A Master’s Abstract Nature and a Disciple’s Unyielding Loyalty

Dan Fusheng propped up his head, closing his eyes in contemplation.

“What exactly are you doing?” Sikong Fang asked him.

“I’m pondering all the little moments between my Master and me,” Dan Fusheng replied, attempting to recall the warmth of their master-disciple bond, and True Monarch You Qing’s magnanimity and care as an elder. He sought memories like the protagonist in a film—faded, tinged with sunlight and motes of dust.

Yet, he found it incredibly difficult. “My Master is just so… abstract,” he mused.

“Your Master was indeed enigmatic.” Sikong Fang and True Monarch You Qing belonged to the same generation. In Sikong Fang’s memory, True Monarch You Qing was a man of few words, a favored son of heaven—a reclusive expert who seemed disinclined to meddle in the conflicts of the three races.

“Ah… mm.” Dan Fusheng found it hard to comment. He suspected his Master’s reticence in public was merely to uphold a specific image.

The Master in Dan Fusheng’s memories was far too abstract and unconcerned with trivialities. After Dan Fusheng had ‘rescued’ his Master from the ‘Evil Rainbow Monster’ (the cross-dressing Master) as a child, he had shadowed him for over half a year, intent on protecting him. He would sleep curled up on his Master at night, and during the day, he would keep a vigilant eye on him.

True Monarch You Qing was quite pleased with his young disciple’s attentiveness, but Dan Fusheng found it inconvenient. His Senior Sister, in her true form, was immense and capable of coiling around him, but his Master was human. This meant Dan Fusheng often awoke startled and restless when sleeping beside him.

True Monarch You Qing was also troubled, but eventually, he devised a “brilliant” solution. That night, he roused the sleeping Dan Fusheng. Rubbing his eyes, Dan Fusheng confusedly asked if he had encountered the rainbow monster again.

True Monarch You Qing’s eyes sparkled. He shook his head. “It’s like this, my dear. Your Master doesn’t have a big tail, but your Master has a brilliant idea!”

Dan Fusheng squinted at him.

“Although your Master is a man, he also cultivates his body. He looks passable enough, suitable for comforting. The structures of humans and demons are quite similar,” True Monarch You Qing declared, patting his chest. “Your Master permits you, my disciple, to treat your Master as a temporary mother. Come on!”

“What?” Dan Fusheng had exclaimed.

Before he could fully comprehend, True Monarch You Qing was already meticulously drawing his eyebrows and lining his eyes, striving to appear more convincing as a maternal figure. Dan Fusheng had shrieked in terror.

His Senior Sister had burst in then. Upon seeing the scene, she quickly pulled Dan Fusheng aside, and after learning the full story, she very nearly committed patricide. After that day, Dan Fusheng rarely slept with his Master again.

Later, when his Senior Sister learned from Dan Fusheng that their Master believed he looked exactly like her after applying makeup, she ran off to beat him up again. Their Master stood two meters and twenty-four centimeters tall, with deep-set eyes. His Senior Sister, in her human form, was only one meter and sixty-five centimeters tall, with a delicate and refined appearance. They bore no resemblance whatsoever.

His Senior Sister felt her Master was slandering her image, while their Master believed his Senior Sister was simply jealous of his allure when dressed as a woman.

What kind of ‘elderly gentleness’ could such a Master possess?! What was Dan Fusheng even supposed to recall?

Dan Fusheng was still struggling to remember when Sikong Fang spoke up, unable to wait any longer. “Someone paid your debt for you. Can you just accept that with a clear conscience?”

“What else am I supposed to do?” Dan Fusheng retorted. “If the person who paid for me died, and I became distraught and died too, wouldn’t their sacrifice be for nothing?”

“Truly a Demon Lord! You only ever see yourself,” Sikong Fang said through gritted teeth.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Dan Fusheng took a sip of his soda. Food bought with the money of an old enemy was always the most delicious.

“What exactly did you come here to find me for?!” Sikong Fang no longer wished for any superfluous conversation.

Dan Fusheng gestured to the food on the table. “To ask you to treat me to a meal. There’s a discount today, you see.”

“Who are you trying to fool?!” Sikong Fang scoffed. “You brought so many people—your old subordinates, your junior disciple, and even officials—just to scrounge a meal off me? Ask them! Do they believe it?”

Chen Gui and Bai Yu had not touched the food, and Jade Mastiff, in human form, paused his voracious eating. The three of them fell silent in unison.

Could Dan Fusheng really come looking for Sikong Fang just for a meal? Absolutely! He was incredibly adept at taking advantage now, and he was more than happy to seize any opportunity for a free meal. However, Dan Fusheng was also happy to maintain his image as long as it didn’t harm his interests. Since Sikong Fang didn’t believe him, he played along.

“Alright, you’ve caught me. I do indeed have ulterior motives.” Everyone at the table looked at him, waiting for him to spin a tale.

“I came to persuade you to stop.” Dan Fusheng tried to take Sikong Fang’s hand, but the Emperor dodged. This did not deter Dan Fusheng’s ‘sincere’ outpouring. He blinked. “You don’t trust me, so why do you trust my former subordinate, Dan Lie?”

“You are the Emperor of the Yu Kingdom. My subordinate’s entire family died at the hands of the Yu Kingdom. Do you think he genuinely cares for you? He merely believes you pose no threat now, that you’re easily manipulated—a weapon to use against me.”

Sikong Fang had died too early to see the full shift of the world. Once, he was a mighty figure to be looked up to. He hadn’t changed, but their situations were now reversed. Dan Fusheng’s cultivation was higher; he was more formidable, and he had lived longer.

“This used to be the Yu Kingdom. In the past, demons were not allowed here, but now, hybrids are everywhere…” Dan Fusheng propped his head. “Are you planning to kill all the hybrids?”

“Even if it’s just a single drop of blood? Even if there was one demon among twenty generations of ancestors?” Dan Fusheng sighed. “I took a look for you. In this fast-food restaurant alone, there are only three truly pure-blooded humans. Including the children in the play area over there and the elderly humans accompanying their grandchildren? No matter who they are, no matter what they’ve done, you want to eliminate them all indiscriminately just because they have demon blood?”

“Oh, they might not even know themselves,” he added. “I’ve studied this era. Humans and demons have made progress, but friction still exists—even a supremacist inclination among humans. Just like the disciples of the Qianyu Sect. But many of them are also hybrids and don’t realize it,” Dan Fusheng said, pointing to himself. “And they are incredibly polite to me. They are not the former Yu imperial family; your essences are different.”

“Hearing stories and experiencing them firsthand are different. The Yu Kingdom cannot return. You know its past best, so you should understand that now is different. You can feel it.” Dan Fusheng didn’t really want to discuss these things while eating someone else’s meal—it felt impolite—but Sikong Fang wouldn’t let him stay silent.

“You think you can shake this world; I think you lack that ability,” Dan Fusheng responded truthfully. “I don’t just think you lack the ability; those who cooperate with you also lack it. At most, you’ll just flail around for a while.”

“So, you’re trying to persuade me to surrender?” Sikong Fang’s face hardened.

“Uh, you could interpret it that way.” Dan Fusheng was primarily there for the food.

“Oh? What if I refuse to listen?” Sikong Fang hadn’t come to debate. He had initially thought this meeting was special, but Dan Fusheng had gone to all this trouble just to talk about this? Did he think he could change his objective with mere words?

“If you don’t want to listen, then leave. I won’t stop you.” Dan Fusheng returned the Soul-Calming Bell he had picked up earlier. “Here, redeem it, and buy me a few more meal sets. Then I’ll let you go. How about it?”

“Tch, you care about these things?” Sikong Fang found it ironic. “You’re not playing the part of a Demon Lord well.”

Bai Yu hung his head in shame. He was a cultivator; he had his pride.

Sikong Fang didn’t expose Dan Fusheng further. He actually went and bought dozens of meal sets for him—forty-four sets in total. After buying them, he watched Dan Fusheng with cold eyes, waiting for a hidden move.

But Dan Fusheng did nothing. He looked at Sikong Fang, bewildered. “You’re not leaving yet?”

“You’re really letting me go?” Sikong Fang was astonished.

“You’re free. Come when you want, leave when you want. I’m not your guardian.” Dan Fusheng stored the extra meal sets into his storage artifact.

Sikong Fang laughed heartily. “Interesting, Dan Fusheng! Very well, I’ll remember this time!” With that, he strode out of the fast-food restaurant.

Jade Mastiff, a fry dangling from his mouth, hissed, “What did he remember?”

“He thought Dan Fusheng deliberately let him go,” Chen Gui explained expressionlessly.

Jade Mastiff oh-ed. “Is it like those TV dramas where two heroes admire each other? Even if they’re on different sides, they wouldn’t resort to despicable tactics. He thought Dan Fusheng was ‘cherishing a hero’?”

Bai Yu marveled internally. Sikong Fang probably never thought Dan Fusheng was just being a cheapskate; he likely believed the meal sets were a cover for a graceful exit strategy.

“He’s just moved himself,” Jade Mastiff said, slurping his drink. He looked at Dan Fusheng. “What are you going to do with all those meal sets?”

“Give them to the disciples and children of the Qianyu Sect.”

“Will you tell them who bought these?”

“Haha, they won’t ask.”

“What if they ask the price?”

“I’ll tell them it’s not important.” Dan Fusheng placed the fries in front of Bai Yu. “Eat quickly, or it’ll go to waste.”

Chen Gui frowned. “Was it really an act?”

“Those were your Senior Brother’s heartfelt words,” Dan Fusheng replied. “I was very serious about persuading him.”

“You don’t seem very serious.” Chen Gui suspected the food was the main goal.

“Junior Brother, my desire for him to treat me doesn’t mean I’ll deceive him. Everything I said was from personal experience.”

Chen Gui began to ponder, and Dan Fusheng offered no further explanation. After eating, Jade Mastiff transformed back into his beast form, allowing Dan Fusheng to carry him back.CONTENT.CONTENT.CONTENT.

As Dan Fusheng distributed the meal sets to the disciples later, Jade Mastiff’s fox head gently bobbed with the movement, lulling him to sleep. The people of the Qianyu Sect knew Jade Mastiff’s identity, but they couldn’t understand how such a cool, aloof senior could be so… undignified.

“Has Senior Jade Mastiff become overly cheerful?” a disciple asked. “He won’t even let children under ten win at games.”

“Him?” Dan Fusheng stroked the fox’s colorful fur. “He’s always been like this. He’s just a child, after all. He must have suffered a lot of grievances over the years. If there’s a chance to be a child again, why not take it?”

Dan Fusheng then turned to Chen Gui. “Do you want your Senior Brother to rub your head too?”

“No. And I don’t think you should be holding Jade Mastiff. He has a profession and an image to maintain.”

“Junior Brother, do you have a profession?” Dan Fusheng asked tentatively.

Chen Gui pondered the words for a moment, then his eyes widened, and he quickly retreated. He had no job. Did Dan Fusheng want to hug him?!

Dan Fusheng smiled and didn’t press the matter. They returned to their courtyard. Dan Fusheng placed the sleeping fox on the bed and sighed. “No one’s here now. Do you want your Senior Brother to give you a hug? You should be grateful I’m still alive to hug you.”

Chen Gui asked, “What about you? Do you still want to be a child? You said your Master and Senior Sister were like strangers now, yet you haven’t asked me what exactly happened back then.”

“Junior Brother, you’re not being cute like this.”

“I don’t need to be cute. I just want to know what’s in your head,” Chen Gui’s voice grew louder.

The sleeping Jade Mastiff whimpered. Dan Fusheng reached out and covered the fox’s eyes, allowing him to fall back asleep. He sighed helplessly. “Of course I do, but wishing for it is useless. I want to be like Jade Mastiff, which is why I told you to cherish this. I understand everything is irreversible.”

Dan Fusheng sat down. “The day Senior Sister left, I went to see her off. I told her to feign submission first, to not go head-to-head with humans. I thought I was exceptionally clever. But Senior Sister said, ‘This isn’t fair.’ She didn’t listen. In the end, she died. I was heartbroken. I truly hated her then. She was so inflexible; she threw her life away.”

“What you did later was even more extreme than her,” Chen Gui reminded him.

“Yes. Initially, I wanted to prove she was wrong. I wanted to prove that if she were as subtle and adaptable as I, she wouldn’t have died.”

Dan Fusheng had attracted followers, became a Demon Venerable, and promised to save the demon race through peace. Various human factions gave him ‘face’ because he was True Monarch You Qing’s disciple. This ‘face’ deceived Dan Fusheng, making him believe he was human.

But when he tried to establish a demon kingdom and declare humans and demons as equals, conflict erupted. His subordinate went to demand an explanation from the Yu Kingdom and was beaten to death as a ‘warning’ to Dan Fusheng.

In that instant, Dan Fusheng understood. He wasn’t human to them. He was a registered pet. A pet joining the dining table meant it didn’t know its place.

“A three-hundred-year detour,” Dan Fusheng looked out at the darkening sky. “Self-righteously harming others’ lives, only to finally grasp the simple truth she told me centuries ago. I had blundered for three hundred years on pure passion, only to return to square one.”

He hadn’t committed suicide in despair. He moved forward. Then came the Millennium of Chaos—a complete retaliation. He would disrupt the game. He didn’t want charity; he wanted them to be afraid. He was human to begin with, and he would force them to see him as one.

“Even after all this, if Senior Sister were resurrected, I would probably be like Jade Mastiff now.”

Chen Gui walked over and embraced Dan Fusheng.

“I don’t believe you,” Chen Gui stated, his voice muffled against Dan Fusheng’s shoulder.

“Do you have to recite a scripture every time before expressing affection?” Dan Fusheng asked, helpless.

“But… I feel like I’m about to lose my composure. I don’t want to call you Senior Brother because you’re a Demon Lord. If you have extreme plans, I will die with you. Because you’re the leader of dark forces! We are irreconcilable.”

“If you keep insulting me, I’ll make myself truly isolated,” Dan Fusheng muttered.

“I temporarily believe you! Temporarily!” Chen Gui’s voice grew louder.

Jade Mastiff woke up, saw Chen Gui fiercely embracing and lifting Dan Fusheng like a toddler, and closed his eyes again. Wait. He reopened them. Chen Gui was patting Dan Fusheng’s head with a stiff expression. “It’s temporary. Don’t overthink it.”

Dan Fusheng simply closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep. Chen Gui grew anxious. “Demon Lord?” he whispered. No reaction. “He’s not waking up.”

“Then put him on the bed,” Jade Mastiff suggested.

“Will he wake up if I move him?” Chen Gui clicked his tongue. “Troublesome Demon Lord. I’ll just hold him for now.”

Jade Mastiff chuckled. “You’re quite amusing, True Monarch Yaoling.”

In a void within Sikong Fang’s body, Si Chen knelt, bound by chains. Countless chains intertwined like a web, ending at gaunt, withered corpses. Only Si Chen looked human.

Si Chen swung on his chains. “Master! Did you find my Senior Brother? Did Dan Fusheng hand him over? I told you, he’ll play with Si Fenglang like a dog.”

“Shut up!” Sikong Fang snapped.

“Master, you’re finally talking? I told you there’s nothing between them. You can’t do this, it harms the Yu imperial family’s dignity!”

“Shut up! I’ve already met Dan Fusheng. Though he is a demon, he is indeed worthy of being True Monarch You Qing’s disciple; he possesses a chivalrous spirit.” Sikong Fang recounted the meeting.

Si Chen froze. “Master! That scoundrel was just scamming you for free food and drink!!”

“Impossible. He is not short on money.”

“He isn’t! But that doesn’t stop him from scamming you!”

Sikong Fang sighed. “Alas, never mind.”

‘Why are you sighing?! You’re the one who was scammed! You fell for it!!’ Si Chen screamed internally.