The Art of Seduction, and a Punch to the Face

“Isn’t it normal for you to be liked? Why are you playing the innocent maiden?” The Jade Mastiff, having reverted to his human form, lay sprawled across Dan Fusheng’s lap, disdainfully criticizing his theatrics.

Even the Jade Mastiff, a “former subordinate of the Demon Lord,” attracted a host of admirers. It defied logic that Dan Fusheng, the actual Demon Lord, would have no one pining for him. It was hardly surprising; not only demons and beasts, but many humans, too, harbored affections for Dan Fusheng.

“I know I’m appealing,” Dan Fusheng said, gently pinching the fox ears atop the Jade Mastiff’s head. “But Si Fenglang—he shouldn’t be. He’s Si Fenglang.”

“What’s wrong with Si Fenglang?” The Jade Mastiff clicked his tongue. “Is his love more noble than anyone else’s?”

“It’s not about nobility or baseness,” Dan Fusheng mused, unable to comprehend. “There’s a blood feud between him and the demon race. He’s prejudiced against demons. How could he possibly like me?”

“Let me tell you, when you like someone, none of that matters,” the Jade Mastiff declared. He rose from Dan Fusheng’s lap. “Love is a complex thing, sometimes incredibly abstract.”

Dan Fusheng looked earnestly at the Jade Mastiff, for he truly understood none of it. The Jade Mastiff had experience with matters of the heart, making him a veritable teacher in such affairs. Highly satisfied with his role as a ‘senior,’ the Jade Mastiff cleared his throat. “Before your cultivation reached its peak, did you ever fantasize about a passionate romance?”

“That was far too early.” Dan Fusheng struggled to recall, stroking his chin in thought. “Uh, I think I might have.”

“Describe it.”

“When I was six or seven, I thought I’d find a Dao companion just like my Senior Sister.” Back then, his Senior Sister had been incredibly gentle. Her massive dragon form would coil around him, keeping him nestled in the center, and he had simply adored it.

“That was too early then. So your standard was your Senior Sister?”

“Ah? No. When I was a teenager, I thought any kind of person would do, as long as my future Dao companion wasn’t like Senior Sister.” By then, his Senior Sister had already started beating him.

The Jade Mastiff interjected, “…So a six- or seven-year-old’s standard doesn’t count at all! You didn’t even understand what love was back then! What the heck did you know?!”

“Right, right, right.” Dan Fusheng nodded repeatedly.

“What about after that?” the Jade Mastiff pressed.

“After that? Later, I thought someone like Master would be good.” True Monarch You Qing didn’t control him as strictly as his Senior Sister. He felt that a partner should be like his Master—someone who understood how to give each other space. However, Master changed later too. When Senior Sister disciplined him, Master didn’t dare to intervene at all. He didn’t need a cowardly companion.

“So, even now, I haven’t figured out what kind of person I truly like,” Dan Fusheng admitted, having forgotten about this matter until the present moment. After speaking, he glanced around and noticed the silent Chen Gui. “He used to say he wanted to be with Senior Brother forever.”

Chen Gui, who had been contemplating Si Fenglang’s unusual behavior, froze.

“He used to say he liked Senior Brother the most,” Dan Fusheng added. He felt that Chen Gui had gone through a similar emotional journey to his own. However, Dan Fusheng believed he had done better than his Senior Sister and Master; he had never beaten his Junior Brother. At least, not before he went to the Land of Death.

“I didn’t ask him; I’m asking you. Can you focus on yourself?” The Jade Mastiff was exasperated. “So-called love is when, the moment you encounter it, all your past standards are overturned. You will only love that one person.”

Dan Fusheng scratched his head. “That sounds pretty good.” He hadn’t really had any standards to begin with.

“It’s certainly good for you, but not necessarily for Si Fenglang. He is the Crown Prince of the Yu Kingdom, with a blood feud against the demon race.” The Jade Mastiff looked at Si Chen in the room. “He already harbors prejudice against demons, and he’ll find it even harder to accept his feelings for you. If you are despicable, then what does that make him for falling for you?”

Dan Fusheng clapped his hands, finally understanding this time.

“Stop acting as a hype man. Have you decided what you’re going to do?” the Jade Mastiff asked him.

“Kill him.” Dan Fusheng’s response was decisive.

Chen Gui showed no surprise, but the others appeared somewhat shocked.

“I told you, he’ll go mad once he remembers everything,” Dan Fusheng explained. “Those people deliberately ‘restored his memories.’ I think that’s not good. If we’re going to restore them, let’s restore them completely.”

After his memories were fully restored, he would go mad, followed by suicide. Dan Fusheng wouldn’t even need to intervene; Si Fenglang would end his own life.

“If he dies, how will we uncover the mastermind behind him?” Chen Gui wanted to investigate the manipulator behind the scenes; he wasn’t here to kill people.

“So, Junior Brother, what are your thoughts?” Dan Fusheng had no intention of solving the Qianyu Sect’s problems.

“He’s currently influenced by his memories, and he likes you,” Chen Gui pointed out, seeing an opportunity.

Everyone in the room looked at Chen Gui.

“What’s wrong?” Chen Gui asked.

Dan Fusheng gestured to his own face. “Are you suggesting your Senior Brother use his charm to seduce him?”

“You don’t need to use your charm; there’s no need for such a great sacrifice.” Chen Gui finally understood. “It’s him who likes you. Just exchange a few words with him. It should be easy to extract information from him now.”

“Well, it’s not entirely out of the question.” Dan Fusheng silently took off his outer robe. “Should I wear even less?”

“Don’t expose your arms or legs! I told you, it’s not a honey trap!” Chen Gui put the robe back on him.

“Then what should I do?” Dan Fusheng had no experience with such tactics.

Chen Gui was also unsure, so he humbly sought advice from the Jade Mastiff.

The Jade Mastiff’s face was a mass of question marks. “True Monarch Yaoling, are you asking our Demon Lord to sell his looks?!”

“To achieve justice, sometimes special methods are required,” Chen Gui assured the Jade Mastiff. “I will protect him well.”

“Why don’t you do it yourself?!” The Jade Mastiff stood protectively in front of Dan Fusheng.

“Si Fenglang doesn’t like me.” Otherwise, Chen Gui felt he really could have tried.

“You would sacrifice your own feelings for the sake of justice?” Dan Fusheng was quite surprised.

Chen Gui nodded.

“If I had known, when I was Demon Lord back then, I would have lied and said I liked you, then captured you to be the other master of the Demon Palace,” Dan Fusheng said, pulling out his old demonic robes from his storage earring.

“I would have agreed, then waited for an opportunity to assassinate you,” Chen Gui declared, puffing out his chest.

Dan Fusheng patted Chen Gui’s chest, flattening his proudly puffed-out stance. “You! Hurry and covet me!”

“Huh?” Chen Gui blinked.

“The chance to perform has arrived. Neither you nor Doggy will escape this,” Dan Fusheng announced. Bai Yu was unsuitable; he was only a little over a hundred years old and wasn’t qualified to participate in this multi-party love game. “We’ll follow what’s in the books! Doggy, you’ll play the fox spirit.”

“I am a fox spirit.”

“Be more foxy! You need to be seductive! Twist your waist to create an alluring curve!” Dan Fusheng intended to be the most sought-after one.

The Jade Mastiff didn’t want to play that kind of fox spirit. “My style wasn’t like that before. If I act that way now, who would believe it?!”

“Love makes people blind. The fact that you know you’re not good at being a fox spirit, yet still try to act coy—that is true love,” Dan Fusheng pronounced, having truly mastered the art of romantic manipulation. “Junior Brother! You need to look displeased with the Jade Mastiff.”

“I’m already displeased with him,” Chen Gui muttered, feeling that the Jade Mastiff was shirking his actual responsibilities.

“He stole your Senior Brother!” Dan Fusheng explained. “The Senior Brother who should have belonged only to you!”

Chen Gui stiffened.

“Think about it, your Senior Brother used to only hold you, only coax you to sleep. All those children I raised later were actually competing with you for Senior Brother’s affection.” After Dan Fusheng finished, he saw Chen Gui had no reaction, so he asked, “Did you hear me?”

The stunned Chen Gui finally reacted. “Ah? Oh.”

“Then we’ll just act according to the books. I’ve been reading a lot lately.” Dan Fusheng was preparing to draft the plan. “The most important thing is me! I am an innocent Demon Lord, clueless about love, being fought over by you two without realizing it.”

The Jade Mastiff retorted, “Have some shame, will you?!”

The wall of Dan Fusheng’s small courtyard suddenly collapsed.

The Jade Mastiff lay motionless in the rubble.

“Are you really involved with Si Fenglang?!” Chen Gui’s voice was calm, yet his hands tightly gripped Dan Fusheng’s neck, pinning him to the ground.

Dan Fusheng laughed mockingly. “That’s none of your business, is it, Ju-nior Bro-ther?”

Chen Gui was trembling. He trembled for a long time without speaking his lines.

Dan Fusheng transmitted a message to him. “Speak! Quickly!”

Chen Gui took a deep breath and shouted loudly, “If it’s him you love! Then what am I?!”

Si Chen, who was confined within a barrier by Chen Gui, could only watch in horror.

“Stop fighting! Both of you, stop fighting!” Bai Yu could only plead from the sidelines.

“Stop them!!” Si Fenglang arrived swiftly. “Are you two here to dismantle my courtyard?”

“I’m going to kill this demon,” Chen Gui declared, lifting Dan Fusheng by his collar.

Dan Fusheng actually allowed himself to be lifted so obediently? Chen Gui looked down at Dan Fusheng.

Dan Fusheng had a bad premonition.

Sure enough, Chen Gui suddenly exerted force, pulling Dan Fusheng into a full embrace. This time, there was no quilt separating them.

“If only you were always this obedient,” Chen Gui transmitted to Dan Fusheng.

Dan Fusheng replied, “…Junior Brother, please don’t say such terrifying things so seriously.” He had a feeling his Junior Brother would try to turn him into an imbecile and hold him forever.

‘Terrifying? Where is it terrifying?’ Chen Gui didn’t understand.

Si Fenglang walked towards Chen Gui. Chen Gui landed a punch squarely on his face.

Everyone: ?!!!

‘Wait, that wasn’t part of the plan!!’

“What a scoundrel!” Chen Gui now held a strong grievance against Si Fenglang. After all that commotion, he actually liked Dan Fusheng? Insane!

Chen Gui carried Dan Fusheng to the other side, then switched hands and delivered another punch to Si Fenglang. After more than two thousand years, his fist had finally connected with Si Fenglang’s face.