Little Pink Starfish

The security team had already been deployed for who knows how many days now. That group of demons was practically like a stubborn adhesive plaster—rip them off and they’d stick right back on, over and over again.

What’s more, those demons were exceptionally agile. Yuan Yuanyuan had watched several times from below as they led the security team on a wild chase, making them look like panting dogs. The ones in front ran with exuberant glee, while the ones behind could barely catch their breath.

“What exactly are those demons doing?” Yuan Yuanyuan asked curiously one mealtime.

“Not sure, but their illusion magic is pretty darn good,” the landlady said.

Yuan Yuanyuan suddenly had an epiphany. No wonder she liked those few demons so much—turns out it was because of how skilled they were at running away. She must’ve subconsciously seen a reflection of herself in them…

It was said that the security team had already given up on catching them after so many days. These demons were elusive and refused to engage—get too close and they’d instantly bolt. In the end, the team just set up a demon-shaped cardboard cutout there. Yuan Yuanyuan burst out laughing when she heard about it…

They probably hoped this thing would work like a scarecrow to frighten sparrows. But it didn’t work. The demons didn’t even look at it when they came back—just went straight for the blue protective barrier and started hammering away at it.

Yuan Yuanyuan heard that the security team was now working on a “reinforced illusionary demon cutout,” hoping it would be more intimidating.

…Clearly, these demons had way too much free time.

“Is it really impossible to find that squad?” Fan Ning asked with a frown. “That doesn’t make sense… Could it be our intel is flawed?”

The young man next to him was sitting quietly, polishing his guandao. When he heard this, he turned to comfort Fan Ning. “Don’t worry. Maybe they just didn’t leave behind any descendants, so there’s no need to be concerned about that.”

“That’s not possible…” Fan Ning said. “There were so many demons who came here back then, dozens of them were high-level ones. With that many, how could there not have been a single female demon?”

“Most of the female demons were assigned to medical units or spy camps, right? There weren’t many on the northwest front lines. Believe it or not,” the young man said, “a large number of female demons were transformed from flowers, grasses, or small animals… The climate here in the northwest isn’t friendly to them. It’s not like there were none, but compared to male demons, the numbers were really low.”

“Then what did they do when they needed a female demon for a mission?” Fan Ning asked curiously.

“They used a common method from back then,” the young man replied. “Though I only read about it in books, I might be wrong.”

“It’s fine. Go ahead and tell me,” Fan Ning said.

“For example, if they needed someone, they’d just pick from the demon troops at random. If you happened to look a bit more delicate, they’d pick you to pretend to be a female demon,” the young man said, patting Fan Ning on the shoulder. “If they say you’re a woman, then you’re a woman.”

“…What?” Fan Ning was a little dumbfounded.

“If you were assigned to a spy mission, you had to dress feminine even in camp and speak in a woman’s voice. Demons are much more flexible about this stuff than we are. You weren’t allowed to slip up in front of others either.”

“…Then Yuan… Could it be that back then, Yuan also got dragged into this ridiculous mess?” For some reason, Fan Ning’s mind suddenly veered into a very strange direction.

Of course, he kept that thought to himself. After all, there were quite a few descendants from the spy camps in the team—what if he accidentally touched a sensitive nerve?

Fan Ning had been stationed in the northwest for a long time already and was getting ready to leave. Troops were thin across all regions, and if the northwest was stable for now, he’d have to move on elsewhere.

But just as he got up to leave, something unexpected happened and forced him to stay.

“I heard you want me to stay here for a while?” Fan Ning asked. “Why?”

“The northwest isn’t as simple as it looks,” said a familiar demon named Wang Yun, someone Fan Ning had known a long time ago. Wang Yun always had a smiling face. “I heard the King of a Hundred Demons might be sending someone over soon.”

“How do you know that?” Fan Ning asked in surprise.

Yuan Yingli hadn’t leaked that information yet.

Wang Yun just smiled mysteriously and didn’t say more.

He was a local powerhouse in the northwest. When Fan Ning had first arrived, he’d made contact with Wang Yun in order to carry out a series of operations here. But just how powerful Wang Yun really was—Fan Ning didn’t know. He could only guess.

This demon was certainly not ordinary. Even though Fan Ning had only interacted with him a few times, he could tell from his cautious behavior that Wang Yun, despite his unserious exterior, was extremely meticulous.

If he said something like that, it probably wasn’t nonsense.

Still, Fan Ning doubted it—until the next day, when they found a small demon lying on the ground, covered in wounds.

Fan Ning recognized that demon—an acquaintance.

After receiving proper treatment, the demon opened his eyes and said just one thing.

“The King of a Hundred Demons… the most…”

Then he fainted again.

After hearing the news, Fan Ning decided to stay put in the northwest.

Of course, staying here wasn’t without its perks. He could learn more about the customs and people—well, demons—of the region and look after the civilian demons living there.

He had heard about the northwest’s situation before, but never really grasped it.

Now that he had seen it with his own eyes, he understood deeply—this was not something you could fully comprehend just by hearing others talk.

Perhaps the region had once been prosperous, but now, it had become a kind of demon purgatory. Many of the demons weren’t even suited to the local climate. Over the past few days, Fan Ning realized that many of the so-called “old folks” were actually demons in their prime.

Of course, even a demon’s prime years lasted longer than a human’s entire old age. A dozen or so demons who had participated in that old war were still alive, but humans from that era were all gone, having reached the limits of their lifespan.

Those demons only appeared aged because they were severely unfit for the harsh climate here and were suffering from aftereffects caused by overusing their powers back then. In truth, demons from that generation were living miserable lives now—far worse than the newer generations.

They were a group of beings abandoned by time.

Fan Ning had a lot on his mind, but whether it was due to his role or identity, he couldn’t act too openly. The ones taking action were people from the anti-war faction and the descendants of the spy camps.

They knew more about the situation and could act with precision.

One day, as Fan Ning was walking around, he suddenly heard a very old-looking demon ask a young spy-camp woman, “Miss, may I ask… whose subordinates are you?”

“We’re under Seventeen,” the young demoness said with a smile.

“Seventeen’s subordinates?” The old demon’s eyes went wide. “…Lord Seventeen?”

“Wait,” Fan Ning suddenly felt something was off in the old demon’s reaction. He turned to ask, “They… don’t know that Seventeen has already become Yuan?”

“They don’t,” the young man said. “This place is a demon settlement. Humans basically don’t live here. Did we see any humans on the way here? After the war ended back then, they never left this place again.”

Fan Ning was stunned. He suddenly realized that the demons here weren’t just struggling—they were incredibly isolated. They were like those old Ming dynasty loyalists who went into hiding to avoid Qing rule—disappearing for decades, completely cut off from the outside world.

But unlike back then, the world now changed drastically every few years.

They had almost no contact with other demon settlements. The younger generation rarely returned, so they barely came into contact with human culture at all.

They likely had never roamed the night-lit streets of towering cities, had never seen what modern humans looked like.

They might not even know Ji Qiu.

In their minds, all they had left were fragments from that long-ago war.

Fan Ning became interested. He walked over and asked the old demon who had been talking to the young spy, “Seventeen… What was she like back then?”

“Who are you?” the old demon asked, looking up.

The young spy turned to glare at Fan Ning. He realized awkwardly that he had just called Seventeen by name without adding the honorific “Lord,” which probably made both the demon and the spy uncomfortable. But after spending so long with Seventeen, adding “Lord” now just felt weird to him.

At that moment, the young spy stepped in to rescue him. She said, “This is Lord Seventeen’s disciple.”

“Lord Seventeen’s disciple?” the old demon looked at Fan Ning in a daze. Fan Ning’s heart stirred. He quickly said, “I’m actually a demon. This is just a disguise. If you don’t believe me, I’ll show you.” Saying that, he released a surge of demon energy from his body.

“You really are Lord Seventeen’s disciple…” The old demon stared for a moment, then nearly knelt down. Fan Ning jumped in shock and, with the help of the young spy, quickly pulled him back up—only to see tears streaming down the old demon’s face.

“Lord Seventeen… was truly a good person…” the old demon said to Fan Ning.

Listening to the old demon’s sobs, Fan Ning suddenly froze.

He paused for a moment, then lowered his voice and said softly to the old demon, “Could you… tell me more?”