Little Pink Starfish

Upon hearing the Young Hundred Demon King’s question, the delicate-looking demon seemed stunned for a moment before replying respectfully, “Just now, I saw the head of the Li family in the room up ahead.”

“That’s good…” The Young Hundred Demon King let out a sigh of relief, then turned to the demon beside him and snapped, “Don’t let him into that room today.”

“…But Lord Li has always been responsible for ensuring your safety,” the delicate demon hesitated.

“Whose side are you on, his or mine?” The Young Hundred Demon King instantly flared with anger. The other demon hesitated for a long moment before reluctantly nodding.

No one knew exactly why, but perhaps everyone was taking the day to rest and regroup. So, the Young Hundred Demon King passed the night peacefully.

Ever since seeing Liu Niang yesterday, Yuan Yuanyuan had been dazed, unable to shake off her shock. When her subordinates asked where she had gone, she kept silent.

Forget it—better not speak of that for now. Let’s wait and see if Jiuqiu draws it. Who knows… maybe he really will. It’s just a matter of when.

Fat Cat finally replied—and it was a long message.

【Group Leader: I’m so tired… there’s been way too much chaos lately. I’m stressing myself bald here. Circle, things are getting unstable. You need to find a way to get out of the tavern. You’ve always had good luck, right? Talk to that Li Zi Jie of yours. She might agree to let you out, even if it means wiping your memory.】

Even if her memory is wiped, she still has to leave?

Yuan Yuanyuan responded, 【What happened? Did something get to you? Why are you suddenly saying a bunch of ominous stuff in the middle of the night?】

【Group Leader: The situation’s getting worse. Haven’t you noticed that Black and Red hasn’t been online in a long time? It’s about to go down. A little demon like you should stay as far away as possible.】

【Circle: About to go down? Then how come we haven’t heard anything?】

【Group Leader: Stop talking so much. I, the great Fat Cat, usually live carefree. I don’t often get emotional or say serious things, so don’t be the idiot who doesn’t listen. Oh, and tell Xiao Ying I miss her grilled fish rice.】

Yuan Yuanyuan stared blankly at her phone for a moment. She felt like Fat Cat was… setting up a flag. Even if it wasn’t obvious, he was definitely setting one.

Fat Cat wasn’t someone who’d say things lightly.

His message radiated one thing: “The endgame is near—go eat something good while you can.” Yuan suddenly thought back to a theory she had a while ago.

Fa Ning was likely placing all his bets on Yuan Yingli.

Was he about to unleash some big move? Yuan wondered.

The next day, the sky was covered in dark clouds, with a strange crimson tint.

“This kind of sky makes me feel uneasy,” said a demon on the street, looking up. Even though demons had different aesthetics than humans, blood-colored clouds were an ominous sign to them too.

Sure, demons might normally appreciate some violent beauty, but the recent days had been filled with enough bloodshed—so many had vanished silently into alleys without even leaving behind corpses.

The blade now hovered above every head. No one was immune.

“Liu Niang, out buying veggies again today?” a middle-aged woman greeted her as Liu Niang walked by gracefully. “You’re just a fragile girl—maybe skip it today. It’s been rough out there lately. We still have some supplies at home. Come by if you need anything.”

“No need, Auntie,” Liu Niang replied. “Nothing will happen. Look at all the patrols outside.”

Just as she finished speaking, a sharp whistle pierced the air. It sent a chill through everyone’s hearts.

The few who had been chatting turned to look—only to see a swarm of guards flooding in, sealing off the entire street. These were all from the city’s security force, nervously scanning around and restricting movement.

What was going on?

Liu Niang subtly stepped back, then stopped herself. She noticed it wasn’t just their area—other streets were the same. Across the way, another patrol unit appeared, all fully armed.

“No one is allowed to leave! Stay inside your homes!” shouted the guards. Liu Niang stood motionless, and the aunt beside her thought she’d been frightened stiff. She quickly grabbed Liu Niang’s arm and pulled her along.

Their houses were close. The aunt shoved Liu Niang into hers and said, “Go on, get inside. If you run out of food, I’ll pass some to you over the wall.”

“Okay, then you be careful too, Auntie.” Liu Niang, now composed, still spoke gently. She looked weak and delicate again.

The aunt patted her on the arm reassuringly, “Don’t be afraid. It’s probably just temporary. Something must have happened in the city, so they’re locking it down.”

“Something in the city? What is it?”

“How would I know? Just stay inside with the door shut. Wait it out a bit, and everything will be fine.”

Liu Niang stood at the door for a while, then went back inside.

…

The seemingly delicate Liu Niang slammed the door shut and suddenly changed. She walked rapidly through the house, no longer the soft, swaying woman from before.

Back inside, she yanked off her wig. In that moment, the inner storm broke loose. Muttering to herself, she pulled out several tiny mirrors from her chest.

No signal.

She scratched her head in frustration and glanced at Changsheng in the room. His condition didn’t look good. She turned and asked, “What’s going on out there?”

“Not sure, but I think something happened on the Hundred Demon King’s side,” Fa Ning said firmly.

“Why?”

“Too many demons showed up,” Fa Ning said. “And based on the updates, it’s not just this street—they’re locking down the entire city.”

“The whole city?” Changsheng’s voice rose in disbelief.

In a city this large, locking down everything would require deploying every available security squad.

But they’d heard before that all the security squads were assigned to protect the Hundred Demon King.

So where had these squads come from?

“Yuan Yingli…” Fa Ning suddenly voiced a dangerous guess. “Could he have already made his move?”

“No way. Weren’t we supposed to meet first?” Changsheng sounded unsure now.

Still, the sight outside only made their suspicions more likely.

Back in her own house, Yuan Yuanyuan gnawed her nails nervously. She had also noticed the situation on the streets—and reached the same conclusion as Fa Ning.

She remembered what Fat Cat had told her yesterday afternoon in their chat.

No way… was that flag really going to trigger so soon?

She felt uneasy.

She knew that “Black and Red” referred to Yuan Yingli, and “Group Leader” was Fat Cat. The two had been in cahoots for a long time. They were probably still together now.

Judging by their personalities in chat, Black and Red was the more stable one, while Fat Cat was more impulsive… though that was only relative. Black and Red could be pretty wild too.

Just yesterday, Liu Niang had been peacefully buying vegetables. Had they really made a move already?

Rather than calling them “stable types,” it would be more accurate to call them opportunists. Both had a streak of recklessness, though Fat Cat showed it more openly.

They were probably very close to the Hundred Demon King. Maybe they’d spotted a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

She imagined them chatting in their usual group style:

【Group Leader: Black and Red! This is our chance—let’s go kill the Hundred Demon King!】

【Black and Red: Give me three seconds to think…】

【Group Leader: Done thinking yet?】

【Black and Red: Yep! Let’s kill him!】

…Something like that.

Yuan Yuanyuan snapped out of her imagination and suddenly looked up, striking a dramatic pose.

Don’t do it! You two idiots, at least think it through before making a move! Black and Red, you know what Fat Cat is like—why are you listening to him? He’s never reliable!

Yuan had unilaterally decided it was Fat Cat who incited Yuan Yingli, never even considering the possibility…

…that Fat Cat hadn’t even brought Yuan Yingli with him.

Inside a large estate, the Young Hundred Demon King lay in a pool of blood, his eyes wide with disbelief, staring blankly at the sky.

He was still alive. Many demons were working to save him, but even breathing was now difficult.

The entire mansion was in chaos.

The head of the Li family was also in disbelief. Just now, the Hundred Demon King had been stabbed by one of his most trusted subordinates.

He’d never imagined there would be a traitor within that loyal clan. It was one of the most shocking things he’d witnessed in years.

Not just him—no one else could believe it either. The great hall was packed with people, yet not a soul dared speak.

“Have they gone to arrest him?” asked the Li family head.

“They have,” said a nearby demon. “The entire city is on lockdown. He won’t escape.”

“Make sure he’s caught.” The Li family head closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, they were calm.

It was Monday night.

At 5:30 PM on a Monday—six hours until the next Demon Chronicles update.