The Underwater City’s Welcome

The age gap among the disciples in their sect was quite significant. Ying Wangyou still remembered nothing, but Dan Fusheng remembered her, and only her, from their early days.

Chen Gui, however, remembered both his senior brother and senior sister. By then, Chen Gui had already been by Dan Fusheng’s side for many years.

“Aren’t you afraid of me?” Dan Fusheng asked, wrapping an arm around Chen Gui’s neck.

Chen Gui shook his head. “You’ve always been like this. I’m more curious why your true nature differs so much from what you show now.” What exactly had Dan Fusheng experienced during those five years of infancy?

“Because my current cheerfulness and extroversion are just hiding my shattered inner self,” Dan Fusheng defended himself dramatically.

“I know,” Chen Gui replied, understanding.

Dan Fusheng tried to lean on him, but Chen Gui reached out and pushed his head away. “You used that to trick me before.”

Dan Fusheng feigned innocence. “…Did I?”

“Yes, you did. You were in your teens when I met you,” Chen Gui stated, knowing Dan Fusheng was about to try his old tricks again. “You once used that routine to get me to wash your clothes and take care of your daily needs.”

Chen Gui had looked after Dan Fusheng for several months, believing he was healing his senior brother’s childhood trauma. Dan Fusheng had always praised him back then.

Chen Gui continued, “Didn’t you occasionally tell me, ‘Junior Brother, it’s a good thing I have you,’ or ‘Only by your side do I feel safe’?”

Dan Fusheng stammered, “Uh…”

“And then you’d act all dependent, leaving all the chores to me?” Chen Gui himself hadn’t seen through it at the time. It was only later, when their Master couldn’t bear it anymore, that True Monarch You Qing scolded Dan Fusheng right in front of Chen Gui.

When Master was scolding Dan Fusheng, Chen Gui even thought True Monarch You Qing was being too harsh. Filled with righteous indignation, he had spread his arms to shield his senior brother. He almost never defied his Master, but that time, Chen Gui truly felt True Monarch You Qing had gone too far. He righteously refuted him, saying his senior brother was fragile and shouldn’t be condemned. He also didn’t feel his senior brother was exploiting him; his senior brother had always been good to him.

Why should care between senior and junior brothers be called exploitation? If Dan Fusheng could care for him, couldn’t he also care for Dan Fusheng in return?

The more Chen Gui spoke, the more he felt justified. He had declared loudly back then: “Caring for Senior Brother is my own choice! I know what I’m doing! I’m happy to take care of Senior Brother!”

At that moment, True Monarch You Qing was stunned. After a brief moment of shock, he looked up and stared intently at Dan Fusheng. “You’re still bullying him?!” The unspoken implication was: ‘This child is already this foolish, and you’re still exploiting him.’

Dan Fusheng hadn’t expected it either; he too was dumbfounded. Upon realizing his junior brother had been thoroughly tricked by him, Dan Fusheng felt a rare twinge of guilt. He had told Chen Gui that his senior brother had only been joking.

And that word, “joke,” had completely shattered Chen Gui’s trust in Dan Fusheng.

After listening to Chen Gui’s recollection, Dan Fusheng silently patted his back. “You’re quite pitiful, too.”

“It’s fine,” Chen Gui replied, already accustomed to it.

“So how did we develop a romantic relationship after that? Did I trick you into it?” Dan Fusheng couldn’t comprehend.

“The Inner Demon didn’t explain; it told me to figure it out myself,” Chen Gui admitted, equally puzzled.

Dan Fusheng sighed.

Chen Gui pressed on with the question that made him curious. “So, what did you experience during those five years? Originally, Dan Fusheng was quite a normal child.”

Dan Fusheng quirked the corner of his mouth. “Do you think I’ve gotten better or worse this way?”

Chen Gui felt that Dan Fusheng’s character had stabilized somewhat. As for his personality… he had shifted from self-consumption to harming others. “For you personally, this change is good.”

“So, Master really did do the right thing after all,” Dan Fusheng remarked. He had been forced by True Monarch You Qing. He had been a normal person, but his Master wasn’t. His Master could pull off any abstract trick imaginable.

In fact, Dan Fusheng had been influenced even before he turned five, but at that age, he was still at a loss as to how to deal with his abstract Master. Later, quantitative change led to qualitative change. After prolonged suppression, Dan Fusheng completely liberated himself. Before this, he would go to sleep in fear, dreading nightmares of strange things. After waking, he didn’t even dare to open his eyes, afraid he’d see True Monarch You Qing’s colorful face the moment he did.

But after liberating his true nature, Dan Fusheng feared nothing. He never had those nightmares again. If he woke up and saw his Master, he would reach out and touch his Master’s face, calling out, “My little beauty, so impatient.” By then, it would be his Master’s turn to be afraid.

Dan Fusheng looked up at Ying Wangyou, who was flying across the sky. “Senior Sister is only ten years old now, right?”

Chen Gui sensed trouble. “What else do you want to do?”

“Senior Sister has no memories, but she remembers her love for me.” Dan Fusheng couldn’t trick Chen Gui, but he could certainly trick his Senior Sister, whose memories were incomplete!

Chen Gui grabbed Dan Fusheng’s wrist.

“I’m not bullying Senior Sister; I just want her to experience the beauty of familial affection.” Dan Fusheng broke free from Chen Gui and began waving at Ying Wangyou.

His efforts were in vain because Bai Yu arrived.

Bai Yu brought a folder, which he handed to Jade Mastiff, then announced to the children in the courtyard, “We’re going to the bottom of the sea.”

“We are?!” Dan Fusheng and Chen Gui pointed to themselves.

Bai Yu nodded.

Ying Wangyou descended from the sky, transforming into her human form. “Why are we going into the sea?”

“Ying Wangyou grew up in the sea until she was five. During those five years, the City Lord of the Underwater City never sent us any information. Perhaps we can find something True Monarch You Qing left behind in the sea,” Bai Yu explained.

Jade Mastiff opened the folder and began reviewing the documents. “Why is Dan Fusheng going?”

“Because Mr. Dan has also shown symptoms of infantilization,” Bai Yu said. “Moreover, the situation in the Underwater City is quite special, and it will be convenient for Dan Fusheng to handle matters there.”

The Underwater City was independent of the six major districts, and its area was greater than all six districts combined. It was the territory of the demon race, and its connection with the land had never been close.

Originally, the Underwater City was managed by the Dragon Race. Later, some incidents occurred, and the pure-blooded Dragon Race was essentially wiped out. Afterward, a great demon supported by humans temporarily managed the seabed for a period. However, they currently didn’t know the race or name of that great demon, because he was killed by the Demon Lord.

Now, the seabed was governed by the Flood Dragon Clan.

Dan Fusheng’s reputation among humans was not good, but among demons, he was an object of worship. Therefore, the authorities treated such a significant troublemaker as Dan Fusheng with caution.

Among the aquatic demon race, the Demon Lord was practically a god. They didn’t believe he had any problems. To this day, they didn’t particularly favor humans, and their desire to communicate with land creatures was not strong. It was only because the aquatic demons had no real conflict of interest with land creatures. After all, they weren’t the Dragon Race, unable to maintain consistent cultivation speeds both above and below water. Even if they seized the land, they couldn’t use it.

The land species were the same. Back then, those humans coveted the demigod bodies of the Dragon Race; they didn’t covet the territory in the sea. Later, when humans, demons, and monsters underwent a great fusion, the aquatic demons were largely left out.

And judging by the aquatic demons’ behavior, if it weren’t for the natural barrier of the ocean, they would certainly have caused trouble. The only two humans they thought were decent were Chen Gui and True Monarch You Qing. True Monarch You Qing had an excellent relationship with the aquatic demons, and Chen Gui, concerned for his Senior Sister, had helped them a great deal.

Their only dissatisfaction with Chen Gui was that he had actually attacked Dan Fusheng!

Dan Fusheng had avenged the Dragon Race and protected them from evil human control; he was a great, benevolent demon! How could Chen Gui attack him?! Moreover, Dan Fusheng’s actions involved leading the demon and monster races in resisting humans! This was a great, benevolent deed!

So, during the period when Dan Fusheng and Chen Gui were fighting most fiercely, when they both wished to smash each other’s brains out, the aquatic demons only advised Chen Gui to back down. There was no need to advise Dan Fusheng; everything he did was right. At that time, the City Lord of the sea would send dozens of letters a month to advise Chen Gui, while Dan Fusheng only received local sea delicacies as gifts.

This made Chen Gui extremely frustrated, but he could also understand why these demons acted that way. In short, bringing Dan Fusheng was partly to clarify the matter of the dragon eggs, and partly because having him made it easier to communicate with the aquatic demons.

“The aquatic demons don’t think highly of me.” Jade Mastiff was certainly going to accompany them, but his past interactions with the aquatic demons had been far from pleasant. The aquatic demons were very proud. Even before humans attacked them, they had already begun to dislike land demons—for no other reason than that land demons were weaker than them.

And the label they likely slapped on Jade Mastiff was “ugly, long-furred land demon who betrayed the Demon Lord.”

“With you by Dan Fusheng’s side, they won’t be too harsh,” Bai Yu reassured Jade Mastiff.

“Why is Si Chen going too?! Are you crazy! Si Chen is the reincarnation of the Second Prince of the Yu Kingdom!” Jade Mastiff exclaimed, startled to see Si Chen’s name. “Aren’t you afraid Si Chen will die underwater?”

“Si Chen said he couldn’t find the secret of the royal family’s resurrection technique on land, so he wants to look in the sea. Don’t worry, the Second Prince is an old friend of Dan Fusheng; to them, the Second Prince isn’t an enemy.” Bai Yu had already asked; the other party wasn’t too pleased, but they chose to accept.

Jade Mastiff understood. “But… Si Chen hasn’t appeared since Dan Fusheng became small, has he? What does he mean by this?”

“I asked that too,” Bai Yu said. “He said Mr. Dan’s pitiful appearance made him uncomfortable. He has psychological trauma from raising children; he raised a child and the child died.”

“And now he’s not afraid of psychological trauma anymore?” Jade Mastiff asked with a chuckle.

“He said he’s very familiar with the current Dan Fusheng, and he’s fine now.”

Jade Mastiff was still not satisfied, but he didn’t say anything more.

After deciding to enter the sea, Bai Yu gave Dan Fusheng and Chen Gui water-repelling bracelets.

“Fu Sheng doesn’t need one,” Ying Wangyou said. “His earring is water-repelling.”

Bai Yu instinctively wanted to retract the water-repelling bracelet, but Dan Fusheng put it on first. He noticed Chen Gui looked a bit disappointed after Ying Wangyou spoke. “I don’t know where this earring came from; I don’t trust it.”

Ying Wangyou was a little angry after hearing this. She had originally wanted to emphasize that the earring was refined from her scales, so being water-repellent was normal. But Dan Fusheng subtly glanced at Chen Gui, and she realized the problem, remaining silent.

Bai Yu and the others took a small boat to the designated location in the Underwater City. The group jumped off the boat and sank into the ocean.

Dan Fusheng instinctively held his breath. The seawater was cold, chilling him with a jolt. The sounds of bubbles colliding and bursting filled his ears.

Soon, a hand grasped his.

“Who?!” Dan Fusheng opened his eyes. His voice actually came out clearly, though water still rushed into his mouth when he opened it.

“Don’t breathe,” Si Chen, who was holding his hand, instructed. “Water will still get into your windpipe.”

After wearing the water-repelling bracelet, he didn’t need to breathe through his nose underwater. He seemed to be preserved in the state of the first second of holding his breath. Dan Fusheng quickly adapted. Then he saw Chen Gui beside him, eyes closed.

Dan Fusheng took Chen Gui’s hand. Chen Gui nervously opened his eyes. Upon seeing Dan Fusheng, he let out a sigh of relief.

Dan Fusheng quipped, “Don’t be scared, father of my children.”

Chen Gui gasped in fright, then choked. He flailed for a long time before finally managing to regulate his internal breathing and re-adapt. It seemed one really couldn’t breathe in the sea, but surprisingly, it didn’t hinder sound transmission.

After re-adapting, Chen Gui patted Dan Fusheng’s arm, explaining, “I’m not looking down on you. I… I just haven’t adapted.”

Dan Fusheng blinked. He didn’t realize he was being used to test the artifact? He even worried about Dan Fusheng in return? Excellent. He really liked this junior brother.

Dan Fusheng flashed a pure, innocent smile at Chen Gui.

Si Chen saw through Dan Fusheng’s true intentions. Chen Gui’s unlucky days were coming…

“Someone’s coming!” Ying Wangyou was the most adapted among them. She looked towards the deep sea, where a faint blue light appeared.

The light slowly approached.

Dan Fusheng was uncharacteristically nervous. “Why are there so many people?”

Chen Gui’s lips tightened into a straight line.

The group split into three columns, each incredibly long, almost endless. And walking at the very front was a… dragon? …wearing a black robe?

Dan Fusheng glanced at the small horns growing atop his Senior Sister’s head, then at the horns of that person. Ying Wangyou’s horns were branched, while the man’s horns were straight and singular. Ying Wangyou’s horns were rounded, but the man’s were very sharp.

Only when he got closer did Dan Fusheng realize that the person also had a large black tail behind them, with no fur at the tip.

Dan Fusheng understood. “Is it a Flood Dragon?”

“This is the City Lord of the Underwater City,” Bai Yu whispered, reminding everyone.

The City Lord came in person?!

Before Dan Fusheng could even express his surprise, the Flood Dragon had already arrived before them. The Flood Dragon bowed its head to Ying Wangyou. “Your Highness, welcome back.”

Ying Wangyou flicked her tail. “Don’t be like that; I’m not used to it.”

“It is necessary. You are of the Dragon Race. Although you have not yet ascended to the throne and cannot be called Empress, you are still the Crown Princess.” The Flood Dragon lowered its head. “I have brought your honor guard!”

Chen Gui’s eyes widened, and Dan Fusheng let out a soft gasp. “So powerful?! This is an honor guard!!”

“Don’t be like that!! There are no emperors anymore!” Ying Wangyou sounded a little anxious. “Get up quickly! You’re the City Lord!”

“This is necessary; you are of the Dragon Race.” The City Lord raised its head and looked at Dan Fusheng and Chen Gui beside her. Dan Fusheng waved a greeting at her.

The City Lord clearly wanted to respond, but she couldn’t lose her composure in front of the Dragon Race. A Dragon Race member! A living Dragon Race member! Her tail really was prettier than theirs, the scales so dazzling, and the horns so well-formed.

And the Demon Lord! The little Demon Lord! And the stubborn little one next to the Demon Lord!

Although the Demon Lord’s original form was cute enough in their eyes, after all, humanoids were tiny compared to their demon forms. But the infant Demon Lord’s face was rather round, and even the stubborn one had a round face. They had thought the stubborn one would never be associated with the word ‘smooth’ in this lifetime.

The two holding hands? Cute. They wanted to swallow them, lick them all over, then spit them out, and then rub against them.

Dan Fusheng and Chen Gui were startled by the City Lord’s intense gaze. They pressed closer together.

Jade Mastiff quickly stepped in front of them, vigilantly staring at the City Lord.

The City Lord’s gaze instantly changed. A dog in the water? A water dog?

Ugly.

The City Lord immediately averted its gaze. Its eyeballs were precious; they shouldn’t look at ugly things.

Feeling the disdain and scorn, Jade Mastiff silently gritted his teeth. He knew he hated these aquatic demons!

Completely ignored, Bai Yu offered, “Hello?”