After returning to their quarters, He Qing informed the Nine-Tailed Fox and the others about their decision to leave.

The Nine-Tailed Fox was busy enjoying a late-night snack. “So soon? The food here is quite good.”

The squirrel, munching on a nut, agreed. “Yeah, the Demon Lord has been quite hospitable.”

Little White Rabbit, nibbling on a black carrot, added, “Black carrots aren’t bad either.”

He Qing glanced at them and suddenly realized they were all getting plump under Duan Chenhui’s care. Was Duan Chenhui treating them like adorable pets? “If we don’t leave soon, you’ll all turn into fat balls. Didn’t you all say you wanted to capture the Demon Lord?”

“Ahem… we thought the Demon Lord was a huge villain back then,” the Nine-Tailed Fox said, looking at his snacks. “Now I realize how great it is to live off someone else.”

Little White Rabbit, full of experience, chimed in. “Usually, we have to offer emotional value, like letting the master pet us. My previous master loved petting me.”

“To pull the Ten Thousand Demons Valley closer and mislead others, the Demon Lord is working hard to build alliances and send warnings,” the squirrel nodded. “We’ve also contributed our value in return.”

He Qing listened to their analysis in silence: “…” Did the fact that Duan Chenhui insisted on keeping him around every night to chant the Heart Sutra count as offering emotional value? It did seem a little strange.

The Nine-Tailed Fox snatched a nut from the squirrel and looked up at He Qing. “By the way, boss, we should bring some local specialties back with us. Otherwise, those at home will roast us alive.”

“Let’s go shopping tomorrow, then,” He Qing thought that made sense.

The next day, He Qing discussed this with Duan Chenhui, who generously provided them with a carriage and a few attendants. “I’ll take you around. You can also grab some books from the library to bring back.”

“You don’t need those books?” He Qing was puzzled.

Duan Chenhui smiled. “This is the demon realm. We’re always on the brink of war, and in times of conflict, the library would just end up being burned down.”

That made sense, but He Qing still didn’t quite understand.

Duan Chenhui added, “Your valley is much more peaceful. I’m about to enter seclusion. If I need to read anything, I’ll come find you. You wouldn’t mind, would you?”

Since Duan Chenhui had put it that way, He Qing nodded slightly. “The Demon Lord is welcome at the Ten Thousand Demons Valley anytime.”

“Good. Let’s go check out the market now.” Duan Chenhui put on his mask and accompanied them. They rode a black-winged demonic beast to the city.

He Qing sat in the luxurious open carriage, looking down. The demon realm had cities too, but they weren’t very peaceful. Fights broke out at the slightest disagreement, but in the central Demon City, things were relatively calm. The powerful had carved out territories, and everyone kept each other in check.

The carriage stopped at the gate of Demon City. He Qing got out and started shopping for items like demonic beast bone necklaces, demon crystals, and magic potions.

The Nine-Tailed Fox haggled with a vendor who tried to scam him. “This dagger is worth that many spirit stones? You might as well just rob me!”

“Exactly! I am robbing you! Don’t buy it if you don’t want to.” The vendor wasn’t backing down either, clearly out to scam.

The Nine-Tailed Fox really liked the dagger and raised his head, saying, “A thousand spirit stones! Take it or leave it! If you don’t want to sell, I’ll walk away. Let’s see who else will buy this junk!”

“A thousand? Are you trying to insult me? At least fifteen hundred!”

“I asked if you’re selling, not haggling!”

He Qing watched the scene unfold with interest, while the squirrel offered him some nuts. “What do you think? Will Nine-Tails win this time?”

He Qing passed a nut to Little White and Duan Chenhui. “Yes.”

Little White, exasperated, ate the nut in one bite. “We have enough money. Does he really need to be so stingy?”

Duan Chenhui smiled as he accepted the nut from He Qing. “How about I just buy everything here?”

The squirrel nearly dropped his nuts. “No, no, no! Nine-Tails enjoys the game. Buying everything would ruin the fun!”

He Qing looked at Duan Chenhui. “That sounds like something an indulgent ruler would say.”

Little White nodded eagerly. “Exactly!”

Duan Chenhui narrowed his eyes slightly. “Would you all prefer that the Demon Lord be a wise ruler who unites the three realms?”

Little White blinked and scratched his head. Wouldn’t a foolish ruler actually benefit the three realms more? The logic seemed sound!

He Qing thought for a moment. “In our eyes, the Demon Lord is already wise.”

Nearby demon cultivators: What the heck? Are you buying or not? I don’t care if you’re wise or foolish!

Duan Chenhui laughed. “How about we head to the food street next and buy up everything? I’m sure many in your valley haven’t tried demon realm cuisine yet.”

He Qing nodded. “Dishes like black eel gazing at the stars, deep-fried spider cakes, and roasted centipede pancakes are pretty interesting. I’m sure they’ll love it.”

The corners of Duan Chenhui’s mouth curved upward as he looked down at He Qing. “Then let’s buy a lot.”

“Okay.” He Qing stared back at him. Right now, Duan Chenhui really did seem like an indulgent ruler…

Little White and the others turned away silently. Thank goodness they wouldn’t have to eat that stuff. Amitabha, hahaha.

After a while, the Nine-Tailed Fox finally convinced the vendor to sell the dagger. The vendor huffed and handed it over. “Fine, take it and leave! Running a business these days isn’t easy.”

The Nine-Tailed Fox happily exchanged spirit stones for the dagger. “You should’ve surrendered earlier.”

The vendor clutched his face. “This is bad karma!”

The Nine-Tailed Fox got his prized dagger, and they continued shopping.

Duan Chenhui led them to the food street, where they swept through and bought all the odd dishes. Nine-Tails and the others, always aiming to prank their own, bought up all the “dark cuisine.” They left fully loaded.

Later, He Qing and Duan Chenhui visited the library. With a wave of Duan Chenhui’s hand, books on Daoist and some demonic cultivation flew out. He Qing took out his space bag and started packing them. “You’re really not keeping these?”

“They’re of no use to demon cultivators. Your valley might need them more.” Duan Chenhui said, casually waving his hand as the books floated into the bag.

He Qing glanced down and counted—there were over a thousand books. “I’ll build a library back home to store them. I’ll keep them safe for you.”

Duan Chenhui didn’t argue. “After I finish my seclusion, I’ll come visit the Ten Thousand Demons Valley. But for now, let me send you off.”

He Qing looked up, noticing Duan Chenhui standing under the bookshelf. The red moon outside cast a dim light into the room—it was already night.

He said, “Remember to visit the valley after you finish.”

“Mm…” Duan Chenhui paused briefly, then nodded and led them to the exit.

As He Qing got off the carriage, he took out a jade bottle and handed it to Duan Chenhui. “This is a parting gift. I think you’ll need it.”

Duan Chenhui was surprised for a moment but accepted it with a smile. “Thank you. Until we meet again.”

Little White: ?!! Isn’t that a bottle of He Qing’s tears? Will it poison the Demon Lord?

The squirrel and Nine-Tails said nothing.

“Goodbye.” He Qing waved, glancing back at Duan Chenhui one last time before turning and leading the group out of the demon realm. As they left, the Nine-Tailed Fox suddenly smacked his forehead. “I nearly forgot. What’s the Demon Lord’s name again?”

Little White and the squirrel shook their heads. “He never said…”

He Qing turned back toward the demon realm. “His name is Duan Chenhui.”

“??!!!” The others widened their eyes in shock. Oh my god! They had been in the presence of that Duan Chenhui! And that bottle of water—would it cause Duan Chenhui to ascend on the spot?

The Nine-Tailed Fox cleared his throat. “So that’s his name. Oh well, let’s not dwell on it. Time to head home.” He drew a circle and led the group through.

Back at the Ten Thousand Demons Valley, He Qing happily distributed the demon realm specialties to everyone. The demons rushed over but soon left in tears after tasting the food.

He Qing: “They seem really moved, all tearing up. Next time we go, we’ll bring back more.”

Those who hadn’t gone far nearly tripped.

Little White: “Haha, yes.” Thank goodness he was a vegetarian!

“How about we go again tomorrow?” He Qing suddenly felt like he missed the demon realm.

Everyone else: No!

The Nine-Tailed Fox transformed into an animal and coiled around He Qing. “No, let’s wait. The Demon Lord did say he was entering seclusion.”

“True.” He Qing sat down with a sigh. “I’ll wait for half a month, then.”

The group wiped their faces, giving up on trying to persuade him.

A few days later, rumors spread that the Demon Lord had gifted rare, ancient books to the Ten Thousand Demons Valley! The three realms were abuzz, with no one daring to make any rash moves, unsure of what the relationship between the valley and the demon realm was.

But the Ten Thousand Demons Valley didn’t make any official declarations of alliances or anything. Instead, rumors started that the Demon King was building a library and had even invited a famous craftsman to help.

At a teahouse, a Daoist cultivator whispered, “Did you hear? That poor craftsman could barely walk when he came out, trembling all over!”

“Good heavens, they say the valley is full of ancient, man-eating demons!” someone added.

“Well, I’m certainly not going there,” another person agreed.

At the next table, the craftsman, a weapon cultivator, sat silently: “…” What kind of misunderstanding is this? The demons were all fluffy, and they felt so nice to pet. I didn’t want to leave! Too bad I’m not a demon… they kicked me out!

He Qing had planned to return to the demon realm after half a month, but in that time, news broke that the Demon Lord had disappeared into a secret realm!

The shocking news shook all three realms—such a fantastical event was hard to believe!

——

He Qing opened his eyes, remembering. After that, he went to find Duan Chenhui.

He stood up, surveying his surroundings. This was a graveyard in the interstellar realm, and in front of him, there was a shadowy figure.

“Are you the one who asked for my help?”