《Crashing into Daylight》 CH 1 Chapter? ?1? ?-? ?Reunion? ? ? Along? ?the? ?path? ?where? ?red? ?maple? ?was? ?growing,? ?the? ?pale? ?floating? ?clouds? ?and? ?waterfalls? ? from? ?the? ?sky? ?were? ?a? ?perfect? ?match.? ?As? ?the? ?oldest? ?demon? ?slayer? ?academy? ?in? ?history,? ?Maple? ? Bridge?1?? ?Academy? ?was? ?hidden? ?in? ?the? ?mountains.? ? ?¡¡? ? Early? ?in? ?the? ?morning,? ?in? ?the? ?10th? ?grade? ?office.? ? ? As? ?Dean? ?Qin? ?looked? ?at? ?the? ?student? ?standing? ?in? ?front? ?of? ?him,? ?his? ?face? ?grew? ?darker.? ?This? ? was? ?the? ?third? ?time? ?this? ?veteran? ?had? ?gotten? ?caught?2?.? ?On? ?the? ?surface,? ?he? ?looked? ?as? ?though? ?he? ?was? ? deep? ?in? ?remorse,? ?but? ?in? ?reality,? ?his? ?eyes? ?were? ?unfocused;? ?he? ?had? ?probably? ?zoned? ?out.? ? ?¡¡? ? ¡°Stand? ?up? ?straight!? ?Lift? ?up? ?your? ?head!¡±? ?Dean? ?Qin? ?knocked? ?the? ?desk? ?with? ?force,? ?¡°Going? ? down? ?the? ?mountain? ?overnight? ?with? ?no? ?regard? ?for? ?the? ?prohibitions,? ?even? ?running? ?to? ?the? ?damn? ? internet? ?cafe? ?to? ?surf? ?the? ?web? ?overnight!? ?I? ?couldn¡¯t? ?believe? ?it? ?when? ?the? ?night? ?patrol? ?team? ?told? ?me? ?a? ? student? ?had? ?broken? ?through? ?the? ?barrier? ?and? ?gone? ?down? ?the? ?mountain.? ?Your? ?trip? ?this? ?time? ?was? ?so? ? sneaky?3?,? ?should? ?I? ?somehow? ?be? ?praising? ?you? ?for? ?improving? ?or? ?something?!¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? ¡°I? ?was? ?just? ?wondering? ?which? ?oddball? ?demon? ?slayer? ?student? ?liked? ?going? ?to? ?the? ?internet? ?cafe? ? to? ?play? ?games;? ?I? ?understood? ?it? ?all? ?the? ?moment? ?I? ?heard? ?your? ?name? ?-? ?Xu? ?Yinian!? ?From? ?your? ? enrollment? ?till? ?now,? ?how? ?many? ?of? ?the? ?thirty-five? ?school? ?rules? ?have? ?you? ?not? ?broken?!¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? ¡°Ten.¡±? ?The? ?male? ?student? ?answered? ?without? ?hesitation.? ? ? ? ¡°Utter? ?rubbish!¡±? ?Dean? ?Qin? ?bellowed.? ? ?¡¡? ? ¡°You? ?even? ?remembered? ?it? ?this? ?clearly?¡±? ?The? ?male? ?student? ?eyed? ?him? ?with? ?suspicion,? ?¡°Nine? ? then,? ?it? ?can¡¯t? ?be? ?less.¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? ¡°Four!? ?Only? ?four!? ?Still? ?saying? ?that? ?it? ?can¡¯t? ?be? ?less,? ?I¡¯m? ?guessing? ?you? ?haven¡¯t? ?even? ?taken? ? the? ?trouble? ?you¡¯ve? ?made? ?before? ?to? ?heart? ?at? ?all!? ?Dean? ?Qin? ?inhaled? ?deeply,? ?barely? ?managing? ?to? ? keep? ?it? ?together.? ?¡°Go? ?collect? ?your? ?graduation? ?assessment? ?task? ?yourself!? ?Once? ?you¡¯ve? ?collected? ?it,? ? hurry? ?back? ?to? ?the? ?dorms,? ?pack? ?your? ?things? ?and? ?be? ?on? ?standby.? ?The? ?other? ?students? ?in? ?your? ?team? ? have? ?already? ?gotten? ?ready,? ?the? ?only? ?one? ?missing? ?is? ?you!¡±? ? ? Budding? ?demon? ?slayers? ?entered? ?the? ?doors? ?of? ?the? ?academy? ?at? ?the? ?age? ?of? ?eleven.? ?At? ?the? ? age? ?of? ?twenty-one,? ?they? ?would? ?be? ?faced? ?with? ?the? ?graduation? ?assessment? ?after? ?studying? ?for? ?ten? ? years.? ?The? ?assessment? ?results? ?would? ?determine? ?if? ?one? ?could? ?become? ?a? ?demon? ?slayer? ?that? ?could? ? stand? ?on? ?their? ?own? ?feet.? ? ? 1 ?·ã?ÇÅ:? ?¡®Feng¡¯? ?=? ?maple? ?and? ?¡®Qiao¡¯? ?=? ?bridge.? ? ? 2 ?Èý?½ø?¹¬?µÄ?ÀÏ?ÈË:? ?A? ?more? ?literal? ?translation? ?would? ?be? ?¡®third? ?time? ?this? ?veteran? ?was? ?going? ?to? ?jail¡¯,? ?but? ?for? ?better? ? flow? ?I? ?went? ?with? ?this!? ? 3 ?Éñ?²»?Öª?¹í?²»?¾õ:? ?A? ?more? ?literal? ?translation? ?would? ?be:? ?unknown? ?to? ?god? ?or? ?ghost.? ? Catching? ?onto? ?a? ?certain? ?keyword,? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ?finally? ?focused? ?his? ?attention.? ?¡°Graduation? ? assessment?? ?So? ?soon?¡±? ? ? ¡°It? ?wasn¡¯t? ?supposed? ?to? ?happen? ?this? ?soon.? ?Recently,? ?some? ?areas? ?have? ?not? ?been? ?very? ? peaceful,? ?and? ?as? ?the? ?situation? ?hasn¡¯t? ?been? ?settled? ?yet,? ?the? ?Demon? ?Slayer? ?Bureau? ?tossed? ?the? ? minor? ?demons? ?over? ?to? ?the? ?academy? ?to? ?handle.? ?It? ?just? ?happened? ?to? ?function? ?nicely? ?as? ?your? ? graduation? ?assessment.¡±? ?Dean? ?Qin¡¯s? ?expression? ?relaxed? ?some? ?as? ?he? ?recounted,? ?¡°The? ?task? ?your? ? group? ?has? ?been? ?assigned? ?to? ?isn¡¯t? ?considered? ?too? ?difficult;? ?you¡¯re? ?responsible? ?for? ?maintaining? ? order? ?at? ?the? ?Demon? ?Realm? ?auction.? ?The? ?leader? ?of? ?your? ?team? ?is? ?Chen? ?Ran.? ?You¡¯ll? ?have? ?him? ? leading,? ?so? ?make? ?sure? ?to? ?complete? ?the? ?task? ?smoothly.¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? Hearing? ?the? ?name? ?of? ?a? ?certain? ?loser,? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ?repeated,? ?¡°Chen? ?Ran?? ?He¡¯d? ?better? ?not? ? drag? ?me? ?down.¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? Dean? ?Qin? ?was? ?in? ?disbelief,? ?¡°Who¡¯s? ?dragging? ?who? ?down?? ?Chen? ?Ran? ?gets? ?straight? ?As? ?on? ? the? ?final? ?assessments? ?every? ?year,? ?but? ?I? ?can¡¯t? ?say? ?the? ?same? ?about? ?you!¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? ¡°It¡¯s? ?because? ?I? ?let? ?him.¡±? ? ¡°...¡±? ? ¡°If? ?the? ?exams? ?only? ?test? ?on? ?the? ?practical? ?skills? ?and? ?not? ?theory,? ?Chen? ?Ran? ?would? ?also? ?be? ? trashed? ?by? ?my? ?skill? ?level¡ª¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? ¡°Xu!? ?Yi!? ?Nian!¡±? ?Seeing? ?that? ?he? ?held? ?no? ?remorse? ?for? ?the? ?nonsense? ?he? ?was? ?spouting,? ?Dean? ? Qin? ?bristled? ?with? ?rage,? ?slamming? ?the? ?desk,? ?¡°Have? ?you? ?no? ?shame?!? ?Ever? ?since? ?Maple? ?Bridge? ? Academy¡¯s? ?establishment,? ?the? ?only? ?person? ?who? ?has? ?gotten? ?a? ?single? ?digit? ?for? ?the? ?theory? ?exams? ? has? ?been? ?you!? ?Yet? ?you? ?manage? ?to? ?get? ?a? ?perfect? ?score? ?on? ?every? ?practical? ?assessment,? ?are? ?you? ? partial? ?to? ?practicals? ?or? ?are? ?you? ?just? ?stupid?!¡±? ? ? ?¡¡? ? ¡°...¡±? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ?did? ?not? ?respond? ?for? ?a? ?while.? ? ? After? ?some? ?time,? ?he? ?bit? ?down? ?on? ?his? ?lower? ?lip? ?and? ?muttered,? ?¡°I¡¯m? ?just? ?too? ?lazy? ?to? ?learn.¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? God? ?knows? ?that? ?the? ?mere? ?sight? ?of? ?theory? ?was? ?enough? ?to? ?send? ?his? ?head? ?spinning.? ?What? ? he? ?could? ?easily? ?complete? ?in? ?practice? ?was? ?impossible? ?to? ?understand? ?the? ?moment? ?it? ?was? ?laid? ?on? ? paper.? ? ? In? ?front? ?of? ?a? ?teacher,? ?he? ?couldn¡¯t? ?humble? ?himself? ?to? ?admit? ?that? ?he? ?was? ?only? ?good? ?at? ? fighting.? ?Observing? ?the? ?indifference? ?in? ?his? ?tone,? ?Dean? ?Qin? ?felt? ?his? ?blood? ?pressure? ?instantly? ?spike.? ? ¡°The? ?foundation? ?lies? ?in? ?theory!? ?If? ?your? ?foundation? ?is? ?unstable,? ?being? ?any? ?good? ?in? ?practice? ?is? ? useless!? ?Straighten? ?out? ?your? ?attitude? ?towards? ?learning!!? ?...¡±? ? ? ?¡¡? ? Xu? ?Yinian? ?was? ?then? ?subject? ?to? ?a? ?harsh? ?beratement? ?by? ?Dean? ?Qin.? ?When? ?he? ?left? ?the? ?office,? ? Dean? ?Qin¡¯s? ?anger? ?hadn¡¯t? ?fully? ?dissipated;? ?a? ?female? ?teacher? ?by? ?the? ?side? ?took? ?a? ?leisurely? ?sip? ?of? ? warm? ?water.? ? ? ¡°Dean,? ?calm? ?down.¡±? ?The? ?female? ?teacher? ?consoled,? ?¡°For? ?some? ?students,? ?it¡¯s? ?useless? ?no? ? matter? ?how? ?you? ?go? ?about? ?it.? ?You¡¯ve? ?gone? ?to? ?all? ?that? ?trouble? ?and? ?effort? ?for? ?him,? ?yet? ?he? ?doesn¡¯t? ?take? ? your? ?teachings? ?seriously? ?at? ?all.¡±? ? ? ? As? ?she? ?continued? ?on,? ?she? ?looked? ?towards? ?that? ?male? ?student¡¯s? ?departing? ?shadow,? ?her? ? gaze? ?meaningful.? ? ? ¡°He? ?was? ?born? ?like? ?this,? ?he? ?can¡¯t? ?be? ?taught.¡±? ? ? Dean? ?Qin? ?turned? ?his? ?head? ?to? ?look? ?at? ?her,? ?his? ?voice? ?grave,? ?¡°If? ?you¡¯re? ?unable? ?to? ?teach? ?your? ? students? ?well,? ?perhaps? ?consider? ?that? ?the? ?problem? ?lies? ?in? ?your? ?own? ?teaching? ?ability!¡±? ? ? ¡°...¡±? ?The? ?female? ?teacher? ?clenched? ?the? ?mug? ?tightly,? ?no? ?longer? ?saying? ?a? ?word.? ? ? Xu? ?Yinian? ?walked? ?down? ?the? ?hallway.? ? ?¡¡? ? He? ?was? ?a? ?little? ?lethargic,? ?his? ?eyes? ?slightly? ?downcast.? ?The? ?hallways? ?of? ?Maple? ?Bridge? ? Academy? ?were? ?adorned? ?with? ?hanging? ?scrolls? ?of? ?demons? ?-? ?they? ?were? ?in? ?the? ?three? ?colors? ?of? ?gold,? ? silver? ?and? ?red.? ?He? ?walked? ?with? ?an? ?unhurried? ?pace;? ?his? ?face? ?was? ?brighter? ?than? ?the? ??Hundred? ? Demon?? ?painting,? ?his? ?distinctive? ?appearance? ?tinged? ?with? ?the? ?aura? ?of? ?a? ?demon? ?on? ?a? ?rampage.? ? ? Intentionally? ?or? ?otherwise,? ?all? ?of? ?the? ?students? ?were? ?staring? ?at? ?him.? ? ? ¡°Xu? ?Yinian? ?is? ?skipping? ?class? ?again?¡±? ? ? ¡°He¡¯s? ?incredible.? ?When? ?I? ?walked? ?past? ?the? ?office? ?this? ?morning,? ?I? ?heard? ?Dean? ?Qin? ?showering? ? him? ?with? ?torrents? ?of? ?abuse.¡±? ? ? ¡°How? ?many? ?times? ?has? ?it? ?been?? ?Isn¡¯t? ?he? ?worried? ?that? ?he? ?can¡¯t? ?graduate?¡±? ? ? ¡°With? ?his? ?status,? ?what? ?would? ?he? ?be? ?afraid? ?of?? ?If? ?any? ?regular? ?person? ?had? ?his? ?fate,? ?they? ? would¡¯ve? ?long? ?been¡­¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? It? ?was? ?widely? ?known? ?that? ?the? ?Demon? ?Slayer? ?World? ?had? ?the? ?Four? ?Great? ?Families.? ?As? ?the? ? Xu? ?family¡¯s? ?sole? ?heir? ?in? ?this? ?generation,? ?Xu? ?Yinian¡¯s? ?reputation? ?had? ?already? ?been? ?notorious? ?when? ? he? ?was? ?ten? ?-? ?he? ?was? ?a? ?household? ?name.? ? ? Based? ?on? ?convention,? ?a? ?fortune-teller? ?would? ?predict? ?the? ?fates? ?of? ?all? ?the? ?little? ?demon? ? slayers? ?just? ?before? ?they? ?turned? ?ten.? ?When? ?it? ?was? ?Xu? ?Yinian¡¯s? ?turn,? ?the? ?fortune-teller? ?had? ? immediately? ?gone? ?ghastly? ?pale.? ?In? ?his? ?readings,? ?massacre? ?and? ?bloodshed? ?were? ?intertwined,? ?the? ? lives? ?of? ?the? ?people? ?plunged? ?into? ?calamity.? ?It? ?was? ?an? ?inauspicious? ?reading? ?that? ?predicted? ?the? ? greatest? ?of? ?evils.? ? ? ?¡¡? ? Such? ?a? ?domineering? ?reading? ?caused? ?a? ?furor? ?throughout? ?the? ?entire? ?Demon? ?Slayer? ?World.? ? Although? ?the? ?Xu? ?family? ?tried? ?ways? ?and? ?means? ?to? ?change? ?Xu? ?Yinian¡¯s? ?fate,? ?it? ?remained? ?as? ? immovable? ?as? ?a? ?mountain,? ?continuing? ?to? ?steadily? ?intimidate? ?others.? ? ? Xu? ?Yinian? ?was? ?accustomed? ?to? ?being? ?watched? ?like? ?a? ?tyrannosaurus? ?rex? ?on? ?display;? ?he? ? walked? ?into? ?the? ?classroom? ?without? ?haste.? ? ? Before? ?the? ?first? ?class? ?of? ?the? ?afternoon? ?had? ?begun,? ?there? ?were? ?quite? ?a? ?number? ?of? ?students? ? who? ?were? ?reciting? ?the? ?study? ?materials? ?in? ?advance.? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ?walked? ?over? ?to? ?his? ?own? ?seat.? ?He''d? ? played? ?through? ?the? ?night,? ?and? ?when? ?he? ?let? ?out? ?a? ?few? ?lazy? ?yawns,? ?it? ?was? ?as? ?though? ?the? ?classroom? ? had? ?suddenly? ?pressed? ?the? ?pause? ?button,? ?the? ?chanting? ?sound? ?of? ?memorization? ?fading? ?away? ?in? ?a? ? rustle.? ? ? One? ?person? ?hadn''t? ?heard? ?his? ?yawns? ?and? ?continued? ?to? ?chant,? ?and? ?his? ?deskmate? ?reminded? ? him? ?at? ?a? ?volume? ?that? ?he''d? ?assumed? ?was? ?inconspicuous.? ?¡°Stop? ?memorizing? ?already!? ?The? ?boss? ?is? ? sleepy!¡±? ? ? ¡°Fuck!¡±? ?That? ?person? ?shut? ?his? ?mouth? ?in? ?alarm.? ?¡°I''m? ?sorry? ?for? ?bothering? ?you!¡±? ? ? ?¡¡? ? ¡°...¡±? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ?didn''t? ?even? ?raise? ?his? ?head.? ?¡°Continue,? ?it''s? ?hypnotizing.¡±? ? ? ?¡¡? ? The? ?moment? ?he? ?finished? ?his? ?sentence¡­? ? ? The? ?sound? ?of? ?loud? ?and? ?clear? ?reading? ?picked? ?up? ?from? ?the? ?four? ?corners? ?of? ?the? ?classroom,? ? and? ?even? ?students? ?who? ?hadn''t? ?previously? ?been? ?reading? ?fished? ?out? ?their? ?textbooks.? ?This? ?caused? ? the? ?teacher-in-charge? ?who? ?walked? ?into? ?the? ?class? ?to? ?be? ?so? ?touched? ?that? ?he? ?was? ?an? ?utter? ?mess.? ? ¡°Students,? ?I? ?can? ?see? ?all? ?of? ?the? ?hard? ?work? ?that? ?everyone? ?is? ?putting? ?in,? ?so? ?believe? ?me? ?when? ?I? ?say? ? that? ?every? ?student? ?in? ?this? ?class? ?will? ?be? ?able? ?to? ?successfully? ?pass? ?the? ?graduation? ?assessment!¡±? ? ? ?¡¡? ? In? ?this? ?atmosphere? ?that? ?reeked? ?of? ?enthusiastic? ?learning,? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ?simply? ?could? ?not? ?fall? ? asleep.? ?He? ?dug? ?around? ?for? ?his? ?phone? ?and? ?logged? ?into? ?the? ?joint? ?forum.? ? ?¡¡? ? Not? ?all? ?demons? ?were? ?targeted? ?by? ?demon? ?slayers.? ?For? ?the? ?most? ?part,? ?demons? ?who? ?didn''t? ? stir? ?up? ?trouble? ?or? ?harm? ?other? ?humans? ?would? ?instead? ?become? ?the? ?esteemed? ?guests?4?? ?of? ?demon? ? slayers.? ?In? ?order? ?to? ?avoid? ?bloodshed,? ?humankind? ?had? ?always? ?advocated? ?for? ?the? ?peaceful? ? co-existence? ?of? ?both? ?species.? ?To? ?gradually? ?solve? ?the? ?estrangement? ?that? ?existed? ?between? ? demonkind? ?and? ?demon? ?slayers? ?for? ?the? ?last? ?thousand? ?years? ?as? ?well? ?as? ?to? ?enable? ?regular? ?humans? ? to? ?better? ?understand? ?demons,? ?the? ?Demon? ?Slayer? ?Bureau? ?had? ?set? ?up? ?the? ?joint? ?forum? ?to? ?facilitate? ? communication? ?between? ?both? ?species.? ? ? ? It? ?was? ?a? ?pity? ?that? ?after? ?the? ?joint? ?forum? ?was? ?set? ?up,? ?the? ?demons? ?hardly? ?ever? ?made? ?posts? ?on? ? their? ?own.? ?When? ?there? ?was? ?an? ?interesting? ?topic,? ?they¡¯d? ?occasionally? ?comment? ?on? ?the? ?post,? ?their? ? responses? ?often? ?rather? ?peculiar.? ? ? 4 ?×ù?ÉÏ?±ö:? ?term? ?to? ?be? ?confirmed,? ?possibly? ?a? ?specialized? ?term? ?for? ?demon-demon? ?slayer? ?collaboration.? ? ?¡¡? ? [Question:? ?Will? ?drinking? ?blood? ?from? ?a? ?demon? ?species? ?turn? ?me? ?into? ?a? ?demon?]? ? ? [A? ?demon? ?replied:? ?It? ?can? ?treat? ?your? ?cerebral? ?palsy.]? ? ? [[Vomit][Vomit]? ?I? ?was? ?harassed? ?by? ?a? ?Canine? ?demon? ?on? ?the? ?way? ?home? ?from? ?work.? ?Can? ?this? ? monster? ?just? ?go? ?and? ?die???]? ? ? [A? ?demon? ?replied:? ?What? ?the? ?heck?? ?Are? ?you? ?sure? ?it? ?was? ?a? ?Canine? ?demon?? ?Give? ?us? ?some? ?details.? ? If? ?our? ?species? ?really? ?birthed? ?such? ?scum,? ?I¡¯ll? ?get? ?rid? ?of? ?them? ?tonight.]? ? ? ...? ? ...? ? ? Other? ?than? ?the? ?public? ?section,? ?access? ?to? ?the? ?demon? ?section? ?and? ?demon? ?slayer? ?section? ? both? ?required? ?identity? ?verification.? ?To? ?infiltrate? ?the? ?demon? ?section,? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ?had? ?paid? ?a? ?high? ? price? ?for? ?an? ?account? ?belonging? ?to? ?a? ?Feline? ?demon.? ? ? ? Very? ?quickly,? ?he? ?saw? ?a? ?post? ?that? ?was? ?gaining? ?traction? ?on? ?the? ?first? ?page? ?of? ?the? ?demon? ? section.? ? ? ?¡¡? ? [Have? ?you? ?heard?? ?Yu? ?Huai? ?will? ?be? ?going? ?to? ?the? ?Qihai? ?auction!]? ? ?¡¡? ? [Really?!? ?My? ?husband? ?is? ?finally? ?willing? ?to? ?show? ?his? ?face?]? ? ? [Aaaaaa? ?who? ?has? ?the? ?invitation? ?to? ?the? ?auction?? ?Sell? ?it? ?to? ?me? ?sell? ?it? ?to? ?me,? ?we? ?can? ?negotiate? ?the? ? price!]? ? ? [Sister,? ?calm? ?down!? ?Think? ?about? ?the? ?rumors? ?about? ?his? ?reign? ?of? ?terror.? ?Don¡¯t? ?fight? ?me? ?for? ?the? ? invitation,? ?let? ?me? ?be? ?the? ?one? ?to? ?bear? ?this? ?grave? ?danger.]? ? ?¡¡? ? [Is? ?anyone? ?selling? ?the? ?invitation? ?to? ?the? ?Qihai? ?auction?? ?I? ?don¡¯t? ?know? ?who? ?Yu? ?Huai? ?is? ?and? ?most? ? definitely? ?don¡¯t? ?know? ?who? ?this? ?number? ?one? ?face? ?in? ?the? ?Demon? ?Realm? ?is.? ?I? ?just? ?want? ?to? ?broaden? ? my? ?horizons.]? ? ? [Is? ?all? ?this? ?necessary?? ?How? ?many? ?hundreds? ?of? ?years? ?has? ?it? ?been? ?since? ?you¡¯ve? ?seen? ?a? ?man?]? ? ? [It¡¯s? ?true,? ?I? ?haven¡¯t? ?seen? ?a? ?man? ?who? ?is? ?handsome,? ?has? ?a? ?great? ?pedigree,? ?and? ?who? ?managed? ?to? ? come? ?out? ?of? ?the? ?Burial? ?Grounds? ?alive,? ?hehe.]? ? ? ?¡¡? ? Xu? ?Yinian¡¯s? ?finger? ?halted? ?its? ?scrolling.? ?He? ?couldn¡¯t? ?help? ?but? ?glance? ?at? ?the? ?assignment? ?he¡¯d? ? just? ?received.? ?Written? ?clearly? ?on? ?it? ?was? ?the? ?venue? ?of? ?his? ?graduation? ?assessment.? ? ?¡¡? ? Qihai? ?City,? ?Demon? ?Realm? ?auction.? ? ?¡¡? ? As? ?he? ?stared? ?at? ?the? ?assessment? ?venue,? ?his? ?gaze? ?grew? ?cold.? ? ?¡¡? ? [Does? ?everyone? ?think? ?Yu? ?Huai? ?is? ?a? ?random? ?dog? ?or? ?cat? ?on? ?the? ?roadside? ?who¡¯s? ?willing? ?to? ?attend? ?any? ? random? ?shitty? ?auction?? ?If? ?he? ?really? ?shows? ?up,? ?I¡¯ll? ?pluck? ?my? ?head? ?off? ?and? ?let? ?everyone? ?kick? ?it? ?like? ?a? ? ball.]? ? ? ? [I¡¯ll? ?be? ?blunt.? ?I? ?want? ?to? ?play? ?soccer.? ?Yu? ?Huai,? ?don¡¯t? ?disappoint? ?me.]? ? ? [You¡¯re? ?just? ?fishing? ?for? ?responses?5?.? ?Who? ?doesn¡¯t? ?know? ?that? ?Yu? ?Huai? ?never? ?attends? ?such? ?events?? ? The? ?last? ?time? ?he? ?showed? ?his? ?face? ?publicly? ?was? ?when? ?he? ?fought? ?his? ?way? ?out? ?of? ?the? ?Burial? ? Grounds.? ?Just? ?keep? ?fishing.]? ? ? Xu? ?Yinian? ?scrolled? ?till? ?the? ?very? ?end.? ?There? ?was? ?a? ?lot? ?of? ?buzz? ?and? ?the? ?opinions? ?of? ?the? ? demons? ?were? ?divergent,? ?yet? ?in? ?the? ?end,? ?they? ?could? ?not? ?come? ?to? ?a? ?definitive? ?conclusion.? ? ? ? He? ?wasn¡¯t? ?sure? ?to? ?rejoice? ?or? ?be? ?disappointed? ?as? ?he? ?closed? ?the? ?webpage.? ? ? ? ?¡¡?-? ? ?¡¡? ? The? ?history? ?of? ?the? ?Demon? ?Realm? ?auction? ?ran? ?long? ?and? ?deep.? ?In? ?ancient? ?times,? ?the? ?items? ? on? ?auction? ?included? ?human? ?bodies? ?and? ?ancient,? ?evil? ?tools.? ?In? ?recent? ?years,? ?as? ?the? ?relationship? ? between? ?the? ?human? ?and? ?demon? ?species? ?improved,? ?the? ?Demon? ?Realm? ?auction? ?gradually? ?became? ? legal? ?and? ?proper.? ?All? ?sorts? ?of? ?sanguinary? ?and? ?bloody? ?novelties? ?were? ?replaced? ?by? ?precious? ? treasures? ?that? ?were? ?worthy? ?of? ?being? ?presented? ?on? ?stage.? ? ? As? ?its? ?name? ?suggested,? ?the? ?Qihai? ?City?6?? ?that? ?was? ?hosting? ?the? ?auction? ?was? ?a? ?financial? ?hub? ? located? ?by? ?the? ?sea,? ?and? ?along? ?the? ?city? ?was? ?a? ?chain? ?of? ?islands? ?that? ?formed? ?the? ?shape? ?of? ?a? ? crescent? ?moon.? ?Located? ?along? ?the? ?beach? ?of? ?one? ?of? ?the? ?private? ?islands? ?was? ?a? ?villa? ?built? ?like? ?an? ? archetypal? ?imperial? ?city? ?from? ?ancient? ?Rome.? ?With? ?a? ?giant? ?white? ?roof? ?shaped? ?in? ?an? ?arc,? ?its? ?stained? ? glass? ?windows? ?were? ?bright? ?and? ?reflective,? ?and? ?within? ?the? ?air? ?drifted? ?the? ?faint? ?aroma? ?of? ?bay? ?leaves? ? that? ?were? ?being? ?used? ?as? ?interior? ?decoration.? ? ? ? This? ?time,? ?the? ?Phantom? ?demons? ?and? ?the? ?Demon? ?Slayer? ?Bureau? ?of? ?Qihai? ?City? ?were? ? collectively? ?responsible? ?for? ?maintaining? ?order? ?at? ?the? ?venue,? ?and? ?the? ?students? ?that? ?were? ?coming? ? for? ?their? ?graduation? ?assessment? ?would? ?have? ?to? ?support? ?the? ?local? ?Demon? ?Slayer? ?Bureau? ?in? ?this.? ? As? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ?and? ?Chen? ?Ran? ?had? ?the? ?most? ?attractive? ?physical? ?profiles,? ?they? ?were? ?selected? ?to? ? stand? ?guard? ?by? ?the? ?main? ?entrance? ?to? ?receive? ?guests.? ?Although? ?they? ?were? ?the? ?same? ?age? ?and? ?both? ? successors? ?of? ?the? ?Four? ?Great? ?Families,? ?their? ?personalities? ?did? ?not? ?mesh? ?well.? ?Not? ?a? ?single? ?word? ? was? ?said? ?between? ?them? ?all? ?morning.? ? ? ? 5 ?µö?Óã?µÄ?û?Âè:? ?Slang,? ?something? ?along? ?the? ?lines? ?of? ?asking? ?purposefully? ?dumb? ?questions? ?to? ?get? ?netizens? ?to? ? respond.? ?Read? ??here?? ?for? ?more? ?information!? ? ? 6 ?Æî?º£?ÊÐ:? ?¡®Qi¡¯? ?=? ?vast? ?and? ?¡®Hai¡¯? ?=? ?sea.? ?So? ?the? ?city? ?is? ?a? ?namesake? ?for? ?its? ?location.? ? The? ?auction? ?was? ?prestigious? ?and? ?renowned;? ?other? ?than? ?demons,? ?the? ?guest? ?list? ?also? ? included? ?a? ?number? ?of? ?powerful? ?humans? ?who? ?were? ?members? ?of? ?the? ?elite.? ?A? ?supercar? ?painted? ?in? ? dark? ?purple? ?flashed? ?past? ?and? ?stopped? ?in? ?the? ?near? ?distance.? ?When? ?the? ?door? ?opened,? ?a? ?young? ?man? ? with? ?dyed? ?red? ?hair? ?alighted? ?the? ?car? ?accompanied? ?by? ?a? ?female? ?internet? ?celebrity.? ? ? ?¡¡? ? Red? ?Hair? ?removed? ?his? ?sunglasses,? ?looking? ?around? ?at? ?his? ?surroundings? ?before? ?speaking? ?in? ? a? ?particularly? ?pleased? ?tone,? ?¡°Look!? ?Isn¡¯t? ?this? ?even? ?more? ?exclusive? ?than? ?a? ?cruise? ?party? ?or? ?mountain? ? road-racing? ?circuit?? ?My? ?brothers? ?don¡¯t? ?even? ?know? ?this? ?place? ?exists? ?in? ?the? ?world;? ?this? ?island? ? doesn¡¯t? ?show? ?up? ?on? ?any? ?map.? ?If? ?not? ?for? ?my? ?family¡¯s? ?connections? ?with? ?the? ?organizers,? ?you? ? probably? ?wouldn¡¯t? ?even? ?be? ?able? ?to? ?step? ?foot? ?on? ?this? ?island.¡±? ? ? ¡°Yes,? ?yes.¡±? ?The? ?little? ?internet? ?celebrity? ?laughed? ?along,? ?fiddling? ?with? ?her? ?long? ?hair? ?non-stop.? ? ¡°It¡¯s? ?all? ?because? ?of? ?you.¡±? ? ? ¡°Let? ?me? ?tell? ?you,? ?even? ?though? ?the? ?people? ?who? ?are? ?coming? ?and? ?going? ?look? ?human,? ?it¡¯s? ? possible? ?that? ?they¡¯re? ?all? ?not? ?humans.¡±? ? ? The? ?little? ?internet? ?celebrity? ?revealed? ?an? ?expression? ?of? ?alarm? ?mingled? ?with? ?surprise.? ? ¡°President? ?Yu,? ?can? ?I? ?do? ?a? ?live? ?broadcast?¡±? ? ? Red? ?Hair? ?furrowed? ?his? ?brow.? ?¡°This? ?place? ?prohibits? ?photography.? ?You? ?should? ?watch? ? yourself;? ?I? ?won¡¯t? ?be? ?able? ?to? ?protect? ?you? ?if? ?anything? ?happens.¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? As? ?Red? ?Hair? ?walked,? ?he? ?peered? ?in? ?all? ?directions.? ?When? ?his? ?line? ?of? ?sight? ?reached? ?Xu? ? Yinian,? ?he? ?suddenly? ?asked,? ?¡°What? ?species? ?are? ?you?? ?Let? ?me? ?guess,? ?are? ?you? ?a? ?fox?¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? From? ?the? ?moment? ?this? ?pair? ?had? ?arrived? ?Chen? ?Ran? ?had? ?been? ?frowning.? ?He? ?was? ?caught? ?off? ? guard? ?upon? ?hearing? ?this? ?idiot? ?try? ?to? ?pick? ?a? ?fight? ?with? ?Xu? ?Yinian,? ?his? ?sarcastic? ?tone? ?insinuating? ?that? ? Xu? ?Yinian? ?looked? ?like? ?a? ?fox? ?vixen.? ?He? ?couldn¡¯t? ?resist? ?a? ?touch? ?of? ?Schadenfreude,? ?the? ?tension? ? between? ?his? ?brows? ?easing? ?some.? ? ?¡¡? ? Xu? ?Yinian? ?ignored? ?him.? ? ? ?¡¡? ? Red? ?Hair? ?was? ?displeased? ?and? ?stepped? ?forward? ?to? ?argue.? ?¡°I¡¯m? ?talking? ?to? ?you,? ?can¡¯t? ?you? ? hear?¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? Xu? ?Yinian¡¯s? ?eyelid? ?twitched.? ?¡°Nope.¡±? ? ? ? ¡°?¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? At? ?this? ?point,? ?Chen? ?Huo? ?politely? ?yet? ?forcefully? ?stopped? ?Red? ?Hair? ?from? ?continuing.? ?¡°Please? ? come? ?in.¡±? ? ? As? ?he? ?spoke,? ?he? ?pushed? ?open? ?the? ?door? ?of? ?the? ?main? ?entrance.? ? ?¡¡? ? Red? ?Hair? ?comprehended? ?the? ?kind? ?of? ?occasion? ?he? ?was? ?attending? ?and? ?could? ?only? ?glare? ?at? ? Xu? ?Yinian? ?before? ?entering? ?in? ?a? ?huff.? ? ? ? Unlike? ?Red? ?Hair,? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ?was? ?a? ?demon? ?slayer? ?and? ?could? ?easily? ?differentiate? ?between? ? the? ?demons? ?and? ?humans? ?on-site.? ? ?¡¡? ? A? ?female? ?demon? ?emanating? ?a? ?graceful? ?air? ?held? ?up? ?her? ?dress? ?as? ?she? ?walked? ?over.? ?If? ?he? ? recalled? ?correctly,? ?she? ?was? ?a? ?popular? ?female? ?celebrity? ?in? ?human? ?society.? ?Behind? ?the? ?female? ?star? ? was? ?a? ?middle-aged? ?male? ?demon? ?with? ?a? ?seemingly? ?ordinary? ?appearance.? ?After? ?thinking? ?carefully,? ? he? ?surmised? ?that? ?he? ?seemed? ?to? ?be? ?some? ?financial? ?magnate.? ?If? ?he? ?looked? ?back? ?even? ?further,? ?Xu? ? Yinian? ?could? ?vaguely? ?see? ?the? ?big? ?shots? ?of? ?military? ?and? ?politics,? ?elites? ?of? ?the? ?business? ?world...? ? ? ? ? What? ?he? ?found? ?strange? ?was? ?that? ?these? ?immaculately? ?dressed? ?demons? ?would? ?practically? ? all? ?halt? ?their? ?step? ?when? ?walking? ?past? ?him.? ?What¡¯s? ?more,? ?some? ?would? ?even? ?turn? ?back? ?and? ?look? ?at? ? him? ?again.? ?On? ?their? ?faces? ?was? ?laughter? ?and? ?ridicule;? ?it? ?looked? ?like? ?they? ?were? ?watching? ?an? ?exciting? ? show? ?play? ?out,? ?or? ?even? ?mocking? ?him.? ? ? ?¡¡? ? ¡°Is? ?it? ?that? ?one?? ?The? ?one? ?on? ?the? ?left.¡±? ? ? ¡°From? ?the? ?Xu? ?family¡­¡±? ? ? ¡°He¡¯s? ?certainly? ?got? ?guts? ?to? ?dare? ?stand? ?here.? ?Doesn¡¯t? ?he? ?know? ?who¡¯s? ?coming? ?today?¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? Because? ?of? ?the? ?earlier? ?help? ?out? ?of? ?his? ?predicament,? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ?had? ?a? ?slight? ?change? ?of? ? opinion? ?towards? ?Chen? ?Ran.? ?He? ?casually? ?asked,? ?¡°Is? ?it? ?very? ?funny? ?for? ?a? ?security? ?guard? ?to? ?stand? ? here?¡±? ? ? ? ¡°It¡¯s? ?not? ?that? ?the? ?security? ?guard? ?is? ?funny.? ?No? ?one¡¯s? ?looking? ?at? ?me.¡±? ?On? ?this? ?rare? ?occasion,? ? Chen? ?Ran? ?decided? ?to? ?give? ?him? ?a? ?hint.? ?He? ?kept? ?his? ?tone? ?flat? ?and? ?neutral.? ?¡°They¡¯re? ?laughing? ?at? ? you.¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? Xu? ?Yinian? ?found? ?this? ?baffling,? ?inwardly? ?wondering? ?how? ?or? ?when? ?he? ?became? ?a? ?comedian.? ? Before? ?he? ?could? ?figure? ?it? ?out,? ?another? ?luxury? ?car? ?stopped? ?in? ?front? ?of? ?the? ?entrance.? ? ? The? ?attendant? ?bent? ?his? ?waist? ?to? ?open? ?the? ?door,? ?and? ?stepping? ?out? ?of? ?the? ?car? ?was? ?a? ?tall? ? young? ?man? ?fully? ?dressed? ?in? ?formal? ?attire.? ?The? ?man¡¯s? ?face? ?was? ?clearly? ?illuminated? ?by? ?the? ?sunlight;? ? he? ?squinted? ?his? ?eyes? ?to? ?look? ?over,? ?his? ?face? ?handsome? ?yet? ?arrogant?7?.? ? ? ?¡¡? ? He? ?was? ?younger? ?than? ?most? ?of? ?the? ?demons? ?present,? ?yet? ?all? ?of? ?the? ?demons? ?were? ?staring? ?at? ? him.? ? ?¡¡? ? ¡°Holy? ?shit¡­!¡±? ?Upon? ?realizing? ?who? ?this? ?god? ?was,? ?Chen? ?Ran? ?inhaled? ?deeply.? ? 7 ?èî?æñ:? ?I¡¯m? ?holding? ?myself? ?back? ?from? ?using? ?¡®guarded¡¯? ?here!!!? ? ?¡¡? ? Xu? ?Yinian¡¯s? ?entire? ?body? ?was? ?frozen? ?in? ?place,? ?his? ?breathing? ?nearly? ?ceasing.? ? ? He? ?looked? ?in? ?disbelief? ?at? ?that? ?figure? ?within? ?the? ?crowd.? ?The? ?post? ?from? ?the? ?joint? ?forum? ? abruptly? ?emerged? ?in? ?his? ?mind.? ? ? ...? ? ? [I? ?suddenly? ?thought? ?of? ?something? ?-? ?the? ?Xu? ?family? ?is? ?at? ?the? ?very? ?least? ?considered? ?a? ?noble? ?family? ?of? ? demon? ?slayers.? ?This? ?is? ?such? ?a? ?grand? ?auction,? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ?might? ?also? ?attend.? ?If? ?he? ?does,? ?the? ?scene? ? is? ?definitely? ?going? ?to? ?be? ?very? ?exciting? ?hahahaha.]? ? ? ? [Can? ?you? ?not? ?bring? ?this? ?idiot? ?up?? ?It¡¯s? ?bad? ?luck.]? ? ? [I¡¯m? ?already? ?used? ?to? ?it.? ?As? ?long? ?as? ?Yu? ?Huai? ?is? ?mentioned,? ?you-know-who¡¯s? ?name? ?will? ?definitely? ? show? ?up? ?in? ?less? ?than? ?ten? ?minutes.]? ? ? [Are? ?you? ?crazy?? ?There? ?are? ?still? ?people? ?who? ?ship? ?this?!? ?Based? ?on? ?Yu? ?Huai¡¯s? ?temper,? ?if? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ? shows? ?up? ?in? ?front? ?of? ?him? ?now? ?he¡¯s? ?just? ?courting? ?death.? ?Back? ?then,? ?his? ?marriage? ?to? ?Yu? ?Huai? ?was? ?a? ? total? ?social? ?climb? ?for? ?him? ?-? ?did? ?Yu? ?Huai? ?say? ?anything?? ?Was? ?he? ?not? ?good? ?to? ?him?? ?The? ?moment? ? things? ?went? ?awry,? ?he? ?was? ?the? ?fastest? ?to? ?turn? ?against? ?him;? ?not? ?even? ?a? ?marriage? ?contract? ?was? ? enough? ?to? ?stop? ?him? ?from? ?cutting? ?ties.? ?That? ?surnamed? ?Xu? ?definitely? ?has? ?a? ?problem? ?with? ?his? ? morals.]? ? ? ? [Then? ?again,? ?we? ?can¡¯t? ?entirely? ?blame? ?Xu? ?Yinian.? ?Back? ?then,? ?how? ?many? ?people? ?could? ?have? ? predicted? ?that? ?Yu? ?Huai? ?could? ?walk? ?out? ?of? ?the? ?Burial? ?Grounds? ?alive?? ?After? ?all,? ?something? ?like? ?this? ? has? ?never? ?happened? ?before.]? ? ? [I¡¯m? ?curious? ?how? ?long? ?young? ?master? ?Xu? ?stayed? ?up? ?till? ?the? ?night? ?that? ?Yu? ?Huai? ?came? ?out? ?of? ?the? ? Burial? ?Grounds.]? ? ? [He? ?probably? ?didn¡¯t? ?sleep? ?all? ?night,? ?scared? ?for? ?his? ?life.? ?For? ?things? ?to? ?end? ?up? ?like? ?this? ?is? ? well-deserved;? ?he? ?asked? ?for? ?it.]? ? ? ...? ? ...? ? ?¡¡? ? After? ?Yu? ?Huai? ?got? ?off? ?the? ?car,? ?the? ?female? ?companion? ?that? ?was? ?accompanying? ?him? ? extended? ?a? ?hand? ?to? ?hold? ?onto? ?his? ?arm.? ? ? The? ?female? ?demon¡¯s? ?long? ?platinum? ?hair? ?trailed? ?down? ?her? ?back? ?in? ?curls,? ?her? ?complexion? ? pale? ?like? ?fresh? ?snow.? ?Both? ?her? ?and? ?Yu? ?Huai¡¯s? ?appearances? ?were? ?exceedingly? ?outstanding,? ?and? ? when? ?they? ?stood? ?together? ?they? ?were? ?particularly? ?eye-catching.? ? ?¡¡? ? Xu? ?Yinian? ?unconsciously? ?pursed? ?his? ?lips.? ? ?¡¡? ? ¡°Hey!¡±? ?Chen? ?Ran? ?had? ?initially? ?planned? ?on? ?just? ?minding? ?his? ?own? ?business,? ?but? ?upon? ?seeing? ? Xu? ?Yinian? ?staring? ?fixed? ?in? ?that? ?direction,? ?he? ?had? ?no? ?choice? ?but? ?to? ?lower? ?his? ?voice? ?and? ?remind? ?him.? ? ¡°Hurry? ?up? ?and? ?hide!? ?Or? ?at? ?the? ?very? ?least? ?bury? ?your? ?face!¡±? ? ? ?¡¡? ? Xu? ?Yinian¡¯s? ?mind? ?was? ?in? ?a? ?tangle,? ?and? ?he? ?instinctively? ?listened? ?to? ?Chen? ?Ran.? ?The? ?moment? ? he? ?lowered? ?his? ?head,? ?he? ?thought? ?this? ?gesture? ?was? ?truly? ?just? ?overdoing? ?it? ?on? ?his? ?part.? ? ? ? Those? ?idiots? ?on? ?the? ?joint? ?forum? ?constantly? ?fantasized? ?that? ?Yu? ?Huai? ?hated? ?him? ?to? ?the? ?core,? ? messing? ?with? ?his? ?head? ?till? ?he¡¯d? ?even? ?started? ?believing? ?it.? ? ?¡¡? ? From? ?alighting? ?the? ?car? ?till? ?now,? ?Yu? ?Huai? ?hadn¡¯t? ?spared? ?him? ?a? ?single? ?glance.? ? ?¡¡? ? It? ?had? ?been? ?five? ?whole? ?years? ?since? ?they¡¯d? ?broken? ?up.? ?Judging? ?by? ?Yu? ?Huai¡¯s? ?current? ?status? ? and? ?standing,? ?the? ?amount? ?of? ?love? ?and? ?admiration? ?he? ?received? ?was? ?naturally? ?too? ?much? ?to? ?count.? ? Yu? ?Huai? ?had? ?likely? ?forgotten? ?all? ?about? ?him.? ? ? ?¡¡? ? Xu? ?Yinian? ?shut? ?his? ?eyes,? ?working? ?to? ?suppress? ?the? ?ripples? ?in? ?his? ?heart.? ? ? Yu? ?Huai? ?no? ?longer? ?cared¡­? ?Wasn¡¯t? ?that? ?good? ?enough?? ?Wasn¡¯t? ?this? ?what? ?he¡¯d? ?wished? ?for? ? himself?? ? ?¡¡? ? The? ?very? ?first? ?person? ?to? ?step? ?forward? ?to? ?chat? ?with? ?Yu? ?Huai? ?was? ?that? ?middle-aged? ?man.? ?He? ? spoke? ?politely,? ?¡°Mr? ?Yu,? ?I¡¯ve? ?heard? ?a? ?lot? ?about? ?you.¡±? ? ? A? ?female? ?demon? ?asked? ?cautiously,? ?¡°Why? ?did? ?you? ?come? ?to? ?the? ?auction?? ?In? ?the? ?past,? ?you? ? didn¡¯t? ?seem? ?very? ?interested? ?in? ?attending? ?similar? ?events.¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? Rather? ?than? ?behaving? ?in? ?an? ?unbridled? ?and? ?unrestrained? ?manner,? ?Yu? ?Huai? ?actually? ?hardly? ? ever? ?showed? ?up? ?in? ?public.? ?Demons? ?that? ?were? ?familiar? ?with? ?his? ?personality? ?were? ?few? ?and? ?far? ? between,? ?and? ?the? ?understanding? ?that? ?the? ?rest? ?of? ?the? ?world? ?had? ?about? ?him? ?came? ?from? ?a? ?mixed? ? bag? ?of? ?true? ?and? ?false? ?rumors.? ? ? Although? ?they? ?admired? ?the? ?powerful? ?by? ?nature,? ?any? ?demons? ?that? ?approached? ?or? ?got? ?close? ? to? ?him? ?would? ?inevitably? ?be? ?on? ?guard.? ? ? ?¡¡? ? ¡°I? ?heard? ?there¡¯s? ?a? ?large? ?variety? ?of? ?objects? ?being? ?auctioned? ?this? ?time,? ?so? ?I? ?wanted? ?to? ?take? ?a? ? look.¡±? ?Yu? ?Huai¡¯s? ?gaze? ?swept? ?across? ?the? ?two? ?demon? ?slayers? ?standing? ?by? ?the? ?main? ?entrance,? ? pausing? ?for? ?a? ?moment? ?on? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ?who? ?had? ?his? ?head? ?lowered? ?like? ?an? ?ostrich.? ? ? ? He? ?let? ?out? ?a? ?laugh,? ?then? ?continued? ?meaningfully.? ?¡°I? ?must? ?have? ?good? ?luck,? ?I¡¯ve? ?stumbled? ? upon? ?something? ?I? ?want.¡±? ? CH 2 Chapter? ?2? ?-? ?Flame? ?in? ?Water? ? ? Xu? ?Yinian? ?stood? ?still? ?and? ?unmoving.? ? ? It? ?was? ?only? ?after? ?Yu? ?Huai? ?had? ?walked? ?past? ?him? ?and? ?was? ?far? ?away? ?that? ?he? ?realized? ?he¡¯d? ? clenched? ?his? ?fingers? ?into? ?a? ?fist? ?and? ?marred? ?his? ?palm? ?with? ?red? ?marks.? ? ? ? When? ?Yu? ?Huai? ?had? ?passed? ?him,? ?his? ?behavior? ?was? ?nothing? ?out? ?of? ?the? ?ordinary.? ?It? ?was? ?as? ? though? ?he¡¯d? ?passed? ?by? ?a? ?stranger.? ?On? ?the? ?other? ?hand,? ?his? ?female? ?companion? ?was? ?unabashedly? ? curious,? ?purposely? ?turning? ?her? ?head? ?to? ?look? ?at? ?him? ?several? ?more? ?times.? ? ? ?¡¡? ? After? ?a? ?long? ?while,? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ?let? ?out? ?a? ?breath.? ? ? With? ?great? ?difficulty,? ?he? ?finally? ?managed? ?to? ?stop? ?his? ?imagination? ?from? ?going? ?wild? ?when? ?the? ? female? ?demon? ?slayer? ?responsible? ?for? ?on-site? ?coordination? ?hurriedly? ?walked? ?towards? ?him.? ? ? ?¡¡? ? ¡°Xu? ?Yinian?¡±? ?The? ?female? ?demon? ?slayer? ?had? ?only? ?just? ?found? ?out? ?that? ?he? ?was? ?the? ?Young? ? Master? ?Xu? ?of? ?the? ?rumors? ?and? ?could? ?not? ?help? ?but? ?give? ?him? ?a? ?second? ?look.? ?¡°Go? ?to? ?Box? ?A1?8?? ?on? ?the? ? second? ?floor.? ?The? ?VIP? ?in? ?that? ?box? ?wants? ?to? ?see? ?you.¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? Xu? ?Yinian¡¯s? ?heart? ?skipped? ?a? ?beat.? ?¡°Who? ?wants? ?to? ?see? ?me?¡±? ? ? To? ?be? ?able? ?to? ?occupy? ?a? ?box? ?on? ?the? ?second? ?floor,? ?that? ?person? ?had? ?to? ?be? ?wealthy? ?and? ? respectable,? ?but? ?none? ?of? ?the? ?people? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ?was? ?familiar? ?with? ?that? ?satisfied? ?this? ?criteria? ?were? ? attending? ?the? ?auction.? ? ? ?¡¡? ? ¡°You¡¯ve? ?already? ?guessed? ?it,? ?right?? ?His? ?status? ?among? ?the? ?demon? ?species? ?is? ?extraordinary,? ? we? ?can¡¯t? ?reject? ?him.¡±? ?The? ?female? ?demon? ?slayer? ?couldn¡¯t? ?hold? ?back? ?and? ?urged? ?in? ?a? ?whisper,? ?¡°If? ? anything? ?happens,? ?shout? ?for? ?someone.? ?There? ?are? ?demon? ?slayers? ?patrolling? ?the? ?corridor.? ? Moreover,? ?considering? ?it¡¯s? ?broad? ?daylight? ?right? ?now,? ?not? ?even? ?he? ?can? ?do? ?anything? ?untoward? ? here.¡±? ? ? ?¡¡? ? Xu? ?Yinian? ?hesitated? ?slightly,? ?then? ?nodded.? ? ? ?¡¡? ? ¡°Hold? ?on.¡±? ?The? ?previously? ?silent? ?Chen? ?Ran? ?suddenly? ?asked,? ?¡°Even? ?if? ?he? ?yells? ?for? ?help,? ?do? ? those? ?patrolling? ?even? ?dare? ?to? ?break? ?in?¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? The? ?female? ?demon? ?slayer? ?laughed? ?awkwardly.? ? ? ¡°Don¡¯t? ?go.¡±? ?After? ?finishing? ?his? ?sentence,? ?Chen? ?Ran? ?turned? ?to? ?the? ?female? ?demon? ?slayer.? ? ¡°Just? ?say? ?that? ?you? ?couldn¡¯t? ?find? ?him,? ?that? ?if? ?there¡¯s? ?anything? ?to? ?discuss,? ?we¡¯ll? ?have? ?to? ?trouble? ?Yu? ? Huai? ?to? ?contact? ?him? ?privately.¡±? ? 8 ?°ü?Ïá:? ?A? ?kind? ?of? ?private? ?room? ?for? ?guests.? ? ? ? ¡°This¡­¡±? ?The? ?female? ?demon? ?slayer? ?appeared? ?hesitant.? ? ? ?¡¡? ? ¡°No? ?need.¡±? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ?took? ?a? ?step? ?forward.? ?¡°Let¡¯s? ?go.¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? Chen? ?Ran? ?tsked.? ?¡°I¡¯ve? ?never? ?seen? ?someone? ?like? ?you,? ?so? ?eager? ?to? ?serve? ?your? ?head? ?on? ?a? ? platter.¡±? ? ? Xu? ?Yinian? ?answered? ?carelessly.? ?¡°I¡¯ll? ?let? ?you? ?broaden? ?your? ?horizons? ?today.¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? Chen? ?Ran? ?felt? ?that? ?his? ?good? ?intentions? ?had? ?been? ?as? ?good? ?as? ?fed? ?to? ?a? ?dog.? ?He? ?laughed? ? coldly,? ?¡°Since? ?you? ?don¡¯t? ?know? ?what¡¯s? ?good? ?for? ?you,? ?then? ?go? ?ahead? ?and? ?see? ?yourself? ?to? ?your? ?death? ? then.¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? Xu? ?Yinian? ?turned? ?a? ?deaf? ?ear? ?to? ?his? ?mockery? ?and? ?ridicule,? ?walking? ?with? ?a? ?swagger? ?as? ?he? ? caught? ?up? ?to? ?the? ?female? ?demon? ?slayer.? ?The? ?latter? ?was? ?afraid? ?he? ?would? ?back? ?out,? ?her? ?high? ?heels? ? click-clacking? ?as? ?she? ?headed? ?into? ?the? ?auction? ?hall.? ? ? Draped? ?over? ?the? ?booth? ?that? ?sat? ?in? ?the? ?center? ?of? ?the? ?hall? ?was? ?a? ?scarlet? ?velvet? ?curtain.? ?Tall,? ? pure? ?white? ?pillars? ?stood? ?on? ?either? ?side? ?of? ?the? ?booth,? ?and? ?beneath? ?the? ?stage? ?sat? ?a? ?full? ?house? ?of? ? guests.? ?Two? ?male? ?attendants? ?pushed? ?a? ?Japanese? ?woodblock? ?painting?9?? ?up? ?onto? ?the? ?stage.? ?With? ?a? ? graceful? ?demeanor,? ?the? ?female? ?auctioneer? ?merrily? ?introduced? ?the? ?piece.? ?¡°Up? ?next? ?in? ?the? ?auction? ? is? ?this? ?piece? ?titled,? ?¡®?Sparrow? ?Beneath? ?The? ?Lamp¡¯?.? ?The? ?scene? ?the? ?artist? ?is? ?illustrating? ?is? ?one? ?of? ?a? ? noble? ?lady? ?from? ?ancient? ?times? ?giving? ?birth.? ?A? ?sparrow? ?demon? ?hides? ?by? ?the? ?beams? ?of? ?the? ?room,? ? eyeing? ?its? ?prey? ?covetously,? ?watching? ?and? ?waiting? ?for? ?the? ?opportune? ?moment? ?to? ?devour? ?the? ? newborn¡­¡±? ? ? ? Xu? ?Yinian? ?was? ?unable? ?to? ?pay? ?attention? ?to? ?the? ?introduction? ?of? ?the? ?priceless? ?painting.? ?He? ? was? ?not? ?actually? ?as? ?calm? ?as? ?he? ?appeared? ?to? ?be.? ?In? ?reality,? ?he? ?was? ?disconcerted,? ?his? ?demeanor? ? dazed? ?and? ?distracted.? ? ? ? Why? ?was? ?Yu? ?Huai? ?looking? ?for? ?him?? ? ? Earlier? ?on,? ?Yu? ?Huai? ?had? ?not? ?done? ?anything? ?unusual? ?in? ?front? ?of? ?so? ?many? ?people.? ?Had? ?it? ? finally? ?come? ?the? ?time? ?for? ?him? ?to? ?settle? ?the? ?score? ?in? ?private?? ? ? ?¡¡? ? He? ?hadn¡¯t? ?imagined? ?that? ?after? ?all? ?of? ?the? ?messy? ?things? ?that? ?had? ?happened,? ?Yu? ?Huai? ?was? ? still? ?as? ?composed? ?and? ?considerate,? ?not? ?forgetting? ?to? ?spare? ?him? ?some? ?face? ?even? ?in? ?such? ?a? ? situation.? ?Once? ?he? ?thought? ?about? ?this,? ?bitterness? ?welled? ?up? ?within? ?Xu? ?Yinian¡¯s? ?heart,? ?and? ?along? ? with? ?that? ?exasperation? ?came? ?a? ?feeling? ?of? ?anticipation? ?he? ?should? ?not? ?possess.? ? ? ? 9 ?¸¡?ÊÀ?»æ:? ?Ukiyo-e,? ?literally? ?translates? ?to? ?¡®Pictures? ?of? ?the? ?Floating? ?World¡¯.? ?It? ?is? ?a? ?style? ?of? ?Japanese? ?woodblock? ? print? ?and? ?painting? ?from? ?the? ?Edo? ?period? ?depicting? ?famous? ?theater? ?actors,? ?beautiful? ?courtesans,? ?city? ?life,? ? travel? ?in? ?romantic? ?landscapes,? ?and? ?erotic? ?scenes.? ??Source.? ? If? ?Yu? ?Huai? ?wanted? ?to? ?get? ?even? ?then? ?he? ?could? ?get? ?even...? ? ? At? ?the? ?most,? ?he? ?would? ?let? ?Yu? ?Huai? ?take? ?his? ?anger? ?out? ?on? ?him.? ? ? ? While? ?that? ?was? ?his? ?decision,? ?when? ?the? ?female? ?demon? ?slayer? ?that? ?had? ?led? ?the? ?way? ?left,? ?Xu? ? Yinian? ?stood? ?alone? ?and? ?hovered? ?outside? ?the? ?box? ?for? ?quite? ?some? ?time.? ? ? He? ?took? ?a? ?deep? ?breath,? ?then? ?knocked? ?on? ?the? ?door.? ? ? ¡°Come? ?in.¡±? ?The? ?voice? ?that? ?had? ?answered? ?did? ?not? ?belong? ?to? ?Yu? ?Huai? ?but? ?to? ?an? ?unfamiliar? ? female.? ? ? ?¡¡? ? Xu? ?Yinian? ?pushed? ?the? ?door? ?and? ?entered.? ? ? Unexpectedly,? ?the? ?person? ?greeting? ?him? ?was? ?that? ?beautiful-looking? ?female? ?companion? ? from? ?earlier.? ?She? ?did? ?not? ?sit? ?in? ?the? ?seat? ?opposite? ?Yu? ?Huai? ?but? ?had? ?instead? ?respectfully? ?remained? ? standing.? ? ? ¡°Hello,? ?Young? ?Master? ?Xu.¡±? ?Nan? ?Zhi? ?greeted? ?him? ?with? ?a? ?smile.? ? ? ?¡¡? ? There? ?was? ?a? ?flameless? ?diffuser? ?in? ?the? ?box? ?and? ?from? ?that? ?drifted? ?the? ?faint? ?scent? ?of? ? sandalwood.? ?The? ?space? ?inside? ?was? ?larger? ?than? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ?had? ?expected;? ?there? ?was? ?an? ?armchair? ? on? ?both? ?sides? ?of? ?the? ?long? ?table? ?where? ?a? ?porcelain? ?tea? ?set? ?rested,? ?and? ?on? ?the? ?empty? ?seat? ?was? ?a? ? stack? ?of? ?cushions? ?that? ?was? ?clearly? ?soft? ?and? ?comfortable.? ? ? ? After? ?he¡¯d? ?come? ?in,? ?Nan? ?Zhi? ?took? ?her? ?leave,? ?closing? ?the? ?door? ?behind? ?her,? ?leaving? ?him? ? alone? ?with? ?Yu? ?Huai? ?in? ?the? ?room.? ? ? ?¡¡? ? Curtains? ?hung? ?from? ?the? ?box? ?on? ?the? ?second? ?floor,? ?not? ?obstructing? ?the? ?VIPs? ?from? ?the? ?view? ? of? ?the? ?auction? ?taking? ?place? ?on? ?the? ?first? ?floor.? ?Conversely,? ?those? ?on? ?the? ?floor? ?below? ?were? ?unable? ?to? ? see? ?what? ?was? ?happening? ?within? ?the? ?boxes? ?above.? ?Yu? ?Huai? ?sat? ?by? ?the? ?window,? ?his? ?line? ?of? ?sight? ? unmoving.? ?From? ?start? ?to? ?finish,? ?he? ?didn''t? ?turn? ?his? ?head? ?at? ?all.? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ?couldn''t? ?help? ?but? ?draw? ?his? ? gaze? ?towards? ?his? ?side? ?profile.? ? ? The? ?eye? ?and? ?hair? ?color? ?of? ?demons? ?were? ?typically? ?bright? ?colors;? ?while? ?Yu? ?Huai¡¯s? ?hair? ?color? ? was? ?an? ?uncommon? ?deep? ?ebony,? ?his? ?eye? ?color? ?betrayed? ?his? ?demon? ?heritage.? ? ? It? ?was? ?a? ?dark? ?purple,? ?like? ?an? ?elusive? ?gemstone.? ? ? ? A? ?memorable? ?color? ?like? ?this? ?further? ?intensified? ?how? ?deep-set? ?his? ?eyes? ?were.? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ? was? ?untimely? ?reminded? ?of? ?that? ?joking? ?title? ?of? ?number? ?one? ?face? ?in? ?the? ?Demon? ?Realm;? ?looking? ?at? ?it? ? objectively,? ?Yu? ?Huai''s? ?appearance? ?was? ?indeed? ?worthy? ?of? ?claiming? ?such? ?a? ?title.? ? ? As? ?compared? ?to? ?five? ?years? ?ago,? ?he? ?seemed? ?to? ?have? ?grown? ?taller? ?some.? ? ? His? ?disposition? ?had? ?also? ?changed.? ?Five? ?years? ?ago,? ?Yu? ?Huai? ?had? ?just? ?graduated? ?from? ? Maple? ?Bridge? ?Academy? ?not? ?long? ?ago,? ?and? ?he? ?had? ?still? ?carried? ?a? ?youthful? ?air? ?about? ?him.? ?Today,? ? even? ?if? ?he? ?were? ?to? ?be? ?sitting? ?idly,? ?he? ?would? ?give? ?others? ?a? ?sense? ?of? ?oppression? ?that? ?could? ?simply? ? not? ?be? ?neglected.? ? ? ?¡¡? ? While? ?he? ?waited? ?for? ?Yu? ?Huai? ?to? ?speak,? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ?secretly? ?observed? ?him.? ? ? ? After? ?waiting? ?for? ?a? ?long? ?time,? ?Yu? ?Huai? ?still? ?did? ?not? ?say? ?a? ?word,? ?as? ?though? ?he? ?had? ?forgotten? ? that? ?there? ?was? ?someone? ?else? ?in? ?the? ?room.? ?The? ?waiting? ?game? ?made? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ?increasingly? ? uncomfortable;? ?he? ?chose? ?the? ?lesser? ?evil,? ?toughening? ?his? ?skin? ?to? ?take? ?the? ?initiative? ?to? ?ask,? ?¡°Why? ? are? ?you? ?looking? ?for? ?me?¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? Yu? ?Huai? ?finally? ?turned? ?back.? ? ? All? ?of? ?the? ?light? ?in? ?the? ?room? ?had? ?gathered? ?to? ?crash? ?into? ?that? ?pair? ?of? ?unusual? ?eyes.? ?Xu? ? Yinian¡¯s? ?breathing? ?paused? ?for? ?an? ?instant,? ?and? ?it? ?was? ?in? ?precisely? ?this? ?void? ?that? ?he? ?heard? ?the? ? explanation? ?being? ?given? ?by? ?the? ?female? ?auctioneer? ?downstairs.? ? ? ?¡¡? ? ¡°...? ?This? ?item? ?was? ?produced? ?in? ?Cangzhou?10?.? ?As? ?they? ?say,? ?¡®To? ?the? ?south? ?of? ?Cangzhou,? ?a? ? flame? ?burns? ?in? ?water.¡¯? ?There? ?is? ?a? ?demon? ?race? ?native? ?to? ?this? ?place? ?that? ?specializes? ?in? ?setting? ?fires.? ? After? ?they? ?die,? ?their? ?flesh? ?and? ?blood? ?will? ?burn? ?out? ?on? ?their? ?own,? ?leaving? ?behind? ?only? ?the? ?bone.? ? Their? ?bone? ?is? ?the? ?ultimate? ?fuel;? ?after? ?being? ?set? ?on? ?fire,? ?it? ?will? ?continue? ?to? ?burn,? ?never? ?to? ? extinguish.¡±? ?The? ?screen? ?behind? ?the? ?female? ?auctioneer? ?flashed? ?an? ?image? ?of? ?the? ?item? ?being? ? auctioned.? ?¡°This? ?is? ?part? ?of? ?a? ?rib? ?belonging? ?to? ?a? ??Flame? ?in? ?Water?.? ?It? ?has? ?been? ?sealed? ?in? ?this? ?glass? ? ball? ?filled? ?with? ?water? ?for? ?twenty? ?years.? ?As? ?you? ?can? ?see,? ?it? ?still? ?continues? ?to? ?burn? ?in? ?the? ?water.¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? Xu? ?Yinian¡¯s? ?expression? ?was? ?blank.? ? ?¡¡? ? ¡°To? ?the? ?south? ?of? ?Cangzhou,? ?a? ?flame? ?burns? ?in? ?water.¡±? ?The? ?teacher? ?standing? ?at? ?the? ?podium? ? had? ?utilized? ?a? ?proverb.? ?His? ?explanation? ?managed? ?to? ?deconstruct? ?the? ?profound? ?phrase? ?into? ?simple? ? terms,? ?and? ?when? ?matched? ?with? ?the? ?glistening? ?treasure? ?in? ?the? ?instructional? ?video,? ?the? ?interest? ?of? ? the? ?students? ?was? ?unwittingly? ?peaked.? ? ? ? ? Xu? ?Yinian? ?was? ?in? ?the? ?midst? ?of? ?fixedly? ?watching? ?this? ?sight? ?when? ?a? ?figure? ?leaned? ?close? ?to? ?his? ? ear? ?out? ?of? ?the? ?blue,? ?whispering,? ?¡°Do? ?you? ?like? ?this? ?one?¡±? ? ? ?¡¡? ? Xu? ?Yinian? ?immediately? ?turned? ?his? ?head? ?around.? ? ? He? ?sat? ?in? ?the? ?last? ?row? ?of? ?the? ?classroom,? ?in? ?a? ?seat? ?close? ?to? ?the? ?back? ?door.? ?Yu? ?Huai? ?had? ? waltzed? ?over? ?to? ?his? ?side? ?at? ?an? ?unknown? ?time? ?and? ?was? ?currently? ?lightly? ?pulling? ?out? ?the? ?chair? ?to? ?sit? ? down.? ? ? 10 ?²×?ÖÝ? ?is? ?a? ?city? ?in? ?Hebei? ?province,? ?China.? ?I¡¯m? ?unclear? ?if? ?the? ?author? ?meant? ?to? ?refer? ?to? ?the? ?actual? ?city? ?but? ?it¡¯s? ? an? ?interesting? ?fact? ?all? ?the? ?same!? ? ? ? Xu? ?Yinian? ?lowered? ?his? ?voice? ?despite? ?the? ?happy? ?surprise.? ?¡°Aren¡¯t? ?you? ?supposed? ?to? ?be? ?out? ? on? ?an? ?assignment? ?right? ?now?¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? ¡°It? ?ended? ?earlier? ?than? ?expected.? ?I¡¯m? ?just? ?in? ?time? ?to? ?accompany? ?you? ?for? ?class.¡±? ?Yu? ?Huai? ? asked? ?again.? ?¡°Do? ?you? ?like? ?the? ??Flame? ?in? ?Water??¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? Xu? ?Yinian? ?answered? ?with? ?an? ?affirmative.? ? ? Because? ?of? ?Yu? ?Huai¡¯s? ?appearance,? ?he? ?was? ?in? ?a? ?good? ?mood,? ?with? ?traces? ?of? ?happiness? ? lighting? ?up? ?his? ?eyes.? ? ?¡¡? ? Watching? ?him,? ?Yu? ?Huai? ?felt? ?an? ?itch? ?in? ?his? ?heart.? ?He? ?mentally? ?calculated? ?his? ?remuneration? ? from? ?his? ?latest? ?assignment,? ?then? ?rubbed? ?Xu? ?Yinian¡¯s? ?head,? ?¡°I¡¯ll? ?buy? ?it? ?for? ?you? ?after? ?a? ?while.¡±? ? ? ?¡¡? ? But? ?that? ?promise? ?was? ?never? ?fulfilled? ?in? ?the? ?end.? ? ? ? Not? ?long? ?after,? ?Yu? ?Huai¡¯s? ?mother? ?died? ?tragically? ?and? ?the? ?Ghost?11?? ?race? ?had? ?been? ? completely? ?annihilated.? ?The? ?only? ?one? ?to? ?survive? ?was? ?Yu? ?Huai.? ?He? ?went? ?on? ?a? ?massacre,? ?escaping? ? to? ?the? ?Demon? ?Burial? ?Grounds? ?after? ?the? ?Demon? ?Slayer? ?Bureau? ?had? ?put? ?out? ?a? ?wanted? ?notice? ?for? ? him? ?and? ?declared? ?him? ?a? ?fugitive.? ?At? ?this? ?time,? ?the? ?relationship? ?between? ?humans? ?and? ?demons? ?had? ? reached? ?freezing? ?point.? ? ? ? As? ?the? ?demons? ?had? ?mentioned,? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ?had? ?disregarded? ?their? ?engagement? ?and? ?broken? ? up? ?with? ?Yu? ?Huai? ?after? ?the? ?incident.? ?To? ?have? ?pulled? ?away? ?when? ?the? ?other? ?party? ?was? ?experiencing? ? the? ?most? ?difficult? ?time¡­? ?in? ?any? ?case,? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ?was? ?the? ?one? ?who? ?had? ?done? ?wrong? ?by? ?him.? ? ? ?¡¡? ? Xu? ?Yinian? ?listened? ?as? ?the? ?bid? ?price? ?for? ?the? ??Flame? ?in? ?Water?? ?continued? ?to? ?rise,? ?unable? ?to? ? decipher? ?the? ?feelings? ?that? ?were? ?growing? ?inside? ?him.? ? ? He? ?struggled? ?to? ?suppress? ?his? ?emotions,? ?but? ?his? ?voice? ?was? ?still? ?a? ?little? ?hoarse,? ?¡°You? ?came? ? to? ?look? ?for? ?me¡­? ?Did? ?something? ?happen?¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? ¡°What? ?I? ?owed? ?to? ?you? ?back? ?then,? ?I¡¯ll? ?repay? ?it? ?back? ?today.¡±? ?Compared? ?to? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ?who? ?was? ? faking? ?his? ?composure,? ?Yu? ?Huai¡¯s? ?tone? ?could? ?be? ?considered? ?rather? ?calm.? ?As? ?he? ?spoke,? ?he? ?pressed? ? down? ?on? ?the? ?bell? ?on? ?the? ?table? ?to? ?increase? ?his? ?offer.? ? ? ?¡¡? ? Xu? ?Yinian? ?felt? ?like? ?he? ?had? ?been? ?stabbed? ?by? ?him,? ?his? ?heart? ?throbbing.? ? ?¡¡? ? The? ?female? ?auctioneer? ?paused? ?for? ?a? ?moment,? ?then? ?loudly? ?announced? ?the? ?bid? ?price,? ?¡°Box? ? A1,? ?three? ?million!¡±? ? ? 11 ?Not? ?an? ?actual? ?ghost? ?but? ?one? ?of? ?the? ?demon? ?races.? ? ? The? ?initial? ?price? ?of? ?the? ??Flame? ?in? ?Water?? ?had? ?been? ?hovering? ?around? ?a? ?couple? ?hundred? ? thousand,? ?and? ?this? ?time? ?it? ?had? ?been? ?directly? ?raised? ?over? ?twofold;? ?an? ?uproar? ?could? ?be? ?heard? ? offstage.? ? ? ?¡¡? ? Xu? ?Yinian? ?reminded? ?him,? ?¡°The? ?price? ?has? ?already? ?been? ?inflated,? ?any? ?better? ?of? ?a? ??Flame? ?in? ? Water?? ?would? ?only? ?set? ?you? ?back? ?a? ?million? ?or? ?so.¡±? ? ? Despite? ?Yu? ?Huai¡¯s? ?constant? ?cold? ?and? ?indifferent? ?manner,? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ?still? ?could? ?not? ?stop? ? himself? ?from? ?talking? ?to? ?him.? ?He¡¯d? ?already? ?prepared? ?himself? ?to? ?hear? ?even? ?more? ?piercing? ?words? ? from? ?him.? ? ? ?¡¡? ? Instead,? ?Yu? ?Huai? ?tugged? ?at? ?the? ?corner? ?of? ?his? ?lips,? ?his? ?tone? ?peculiar,? ?¡°Did? ?I? ?ask? ?you? ?for? ? money?? ?What? ?are? ?you? ?so? ?bothered? ?about?¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? ?? ?Something? ?didn¡¯t? ?seem? ?quite? ?right.? ? ? Caught? ?off? ?guard? ?upon? ?hearing? ?his? ?goad,? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ?was? ?left? ?dumbfounded.? ?He? ?couldn¡¯t? ? help? ?looking? ?in? ?Yu? ?Huai¡¯s? ?direction.? ? ?¡¡? ? Yu? ?Huai? ?locked? ?eyes? ?with? ?him,? ?the? ?tip? ?of? ?his? ?brow? ?raised.? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ?felt? ?a? ?sense? ?of? ? foreboding.? ?In? ?the? ?next? ?instant,? ?Yu? ?Huai¡¯s? ?gaze? ?shifted? ?to? ?his? ?thighs,? ?¡°Not? ?forgetting? ?to? ?stand? ? guard? ?even? ?after? ?entering? ?a? ?box,? ?you? ?sure? ?do? ?enjoy? ?being? ?a? ?bodyguard.¡±? ? ? ?¡¡? ? ¡°...¡±? ? ? Xu? ?Yinian? ?had? ?been? ?ruthlessly? ?rendered? ?speechless.? ?He? ?thought? ?back? ?to? ?how? ?he¡¯d? ?just? ? minutes? ?ago? ?felt? ?that? ?Yu? ?Huai¡¯s? ?demeanor? ?was? ?as? ?good? ?as? ?before¡­? ? ? Good? ?demeanor? ?his? ?ass.? ? ? The? ?rest? ?of? ?the? ?world? ?said? ?that? ?Yu? ?Huai¡¯s? ?temperament? ?had? ?changed? ?greatly,? ?and? ?while? ? Xu? ?Yinian? ?had? ?also? ?prepared? ?himself? ?before? ?coming? ?here,? ?he¡¯d? ?never? ?imagined? ?that? ?his? ?words? ? would? ?be? ?this? ?harsh.? ? ? ?¡¡? ? Being? ?mindful? ?of? ?all? ?that? ?the? ?other? ?party? ?had? ?gone? ?through,? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ?endured? ?it,? ?silently? ? pulling? ?out? ?the? ?armchair? ?to? ?sit? ?down.? ? ? ?¡¡? ? While? ?they? ?had? ?been? ?talking,? ?the? ?female? ?auctioneer? ?in? ?the? ?hall? ?knocked? ?the? ?gavel.? ?After? ?a? ? short? ?while,? ?someone? ?outside? ?knocked? ?on? ?the? ?door? ?of? ?the? ?box.? ? ? ¡°Hello? ?there.? ?As? ?per? ?your? ?instructions,? ?the? ?Water? ?Fire? ?that? ?you? ?successfully? ?bidded? ?for? ?has? ? been? ?delivered? ?here? ?directly.¡±? ?A? ?male? ?attendant? ?carried? ?a? ?dark? ?sandalwood? ?case,? ?bowing? ?as? ?he? ? entered? ?the? ?box.? ? ? ? Yu? ?Huai? ?signaled? ?towards? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ?with? ?his? ?eyes,? ?¡°Place? ?it? ?on? ?his? ?side.¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? Seeing? ?that? ?the? ?male? ?attendant? ?had? ?immediately? ?left? ?after? ?putting? ?down? ?the? ?case,? ?Xu? ? Yinian? ?hastily? ?refused,? ?¡°I? ?don¡¯t? ?want? ?it.¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? Yu? ?Huai? ?took? ?his? ?reaction? ?in? ?stride,? ?speaking? ?with? ?mockery? ?in? ?his? ?eyes,? ?¡°What,? ?you? ?don¡¯t? ? want? ?it? ?if? ?it? ?comes? ?from? ?me?¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? ¡°That¡¯s? ?not? ?what? ?I? ?meant¡­¡±? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ?opened? ?his? ?mouth,? ?¡°Giving? ?me? ?such? ?a? ?big? ?gift? ?the? ? moment? ?I? ?come,? ?it¡¯s? ?not? ?appropriate.¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? ¡°It¡¯s? ?appropriate? ?as? ?long? ?as? ?you? ?return? ?what? ?you? ?owe? ?me.¡±? ? ? ?¡¡? ? And? ?there? ?it? ?was.? ? ? Xu? ?Yinian? ?felt? ?his? ?heart? ?sink,? ?inwardly? ?lamenting? ?that? ?there? ?was? ?truly? ?no? ?such? ?thing? ?as? ?a? ? free? ??Flame? ?in? ?Water?.? ?After? ?beating? ?around? ?the? ?bush,? ?Yu? ?Huai? ?was? ?finally? ?going? ?to? ?settle? ?the? ?score? ? with? ?him.? ? ? ? Three? ?million? ?to? ?buy? ?his? ?life¡­? ?It? ?wasn¡¯t? ?an? ?unreasonable? ?deal.? ? ? ? ¡°Alright.¡±? ?He? ?strengthened? ?his? ?resolve;? ?there? ?was? ?no? ?turning? ?back.? ?¡°Whether? ?you? ?want? ?to? ? kill? ?or? ?dismember? ?me? ?is? ?up? ?to? ?you.¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? ¡°Up? ?to? ?me?¡±? ?Yu? ?Huai? ?repeated? ?ambivalently.? ? ? ? ¡°I? ?won¡¯t? ?fight? ?back.¡±? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ?put? ?forth? ?his? ?greatest? ?sincerity.? ?¡°I? ?also? ?won¡¯t? ?retort.¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? Yu? ?Huai? ?was? ?silent? ?for? ?a? ?moment? ?before? ?abruptly? ?laughing.? ?¡°Who? ?told? ?you¡­¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? Without? ?waiting? ?for? ?him? ?to? ?finish,? ?there? ?came? ?a? ?knock? ?from? ?the? ?outside,? ?one? ?that? ?followed? ? with? ?Chen? ?Ran¡¯s? ?voice.? ?¡°Hello? ?there,? ?is? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ?inside?? ?My? ?apologies? ?for? ?interrupting;? ?our? ?team? ? has? ?met? ?with? ?a? ?bit? ?of? ?a? ?situation? ?last? ?minute? ?and? ?requires? ?his? ?assistance? ?downstairs.¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? Xu? ?Yinian? ?instinctively? ?turned? ?towards? ?Yu? ?Huai.? ?The? ?faint? ?traces? ?of? ?laughter? ?on? ?his? ?face? ? from? ?before? ?had? ?completely? ?disappeared,? ?and? ?he¡¯d? ?returned? ?to? ?his? ?earlier? ?cold? ?and? ?distant? ?self.? ? ¡°I¡¯ll? ?forget? ?it? ?for? ?today.? ?You? ?can? ?go.¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? He? ?was? ?letting? ?it? ?go? ?just? ?like? ?this?? ? ? Xu? ?Yinian? ?wavered,? ?not? ?moving? ?for? ?a? ?long? ?time.? ?Chen? ?Ran? ?who? ?stood? ?outside? ?the? ?door? ? was? ?still? ?cautiously? ?snooping.? ?Yu? ?Huai? ?had? ?already? ?withdrawn? ?his? ?gaze,? ?as? ?though? ?he? ?was? ? uninterested? ?in? ?depleting? ?any? ?energy? ?on? ?dealing? ?with? ?him.? ? ?¡¡? ? His? ?death? ?sentence? ?had? ?suddenly? ?been? ?deferred.? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ?stood? ?up,? ?his? ?feelings? ?mixed.? ? ? ?¡¡? ? ¡°Bring? ?it? ?with? ?you.¡±? ?Yu? ?Huai¡¯s? ?voice? ?echoed? ?from? ?behind? ?him.? ? ?¡¡? ? Xu? ?Yinian? ?faltered? ?for? ?a? ?moment,? ?then? ?accepted? ?the? ??Flame? ?in? ?Water?? ?that? ?had? ?cost? ?an? ?arm? ? and? ?a? ?leg? ?without? ?saying? ?a? ?word.? ? ? ?¡¡? ? ¡°Remember? ?your? ?promise.¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? ¡°Don¡¯t? ?worry.¡±? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ?didn¡¯t? ?turn? ?back.? ?¡°I? ?won¡¯t? ?go? ?back? ?on? ?my? ?word.¡±? ? ? ? The? ?door? ?of? ?the? ?box? ?was? ?opened? ?from? ?the? ?inside.? ?On? ?noticing? ?that? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ?had? ? somehow? ?retained? ?his? ?limbs,? ?Chen? ?Ran? ?froze.? ?However,? ?he? ?reacted? ?quickly,? ?putting? ?on? ?his? ?show? ? till? ?the? ?very? ?end.? ?¡°Someone¡¯s? ?making? ?a? ?commotion? ?downstairs.? ?We? ?don¡¯t? ?have? ?enough? ?people? ?on? ? hand,? ?come? ?with? ?me? ?to? ?provide? ?assistance.¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? To? ?be? ?honest,? ?regarding? ?whether? ?or? ?not? ?to? ?get? ?him? ?from? ?upstairs,? ?Chen? ?Ran? ?had? ?in? ?fact? ? hesitated.? ?But? ?after? ?thinking? ?mulling? ?it? ?over,? ?even? ?though? ?he? ?didn¡¯t? ?like? ?Xu? ?Yinian¡¯s? ?hooligan-style? ? of? ?handling? ?things,? ?he? ?still? ?didn¡¯t? ?want? ?to? ?see? ?this? ?person? ?die? ?upstairs.? ?Furthermore,? ?they? ?were? ?in? ? the? ?middle? ?of? ?an? ?assignment,? ?and? ?he? ?was? ?the? ?team? ?leader.? ? ? If? ?the? ?news? ?got? ?out,? ?he? ?would? ?be? ?humiliated.? ? ? ?¡¡? ? Xu? ?Yinian? ?frowned,? ?pushing? ?the? ?limit? ?of? ?the? ?phrase? ?¡®unable? ?to? ?distinguish? ?between? ?good? ? and? ?evil¡¯.? ?¡°You? ?came? ?looking? ?for? ?me? ?just? ?for? ?this?? ?Can¡¯t? ?you? ?handle? ?it?¡±? ? ? ¡°...¡±? ?Chen? ?Ran? ?was? ?almost? ?unable? ?to? ?breathe.? ?He? ?snapped,? ?¡°Idiot.¡±? ? ?¡¡? ? After? ?finishing? ?his? ?sentence,? ?he? ?turned? ?to? ?go,? ?suddenly? ?feeling? ?a? ?pair? ?of? ?eyes? ?fall? ?on? ?him.? ? ? Yu? ?Huai? ?was? ?sizing? ?him? ?up.? ? ?¡¡? ? Chen? ?Ran? ?had? ?met? ?many? ?demons? ?before? ?and? ?had? ?even? ?personally? ?killed? ?numerous? ? demons? ?while? ?carrying? ?out? ?missions,? ?yet? ?there? ?was? ?not? ?a? ?single? ?one? ?that? ?gave? ?him? ?such? ?a? ? suffocating? ?sense? ?of? ?oppression.? ?What? ?was? ?even? ?scarier? ?was? ?that? ?he? ?could? ?feel? ?the? ?killing? ?intent? ? emanating? ?from? ?Yu? ?Huai.? ? ? ? Upon? ?realizing? ?this,? ?Chen? ?Ran¡¯s? ?back? ?was? ?instantly? ?drenched? ?in? ?a? ?cold? ?sweat.? ? ?¡¡? ? Xu? ?Yinian? ?was? ?totally? ?unaware? ?of? ?this? ?exchange.? ?He? ?swiftly? ?bent? ?down,? ?moving? ?deftly? ?to? ? place? ?the? ??Flame? ?in? ?Water?? ?by? ?the? ?door.? ? ? ? ¡°I? ?won¡¯t? ?go? ?back? ?on? ?my? ?word,? ?but? ?I? ?don¡¯t? ?want? ?this? ?thing¡ª¡±? ?After? ?speaking,? ?he? ?grabbed? ? Chen? ?Ran,? ?tugging? ?him? ?along? ?and? ?running? ?downstairs.? ? ?¡¡? ? Having? ?his? ?wrist? ?grasped? ?by? ?Xu? ?Yinian,? ?Chen? ?Ran? ?felt? ?like? ?Yu? ?Huai¡¯s? ?gaze? ?had? ?appeared? ? to? ?grow? ?colder.? ?Something? ?supernatural? ?was? ?at? ?work;? ?he¡¯d? ?turned? ?his? ?face,? ?wanting? ?to? ?see? ?what? ? kind? ?of? ?expression? ?Huai? ?was? ?currently? ?wearing.? ? ? ? Just? ?as? ?Chen? ?Ran? ?turned? ?back,? ?he? ?felt? ?a? ?chill? ?run? ?down? ?his? ?spine.? ?The? ?nerves? ?all? ?over? ?his? ? body? ?had? ?gone? ?into? ?overdrive.? ? ? ?¡¡? ? The? ?demon? ?who? ?had? ?remained? ?alone? ?in? ?the? ?room? ?was? ?looking? ?straight? ?in? ?their? ?direction.? ? Due? ?to? ?the? ?angle,? ?half? ?of? ?Yu? ?Huai¡¯s? ?face? ?was? ?blurred? ?within? ?the? ?shadows,? ?causing? ?one? ?to? ?feel? ? exceedingly? ?oppressed? ?for? ?no? ?explicable? ?reason.? ? ? ? The? ?intensity? ?with? ?which? ?Yu? ?Huai¡¯s? ?eyes? ?clung? ?to? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ?was? ?almost? ?eerie.? ?It? ?was? ?as? ? though? ?he? ?wanted? ?to? ?confine? ?Xu? ?Yinian? ?within? ?a? ?square? ?inch? ?of? ?him,? ?never? ?to? ?ever? ?leave? ?his? ?side? ? of? ?his? ?own? ?accord.? ? ? CH 3 By the time they had gotten downstairs, Chen Ran still didn¡¯t appear to have gotten his wits about him. Xu Yinian waved a hand in front of his eyes. ¡°Hey, have you gone dumb?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Chen Ran slowly looked in his direction, muttering to himself after a few moments. ¡°You were in there for half an hour, yet you¡¯re still alive and lively.¡± For him, a mere face-to-face meeting with Yu Huai was akin to making a trip to the gates of hell. Initially, Xu Yinian couldn¡¯t tell if Chen Ran was complimenting him or insulting him. He was right about to ask him to clarify when Chen Ran took a deep breath and cut him off first. ¡°I didn¡¯t come up here just for you. It wasn¡¯t convenient for me to talk about it earlier.¡± Xu Yinian was momentarily stunned. ¡°What do you mean? No one is making trouble?¡± This was a long story that couldn¡¯t be explained in a few words. Chen Ran eyed him with a long-suffering glance, finally comprehending that Xu Yinian¡¯s unwavering position as first from the bottom for theory exams was not without reason. He spoke in a low voice. ¡°Two of the demon slayers from our team have gone missing. A short while after you went up, both of them were no longer reachable by phone. The communication incantation didn¡¯t garner any response either.¡± As the team leader, Chen Ran was a little more meticulous. He¡¯d placed a communication incantation on every team member to maintain contact in the event that phones became unusable. Xu Yinian¡¯s expression shifted slightly. ¡°Have you contacted the local Demon Slayer Bureau?¡± ¡°I already did. Their attitude was kind of weird.¡± Chen Ran hesitates for a bit, ¡°They seemed to be patronizing me, saying that they¡¯d send someone over to check things out. They told me to focus on the job and just wait for the news.¡± After arriving at Qihai City, the local Demon Slayer Bureau had urged them repeatedly regarding the respective matters of concern for the auction. In comparison, their treatment towards what had happened was truly very perfunctory. ¡°They might know something. Or rather, the disappearance of the demon slayers was tacitly enabled by them.¡± ¡°Doing things so sneakily1, the Qihai branch is pretty damn impressive.¡± Xu Yinian tsked. ¡°Should we contact the academy?¡± According to the academy¡¯s rules, during the process of the assessment, students could request assistance from the academy in the event that they meet with life-threatening events, but they would as a result fail this attempt of their graduation assessment. ¡°While you weren¡¯t here, I gathered the opinions of the other team members. Everyone chose to contact the academy, a situation like this is too rare.¡± Xu Yinian didn¡¯t have any preference. ¡°Then let¡¯s contact the academy. Either way, we can always retake the assessment.¡± ¡°One last thing. Jiang Qiuyue said that she heard a conversation between two demons when she was standing guard at the side door on the west side.¡± ¡°It¡¯s those two.¡± She used a finger to point out two demons who were standing a short distance away. One of them was idling about with a cigarette in his mouth, and the both of them had their heads lowered to their phones. Based on their uniform, these two demons were probably working as janitors at the auction. ¡°I heard them complain that the daytime auction was boring and that what happened at night would be far more exciting.¡± Jiang Qiuyue wasn¡¯t very tall; she looked especially petite and delicate when standing next to Xu Yinian and Chen Ran. She appeared flustered, likely worried that those two demons would suddenly turn back. ¡°The Demon Realm auction only happens during daytime.¡± Chen Ran stared at the two demons. ¡°What¡¯s going to happen at night?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, you¡¯re asking the wrong person.¡± Xu Yinian answered frankly. ¡°Team leader,¡± Jiang Qiuyue¡¯s voice trembled. ¡°What should we do? We don¡¯t know when Su Tang and the others went missing and the academy is too far away. The Demon Slayer Bureau isn¡¯t helping us, but if we wait for the teachers to hurry here¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it.¡± Chen Ran comforted her. Xu Yinian tilted his head. ¡°I have an idea. Shall we try it?¡± The demon holding a cigarette in his mouth lazily exhaled a breath of smoke. He had three eyes, all of which were presently drooping. His expression spoke of unbelievable boredom. ¡°How much longer till this is over?¡± ¡°Two hours or so.¡± The demon who answered didn¡¯t even bother raising his head. His appearance was clearly not one belonging to the human species, his green skin resembling that of the moss that grew underneath the canopy, alongside damp tree roots. While on his phone, Green Skin¡¯s grumbling was mixed with expletives. ¡°Fuck! Attack their tower then retreat2! You¡¯re an archer, what are you doing fighting hand-to-hand? Just watching you is enough to make me throw up, is your hand crippled or is your brain the problem?¡± ¡°Lower your volume!¡± Three Eyes berated. ¡°If you get caught by the patrol squad for secretly playing games on your phone, it¡¯s going to be difficult for us to answer for it3! ¡°Okay, okay, alright. It¡¯s all my fault. Aren¡¯t you overreacting¡­¡± Three Eyes had only just finished his sentence when his unfinished cigarette fell onto the ground. The two demons locked eyes, neither of them moving. Someone was pressing against the middle of their backs with a hand; the temperature of their fingertips was scorching, like a blazing and sharp weapon. ¡°Don¡¯t make any noise and don¡¯t turn back. If you say another word, both of you will be burned to ashes.¡± ¡°Maintain this position and walk backward.¡± Another voice continued, ¡°Walk back to the warehouse by the corner. Go in one after the other.¡± The demons glanced at each other, with Three Eyes nodding towards Green Skin first. After they entered the warehouse, Jiang Qiuyue who had long been waiting inside handed over the rope and tape. When Xu Yinian brought up his proposition to tie up these two demons for interrogation earlier, she had initially been very apprehensive. However, upon seeing Xu Yinian and the rest return safely, a sudden surge of courage overcame her the moment the warehouse doors and windows closed. ¡°Team leader, there are so many things here. I found a screwdriver, pliers, tweezers¡­ do you need a chainsaw?¡± Finally able to see their appearances clearly and figuring out their identities, the previously well-behaved Three Eyes abruptly acted out. ¡°What are you doing?! Are you crazy? Don¡¯t you care about the statutes of peaceful coexistence?!¡± Green Skin followed along, making a din. ¡°Where are you demon slayers from? What the hell! You tied me up for doing nothing. What¡¯s your work ID? Just you wait, I¡¯m filing a complaint to the Demon Slayer Bureau tomorrow!¡± Xu Yinian had initially planned on talking things out with them, but upon reaching this point, he impatiently stabbed the fruit knife in his hand into the wooden container, the tip of the knife piercing into the wood. ¡°As expected, hit first, ask questions later.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Seeing him lift his foot to take a step forward, Chen Ran hurriedly pulled him back, whispering softly in his ear, ¡°Calm down! We¡¯re here to ask questions!¡± After finishing, he looked towards the two demons, his expression amicable. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we just need you to answer a few questions. We hope you¡¯ll cooperate. Otherwise, things will be troublesome for everyone.¡± Three Eyes cast a glance at Xu Yinian. His appearance was beautiful and eye-catching, his complexion fair and his hair jet black. He was tall and thin, and his physique did not appear to be any menacing of a threat. Three Eyes could not help but let out a laugh. ¡°How troublesome can it be? At most, we¡¯ll be beaten up by him.¡± ¡°Come on, come on. Didi, do you need me to teach you how to deck someone? Xu Yinian couldn¡¯t be bothered with their nonsense, cracking his knuckles with a click. ¡°The both of you are seriously too stupid. He¡¯s the young master of the Xu family. Based on his status alone, if he wants to kill two nameless nobodies, he doesn¡¯t need to report to anyone.¡± While Chen Ran spoke, he was tugging at Xu Yinian for dear life. Who knew what this brat had eaten while growing up? Although his arm looked slender, it actually possessed unbelievable strength. Chen Ran could barely hold him back. Three Eyes, whose expression had previously been full of disdain, shifted in an instant. ¡°You¡¯re Xu, Xu¡­ Yu, Yu Huai¡¯s¡­¡± Upon hearing this demon¡¯s name, Green Skin¡¯s face turned equally pained. ¡°Ghost, Ghost race¡­¡± Xu Yinian instinctively denied it. ¡°Huh? I¡¯m not¡ª¡± Chen Ran gave Xu Yinian a timely pinch, hinting that he shut up for now. While he¡¯d long heard about Yu Huai¡¯s distinguished authority in the Demon Realm, he didn¡¯t expect their attention to be hooked onto this. Chen Ran decided that he might as well take advantage of this opportunity4. ¡°Since you¡¯re aware of his relationship with Yu Huai, you should know how to behave.¡± Xu Yinian opened his mouth multiple times, but upon seeing Three Eyes and Green Skin tremble in fear from the mere mention of Yu Huai¡¯s name, he forced himself to hold back his retort. He clearly no longer had anything to do with Yu Huai, yet here he was, leeching off his reputation¡­ Xu Yinian felt a little guilty, the tips of his ears flushing faintly. It was a pity that Three Eyes hadn¡¯t noticed these details at all. ¡°You, you¡¯re bullshitting! They broke up long ago!¡± Green Skin had long lost the ability to use his brain and was currently nodding frantically alongside Three Eyes. Chen Ran succinctly described their ambiguous relationship. ¡°You¡¯ve both probably heard about the high bid for the Flame in Water today. This thing wasn¡¯t worth such a high price originally, which fool did you think had more money than sense? You see, Yu Huai bought that just to make him happy.¡± Jiang Qiuyue had initially been standing by the side, engrossed in watching their performance. Upon hearing what Chen Ran said, her cheeks turned scarlet as she suddenly saw the light. ¡°So it¡¯s like this! Yu Huai, he¡¯s¡­ unexpectedly an enamored one.¡± Xu Yinian could no longer continue listening to this. ¡°Stop making up rumors, that¡¯s not what he¡ª¡ª¡± Chen Ran sneakily stomped on his foot. The sudden stab of pain drew a sudden breath of air out of Xu Yinian. If it weren¡¯t for the pressing situation at hand, he seriously wanted to flip out. ¡°The both of them did break up, but Yu Huai¡¯s treatment towards him¡­¡± Chen Ran smiled slightly, the implication behind his words clear. These two demons were both employees working for the auction and naturally knew the person who had bid for the Flame in Water today. Three Eye¡¯s three eyes each exposed a different emotion: bewilderment, fear, and ¡®how about we just spill¡¯. Chen Ran took the opportunity to fan the flames. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you decide not to believe this, but he has a bad temper and has always killed without a second thought.¡± After waiting for a long time, Xu Yinian finally heard the signal to take action. He pulled out the fruit knife he had stabbed into the container earlier, holding onto the knife and stepping forward. ¡°So you don¡¯t want to talk? Fine, then you won¡¯t be talking again in this life.¡± Three Eyes, ¡°¡­¡± Green Skin, ¡°¡­¡± Green Skin broke first. He wept, ¡°That¡¯s not it. Ge, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m not willing to spill, but after going around in circles, what exactly are you asking about?¡± - The light along the hallway was dim, and the smell of mold drifted in the air. It was difficult to imagine that this villa fit for royalty would house such a dark and damp tunnel. Xu Yinian¡¯s two hands were bound behind him, and with Green Skin holding onto the chains that were restraining him, the two of them walked ahead, one after the other. Some distance away, Three Eyes was holding Chen Ran in custody, the latter with both his hands bound like Xu Yinian. The light at the end of the hallway gradually grew brighter, and the commotion coming from the auction could be faintly heard. Xu Yinian lowered his voice in warning, ¡°Don¡¯t even think about pulling anything. I can kill you anytime.¡± A bright stream of violet-tinted lightning flashed on the tips of his fingers, shocking Green Skin till both his hands had gone numb. He replied bitterly, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare, I definitely wouldn¡¯t dare to.¡± According to what these two demons had said, what was hidden beneath this magnificent infrastructure was the decennial revelry of the demon species. The auction held during the daytime was merely a show put up by the organizers to deceive the demon slayers. The demons would pretend to get along peacefully with demon slayers, co-existing harmoniously in the same space as their human guests. They swapped their novel and sanguinary auction goods for prized treasures accepted by humankind, maintaining this facade until night came and their true colors were exposed. The real Demon Realm auction would only be carried out underground. The explanation provided by the two demons made it clear that the more they delayed, the more likely it was that things would bode ill rather than well for their missing team members. After some discussion, Chen Ran and Xu Yinian decided to take the risk and sneak into the auction. The underground auction was hosted by the Phantom demons. The invited guests received an invitation slip from the host that was then used to enter the venue. Being merely employees working for the auction, Three Eyes and Green Skin could only bring them in through this dim and concealed cargo route. As the employees working the auction had all gone through intensive background checks, it was decided that Jiang Qiuyue would stay aboveground to wait for help from the academy. Chen Ran and Xu Yinian would pretend to be goods that had been captured and be brought into the underground auction by the two demons. The moment they went underground, all regular communication incantations would cease effect. As such, Xu Yinian had no choice but to cast a Shared Heart incantation with Chen Ran. Such incantations that were normally cast by couples to hear each other¡¯s inner thoughts were typically not affected by external interference. In the instant that the incantation was cast, Xu Yinian and Chen Ran both heard the sound of dry heaving from the other person. The lights that lined the walls cast elongated shadows on those that walked by. When they made it to the last corner of the hallway, Xu Yinian caught a glimpse of the grotesque novelty of the auction. Unlike the proper and legitimate auction hall on the surface, this place was built in a circular structure, much like the colosseum of ancient Rome. Xu Yinian was unsure of the number of demons he was seeing; he even felt as though some of the faces he glimpsed in passing belonged to fugitives on wanted posters. Hundreds upon hundreds of demons were excitedly watching the exhibition stage, the four corners of the hall echoing with announcements of price quotations and discussion. ¡°Five million!¡± ¡°Five and a half million!¡± ¡°You want to buy sixty years of life with that little bit of money? The market prices are getting worse.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it all because of the pressure from the Demon Slayer Bureau? During the auction ten years ago, how much did the final item go for?¡± Words were just words, after all. The price continued to soar. A demon that was participating in the bidding couldn¡¯t help but exclaim, ¡°All of you are still young, what youth are you even trying to recover? Why are you fighting with us old folks ¡ª seven million!¡± A couple of children stood at the foot of the exhibition stage. The girls wore little dresses while the boys were dressed in little suits. A neat row of children dressed impeccably, the sight resembled that of dolls lined up and displayed in a store window. [They¡¯re buying more years for their lifespan.] Xu Yinian¡¯s eyes widened in alarm. [But this is prohibited.] Chen Ran was also dumbfounded, and the utter astonishment in his voice rang in Xu Yinian¡¯s mind. [This already violates the laws set by the Demon Slayer Bureau. Moreover, it¡¯s children ¨C the punishment is a death sentence¡­] Extra years of life couldn¡¯t appear out of thin air. One life had to be exchanged for another. By sacrificing the lifespan of a human to the demon, the demon would be able to obtain a longer lifespan. While they had been conversing, the sixty years had been sold for a startling price. After the auctioneer announced the price, a demon that was stooped over and shrouded in a cloak stepped onto the stage. Chen Ran: [Fatechanger5.] Xu Yinian was staring steadily at the demon wrapped in the cloak. [Didn¡¯t they say that all the Fatechangers were in jail? What¡¯s up with the organizers of this freakish hellhole?!] The auctioneer continued. ¡°Can the buyer sitting in section C seat 13 please come onto the stage? The Fatechanger will help you to swap your life spans.¡± The buyer who had successfully bid for the sixty years was a female demon who was getting up in years. Under the scrutiny of everyone present, she strutted onto the exhibition stage with a face full of glory. The Fatechanger signaled for the buyer to select a child. After making her choice, the Fatechanger reached out, taking the hand of the chosen boy and the hand of the buyer in each of his own. It was unknown what the Fatechanger had done, but the figure of the boy visibly started to grow at an unbelievable speed. Simultaneously, the white hair along the temples of the female demon turned black, and the wrinkles around her eyes faded away. The boy had transformed into a grown man, while the originally elderly female demon had reverted back to her middle-aged self. The female demon¡¯s face was full of joy. She could not stop looking at her hands, where the skin was now firm, and using those same hands to caress her face non-stop. Although the human boy¡¯s outer appearance had turned into that of a twenty-something man, his demeanor and manner still belonged to a little child. Due to the pain brought about by his growth spurt along with his body being trapped in now ill-fitting childrens¡¯ clothes, he suddenly erupted in a loud wail. Such entertainment sent the entire venue full of demons into cheer and applause. They exclaimed with jubilation. ¡°Another one!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s have a girl this time!¡± After getting their lifespan leeched, even if they were lucky enough to be able to return to human society, the majority of children with the appearance of grown adults would find it difficult to readapt to their lives. ¡°Ge, stop looking.¡± Standing behind Xu Yinian, Green Skin frantically reminded him. ¡°If you keep looking, we¡¯ll be exposed.¡± Xu Yinian forced down his emotions, and Green Skin pretended to berate him, fiendishly walking to his side. ¡°Hurry up! Stop dragging your feet, do you wanna die?¡± Xu Yinian expressionlessly turned his face away. Green Skin lowered his voice and whispered into his ear, ¡°There¡¯s going to be a small room ahead ¨C it¡¯s where the goods are checked. In typical situations, the goods will be sent backstage. But, ge, your face might be a little dangerous. They¡¯ll probably send you to the second floor.¡± There wasn¡¯t any more time to continue explaining. Green Skin shoved him forward. Upon seeing that they had brought along two demon slayers, the demon in charge of inspecting goods whistled. ¡°Yo, another new one.¡± Green Skin twisted Xu Yinian¡¯s chin. ¡°Take a look, the goods this time are something else.¡± Xu Yinian was checked out from head to toe by the demon bearing malicious intentions. As the blunt and undisguised gaze of the demon clung to every inch of his body, Xu Yinian¡¯s enragement brought him close to letting out electricity. Half a moment later, the demon laughed. ¡°He is a valuable beauty. Send him to the second floor, those VIPs will definitely like him.¡± In a now-deleted Author¡¯s Note, it was mentioned that Xu Yinian is currently 21 and Yu Huai is 26. I¡¯m assuming this still applies, but I¡¯ll edit this if I notice any changes! CH 4 Xu Yinian was blindfolded, then shoved up the stairs to the second floor. Chen Ran was led backstage by Three Eyes. From the other end of the Shared Heart incantation came Chen Ran¡¯s mocking laugh. [If even the demons are saying so, then the ancestor1 from this morning didn¡¯t mistake you for a fox for no reason.] [That¡¯s because they¡¯re blind and can¡¯t even recognize their own daddy.] Xu Yinian silently ground his teeth. To be treated as an esteemed guest in a hellhole like this, they were definitely no minor player. Chen Ran retracted the humor in his tone. [Keep in contact in case anything happens. If something goes wrong, staying alive is the priority.] [I got it. You be careful too.] On this rare occasion, Xu Yinian didn¡¯t get defensive and snap back at him. The dark blindfold had taken away his eyesight entirely, so Xu Yinian could only approximate his way to the end of the curved hallway. As the door opened with a ¡®clack¡¯, the demon escorting him shoved him into the room, tying him tightly against the stone pillar that stood front and center in the middle of the room. The blindfold over his eyes was tugged off, and the sudden piercing light forced Xu Yinian to shut his eyes. When he finally opened them again, there were countless cameras pointing towards him from the ceiling, their flashing red lights akin to chilling tongues spat out by poisonous snakes as they eyed their bound prey. Behind those cameras, pairs upon pairs of greedy eyes were feasting upon a beautiful face. This small-scale blind auction was only offered to the VIPs in the boxes on the second floor. It ran concurrently to the auction on the first floor, with neither interrupting the other. There was only one chance to bid in this undisclosed auction and the highest bidder took all. The VIPS attached a price tag onto this gorgeous object, and multiple bids were keyed in one after the other, the figures leaving one tongue-tied. ¨C The room was cramped and without windows, and the stifling atmosphere within gradually drove Xu Yinian to irritation. He had no choice but to face the room full of cameras, and he didn¡¯t dare make any sudden movements regardless of how unhappy about the situation he was. Finally bored out of his mind, Xu Yinian decided to annoy Chen Ran. [What¡¯s happening on your side?] [I¡¯m backstage. There are over ten golden cages here filled with demons that are being used as auction goods. There are Wind Stalwarts, Earth-eating Spirits, Heavenly Halberds2¡­ they¡¯re all demons that are pretty powerful.] Before the Demon Realm auction became legitimate, it was common for demons caught by the organizer to be sold as auction items. The bone, blood, and flesh of demons could be turned into valuable materials; demons could even be used as live test subjects, so for demons to show up in this auction was not actually much of an elusive sight. Upon hearing Chen Ran announce the names of demons he had only ever read about in textbooks, Xu Yinian was astonished. [They even dare catch those? If this place gets raided, the organizers are definitely going to sit in prison for a long time.] As he listened to Xu Yinian¡¯s voice, Chen Ran scanned the vicinity without batting an eyelid. Three Eyes, who was escorting him, spoke up. ¡°Ge, all of the goods backstage have to be locked in cages. Pick the cage that speaks to you and I¡¯ll send you in.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the key?¡± ¡°The guard is holding onto the key. You¡¯re so strong, you¡¯ll be able to get out as long as you just wait for a chance to knock him out when he comes by your cage.¡± A short distance away stood two guards, both of whom were large in physique and over two meters in height. One demon had a large axe slung over their back, and on the other, there was a scar that stretched across their entire face. As though deep in thought, Chen Ran stayed silent and did not continue this thread of conversation. His line of sight crossed that of the demons locked in the golden cage, and upon noticing his stare, a demon fiendishly snapped, ¡°What¡¯re you looking at?! I¡¯ll rip your head off!¡± ¡°Did another unlucky fool get caught?¡± ¡°It looks like a demon slayer. How useless, they managed to get caught by Three Eyes!¡± Chen Ran ignored them, his gaze sweeping across the shimmering markings that flashed on the golden cage. He turned his head slightly to cast a glance at Three Eyes ¨C the latter was currently chatting with the two guards. The guard with the scar on his face laughed, ¡°You¡¯re pretty awesome, you even managed to nab a demon slayer. Perfect timing. He can be used for the Wishgranter¡¯s3 blood sacrifice.¡± Scar Face stepped forward as he spoke, and Three Eyes pushed Chen Ran to follow closely behind. They finally stopped in front of a birdcage. In the crowd of rectangular-shaped cages that were holding the demons, this giant golden birdcage stood out and was particularly conspicuous. Perhaps because it had been in use for many years, the top of the cage contained a small number of dark red rust marks. This birdcage only held humans. After taking a closer look, although Chen Ran didn¡¯t see any sign of the two missing team members, he did spot a slightly familiar face within the crowd. The girl¡¯s face was pale, and she shuddered in fear on seeing the guards. Chen Ran watched her for a little while, then remembered where he¡¯d seen her before. At the main entrance during the morning, the little internet celebrity that had tagged along with that red-haired idiot. As things appeared, it seemed that the organizers of the underground auction had caught quite a number of people from the daytime auction. Scar Face opened the birdcage, and the humans inside swiftly retreated the moment they saw the guard. Chen Ran stood unmoving by the side of the birdcage, prompting Three Eyes to urge him in a low voice. ¡°Ge, go in.¡± Chen Ran turned back to look at him, and that glance clued Three Eyes in on the possibility that things were about to go south. Seeing as Chen Ran was merely a step away from the cage, he decided that he might as well shove him inside. Scorching hot and raging flames enveloped Three Eyes in an instant, the intense heat burning him into coke before he even had a chance to scream in pain. Chen Ran tossed the handcuffs aside and sneered. ¡°Such an obvious prohibition rune, do you think I¡¯m blind?¡± The top of the golden cage was covered in dark gold runes; no matter demon or demon slayer, anyone who entered the cage would no longer be able to use their powers. Sensing that the situation was about to get out of hand, the two guards decided to get rough with him. The sudden arrival of this spectacular show caused the demons in the other cages to tighten their grip on the cage bars in excitement. ¡°Hey! Demon slayer! Get rid of them!¡± ¡­ Fighting seemed to have picked up on Chen Ran¡¯s side, as the sounds coming from his end became messy and disordered. Afraid of interfering with Chen Ran¡¯s fight, Xu Yinian tried his best to keep his thoughts from drifting indiscriminately. Just as he was about to lose his mind from holding himself back, the room door was abruptly opened from the outside. Two demons of storky build walked in, one after the other. The demon with a bullhead grinned, laughing meaningfully in his direction. ¡°Congratulations, you¡¯ve been sold for a sky-high price.¡± The other demon put the blindfold over Xu Yinian again. They quickly untied him, then roughly dragged him outside after chaining his arms and ankles. Xu Yinian couldn¡¯t help cursing inwardly while forcibly maintaining a neutral expression. The metals shackles on his ankles clinked and clanked as he was led to a certain box. The two demons sent him in, then closed the door respectfully and left. The box was dense with the scent of aromatherapy, as if white flowers glistening with condensed morning dew had quietly bloomed. Their clean and sweet scent intermingled with hints of dull woody fragrance, causing one to fall under the illusion that they were standing in a field of flowers beneath an ancient tree. A low and pleasant voice spoke up, albeit it was one that where the owner¡¯s frivolity could not be hidden. ¡°The organizers weren¡¯t too shabby this time. They even managed to snatch up such a rare commodity.¡± Xu Yinian listened attentively and confirmed that the only other individual in this box was this person. Seeing that he remained motionless, the other party let out a laugh. ¡°Still not gonna come over?¡± Sure, Xu Yinian thought inwardly. I¡¯ll come over and hammer your head off. Stepping on the soft carpet, he took his own sweet time to shuffle forward. As the blindfold had not been removed, Xu Yinian¡¯s movements were mildly sluggish; he could only use his breathing to roughly estimate his position. As if annoyed at his snailish pace of walking, the demon who was speaking paced over unhurriedly. He hooked a long finger along the back of Xu Yinian¡¯s ear, this gesture of removing his blindfold as gentle as that of a lover. Xu Yinian was suddenly faced with a pair of forest green eyes that were filled with mirth. Noting his white canine teeth, Xu Yinian confirmed that this was a Wolf demon. ¡°Such a pretty face. What a pity you¡¯re mute.¡± The Wolf demon inched close as he spoke, as if meaning to grip his chin. Xu Yinian felt goosebumps rise all over his body. He held back his discomfort to figure out the other party¡¯s strength. After he¡¯d gotten a gauge of the Wolf demon¡¯s power level, Xu Yinian averted his touch immediately, then uttered coldly. ¡°Step the hell back if you don¡¯t want to die.¡± The Wolf demon stood frozen for a moment, as though he¡¯d been utterly shaken up. He stared at him unblinkingly. The emotion in his eyes abruptly shifted, and he finally responded in bewilderment. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re Xu Yinian?¡± Xu Yinian thought he was being ridiculous ¨C he was right about to ask who he was. The Wolf demon regained the spark in his eyes; he¡¯d seemed to have acquired an unexpected surprise. ¡°Tell me. If I hand you over to Yu Huai as a gift, how would he thank me?¡± Xu Yinian¡¯s expression went blank for a moment. He¡¯d appeared to have received some sort of shock, little sparks of electricity blooming from the tips of his fingers. The Wolf demon didn¡¯t notice the change in his demeanor and was continuing to blabber. ¡°If you fall into this hands, who knows how he¡¯ll torture you. What a pity for a face like yours¡ª¡± A burst of electricity flashed in Xu Yinian¡¯s palms. With a speed that far exceeded that of a human, the Wolf demon¡¯s neck had been tightly strangled by the handcuffs. His face had turned red, all of his movement restricted. A bright and piercing violet electric current cruised along the chains and into the Wolf demon¡¯s body; Xu Yinian gripped then twisted the chain. The Wolf demon who had been shocked numb by electricity sank to his knees, falling onto the ground with a heavy thud! Xu Yinian swung his hands, and the snapped chains noisily rolled onto the ground with his movements. He kicked apart the broken shackles on his ankles and was right about to teach the Wolf demon another lesson when he covered his neck protectively, waving his hands frantically amidst his desperate coughs. ¡°Stop¡­ stop! Anything can be discussed peacefully!¡± ¡°I am discussing this peacefully.¡± Xu Yinian¡¯s tone was malicious and foul as he unceremoniously sent a kick the Wolf demon¡¯s way. The wolf demon trembled in pain. Afraid that he would attack again, he hurriedly begged for mercy. ¡°I was wrong, I was wrong. How could Yu Huai deserve to be with you¡­ cough cough!¡± Xu Yinian had originally planned to hold back, but on hearing this, a jarring amount of electricity burst from his hand, slamming directly on the babbling wolf demon. ¡°Did I say you could talk about him? The Wolf demon¡¯s entire body was twitching, his pained expression interlaced with a hint of perplexity. He couldn¡¯t understand why he was getting beaten up again. He did say that Yu Huai was no good, right? Why was this brat like a firecracker? Why was everything he said wrong?? Author¡¯s notes: Evil tyrant Xiao Nian CH 5 Warning: Slight mentions of gore. Xu Yinian locked the door of the box from the inside, then overturned trunks and boxes to find the belt of a sleeping robe that he then used to tie up the Wolf demon well and good. He pressed a finger bursting with electricity against the Wolf demon¡¯s temple. ¡°If you dare scream, I¡¯ll poke a hole through your skull.¡± After tasting the pain of his electric current, most of the Wolf demon¡¯s body had gone numb; only his facial expression hadn¡¯t changed. He bared his fangs, but was too scared to not lower his volume. ¡°What are you trying to do? ¡­ Ouch! Do you know where this place is?¡± Xu Yinian ignored him, using the Shared Heart incantation to contact Chen Ran instead. [Chen Ran? Are you done fighting?] After not getting a response for a good while, just as Xu Yinian was suspecting that Chen Ran had been put down, there came a voice in his mind. [I¡¯m done. How are things going for you?] [I¡¯ve contained the idiot in this VIP lounge, maybe we could use him as a hostage.] Chen Ran hummed in affirmation and was about to compliment Xu Yinian on doing a good job when the demons in the cages saw him fish out the keys from the bodies of the two dead guards. As they watched him release the humans from the birdcage, their hearts all itched to leave. ¡°Demon slayer, could you let us out too?¡± Chen Ran turned his head around. Having entered his line of vision, the demons all clamored for his attention. ¡°I swear I¡¯m a good citizen! I¡¯ve never violated the statues of peaceful coexistence and have nothing to do with the dumbass organizers!¡± ¡°I was kidnapped while walking down the fuckin¡¯ streets! I¡¯m one hundred percent a victim!¡± ¡°Let me out, demon slayer! Us demons draw a clear line between gratitude and resentment. I¡¯ll repay you if you let me out!¡± [These demons want me to release them.] Chen Ran announced to Xu Yinian. [It looks like they were innocently implicated in this. The organizers locked them all into power-suppressing cages.] [They are rather pitiful.] Xu Yinian adjusted his posture as he pondered over it. [If someone dares lock me in a cage, I¡¯ll tear apart their ancestral grave.] Listening up till this point, Chen Ran had a sudden brainwave. [What if we let these folks out and get them to help us deal with the organizers?] Xu Yinian was not opposed to this plan. [I think it¡¯ll work! Can you talk it out with them?] At the same time. In the auction hall on the first floor, as the auctioneer watched the final auction good enter the stage, he couldn¡¯t help but flash a satisfied smile. Unlike all the previous goods that had graced the stage, this item was a priceless treasure that could truly astound and wow the crowd. The auctioneer raised his voice. ¡°As a rule, during every Demon Realm auction, an auction catalog is provided to all the guests that come. There is only one item that will not show up in the catalog ¨C our grand finale. I¡¯m sure everyone here has waited long enough. I guarantee that even the most experienced and knowledgeable guests here will not be able to pick out a single flaw after seeing what we¡¯ve prepared for the finale.¡± As lights came beaming down from directly above the exhibition booth, an image of the auction good flashed on the screen. It was a youth with a slender frame. He stepped onto the stage with a smile. If you ignored that birdcage that grew on most of the youth¡¯s face and that seemed to be attached to his skull, he was indeed extremely delicate and pretty. ¡°This year¡¯s finale is a Caged demon. If anyone here has never heard of such a title, it has a name that is even more well known.¡± ¡°¡ªWishgranter.¡± The entire hall descended into an uproar. Like droplets of water that had dripped into an oiled pan, the crowd was now on the edge of their seats and sizzling with excitement. The demons who had been sitting indifferently in their VIP lounges lifted up the drapes and looked towards the youth in question. ¡°As long as you provide enough humans as live sacrifices for the Wishgranter, he can grant you a wish, any wish! Whether it¡¯s a hundred years of life you seek, the most beautiful lady, or the greatest of strength, he can grant it all! He can even ensure that the skull of your nemesis living on the other side of the world falls onto the ground instantly!¡± ¡°To express our greatest sincerity, we¡¯ve prepared fifty live humans for the buyer to use as live sacrifices. The flesh, blood, and soul of demon slayers are far more effective than regular humans; among the live sacrifices, there are thirty demon slayers. This has never happened in any past auctions!¡± ¡°This is the current and only existing Wishgranter out there! I believe that everyone has heard that every time the Wishgranter fulfills a wish, the Wishgranter has to go into hibernation for a long time. If you miss out on this opportunity, who knows when the next time he¡¯ll grant a wish will be.¡± With a wave of the auctioneer¡¯s hand, numerous spotlights turned towards the Wishgranter. ¡°Now then, for tonight¡¯s finale, the starting price is¡ª¡± Boom!! The scarlet red house curtain fell precipitously to the ground, entirely obstructing the spectacle on the stage. None of the guests could make head or tail of what had happened. ¡°What happened?¡±, ¡°What kinda games are they playing?¡±, ¡°They¡¯re complicating things for no reason1, is this auction happening or not?!¡± ¡°Sorry sorry sorry!¡± An employee rushed towards the booth. ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with the house curtain, it¡¯ll rise back up immediately!¡± As he spoke, he tugged at the pulley to lift the house curtain back up. For some reason, this house curtain was rising especially slowly. The chatter from beneath the stage got louder and louder, and the employee, burning with anxiety, instinctively glanced in the direction of the stage. Something was wrong. The employee stiffened, a look of sheer disbelief evident in his eyes. Based on the height that the house curtain had risen up till, it should technically have already exposed the feet of the auctioneer and the Wish-granter, but the stage was empty. In a corner of the auction hall, a Marionette2 stood up from the sitting area, then walked unhurriedly towards the exit. After exiting the auction hall, the Marionette¡¯s ease immediately vanished as he started running for his life. By leaning low and close to the ground, his speed was astonishing. A figure tailed him closely from behind, eventually obstructing the path in front of him. He was here. Filled with immense hatred and fear, the pupils of the Marionette¡¯s eyes precipitously constricted. ¡°I thought I¡¯d already killed off all of the Marionettes, imagine my surprise to discover that I missed one.¡± The Marionette halted his step, casting a frigid look of resentment towards his pursuer. They had both left the auction hall when the employees had been busy adjusting the house curtain; the Marionette was gasping for air due to his frantic attempt to escape, yet the other party¡¯s breathing was calm and steady. Under the moonlight, his face was youthful and handsome, but his arrival was akin to that of an evil spirit straight from hell. Yu Huai was expressionless as he asked lightly, ¡°Where is the Wishgranter?¡± ¡°Dead.¡± The Marionette announced frostily. ¡°But not to worry, you¡¯ll meet him very soon!¡± Following the Marionette¡¯s sinister words, countless puppets that had long been lying in wait emerged from the dim shadows. On both sides of the pavement, treetops, and rooftops¡­ there were puppets concealed everywhere! The moment they received the command, over a thousand puppets flung hell for leather towards Yu Huai. He retched. The Marionette puked out a mouthful of fresh blood, yet his smile only grew wider. The dense crowd of puppet strings was attached to his heart. The number of puppets that a single Marionette could manipulate at any time was limited; if they wanted to control hundreds or even thousands of puppets, the Marionette could only use their heart as the medium, and pay the price of a shortened lifespan. In order to get a shot at taking out Yu Huai, he was even willing to put his life on the line! Countless puppets assaulted Yu Huai in an endless tide. Not even a powerful demon would be able to hold back these many targets at once. The Marionette stared fixedly, anticipating the moment when Yu Huai would be too preoccupied. The moment when he would kill him! The Marionette had the entirety of his attention fixed on the Ghost who was caught in the formation of puppets when there came a sudden stabbing pain at the side of his neck. A puppet string had inconspicuously winded up and made its way into his neck. With a tug and pull of that string, the Marionette had lost all physical autonomy, falling hard on his knees. His mind blanked for a few seconds, only realizing belatedly that his control over the puppets had been ripped from him. He¡¯d been taken control of instead. As the Marionette fell to his knees, the puppet strings attached to his heart also followed suit and were tugged down. The thousands of puppets that had previously been attacking Yu Huai all halted their movements, kneeling down in an organized fashion in front of Yu Huai. This sight was indescribably comedic. ¡°If you won¡¯t talk while standing, then kneel.¡± Yu Huai plucked at the puppet strings in his hand, and the Marionette who was now under his control rolled and crawled before him. The Marionette stared incredulously at the thin string in Yu Huai¡¯s hand. ¡°How could you¡­ How could it be¡­?!¡± Not only was Yu Huai controlling him, but he was also simultaneously controlling hundreds of puppets. To control all of these puppets, the Marionette had had to sacrifice the blood that pumped from his heart, yet all Yu Huai had to do was move his fingers. Confronted with the disparity in strength between him and Yu Huai, the Marionette¡¯s voice trembled unconsciously. There was a soul the size of a palm resting on Yu Huai¡¯s shoulder. The snow white and perfectly round soul looked unbelievably pleased with itself, its chubby fingers connected to an uncountable number of puppet strings. It resembled a miniature Marionette. On seeing that soul, the eyes of the Marionette turned bloodshot. He proclaimed hatefully, ¡°Your clan is filled with monsters. An abnormal power like this¡­ You all deserved to die!¡± The word ¡®ghost¡¯ in ¡®Ghost race¡¯ stood for the exorcism of ghosts. The demons and humans that were slaughtered by any member of the Ghost race could be utilized by the Ghost who had killed them. The Ghosts could summon the soul of the deceased and borrow on their powers. In other words, the more demons and demon slayers a Ghost killed, the more variety of powers that Ghost would possess. Naturally, they would also become more powerful. For the past few years, a large part of the reason why the two realms were scornful towards Yu Huai was due to the fact that there were a large number of different demon races gathered at the Burial Mounds, including races that were not even recorded or archived by the Demon Slayer Bureau. God knows how many demon races Yu Huai had taken out while in the Burial Grounds and how many abilities he had amassed. Yu Huai repeated his question. ¡°Where is the Wishgranter?¡± ¡°Then I¡¯d also like to ask you a question. You annihilated my entire clan, do you still remember their faces?¡± The Marionette laughed sardonically. ¡°Oh, I forgot. You even managed to walk out of the Burial Grounds alive, why would you remember a mere clan of demons that you massacred?¡± ¡°You took away the Wishgranter because of this?¡± The temperature in Yu Huai¡¯s voice abruptly dropped several degrees. He tugged that puppet string in his hand, and the skull of the Marionette slammed heavily onto the ground with a thud, then was tugged up again. This act of prostration was repeated over and over. This was the first time that the Marionette, who was accustomed to controlling others, had a taste of his own medicine. His eyes were bloodshot and the fresh blood pouring from his forehead blurred his vision, yet all of this was not enough to obscure the resentment in his eyes. ¡°¡­ Just kill me already!¡± ¡°There are very few people who know I¡¯m looking for the Wishgranter. Since you have the guts to use him to lure me out, death won¡¯t come so easy.¡± Looming above, Yu Huai stared at the bloodstained face of the Marionette. ¡°Who sent you?¡± It was at this moment that the Marionette finally realized what the problem was. He endured the severe pain, gritting his teeth without uttering a single word. With a clink, a sharp boning knife landed in front of him. While in the midst of wondering what Yu Huai was planning to do, he heard the latter drawl. ¡°After you¡¯ve personally peeled every inch of your skin and flesh, you¡¯ll probably be willing to tell the truth.¡± The Marionette felt a chill run down his spine. To his dismay, he realized that he had picked up the boning knife, and the sharp edge of the knife was pressed against his arm. Try as he might to resist, his actions were no longer his own. He could only succumb to the pull of the puppet strings and drive the knife into his arm. Piece after piece of skin and flesh were carved off by his own hand, his entire arm dripping with blood. Faced with such gruesome punishment, even the most reluctant cave. The Marionette had no choice but to grovel and beg for mercy. ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll talk, I¡¯ll talk! Stop! Please, stop! I¡¯ve never seen my employer! He contacted me using the message array! Around three months ago, a short while after you annihilated my clan, my employer contacted me on his own. He said that you were back for revenge; it didn¡¯t matter if I managed to stay hidden once, you¡¯d find me eventually! As long as I managed to abduct the Wishgranter during the auction, he would conceal my identity. I controlled the auctioneer, making him bring the Wishgranter to¡ª¡± The Marionette¡¯s voice abruptly dropped off as he spurted out a large mouthful of blood. Right after, his eyes, ears, and nose all started to bleed, his blood tinted purplish-red from poison pouring out from the orifices of his body. The Marionette¡¯s eyes rolled back into his head, yet the expression that remained frozen on his face was fearful and beseeching. It was apparent that he himself hadn¡¯t expected there to be poison hidden within his body. Yu Huai immediately summoned the soul of an Ice Psionic in an attempt to freeze the Marionette¡¯s blood, but it was already too late. It was impossible to stop the poison from spreading. Before even thirty seconds had passed, the Marionette died before him. Realizing that this Marionette may have already been poisoned before carrying out his mission, Yu Huai called back the soul. He then turned around and hurried back to the auction hall. ¨C [It¡¯s been settled. These demons have been holding back their resentment for ages. As long as I let them out, they¡¯re all very happy to help us deal with the organizers.] Chen Ran relayed the message while letting the demons out. [No signs of Su Tang or Gu Xiaodong backstage. Did you see them?] [I also¡­ Wait!] Xu Yinian rushed towards the glass window. The lights illuminating the auction hall on the first floor were resplendent and dazzling. Along with the clinking sounds of handcuffs, two attendants escorted a person out from the shadows. Seeing the silhouette of the person that was being shoved on stage, Xu Yinian gasped. [I see Su Tang!] Under the eyes of the audience, the Wishgranter had vanished. In order to placate the guests, the organizers had no choice but to bring out new auction goods at the last minute. The auctioneer who had returned to his position on stage gave an introduction in a clear and loud voice, trying his best to recapture the attention of the guests. ¡°In the many years that the Demon Realm auction has been taking place, treasures of all kinds have graced our stage, but what is up next is an item that has never appeared in the auction before ¨C a young and outstanding demon slayer!¡± There was endless chatter going on among the seated guests. From the shadows, Yu Huai headed up to the second floor. Upon hearing this, he looked towards the stage. ¡°This is the very first time we¡¯re auctioning off demon slayers! After taking into careful consideration ability, age, and appearance, we have meticulously selected this rare object! To date, she has killed multiple demons and has completed hundreds of demon slayer missions! What¡¯s more, she possesses the elusive healing ability. Not only is she able to heal others, but she can also heal herself. As long as she has a single breath left in her, she¡¯s your eternal blood bag, and can be used anytime¡­¡± The person who was pushed on stage was slim and beautiful, with long hair hiding a thin and frail frame. It was a girl. Yu Huai looked away with disinterest. Nan Zhi, who had been waiting for a while, could smell the faintly discernible scent of blood on him. In a low voice, she reported, ¡°After you left, there were no traces of the Wishgranter from either of the other entrances. The organizers did not do anything suspicious either.¡± ¡°These bastards¡­¡± Yu Huai gripped the railings, the veins on the back of his hand gradually protruding. The railing had been cleanly snapped into two with a ¡°crunch¡±. His eyes filled with contempt. ¡°They¡¯re pretty good at cleaning up after themselves.¡± As bids began to flow in, the girl on stage grew pale, her eyes exposing fear and dread. The demons were eyeing her figure greedily. The more timid and helpless she grew, the higher the bid prices rose. It was as though they couldn¡¯t wait to tear her apart right there and then. ¡°By the way, Young Master Xu might also be underground.¡± Yu Huai turned his head, signaling for her to continue. ¡°He and his schoolmate have taken two of the demons working for the auction hostage. Who knows what bad they¡¯re up to right now?¡± Nan Zhi couldn¡¯t help but smile. After a long while, Yu Huai laughed softly. ¡°He¡¯s pretty good at making trouble.¡± - As Xu Yinian listened to the auctioneer¡¯s introduction, his fingers pressed firmly against the glass. [Chen Ran, hurry up. Su Tang is being auctioned off by them!] Chen Ran cursed out loud, but quickly regained his calm. [Keep watch on the situation. I¡¯ll bring these demons from backstage over right away.] Xu Yinian was about to continue but was abruptly cut off by the restrained Wolf demon. ¡°You know that girl on stage? If you want to save her, you¡¯d better do it fast.¡± Xu Yinian turned around. The Wolf demon was drowning in schadenfreude. ¡°Based on their usual way of doing things, she¡¯s going to be ¡®inspected¡¯ soon.¡± Before he could clarify what ¡®inspected¡¯ meant, the auctioneer¡¯s voice resounded across the auction hall. The well-dressed guests were all shouting their bids. As the bid price soared, a couple of demons found it unbelievably outrageous. ¡°This is just a good-looking human girl, she¡¯s nothing to write home about!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear? She has healing abilities! As long as you¡¯re careful not to kill her, you can eat her flesh and drink her blood forever!¡± ¡°It¡¯s such a waste to eat her flesh. She¡¯s so pretty, what¡¯s wrong with buying her back to fuck?¡± ¡°¡ªFive and a half million!¡± The auctioneer announced the bid price jovially. ¡°Five and a half million going once, five and a half million going twice¡­ Six million! A guest from section D has made a bid of six million!¡± The girl on stage was a bundle of nerves. As she listened to the bid price increase, she bit down hard on her lip, finally breaking down in tears. Su Tang¡¯s sobbing led the auctioneer to turn around. He let loose a laugh. ¡°There seems to be a little situation with our auction good. Although this isn¡¯t by any means ugly, it¡¯s not too appropriate to be weeping and wailing on stage.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Make her smile!¡± ¡°What¡¯s with her crying face? It¡¯s ruining my appetite!¡± ¡°Come on, smile for us.¡± The auctioneer patiently coaxed. ¡°All the guests want to see how you look happy.¡± Su Tang¡¯s face was drained of blood as she backed away while shaking her head. Upon noticing this, the two attendants standing guard by the side stepped forward. In the instant that both her wrists were caught, she couldn¡¯t help but let out a piercing scream¡ª Her fear had further fueled the excitement of the guests by the foot of the stage. There came a shrill voice from among the demons. ¡°What if she¡¯s just a useless thing to look at?! Let me see her powers!¡± There was an outburst of voices echoing his sentiment. ¡°Inspection! Inspection!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Who knows if she¡¯s any good?¡± ¡°Bring a knife up! Cut her up once or twice so we can see!¡± The noisy shouting within the auction hall obscured the sounds of movement occurring outside, and the guards stationed at the four entrances silently collapsed to the ground. Chen Ran, along with a dozen or so demons from backstage, was pressed against one of the main entrances. At the other remaining entrances, the demons who had been let out by Chen Ran were also holding their breaths and waiting with rapt attention for his signal. ¡°Bastard¡­!¡± Hearing the shouting and screaming coming from inside, Chen Ran cursed, his eyes rimmed with red. A demon standing by the side tapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Yo, still looking? When do we take action?¡± ¡°A while more.¡± Chen Ran raised his head, looking towards the box on the second floor. [Xu Yinian?] The attendant on stage grabbed Su Tang¡¯s chin, then used a knife and slashed across her cheek. Fresh blood poured without end, but the wound was quick to heal. Panicking, Xu Yinian turned around and shouted an order at the Wolf demon. ¡°Buy her for me.¡± The Wolf demon stared at him incredulously. ¡°Do you know how expensive you were? I don¡¯t have the money to buy another one.¡± Xu Yinian was equally incredulous. ¡°What are you doing here if you don¡¯t have money????¡± With the attendant about to make another cut, the Wolf demon was happily watching the show. ¡°What¡¯s the use in wasting time here with me? If you don¡¯t save her now, it¡¯s not just her face that¡¯s going to be slashed.¡± Xu Yinian had been about to reply Chen Ran, but paused upon hearing this to stare fixedly at him. Frightened by his stare, the Wolf Demon instinctively snapped back. ¡°What are you looking at? I¡¯m telling the truth.¡± Xu Yinian appeared to be lost in thought, smiling for the very first time since entering this box. ¡°Even if you don¡¯t have any money¡­ if you¡¯re sitting here, your status must be pretty special, huh?¡± The Wolf demon¡¯s eyelid twitched, an ominous feeling running through him. ¡°You¡­ What do you want?¡± Xu Yinian reached for the fruit knife on the table, then hauled up the Wolf demon who was trussed up tightly. The ties winded around his neck, then ran behind his back, where both his arms were secured3. The Wolf demon had a sudden realization regarding what was to come and his face paled. ¡°No¡­ Wait, you can¡¯t be thinking¡ª¡± Xu Yinian aggressively tossed the Wolf demon into the one-way glass window of the box. At the same time, he called out to Chen Ran in his mind. [Now.] The sharp tip of the knife brimmed with electricity, grazing the temples of the Wolf demon to stab into the glass. Web-like cracks spread outwards expeditiously from the epicenter. Under the effect of the electric current, the entire sheet of glass loudly cracked and blasted into pieces, sending an uncountable number of glass shards flying into the crowd like torrential rain. At the same time, the flame that Chen Ran had released abruptly exploded in mid-air. Seeing the signal, the demons who had been lying in wait for a long time immediately knocked down the door leading to the main entrance of the auction hall. Like wild horses that refused to be bridled, they stormed towards the patrol squad that could not react in time. ¡°Hey! The one with the knife on stage,¡± the voice of a boy attracted the attention of everyone in attendance. He stepped onto the wall of the boxes on the second floor, hauling along the Wolf demon who was trembling with fear. He pressed a knife beaming with an electric current against the latter¡¯s face. ¡°Look carefully. This here is your esteemed guest. If you dare touch her again, I¡¯ll pay it back twice fold on his body.¡± The entire hall went silent for a moment before waves of shouts erupted right after. The auctioneer and attendants on stage had gone pale from fright, the blood-tainted dagger falling onto the ground with a thud. Other than those who were currently wrangling the demons, the remaining petrol squad members did not dare to act rashly, albeit they immediately sealed the exits. During this moment of imminent peril, a guest seated below suddenly pointed towards Xu Yinian. That demon appeared to be entirely unruffled by what was currently happening around him, his expression deranged as he shouted. ¡°I want this one! I¡¯ll bid six million! No, seven million! Get him!¡± Even though the atmosphere was overflowing with a deadly aura, it was still difficult for everyone to take their eyes off Xu Yinian. Compared to the graceful but frail Su Tang, his beauty was much sharper and more dangerous, like that of peach blossoms in full bloom on a spring day, bright and flamboyant. Xu Yinian¡¯s eyes narrowed as he sent a vicious glare towards the guest who had placed a bid. The guests by the side appeared to have been struck by some sort of blight, instead clapping their hands and yelling in excitement. ¡°Seven and a half million! Get him!¡± As though infected by this unbridled frenzy, consecutive bids came one after the other, echoing from all corners. ¡°Eight million! I want him alive! Don¡¯t harm his face! ¡°Nine million! I don¡¯t care if his limbs are broken! Make sure he doesn¡¯t flee!¡± ¡°Ten million! Don¡¯t bother with that unlucky fool in his hands!¡± Even though Xu Yinian had prepared himself for an unforeseen circumstance, he couldn¡¯t have imagined that these crazies would place a target on him. The Wolf demon noticed that Xu Yinian had been caught unaware. Despite being strangled with his life hanging by a thread, the Wolf demon was unexpectedly undaunted. ¡°Didn¡¯t I mention this before? In the eyes of demons, you¡¯re far more appealing than that girl on stage.¡± Author¡¯s notes: The great beauty Xiao Nian CH 6 As if agreeing with this statement, loud thumping sounds came echoing from outside of the tightly shut door of the box. Even more members of the petrol squad came flooding in from outside the auction hall and headed straight for the second floor. Xu Yinian cursed out loud. Without any forewarning, the enthusiastic racket of bidding happening downstairs was cut to an abrupt end. All of the guests that had placed a bid earlier had their necks abnormally twisted to the same direction in unison, like ears of wheat in an open field that had been toppled over by a vicious gale. ¡°¡­ They¡¯re dead?¡± The bystanders muttered, ¡°How did they die?¡± Corpses with contorted necks collapsed to the ground with a thud, and terrified shrieks sent the entire auction hall into utter chaos. Dumbfounded, Xu Yinian stared across the hall. In the shadows, by the side of a certain Ghost was a floating soul. As they were standing too far apart, Xu Yinian couldn¡¯t manage to clearly see what ability that soul represented. Two pairs of eyes met. Yu Huai¡¯s eyes narrowed as his gaze swept past Xu Yinian¡¯s face. It was as though the former was a god casting a condescending glance from above. He¡¯d killed them. Xu Yinian thought. All those guests who had placed a bid had been killed by Yu Huai. The Wolf demon¡¯s expression shifted slightly. He was uncharacteristically silent, a trace of astonishment flashing in his eyes. Nan Zhi looked in the direction of Yu Huai¡¯s gaze. Xu Yinian was looking towards them in a daze, his jet-black eyes spilling with radiant light and overflowing brilliance. Before him, the lights in the entire room were reduced to insignificant extras. Nan Zhi caught on quickly, asking in jest. ¡°Boss, why did you make a move?¡± ¡°It was dragging on for too long, I couldn¡¯t stand it.¡± Yu Huai¡¯s expression remained unchanged. Amidst the commotion, the auctioneer¡¯s voice echoed across the auction hall. ¡°Contact the elders! Now!¡± The petrol squad outside of the box aggressively rammed the door open, and a whole slew of patrol personnel flooded in, encircling Xu Yinian completely. He pressed a knife against the Wolf demon¡¯s neck. ¡°Nobody move.¡± Feeling the pulsating electricity running through the tip of the knife, the Wolf demon shivered. He was dragged up against the wall by Xu Yinian. Due to the hostage situation, the petrol squad did not dare to make any careless movements. Grabbing onto the Wolf demon, Xu Yinian jumped down without any hesitation! Before he landed on the ground, a surge of electricity gathered beneath Xu Yinian¡¯s feet and cushioned the impact. Tugging along the Wolf demon, he rushed towards the crowd, reuniting with Chen Ran and the others, all of whom were currently fighting with the other petrol personnel. When the auction hall had first descended into disorder, Chen Ran had already rescued Su Tang. Presently, the both of them were back to back. Chen Ran¡¯s eyes narrowed, and raging flames rose from the ground; numerous concealed members of the petrol squad were forced to expose their identities. Xu Yinian repeated his same stunt, seizing the Wolf demon by the arms and shouting, ¡°if you don¡¯t want him to die, then step back!¡± The petrol squad halted their movements, slowly retreating while keeping their eyes locked on the demon in his hands. From beginning to end, Xu Yinian hadn¡¯t seen his other team member. He asked, ¡°Where is Gu Xiaodong?¡± With her eyes rimmed with red, Su Tang shook her head. Chen Ran spoke up, ¡°the group behind the underground auction is very likely to be the Illusory demons¡¯ Hall of Elders. We don¡¯t have enough manpower, if we wait for reinforcements to arrive, things won¡¯t look good for us.¡± Xu Yinian fell silent for a moment, composing himself. ¡°Let¡¯s go, we¡¯ll talk after we get out of here!¡± Gripping the Wolf demon by the neck, he retreated towards the exit with Chen Ran and Su Tang flanking him. The demons from backstage followed closely; the petrol squad did not dare to pursue too closely and could only match their pace and approach slowly. With the atmosphere unbearably tense, Wolf demon who had previously been keeping silent suddenly laughed. He leaned towards Xu Yinian¡¯s ear, whispering at a volume only the both of them could hear. ¡°There¡¯s no use in taking me hostage.¡± The abrupt change in temperament sent a shiver down Xu Yinian¡¯s spine. The Wolf demon seemed to have become a completely different person, sounding complimentary as he spoke. ¡°But you¡¯ve made more of a scene than I¡¯d expected.¡± The end of his sentence seemed to trigger some sort of command for the pursuing petrol squad behind them. They no longer bothered with the Wolf demon¡¯s life, instead lunging straight for them. Xu Yinian made a prompt decision and tossed the now worthless Wolf demon towards the enemy. ¡°Run!¡± Slam¡ª! The heavy slam of a shut door sounded at the same time. ¡°Crap,¡± Chen Ran halted his step. ¡°It¡¯s too late.¡± Thud, thud! The opportunity to escape was within reach, but of the four main doors, three slammed shut one after the other. A group of Illusory demons crowded into the main hall from the final door. They were all uniformly clothed in the black robes of their clan, and from afar formed a file of treacherous shadows. Behind this dense shadow, numerous pure white figures stood juxtaposed against them. Chen Ran stood frozen for a moment, as though he thought his eyes were deceiving him. This was¡­ the Demon Slayer Bureau¡¯s uniform! Xu Yinian¡¯s eyes betrayed his astonishment. ¡°Incredible. The Qihai branch is actually revolting?¡± ¡°The Qihai City Demon Slayer Bureau is colluding with the Illusory demons; they¡¯re also involved in this underground auction.¡± Chen Ran¡¯s expression was grave, ¡°The fact that they dare to show up openly¡­ they¡¯re here to get rid of the evidence.¡± When the chaotic fighting had commenced, most of the guests either ran or hid away. Looking across the hall, over half of the auction hall was being occupied by that deep black clan robe. Large swaths of illusions rapidly spread across the room like a poisonous fog and the demons that were closest to the entrances let out ear-piercing screams one after the other. Their vision had collapsed and their facial expressions were rigid, as though they were bearing witness to the most terrifying sight in the world. Demons who were trapped in illusions were powerless and could neither fight back nor resist; they were at the mercy of the illusion. Flames blazed beneath Chen Ran¡¯s feet, and at the same time, electricity that jumped in an arc of a Jacob¡¯s Ladder1 sprung from Xu Yinian¡¯s fingertips. Chen Ran asked, ¡°See that guy over there? He¡¯s the one leading them.¡± ¡°Most of the illusions are created by him.¡± Xu Yinian stared fixedly at the horde of Illusory demons; among them, there was one boasting a burly figure and a pair of red irises that resembled coagulated blood. No matter the distance separating them, Xu Yinian was still able to vaguely feel the demon¡¯s tremendous demonic power. Chen Ran was certain about his verdict. ¡°With him around, we won¡¯t be able to get away.¡± Lightning suddenly gathered in Xu Yinian¡¯s hands. Chen Ran turned his head guardedly ¡°What are you planning to do?¡± ¡°To capture the bandits we have to first capture the ringleader2. Kill him!¡± Before Chen Ran even had the time to react, a clap of thunder reverberated through the main hall. Seeing Xu Yinian dashing straight for the red-eyed Illusory demon, Su Tang¡¯s face morphed into an anxious mess. ¡°Team leader!¡± Chen Ran¡¯s decision was resolute. ¡°Help to hold off the others! Don¡¯t let them get in Xu Yinian¡¯s way!¡± Backed into a corner with no way out, the demons were stirred by the potential for bloodlust, bellowing as they grappled with the enemy. With a trail marked by sparks of electricity, Xu Yinian fought his way to the back of the red-eyed Illusory demon. He viciously smashed a fist wrapped in lightning at the Illusory demon¡¯s head, and the resultant electric current crackled from the point of contact and traveled down his spine. The red-eyed Illusory demon had been electrocuted till his face was purple and his eyes were bulging. His hillock-like form collapsed onto the ground with a loud thud. Xu Yinian stepped forward. ¡°Hahaha¡­ Hahahahahaha¡­!¡± The red-eyed Illusory demon abruptly burst into loud laughter, slowly raising his face as he did so. Xu Yinian stopped walking, his expression changing slightly. All of the cuts on the Illusory demon¡¯s face had disappeared! It was not only the bloodstains, but the scorch marks from the lightning had also vanished without a trace. ¡°Trying to fight me single-handedly? Pretty brave, huh, little imp?¡± The red-eyed Illusory demon¡¯s smile distorted, the way he stared down Xu Yinian akin to watching a person about to die. ¡°Go ahead and try. Do you think you¡¯re tough enough to kill me a second time?¡± ¡­ It was an illusion. Xu Yinian¡¯s brows gradually knitted. He only wavered for a moment before lightning gathered in the palm of his hand again. Seeing that the situation was not going well, Chen Ran held back the rampage of Illusory demons, simultaneously discussing plans with Su Tang as he did so. ¡°We won¡¯t be able to last long if we just meet force with force. Can we try to lure all of the enemies into one place and trap them with a barrier?¡± Su Tang was a little conflicted. ¡°If the both of us work together, constructing a barrier isn¡¯t an issue. But we won¡¯t be able to keep it up for a long duration.¡± Chen Ran bent down to avoid a sneak attack, shouting his response as he parried the attack. ¡°Just a few minutes is fine. As long as it buys us enough time to escape!¡± Confined in the illusion, Xu Yinian gasped for air as he half-knelt on the ground, his back soaked with sweat. No matter how he struck at it, the illusion held steady, an impregnable fortress with no sign of faltering. Even if the neck of the red-eyed Illusory demon was snapped, it would be able to recover in the blink of an eye. If he didn¡¯t manage to find the epicenter of the array, the first one to be drained of energy and fall would definitely be him. Xu Yinian forced himself to stay calm; amidst the frantic chaos3, he suddenly noticed a little bloodstain under the Illusory demon¡¯s eye. It seemed that from the very beginning, the cut under the Illusory demon¡¯s eye had not recovered at all. Unless¡­! Xu Yinian formed a rough idea of what was going on. Lightning came crashing down like a waterfall, tearing apart a corner of the illusion as he pounced at the Illusory demon with the force of a thunderbolt! As he moved too quickly, the red-eyed Illusory demon could do nothing but suffer the brunt of the blow. Without waiting for him to react, Xu Yinian kicked him hard in the stomach. The Illusory demon spat out a mouthful of blood. Thud! He crashed heavily against the wall. His body jerked for a second and his head drooped. Without an ounce of hesitation, Xu Yinian¡¯s fingers brimmed with electricity as he jabbed it into the eyes of the Illusory demon! The Illusory demon¡¯s blood-colored eyes constricted slightly, but he could not escape in time. Following the fresh blood that spurted out of his eyes, the entire space seemed to have been ripped down the middle by a pair of rough hands. In the middle of this illusory space, the red-eyed Illusory demon was no different from a weak and fragile paper doll, forcibly torn into two by that pair of invisible hands! Sure enough, even if the illusion morphed a thousand different ways, the epicenter of the array would remain the same. Xu Yinian wiped off the blood on his cheek, finally returning back to reality. After the red-eyed Illusory demon had been taken down, most of the illusions disappeared. The demons that had been trapped gradually regained consciousness, and the Illusory demons who had initially held the upper hand seemed to lose their backbone as the tides turned in their adversary¡¯s favor. With the cooperation of everyone present, the majority of the enemies were lured towards the stage. Through the Shared Heart Incantation, Chen Ran urged Xu Yinian, the only person who was still left within the boundary of the barrier. [Hurry up and get out!] Glancing at the charm in Chen Ran and Su Tang¡¯s hands, Xu Yinian immediately surmised what their plan was. In the exact instant that he rushed out of the vicinity of the stage, a pale blue barrier rose rapidly, trapping within it the Illusory demons, the petrol squad, and the Demon Slayers from the Qihai branch. ¡°Not bad.¡± Xu Yinian landed next to Chen Ran. ¡°Run, this can only hold for five minutes!¡± Chen Ran yanked Xu Yinian in the direction of the only exit that remained. A couple of demons ran alongside them, not forgetting to send affirmative looks in Xu Yinian¡¯s direction despite all sporting battered faces. ¡°Not bad, you managed to take out their leader all by yourself!¡± ¡°I thought you were courting death. I didn¡¯t think you would be reaping a harvest!¡± Upon receiving an unexpected compliment, the corner of Xu Yinian¡¯s lips rose. ¡°It was nothing. It wasn¡¯t that difficult to handle.¡± Chen Ran couldn¡¯t help complaining, ¡°You even have the time to chat?¡± One demon took a close look at him, then suddenly shouted in astonishment. ¡°Holy shit, are you Xu Yinian??¡± Xu Yinian was about to answer when a sudden gust of wind blew by, slamming the final exit heavily shut. A figure stood obstructing their escape route; Xu Yinian and Chen Ran instinctively stopped walking, and the demons behind them also followed and came to a sudden halt. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why did you stop?¡± Upon seeing the uninvited guest that stood before them, the demon who had been speaking only assumed that that person was blocking the way and did not recognize him yet. ¡°Just one person? Let¡¯s get rid of him!¡± Before Xu Yinian could stop them, numerous demons had already charged forward. A massive, looming barrier suddenly rose from the ground, causing all the demons to slam hard into the translucent barrier and grimace in pain. Taking notice of the spirit that was floating in the air, the expression of one of the demons in the crowd slipped instantaneously and convulsed with fear. ¡°He, he¡¯s¡­.!¡± The translucent barrier was akin to a prison cell, firmly impeding their way out. Their original plan had been ruined in a flash. Chen Ran did not look too well; he stared fixedly at that figure, his entire demeanor on the offensive. The demon blocking their way was tall in stature, his features sharp and handsome. His expression was teasing and playful as he observed their unfruitful attempt to escape. It was as though he was watching ants go in circles inside a glass jar. Even though he stood there alone, the oppressive aura that emanated from him was leagues above that of the Illusory demons that filled the room. Sensing that person¡¯s detached gaze land on him, Xu Yinian¡¯s breathing stalled. It was as though he was being clutched beneath the sharp claws of a fierce beast and unable to move an inch. Yu Huai seemed to find his tightly strung self very amusing. His eyes narrowed very slightly, his tone inordinately laced with danger. ¡°Trying to run right after you make a mess, what kind of place do you think this is?¡± Author¡¯s notes: The villain makes his appearance. Translator¡¯s notes: Switched Phantom demons to Illusory demons, thought it was better suited. CH 7 An immense pressure hung heavily over everyone¡¯s head, and not a soul dared to speak. Panicked, Chen Ran sent a message to Xu Yinian through the Shared Heart incantation. [It¡¯s no wonder he came to the auction! He¡¯s got something to do with this damn place!] Xu Yinian instinctively turned his head to refute him. [There must be some kind of misunderstanding. Yu Huai wouldn¡¯t do something like this.] Chen Ran didn¡¯t think that he would continue speaking up for Yu Huai even at this juncture. He was somewhat infuriated with his stance. [He¡¯s already blocking your way, what sort of misunderstanding could there even be?] ¡°The both of you,¡± Taking notice of the little actions and interactions between the two of them, the chill in the tone of Yu Huai¡¯s voice dropped several degrees, ¡°are talking through the Shared Heart Incantation?¡± Chen Ran stayed silent. He¡¯d initially assumed that Xu Yinian would stay consistent with his behavior; he hadn¡¯t expected him to casually admit to it, letting out an ¡®ah¡¯ of acknowledgement, his tone even laced with a tinge of surprise. ¡°How did you know?¡± Chen Ran, ¡°¡­¡± Chen Ran: [Are you an idiot?! You¡¯re telling him the truth now??] Sure enough, Yu Huai¡¯s expression grew thoroughly gloomy. Xu Yinian¡¯s back went numb, as though there was a crushing burden weighing on his back. His instincts held him back from acting recklessly, but a long-fingered and slender hand grabbed hold of his wrist, yanking Xu Yinian out from the barrier! The alarming sight of a ferocious ghost1 demanding his life scared the demons out of their wits as they frantically retreated. ¡°Holy shit holy shit holy shit!¡± ¡°It¡¯s over¡­ Yu Huai really is a part of the organizers!¡± Xu Yinian only felt that the five fingers gripping onto him were a heavy shackle, one that tugged painfully on his wrists. Yu Huai was using too much force to pull him, causing Xu Yinian to crash into him. Before he could steady himself, a sudden chill shot through his heart. It took a second for Xu Yinian to react ¨C the Shared Heart incantation between him and Chen Ran had been forcibly shattered by Yu Huai. ¡°Xu Yinian!¡± Chen Ran could also sense that something had happened. Both his hands pressed against the barrier, his face a picture of anxiety. In spite of the perilous situation they were in, the demons standing by the side could not help but break into discussion. ¡°He¡¯s really Xu Yinian?!¡±, ¡°Since he¡¯s fallen into Yu Huai¡¯s hands, won¡¯t he be stripped of a layer of his skin?¡±, ¡°How is one layer even enough? His pitiful life definitely won¡¯t be spared!¡± ¡­ Chen Ran¡¯s shouting caused the Ghost to turn his head, the dark irises belonging to the demon surging with an icy and ominous glint. Yu Huai cast a contemptuous glance in his direction, and Chen Ran¡¯s back was instantly drenched in a cold sweat. ¡°Shut up.¡± Following this command, Chen Ran¡¯s upper and lower lips were forced shut. He could no longer open his mouth and could at most let out a muffled whimper. The demons who had previously had the guts to gossip all immediately ceased their chatter, with not a single soul daring to make the slightest noise. Sensing the undisguised murderous intent that Yu Huai exuded, Xu Yinian summoned up the courage to ask, ¡°You¡­ you have something to do with the auction?¡± Yu Huai¡¯s gaze flickered onto him. Straining against the pressure, Xu Yinian urged him, ¡°The underground auction is responsible for the death of so many. Even if you don¡¯t care about the lives of humans, the Demon Slayer Bureau will come looking for you. If they put out a wanted notice¡ª¡± Even if they declared him a wanted person, they might not be able to do anything about Yu Huai. Xu Yinian grew flustered but still continued on. ¡°Even if they can¡¯t defeat you, there will still be demon slayers following you every single day. If you think about it, isn¡¯t that going to be so irritating? How about you end this here and volunteer your confession¡­¡± Yu Huai was unmoved as he looked at Xu Yinian, the murderous intent emanating from the former not restrained at all. As Xu Yinian continued speaking, he heard the faint sound of a slight cough. Realizing that this demon had likely grown impatient, he could only grit his teeth and proclaim solemnly, ¡°Yu Huai, repent and the shore is at hand!¡± His admonition was loud and clear. Everyone present did not even dare to breathe too hard, all terrified that Xu Yinian¡¯s blood would spill and be splattered all over the ground in the next second. The Ghost raised an eyebrow slightly. Looking at Xu Yinian¡¯s nervous disposition, the former surprisingly slowly smiled. It was neither a sneer nor a gesture that carried mockery. When his smile was coupled with those pair of uniquely-colored eyes, even his eyebrows became softer. Xu Yinian stared at him blankly; his originally tightly-strung nerves twitched untimely, veering directly in another direction. ¡ªYu Huai was so good-looking when he smiled. This thought had only just swept past his mind when Xu Yinian¡¯s upper and lower lip clamped shut involuntarily. He could also no longer open his mouth to speak. What the hell?! Xu Yinian¡¯s eyes widened. Yu Huai¡¯s eyes swept over his astonished and panicked face, then resumed his previous expressionless demeanor. ¡°You¡¯ve certainly got a lot to say.¡± Xu Yinian made to retort, but could only let out intelligible sounds of protest. ¡°You¡¯re already setting up a Shared Heart incantation for your graduation assessment; when you enter the Demon Slayer Bureau in the future, will you be carrying out assignments hand-in-hand?¡± Xu Yinian inwardly thought that this was bullshit. If it weren¡¯t for the ineffectiveness of regular communication charms underground, who would want to be associated with Chen Ran through an incantation specifically used by couples? But Yu Huai could not hear his inner thoughts. A translucent barrier rose from the ground, with Yu Huai taking advantage of the opportunity to let go of Xu Yinian. The latter did not even have time to react before an indestructible barrier imprisoned him within a square inch of space. Xu Yinian stared at him in a daze. It was only after a long moment that he dared to be certain that Yu Huai had actually locked him up. After Xu Yinian recovered, he struck at the barrier ceaselessly. The way that Yu Huai observed Xu Yinian as he stood imprisoned inside was akin to that of watching a beautiful butterfly in a glass cage. His palms pressed against the transparent surface of the barrier, as though he yearned to intimately clasp Xu Yinian¡¯s hand. Yet the words that came out of his mouth were without mercy and absolutely relentless. ¡°How about you just stay inside and never come out for an eternity.¡± CH 8 Chhaapptteerr 88:: IIlllluussoorryy DDeemmoonnss Xu Yinian¡¯s heart skipped a beat as he looked at him in disbelief. Yu Huai¡¯s gaze on him remained calm and unruffled. A commotion gradually picked up near the stage as the light blue-tinted barrier started to dissipate at a speed that was visible to the naked eye. Su Tang could no longer stay calm, her panicked voice shattering the frozen atmosphere of the room. ¡°We¡¯re out of time!¡± Chen Ran swiveled his head round, only to see the Illusory demons, the patrol squad, and the demon slayers from the Qihai branch breaking through the barrier. His expression did not bode well at all. They were this close to escaping. Why did they have to run into Yu Huai¡­! The Illusory demons who escaped the barrier lunged forward like hungry tigers pouncing on their prey. Chen Ran and Su Tang¡¯s faces had both gone pallor, and the demons who were originally indomitable had all but lost their fighting spirit the moment they saw Yu Huai, all standing dismally still in place. In the split second that the Illusory demons were about to charge at them, a hand delicately flicked at the air. Spiderweb-like puppet strings came falling from above. The Illusory demons had not yet realized anything was wrong, merely sensing a light prick along the side of their necks. The fine strings had already plunged into their spines. The fingers of that hand clenched tightly, then tugged upwards¡ª The Illusory demons halted their movements all at once, frozen in place like wooden puppets. A short distance away, the patrol squad along with the Qihai branch demon slayers were all facing the same predicament. None of them could move an inch, all turned into lifeless stone statues. It was as though the pause button had suddenly been pressed, resulting in this absurd scene. Upon seeing the hundreds of puppet strings connected to Yu Huai¡¯s fingers, Xu Yinian and Chen Ran looked at each other and both saw astonishment in the other¡¯s eyes. What was going on, an internal strife? Sound abruptly picked up from the four main doors of the auction hall, and a large crowd of demon slayers dressed in white uniforms forced open the doors. On the chest of their uniforms, there was an embroidered logo of the central office. The young man in the lead had a face that was handsome with a touch of bizarre, his long and golden hair sparkling under the light. This was a feature that was typical of demon species. It was Yuan Mu, the half-demon vice-principal of Maple Bridge Academy. Yuan Mu headed directly to Yu Huai¡¯s side, as if Xu Yinian and the rest trapped in the barriers were invisible to him. Entirely unaffected, he greeted him, ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard.¡± ¡°If the Demon Slayer Bureau could arrive earlier next time, then I wouldn¡¯t have to work as hard.¡± As Yu Huai spoke, he recalled his puppet strings. Before the Illusory demons and demon slayers that had barely just regained their freedom could resist, they were promptly seized by the demon slayers from the central office. It was at this moment that Xu Yinian roughly understood the situation, realizing that Yu Huai had no associations with the organizers at all. He had most likely been asked by Yuan Mu to help with the situation. Xu Yinian cheered up immediately, inwardly exclaiming that Yu Huai hadn¡¯t gone down the wrong path! His joy made him lose himself for a moment, even forgetting that he was still stuck in that narrow barrier. His head slammed hard onto it. Xu Yinian hissed in pain, but his cries were trapped in his throat as a result of Yu Huai¡¯s silencing charm. This sudden impact led him to be abruptly reminded of a question that he had temporarily forgotten about. Since this was the case, then what was the purpose of Yu Huai¡¯s series of villainous actions? Was he bored? Acting? He couldn¡¯t have just been having fun screwing with him, right?? Chen Ran also reacted, letting out a sigh of relief. The other demons that were also trapped in the barrier felt as though they had just gone on a rollercoaster, and the only sensation left after the ups and downs they had just experienced was numbness. Many of them had sat down onto the ground. Yuan Mu walked in front of a group of demon slayers that had been detained. Recognizing that he was leading the team personally, the faces of the demon slayers from the Qihai branch went pale quickly. Yuan Mu had lived for over a hundred years, and most of the demon slayers present had all been his student once upon a time. ¡°We received news that the Illusory demon clan organized an illegal underground auction and that the Qihai branch rejected our students when they requested reinforcements.¡± Yuan Mu was all smiles and very amicable as he faced one of the demon slayers. ¡°Is this true?¡± The person who was questioned looked even more pained than someone crying. ¡°Yuan Laoshi¡­ n-no, Mr Yuan! I¡¯m not too clear about the situation myself, I only came here to uphold order. We¡¯ve detained a couple of the Illusory demons and are now preparing to seek further instructions from the higher-ups.¡± ¡°In that case,¡± Yuan Mu nodded, signalling to the large crowd of white uniforms behind him, ¡°if there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t know, ask for instructions from the central office directly.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Auctioning off humans and demons, smuggling prohibited goods, dereliction of duty¡­ do you know how many years of prison that adds up to? It¡¯s enough for all of you to spend the rest of your lives in the Black Pagoda! And that¡¯s only if your lives are still intact after your trial!¡± With every line of their crimes being recited, Yuan Mu¡¯s face grew darker, while the faces of the Qihai branch demon slayers paled. After Yuan Mu finished, he returned to his initial gentle tone. ¡°As outstanding graduates from the academy, you¡¯ve tossed away all the vows you previously made. You¡¯ve all disappointed me.¡± Yuan Mu concluded his lecture, then gestured. ¡°Take them all away.¡± The demon slayers who had been seized had their heads hung in despair, all of them like quails unable to fight back. Yuan Mu made his way before the massive translucent barrier, undoing the barrier set up by Yu Huai personally. This was the first time that the demons who had suffered all night experienced the warmth of a spring breeze since the arrival of the Demon Slayer Bureau, all of them so emotional they nearly grabbed hold of his hand. ¡°Comrade from the central office, can you guarantee our personal safety?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Yuan Mu smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ve already seized all of the Illusory demons.¡± ¡°No, no, I¡¯m not talking about that. Over there, can¡¯t you see? Yu Huai!¡± The demon whispered like he was a sneaky thief, ¡°He trapped Xu Yinian into a barrier alone! Other than settling the score, what could he be doing that for? The peach blossom debt1 between them, don¡¯t you understand?¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re talking about him?¡± Yuan Mu¡¯s expression remained unchanged. ¡°He¡¯s the emergency external backup we requested. He set up the barrier to protect everyone.¡± ¡°?¡± The demons were thrown for a loop. This was their first time seeing the backup behave even more villainously than a villain. Yuan Mu scanned the hall, then walked towards the Xu Yinian who stood trapped in a barrier alone. The laughter in his eyes intensified, ¡°What, he even set up a barrier just for you?¡± Xu Yinian could only let out sounds of ¡®mmpphh¡¯, gesturing wildly for Yuan Mu to undo the barrier. Yuan Mu was extremely thoughtful, not only removing the barrier but also undoing the silencing charm on him as well. The instant Xu Yinian could speak again, he shouted with truculence. ¡°Yu Huai!¡± The Ghost in question looked at him composedly, ¡°didn¡¯t you hear? The barrier was set up to protect you. This smaller one is much safer than the one I used on them.¡± ¡°?¡± Xu Yinian couldn¡¯t have imagined that he would be this shameless, capitalizing on Yuan Mu¡¯s presence to continue complaining. ¡°Forget about the barrier, why did you silence Chen Ran and me?¡± Yuan Mu seemed to find this scene very entertaining, acting as though he was busy helping Xu Yinian get justice as he nagged at Yu Huai. ¡°Then you¡¯re the one in the wrong here. How could you bully your juniors?¡± ¡°They were making too much noise.¡± Yu Huai brushed over the subject casually, changing the topic without missing a beat. ¡°When do we talk business?¡± Yuan Mu smiled but did not continue the thread of conversation, using his eyes to signal towards the empty entrance. ¡°Perfect timing, he¡¯s here too.¡± Sounds of commotion came echoing from the entrance, as though there was someone walking towards the auction hall. Demons were arrogant and unyielding by nature; the majority of them did not expose any signs of nervousness or cowardice even after having handcuffs put on them by the Demon Slayer Bureau. But the instant they saw that silhouette by the entrance, many of the Illusory demons who had their hands stained with blood all lowered their heads in fear. ¡°Apologies for my tardiness.¡± ¡°Not at all,¡± Yuan Mu said, ¡°You¡¯re just in time. We haven¡¯t started the discussion yet.¡± ¡°While I was preparing for the daytime auction, there were people in my clan getting ready for the underground action at the same time. Things even came to a head, with the Demon Slayer Bureau and the academy having to step in. This was my failure.¡± Hua Hengjing walked over and spared his captured clan members a glance. ¡°Are you sending them to prison? Would you mind leaving two for me? We also need to investigate those involved¡­ the two of you, then.¡± The two Illusory demons that had been randomly selected by Hua Hengjing were both stunned. The more clever one immediately started to beg for mercy. ¡°Patriarch2, pick someone else! I don¡¯t know anything, take the leader back instead! He¡¯s the only one that received the order from the Hall of Elders!¡± ¡°You just reminded me,¡± Hua Hengjing instructed the subordinate by his side. ¡°Find the person that led this.¡± ¡°Already dead.¡± Yu Huai blurted out. Hua Hengjing didn¡¯t seem to have expected this, his face full of surprise. On seeing this, Yu Huai added, ¡°You don¡¯t mind, do you?¡± ¡°Of course not, Yu Laoban.¡± Hua Hengjing recovered with a smile, signaling to his subordinate. ¡°It¡¯s still better to bring the both of them along then.¡± Upon hearing this, the faces of the two Illusory demons went ashen. Knowing full well that they were at death¡¯s doorstep, they clung to the ground, even begging for help from the Demon Slayer Bureau when they were being dragged away. ¡°Please, I¡¯m begging you! Bring me to jail! I¡¯m willing to be trialed in court!¡± The sight of the Illusory demons struggling for their life was rather pathetic. An experienced demon slayer shook his head unforgivingly at a newcomer, signaling for him not to say more. Strictly speaking, Hua Hengjing¡¯s course of action was not in line with the standard protocol. But even though his tone was polite, it was clear that he was not giving the Demon Slayer Bureau an option. Moreover, the internal affairs and tensions within clans were always tangled and complex. It was inconvenient for the Demon Slayer Bureau to intervene. ¡°Based on our preliminary investigations, the underground auction is connected to the Hall of Elders of the Illusory demons. We still need to continue looking into this matter.¡± At this point, Yuan Mu spoke up, ¡°due to the death of two students, the academy will be working with the Demon Slayer Bureau to investigate the incident¡­¡± ¡°Two students died?¡± Xu Yinian had not expected to hear this. Someone else other than Gu Xiaodong had died? ¡°A girl in your team died in the underground warehouse. There were numerous bodies stacked there, the organizers probably used the humans to satisfy some of the conditions for the blood sacrifice to take place.¡± Yuan Mu let out a soft sigh. ¡°Her name was Jiang Qiuyue.¡± Xu Yinian¡¯s eyes widened in shock; Chen Ran¡¯s head also jerked up. They practically yelled in unison. ¡°How¡¯s that possible?!¡± Yuan Mu beckoned for them to elaborate. Chen Ran spoke very quickly, ¡°the last time Xu Yinian and I saw her was above ground. She didn¡¯t have an entry pass, so how could she have been able to get underground on her own?¡± ¡°When was the last time you saw her?¡± ¡°In the evening, she told us that there were two demons acting suspiciously. We kidnapped them and made our way underground while she stayed aboveground to wait for the academy¡¯s response. ¡°Based on the stiffness of the limbs of the corpse, her time of death is likely to have been in the morning.¡± ¡°Illusory techniques.¡± Yu Huai said, ¡°Someone pretended to be her in order to lure you down here.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The tips of Xu Yinian¡¯s fingers lit up with lightning. He looked towards Yuan Mu, ¡°Vice-principal, I think¡ª Yuan Mu cut him off immediately. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it. And don¡¯t look so eager.¡± From the sidelines, Yu Huai was rubbing salt into the wound. ¡°Your attitude of ¡®if someone screws with me from start to finish then I¡¯ll personally make them pay¡¯ is not right. Being so impulsive is not advisable.¡± Without waiting for Xu Yinian to retort, Yu Huai added on, ¡°If you somehow think that you¡¯re responsible for a classmate meeting with an accident¡­ Are you the reincarnation of Buddha? You¡¯re ready to take the blame for everything?¡± Flying into a rage from the humiliation, Xu Yinian spat out Eight Words of Truth3, ¡°None of your business! You¡¯re full of crap!¡± Su Tang inhaled sharply, Chen Ran buried his face in his hands, while Hua Hengjing appeared to be enjoying the show. Only Yuan Mu appeared unaffected. ¡°Yu Huai is right. Kids who haven¡¯t even passed their graduation assessment have no business sticking their noses in the affairs of adults. Why are all of you still here?¡± Although their team was unlucky enough to meet with this series of unfortunate events, no matter the ending, they still failed to pass the graduation assessment this time. Highly self-aware, Chen Ran and Su Tang took their leave right away. Only Xu Yinian stood unmoving. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me, please continue.¡± Yuan Mu looked at him funny, then turned back to address Yu Huai. ¡°We¡¯ll operate as I mentioned early. The academy and the Bureau will work together, with Hua Hengjing contributing wherever necessary. If you¡¯re also interested in taking part, you can take full charge over the academy¡¯s involvement in this.¡± If he was representing Maple Bridge Academy as part of the investigation, all procedures would become legitimate and proper. Standing by the side, Hua Hengjing let out an ¡®en¡¯ in affirmation, then spoke gleefully. ¡°Rumors have it that the vice-principal and Yu Laoban have a great relationship. The rumors are indeed true.¡± Yu Huai cast a sidelong glance at him. ¡°I have something to ask you. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Bye now, little friend.¡± Before Hua Hengjing left, he did not forget to send a word of encouragement Xu Yinian¡¯s way. ¡°All the best for your graduation.¡± Xu Yinian choked out, ¡°¡­ are the two of them even human?¡± Yuan Mu kindly reminded him. ¡°They were never human to begin with.¡± As the demon slayers from the central office made their way around, the handcuffed Illusory demons were escorted away one by one. After they walked out of Yuan Mu¡¯s line of sight, Hua Hengjing half-jokingly noted, ¡°Xu Yinian is pretty cute. I¡¯ve never seen you spare the energy to tease anyone else; you¡¯re very patient with him.¡± ¡°The involvement of the Demon Slayer Bureau alone is not sufficient to link this back to the Hall of Elders.¡± Yu Huai didn¡¯t respond to his mockery. ¡°If you intend to clean out your backyard in the name of the Bureau and the academy, this is an opportune time to do so.¡± Hua Hengjing understood the implication behind his words. Yu Huai didn¡¯t mind if he used him to do the dirty work to get rid of another; he wouldn¡¯t ask questions. Hua Hengjing sighed. ¡°Since you¡¯ve already said so, then I¡¯ll be honest about something. I sent someone to pretend to be ¡®Jiang Qiuyue¡¯. I lured them underground on purpose.¡± Yu Huai lowered his voice, ¡°you are truly frank.¡± Hua Hengjing decided that he might as well continue smashing the cracked pot, forcing himself to own up. ¡°There¡¯s one more thing; the Wolf demon that was grabbed and threatened by Xu Yinian was actually me.¡± Yu Huai looked in his direction, his face devoid of emotion. Observing that he was not in the greatest of moods, Hua Hengjing rushed to add on. ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand. I bought Xu Yinian because I wanted to use him to complicate the underground auction and get the Demon Slayer Bureau and academy involved.¡± ¡°Hua Hengjing.¡± Yu Huai¡¯s tone was cold, the undertone of his words unfathomable. ¡°You¡¯re certainly very skilled in illusory techniques. I couldn¡¯t even tell it was you.¡± The patriarch of the Illusory demons derided. ¡°You flatter me. After all, this is my specialty.¡± Without waiting for Yu Huai to respond, Hua Hengjing reluctantly continued. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll find out something that results in a misunderstanding; how about I come clean first? After I succeeded to my position, the old folks in my clan have all been singing a discordant tune. The elders prioritize the honor and reputation of the clan, and constantly dream about the Illusory demons becoming the number one clan in the Demon Realm. As for me, I¡¯m nowhere near as ambitious. I¡¯m just looking to make some money while still having the spare time to ogle beautiful human ladies. Both the Demon Slayer Bureau and the humans want to co-exist peacefully with us; how could family honor compare to the money and might within my reach?¡± ¡°Have you ever expressed your opinion to the Hall of Elders?¡± ¡°Of course I have, one of them even told me to get out right away after listening. The underground auction is the opportunity I¡¯ve been waiting years for. I¡¯m aware of what they¡¯ve been up to behind my back, but I don¡¯t plan to stop them. In fact, I hope they make things as grand as possible ¨C the bigger the better. Such a grand affair requires the right people to uncover it. Xu Yinian and Chen Ran are no ordinary people; if anything happens to them, the academy won¡¯t brush it aside. The Demon Slayer Bureau will definitely prioritize the matter.¡± Hua Hengjing paused for a second, then solemnly said, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you¡­ If I¡¯d known, I definitely wouldn¡¯t have used him.¡± The air was stale for a long time. ¡°There will be no next time.¡± Yu Huai warned. Hua Hengjing breathed a sigh of relief, smiling as he stuck his hand out to pat Yu Huai¡¯s shoulder. ¡°The old freaks from our family aren¡¯t easy to deal with. For the next while, I look forward to a pleasant cooperation.¡± CH 9 ¡¾Was anyone there at the Qihai City auction? Yu Huai really showed up!¡¿ [I was there. After that day, I deeply understood what they mean when they tell you to keep a distance from your idol in real life. I encourage everyone to stay as far away from him as possible, otherwise you won¡¯t be able to hold on to your worthless lives.] [Agreed. To be honest, in that moment when he showed his face, I wished that I had never successfully met my idol. I was so damn certain my two feet had stepped into the Yellow Springs1.] [What kind of status do the two people above me have? Why are you attending the underground auction if you don¡¯t have any guts?] [I¡¯m willing! Dying by the hands of a handsome man is worth it!] [One look and I can tell you don¡¯t know what happens when you get killed by a Ghost. Do you think it¡¯s as simple as losing your life?] [Breaking news, my friends! Xu Yinian was also at the auction. He bumped into Yu Huai!] ¨C It was yet another incomprehensible theory class. Dean Qin was explaining the six applications of the Binding Incantation. Xu Yinian listened till both his eyes went blurry and dazed. He fished out his phone by habit and logged into the joint forum. He¡¯d just entered the joint forum when his attention was caught by a brand new post that had just been made. [Yu Huai didn¡¯t kill him?] [Yu Huai didn¡¯t kill him and burn him to ashes?] [Not only did he not kill him, but he even helped him out of a predicament.]! [Holy shit. A son of a bitch snuck in to speak up for that slag man? Where are the moderators? Kick them out!] [Calm yo self. Would you have been able to take out the leader on your own?] [Am I blind? Xu Yinian has supporters?] [To be honest, Xu Yinian is a pretty good person. There is no right and wrong when it comes to affairs of love. Maybe there was a misunderstanding between him and Yu Huai last time?] This was the first time Xu Yinian was seeing someone legitimately standing up for him on the joint forum. He was deeply engrossed in this discovery when his deskmate Xia Ziheng poked him. ¡°Xiao Xu-Ge2, whatcha¡¯ looking at?¡± ¡°Looking at idiots.¡± ¡°Then why do you look so happy?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Xu Yinian cleared his throat and restrained his expression. Dean Qin, who had long noticed them, couldn¡¯t stand it any longer. ¡°Xia Ziheng! You¡¯re slacking off right after you come back to school! Are you here to learn or chat? Answer the question! What are the conditions for invoking the fifth binding incantation?¡± Xia Ziheng stood up, exposing an undeserved smile of confidence. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Dean Qin stabilized his breathing, targeting Xia Ziheng¡¯s deskmate instead, ¡°Xu Yinian?¡± Xu Yinian got to his feet. ¡°As long as you have hands.¡± Dean Qin inhaled deeply, then blew up. ¡°Both of you, scram!¡± Xu Yinian and Xia Ziheng made their way out of the classroom, one after the other. Among the Four Great Families, the Xu family and the Xia family had the closest relationship. Xu Yinian and Xia Ziheng had met during their childhood, with the latter considered a rarity among the younger generation. If you asked him to choose between being a ¡®powerful demon slayer¡¯ and ¡®muddling along till death¡¯, Xia Ziheng would pick the second one without hesitation. It was precisely due to this that this young master, who was not at all gifted with talents, often requested leave and skipped class. His theory grades and practical grades were an absolute mess. ¡°Your foot has recovered?¡± Xu Yinian still remembered that the reason for Xia Ziheng¡¯s leave of absence last week was because he had broken his foot mid-mission. ¡°It was never broken to begin with.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Staying at home is boring, so I came to the academy for a whirl.¡± Xia Ziheng looked towards the temporary stage that had been constructed. ¡°It¡¯s the school anniversary tomorrow. It¡¯ll probably be pretty interesting, huh?¡± Maple Bridge Academy celebrated its school anniversary every five years, every iteration extravagant and grand, lively and bustling. Compared to the Demon Slayer Bureau, Maple Bridge Academy was more like a glance into the Demon Slayer Realm from the eyes of regular humans. On that day, the academy not only organized a variety of activities, but also invited regular humans to visit and have a look around the campus. Other than allowing the rest of the world to understand their mission, they could also capitalize on the occasion to attract investments and new students. Xu Yinian looked in the direction of Xia Ziheng¡¯s gaze. He saw the stage that was set up in preparation for tomorrow. A little distance away stood a trail lined with cherry blossom trees. The cherry blossoms that would come into bloom late spring resembled falling pink snow, one that piled heavily onto the branches. Pairs and trios of students walked under the cherry blossom trees, where the Outstanding Student¡¯s face was plastered on the notification boards. Five years ago, Yu Huai¡¯s photo had taken pride of place in the most conspicuous spots. Many girls would especially slow down or stop to take a longer look at him. For a long time after that massacre had taken place, the academy did not take down his photo. There were still many people who gathered there for a time; they looked at the photo of Yu Huai, discussing the news that they had just gotten in hushed voices. How long before he dies? Probably soon. So many people are out for his life. He¡¯s close to dying. ¡­ ¡­ When he had reunited with Yu Huai at the auction, there was something that Xu Yinian had actually wanted to say to him. I¡¯m very happy. Very happy that you managed to survive, and very happy¡­ you¡¯re doing so well. Even better than I could have ever hoped for. - Other than the variety of activities planned, the students were also required to participate in a theory exam and practical test on the day of the school anniversary. The practical test would be carried out in a fashion not unlike a public single-elimination tournament where the winner would stay on until they were defeated. It served as another channel for the academy to showcase itself to the public. In order to better motivate the students to participate and show off the academy¡¯s teachings, a genius principal had thought of this idea: those students who scored the lowest after combining their theory and practical marks would have to face a punishment. What exactly this punishment would entail was up to the discretion of the teachers. During the previous school anniversary, even though Xu Yinian¡¯s practical marks were among the best, his theory marks could not even begin to compare. He ended up being sent to clean up the repository, eating dust alongside a dozen of his other schoolmates. On the day of the school anniversary, Xu Yinian was woken up from his dream by his roommate. His roommate Ye Qiao knocked at his headboard, sending a ¡°get up¡± his way. Xu Yinian was too sleepy to even open his eyes. He resigned to his despair. ¡°I¡¯m not going anymore. My practical marks will only be a single-digit regardless.¡± ¡°The teacher in charge of meting out the punishment this year is the vice-principal.¡± Ye Qiao dished out the finishing blow calmly, and the effect was instantaneous and startling. In the throes of death, Xu Yinian sat up in alarm, resolving to continue his final hurrah. The destructive power that Yuan Mu¡¯s name possessed was extraordinary. When Xu Yinian walked into class, all of the students were gathered and concentrating their attention on salvaging their theory marks. Even Xia Ziheng was clutching at his textbook and embracing Buddha¡¯s feet in this hour of need3. ¡°I only just found out it was the vice-principal, holy shit!¡± Xu Yinian whipped out his textbook, but pushed it aside after a mere three minutes. He made the decision to face the storm and gale, ¡°isn¡¯t it just a punishment? What¡¯s the big deal?¡± Xia Ziheng, ¡°¡­ You resigned to your fate far too quickly.¡± When Yuan Mu¡¯s voice resonated from the intercom, everyone raised their heads. The old demon who had lived for over a hundred years announced in a gentle voice, ¡°students, in this time where all creatures blossom and spring is in the air, the academy commemorates its ninety-eighth anniversary. I¡¯m aware that this is not a day anyone enjoys; after all, even though it claims itself to be the school anniversary, it¡¯s really an exam¡­¡± Xia Ziheng was aghast. ¡°He actually admitted it directly?!¡± ¡°¡­ In order to encourage everyone to face this with great enthusiasm, students above the fifth grade with marks falling within the bottom seven percent have to serve as waiters and waitresses for tonight¡¯s picnic, crossdressed.¡± What claimed to be encouragement was in reality coercion. The entire room fell into absolute and dreadful silence. While the girls were still pondering over the troublesome and tedious tasks they would be made to do, the boys¡¯ spirits had already been crushed entirely. ¡°Help! Did I hear him right? Is that what I think it means?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s just crossdressing with a pinch of playing as a dog¡­ haha, is there still time to withdraw from school?¡± Xia Ziheng was in excruciating pain. ¡°Why did I have to come to the school anniversary to join in on the fun? I should¡¯ve continued staying home and pretending to be sick.¡± Xu Yinian appeared to be in a trance-like state, still harboring the idea of leaving things to fate. ¡°Maybe I can do it¡­¡± As he mumbled to himself, he made his best attempt at comforting himself, ¡°there¡¯s no way I won¡¯t be able to answer a single question.¡± The confidence he had mustered with great difficulty lasted until the start of the theory examination when the invigilating instructors entered and distributed the exam script to everyone. Incomprehensible. Every question was genuinely beyond him. Xu Yinian didn¡¯t give up hope, flipping the script from cover to cover. He then calmed his breathing. It¡¯s alright. There¡¯s still hope. Try harder for the practical assessment and secure first place. There would still be hope once both scores were added up¡­ As he pondered over this, he observed the people in his vicinity. His line of sight unknowingly drifted towards the window, coming to a halt when he got a good and proper look at the figure that stood outside patrolling. It was as though he had seen a ghost4. Why was Yu Huai invigilating with Yuan Mu?! Even if Yuan Mu let Yu Huai investigate the affairs of the auction on behalf of the academy, why was he getting Yu Huai involved in frivolities like invigilating an exam?! You didn¡¯t even have to bring up the academy. For the past five years, Yu Huai hardly ever stepped foot in the human world. If news about him returning to his alma mater to invigilate an examination got out, those demons on the joint forum were certainly going to blow up. As his thoughts meandered till this point, Xu Yinian suddenly realized the existence of a life-threatening problem. Since he had been invited to attend, Yu Huai would naturally also be in attendance during the picnic at night. ¡°Xia Ziheng!¡± Xu Yinian was panicking now. ¡°Let me copy your answers.¡± ¡°You want to copy from me?¡± Xia Ziheng skeptically pointed at himself, ¡°Xiao Xu-ge, you think I¡¯m a better student than you?¡± Xu Yinian turned his head resolutely, looking towards another male student sitting in the adjacent column. When that student sensed Xu Yinian¡¯s gaze land on his exam script, he hurried to explain. ¡°Big boss, don¡¯t copy my answers! I guessed them all!¡± Xu Yinian asked, ¡°why didn¡¯t you study harder?¡± The other party apologized immediately. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! It¡¯s all my fault!¡± ¡°Xu Yinian,¡± Yuan Mu¡¯s voice resounded from the back door. ¡°Whispering to one another and attempting to cheat in an examination. If you repeat this, you will receive an immediate zero for your theory marks. ¡° In that instant, every student in the class turned to lock their eyes onto Xu Yinian. The culprit in question froze for a moment, instinctively glancing towards the person next to Yuan Mu. Yu Huai¡¯s gaze swept over his blank exam script, the corners of his lips lifting slightly. It was as though he was saying ¡°is there a difference whether you give him a zero or not?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fuck. Too embarrassing. The tips of Xu Yinian¡¯s ears burned and he wanted nothing more than to bury his head into his exam script. It was only now that Xia Ziheng recognized who was standing next to the vice-principal. Once he had confirmed that his eyes weren¡¯t deceiving him, he nearly couldn¡¯t recover his breath. It was a long and painful wait before Yuan Mu and Yu Huai finally left. Xia Ziheng blurted out in a low voice, ¡°Xiao Xu-ge!¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Xu Yinian did not even raise his head as he snapped in anger. ¡°Take your damn exam.¡± ¡°¡­¡± After the theory exam had ended, a tortured Xu Yinian departed from the exam hall. His mind replayed the scene of him getting caught red-handed by Yuan Mu, and the moment he thought about how Yu Huai had been right there, the heat that had already dissipated from his face would make a valiant attempt to rush back. Unlike his half-assed self that had a severe inclination towards one subject, Yu Huai¡®s results had been outstanding during his time in the academy. Even the teachers who had absurd expectations would be all smiles when they saw him, unable to pick out a single flaw. Back then, the Ghost clan was unrivaled in glory, and Yu Huai¡¯s mother had held significant authority across the two realms. Yu Huai was her only child, the young master of the Ghost clan. With his innate talent and pedigree, he was like an unattainable and distant star. Xu Yinian had never imagined that his life would ever intersect with this senior, until a joint decision of arranged marriage was proposed to solidify and further harmonious relations between the two realms. For a very long time, Xu Yinian had thought that their first meeting had been in the library. After so many years, Xu Yinian had already forgotten why he was made to copy out the school rules as punishment by a teacher, but he still remembered that it had been a late autumn day. In the evening, as the glow of the sunset rippled through the windows, Xu Yinian grew bored from copying the long and complicated school rules over and over. Opposite him sat an upperclassman, one that had sat there all afternoon reading in silence. Seeing that he put down his pen and stretched his neck, the senior abruptly spoke up. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you this hard-working before.¡± Xu Yinian asked in puzzlement, ¡°you know me?¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t a soul in the academy that doesn¡¯t know who you are.¡± Although taken aback, Xu Yinian could not help feeling a little smug. ¡°I¡¯m that famous?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± The rays of light from the setting sun seemed to gather and melt into his eyes, softening his features. ¡°Famous for not studying.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Xu Yinian choked, for a moment unable to figure out if this person was making fun of him or not. He was about to lower his head and continue copying the school rules when the senior fixed his eyes on him. He smiled before asking, ¡°need help?¡± Xu Yinian raised his head, making eye contact with a pair of purple eyes ¨C an eye color unique to demons. The number of demons attending Maple Bridge Academy were few and far between. It was a pity that Xu Yinian typically never paid attention to outside matters, so he didn¡¯t recognize this senior as being the young master of the Ghost clan. He nodded unceremoniously. Unexpectedly, this seemingly academically excellent senior then summoned a large number of spirits. As the translucent forms of scores of spirits crowded into this nook of the library, an eerie and uncanny scene inevitably emerged. And yet once they all picked up the pens in a tidy unison, the sight became downright comical. ¡°How many more copies do you need? Let them help you.¡± Xu Yinian¡¯s eyes were sparkling, and the way he looked at Yu Huai shifted immediately. ¡°Thank you, senior! Oh, what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡ªYu Huai. This was what Xu Yinian¡¯s mother had said to him. ¡°Your matchmaking partner.¡± She found the astonishment on her son¡¯s face very amusing. ¡°In order to further promote peaceful coexistence, the two realms have decided to strengthen their alliance through marriage. The Demon Realm has selected its candidate and a meeting with him will be arranged soon.¡± Xu Yinian was very perplexed. ¡°Why is it me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably because you¡¯re still young, so they want to let you try things out first. If it doesn¡¯t work out, they¡¯ll switch to someone else.¡± ¡°¡­¡± As he thought about that senior he had met once, a tinge of sympathy rose in Xu Yinian¡¯s heart. He had a good impression of Yu Huai, and it was exactly this good impression that had pushed him to his decision. When Yu Huai had lamented over having to go on blind date after blind date, he asked if Xu Yinian would pretend to date him to deal with those pressing him to get married. In the heat of the moment, he agreed. This was how they got to know each other. It was only sometime later that Yu Huai revealed the truth to him. When the two realms had decided on an alliance by marriage, Yu Huai¡¯s mother did not consider involving her own son at all. It was Yu Huai who had offered himself up. And the reason why Xu Yinian had been arranged to be matchmade with him was not because he was young, but because a certain someone had asked for him specifically. At a time when one was entirely clueless and in the dark, the other had already possessed selfish motives. Long before that warm autumn day in the library, Yu Huai had already fallen for him. CH 10 ¡°The practical test is in the afternoon. The punishment is so exciting this year, I¡¯m guessing all the guys will be fighting for their lives.¡± ¡°Did any of you notice that man next to the vice-principal? He¡¯s so handsome.¡± ¡°I saw him, I saw him! I accidentally glanced over during the exam. I¡¯m ready to faint from his hotness.¡± ¡°Shh, don¡¯t you know who that is?¡± ¡°Who?¡± The sound of conversation around him dragged Xu Yinian back to reality. Someone provided a name, and the girls went silent for a split second, all of their eyes wide open. A moment later, their voices became even more exuberant. ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°He¡¯s actually so good-looking in person! I always thought he was terrifying¡­¡± Even though he was practically a household name, after five years, there were very few students now who knew how Yu Huai looked. As Xu Yinian listened to them jabber about the various rumors they had heard, he couldn¡¯t help but let loose a laugh. The punishment that Yuan Mu had settled on had adequately raised all of the students¡¯ enthusiasm levels. Even a salted fish1 like Xia Ziheng had no choice but to reconcile to the practical exam. For the sake of fairness, students from each grade would only face opponents from their same grade. By the side of the 10th grade stage, the students who were waiting for their turn were shivering in fear. This was for no other reason than the boy with black hair and matching eyes that stood on the stage, the one that on average was electrocuting an opponent till they fainted every three minutes. Of the hundred or so people in his same cohort, he had knocked out approximately a third of them. ¡°Is the tyrant planning a massacre¡­¡± The male student got choked up, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t the vice-principal reflect on himself a little? Look how far up the wall he¡¯s driven him.¡± The face of the person standing by his side was a picture of despair. ¡°Can I surrender straightaway?¡± ¡°Even though I want to surrender too, isn¡¯t it a little embarrassing to throw in the towel immediately?¡± At the same time that the two of them were conversing, Xia Ziheng stepped onto the stage. ¡°Xiao Xu-ge,¡± Xia Ziheng was fully cognizant of his own abilities. Unlike the others who faced the challenge head-on, he played the friendship card instead. ¡°Since we¡¯re friends, how about taking it easy this time?¡± The electric current that sizzled at Xu Yinian¡¯s fingertips expanded with a flourish. ¡°Understood. You don¡¯t have to do anything.¡± Xia Ziheng quickly continued, ¡°I surrender.¡± The audience beneath the stage were dumbstruck. ¡°¡­Someone actually raised a white flag immediately.¡± ¡°My fellow brothers, the opportunity is nigh!¡± The male student speaking slapped his thighs hard, then announced in high spirits, ¡°Since someone has taken the lead, let us all concede together!¡± The next male student in line feared that Xu Yinian¡¯s hand would slip, immediately throwing out the honorifics the moment he stepped on stage. ¡°Xiao Xu-ge!¡± Xu Yinian was stunned. Before he had even figured out who this was, the male student yelped, ¡°Don¡¯t hit me, I admit defeat!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The students that followed after essentially all performed variations of the actions of the first, with a portion of them that enjoyed being dramatic and stirring the pot even taking a bow on stage. ¡°Ge, no violence please, I¡¯ll admit defeat immediately!¡± ¡°Surrender! I surrender!¡± ¡°Nian-ge, you get it. We¡¯re on the same team, I¡¯m just up here to go through the motions.¡± As an investor who was visiting the academy watched this scene that resembled gangsters letting their boss win, he grew astonished. ¡°This student is¡­?¡± Yuan Mu¡¯s expression remained unchanged as he smiled, ¡°An exemplary member of our school.¡± The investor understood immediately, following up with a laugh. ¡°Mr Yu also graduated from Maple Bridge academy, right? Indeed, capable people come forth in large numbers.¡± Yuan Mu pondered inwardly that he had hit the nail on the head. The year that this student had stood on the stage, not a single soul dared to step forward. ¡°The teachers taught me well.¡± Yu Huai¡¯s response was one born out of courtesy. His line of sight shifted to the stage; after Xu Yinian¡¯s new opponent had stepped up, Xu Yinian cast a steady gaze at him. Even though there was little discernible change in his expression, anyone familiar with him would be able to decipher his growing nerves. Seeing Ye Qiao walk onto the stage, Xu Yinian focused, silently gathering his powers in both his palms. He could never fully see through Ye Qiao¡¯s abilities. The majority of demon slayers grew up in Maple Bridge Academy; the number of transfer students like Ye Qiao could be counted on one hand. Four years ago, Xu Yinian gained an additional new transfer student roommate. The combination of being in different classes and Ye Qiao¡¯s taciturn meant that Xu Yinian did not initially sense anything peculiar about his roommate. It was only until they gradually got familiar with each other that he found out that be it his classroom assignments or practical assignments, Ye Qiao could maintain a standard that easily matched the rest of the students. He could execute tasks with skill and ease, forever able to stay perfectly average. He didn¡¯t know why Ye Qiao would hide his abilities. But if the other party didn¡¯t offer a reason, then he wouldn¡¯t ask either. As Ye Qiao watched Xu Yinian adopt a serious countenance, he recalled that the latter¡¯s theory exams typically garnered a single digit mark. He sighed, ¡°I admit defeat.¡± ¡°?¡± After finishing his sentence, Ye Qiao stepped off the stage. As it was in line with the image he had always maintained, no one noticed anything unusual. The next person on stage was another familiar face. Xu Yinian was finally facing off with someone entertaining. ¡°You won¡¯t admit defeat immediately, will you?¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± Chen Ran moved his fingers a little, his knuckles cracking. ¡°This opportunity is hard to come by. It would be a pity not to trash you; I¡¯ve never led a team member who was more troublesome than you.¡± ¡°That was what I thought too.¡± Xu Yinian finished talking, then expelled a large blast of electricity as he pounced. Lightning and blazing fire collided ferociously on the stage. After such a long time, someone finally dared to fight Xu Yinian; everyone was crowding forward to enjoy the action. It was a pity that the amount of space these two people were occupying in their fight was too large. With a ¡®BOOM¡¯, the stage was blown to pieces before the very eyes of the audience. In an instant, smoke and dust engulfed the air, and the students who were standing too close started to cough incessantly. After the flying sand and stray rock had dispersed, one of them lay on the ground. ¡°I concede.¡± Chen Ran wiped the traces of blood by his lips and threw in the towel straightforwardly. Xu Yinian approached him. ¡°Although you nag a lot for a team leader,¡± Xu Yinian stuck out a hand, ¡°if I were to end up in the same team with you in the make-up assessment, I wouldn¡¯t be against it.¡± A smile tugged at Chen Ran¡¯s lips as he responded with a sarcastic grunt. He accepted the hand Xu Yinian offered. In the evening, the practical tests concluded. The various teachers for each grade were responsible for tabulating everyone¡¯s overall scores. Because this year¡¯s punishment was unbelievably absurd and perverse, all the students had remained by the stage with their hearts in their mouths to wait for the results. Finally, Xu Yinian saw Dean Qin walk onto the stage with the results. Xia Ziheng, who stood by the side, had already started to recite his scriptures. ¡°Not me, not me, definitely not me.¡± ¡°Xia Ziheng.¡± Qin Weihang announced in a clear, loud voice. ¡°¡­¡± Xia Ziheng¡¯s face had gone ashen. ¡°My fucking shit luck.¡± ¡°Chen Chi, Lu Pengfei¡­¡± Dean Qin then continued ratting out a couple of names. Intermittent howls of grief echoed from the crowd. As the names were revealed successively, Xu Yinian unconsciously clenched his fists. ¡°The final student obtained the highest scores for the practical exam in his year, but his theory scores were¡­ It wouldn¡¯t matter even if you got one or two more points.¡± Dean Qin shook his head, then choked out with some amount of frustration, ¡°Xu Yinian!¡± Xia Ziheng had revived once more and was in high spirits. ¡°Xiao Xu-ge, my good brother!¡± Xu Yinian¡¯s face was sour as he stood in silence. Xia Ziheng thought that he had already accepted this reality and made to loop his arm around his good brother¡¯s shoulder. His fingers had just brushed against him¡ª ¡°Ouch!¡± Xia Ziheng wailed in pain. Xu Yinian¡¯s electric powers had overflowed again. For his powers to have seeped out, he was probably furious. The picnic was located along Maple Lake. A hundred years ago, a spell had been cast on all of the maple trees on campus, ensuring that they would maintain their fiery colors even in spring. Layer upon layer of maple trees lined the lakeshore, and on the grass beneath those trees were long tables and chairs. The student union had decorated the venue in advance, with thousands of lanterns that had been sent over at the last minute currently floating in the air. The glowing and luminous spores lingered in the air like little stars. In the middle of the venue, there were two long tables covered with delicacies of all kinds that students passing by were free to enjoy. Amidst the warmth of the spring breeze, the tantalizing aroma of food drifted in the wind. An evening like this should have been pleasing and comfortable, but the only thing Xu Yinian was thinking of was shoving his head into the wooden barrel filled with fruit juice. Courtesy of Yuan Mu, tonight¡¯s activities had gone from being a ¡®highly anticipated picnic¡¯ to a ¡®highly anticipated crossdressing affair¡¯. With an expressionless gaze, Xu Yinian placed a bowl of vegetable soup in front of a male junior from the 8th grade. ¡°Your soup, please enjoy.¡± After finishing his sentence, he made to leave without a second look. The junior hurriedly called out to him, ¡°Wait!¡± Xu Yinian halted his step. The instant their gazes met, the junior¡¯s demeanor shifted uncomfortably. Despite this senior carrying with him a preordained fate that was the trepidation of the entire Demon Slayer World along with his complete and arrogant annihilation of his grade in the afternoon, but¡­ His appearance was simply too elusive. The long and black straight wig had blended into his original hair, the bangs softening the harsh edges and angles of his boyish features. He was wearing the full maid outfit set with its lace hairband and black skirt, along with an apron tied around his waist that was even adorned with ruffles along the hem. Xu Yinian¡¯s complexion was extremely fair, his facial features impeccable and impossible to fault. In addition, his physique was tall and slim, his waist slender and legs long. While the other male waiters that were cross-dressing were faced with hahahahahahaha, the pause button seemed to be pushed in any space he walked through, with everyone successively looking in his direction. All of the girls in his vicinity were whispering in amazement. ¡°He¡¯s not wearing makeup?¡± ¡°My god, he¡¯s really bare-faced! Even those eyelashes are his own!¡± Dressed in this ridiculous getup, Xu Yinian was uneasy all over, the urge to get away from the crowd consuming his thoughts. Yet the junior that had called out to him was struck dumb and keeping silent. A little anxious, he urged, ¡°If you have something to say, just say it.¡± The junior rubbed his nose in embarrassment. ¡°On second thought, I¡¯ll add another bowl of seafood noodles.¡± The ¡°why didn¡¯t you say so earlier¡± that was right about to leave Xu Yinian¡¯s mouth made a turn last-minute. He answered courteously, ¡°Alright, please give me a moment.¡± He returned back to the pick-up point where he bumped into Xia Ziheng, who was similarly dressed in a maid outfit. The latter had already serenely accepted his ensemble. ¡°My good brother! I now think wearing women¡¯s clothing isn¡¯t too bad. It¡¯s the first time so many girls have stared at me.¡± ¡°My good brother, leave me alone.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Xu Yinian served the bowl of noodles to that junior, and was considering just pissing himself when a voice laced with laughter called out to him from a little table covered with entwining flower garlands that he¡¯d passed by. Xu Yinian turned his head and saw Yuan Mu and Yu Huai sitting by the table. The former nodded towards him, gesturing for him to come over. In that moment, Xu Yinian was not certain if he had successfully kept his facial expressions in check. He had observed the area to make sure that Yu Huai wasn¡¯t in the vicinity of that area before making his escape there on purpose. When did these two people show up? Also¡­ Glancing at Yuan Mu¡¯s smile, Xu Yinian wanted to compliment him for being the proactive bridge between the two realms¡¯ peaceful co-existence. He truly never forgot to bring along the national idol of the Demon Realm no matter where he went. No matter how unwilling Xu Yinian was, he had no choice but to walk step by step towards them. The first to speak was Yuan Mu. The vice-principal gave his outfit a once-over, and the hint of a smile buried along the corner of his eyes and the tips of his eyebrows deepened. ¡°Is it exhausting being a waiter?¡± ¡°Not at all,¡± Xu Yinian¡¯s tone was stiff. ¡°I¡¯m serving the people2.¡± Yuan Mu didn¡¯t seem to sense the acrimony in his voice. ¡°Treat it as an opportunity to gain experience.¡± Xu Yinian could not figure out how accumulating this sort of experience would benefit him at all. Yuan Mu blurted out, ¡°You¡¯re rather suited for this attire.¡± As he spoke, he pretended to casually ask the person next to him. ¡°What do you think, isn¡¯t this beautiful?¡± In his heart, Xu Yinian rebuked Yuan Mu for being an elder lacking self-respect. When he sensed Yu Huai looking over, his spine involuntarily tensed up, his breathing going shallow. He very quickly found his own reaction inexplicable. Yu Huai¡¯s temperament had gone through such a major change, he would definitely laugh at his current attire for being ridiculous, as ridiculous as his theory marks till there was no point of return¡­ The thousand lanterns made the surrounding space as bright as daylight, with Xu Yinian¡¯s expression well-lit. Yu Huai remembered that there was a small tear mole under Xu Yinian¡¯s eye. When he looked towards him, he paid particular attention to the corner of his eye. Sure enough, it was just like he had remembered it. ¡°He¡¯s always been beautiful.¡± Yu Huai answered softly. Xu Yinian was stumped for words, unable to believe what he had just heard. By the time he had recovered, the heat on his face was enough to set the prairie ablaze. Along with his neck and the tips of his ears, they had all gone red, through and through. Author¡¯s Notes: Xiao Xu, is your heart still doing okay?