Little Pink Starfish

Fa Ning’s surprise had its own reason—the man in front of him… he recognized that face.

He never would’ve expected… it was this guy.

Why did Fa Ning recognize him so quickly? Well, everyone had read the comic. The man had left a strong impression—especially the conversation he once had with Yuan. Anyone who followed the series would remember it. Fa Ning was no exception.

But in the comic itself, Fa Ning couldn’t react that way. After all, protagonists couldn’t read the comic in-universe…

So, in the comic version, when Fa Ning saw the head of the Li family, his thoughts were altered to:
“Why does this guy… look kind of like Si Qun?”

…Well. Okay then.

But Yuan Yuanyuan didn’t know about this edited line. She let out a startled “Ah!” and thought, Crap, this is bad.

Li Si Qun—he had always managed to keep people from connecting him to the Li family head, mostly because his character in the comic looked so different from his real-life appearance. Looking closely, their features were similar, but their art styles differed wildly: one looked like a cold iceberg, the other a refined villain.

But now, with Fa Ning thinking that line, Yuan Yuanyuan knew the secret was out.

That was basically the narrative equivalent of a big censor beep. She shook her head, thinking about the Si Qun she’d just seen downstairs. Suddenly, she felt a little sorry for him.

[Fa Ning and Yuan Yingli had approached from a side entrance, disguised as two unfamiliar merchants there to “visit” the Li family head.]

[Their faces were no longer their own—they wore the faces of two regular businessmen who had dealings with the Li family. The real merchants had already been “taken care of” en route, so no one suspected anything.]

[The house was elegantly decorated. A vase of fresh flowers stood on the table, and floral motifs were everywhere—even the tea was steeped with petals.]

[The Li family head sat in white robes, gently preparing a pot of floral tea. Fa Ning had no idea what kind it was, but there were petals floating in their cups too.]

This guy… Yuan Yuanyuan frowned slightly.

When she’d met him years ago, he’d looked like a wrinkled old man. But now… he appeared young again?

She was suddenly reminded of that scene from Journey to the West with the king who used children’s hearts as medicine… and she also recalled how the Li family head had always been searching for humans. It felt like there was a disturbing connection between the two…

Yuan Yuanyuan had always felt something was off about how old the Li family head looked—especially considering people from his generation like Li Si Qun still looked like college students, and even Yuan, revived in Hongsha Well, had the face of a man in his twenties. No one had thought that strange.

The reason powerful elder demons were rare wasn’t because they ran out of lifespan—but because most of them had died in the wars of the past. Those with less talent never lived long enough to get that strong.

Looking at Li Si Qun and the Li family head… both had monstrous potential. But while Si Qun looked young, the Li head had the face of ancient bark. Maybe it really was karma catching up to him? Yuan Yuanyuan thought with a trace of malicious glee—she had never liked him anyway.

And Yuan Yingli… when he said “relative,” he was probably referring to the woman from the Yuan family who had married into the Lis, right? That memory resurfaced in Yuan Yuanyuan’s mind.

Last time they’d met, the Li head had mentioned his wife’s health. What had happened to that Yuan family woman?

[Fa Ning was now laying out the terms of the “trade.” Before coming, he had already used a Dao spell to scan the memories of the two demons they had captured, storing all the relevant intel.]

[Yuan Yingli knew the mission too. Whenever Fa Ning missed a beat, he would fill in the gaps. Though they appeared like simple traders, they had already mentally mapped out the entire estate.]

[“Alright, escort these gentlemen out,” said the Li head calmly. A pair of attendants stepped forward to see them off. Fa Ning and Yuan Yingli stood smoothly and prepared to leave—when suddenly a girl’s voice broke in, “Aren’t you going to see my mother?”]

[Huh? That voice—Fa Ning’s eyes widened. He turned around.]

[A young woman in white stood there, her expression cold, staring straight at the Li family head.]

[…What was she doing here?]

[Fa Ning stared at her from a distance, looking confused. Someone beside him asked, “Is something wrong, sir?”]

[“No, no, nothing…” Fa Ning quickly shook his head.]

[Even after they left, Fa Ning kept glancing back. Yuan Yingli finally asked, “What’s up?”]

Fa Ning’s face was odd. He glanced at Yuan Yingli and the demon guide. The two exchanged a look. Without another word, they snuck back.

Yuan Yingli followed without hesitation. Elder demons had terrifying instincts. Last time they’d tangled with a blood jade demon, Fa Ning had used this illusion technique and nearly gotten wrecked.

So this time, he’d upgraded the spell. He didn’t know if it’d work on this elder demon, but he had to try. Fa Ning was itching to go back.

He’d originally planned to find that girl—but in the blink of an eye, she’d disappeared.

That left Fa Ning a bit melancholy. Last time they’d parted, he’d vanished suddenly and hadn’t had the chance to say anything. He’d wanted to…

But then he overheard something unexpected.

The voice came from within the house. It was the same one that had just spoken to them—the Li family head.

[“…We really haven’t found anything?”]

Fa Ning crept closer, ears perked up like a nosy gossip. This sounded juicy.

[The voice from inside, unmistakably the Li family head, said: “I think Yuan… is really dead. We’ve searched for so long…”]

Fa Ning’s pupils shrank to pinpoints.

…

Back in the real world, funeral music was already playing in Yuan Yuanyuan’s mind. A light snow began falling from the sky.

Ah… why is this so sad?

And that moment when Fa Ning’s pupils contracted—what a dramatic beat. The panel had such intense cinematic flair.

She looked at the girl in white. So her identity had been exposed now too… What was this, Werewolf? But now that she was out in the open—would she be okay? The Li family head wasn’t known for being kind. He didn’t exactly scream “loving father.”

Of course, Yuan Yuanyuan was just thinking this casually. Whatever happened between that father and daughter had nothing to do with her. Given her position, she was basically standing on the opposite side from the Li family altogether.

In the comic, Fa Ning’s breath nearly stopped. He hadn’t expected to stumble onto something this huge just by sneaking around. He leaned in even closer, trying not to make a sound.

[“How much of that stuff is left?” asked the Li head. There was the clink of bottles and jars.]

[“Forget it. Just pack away what remains. It’s not like we’ll find any more,” he sighed.]

What stuff? Yuan Yuanyuan leaned in too. Si Qun’s hair?

She kept reading, hoping for clarification. But the Li head stopped short of giving any more details.

[“We’ve already planted it in every place Yuan might’ve gone,” said another voice from the room. “But he never came out.”]

[“If he never showed… then that means he’s really dead?” the Li head murmured.]

[“He must be,” the other demon said confidently. “Even that thing couldn’t draw him out… so he must be gone. He would never be able to resist it otherwise.”]

Yuan Yuanyuan felt a sudden clarity hit her. Ah— So that’s why they’d scattered Si Qun’s hair around everywhere… They were trying to lure Yuan out!

That meant her earlier theory had been dead-on. Yuan really had been afflicted by some kind of Gu worm, and this Gu was probably what nearly killed him.

Yuan Yuanyuan looked down at the wound still healing on her hand and thought: If the Gu that hit me—without me even noticing—was that potent, then what kind of pain was Yuan going through? That thing might have really forced him into the open.

It was pure luck that she and Si Qun ended up as “coworkers” of a sort—through some fluke, she got tagged by the Gu and ended up imitating the effects as if Yuan himself had shown up.

A blessing in disguise… For now, she could still endure it. And judging by how smug the Li head sounded, it seemed Yuan had successfully resisted the Gu. Eight or nine chances out of ten, the real Yuan had survived.

[“That thing will slowly rot his body from the inside,” said the Li head. “I’ve seen it in action—patches of red will start appearing on the skin. Eventually, those spots will ulcerate.”]

[“You know what the red is?” The Li head chuckled. “It’s blood seeping through the skin. That thing eats away his internal organs.”]

Jesus, thought Gao Ling, goosebumps erupting all over. She knew Yuan hadn’t really died—but damn, that description…

She scratched the back of her hand, and suddenly an image of something red flashed in her mind.

That morning, the wound on the shop owner’s hand… Was it the same?

Gao Ling let out a quiet “Hmm?” It was the second time she’d made that sound since meeting the “shop owner.”

All these little coincidences… They added up to something unsettling.

No way…

Gao Ling kept scratching her hand, wondering: Did Yuan really… manage to survive all this? Sure seemed like he’d completely defied the Li head’s expectations.