Chapter 71 |
Yuan Yuanyuan was actually a little panicked inside. She thought, Could it have died while I was out? …If that really were the case, then she had narrowly escaped disaster.
Just a few days ago, she’d chatted with Fat Cat and Heihong in the group chat, and now, suddenly, a big demon had died today.
She followed along, mainly to see what the dead demon looked like at the time of death—at the very least, she wanted to understand what she might be dealing with.
Walking through the street, she entered an eerily quiet area. The moment Yuan Yuanyuan stepped forward, the scent of blood hit her nose.
The smell was nauseating, but weirdly enough, she found it somewhat familiar.
Because her own house often had that same scent lingering around.
Compared to the blood of humans and half-demons, demon blood always carried a putrid stench—especially those from beast-type demons.
Yuan Yuanyuan crouched down, examining the corpse seriously. Just as she expected, half the body had already been gnawed away. She studied the tiny shredded bits—it looked like bite marks to her.
So this was a carnivorous demon…
“You can just… call me ‘Deng’ (Lamp),” Yuan Yuanyuan said, glancing at a streetlamp nearby.
She didn’t plan to reveal her name right away. Although she noticed one of them might have recognized her, she figured her identity should still be well-hidden. Maybe the demon just thought she looked like Yuan from the illustrations.
She examined the bloodstains again and sniffed. Her sense of smell had been growing more sensitive lately. She was beginning to detect all kinds of things. Right then, she caught a new whiff of an indescribably foul scent carried by the wind.
It wasn’t from the corpse on the ground… it was something else.
Suddenly, Yuan Yuanyuan stood up and started walking forward. One of the demons behind her quickly followed and asked, “Wait, where are you going?”
She didn’t respond. Focused on the scent, she walked slowly along the street. The demons behind her looked at each other, then got up and followed.
Yuan Yuanyuan furrowed her brows, tracking the smell through the street, past a large shopping mall, through a few narrow alleys, and finally stopped in front of a restaurant that hadn’t opened yet.
She looked up at the metal shutter, still not raised, and thought to climb to the second floor to take a look with the others… but just as she approached, a strange sound came from inside.
What… what is that? Yuan’s instincts screamed danger. She took a step back quietly—and suddenly, a huge bulge appeared in the metal shutter.
Then it swelled even larger—an eye suddenly peered through the metal.
And that eye made direct contact with Yuan Yuanyuan.
A faint mist began to rise and swirl through the street, quickly cloaking everything in fog.
Yuan stared back at the eye… it was strange. Massive. A beast’s eye.
What the hell?! Her skin erupted in goosebumps. She’d only meant to check if the scent was from another murdered demon—who knew she’d walk straight into the source.
What the hell kind of living demon gives off a smell worse than a corpse?!
Yuan panicked for a second or two, but quickly composed herself.
It’s fine, don’t panic. I’ve got backup. This is a group fight, not a solo boss battle.
With that thought, she calmed down. The demon behind the shutter didn’t seem like it wanted to come out, so she subtly took a step back to let the others take the lead. But to her surprise, the shutter suddenly tore open, and a bizarre-looking demon burst out.
In a split second, Yuan reacted—she released her red vines, launching them toward the demon.
The demon seemed heavily injured. As soon as her red vines made contact, it felt like she had thrust them into a bottle full of blood.
It wasn’t that the demon looked like a bottle—just that it was bleeding so much, blood could’ve been drawn from anywhere.
The demons behind her suddenly caught a powerful scent of blood. In the fog, they heard a strange gurgling sound…
Like someone drinking straight from a water jug…
Though they were used to corpses, that sound and smell gave even seasoned demons the chills.
One demon blew away some of the mist and vaguely saw a man in black…
Countless blood-red vines wove together into a dense net. Each vine was embedded into the demon’s flesh, squirming slowly, pulsing with the eerie gurgle, and growing thicker…
Most of the demons had never seen anything like it. Their scalps tingled as they watched the vines swell.
Holy shit!
Several demons instantly felt a wave of disgust and dread.
Though they were used to violent clashes, this method was on another level—unseen and unheard of. Utterly disturbing.
…
After about five minutes, the mist cleared from the street. Yuan Yuanyuan looked at the corpse on the ground, thought for a moment, and said, “Bury it.”
Demon corpses were better disposed of quickly—if regular humans found them, it could cause trouble. If Daoists found them, who knows what they’d use them for.
She turned around—and noticed the demons behind her were hesitant to approach, looking weirdly awkward.
What now?
She stepped forward, and the group immediately avoided her, moving toward the dead demon instead.
“Honored one,” a demon stepped up respectfully, head bowed, “The matter has been resolved. Thank you for your assistance.”
“No problem…” Yuan said, glancing at them. A few seconds passed and they still hadn’t moved—they kept bowing.
So… that’s it?
Yuan left with a confused expression. She had expected… maybe a little recognition? A thank-you banner or something? But no—just free labor.
She was still clueless afterward. The demons’ shifting attitudes made her feel strange, but she couldn’t figure out why.
“Please sign your name here,” one of the demons handed her a logbook, “We need to submit this report.”
Yuan accepted the book, paused for three seconds, and finally just drew a horizontal line with her demon aura. Then she handed it back.
“Thank you for your contribution to C City.” The demons nodded and fled at top speed.
What the hell was that all about?
Yuan turned and went back to her shop.
The demons left behind breathed a sigh of relief, as if they’d just survived a natural disaster.
“He’s finally gone… Why would HQ send that kind of demon here? This area is full of small fry—what if something went wrong?”
“No idea… but he seems really weird. And just now… was he drinking blood?”
“He definitely was… I’ve never seen that before.”
“Where did that demon come from? What kind of demon art is that? It felt so sinister.”
“So creepy… like something evil. We should warn the little demons we know to stay far away.”
“But don’t you think he’s really powerful?”
“…Yeah, powerful, but there’s something cold about him.”
“Let’s stop talking about it. Talking about that kind of demon could get us killed.”
Meanwhile, Yuan Yuanyuan sat quietly in her house sewing clothes. She usually worked five days at the tavern, then spent two days here. Her schedule was totally her own.
She planned to finish sewing a bit today, quietly wait for the next chapter of Demon Chronicles, then go home and sleep.
As she was sewing, there was a knock at the door. She didn’t get up, just looked toward the window.
In that instant, it felt like a jolt of electricity hit her—she shivered.
A man stood outside, cloaked entirely in black, wearing a large hood.
It was like her memory had been shattered and replayed in real life.
Yuan nearly jumped from her chair.
The man looked at her through the window. Yuan froze but had no choice—she got up and opened the door.
This was the same black-cloaked man who had visited her back when she was pretending to be Yuan.
Months had passed. She’d nearly erased him from her mind—and now he was back.
Like a ghost without a sound or breath.
Why the hell is he here again?!
Yuan exhaled and looked at the cloaked man. He looked at her for a few seconds, then suddenly said:
“Aren’t you going to invite me in?”
“…” Yuan didn’t dare speak, just stepped aside to let him in.
No way can I speak… One wrong word and I’ll be exposed.
He might’ve been close with the original Yuan. If he finds out I’m not the real one… who knows what he’ll do to me.
The black-cloaked man entered and sat down slowly. Yuan sat across from him and let out a breath.
“I saw… the signature on a recent report turned out to be yours,” he said slowly. “You… really came back?”
“Yes,” Yuan replied.
“…Good,” the man said quietly.
Yuan felt an odd twist in her chest. From his tone… he actually sounded like he was smiling.
What is up with this guy…?
While they spoke, a new chapter of Demon Chronicles was published. In it, Fa Ning spoke to Tong Xin in front of their sect.
“Don’t worry. We will definitely succeed in sealing the demons again.”
“I’m not worried, I just…” Tong Xin trailed off.
“We have the best people here. How could we fail?” Fa Ning smiled. “Our sect has always been upright and righteous—our founder will protect us.”
“The demon clan has been growing more and more restless lately,” Tong Xin added.
“Righteousness will always defeat evil,” Fa Ning replied. “I’ve always believed that.”