"You actually brought this courtesan back and now you tell me you plan to marry her!" the father thundered, slamming his hand onto the table from his seat. "Yes, Father, please grant your blessing!" "Don't even think about it! You unfilial son! How dare you speak to me like that! You, you... are you trying to make me cough myself to death!" He clutched his chest, breaking into a fit of coughing. The middle-aged woman beside him hastily brought him a cup of tea, murmuring her own reprimand, "Ying'er, it's not that we blame your father, but you, my child... Sigh, while our Zhou family might not be a noble house, we are people of good standing. It wouldn't be hard for you to marry a well-bred young lady, but why set your sights on a woman like this!"

Nan Yu, hiding behind Zhou Ying, couldn't help but tremble, unsure if it was from fear or indignation. She had long been prepared for the Zhou family's rejection, but as long as Zhou Ying treated her with genuine sincerity, she wouldn't care if she were a concubine or a mere maidservant. She was confident that in the years to come, she could slowly reveal her true nature, showing them that the woman their son brought home was not some utterly depraved, fickle creature. She had steeled herself to endure misunderstandings, cold treatment, and even outright insults, but she hadn't expected all this to erupt so quickly.

The moment Zhou Ying had brought her in and after only a few words were exchanged, the harsh accusations from the elders had rained down without mercy, leaving her feeling breathless. She could only hide behind Zhou Ying's back to escape it all.

Zhou Ying frowned, listening to his father's roaring fury and his mother's continuous nagging. A sense of bewilderment washed over him. Why am I standing here listening to their lectures? Why? Yes, because they are my parents. But are they truly my parents? In all my years, no one has ever dared speak to me this way! Not even Zhou Xu had treated me so! On what authority do they act? Yes, they are my parents... Then who is Zhou Xu? Parents? What even are parents...? Such thoughts involuntarily bloomed in his mind.

On the journey back from out of town these past few days, strange thoughts often surfaced, as if everything around him—his true lineage, his parents, his home, even the world he inhabited—was unreal. Even he was not "Zhou Ying," or rather, he was "Zhou Ying," but not this "Zhou Ying." What kind of notion was this? He shook his head violently. Where did such an absurd and ridiculous thought come from?

Amidst his parents' torrent of words, he quietly reached a hand behind him. Nan Yu gently placed her hand into his palm. Zhou Ying clasped Nan Yu’s cold fingers tightly, gripping them hard. He wanted to offer Nan Yu a source of support, and perhaps draw strength from her as well. In Zhou Ying’s world right now, only she felt real, clearly, undeniably present.

"In short, one final word: send this base woman out of the house immediately, or I will no longer have you as a son!" His father concluded the tirade by violently smashing his teacup onto the floor. "No!" "What! You dare talk back to me again?!" "No! Nan Yu is not a base woman! I brought her here to marry her as my wife, and I will not send her away." Zhou Ying looked directly into his father's eyes—he was certain that, all along, he had made his own decisions, charting his own future, no matter how ridiculous things appeared to others. Yes, that was right! No one had ever decided his affairs for him! "You, you beast! You... you are going to anger me to death!" "How can you speak to your father like that!" His mother, always favoring her son, tried to redirect the confrontation toward Nan Yu to spare her son from reprimand. "It's all your fault, you seductive vixen, you cheap slut, you filthy woman from the brothel! What magic did you use to bewitch my son! Let me tell you, you better give up this idea; someone as low as you will never set foot inside the Zhou family gate in this lifetime!" "I am not..." Nan Yu choked out a few words, tears welling up. "You damned slut! You had better get out now!" As she spoke, she raised her hand and slapped Nan Yu across the face.

Slap. The light sound resonated against Nan Yu's cheek, but it struck Zhou Ying’s heart just as sharply. When his mother raised her hand again to strike, he snatched her wrist. "Let go! Let me beat this little bitch to death!" "Stop!" "Release me! Don't try to stop me!" "I said stop!" Zhou Ying increased the pressure on her wrist. "Ouch, ouch, ouch..." She couldn't help but cry out in pain. With a shove from Zhou Ying, she stumbled back several paces, pointing at him with trembling disbelief and asking in a choked voice, "You, you, you actually laid a hand on me for this whore... I am your mother! Your own flesh and blood! And yet I mean less to you than this lowly woman!" "No, you are not my mother!" Zhou Ying roared. "I have no parents! Yes, I have never, ever had parents! I don't care who you are, but you cannot be my parents!" In that instant, a feeling of absolute certainty gripped him: he definitely had no parents, therefore the man and woman before him could not be them. "Ying, don't for my sake..." Zhou Ying silenced Nan Yu’s protest and shouted at the pair: "Even though I don't know what's going on, I know you are all fake! Get out of my sight!"

Liu Di's injuries were already serious, and having received no treatment for days, they naturally worsened with each passing sun. Yet, he refused to lie on the straw bedding crawling with insects, stubbornly leaning against the wall to sit, his face still sporting a carefree, roguish smile. "These minor scrapes will heal if I lick them clean..." Why did he think that? He felt that when injured, one should lick the wound clean, like a dog? He found his own thought amusing. In any case, these past few days, he had been thinking nonsense like this, though he couldn't recall why these thoughts came to him. "Hey, time to eat!" The jailer banged on the iron bars, setting a coarse steamed bun and half a bowl of soup of unknown contents near the door, muttering, "This kid is surprisingly tough; he should have died long ago! He won't live to see the public execution anyway! They made it clear they want you dead in here, so dying sooner might actually be better, saving you a lot of suffering." Liu Di chuckled. He knew the family of the soldier he had beaten to death (?) wanted him dead in prison, which was why the jailers and guards had been deliberately tormenting him these past few days, determined to see him perish. But Liu Di paid them no mind. He pinched the steamed bun with his fingers, tossing tiny pieces around, muttering, "How can this be eaten? I want to eat Manchu-Han Imperial Feast, French Lobster, Japanese Miri, American Steak... XO, Brandy, Juniper, Maotai... What on earth am I saying?" He picked up the soup, sniffed it, wrinkled his nose, and said, "What is this? It's worse than the 'pig slop' Zhou Ying used to cook..." "Zhou Ying..." He looked up toward the long shadow cast by the large tree outside the window onto the wall. "Shadows everywhere... Zhou Ying, who is that? Who?" "Sigh..." He let out a long breath. Though he had no appetite for prison food these last few days, his stomach was painfully empty. "I really want to eat someone..." Eat a person? Where did that thought come from again? How could one eat a person! Only Yao guai eat people! Yao guai? I've seen that kind of thing... Yao guai! Suddenly, the moment of his capture flashed in Liu Di's mind. That ape-like monster, the long claw that gripped his leg... "That was a Yao guai!" Liu Di wasn't surprised to see a Yao guai, but he was surprised by his own lack of shock—why did seeing a Yao guai feel so utterly normal? "Of course it is. Yao guai live mixed among humans. It's only natural for a city to have a few, or even a hundred, Yao guai." As he thought this, he wondered why he knew so much about Yao guai. "One Yao guai, one Yao guai, a handsome Yao guai, the unparalleled Earth Wolf... La la la..." Liu Di snapped back to reality, realizing he was humming a strange tune. "Earth Wolf..." Crack! The broken bowl in his hand shattered into several pieces, instantly slicing his hand open and drawing blood. He brought his hand to his mouth and gently licked it. The metallic, bloody taste stimulated his nerves and stomach. "I'm really so hungry, I so want to find someone to eat!" He stood up, forcefully stretching his limbs. The iron chains binding his hands and feet instantly burst apart, though his limbs were also scraped by the breaking metal. He continued licking the wounds on his hand, thinking, "This little scratch is nothing; a lick will fix it. After all, I'm not human..."

"I don't know you people! What are you?" Zhou Ying demanded sharply of the man and woman before him. "Son, have you gone mad! If we aren't your parents, who are we? If you aren't our son, who are you?" "Who am I?" Zhou Ying murmured, then looked at Nan Yu. "Who am I?" "Ying, what's wrong? Don't scare me..." Nan Yu was close to tears. Zhou Ying squeezed his eyes shut forcefully, then threw his head back and shouted, "Who am I?" "Ying! You are Ying!" Nan Yu grabbed his shoulders and said. "Ying..." Zhou Ying looked at the shadows beneath his feet, Nan Yu's feet, the house, the trees, the courtyard. "Shadows... I am a Shadow... born of nothingness, without parents—a shadow." He took a deep breath and proclaimed loudly, "I am not human. I am the Shadow Wraith, Zhou Ying!" "Ying!" Nan Yu clutched his hand. "What are you saying? Why do you say you aren't human!" "Ah, Nan Yu," Zhou Ying finally recovered and noticed Nan Yu tightly gripping his hand. He hastily, almost fearfully, pushed her hand away and even stepped back half a pace, his face flushing. "Nan Yu, quickly try to remember—we really aren't human! I am a Shadow Wraith, and you are a Zombie! We came here to find Huo'er—don't you remember?" "Ying, please don't frighten us..." Nan Yu finally couldn't hold back her tears. "Why do you say we aren't human? What has happened to you..." "We truly are not human," Zhou Ying stated. "I don't know why we suddenly became like this, sealing our powers and demonic essence, making us look exactly like humans, and making us believe we were human. But we are not human! I remember everything now. You don't? You don't believe me?... Then look at me, look at me..." He shifted his body in front of Nan Yu, revealing the true form of a Shadow Wraith—a black, humanoid silhouette. "Ah... Yao guai!!!!!" Both Nan Yu and the couple in the room shrieked in alarm. "Who are you! Where is my son?" The man held a chair, gathering his courage to address Zhou Ying. "I don't know," Zhou Ying answered truthfully. "I don't know how I came to believe I was human, that I was your son. And naturally, I don't know who your son is, or where he might be." "Nonsense! It must be—it must be that you, this Yao guai, ate him! My poor son..." "I don't eat people, and Nan Yu doesn't either." Zhou Ying ignored the irrelevant humans. His primary concern now was Nan Yu—how to restore her memories? Furthermore, why did he and Nan Yu suddenly believe they were human? And why did a pair of humans think he was their son? What was going on? "You Yao guai! You ate my son!" The man began to wail, hurling the chair towards Zhou Ying. Zhou Ying flicked his finger, and the chair disintegrated into dust. He did not wish to tangle with humans; he took Nan Yu's hand, intending to leave. Although Nan Yu appeared terrified by his Wraith form, she still followed him. "You ate my son! You ate my son!" The man screamed curses, yet he didn't know how to deal with Zhou Ying nor could he stop him from leaving. He only spun around in distress, cursing, "Damn Yao guai! Damn Yao guai!" He hammered his own head, as staring fixedly at Zhou Ying's retreating back, he inexplicably felt a strange sensation himself. "Yao guai, Yao guai..."

As Zhou Ying and Nan Yu just stepped out the door, they suddenly heard a woman’s piercing shriek from behind them. Zhou Ying turned back to see the woman who he had believed was his mother collapsed in a pool of blood. Where the man he thought was his father had stood, there was now a monster with the body of a pig, a human face, tusks, and a red tail. He still held the woman’s arm in his mouth, roaring fiercely, "I am the Yao guai! I remember, I remember!" "He Bo!" Zhou Ying shielded the trembling, speechless Nan Yu behind him. With a flick of his finger, his own shadow transformed into a single sabre that landed in his hand. He pointed it at the Yao guai named He Bo and demanded, "Are you behind all this mischief?" In his peripheral vision, he noticed the corpse of the "woman" lying on the ground slowly beginning to change...

Liu Di passed through the prison wall with ease and emerged outside, transforming into a large black dog. He squatted in the sunlight, licking his wounds. "How pathetic, to be beaten this badly by humans. I'll have to eat a dozen or twenty people to make up for this! But..." He stared at the crowds passing by. "They have to be 'people'..." He wasn't saying Yao guai tasted bad, but... that wasn't the main point. The key point was why he had thought he was human in the first place!?... Waaah... I'm so hungry, I want Peking Duck, Goubuli Baozi instead... He kept thinking such disjointed thoughts until he had groomed every strand of his fur. Then, he slowly stood up, sighing, "I still need to find something to eat; food doesn't just fall from the sky..."

"Boom..." A massive sound erupted from the street. Houses, trees, and human bodies flew everywhere. A gigantic, man-faced pig-shaped Yao guai suddenly appeared there, wielding a roof beam it gripped in its hands, swinging it wildly. It stood nearly ten meters tall, towering over the street and looking down. "He Bo?" Liu Di glanced at it, then at the humans swept into the sky by He Bo’s brute force, who began to fall down before him with dull thuds. He muttered to himself, "Food really does fall from the sky..."

Zhou Ying maneuvered around while simultaneously protecting Nan Yu. If Nan Yu were herself, her powers far surpassed Zhou Ying’s, and he wouldn't need to guard her. But currently, she looked like a fragile, timid, and completely panicked human woman. Zhou Ying held her tight, terrified of her getting hurt.

He Bo swung his giant club, and Zhou Ying leaped up, holding Nan Yu, narrowly dodging the blow. He Bo’s sudden immense size left Zhou Ying unsure how to attack effectively. His Shadow Sabre lacked the necessary solidity and power, making it ill-suited for combating such a colossal entity.

Zhou Ying recited an incantation toward He Bo, and the Yao guai was instantly enveloped in a mass of dark shadows. Zhou Ying seized the opportunity, carrying Nan Yu, and darted into a corner, pushing her into a thicket of bushes. "Stay here, do not come out for any reason." Though her face was contorted in terror, Nan Yu nodded.

He Bo violently shook off the black shadow envelopment. Looking up, he saw Zhou Ying wielding his Shadow Sabre, slicing down towards him. He Bo showed no fear, raising his great club to meet the attack. The two monsters engaged in a fierce battle. Shouts, the clang of weapons colliding, and the sounds of spells being cast filled the air, and the pedestrians on the street scattered instantly.

Zhou Ying knew his own inherent weaknesses in power and combat skill. This was why he had spent several hundred years studying human swordsmanship to compensate for his flaws. This was the first time in his life he fought another Yao guai without Huo'er, Zhou Xu, or Liu Di present. The battle revealed both more of his shortcomings and affirmed how correct his years of studying human martial arts had been. He Bo’s magical power was inferior to Zhou Ying’s, but his brute strength and ferocity in combat were superior. Zhou Ying’s technical skill perfectly balanced this deficit, giving him a slight edge overall.

As He Bo’s club descended, Zhou Ying’s body dissolved into nothingness, reappearing from the shadow beneath his opponent’s feet. The Shadow Sabre scraped along the wooden club upward, aiming directly for He Bo’s fingers. He Bo balled his left hand into a fist and punched down at Zhou Ying. Zhou Ying had already recited another spell; He Bo’s own shadow coiled upward, firmly binding his limbs. Zhou Ying swung his blade, severing four of He Bo's fingers, and the club clattered to the ground.

He Bo clutched his wounds, howling repeatedly, struggling violently until he broke free of his own shadow’s grip. He grabbed a nearby large tree by instinct, tearing it out with its roots and dirt still attached, and charged at Zhou Ying again, swinging the massive trunk. When this type of Yao guai went berserk, its strength was limitless, and it swung the tree with terrifying force. At that moment, the sun was momentarily obscured by a passing cloud, plunging the entire street into a vast shadow. The Shadow Wraith merged with this darkness, vanishing completely. "Come out, Shadow Wraith! I will eat you!" He Bo smashed the tree wildly everywhere, launching random magical attacks, causing trees to snap and houses to collapse in a haze of dust. "Shadow Wraith, how dare you play tricks on me! I will eat you! Show yourself!"

Zhou Ying was actually standing right behind He Bo, observing his opponent's completely unguarded back. A simple thrust of his blade or a basic spell could easily end the creature's life. However, not long ago, Zhou Ying had wholeheartedly believed this form of He Bo was his father. Regardless of what spell had caused it, Zhou Ying did not want to kill him now. "Forget it." Zhou Ying sheathed his blade, thinking, He must also have been afflicted by some spell that made him believe he was human, that he was my father. I will spare him. Just as he was about to leave, he noticed Nan Yu had emerged from her hiding spot sometime ago and was looking around the street corner.

The moment Zhou Ying spotted Nan Yu, He Bo saw her too. He was much closer to Nan Yu than Zhou Ying was, and he clearly recognized this woman as being with that detestable Shadow Wraith. With a roar, he leaped into the air, hoisting the tree above him and smashing it down towards Nan Yu. Nan Yu shrieked and collapsed onto the ground, staring at He Bo in terror, unable to fight back or even flee. "Nan Yu!" Zhou Ying cried out, but by the time he charged from his position, he was too slow.

The tree slammed down heavily, sending branches, leaves, dust, and dirt flying everywhere. When the debris settled, Nan Yu was still sitting on the ground, mouth agape, eyes wide open. Standing behind her was a man with a smile on his face, one hand tucked into his sash, leaning askew, while his other hand was raised, supporting the massive tree that had been crashing down. "Liu Di!" Zhou Ying exclaimed in delight. "You are finished!" Liu Di showed no joy in their reunion, instead delivering a venomous barb: "You can't even manage a basic hero-saves-the-beauty routine. What future do you have?" "You're alright too, that's great!" Zhou Ying said, completely ignoring Liu Di’s words and focusing on his own relief.

He Bo roared and lifted the tree again, smashing it toward Liu Di. Unfortunately, Liu Di was not Zhou Ying; when dealing with enemies, he never considered holding back or showing mercy. With a casual shove, the tree scraped past his shoulder and crashed onto the ground. Before He Bo could attack again, Liu Di darted forward, slapped the opponent's arm, and claws shot out from his fingertips, embedding themselves in He Bo's chest and ripping out his heart. "I've starved these past few days..." he mumbled around his mouthful, speaking vaguely to Zhou Ying. Seeing Nan Yu staring fixedly at him, he offered politely, "Want some too? Don't be shy!"

"Ah..." Nan Yu cried out shrilly, stumbling into Zhou Ying’s embrace, clinging tightly to his chest, eyes shut, terrified to look up again, trembling as she whispered, "He, he, he’s eating people!"

"He’s eating a demon," Zhou Ying corrected matter-of-factly.

Nan Yu let out a groan and fainted.

"What's wrong? You haven't exactly never eaten one yourself... Come on, another drumstick..." Liu Di mumbled through a mouthful, "Don't mind me, I'm happy to have it all to myself."

"Why is it that we've all snapped back to normal, but Nan Yu is still like this?" Zhou Ying asked, worried.

They were sitting in a room at an inn. Nan Yu clutched Zhou Ying's arm desperately, trying to hide behind him, clearly terrified of Liu Di, which made Zhou Ying very uneasy.

Liu Di sat at the table, legs crossed, sipping tea and picking his teeth, saying indifferently, "Isn't this great? You're so fortunate. If she were conscious, would you ever get this close to her?"

"Liu Di..."

"I'm just telling the truth. Look how demure she is now, so much better than that ice-cold zombie. Why don't you take this chance to get closer to her..."

"Liu Di!" Zhou Ying began to sound displeased.

"Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore," Liu Di said, sitting backwards in his chair with his arms wrapped around the chair back. "Don't you feel like everything has been wrong since we arrived here?"

"Of course!" Zhou Ying clenched his fists and said, "For a while there, we all thought we were human, and then humans suddenly turned into demons... I simply don't understand! I absolutely don't understand! What in the world is going on!"

"Humans turning into demons?" Liu Di let his arms dangle and tilted his head to look at him. "Weren't they always demons?"

Zhou Ying forcefully slapped his own head, feeling like the effort of thinking might crack it open. "Demons living disguised among humans? Why would they impersonate my parents? And when exactly were my memories and Nan Yu's secretly swapped?"

"Demons living among humans?" Liu Di frowned. "Is that really true? It wasn't just your memory and Nan Yu's that were swapped; mine was too. Didn't I also believe I was human for a time, even sentenced to death by humans? When was my memory swapped? And what about that soldier who died during the siege against me—he turned into a demon as he died, what's that about? Most importantly, those people around us—they were afraid and shocked when they saw a living demon, but they didn't bat an eye at a dead one. What’s the deal with that?"

Zhou Ying groaned, clutching his head. "Please, stop asking me questions. My own problems are about to explode my brain! You're smarter than me, you figure out the answers!"

"That is a truth!" Liu Di agreed with Zhou Ying's sentiment. "Since you put it that way, leave it to this genius mind to think it over!"

"First, shortly after we arrived here, we each discovered that this was a place with no religion and no demons; second, we don't know from when, but we started believing we were human, and we even acquired experiences, families, and identities appropriate for human life in our memories; third, when we lived according to these human identities, people fitting those roles appeared as our relatives; fourth, the person who appeared as your father was a Zhiheyu, a demon; fifth, the person who appeared as your mother and the soldier who died capturing me also turned into demons upon or near death; sixth, the people here aren't surprised that the dead turn into demons; seventh... what is seventh?" He counted on his fingers, but couldn't name the seventh point, so he had to ask Zhou Ying.

Zhou Ying had been listening intently. Seeing Liu Di ask him, he just shook his head.

"Sigh... I was trying to make it ten points, but that’s not important. What’s important is..." He stared at Zhou Ying and said with mock mystery, "Based on these points, I’ve come to a conclusion—there are no humans here!"

"What?!" Zhou Ying retorted, confused.

"No humans here! Everyone here—they are all demons!" Liu Di walked to the window and pushed it open, looking at the pedestrians on the street below. "That one, that one, and that one—everyone here, they are all demons, just like us!"

Zhou Ying hurried to the window and gazed out at the seemingly human society: the hurried passersby, the vendors setting up stalls on the roadside, the woman haggling with a seller, the pharmacy assistant gazing at the scenery outside the door due to lack of business, the naughty child pestering his grandfather for a sugar figurine, and the grandfather who finally pulled out his coin purse after being incessantly bothered... This was the picture of everyday human society; Zhou Ying found it utterly unbelievable that they were all demons.

"Impossible! For so many demons to transform into humans and live just like humans—that could never happen! Why would they do that? It makes no sense at all!"

"It makes sense..." Liu Di leaned out the window, bracing himself on the sill, his legs dangling outside, drawing the attention of many people below. He looked at them too. "...Then they live like humans, live their whole lives this way, and finally die while still believing themselves to be human..."

"No..." Zhou Ying still couldn't imagine such a thing.

"...I suppose even if they believe they are human while alive, they must revert to their true forms upon death. That's why the 'people' here turn back into demons after they die, and naturally, the 'people' here aren't surprised by 'dead people' turning into demons, because that’s the natural order here."

Just then, the sound of funeral music—pipes wailing and mourning cries—drifted from afar. A procession in mourning clothes, carrying white banners and scattering paper money, surrounded a bright vermillion coffin, moving from the other end of the street. This funeral procession immediately attracted a large crowd of onlookers.

"Oh, lucky us, we ran right into a funeral," Liu Di said excitedly. "I bet you that the dead 'person' in this coffin is a demon!"

"..."

"Still don't believe me? Watch!" Seeing Zhou Ying remain unconvinced, Liu Di leaped from the window, landing right in the middle of the funeral procession, and with a swift motion, he flipped the coffin lid open. The family members of the deceased immediately erupted into noise, and amidst shouts and clamor, they rushed toward him. Liu Di waved his hand, pushing everyone back several steps, then reached into the coffin and pulled out a six-legged demon, holding it up for Zhou Ying to see.

At that moment, wails, angry curses, calls for the soldiers, and accusations all mixed into chaos. Liu Di tossed the demon back into the coffin, closed the lid, and with a silly, sheepish grin, bowed to the crowd: "Sorry, sorry." Before anyone could say or do anything else, he had vanished.

"Believe it now?" Back upstairs in the inn, Liu Di ignored the chaos below and asked, leaning on Zhou Ying's shoulder.

"It really is like that..." Zhou Ying stood by the window, staring fixedly at the coffin, and asked, "But our lifespans as demons cannot compare to humans. If that time comes..."

"Not quite," Liu Di said, knowing what he was about to ask, shrugging. "It’s likely they can alter memories, but not the physical body. Otherwise, why would they revert to demons after death? It’s not like they hard-stuff themselves into a coffin just to live out a human lifespan... I haven't seen any graveyards or cemeteries along the way, have you?"

Zhou Ying nodded, recalling, "I definitely haven't seen such places."

"So I think these demons must live as a 'human' for a period, then their memories are swapped again, and they go on to be another 'human,' repeating this cycle. Otherwise, where would they get so many demons to replenish the population here? And where would they suddenly grab demons to play the role of your parents—I bet if we go to the address my human-self mentioned, we’d find 'my' parents and family waiting there too!"

"This is too absurd... It's practically like using demons as dolls for a puppet show..."

"Isn't it..." Liu Di nodded. "And these dolls have an advantage: they move, they talk, and they don't break easily or die—much more fun than toys or actual humans..."

"Why do this? And who is doing this?" Zhou Ying demanded angrily.

"Who and why, I don't know. But to be able to alter the memories of hundreds of thousands of demons, making them completely hide their demonic energy and act according to someone's will—that's an incredible feat. Also, what is this place? I tried once; the sky here has a 'lid.' So, perhaps this is a special space, created specifically to house us little toy dolls."

"Creating space? That’s something only gods, devils, or immortals can do!"

"That's why..." Liu Di squinted at him. "Didn't Lu Weima say it? The Great Spirit Beast..."

"The Great Spirit Beast..."

"Perhaps it's not a complete space, but to be able to manufacture something like this, and to capture and control so many demons, Lu Weima must have seen him..."

Zhou Ying fell silent, contemplating the "opponent" who was observing him from some unknown location, while he had no way of knowing anything about them. The gap in their strength seemed unimaginably vast. Suddenly, he thought of something, jumped up, grabbed Liu Di, and shouted, "Huo'er! Where is Huo'er? If she doesn't transform into an adult here, what will she become? A bird, or a chicken?! She..."

"Don't panic, don't panic!" Liu Di hastily tried to calm him. "Think about it, Huo'er's magical power is higher than ours. If even we are fine, how could she be easily controlled!"

"Is that so..." Zhou Ying had just breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed Nan Yu, who had been standing quietly beside them, listening intently even though she couldn't understand their conversation. His heart fluttered again. "Nan Yu’s magic is also stronger than ours, but she is still..."

"Oh, right. Why is the zombie still in that state?" Liu Di scratched his chin and walked over to examine Nan Yu from head to toe, scaring Nan Yu into jumping behind Zhou Ying. "It makes no sense that you and I are normal, but she’s trapped. Hey, Zombie, was your thousand years of cultivation just for show? Is it completely useless!"

Zhou Ying felt Nan Yu’s hand gripping his digging into his arm, and he looked at Liu Di with some reproach. "She's just a human terrified of demons right now, stop scaring her."

"Fine, fine, I won't scare her..." Liu Di muttered, "You two-timing rascal, always siding with the women. I’m unlucky to be your friend!" Saying this, he suddenly darted around Zhou Ying and jumped in front of Nan Yu, instantly transforming into his demonic shape—pointed ears, sharp claws, fangs, blood-red eyes—and roared at her with spread claws, "Wah!"

"Ah..." Nan Yu shrieked and threw herself into Zhou Ying's arms.

"Hahahaha!" Liu Di laughed triumphantly, slapping Zhou Ying's shoulder. "How about that, the beauty throws herself into your arms, feeling happy yet?"

Zhou Ying felt a sense of powerlessness regarding Liu Di's personality.

Liu Di returned to human form and poked Nan Yu's shoulder with one finger, asking, "Hey, generally speaking, using sudden shock is a very effective way to restore memories. Did you remember anything?"

"..." Nan Yu didn't dare look at him.

"Or should we try hitting your head with a big stick, or rolling you down the stairs? That's how they do it in romance films, and then Zhou Ying picks you up and gives you a passionate kiss, and you remember everything!"

"Thump!" Zhou Ying’s face turned bright red, and he grabbed the teapot from the table, hurling it at Liu Di's head.

Thousands of miles away from the capital city where Liu Di, Zhou Ying, and Nan Yu were, deep in a mountain valley surrounded by sheer cliffs, an oval vortex rotated slowly inside a bronze cauldron atop an altar-like structure in the valley's center. In an instant, the center of the vortex cleared, and a pair of yellow eyeballs appeared inside, blinking a few times before closing, and the vortex returned to its original form.

At that moment, a flash of lightning streaked across the sky, and rain began to fall over the entire world...

"Two more plates of stir-fried horse liver! And a jug of good wine!" Liu Di mumbled, his mouth full of food, instructing the palace maids and eunuchs nearby, while taking a moment to roar at a sobbing royal young woman, "No crying!"

He was currently seated in the grand hall of the Imperial Palace. Finding the Emperor’s throne uncomfortable, he had piled several thick cushions on it. A long table before him was laden with various dishes and dozens of fine wines. He held chopsticks in one hand and grasped a wine jug with the other, heartily devouring everything. Not far from him, tied to a pillar with long ropes, was a large group of people: the Emperor, Empress, consorts, princes, and palace attendants... These people formed Liu Di's luxurious group of hostages.

Zhou Ying and Nan Yu sat beside him, both with grim expressions, neither eating nor speaking.

"This dish is also excellent! Another plate!" Liu Di ate with great satisfaction. "You two eat too, don't be shy, don't be shy. I won't mistreat hostages." As he commanded, the attendants cleared away the food he had finished and placed it before the hostages for them to eat.

Outside the hall, the area was densely packed with armies. Swords, spears, halberds, and blades still flashed coldly in the drizzle. The soldiers and officers stood rigidly in the rain with solemn faces, ready to charge into the hall at any moment.

The Emperor and his harem, the princes and princesses, had been held captive by the audacious rebel for five days now.

A eunuch carefully approached Zhou Ying with a jade soup bowl, bowed respectfully, and said, "My Lord, please, please dine." After uttering this in a slightly stuttering voice, he looked at Zhou Ying fearfully and quickly retreated to a distant corner.

Zhou Ying looked at him, puzzled, and lifted the jade lid—the valuable bowl contained a basin full of a soupy dish whose original ingredients were unrecognizable (or perhaps 'sludge' was a more accurate term?).

"I specifically ordered them to make this for you. Taste it," Liu Di leaned over and said. "I noticed you haven't been eating much these past few days, so I specially prepared your usual fare. Though this person’s cooking might be a little better than yours—the flavor you create is absolutely inimitable—just make do with this. I am deeply moved by how much I care for my friend. How considerate I am of you."

Nan Yu glanced at the rare delicacies before Liu Di and then at the unappetizing gruel in Zhou Ying's bowl, frowning unconsciously. Although she didn't believe she was a demon, nor did she sense anything wrong with this world, having stayed with Zhou Ying these past few days, she had secretly resolved to believe every word he said. Thus, she was very displeased with Liu Di’s obvious attempt to mock Zhou Ying. Yet, having spent these days together, she realized things might not be as she imagined; Liu Di’s attitude naturally blended with Zhou Ying’s trust in him. Indeed, although Zhou Ying's face remained stern, he picked up a pair of chopsticks and began eating the gruel. Perhaps this was male friendship?

"Music! Dancing! Music! Dancing!" Liu Di, thoroughly sated, sprawled on the throne and commanded loudly. As soon as his voice faded, a troupe of dancers gracefully entered, singing and dancing. Although the music was somewhat chaotic because the musicians’ hands were shaking, and the dance steps frequently collided because the dancers were nervous, for Liu Di, the beauty of these women and their attire (merely a few strips of cloth draped on their bodies) completely compensated for these shortcomings.

One dancer tripped over her own ribbon, stumbling and taking two companions down with her.

"Hahaha, magnificent! Truly a life fit for the gods!" Liu Di laughed proudly—clearly, he had a vast misunderstanding of what a divine life entailed.

To maintain maximum deterrence over his hostages, Liu Di remained in his Di Lang form. With a swipe of his sharp claws, a watermelon was neatly sliced into several pieces. He grabbed the largest slice and bit into it deeply, juice streaming down his chin, while telling Zhou Ying and Nan Yu, "Eat, eat, this watermelon is quite sweet."

"You really just want to live this life, not look for Huo'er or a way out, do you?" Zhou Ying finally couldn't hold back his question.

"How could that be..." Liu Di’s mouth was stuffed, and he flung watermelon juice from one hand while picking up strawberries with his long claws with the other. "Aren't you seeing that I'm working hard right now to find Huo'er and expose the mastermind behind this!"

Zhou Ying looked at him skeptically.

That day, when Zhou Ying had discussed with him how to find Huo'er and an exit from this place, Liu Di had declared his method with firm conviction and righteous indignation: since there was a hidden manipulator orchestrating things here, the best way to understand everything and find a way out was to drag out this guy who was hiding and putting on this 'puppet show.' And the best way to force him out was to cause massive chaos, destroying the order of the world he had built, throwing everything into confusion so it couldn't function normally. The mastermind would naturally be infuriated and reveal himself.

When Zhou Ying was unsure how to execute this strategy, Liu Di immediately proposed his action plan: "To do something like this, you can't be afraid to die; you have to seek out the biggest trouble, do the most exaggerated things! Don't be afraid, I’ll be in front, blocking the danger, just follow me—this will definitely work!" Liu Di thumped his chest as he spoke, and, true to his word, he charged into the Imperial Palace first, seized the Emperor, usurped the throne, declared himself the "Di Lang Emperor," and ascended the seat. Then he began his cruel rule over the nation—issuing decrees that all fine food, good wine, and beautiful women belonged solely to the "Di Lang Emperor," lounging on the throne to enjoy daily indulgence in eating, drinking, and pleasure.

"Regime change is a number one affair. I don't believe that guy won't show himself!" Liu Di said this after wearing the imperial crown for a few minutes only to find it too heavy and tossing it onto the floor.

But was tying up the Emperor with a rope and declaring oneself the Emperor truly a regime change? Zhou Ying looked at the large army massed outside the hall, feeling doubtful.

"What era name should I use?" Liu Di had been agonizing over this question for almost ten days. "Jiaqing, Kangxi, Tang Taizong... seems like someone used those already. Tacky! Huanling, Chuanqi, Longzhu, JOJO? Or should I just call it NBA or KFC? Zhou Ying, what do you think of the era name Yin Ying? Although I am handsomer than Leikunhart, it could pass. No, that's out of fashion now... Maybe F4, that appeals to women more..."

Suddenly, a shriek erupted from among the hostages tied up in a corner of the hall. A prince who had been bundled with the others suddenly howled, tore free of his ropes, and transformed into a demon. It was a huge ape, covered in red fur, with long arms. With one swipe of its sharp claws, the nearest hostage was decapitated, meeting a violent end. Then it roared loudly, "Who! Who harmed me! I will eat you!" The hostages around it panicked, and several women even moaned and fainted.

"Zhou Ying, get him for Us!" Liu Di commanded, slapping the armrest of his chair with grand authority. "Take down this treasonous fiend!"

Zhou Ying shot him a look, but he leaped forward before the ape-man could slaughter anyone else.

"It was you! Did you bring me to this miserable place!" the ape-man glared fiercely at Zhou Ying.

"No, like you, we are also victims here," Zhou Ying replied calmly.

"...Really?"

"Why would I lie to you? If you're willing, we can join forces to find the one who wronged us!"

"..." The ape-man seemed to genuinely consider it.

In the past few days, several other demons who had transformed into humans had suddenly reverted. Each time, Zhou Ying had explained the situation and proposed cooperation. After all, whoever could manipulate so many demons and create a space like this must be an immensely powerful opponent. The chance of Liu Di, Zhou Ying, and Nan Yu succeeding against him alone was too slim (especially since Nan Yu had not yet reverted). Finding allies would be ideal. There were countless demons here; having even a few dozen united against a common foe might make victory possible.

"Cooperate with you?" the ape-man asked, stroking his chin.

"We find the mastermind behind our predicament together, and we find a way out of this world together," Zhou Ying suggested sincerely.

"Fine, I'll cooperate with you," the ape-man seemed to agree, lowering his arm and walking toward Zhou Ying. However, just as Zhou Ying let down his guard, ready to welcome a new ally, the ape-man suddenly thrust his arm out and swung a massive punch, roaring, "Why should I cooperate with you! I want to eat humans! I want to eat demons! I want to eat you! You must be lying to me! I can find the one who wronged me myself! After I eat you, I'll go eat him! Hahahaha..."

Zhou Ying dissolved instantly into a wisp of shadow, dispersing before reforming a few feet away. He shook his head and sighed. It was the same story again; he hadn't managed to gain a single ally these past few days. Why couldn't anyone seriously consider their predicament instead of insisting on fighting him? He turned back helplessly. Liu Di was bent over, clutching his stomach, rolling with laughter.

"How many times have I told you, hahahaha, you just won't listen, hahahaha, another one... hahahaha..." he chuckled with unrestrained schadenfreude. "If these low-grade demons would just consider their situation—they only know how to devour! After being human for so long, their minds are filled only with the thought of delicious meat, sweet blood! They can't hear anything else! Hahahaha..."

"...Delicious meat... sweet blood..." Nan Yu heard his words. She should have felt disgusted, yet for some reason, she swallowed.

"...I don't object to your idea of finding allies, but shouldn't you be more selective about who you approach?" Liu Di continued. "Even if you can't find someone as magnificent as me, at least find someone decent. This creature is only good for getting in the way or serving as emergency rations—useless otherwise! What are you waiting for!"

Zhou Ying sighed again, leaped up, and drove his blade into the chest of the ape-man, who was still flailing his fists wildly.

Several eunuchs nervously lifted the ape-man's corpse and carried it out of the main hall. This was the third time this had happened in as many days: besides this prince, a eunuch and a soldier who had come to surround the area had transformed into demons and were subsequently killed by Zhou Ying after refusing peaceful coexistence.

"Clearly, the number of demons reverting to their true forms is increasing," Zhou Ying observed. "Could it be related to our actions?"

"Of course it is. After all the effort I've put in, I shouldn't have nothing to show for it," Liu Di leaned back comfortably in his chair, sipping from a crystal goblet, continuing to devote his tongue and stomach to his objectives.

"If this continues, this place will descend into chaos soon enough, and the one we seek will surely reveal himself then. Shouldn't we start thinking about how to deal with him?" Zhou Ying asked pragmatically.

"More demons reverting will cause chaos?!" Liu Di leaned forward, frowning. "Are you implying that my magnificent establishment of the 'Earth Wolf Kingdom' isn't causing chaos enough around here?"

"..." Zhou Ying felt there was a significant gap between establishing a kingdom and Liu Di’s behavior.

Although Liu Di appeared to be thinking of nothing and caring about nothing, he had been contemplating this very issue: what method could he use to fight an opponent stronger than himself? After much thought, all Liu Di could come up with was "playing it by ear." "Ah, I'm so reluctant to see such comfortable days end," he said, talking about something entirely unrelated. "I've always wanted to try being an emperor."

"Why didn't you do it earlier?" Zhou Ying was long accustomed to his conversational leaps that veered a million miles from the original topic.

"The emperors in the mortal realm always keep a whole host of mages and sorcerers around them..." Liu Di's tone was filled with regret. "Fortunately, there are no such people here... Huh, thinking about it, not destroying this world and just continuing like this might not be so bad—a place without gods, buddhas, or faith is truly a paradise for demons..." He began seriously planning for this possibility.

Zhou Ying stopped engaging him and stood up, walking out.

The soldiers outside the hall immediately tensed upon seeing Zhou Ying emerge, and the sound of clashing swords, spears, and armor echoed around. Zhou Ying paid them no mind. He sat on the white jade balustrade, staring blankly into the curtain of rain. This rain had been falling for days and nights, and the absence of sunlight for days made Zhou Ying uneasy. He tried to use magic to stop the rain but found no effect; the clouds above seemed only to thicken. He was utterly unskilled in this type of spell. If Nan Yu were here, it would surely have worked immediately. Nan Yu... how could she recover...

A mournful sound of a xiao flute drifted from behind him.

Nan Yu stood at the entrance of the hall, holding the xiao flute left behind by the previous musician, lifting it to her lips to play a melody both serene and desolate. She faced Zhou Ying, her eyes tightly shut. Her long hair billowed in the wind, highlighting her excessively pale face. When streaks of lightning split the sky, they illuminated her features. For a moment, even the soldiers outside the hall fell silent, with only the sound of the flute echoing and weeping, as if pouring out all the confusion in their hearts into this downpour...

"If Huo'er were here too, living like this forever wouldn't be so bad either..." Zhou Ying gazed at her, a thought arising in his mind...