The Peculiar Demon Lord’s Return

“Dan Fusheng is incredibly off! Wasn’t he banished to a chaotic, lawless minor realm? His attire… the things he carries, his personality—it’s all too strange! The sheer volume of information conveyed by his appearance is overwhelming!”

Dan Fusheng listened in silence.

He was two floors away from Bai Yu. Logically, the room he currently occupied should have suppressed demonic energy, yet he shouldn’t have possessed such formidable insight.

“Mr. Dan?” the lady opposite him broke the silence, asking, “Are you zoning out?”

“Ah, no, just a little curious.” Dan Fusheng glanced at the bamboo slips before him. “Are you saying that in the current world, there are no longer any distinctions between nations?”

The lady nodded. “Because there are no longer truly irreconcilable conflicts between us.”

Dan Fusheng nodded. “Mm, that’s good.” He seemed rather uninterested.

The lady sitting opposite Dan Fusheng found herself unsure of the Demon Lord’s thoughts.

Upon learning that he couldn’t return to the Demonic Palace or command the demon race any longer, Dan Fusheng had merely uttered an ‘oh’.

“You seemed to inquire about True Monarch You Qing after your return?” The lady reached out to push up her glasses.

Dan Fusheng nodded.

“He sealed you away, yet you don’t seem to hate him.” The lady found this incomprehensible after receiving the news. “May I know why?”

This time, Dan Fusheng slowly widened his eyes. It was his turn to be taken aback. “You don’t know?”

“Should I know?” The lady was puzzled.

“Oh, well, no need then.” Dan Fusheng, surprisingly, had no intention of explaining. “After all, the person is dead; knowing won’t make much difference. Oh, right, what about the other child who sealed me?”

‘Child?’

“You mean True Monarch You Qing’s disciple?”

“Yes, is he dead?”

“He’s alive.”

“Oh, that’s quite good.”

The lady and Dan Fusheng met each other’s gaze, hoping Dan Fusheng would delve deeper into the topic of True Monarch You Qing. She was truly curious! Why didn’t Dan Fusheng hate the True Monarch who had banished him?

Dan Fusheng tilted his head in confusion, then a look of realization dawned upon him. “Shouldn’t I ask for your name?” He had been talking face-to-face with this lady for so long, yet he still didn’t know her name.

“Please don’t use honorifics!” Being addressed as “you” by such a formidable senior put immense psychological pressure on her.

“My name is Wang Tao, and I introduced myself to you earlier.” Wang Tao clasped her hands together on the table. “At the time, your attention was on that bag of eggs, so you might not have noticed me.”

At that moment, Dan Fusheng had been lost in thought, clutching his eggs. Even after Wang Tao introduced herself, Dan Fusheng hadn’t reacted much.

“Is that so? I’m terribly sorry!” Dan Fusheng’s reaction was even more dramatic now than before. “My goodness, did I completely ignore you when you introduced yourself?!”

“No, no, no! Don’t worry about such minor issues.”

“This isn’t a minor issue; it concerns respect,” Dan Fusheng disagreed.

“It’s really nothing!” Wang Tao continued to wave her hands dismissively.

Dan Fusheng kept up his polite demeanor with Wang Tao until she finally couldn’t take it anymore. “Your personality is truly surprising. You’ve killed so many people, yet you care about such trivial matters.”

After saying this, Wang Tao realized her impulsiveness. Her words carried a subjective bias. She shouldn’t have revealed personal emotions to Dan Fusheng; it was a dereliction of duty, one that could lead to severe consequences.

Fortunately, Dan Fusheng didn’t lose his temper. He merely offered a polite chuckle. “Haha, surprising, isn’t it?” And then, there was nothing more, just as when he had mentioned True Monarch You Qing. He had no intention of discussing it further, nor did he convey any philosophy to Wang Tao, neither defending nor arguing.

‘Could he truly not care?’

‘What exactly does this Demon Lord want?’

“May I ask if my identification documents can be processed?” Dan Fusheng initiated the conversation.

“They can, but you must accept our supervision during this period.” Wang Tao straightened her back slightly.

“What level of supervision? Does someone need to be with me at all times?” Dan Fusheng continued to ask.

Wang Tao nodded.

Dan Fusheng fell silent.

“I know this will be difficult for you, but to ensure the safety of ordinary citizens…”

“Does the staff member accompanying me also have to eat with me?” Dan Fusheng interrupted Wang Tao.

Upon realizing he had cut her off, Dan Fusheng immediately raised a hand to Wang Tao. “Apologies, please finish what you were saying first.”

Wang Tao had had enough of the excessive politeness. “Just say what you need to say!”

“Alright…” Dan Fusheng looked very troubled. “Well, it’s like this. After all, a thousand years have passed, and my Demonic Palace and some of my collections have been confiscated, right?”

“Of course, I don’t mean to say that the confiscation is bad. However, I am indeed penniless right now. I might not be able to afford the supervisor’s meal expenses.” Dan Fusheng’s concern was very practical.

“Supervisors receive meal allowances. If they decide to eat with you, we will also provide you with a subsidy.” Wang Tao found it a bit strange. Why would a powerful Demon Lord like Dan Fusheng still need to eat?

“Can I find a job in this world?” Dan Fusheng asked again.

“A job? If you need money, we can provide you with a monthly stipend.” Keeping Dan Fusheng contained was better than letting him cause trouble.

“No, I cannot live off charity,” Dan Fusheng refused Wang Tao. “I have work experience.”

“You have work experience?! You don’t mean experience as a Demon Lord, do you?!”

“No, I can be a security guard.” Dan Fusheng was very confident in his security abilities. “I know a bit of martial arts.”

“Absolutely not!” A Demon Lord as a security guard? What if someone foolishly provoked Dan Fusheng?!

Wang Tao glanced at Dan Fusheng’s face. She said, “Your face is too eye-catching.”

“Don’t worry about that, I can protect myself.” Dan Fusheng had experience.

‘Who’s worried about you?! Who would be worried about you in this situation?! She was worried about the ordinary people who might die at the hands of the Demon Lord!’

‘Who doesn’t know you can protect yourself?! If they couldn’t get rid of you back then, why else would they choose to banish you?!’

“Perhaps… let’s not,” Wang Tao said awkwardly.

Dan Fusheng thought for a moment, then slapped his forehead. “I’m also excellent as a salesman!”

‘Salesman?’

Indeed, Dan Fusheng’s face was quite suitable. But the same problem remained: the service industry encountered too many diverse people.

Wang Tao pursed her lips and shook her head. “Perhaps you should think again, is there any profession that would allow you to interact with fewer strange people?”

Dan Fusheng fell into contemplation.

He was truly a Demon Lord; his mind worked incredibly fast. “Oh! I have one! I won’t need to leave the house.”

“Tell me.”

“I’m quite famous in this world, right? I can sit at home and write a memoir, titled ‘Why I Became the Demon Lord.’ Given my reputation, this book should be a bestseller.” Dan Fusheng believed he could earn a fortune with this brilliant idea.

Wang Tao: “…”

‘If that thing actually got published, would this world still be alright?! How long had the three races—demons, humans, and beasts—lived in peaceful coexistence? Could they withstand the devastation of the Demon Lord’s ideology?’

“This would cause conflict among the three races; it’s not advisable.”

“This won’t work either…” Dan Fusheng considered his only remaining advantage. “Although I’m quite averse to this profession, if I can only be a male model…”

“Please wait! Let me think again!” There was no way they could allow Dan Fusheng to become a public figure. ‘Hiss… by the way, did the Demon Lord mean a legitimate professional model?’

Dan Fusheng waited patiently.

Finally, Wang Tao found a solution. “The destruction of your seal is quite peculiar, so our side hopes you can cooperate with us to lure out the big fish behind it.”

Dan Fusheng suddenly understood, letting out an “Oh.” “So what do I need to do?”

“You don’t need to do anything; just live according to your own pace.” Wang Tao emphasized again, “You can go out and wander around, but you must always be accompanied by supervisory personnel.”

“I understand! It means always remembering to bring that little kid along.” Dan Fusheng understood. “The places I frequent are all wholesome; I can bring a child there.”

Wang Tao always felt that this Demon Lord’s focus was strange. Whether this peculiarity was a disguise or if Dan Fusheng himself had some underlying issues remained unknown; they still needed to continue observing.

A pale-skinned man sat in a recliner. It was the height of summer, yet a thick blanket covered him. Faint gray-purple lines could be glimpsed on his neck; his skin was too thin, and the color of his blood was clearly abnormal.

“The Demon Lord has returned,” the man said softly. “He said he would live for us.”

“But he hasn’t done anything,” someone softly replied.

“He’s with those mixed-bloods, with those humans.”

“He hasn’t killed them.”

“We’ve been calling out to him.”

“If he can’t do anything, then why did he come back?”

“He’s forgotten us, he’s forgotten who he is!”

“A thousand years of banishment have broken his mind; we must remind him.”

The pale-skinned man finally spoke again, defending Dan Fusheng. “His mind is perfectly fine.”

His pallid fingertips lightly tapped the armrest. “The Demon Lord is still full of surprises.” When he uttered the word “surprises,” his hand gripped the armrest tightly, veins bulging.

Dan Fusheng received his identification documents. Official staff informed him that he could choose a residence within a designated residential area.

Considering that Dan Fusheng used to live in the Demonic Palace, they had specially cleared out some larger villas. However, Dan Fusheng chose a two-bedroom, one-living room, one-kitchen, one-bathroom apartment.

He felt that a house too large would be inconvenient for going out.

The officials provided Dan Fusheng with a mobile phone and transferred a portion of living expenses to him. After learning about the cost of living in this world, Dan Fusheng deemed the funds excessive and voluntarily returned a portion.

The specialist arranged by the officials was none other than Bai Yu, whom Dan Fusheng had met upon his return.

Bai Yu led Dan Fusheng to the residential area arranged by the officials, and the two spent two hours tidying up the house.

It was only after they finished cleaning that Bai Yu realized something was off. “We could have just used spells, right?” Cleaning spells weren’t complicated; Bai Yu knew them too.

“Spells are too fast.” Dan Fusheng wasn’t in a hurry, so why use spells?

He opened the refrigerator and glanced inside. “Hmm, let’s go to the wet market.”

“Go to the wet market? Are you thinking of lunch? I can order takeout for you, or I can arrange for someone to deliver it.” Although Bai Yu didn’t understand why this nearly three-thousand-year-old Demon Lord was so fixated on eating, the officials could still accommodate such a minor quirk.

“I’m more accustomed to cooking myself.” Dan Fusheng didn’t need food to sustain his life. “The process is quite interesting.”

“Is it?” Bai Yu didn’t understand what was interesting about it.

“Don’t you think so?” Dan Fusheng asked him.

“Ah? Oh, oh, it’s indeed very interesting!” Bai Yu didn’t think so at all; he would rather his cultivation advance further, completely freeing him from the troublesome need to eat.

However, he had to go along with the Demon Lord’s preferences. “The process of cooking can calm one’s mind.”

“Doesn’t it make you more irritable?” Dan Fusheng paused.

“Huh?” Bai Yu was confused.

“Every day, you have to think about what to eat, what dishes to make, and after eating, you still have to wash dishes and clean up. Can it really calm your mind?” Dan Fusheng frowned slightly.

‘Didn’t you say cooking was interesting?! You know it’s troublesome too! What on earth is this Demon Lord thinking?!’

Bai Yu maintained a smile. “That might just be my personal opinion.”

Dan Fusheng also smiled. “You’re truly an interesting person.”

Bai Yu didn’t know if the Demon Lord was being sarcastic; he tried his best not to overthink it.

He led Dan Fusheng to a nearby wet market. Dan Fusheng wandered around, familiarizing himself with the environment, then he asked Bai Yu, “What do you like to eat?”

“Ah?!” Bai Yu was startled. “Me?! Anything is fine!”

Dan Fusheng pursed his lips and let out a drawn-out “Hmm,” causing the hairs on Bai Yu’s body to stand on end.

“It must be very stressful to be around me, right?” Dan Fusheng suddenly spoke.

“Ah? Haha, not really, Mr. Dan, your personality is very good.” Bai Yu spoke quickly.

“Most people find it very stressful to be around me, let alone personality… never mind.” Dan Fusheng pointed towards the inside of the wet market. “You can try to make yourself more comfortable in a high-pressure environment, so what do you like to eat?”

Bai Yu dared not refuse any longer; he didn’t want to continue this conversation. “Uh, meat and shrimp?”

“Why is that a question? For meat, is pork acceptable?”

“Yes! Absolutely!”

“Then let’s buy some spare ribs? Do you prefer river shrimp or sea shrimp?”

“River shrimp!” Bai Yu felt utterly uncomfortable, terrified that a single wrong word would enrage the Demon Lord, leading to slaughter, death, and widespread devastation.

Then he, Bai Yu, would become the culprit of a new catastrophe!

But Dan Fusheng clearly wouldn’t let him off so easily.

After finishing at the wet market, Dan Fusheng took him to the supermarket to buy seasonings and drinks. While buying drinks, Dan Fusheng asked him again if he preferred alcohol or soda, and if he wanted to buy some snacks to stock at home.

Bai Yu was on tenterhooks the entire way, and Dan Fusheng’s conversation with him only ended when they returned home.

Dan Fusheng told him to sit for a while.

Bai Yu’s mind could finally clear. He had passed the test this time, but he wondered what the next challenge would bring.

‘Dan Fusheng… the instigator of the Millennium Chaos, rumored to be a descendant of an ancient demon god. He had annihilated royal families, and countless clans and sects had vanished at his hands.’

Thinking this, Bai Yu took a deep breath.

‘Hmm? It smells so good.’

Dan Fusheng poked his head out from the kitchen. “Dinner’s ready, you know.”

Bai Yu sprang up from the sofa with a sudden leap.

‘Wait?! Had he just left all the cooking to this Demon Lord?!’

‘His mind had been too chaotic just now; he hadn’t even realized what Dan Fusheng was doing! No! That’s not right either! Dan Fusheng’s movements were too skilled; he instinctively felt that Dan Fusheng cooking was perfectly normal?!’

‘So he really let the Demon Lord cook alone?!’

Dan Fusheng had even brought the food to the table by himself!

Bai Yu was utterly dumbfounded.

“I didn’t serve you rice; I don’t know how much you eat,” Dan Fusheng said.

“I’ll get it myself! Thank you!” Bai Yu’s voice was exceptionally loud, but after speaking, he realized his reaction was over-the-top and could only silently lower his head to the kitchen to serve himself rice.

Afterward, Bai Yu and Dan Fusheng sat facing each other.

‘This time, I must act more naturally!’

He picked up a piece of braised spare rib and took a bite, then Bai Yu’s eyes widened slightly.

‘It’s… delicious.’

It wasn’t the refined delicacy made by a hotel chef; this “deliciousness” was home-style, and that homely quality was the most surprising aspect, as it didn’t fit Dan Fusheng’s identity, did it?

“Are you feeling a bit more relaxed?” Dan Fusheng asked him.

Bai Yu tensed up again.

“Apparently not.” Dan Fusheng smiled.

Bai Yu didn’t know how to answer.

The two of them ate in silence for a while, Bai Yu wanting to speak several times but rejecting himself inwardly each time.

It wasn’t until the rice in his bowl was almost gone that Bai Yu finally made up his mind. “I’m very curious, Mr. Dan, why do you cook?”

Dan Fusheng looked up at him.

“Because everyone does it at this time of day.” Dan Fusheng’s answer left Bai Yu bewildered.

“Are you saying you’re just going with the flow?”

“Sort of.” Dan Fusheng still offered little explanation. He remembered something else. “I also sleep at night.”

Bai Yu: “Hmm?”

“Your cultivation hasn’t freed you from the need for sleep yet, has it? Do you want to sleep together or in separate rooms?” Dan Fusheng remembered Bai Yu was the specialist assigned to monitor him.

Bai Yu: “Ah?!”

“It would probably be better to sleep in the same room, wouldn’t it? Do you want to share a bed with me or sleep separately?”

Bai Yu: “Ah?!”

Night fell.

Bai Yu nervously clutched the blanket, his gaze fixed on the ceiling. “Um…”

Dan Fusheng: “What’s wrong?”

Bai Yu swallowed. “Perhaps I should just sleep on the floor.”

Dan Fusheng lifted the mattress from the other bed. He slept on the mattress, while Bai Yu slept on the bed.

“No need, you’re younger, aren’t you?”

“I’m over a hundred!”

“Alright, go to sleep.” Dan Fusheng turned over. “I need to wake up early tomorrow.”

‘At least listen to me! Wait! What wake up early?! Wake up early for what?!’

Bai Yu still wanted to ask, but Dan Fusheng had already closed his eyes.

Bai Yu didn’t fall asleep until four in the morning.

And he only slept for two hours, because Dan Fusheng woke him up.

“Let’s go for a walk,” Dan Fusheng said softly.

Bai Yu looked bewildered. He glanced at Dan Fusheng, then out the window. “It’s not fully light yet.”

“That’s right, so we need to go out.” Dan Fusheng looked serious. “There’s something very important.”

“Very important?” Bai Yu was confused.

Dan Fusheng nodded. “Very important!”

Bai Yu quickly got up. He used a spell to clean himself, then changed his clothes and left with Dan Fusheng.

Dan Fusheng wandered around the empty city. Eventually, he noticed a long queue outside a breakfast shop and silently walked to the very end of the line.

Bai Yu: “???”

In this world, ordinary people still made up the majority, and the queue was mostly composed of elderly men and women.

The old lady in front of Dan Fusheng instinctively looked back, then turned to look several more times.

“Young man! Are you a demon?” the old lady asked.

“Yep.” Dan Fusheng smiled brightly.

“No wonder you’re so handsome. Are you a cultivator?”

“I am.”

“Haven’t reached a high level yet? Still need to eat?” The old lady felt that this young man was unusual; he looked like a good child.

“Indeed.” Dan Fusheng nodded. Then he asked, “I just moved to Holy City; is this shop any good?”

“Good! Of course, it’s good!” The old lady pointed to the signboard outside the shop. “This is a thousand-year-old shop. Do you know the Demon Lord Dan Fusheng?”

“Oh? This has something to do with Dan Fusheng?!” Dan Fusheng inquired.

“Yes! The first-generation owner of this shop used to cook for the Demon Lord in the Demonic Palace!”

‘Really?!’

Bai Yu finally understood why Dan Fusheng had come out to wander around. Was he looking for traces of the past? To find old acquaintances?

Dan Fusheng seemed to know what Bai Yu was thinking. While chatting with the old lady, he transmitted a message to Bai Yu. “There was no such food in my era.”

Bai Yu: “…”

‘So this breakfast shop was just using the Demon Lord’s name to boost its own reputation.’

The old lady continued, “You see, what the Demon Lord ate a thousand years ago, we can all taste now.”

“Yes, times have changed,” Dan Fusheng agreed.

Bai Yu: “…” ‘No, the Demon Lord never tasted this stuff.’

The old lady asked again, “Young man, how old are you this year?”

“Eighty-one.” Dan Fusheng had shaved off two thousand seven hundred years from his age.

“Oh?! You’re only a few years younger than me? Cultivators are great; even at eighty-one, you look like you’re in your early twenties. It’s a pity I don’t have that talent.” The old lady looked a bit disappointed. She wasn’t disappointed in herself; this expression of disappointment appeared after she learned Dan Fusheng’s age.

‘When she asked his age, she must have been trying to set him up with someone!’

“I’m not familiar with Holy City. Which park here is the best?” Dan Fusheng immediately added, “I have a habit of practicing swordplay in the morning and want to find a place with a good atmosphere.”

“Practicing swordplay?!” The old lady quickly caught the key point.

“The kind for strengthening the body,” Dan Fusheng added.

“Then you should go to Central Park!” This time, another old man spoke up. “It’s big there! And many people exercise there regularly!”

“Is your swordplay fast?” This time, it was another old lady. “Can you bring us along?” There wasn’t much interaction between cultivators, who were one in ten thousand, and ordinary people. You rarely encountered cultivators in regular parks.

“Not fast. If you’re interested, I can lead you all.” Dan Fusheng was quite generous.

Bai Yu felt somewhat dazed.

‘What exactly does this Demon Lord want?’

Dan Fusheng chatted with this group of elderly men and women for over half an hour. Bai Yu, who was listening in, had already figured out the family structures and children’s professions of several of the elders.

Finally, Dan Fusheng bought breakfast. He didn’t forget Bai Yu, buying two portions.

The elderly men and women had already grown familiar with Dan Fusheng.

Upon learning that Dan Fusheng had never tasted these breakfast buns, they highly recommended them, all claiming that these buns used to be the Demon Lord’s favorite food, and even if the Demon Lord didn’t need to eat, he ate them every day.

“It’s really delicious,” Dan Fusheng took a bite.

“Of course, it’s delicious! The Demon Lord used to eat this every day!”

Dan Fusheng took another bite.

If he remembered correctly, some ingredients in these breakfast buns didn’t even exist in his era.

“You’re living the life the Demon Lord used to live now,” the elders grew increasingly exaggerated in their claims.

“Indeed.” Dan Fusheng nodded in agreement. He noticed Bai Yu’s conflicted expression.

He said to Bai Yu, “The Demon Lord quite liked it. Would you like to try some?”

“Are you joking?”

Dan Fusheng didn’t explain. He continued to eat and chat with the group of elders.

‘So what on earth is this person thinking?’

Bai Yu couldn’t understand.