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Outside Qilin City, in the dark night shrouded in the desolate forest, the teleportation array’s light flashed.
Shen Liuxiang landed on the ground, nearly slipping on the wet surface.
The sky seemed to have experienced rain, the land was soft with moisture, and an inexplicable strange aura permeated the woods. He steadied himself as a male voice sounded in his ear, “Zhang Miaomiao greets the two young masters.”
Shen Liuxiang looked up and saw a man in black, with a handsome face exuding a cold and stern demeanor.
Having encountered Zhang Miaomiao in the imperial palace before, Shen Liuxiang nodded slightly at him and then lowered his gaze to the jade slip in his hand, a faint smile forming on his lips.
Xu Xingchen followed his line of sight, astonished. “When did you retrieve it?”
“While holding Imperial Father just now, he hesitated for a moment, and I took the chance to retrieve it,” Shen Liuxiang said, his gaze still on the jade slip. After a moment of contemplation, he put it into a storage bag.
Xu Xingchen’s face changed rapidly, alternating between pale and red. He took a step back and pointed at Shen Liuxiang, as if he had committed an unforgivable act.
“Even when embracing Imperial Father, you still harbor ill intentions. You truly are something!”
Zhang Miaomiao frowned on the side, considering whether to interrupt the conversation between the young masters. This was not a place to linger.
Just then, a drop of water fell from the treetop, landing precisely on Xu Xingchen’s finger pointing at Shen Liuxiang.
The drop of water was a deep red, staining the fingertip.
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Both men under the tree were momentarily stunned. They looked up to see a corpse hanging upside down from a branch above them. Its mouth was wide open, eyes bulging and staring, a crimson tongue suspended mid-air, drops of blood falling from it.
Shen Liuxiang was startled, grabbing Xu Xingchen and leaping back to distance themselves from the corpse.
Once they regained their composure, Shen Liuxiang found the ground slightly sticky beneath his feet. He glanced down and saw the soft soil mixed with dirty red stains—his earlier slip wasn’t due to rain.
“Where are we?!”
Zhang Miaomiao explained, “This is the abandoned corpse disposal site in the wilderness outside the city. Few people come here, so we set up the teleportation array here.”
Taking a look around, Shen Liuxiang saw numerous crows moving through the forest, scavenging the corpse. Their coarse and hoarse cries filled the air.
“Let’s go, I can’t stand being here for another moment,” Xu Xingchen said, wiping his fingers with disgust.
Zhang Miaomiao led the way, and the three of them left the desolate forest.
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Shen Liuxiang thought the oppressive air might be due to the forest, but even after leaving, he still felt stifled and breathless on the main road.
The spiritual energy here was also quite thin, far less abundant than even the cultivator realm, let alone compared to the imperial palace.
Xu Xingchen’s expression was equally grim. Seeing this, Zhang Miaomiao reassured, “It’s normal to feel uneasy when arriving in the demon realm. You’ll get used to it soon.”
Walking for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the road gradually became more crowded with people heading toward Qilin City.
Shen Liuxiang surveyed his surroundings, taking in the unfamiliar place. Suddenly, he heard a commotion ahead.
He raised his gaze and saw a group of scantily clad female demon cultivators. Their graceful upper bodies were paired with the sturdy snake tails sweeping across the ground.
They turned to look at him, expressions of delight on their faces, as if they had stumbled upon a rare treasure.
“So handsome! Incredibly handsome!”
“Look at the human form he’s taken, that’s true beauty!”
“What kind of demon is he? He’s too good-looking. Just one glance from him and he sees straight into my heart.”
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Shen Liuxiang blinked, his expression calm, allowing the group of snake demons to chatter away and comment on him without stopping.
Beside him, Xu Xingchen’s face was cold, struggling to hold his words. When he heard the snake demons praising Shen Liuxiang for his elegance and handsomeness, his expression grew even darker.
A group of impolite little snake demons!
In the blink of an eye, the group arrived at the city gates.
In the dark night, a bright red flag stood erect above the city gate, fluttering in the wind. Embroidered on it was a lifelike and fierce qilin, surrounded by dazzling flames.
They had reached the Qilin City, ruled by the Seven Demon Kings.
At the city gate, guards stood on either side, and a table was set up in the middle. Every demon cultivator entering the city for the first time had to register here and receive an identity token.
Zhang Miaomiao had an identity token hanging from her waist. She entered first and waited on the other side. The group of snake demons from earlier stayed as well, fixedly watching Shen Liuxiang register.
The guard responsible for registration saw Shen Liuxiang and paused for a moment before asking, “What’s your cultivation level?”
Shen Liuxiang replied, “A hundred years.”
He was pretending to be a rabbit, and common demon creatures would take at least a hundred years to transform into human form.
With that, he followed the lead of the other demon cultivators, revealing his true form.
A loud “pop.”
Everyone turned to look, and on the spacious table, there was now a small, fluffy white rabbit. Its translucent red eyes were wide open, its two snow-white ears twitched lightly, and a tuft of soft fur was tied on top of its head with a red thread, standing upright.
The female demons who had been waiting eagerly erupted in excitement.
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“So cute! So cute! I won’t eat rabbits again in the future.”
“Ah, look, it even has a tufted braid on its head.”
“The rabbit demons I’ve seen before all looked odd, how is this one so different?”
The expressions of those around them also changed. After Shen Liuxiang returned to his human form, the guard took out a rabbit token, asked for his name, and engraved the character “Shen” on it when Shen Liuxiang mentioned his name, “Shen Yu.”
As he handed it to Shen Liuxiang, he added three brightly colored carrots.
“Welcome to Qilin City.”
Shen Liuxiang was surprised, accepting the token. He had heard that Qilin City was a paradise for minor demons, and now it seemed that apart from everything else, they even provided food upon entry. They were truly courting the hearts of the demons.
He hung the rabbit token around his waist and waited while Xu Xingchen registered. During this time, he overheard the whispering of the snake demons who were reluctant to leave.
“Haha, abusing power for personal gain. A hundred-year rabbit demon should only get one carrot.”
“What does it matter? If it were me, I’d give him a whole basket of carrots.”
“He’s eating carrots! Ah, no! Hurry up and leave, if we keep watching, we’ll get enchanted!”
Bored, Shen Liuxiang picked up a carrot and took a bite. He found it delightfully crispy and sweet, unable to resist eating more.
Zhang Miaomiao frowned and said in a low voice, “Young Master, we’re operating covertly. We need to keep a low profile.”
Shen Liuxiang raised an eyebrow and was about to say that he was already low-profile enough when he noticed that there were even more demon cultivators around, both men and women. They were either openly staring at him or glancing at him with shyness.
“
”
Being handsome really had its downsides.
Although these demon cultivators were indeed a bit exaggerated.
After Xu Xingchen received his tiger token, the three of them continued walking into the city. Before long, they encountered a young man hurrying towards them.
“Greetings to the two young masters.”
Zhang Miaomiao introduced, “This is Jin Xiaojiu.”
Shen Liuxiang suddenly realized, reaching out to pat the young man’s shoulder. “Old Jiu mentioned that he has a grandson in the demon realm.”
Jin Xiaojiao was taken aback, looking at the handsome face so close to him, those exquisite phoenix eyes staring at him. A blush crept onto his cheeks involuntarily.
He quickly averted his gaze and glanced around, noticing that many people’s eyes were on Shen Liuxiang. He suggested, “Let’s return to Cloud Pavilion quickly, both young lords.”
Shen Liuxiang looked at the streets adorned with lanterns, smelling the fragrance wafting from the restaurants along the road, his mouth watering.
He asked, “Can we eat first?”
Apart from half a piece of jerky, he hadn’t eaten meat in seven years.
Both Jin Xiaojiu and Zhang Miaomiao noticed the increasing attention and awkwardly stopped talking. Xu Xingchen frowned and decisively pulled Shen Liuxiang away.
“Let’s go back to Cloud Pavilion first!”
As the group left, the demon vendors on the street couldn’t help but stick their heads out, their gazes following the departing figures.
“I’ve never seen such a good-looking person in my life!”
“Look at his token on his waist, he’s a rabbit demon, and he’s even holding a carrot.”
“His eyebrows and eyes are so attractive. I want to buy carrots to give to him. Wolves and rabbits are naturally a pair.”
Upon entering Cloud Pavilion, Xu Xingchen, who had been puzzled for a while, pointed at Shen Liuxiang’s face and turned to Jin Xiaojiu, asking, “Why are you blushing too? Have you little demons never seen the world?!”
Jin Xiaojiao shyly lowered his head, clutching his sleeve tightly, and after a while, he whispered, “The Young Lord looks very handsome.”
In reality, their demon clan didn’t usually favor a clean and elegant appearance like an exiled immortal. They preferred a more enchanting look.
Someone like Shen Liuxiang, with his captivating phoenix eyes, slightly upturned corners of his eyes, and a stunning complexion, was simply captivating to them.
Major demons might resist this effect, but these minor demons, who wouldn’t consider him a heavenly marvel?
Jin Xiaojiu stammered through his explanation, and Shen Liuxiang recalled that the original work rarely depicted the demon realm. Could it be that most demons disliked the kind of delicate and pure beauty Su Baiche possessed?
This thought amused him.
After resting for a while at Cloud Pavilion, Shen Liuxiang couldn’t resist the urge to go out and explore the streets. After all, he had come to the demon realm and had been cooped up in a room, which was truly uncomfortable.
However, the others stopped him firmly.
Zhang Miaomiao frowned and reiterated, “Young Lord, we can’t attract the attention of the Seventh Demon Kings.”
Xu Xingchen sneered and adopted an unprecedentedly tough attitude. “You stay in the room. I’ll get you a mask.”
Shen Liuxiang sighed helplessly and reluctantly entered the room. Cloud Pavilion had several floors, and he rested on the second floor. After sipping some tea, he took out a jade slip and infused it with his spiritual energy.
The jade slip emitted a faint light.
The voice of Zhou Xuanlan came through, “Master has arrived in the demon realm.”
Shen Liuxiang responded, “You’re right”
The other end of the jade slip fell silent for a moment, seeming to sense something. Instead of asking where he was, Zhou Xuanlan chuckled softly. “I will find Master.”
Shen Liuxiang raised an eyebrow, noncommittal.
At this moment, the room door suddenly opened, and Jin Xiaojiu rushed in, holding a box of and wiping the sweat off his forehead. “Young Lord, I’ve brought food back.”
Shen Liuxiang exclaimed, “Are you really a tortoise?”
Jin Xiaojiu laughed and opened the food box while saying, “I bought everything from the restaurant, but
”
His words paused as he looked puzzled. “All the carrots were sold out. I went to every shop in the city, but couldn’t find a single one.”
Shen Liuxiang smelled the aroma and walked over with the jade slip. “No worries, it’s just a mention of carrots. If they’re gone, they’re gone.”
He picked up the chopsticks, and as he took a bite of fish, his whole being seemed to transcend.
This was the taste he had been separated from for seven years!
Feeling somewhat moved, Shen Liuxiang then heard a light chuckle from the jade slip.
As he was about to ask Zhou Xuanlan what he was laughing at, a burst of commotion drifted in from outside the window. Jin Xiaojiu walked to the window, stuck his head out, and looked downward.
In an instant, the youth’s inexperienced face froze.
He stumbled back two steps, tripping over his words, “Young Lord, so many people! They’re all calling for Master Shen Yu!”
Shen Liuxiang was taken aback, a piece of finely chopped chili slipping into his throat. He coughed vigorously, his eyes slightly watery from the irritation. He took several sips of tea to barely suppress the spicy sensation.
He put down the chopsticks, gripping the jade slip with one hand as he walked to the window.
He glanced outside.
A densely packed crowd of people had gathered at the entrance of Cloud Pavilion. They all held carrots and were shamelessly shouting.
“Lord Shen Yu, I have carrots here! Come out and take a look!”
Shen Liuxiang was momentarily stunned, suddenly realizing that he was feeling the overwhelming enthusiasm of fans that had once swept through the entertainment world during his prime.
Someone below noticed his presence, screamed, and immediately everyone’s gaze turned toward him.
In front of an open window, a young man with disheveled black hair was standing. The night breeze brushed over him, a few strands of hair tickling his cheek. His beautiful phoenix eyes held a layer of mist, and his lips were slightly moist.
He seemed to be taken aback by the sight before him.
The crowd below erupted.
“Ah, Lord Shen Yu is coming out!”
“Stay calm, everyone! Don’t startle Lord Shen Yu!”
“Don’t be afraid, Lord Shen Yu, we’re here to give you carrots!”
Seeing the increasingly excited emotions of the crowd, someone couldn’t bear it, “Don’t shout! Don’t shout! You’ll scare Lord Shen Yu away!”
As gentle as a rabbit demon’s nature was, compared to other demons, their strength was quite weak. Therefore, they were also more timid.
In the minds of the people below, a little rabbit demon like him had never seen such a scene. He might be scared, curling up in his blanket, shedding tears in secret.
“Don’t scare Lord Shen Yu away! If he runs away, I’ll come after you!”
Just as this person’s words fell, everyone saw Shen Liuxiang slightly tilt his head, and then his slender and fair fingers pressed against his lips.
“Hush—”
The scene immediately quieted down.
Then, the young man by the window winked at them with his left eye, his lips curling up slightly. His voice was pleasant, “Thank you for the carrots.”
“Ah ah ah ah ah!”
The group of demons had gone completely mad. They had thought that they would frighten Lord Shen Yu away, but unexpectedly, he showed no fear. Instead, he accepted their goodwill openly.
Against all expectations, it was the perfect reaction that they held in their hearts.
Screams rose and fell in succession, continuously reaching the softly glowing jade slip.
After a while, the jade slip emitted a crisp “click” sound.
Shen Liuxiang lowered his head to see that the jade slip had inexplicably shattered. He was startled, about to ask Zhou Xuanlan what happened, when he heard a cold and composed voice coming from within.
“Master, wear a mask and wait for me.”
T/N: The carrot economy must be booming in the Demon Realm!