A Wonton Shop Confession

At seven in the morning, Dan Fusheng and two others sat in a wonton shop.

This was a place Dan Fusheng had chosen; they occupied a corner while customers bustled in and out.

“Why aren’t you eating?” Dan Fusheng asked, referring to the long-established wonton shop he’d heard about from a friend.

Bai Yu glanced at Chen Gui beside him.

“Don’t mind him; he won’t starve to death. Just eat your own.” Dan Fusheng gestured towards the bowl in front of Bai Yu.

Bai Yu, however, couldn’t bring himself to eat. He clutched his briefcase. “I should probably hand this over first!”

Both Dan Fusheng and Chen Gui spoke simultaneously. “No rush.”

After speaking, Dan Fusheng and Chen Gui exchanged glances. Dan Fusheng chuckled, remarking on their tacit understanding as fellow disciples, while Chen Gui turned his head away, refusing to look at him.

Dan Fusheng paid no mind to Chen Gui’s attitude. “With the two of us here, are you still afraid someone will snatch it from you?”

Bai Yu knew Dan Fusheng had a point, yet he had never in his life handled anything so valuable.

His briefcase contained a spirit stone the size of a fist, a gift from Chen Gui.

After Chen Gui destroyed the microphone, Bai Yu reported it to his superiors and arranged compensation for the event organizer’s losses.

During this time, Dan Fusheng had been incessantly grumbling. He believed Chen Gui had yet to bring any benefits to the official authorities; instead, his impulsive and reckless actions had caused considerable trouble. It was much like when Chen Gui had previously misjudged the power gap between himself and Dan Fusheng, charging forward without a second thought.

Dan Fusheng was the Demon Lord. What if, in a moment of impulse, he went on a killing spree?

Bai Yu feared Chen Gui might lash out in anger and fight Dan Fusheng. Chen Gui’s expression had grown increasingly dark, and just as Bai Yu expected him to explode, Chen Gui suddenly nodded, agreeing with Dan Fusheng’s words.

Then, he vanished on the spot. He reappeared less than two seconds later, holding a high-grade spirit stone the size of a fist.

In Bai Yu’s understanding, high-grade spirit stones were typically ground into powder, diluted, and then sold as potions. Holding the high-grade spirit stone, Bai Yu felt it was burning hot, terrified that this treasure might cause some mishap in his hands.

“Chen Gui is easily tricked, isn’t he?” Dan Fusheng, who was eating his wontons, suddenly asked.

Bai Yu quickly shook his head. “No!”

“The price of a high-grade spirit stone and a microphone are completely disproportionate,” Dan Fusheng said with a smile. “You don’t need to be so reserved. No matter how outrageous your words, he won’t do anything.”

Bai Yu dared not respond.

“I used to trick that kid, Chen Gui, all the time,” Dan Fusheng reminisced with a wistful expression.

“Is it because of your good relationship as fellow disciples?” Bai Yu tried to smooth things over.

“No, it was to trick and kill.” Dan Fusheng rested his chin on his hand. “After all, Chen Gui’s strength is too formidable; he’s a threat to the demon race, isn’t he?” He turned to ask Chen Gui.

Chen Gui ignored him.

Dan Fusheng sighed again. “It’s a pity I never made up my mind to do it myself. I’m still too soft-hearted.”

Bai Yu: ‘…’

“Um… what are you talking about?” The woman wrapping wontons nearby couldn’t help but ask.

Although Dan Fusheng and his companions were seated in a corner, their striking appearances were too attention-grabbing, and their voices were not particularly low.

“Us? We’re rehearsing a play.” Dan Fusheng pointed to himself. “I’m playing the Demon Lord.”

“Oh, I thought as much.” The woman didn’t consider Dan Fusheng an excellent actor. “But young man, your emotions are quite flat; there’s no tension.” Though Dan Fusheng had a handsome face, he clearly lacked much talent in acting.

Chen Gui gritted his teeth. “You might as well have killed me then!” His voice wasn’t loud, but it startled Bai Yu beside him.

The woman wrapping wontons looked on with approval. “This young man’s acting is very convincing.”

“Is it?” Dan Fusheng reached out to pinch Chen Gui’s face, but before he could touch him, Chen Gui slapped his hand away.

“So fierce,” Dan Fusheng continued to smile. “Is there any need to be so angry? Haven’t you ambushed and tried to kill me many times too?”

“You know nothing, you care about nothing.” Chen Gui stared into Dan Fusheng’s eyes. “Do you know how Master died?”

“Why should I know such a thing?”

“Indeed, a demon is a demon.”

The demons and half-demons in the wonton shop looked up at Chen Gui.

Bai Yu quickly waved his hands. “Just rehearsing lines! A play! A play, ha-ha-ha.”

After smoothing things over, he lowered his voice. “Mr. Chen, this is Holy City. There are demons and half-demons everywhere.” He himself was also a half-demon.

Chen Gui lowered his head. “My apologies.”

“See? My junior disciple was protected too well by Master; he knows nothing.”

“You’re always like this.” Chen Gui pursed his lips. “Always acting as if you’ve endured so much suffering, believing the whole world owes you, then killing and causing chaos without any remorse.”

“That’s why I say you were protected too well by Master. You’re over two thousand seven hundred years old, yet you still can’t see through anything.”

“See through? I saw through it long ago. The only thing I can’t see through is you. Why did Master still care about you? Why can you treat it so lightly? Master died because of you…”

“Died because of me? Don’t be ridiculous. Master, that old fox, knew what he was doing.”

“You are utterly rebellious!”

“You are utterly stupid!”

“You’re smart? If you were smart, you wouldn’t have become the Demon Lord.”

“Smarter than you, anyway. I still remember a little brat who always liked to hug my thigh and say, ‘Senior Brother is the best, Senior Brother knows everything.’ You yourself admitted it.”

“Slander.”

“Fine, I’m slandering. Whoever said those words is a little bastard.”

“You?!”

The woman wrapping wontons leaned back slightly. “Who wrote these lines? It sounds like children arguing. How could the Demon Lord say such things?”

Bai Yu: “Ah, ha-ha-ha.”

Chen Gui was so enraged by Dan Fusheng that his face flushed. His brows furrowed, making him appear even more menacing.

Bai Yu wanted to calm Chen Gui, but he dared not, fearing Dan Fusheng would only fan the flames.

Chen Gui fell silent, while Dan Fusheng had already finished his bowl of wontons.

Bai Yu led the two living ancestors back to the administrative building, where he submitted the spirit stone from his briefcase. Afterward, he accompanied Dan Fusheng to a karaoke session with Dan Fusheng’s elderly friends, and even accepted their invitation for a trip, planning to visit a scenic spot together.

Throughout, Chen Gui offered no opinions, acting like a mere wooden dummy, following Dan Fusheng and Bai Yu around.

Bai Yu could sense that Chen Gui was trying to lower his presence, not wanting to be spoken to. However, Chen Gui’s tall stature and fierce appearance always startled the elderly men and women the moment they saw his face.

“He’s actually a very upright cultivator; his fierce aura is used to suppress evil demons,” Dan Fusheng explained on Chen Gui’s behalf. “Demon cultivators, on the other hand, often have a more harmless demeanor.”

“Then are you a demon cultivator?” an old woman asked Dan Fusheng.

Dan Fusheng nodded.

“Well, there’s no war now, and demons and humans aren’t fighting, so it’s better not to be scary.” An old man, who had undergone heart bypass surgery, felt that looking at Chen Gui any longer would make him ill.

“It’s alright, isn’t it?” Dan Fusheng looked at Chen Gui’s overly serious face. “Not too scary.”

‘Is that so?’ Bai Yu thought Dan Fusheng was joking, especially since demons felt Chen Gui’s fierce aura even more intensely.

Dan Fusheng stroked his chin, looking left and right, still not finding Chen Gui scary. “Isn’t this quite cute?”

The word ‘cute’ was far too much.

“He even has baby fat,” Dan Fusheng said, pointing at Chen Gui’s stern face.

“Uh, where?” Bai Yu couldn’t see it.

Chen Gui’s face was sharply defined, with a high nose bridge and close-set brows that somewhat overshadowed his eyes, making his gaze appear profound and inscrutable. His lips were thin, and his skin firm.

“With a bit of effort, you should be able to pinch the flesh on his face,” Dan Fusheng insisted on his view.

Bai Yu: “That’s skin, isn’t it?”

“After all, he’s a bit old now; there’s only a tiny bit of baby fat left,” Dan Fusheng said with some regret. “Fortunately, he’s maintained it well over the past thousand years, preventing the baby fat from completely disappearing.”

Bai Yu: ‘…’

‘So, Mr. Chen also had this overly imposing appearance before? Was the baby fat merely a figment of Mr. Dan’s imagination?’

Chen Gui remained silent, and Bai Yu wasn’t sure what he was thinking.

Dan Fusheng seemed to have some affection for this junior disciple of his, but the extent of his true feelings remained unknown.

Dan Fusheng was indeed very dangerous.

He seemed approachable, yet he remained the inscrutable Demon Lord.

‘Could Mr. Chen also not see through Dan Fusheng?’

Bai Yu wrestled with these thoughts for a long while before finally giving up.

‘These problems should be left for his superiors to ponder. If Dan Fusheng ever lost control, Bai Yu would most likely be the first to die, so he didn’t need to consider so much.’

Bai Yu followed Dan Fusheng everywhere, eventually returning home to eat a dinner prepared by Dan Fusheng. After eating his fill, he went back to his room to prepare for cultivation and meditation.

Before closing his door, he glanced at the room directly opposite.

Chen Gui stood rooted in the corner, his gaze fixed on Dan Fusheng, who, unconcerned, hummed a tune while rummaging for a change of clothes.

Dan Fusheng didn’t use cleansing spells; he preferred to bathe himself. Despite having no bodily secretions, he insisted on taking a bath every day.

And Chen Gui would follow him to the bathroom, continuing to stare at Dan Fusheng.

‘It felt a little strange…’

‘The Demon Lord truly lived up to his title, able to bathe calmly under such an intense gaze.’

Dan Fusheng not only bathed but also chatted with Chen Gui, even though Chen Gui was reluctant to engage with him.

After washing, he even invited Chen Gui to help him blow-dry his hair, but Chen Gui stepped back, refusing.

“So cold,” Dan Fusheng sighed softly.

Just before going to sleep, Dan Fusheng suddenly asked, “Strictly speaking, I was the one who raised you, wasn’t I?”

“What is it?” Chen Gui narrowed his eyes.

“You were so difficult to raise when you were young,” Dan Fusheng sighed.

“Then why didn’t you just strangle me?” Chen Gui asked.

Dan Fusheng: ‘…’

“Strangle me, then blame it on other demons. You didn’t want a junior disciple anyway,” Chen Gui said coldly. “You could do it, couldn’t you?”

“I wouldn’t be so deranged as to go that far.” Dan Fusheng pulled up his blanket. “What kind of image do you have of me in your heart?”

“A rotten person,” Chen Gui replied quickly.

“Senior Brother often bought you candy cakes!”

“A rotten person who’s very good at disguising it.”

“Senior Brother gets sad too!” Dan Fusheng flailed about.

Chen Gui remained unmoved. “It would be a good thing if you could die of sadness.”

Dan Fusheng did not respond.

Chen Gui waited for a moment, then heard even breathing—Dan Fusheng had fallen asleep.

“You truly don’t care.” Chen Gui pulled a red pill from his pocket. He squeezed it slightly, and the pill immediately crumbled into powder.

At the moment of its shattering, the pill seemed to spark with a crimson glow, but soon the powder dissolved into the air.

[There’s your senior brother’s blood in this.]

[I can’t see through him anymore. I don’t know if he was putting on a show or… if he truly meant it.]

[If the seal breaks and he returns… kill him.]

[We cannot gamble.]

Chen Gui sat on the edge of Dan Fusheng’s bed, staring at Dan Fusheng’s face for a long time.

Then, his hand slowly moved to Dan Fusheng’s neck.

Dan Fusheng’s cultivation was temporarily sealed. Chen Gui’s spiritual energy slowly probed in, blocking the circulation of demonic energy.

‘The people of this world can no longer afford to gamble…’

Chen Gui’s hand tightened sharply.

“Ugh! Gurgle…” Dan Fusheng instinctively struggled. Chen Gui pressed down on Dan Fusheng’s chest.

“Open your eyes!” Chen Gui said in a deep voice. “I know you’re awake!”

Dan Fusheng did not respond.

With his breath cut off, Chen Gui could feel something growing weaker in his hand.

“I know you’re awake!”

Dan Fusheng still did not respond.

Just before a certain pulse severed, Chen Gui withdrew his hand.

He stood up, breathing heavily.

“What a pity,” Dan Fusheng slowly opened his eyelids, looking at the ceiling. “Just a little more.”

Chen Gui was still panting.

“You couldn’t bear to?” Dan Fusheng’s power had not yet recovered, but he was in no hurry. “Or is it that, even though you truly hate your second senior brother, once he dies, you’ll be the only one left in this world… and you’ll feel very lonely?”

Chen Gui: ‘…’

Dan Fusheng chuckled lightly. “How selfish.”

“You wanted me to open my eyes, to confirm my emotions? Fear? Regret?”

“Shut up!” Chen Gui reached out and harshly covered the lower half of Dan Fusheng’s face.

Dan Fusheng reached up and covered Chen Gui’s hand.

Chen Gui immediately leaped back, returning to his monitoring position.

“I can kill you, you know,” Chen Gui said, steadying his breathing.

Dan Fusheng raised an eyebrow.

“I can also take you down with me,” Chen Gui gritted his teeth. “If I can’t kill you, I can drag you to your death.”

Dan Fusheng exclaimed, “Must it be so dramatic?”

“It’s what I deserve; I was soft-hearted towards a thing like you,” Chen Gui said, crossing his arms, finally regaining his composure.

“What do you mean, ‘a thing like you’? Were you always this impolite?” Dan Fusheng lay spread-eagled on the bed.

The two of them fell silent for a while.

Dan Fusheng suddenly asked, “I can’t feel my cultivation right now. If someone came to assassinate me, would you protect me?”

“No.”

“What did I raise you for?!” Dan Fusheng demanded.

“You can drag me to my death.” Chen Gui, in any case, would not lift a finger to protect this damned Demon Lord.

“You really are always ready to sacrifice yourself,” Dan Fusheng conceded helplessly.

The atmosphere between them went silent again for a while.

Dan Fusheng: “Um…”

Chen Gui became wary.

Dan Fusheng: “Does Senior Brother want to give you a hug?”

“Huh?” Chen Gui frowned deeply.

“I felt you were quite vulnerable just now,” Dan Fusheng said. “After all, I did raise you.”

Chen Gui thought Dan Fusheng had a problem in his head. “I just tried to kill you!”

“I sensed it.”

“You tried to ambush and kill me before too!”

“I was just exiled, not suffering from amnesia.” Dan Fusheng patted the bedside. “Does Senior Brother want to give you a hug?”

“No.”

“Ah, what a pity,” Dan Fusheng rolled over, closed his eyes, and fell back asleep.

The next day, six in the morning.

Bai Yu woke up with a yawn, just in time to see Dan Fusheng, already changed into his training clothes.

Dan Fusheng waved at him. “Good morning~”

“Good… Whoa!!!” Bai Yu’s eyes finally focused. He pointed at the purplish-black bruise on Dan Fusheng’s neck. “That, that, that?!”

“This?” Dan Fusheng reached up and touched it.

His power had recovered, but his and Chen Gui’s powers were mutually restrictive, so the mark wasn’t so easy to remove. “My junior disciple and I had a breakthrough in our relationship yesterday; we had intimate contact!”

Bai Yu’s hands trembled, and his breathing almost stopped.

‘Those two must have fought!’

“Chen Gui is quite passionate, ha-ha-ha.” Dan Fusheng looked at Chen Gui, whose gaze had also been fixed on that mark.

Upon noticing Dan Fusheng’s gaze, Chen Gui shifted his attention to other parts of Dan Fusheng’s body.

“See? My junior disciple is shy.”

Bai Yu’s teeth chattered.

He had a feeling that if this continued, there would be a huge problem.