Huan Huan looked utterly exasperated. “What are you talking about? We’re demons—we belong in the demon realm. With all the big shots from YCG around, not even those few notorious ones would dare just grab a random little demon off the street and eat them.”
Little Thirteen nodded vigorously. “Exactly. As long as you don’t go to the Underground Floating City, what danger could there be?”
Ye Yang paused for a moment, then suddenly realized—right! The talk about the demon realm being dangerous, he’d overheard from Director Tu’s casual conversations. But Director Tu was human! The demon realm and the human realm only cooperated to a certain extent through YCG, and overall, the demon realm was still quite exclusive. Of course it would be dangerous for a human like Director Tu!
But what did that have to do with him, a little sea hare demon?
Ye Yang’s face flushed red. He’d made a fool of himself again.
Lan Bao said, “Little Thirteen is being way too cautious. The Underground Floating City isn’t a place you can just waltz into anyway. You can’t even find the entrance, so what danger is there?”
Little Thirteen protested, “That’s exactly why it’s dangerous—because you can’t find the entrance! If you accidentally stumbled in, you might never come back out!”
Huan Huan interjected, “Alright, stop talking about gloomy things. Ye Ye has never been to the demon realm before. Tell him something interesting instead.”
Listening to his friends chatter on about all sorts of things in the demon realm, Ye Yang’s mind gradually opened up. He started asking detailed questions about the Mid-Autumn Festival activities. The more he heard, the brighter his eyes sparkled, and a sense of anticipation began to grow in his heart.
·
On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Ye Yang arrived on time at the nearest teleportation array to the preschool class, where he met up with his other little friends. In the end, Xiao Fan still didn’t come—it was just the four of them.
The slight dizziness from the long-distance teleportation quickly faded. Ye Yang steadied himself, focused his eyes, and immediately widened them in amazement.
They had teleported to the heart of Luoyang City, the most prosperous city in the demon realm.
In celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the city had already been decorated: a massive tower stood before them, several times taller than the tallest skyscraper in the human realm. Craning his neck, Ye Yang couldn’t even see the top—it seemed to reach straight into the higher realm. Every level of the tower was adorned with countless lanterns, which floated effortlessly outside the upturned eaves, bobbing up and down. The countless beams of soft light converged into a dazzling, flowing radiance.
On either side of the wide streets stood towering trees unique to the demon realm and many buildings of varying architectural styles. Modern avant-garde, Chinese classical, Nordic minimalist—styles learned from human society—were scattered here and there in a staggered patchwork, creating a strangely beautiful harmony.
A gentle breeze carried the fragrance of flowers from some unknown plant. Low-level demon beasts, with graceful, fawn-like appearances, pulled large carriage compartments swiftly yet smoothly. Crane-drawn carriages also glided past on invisible fixed routes overhead.
Apart from the demon beasts, the demons on the streets were all in human form. At a glance, it felt very similar to a human city.
Through the large window of a passing crane carriage, Ye Yang caught a glimpse of a couple with piercingly bright eyes. The man’s shoulders and head were covered with tiny chicks.
Huan Huan meticulously explained everything Ye Yang saw, since it was his first time in the demon realm.
Although human bodies were fragile and human lives short, their powerful, imaginative creativity was unmatched by any other species. Luoyang City itself had been modeled after human creations.
The vehicles running on the ground and flying in the air—these standardized modes of transport—were not only more efficient but also safer compared to the old days when everyone just flew around on their own. The demon realm hadn’t had a single flight accident in years.
Moreover, with the support of demonic power, architects in the demon realm could achieve things humans couldn’t—like the sky-piercing tower that seemed to have no end.
Just then, a flock of bluebirds flew by. Some had taken on half-human forms with wings, while others remained in their full demon forms. Wherever they passed, they scattered sparkling demonic crystals like a rain of blue gemstones, occasionally mixed with a few blue feathers.
One feather landed right in Ye Yang’s palm. But before he could get a good look at it, it dissolved into blue dust and was carried away by the wind.
Little Thirteen said, “These are a specially invited dance troupe. They’ll be performing inside the Sky-Piercing Tower tonight—for free! Normally, it’s incredibly hard to see their songs and dances. Even money won’t necessarily get you in!”
Huan Huan added, “These bluebirds belong to Blue Luan Logistics—the company from Ke Ranzhou’s family. They usually do logistics work in the human realm. They only put on performances like this during major holidays, and not even every time. They really are a rare sight.”
The demon realm wasn’t nearly as chaotic as Ye Yang had imagined. After absorbing the best of the human realm and blending it with its own native culture, it had developed its own unique character. Amidst this dazzling spectacle, Ye Yang couldn’t help but recall the knowledge he’d learned in his general education classes.
Originally, there were only two realms—the Higher Realm and the Lower Realm. Then Houtu created the Underworld to shelter the souls of all living beings, allowing them to reincarnate.
After the Cataclysm of Shang Tang, the Lower Realm split into the Human Realm and the Demon Realm, and the demon race officially faded from human history.
The barrier between the human realm and the demon realm protects both sides from interference, but the demon realm has always been in an awkward position—it cannot exist independently. Its essence relies on the spiritual energy of the human realm to sustain its vitality.
This is why even demons who are unwilling to enter human society or interact with humans still need to study general knowledge of all realms and learn about humanity.
Nowadays, with YCG’s efforts and support, the demon realm has developed quite well.
In truth, most demons are still not permitted to enter human society. Their ways of thinking are completely different from humans, and even after studying various aspects of the human realm, conflicts can easily arise.
Sometimes demons have no ill intentions, yet they can still inadvertently harm humans. The gaps between humans and demons—in power, lifespan, and thought—cannot be easily bridged.
Moreover, some demons simply cannot change their nature and cannot resist the temptation to cause trouble in the human world. Because there is a shortcut to demonic cultivation: consuming the flesh and soul of the primate species—humans—can greatly enhance a demon’s power, and consuming a cultivator is even more beneficial.
This is an irresistible temptation for many demons, so strict measures must be taken to prevent it.
Once this door is opened, humans will become prey for demons. The balance between realms would easily shatter, plunging all of China into chaos. Every living being would suffer—no one would escape.
In this era of slowly reviving spiritual energy and scarce resources, humans and non-humans must coexist peacefully for the continuation of all life. YCG’s most important mission is to guide everyone toward this common goal.
After inexplicably reviewing the key points from his lessons a few days ago, Ye Yang couldn’t help but think of his benefactor again. Was that person in the human realm or the demon realm now? Hopefully, they hadn’t already gone to the Underworld… If they had, should he wait for them to reincarnate, or go find their soul himself?
Lost in thought, Ye Yang realized the bluebirds’ performance had already ended. They had vanished beyond the horizon. Little Thirteen had somehow run far ahead and was now turning back, waving: “Ye Ye! Come quick, try this! You’ll love it!”
Ye Yang patted his cheeks to snap out of it. “Coming!”
Little Thirteen bought Ye Yang a serving of cold mixed Bing Cao, a legendary plant that dispels fatigue. It was quite common in the demon realm and had little flavor of its own, but after being seasoned with human cooking methods, even carnivores enjoyed it as a snack.
Ye Yang took a bite. He froze completely, as if someone had pressed the pause button.
Little Thirteen also froze. “Not… not good?”
Ye Yang blinked, smacked his lips, and frowned slightly. “It’s not that it’s not good…” How to describe it? The flavor was too intense—sweet and sour at the same time. It was a sharp, powerful taste Ye Yang had never experienced before.
Apart from the plain white rice on the fishing transport ship, this was the first time he had eaten anything other than algae. After dazing for a moment, he couldn’t help but take another bite.
Ye Yang froze again—the rich texture had once again stunned this little sea hare who had seen so little of the world.
He was a demon, and demons could eat almost anything. But Ye Yang had always stuck to his original diet, and his inherited memories contained no images of eating anything else.
His impression of non-algae foods was simple: either they had a good texture but no flavor—like the mediocre rice on the fishing boat—or they made him feel somewhat awkward—like the fresh fish, sea urchins, and shellfish that Little Thirteen and Lan Bao loved. Those used to be his neighbors…
So this was his first time experiencing the wonder of seasoning! Was this how good the food other people and demons ate was?!
Suddenly, a surge of impulse rose in Ye Yang’s heart. He wanted to go back to the YCG cafeteria and try every dish he hadn’t tasted yet.
Halfway through his serving, a burst of rousing music sounded in the distance. Little Thirteen grew excited again. “The mooncake-eating contest is starting! Hurry, hurry—we have to go cheer for Lan Bao!”
Only then did Ye Yang notice that Lan Bao and Huan Huan, who had been with them, had already disappeared.
Little Thirteen eagerly pulled Ye Yang toward the most crowded area.
The crowd surged, scents mingling together. Ye Yang followed Little Thirteen closely while carefully protecting the half-eaten bowl of Bing Cao in his hand. He tried to focus on multiple things at once: offering repeated apologies to passersby brushing past him in the opposite direction, and also avoiding stepping on certain small-framed demons who loved darting through the crowd.
Before long, Ye Yang had just finished apologizing for stepping on someone’s shoe. When he looked up again, Little Thirteen was nowhere in sight.
Not only was Little Thirteen gone, but the dense crowd, the bizarrely magnificent buildings along the street, and even the wide, smooth road beneath his feet had all vanished as well!
The bustling street had been replaced by a forest with no end in sight.
With a splat, the half-bowl of Bing Cao he had been holding fell to the dirt ground and spilled everywhere. But Ye Yang no longer cared. He called out twice: “Little Thirteen? Little Thirteen?”
No one answered. Only his own echo replied.
Trembling with fear, Ye Yang pulled out his phone from his pants pocket.
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