He Qing and his group successfully infiltrated the demon realm by capturing a demon cultivator. In this world, the sky was black, and the earth was dark. He Qing stood on a mountaintop, looking into the distance at the Demon Palace. The palace was built on a cliff surrounded by mountains, and it appeared majestic and imposing.

“That’s the Demon Palace,” said the Nine-Tailed Fox thoughtfully. “We’ll sneak in.”

He Qing turned to the captured demon cultivator and asked, “Can you help us get inside?”

The demon cultivator, having been beaten up and scared into submission, perked up at the question. “Yes! I have some connections inside. You can sneak in by blending in with the food deliveries.”

The Nine-Tailed Fox eyed him suspiciously, sensing some trickery. “Then hurry up and make the arrangements.”

“I’ll get everything ready right away!” The demon cultivator squinted, unable to gauge their cultivation levels, but he was sure the Demon Lord would deal with them.

— 

He Qing transformed into a bowl of lotus seed soup and was carried inside. It was intended for the Demon Lord himself. He Qing quietly rolled around at the bottom of the bowl, curious about what kind of person the Demon Lord might be. Was he a terrifying demon king?

The little demon servant carrying the soup glanced at the lotus seed and blinked. “It seems like this lotus seed is moving.”

“You’re new here, huh? Don’t make a fuss,” said the person next to him, also carrying food. “The Demon Lord can eat raw demonic beasts if he wants, so a mere lotus seed is nothing.”

“True.” The little demon thought for a moment and nodded.

He Qing was carried deep into the palace and brought into a room. The room was lined with bookshelves filled with books on both Daoist and demonic cultivation. He Qing glanced around, wondering where the Demon Lord had collected all these.

“Lord, here is today’s lotus seed soup.”

“Set it down,” a calm voice called out from behind a screen.

He Qing suddenly felt nervous, staring intently toward that direction. After a moment, a man in a black robe, bathed in golden light and wearing a mask, stepped out.

“?!” He Qing was shocked. Why would the Demon Lord carry the light of merit?

“Leave,” the Demon Lord waved his hand.

“Yes, my Lord.” The little demon servant cautiously backed out of the room.

He Qing remained motionless at the bottom of the bowl, too scared to move. No one knew the Demon Lord’s name, and He Qing’s curiosity grew. The Demon Lord walked over and looked down at the bowl.

He Qing looked up, meeting his gaze. For a moment, they stared at each other until the Demon Lord removed his mask, revealing a cold and stern face. He Qing froze; there was something familiar about this face, but he couldn’t place it.

Duan Chenhui looked at the bowl of lotus seed soup, set the mask on the table, and picked up the bowl again, glancing at He Qing. “What are you doing here?”

He Qing stayed silent.

Duan Chenhui chuckled, using a spoon to scoop him up. “If you don’t speak, I’ll eat you.”

He Qing hesitated, then spoke up, “I accidentally ended up here.”

“Accidentally? You just happened to fall into the Demon Palace? Or were you here to assassinate the Demon Lord?” Duan Chenhui questioned, finding the lotus seed suspiciously young for its age.

“I just accidentally fell into the palace,” He Qing chose the most peaceful answer, unaware that even this explanation sounded absurd.

Duan Chenhui laughed, setting him down and drinking the rest of the lotus seed soup, leaving only He Qing at the bottom of the bowl. “I’ll give you one more chance.”

He Qing rolled around, realizing he couldn’t hide. Just then, the sound of fighting broke out outside. A guard ran in and knelt at the door. “My Lord! We’ve discovered a Nine-Tailed Fox from the demon realm!”

“I’ll go deal with him.” Duan Chenhui set the bowl down, put on his mask, and left the room. Before he went, he set a barrier around the room to ensure no one escaped.

Panicked, He Qing climbed to the edge of the bowl. He couldn’t let them fight! He quickly broke through the barrier, transformed into human form, and ran out.

As soon as Duan Chenhui stepped outside, he realized his barrier had been breached. He narrowed his eyes at the Nine-Tailed Fox standing before him. “We have no quarrel with the Ten Thousand Demons Valley. What are you doing here?”

The Nine-Tailed Fox stroked his tails and smiled. “We were just passing through and got caught… So, what now?”

Duan Chenhui drew his sword, releasing a wave of demonic energy. “This is not a place where you can wander freely.”

The Nine-Tailed Fox took a step back, just as He Qing arrived. “Please spare him, Demon Lord.”

“… Do I look that weak?” the Nine-Tailed Fox muttered to himself.

Duan Chenhui turned and saw a young man in black approaching, with white hair and emerald green eyes, his appearance stunning even by the standards of the cultivation world.

The Nine-Tailed Fox immediately ran over to He Qing. “Boss, you’re finally here.”

“…” Duan Chenhui’s expression shifted slightly. “You’re the King of the Ten Thousand Demons?”

“I am He Qing. A pleasure to meet you.” He Qing nodded in greeting.

Duan Chenhui found it hard to believe. Then, he caught a whiff of a faint lotus fragrance from He Qing’s body… He glanced at him again, wondering if he was really the same lotus seed.

The surrounding demon cultivators were shocked. “You’re that ten-thousand-year-old demon?!” But why did he look so young? Demons really were deceptive!

He Qing wanted to protest that he wasn’t that old, but the Nine-Tailed Fox spoke first. “Our Ten Thousand Demons Valley has always remained neutral. Today, we only came to visit the Demon Palace, but unfortunately, we got lost.”

“You must think we’re fools,” snarled one of the demon cultivators, his face twisted in anger.

Duan Chenhui raised his hand, stopping them, and smiled. “If that’s the case, it was our poor hospitality. Prepare a banquet!” He found it amusing that the King of the Ten Thousand Demons turned out to be a lotus seed.

“My Lord?!”

Duan Chenhui glanced at his right-hand man, who quickly lowered his head. “Yes, my Lord.”

Soon, rumors spread across the cultivation world that the Ten Thousand Demons Valley might be forming an alliance with the demon realm. People in teahouses everywhere discussed the shocking news—why had the Ten Thousand Demons Valley suddenly made a move?

Meanwhile, He Qing and his group were being warmly entertained by Duan Chenhui, as if they had truly just gotten lost.

The squirrel used secret voice transmission to speak to He Qing: [This Demon Lord is cunning! Word is already out that we’re joining forces with the demon realm.]

He Qing replied: [But we’re not actually forming an alliance.]

Little White Rabbit added: [I bet the Demon Lord is hiding behind that mask because he’s ugly!]

He Qing: [I’ve seen him without it. He’s not ugly at all.]

The Nine-Tailed Fox was surprised that He Qing had already seen the Demon Lord’s face. He took a sip of wine and then asked, “Does the Demon Lord have any plans for the near future?”

“No.” Duan Chenhui replied decisively.

“…” The Nine-Tailed Fox was momentarily speechless, and the squirrel chimed in, “I’ve heard that some Daoist sects have been stirring up trouble lately.”

Duan Chenhui took a sip of his wine and glanced at He Qing. “Where does the Ten Thousand Demons Valley stand on this?”

“The demon realm won’t take action,” He Qing replied, still more curious about the fact that the Demon Lord had the light of merit surrounding him.

Duan Chenhui didn’t answer his question and instead changed the subject. “Since you’ve come all this way, after the banquet, I’ll take you on a tour of the demon realm.”

He Qing nodded. “Even though it’s quite dark around here, there should be some nice places to see.”

Duan Chenhui smiled again. So, the King of the Ten Thousand Demons just came to do some sightseeing?

The demon generals nearby all had twisted expressions. If this person weren’t the King of the Ten Thousand Demons, they would have attacked him in unison by now.

After the banquet, He Qing and his group stayed the night. He Qing was led to a courtyard by a young demon servant. The demon realm’s sky was lit by a red moon.

He Qing glanced outside and stepped out of the courtyard, walking along a mountain path. Suddenly, he heard the sound of water and hesitated for a moment before heading toward it.

Ahead was a hot spring, with a long tail swishing in the water, black scales shimmering under the moonlight. Duan Chenhui was sitting by the edge.

“Have you seen enough?” Duan Chenhui turned around, his eyes glowing red, staring at He Qing intently.

“So, you’re a dragon,” He Qing remarked. As soon as he said this, Duan Chenhui’s dragon tail coiled around him and pulled him into the water.

He Qing, completely calm, asked, “What are you trying to do?”

“I’m not feeling well. What do you think?” Duan Chenhui’s eyes had turned into vertical slits, and the air was thick with his pheromones.

He Qing was silent for a moment, then offered, “I haven’t bloomed yet. How about I recite the Heart Sutra for you?”

Duan Chenhui almost laughed at that. He lifted He Qing up onto the shore with his tail, holding him in front of him. “Go ahead, recite.”

He Qing struggled but couldn’t break free. “It seems you practice both Daoist and demonic cultivation.”

“Mm,” Duan Chenhui nodded.

“Why is that?” He Qing continued to ask.

Duan Chenhui looked at him. “You just need to recite the Heart Sutra for me.”

“…” Fine, the Demon Lord wasn’t interested in conversation. He Qing had no choice but to recite the Heart Sutra. He recited all night, and the Demon Lord finally let him go. Maybe the Demon Lord thought his chanting sounded nice, because he asked him to do it again the next night—and this continued for a month.

After reciting so much that his mouth was dry, He Qing couldn’t help but reach out and touch Duan Chenhui’s tail.

Duan Chenhui swayed his tail slightly. “Don’t touch.”

“….” The scales were smooth and felt nice to the touch. He Qing glanced at him and offered a more permanent solution. “You should find a Dao companion.”

“You’ll help me find one?” Duan Chenhui looked at his beautiful face. “If you can find me one, I’ll consider it.”

“?!” He Qing was stunned. “I don’t know your preferences. Finding a Dao companion is something you should do yourself.”

Duan Chenhui released his tail’s grip on him and placed him back on the ground. “You should leave. You’ve stayed in the demon realm too long. Rumors are spreading, and it’s not good for either of us.”

He Qing looked at him. The Nine-Tailed Fox had mentioned this recently, and it was causing some concern. “We’ll leave tomorrow, then.”

“Mm,” Duan Chenhui said as he transformed into a dragon and dove back into the water.

He Qing looked down at his wet clothes, cast a cleaning spell on himself, and turned to head back.

A moment later, Duan Chenhui emerged from the water again, watching He Qing’s retreating figure.