Little Pink Starfish

【“An old acquaintance.”】

The moment the boss lady said that line, Yuan Yingli’s expression snapped into something almost cartoonishly dramatic.

A whole page was devoted to that expression—his “expression art.” The longer Yuan Yuanyuan stared at it, the more surreal and hypnotic it became. She got completely absorbed in it until the chime from outside snapped her out of her daze.

So… he thought the grave was mine? Yuan Yuanyuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. It was tragic comedy at its finest.

Luckily, Fa Ning was a bit more clear-headed. After spacing out for a moment, he cautiously asked,

“So, the person buried here… who is it?”

【The woman stood at the door, casually examining her immaculately maintained nails. Only then did she look up at Fa Ning with a smile and say, “Someone you probably don’t know very well.”】

【At this, Fa Ning exhaled in relief. He turned to see Yuan Yingli still frozen in shock and quickly patted him on the back to snap him out of it. It took several pats before Yuan Yingli’s face returned to normal.】

【“So it’s not Yuan…” he muttered, finally recovering. Fa Ning glanced at the small mound beneath the tree, suddenly curious—this was the anti-war group’s headquarters, after all. Anyone buried here must’ve had a significant role.】

【Maybe it was because of his mumbling, but the boss lady, who had returned to admiring her nails, suddenly looked up and softly said, “Though Yuan’s not the one buried there, it was Yuan who dug the grave.”】

【Fa Ning, who had just relaxed, tensed up again.】

【Yuan Yingli turned and stared at the woman with a betrayed expression, as if silently shouting, “Why couldn’t you just say that earlier?!”】

【But the woman seemed utterly unaffected by their reactions. She smiled and stood up, clearly about to leave.】

【Fa Ning quickly called out, “Wait! My lady, please—just tell us. Who is buried there? Why would Yuan bury someone here?”】

【“This person… must’ve been important in the organization, right?” Yuan Yingli murmured. “And close to Yuan. There can’t be many like that…”】

【“Heh.” The woman let out a cold laugh, cutting him off. Both men looked up at her.】

【“Not someone particularly important,” she said as she turned and pulled down the curtain. “Yuan’s just an idiot who insisted on burying him here. I couldn’t talk him out of it.”】

【The curtain dropped with a soft whoosh, swaying gently as the two men stood frozen in place.】

Yuan Yuanyuan could practically hear the boss lady’s voice saying those lines through the comic panel. That classic overbearing-sister energy, with a hint of tsundere—it had flair. Yuan Yuanyuan remembered, back when she actually buried that person, the boss lady had mocked her in exactly this tone.

Looking back, Yuan Yuanyuan genuinely couldn’t remember why she buried the guy under that tree. It had felt like she was sleepwalking—some weird trance. Upon reflection, she was pretty sure Jiuqiu had something to do with it.

Not that she had any solid proof. But she couldn’t think of any other reason. And if anyone could pull off this kind of mental manipulation, it was Jiuqiu. A guy like that? Totally capable of leading someone into burying a body and making them think it was their own idea.

But that didn’t mean she had no complaints. This was pure “taking off your pants to fart” territory—utterly unnecessary.

If Jiuqiu was just going to draw it in the comic anyway, then why not skip her entirely and go straight to the source?

After ranting for a bit, Yuan Yuanyuan thought again about the grave. Now that it was getting attention, she figured it needed protection. So the next time she went to the tavern, she slipped into the back courtyard and quietly cast an illusion spell over it.

Her illusion spells were top-tier. Back in the infant demon zone, no one ever saw through them. She didn’t believe anyone could now.

While she was casting the spell, she sensed someone behind her. But she didn’t think much of it—it wasn’t like outsiders came here. Once she finished and turned around, she saw the boss lady.

She was standing exactly where she’d stood that day—at the doorway watching Yuan Yuanyuan bury the body. That doorframe had always struck Yuan Yuanyuan as oddly placed. Every time the boss lady stood there with her arms crossed, Yuan Yuanyuan’s soul shivered.

She thought the boss lady was going to say something this time. But no—she just watched quietly for a minute or so, then turned and walked away.

Yuan Yuanyuan stared at the grave for a long while before snapping out of it.

A day and a half later, the next issue of Demon Chronicles was released.

That evening, Yuan Yuanyuan bought a bottle of cola and lay on her bed. For some reason, she had a nagging feeling—like a big reveal was coming.

She opened the comic.

As expected, the boss lady’s mysterious comments had triggered Fa Ning and Yuan Yingli’s curiosity.
Who was this “not very familiar” person buried under the tree?

Oh, and by the way—after the previous chapter came out, the internet exploded. Theories flew in every direction. The concept of “a body under the tree” had sparked a frenzy.

Gao Ling, for example, had watched the entire scene unfold in her dream. She knew exactly what had happened. But reading the online speculation left her speechless.

【I think the one in the grave is a girl… Honestly, I’ve always felt like there’s something off between that woman and Yuan. Something secretive. So her strange behavior makes total sense.】

【So… is this a love triangle or what? Actually, how exactly did you figure out they had a thing?】

【…But I think it’s a man in the grave.】

【And how did you come to that conclusion?】

【I think they had a deep bond in the past. A century later, Yuan returns to find his old friend dying, and the two promise to meet again in the next life. So Yuan buries him under the tree they once planted together…】

【…Could you not add your own fanfiction?! None of that is in the comic! You’re going to mislead casual readers into thinking this is some weird soap opera.】

【No no no, keep going! If you don’t spice it up, us bystanders won’t even bother reading.】

Things were getting out of hand.

Still, Yuan Yuanyuan had to hand it to Jiuqiu—he had successfully turned a normal shounen manga into something deeply… gay-coded.

For example, this issue opened with Fa Ning bringing a flower. A twin-flower species—red when worn by women, blue when worn by men.

He placed it before the grave.

It bloomed instantly—blue.

Fa Ning and Yuan Yingli exchanged glances. A man.

…Welp. There goes the romantic route. Full speed into BL territory. Yuan Yuanyuan had a blank expression, but honestly… she didn’t even like that guy.

They’d barely interacted. Fought once. She ended up getting him killed with some underhanded move.

How was she supposed to have deep feelings for him?

Yet the internet was flooded with tragic romance theories. Yuan Yuanyuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

【Yuan Yingli looked at the grave, then at Fa Ning. “Don’t you have that thing? Hurry up and use it.”】

【Fa Ning reluctantly pulled out a small yellow talisman and held it in his palm.】

Yuan Yuanyuan recognized it immediately—it was the same talisman Fa Ning used back when he was investigating the truth. It could be used on objects, not just people.

So it worked on the dead?

She thought about it—yeah, guess corpses are technically objects now. It had been a long time since she buried the guy. He was probably just bones now. Incidentally, that tree had been growing really well this year… not that she was implying anything.

【Fa Ning placed the talisman on the grave and quietly closed his eyes. Yuan Yingli watched closely, not missing a single movement.】

【Time passed slowly. Fa Ning didn’t move. Yuan Yingli silently counted—five minutes had gone by. Just as he was about to call Fa Ning’s name, Fa Ning’s eyes suddenly snapped open.】

【“What did you see?” Yuan Yingli asked immediately.】

【Fa Ning didn’t answer. Instead, he grabbed Yuan Yingli, tore the talisman off the grave, burned it to ash, and dragged him away at lightning speed.】

…What did you see?! Yuan Yuanyuan wanted to scream. Did he see her crying? Or something worse?

Why just burn the charm and run?!

She tried to flip to the next page—but just then, the door burst open. She looked up in alarm—

And saw the fat cat stomp in.

Its round face was visibly grumpy.

It plopped down beside her, cracked open another bottle of cola, and chugged half in three gulps.