understand what the proprietress was talking about—it all sounded like coded language to her.

“This is the first time you’ve come back pretending to be a woman.” The proprietress said teasingly, “And you look even more graceful than I do.”

“No one ever suspects that a woman might actually be a man underneath,” Yuan Yuanyuan muttered.

Wait, wasn’t that line… kind of familiar? Wasn’t it basically the reason she started using a male persona in the first place?

“Have you decided what you’re going to say to the people down there?” the proprietress asked. “Here’s a suggestion: tell them you’ll personally kill Yuan the traitor, and they’ll probably go crazy for you.”

Yuan Yuanyuan rolled her eyes. What kind of nonsense is that?

Gao Ling had tried several times to sneak past Si Qun, but Si Qun stubbornly carried out Yuan Yuanyuan’s instructions to the letter. He watched Gao Ling closely, refusing to let her leave.

Si Qun was dim, but when given a task, he took it seriously. Gao Ling gave up after a few failed attempts. She pulled out her phone to try to take a picture—no signal, and the screen was all fuzzy.

So she gave up on taking photos and continued watching the lantern figure. The figure’s face was obscured, even the silhouette was a bit hazy, but there was a strange beauty in the misty image.

But that… wasn’t the point.

As a comic artist—albeit not a very well-known one—Gao Ling felt something was off about the person above.

That was… one rough-looking chick. She couldn’t quite describe it, but something about the proportions felt all wrong. Not a normal look at all.

If she dared draw a girl like that, she’d get roasted alive.

And yet, what was strange was… despite the odd, clunky body shape, no one else seemed to notice anything off. Probably because the overall vibe felt right.

Still, Gao Ling compared proportions again and shook her head—it was off.

From her artist’s perspective, the person up there had to be at least 180cm tall. In this tavern, even among female demons, the height range seemed to hover between 150 to 170cm.

This person wasn’t just rough—she was way too tall. Gao Ling kept watching as the “girl” slowly turned her head, and then shifted her body.

When the “girl” finally turned to the side in full, Gao Ling suddenly froze.

Huh?

HUH!?

That bone structure… those hips…

Suddenly, Gao Ling realized she had stumbled onto something huge. These demons didn’t just have different worldviews—their tastes were all over the place too… In this area, they might be way ahead of humans.

Ah… was she just being narrow-minded? Yeah, come on, no discrimination. If you judge me, I judge you—we all lose. Weird stuff like this should be viewed with an open mind.

Gao Ling reassured herself thoroughly, then looked up again at the person above.

Holy crap… a crossdressing king. A live one. This is rare—I’ve gotta make this worth it.

Up until now, she had just assumed the person was maybe a performer hired by the tavern for fun. But then someone nearby suddenly burst into tears and shouted, “Is it really you? Have you really come back?”

That’s when she started thinking something wasn’t right.

These demons… were way too emotional. Why were they acting so worked up over this?

“It’s her! It really is her! I can’t believe she’s alive!” someone else cried. “It’s been over a hundred years… so many great ones have fallen. Who would’ve thought she’s still alive? Has the recent situation finally become unbearable for her?”

Wait, she’s… an old demon? An old demon?! Gao Ling frowned. That couldn’t be right. Old demons… being popular? If there’s one universal truth she knew—it’s that everyone loves the young.

She kept eavesdropping, only to hear more voices rising again.

“My lady, what should we do now?” one of them pleaded.

“I don’t want to kill. I don’t want another war. I’ve gotten used to this life—can’t we just keep living like this?”

Gao Ling quietly tugged on the sleeve of the guy beside her and asked, “What’s going on exactly?”

“They don’t want war,” Si Qun whispered. “So they’re asking the person above to help them.”

“That works?!” Gao Ling stared. “Who the hell is that up there?!”

“She’s their leader,” Si Qun explained earnestly. “Everyone listens to her.”

Gao Ling was speechless.

Right then, the same thought Yuan Yuanyuan had earlier popped into her head—

We’ve stumbled right into the anti-war organization’s headquarters… No, not headquarters. Let’s call it a base. ‘Headquarters’ sounds too ominous.

And how fascinating—it turns out the anti-war group’s leader… is a crossdressing king. Hehehehehehehe…

Gao Ling giggled… then her smile slowly faded… and vanished entirely.

“Why did you stop laughing?” Si Qun asked curiously, blushing deeply—he wasn’t used to chatting with strangers.

“I…” Gao Ling’s hands were trembling. Her voice shook. “I just… made a terrifying connection.”

“Was it something really terrifying?” Si Qun asked.

“Yes,” Gao Ling said blankly. “Terrifying.”

She suddenly remembered—this tavern had only one known crossdressing king. Though they didn’t seem like it on the surface, this one had been officially confirmed. A super crossdressing king.

She looked up at the person above again—and immediately looked away.

Too terrifying…

She hadn’t noticed the resemblance before, but now… the more she looked, the more alike they seemed.