Little Pink Starfish

Yuan Yuanyuan thought hard for a moment… She was pretty sure she hadn’t leaked any news about her own “death,” so why was the person in front of her looking like they’d seen a ghost?

Honestly, Yuan Yuanyuan hadn’t wanted to come here. It was much better staying comfortably in the tavern… But there was no helping it. Word had come in that the upper levels of City C might have made some recent moves. The tavern had never had much insight into City C’s leadership—most of their spies had been wiped out in an operation just last month.

At first, Yuan Yuanyuan had grumbled, wondering why City C’s upper ranks were so formidable. But the tavern owner had resolved the confusion in a single sentence—

There were a lot of descendants of Seventeen’s former subordinates within City C’s leadership.

Yuan Yuanyuan had let out an enlightened “Ohhh,” and promptly shut up.

But that wasn’t the main issue. The key point was: they could no longer infiltrate City C. Lately, the Mask Organization’s behavior had been odd. Everyone worried that some backdoor deal had been struck, but there was no way to send in a new spy just yet. They urgently needed someone to gather intel.

Yuan Yuanyuan and the tavern owner discussed it for several days and finally settled on a plan—just have Yuan Yuanyuan herself go in directly and ask.

While her continued survival was still technically a secret, it really wouldn’t matter much if it got out. No one could find her anyway. And given the urgency, showing up in person might actually be the best move. With any luck, her appearance might shock someone into revealing something they shouldn’t.

To minimize risk, Yuan Yuanyuan had prepared thoroughly before coming. The tavern owner had even given her a protective charm—if something went wrong, she just needed to crush it to teleport back. Based on the description, it sounded a lot like the teleportation ability of that boy from the Mask Organization who could turn into light.

But Yuan Yuanyuan wasn’t planning to rely on that completely. With her strength, those people wouldn’t be able to keep her easily.

She now stood before someone she used to know fairly well from a past job—a little demon who used to idolize Seventeen. She figured this demon wouldn’t react too violently to seeing Seventeen, and probably wouldn’t sell her out on sight.

The little demon across from her was still staring at her like he’d seen a ghost. Yuan Yuanyuan was growing uncomfortable under his gaze. Did she find the wrong person? No, she’d considered it carefully before coming.

Just as she was about to speak, the little demon suddenly snapped out of it. “Yuan—Yuan-sama, you’re not dead?”

No shit. What, you think I’m a ghost?

Yuan Yuanyuan walked over. Fortunately, the demon didn’t bolt, so she let out a breath of relief. Dumb as he was, he was still showing the proper respect.

The little demon asked, “You’re okay? That’s great… But why didn’t you come back for so long?”

They were meeting in a narrow, dim alley. Moss grew in the corners, damp and green, and sunlight filtered in from above, casting dappled patches on the walls.

As Yuan Yuanyuan approached, the light fell across her face—half lit, half in shadow, emerging from the dark.

The little demon nervously swallowed. He stammered, “Yuan-sama, there’s… there’s another lord ahead. Should I take you to him?”

Yuan Yuanyuan froze.

She hadn’t expected there to be another high-level demon nearby. She’d only seen this little one earlier. If someone else was close, then she’d need to revise her plans. She’d originally thought that if the area was deserted, she could just take the little guy away without issue.

It seemed the demon had sensed her intent and spoken up on purpose. Pretty clever, actually.

Without a word, Yuan Yuanyuan followed him. The little demon broke into a cold sweat, nervously babbling along the way with meaningless small talk like, “Why did you only come back now?” “Where have you been all this time?” “We’ve been looking for you—why haven’t you sent any messages?”

To all of which… Yuan Yuanyuan really wanted to ask: Haven’t you been reading the comic? Do you live under a rock? Things have been absolute chaos inside and outside the story. And you’re asking me this crap…

But despite her mental complaints, she said nothing. She even glanced sideways at the little demon, trying to judge whether he was truly clueless or just pretending. After watching his behavior, she was pretty sure—he was faking it.

He kept looking away, not daring to meet her eyes. What, you think if you look at me I’ll do something to you?

Both of them knew what was going on. The little demon knew where Yuan had been. Yuan knew that he knew. But neither of them brought it up.

He pretended not to know. She pretended she didn’t know he knew.

Then the two of them arrived where another man was standing. Yuan Yuanyuan felt a vague sense of familiarity. She’d probably seen him around in City C before—one of those laid-back types. When he heard the little demon call out, he turned his head. Upon seeing Yuan Yuanyuan, his eyes narrowed instantly. Then, with a jump, he leapt down from the platform where he’d been reclining.

Yuan Yuanyuan sized up the man. Handsome. That alone made her like him more.

And the first thing he said boosted his favorability even higher: “Yuan-sama, welcome back.”

Lin Gubao looked at the figure before him—Yuan. Internally, he was in full meltdown. Holy shit! He’s alive?! How is he here all of a sudden? Why didn’t I ask Miss Lian to do a reading before I left today?

He bowed his head low. In the past, he hadn’t treated Yuan with this much respect. But lately, everyone suspected that this man’s background was incredibly complicated—tangled up with all kinds of powers. Getting involved could mean certain death.

Even he couldn’t believe it. Normally, anyone caught up in just one of these scandals would be a corpse in the street. But this man was entangled in so many, and yet here he was—completely intact.

Terrifying.

Despite the turmoil in his head, Lin Gubao was unfailingly respectful on the surface. He genuinely did feel a kind of admiration for this man.

When Yuan had first disappeared, there had been chaos in City C. Everyone swore he’d betrayed them. Even spies in the Mask Organization claimed they’d seen him.

The entire city had gone on high alert—anyone resembling Yuan had to be reported immediately. It was absolute pandemonium.

Lin Gubao hadn’t been deeply involved at the time, but he’d witnessed the atmosphere. It felt like something had been shattered. If Yuan really had joined the Mask Organization, then to him, it would’ve been a joke. The man who’d once opposed demons so fiercely… becoming one himself?

Later, he’d talked with Miss Lian. She’d been in low spirits then. They sat on a wooden corridor for a long time. As one of the people who’d been closest to Yuan, Miss Lian had clearly taken it hard.

At one point, she’d said quietly, “Yuan-sama must have been seriously injured… If he were still the same as before, I don’t think he’d have done something like this.”

Lin Gubao had thought it over, sipping from a bottle. It made sense.

For the greater good, sacrificing a few—that sounded like something Yuan would do. The world had changed. From the perspective of an old demon like him, perhaps Yuan had decided to gamble everything.

Still, it didn’t stop the melancholy. He’d taken another drink.

Back in the present, Lin Gubao looked again at the man before him. His head bowed even lower. The recent flood of plot twists had left everyone reeling. He studied Yuan carefully, trying to judge his physical condition. The comic had said Yuan’s body was in terrible shape.

He stole a glance. On the surface, there were no signs… But supposedly, Yuan had collapsed midair from exhaustion during a fight. His condition had to be bad, right?
…Does he know all this was drawn in the comic? Lin Gubao suddenly wondered.

Yuan Yuanyuan, meanwhile, kept walking calmly ahead, unaware of what was going on behind her. Lin Gubao’s thoughts spun faster and faster: What if he doesn’t know? How could he be so calm otherwise?

He’s done something huge… If he knew it was public knowledge, how could he act like this? The little demon had practically freaked out earlier—maybe Yuan was still pretending and didn’t realize the disguise had been blown.

If it were him, he’d at least offer some explanation… unless Yuan hadn’t seen the recent issues? No one had mentioned them to him? Maybe he hadn’t contacted anyone lately. Maybe he’d crawled out of that river after nearly dying and had been recovering somewhere isolated… only just now resurfacing.

Yuan Yuanyuan turned her head and accidentally met Lin Gubao’s eyes. He instantly jerked his head down, startling her.

What the hell…

Lin Gubao’s thoughts were racing. It’s unlikely… but what if he really doesn’t know?

Then an idea hit him—he’d act like he didn’t know either. Just keep talking to Yuan like before. Answer his questions. And never, ever bring up anything from the comic.

Even if Yuan was injured, Lin Gubao couldn’t beat him right now. If Yuan really didn’t know, and he accidentally let something slip, what if Yuan snapped? The man had killed without blinking before. He didn’t want to risk it.

Weirdly, after deciding this, he felt a strange sense of excitement. Among the demons, many didn’t even read Demon Chronicles—they didn’t care. But Lin Gubao did. And now he had to act like he didn’t.

Yuan Yuanyuan found his expression unsettling… There was something about him that felt downright scary. Was he wondering why a dead man had come back to life?

She hadn’t declared her allegiance right away. The leadership’s current stance was still unknown. But the stuff from the comic had her on edge. Had this guy read it? If he had, then he knew her position. If not, maybe she could bluff him.

*…Alright, let’s assume he doesn’t know. I’ll act like I don’t either. The comic hasn’t officially confirmed anything anyway. If he *is* with the Mask Organization, I’ll claim I’m still on the rebellion’s side and that the comic’s just Qiu’s nonsense.*

So the two of them—both fully aware—launched into their little act.
A spirited performance.
Lin Gubao asked, “Yuan-sama, your sudden return puts us in a bit of a tight spot. Should I report to the City Lord?”

The moment he said that, Yuan Yuanyuan’s steps faltered slightly. Lin Gubao instantly stopped as well, a bit nervous. “Are—are you alright?”

He remembered Yuan’s severe injuries, but had to pretend he didn’t know. That thought made him feel stifled.

Yuan Yuanyuan steadied her pounding heart and reassured him she was fine. She glanced up at the sky, puzzled. What’s going on today? Why does everyone seem so weird around me? I’ve had goosebumps all day…