Chapter 78: Demon Lord (23)

Qian was preparing for her second attempt at running away from home.

This time was completely different from when she had first arrived, knowing nothing and not even making it past the gates of the Demon Palace.

She had chosen a perfect opportunity!

First and foremost, her biggest obstacle—her father, the Demon Lord—had gone out. Based on the information she had overheard, he would be away for at least half a month.

As long as she could evade Liu Sha and Luo Ye, she would have plenty of time to get far away.

Moreover, everyone in the Demon Palace had been busy lately because the grandest festival in the Demon Realm, the Spring Celebration, was approaching.

Long ago, the Spring Celebration marked the beginning of the demons’ breeding season. Over time, it had evolved into a grand event where demons from all over the realm paid tribute to the Demon Lord while engaging in trade.

Even the Demon Palace had become more crowded than usual, providing Qian with an opportunity to slip away.

Armed with the Shifang Mountain Painting Scroll and the “toys” she had gathered from various elder protectors and demon generals—especially clutching Liu Sha’s treasured artifact, the Illusory Mirror—Qian successfully hid inside a cart transporting medicinal waste for Xun Peng, escaping the Demon Palace.

Since Xun Peng had been busy refining medicine for the Young Master, he had become a prominent figure in the palace. His supply carts came and went daily, and inspections had grown lax.

The cart, reeking of blood, passed through a small alleyway in Demon City. Like a nimble kitten, Qian leaped off and darted into the maze of narrow streets and buildings.

Using the concealment techniques she had employed in the Mortal realm, she now had black hair and black eyes, with a mask covering her face, making her look entirely unremarkable.

A child wandering alone in an unfamiliar city was dangerous enough in the Mortal realm, where kidnappers lurked in the shadows. In the Demon Realm, the danger was even greater.

As Qian moved through the alleys, she could feel numerous eyes watching her from the shadowy doorways. Figures peeked out from the upper floors of the buildings as well.

Demon City was filled with alleys lined with closely spaced buildings, making it an ideal setting for violence and crime.

Especially now, with the Spring Celebration approaching, the city was flooded with demons from all over, creating a chaotic and restless atmosphere.

“Where’d this kid come from? Looks delicious. Slurp.”

“Not sure which demon tribe she’s from, but her scent is strange. Still, she smells… tasty.”

Sinister voices whispered from above, reaching Qian’s ears.

Clutching the small “toys” hidden in her clothes, Qian turned and ran down another street.

Yet no matter which alley she entered, she could feel greedy, covetous gazes trailing her. Worse still, the sound of footsteps began to follow her.

As she ran, her foot suddenly struck something.

It was a dead end, piled high with refuse. But what she had kicked wasn’t trash—it was a corpse. Beyond it, a tangled heap of bodies filled the alley, numbering over a dozen. Some retained humanoid forms, while others had reverted to their demonic shapes.

“Hahaha! Little girl, why’d you run into our ‘garbage dump’? This isn’t a place for kids—come here.”

The demons who had been chasing her closed in, their faces filled with hungry anticipation.

“Tell us who your parents are, and we might send you home.”

If she turned out to have a powerful background, they would return her safely. If she was just an ordinary demon… well, she would end up in their stomachs.

Qian pulled out a small bell and shook it.

This was a “toy” the Second Elder had crafted for her, modeled after his Urging Bell. Though less powerful, it was more than enough to make every corpse in the alley rise and obey her command.

One by one, the grotesque bodies behind her lurched to life, shambling toward the demons. Seizing the distraction, Qian slipped through a gap and ran.

This time, no footsteps followed.

She had planned to leave Demon City entirely and escape even farther away, but the city was vast, its streets confusingly complex. She quickly got lost.

Every time she encountered danger, she used one of her “toys” to deal with it, narrowly avoiding disaster time and again.

Luo Ye and Liu Sha had taught her how to properly play with these toys, while Han Qiu had instructed her in some magic techniques.

When they had tried to teach her, they had often sighed, believing Qian wasn’t paying attention.

What they didn’t realize was that while she was lazy, she wasn’t stupid—she had remembered everything.

In just a single day outside, she had already mastered using what they had taught her.

As night fell, the entire Demon City was illuminated by red lanterns.

Only a few places shone with white or golden light. Red lanterns were fueled by a cheap oil extracted from a low-grade beast, making them affordable, while white and gold lamps were far more expensive.

Demons were accustomed to the red glow, but Qian found it unsettling. At night, the city looked like the setting of a horror story, sending shivers down her spine.

Occasionally, she emerged from the alleys and caught sight of the distant Demon Palace.

The grand palace loomed above the rest of Demon City, bathed in golden and white light, resembling a radiant citadel suspended above the world, awe-inspiring and unreachable.

But Qian only glanced at it briefly before darting into another alleyway.

The city remained lively after dark, filled with the stench of alcohol and strange scents.

Qian kept to the edges of the streets, but the towering demons she passed all cast curious glances her way.

“Hmm? That scent…”

A drunken man swayed toward her, sniffing the air. His lips parted, revealing four prominent fangs.

“Hey, keep your distance. Don’t block my doorway.”

A door suddenly swung open behind Qian, revealing a woman with a curvaceous silhouette. Her voice was sharp and commanding.

Qian obediently stepped aside, only for the woman to grab her by the collar and pull her inside.

“I wasn’t talking to you.”

Leaning against the doorframe, the woman addressed the man outside: “If you haven’t had your fill of wine, why don’t you come in? I’ll make sure you drink your fill.”

The man, apparently recognizing her, let out a sheepish chuckle. “No need, no need. I wouldn’t dare drink Boss Li’s wine. I’ll be on my way now.”

Even as he backed away, he cast a regretful glance at Qian.

The woman—referred to as Boss Li—let out a snort and slammed the door shut.

She turned her head, and the dim yellow light in the room cast a glow on her face, like the sunset draping over a lotus flower—graceful, delicate, and enchanting.

Other than her Demon Lord father, this auntie was the most beautiful person Qian had ever seen in this world.

That was why she wasn’t running away right now.

Boss Li crouched down, her expression softening.

“Child, you’re a half-blood Enchanting demon, aren’t you? Don’t be afraid, I’m a Enchanting demon too.”

Known for their beauty, the Enchanting demon were one of the weakest races among the demons. However, they were usually very protective of their children. In the past, when the Enchanting demon were numerous and lived together, they would even look after the children of their kind.

The scent of a Enchanting demon was too faint for other demons to detect, but as one herself, Boss Li could recognize the familiar fragrance.

She couldn’t identify the other demon bloodline in the child, but she could tell it belonged to a powerful race.

“Heh, did you crawl through a crack in the wall? Look at all this dust—you’re like a little soot-covered kitten.”

The runaway kitten was hungry.

Qian sat on a tall stool, watching Boss Li prepare food for her behind a curtain. This place seemed like a small tavern, with the counter nearly buried under rows of wine jars.

“Here, eat up.” Boss Li placed a bowl of sweet glutinous rice dumplings in front of her.

Qian pushed up the mask on her face, revealing a small mouth as she blew on the steaming dumplings.

“Hey, why are you wearing a mask? It’s inconvenient to eat with it on. Just take it off.”

Qian quickly covered her mask.

“Alright, alright, I won’t touch it, okay? Just eat up, little kitten.”

Not only did Boss Li give her food, but she also provided her with a place to stay—a cozy little bed, soft and well-padded, with even a small handmade fabric tiger inside.

At dawn, Boss Li got up with her hair down and went to check the little bed, only to find it empty. The child was gone, leaving behind only a piece of paper weighed down by the fabric tiger.

Scrawled in wobbly demon script were the words: “Thank you, the dumplings were delicious,” followed by a smiley face.

Qian was lost again. She had no idea where she was, but it looked like a market.

This market was far noisier and more chaotic than those in the Mortal realm! Cages of all sizes lined the streets, holding not only animals but also people.

Many of the goods displayed at street stalls were bloody and raw.

A few caravans were jammed together, quarreling over something—apparently, some cargo had gone missing.

Exhausted and unwilling to walk any further, Qian quietly climbed onto one of the carts, hoping to hitch a free ride.

Inside, there was an empty cage with its door wide open. Wanting a bit more space to lie down, she casually pushed the door further open and crawled inside.

Sprawling out, she let out a long breath, closed her eyes, and fell asleep to the cart’s rocking motion.

When she woke up, everything was silent, and the cart was no longer moving.

Qian opened the cage door and lifted the curtain blocking the outside view to see where she was.

As soon as she pulled the curtain aside, she locked eyes with an adorable, fair-skinned face.

It was a boy around her age, with black hair tied into a bun at the back of his head, long dark eyelashes framing his bright, clear eyes.

His small face was set in a determined expression as he looked at Qian and then at the open cage behind her.

“Shh, don’t make a sound,” the boy whispered, pulling Qian down from the cart.

“You were captured by them too? Don’t be afraid, I can help you escape.”

The just-awakened Qian: “?”

The boy led her through the temporary camp, moving cautiously, his breath held as if fearing to be heard. Qian, finding his wariness contagious, instinctively slowed her breathing as well. They crept past a noisy, crowded tent.

It felt like playing a game—kind of fun.

At one point, they were almost discovered. The boy pressed his lips together and, with a face full of noble sacrifice, whispered, “I’ll distract them. You have to run!”

As the son of Lingyu Immortal, Qu Lingyu had been taught from a young age to be a man like his father—righteous, fearless, and honorable.

But before he could act, before he could rush out, the two searchers had already been blinded by a flick of Qian’s Elder Nine’s enchanted fan. They were too busy rubbing their eyes to notice them.

Holding the fan and looking at him innocently, Qian blinked. “Hm?”

The two children dashed out of the caravan camp and squeezed through a hole in a wall, entering an abandoned ancestral shrine.

“Alright, we should be safe here for now.” The boy checked their surroundings before turning to Qian. “I’m Qu… My name is Lingyu. What’s yours?”

“I’m Qian.”

“I noticed that when you used that magic item just now, you were using Immortal Cultivation techniques. You must be from the cultivation world too, right? I am as well, so don’t worry—I’ll take you back to the cultivation world with me.” Qu Lingyu solemnly promised.

Qian had been about to say she wasn’t, but hearing that last part, she shut her mouth.

If she went to the cultivation world, her dad would never find her.

Gurgle. Qu Lingyu’s stomach suddenly rumbled, making his face flush.

Qian immediately pointed to the offerings on the shrine table. “There’s food!”

Qu Lingyu refused without thinking. “You can’t eat shrine offerings!”

Qian glanced at the statue being worshiped—a terrifying demonic deity with beast-like features.

Curious, she asked, “Who is this supposed to be?”

Qu Lingyu was silent for a moment before realizing—it was a Demon Realm deity. He didn’t need to respect an enemy’s god!

With that thought, he stepped forward, grabbed a plate of offerings, bit into a supply cake, and shared some with Qian.

Qian didn’t hesitate to eat, but…

“It’s awful.”

“Even if it’s awful, eat some. Otherwise, you’ll be hungry. Once we get home, we can have delicious food.” Qu Lingyu consoled her in a proper, serious tone.

Qian stared at him for a long moment before suddenly saying, “How about you become my new big brother?”

Qu Lingyu: “What?”

Qian sighed wistfully. “I had a brother before, but then… now I don’t have one anymore.”

The details were too complicated, so she decided to leave them out.

Even with her mask on, her expression was filled with indescribable melancholy. Qu Lingyu thought he understood—her brother must have died.

To keep her from feeling sad and losing hope of escaping from enemy territory, Qu Lingyu straightened his small back.

Driven by a sense of responsibility, he firmly agreed, “Alright, I’ll be your brother.”