The Fish Demon never imagined he was the one who had hurt Fang Ru the most.
Though a Demon Ding, he had never systematically studied the knowledge of the demon race, so he was unaware of the basic fact that demon qi could harm a human’s body.
All along, he thought Fang Ru was ill, and he had tried to help. He even infused his demon qi into her body while she slept, hoping to cure her.
But this time, his usually effective demon qi failed.
Fang Ru’s condition didn’t improve; it worsened, to the point where she could no longer walk.
This left the Fish Demon deeply guilty and panicked, so he swore to protect Fang Ru, ensuring no one could harm her. If anyone made her shed a single tear, he would kill them!
Yet the outcome was heartbreaking.
“Go, I sense someone coming this way!”
Mo Fan suddenly spoke, then left without looking back.
The Fish Demon took a deep breath, his gaze on Mo Fan’s retreating figure complex, before forcing his heavily injured body to follow.
Shortly after the two demons left, two swift horses arrived.
If Mo Fan were here, he would have recognised the riders as the two old men who had sat cross-legged on the stone pillars in Pingyao Town.
Now, the two old men surveyed the surrounding wreckage, their expressions grave.
One of them took out a compass, injecting a trace of spiritual qi. The compass’s needle spun wildly until, with a “bang,” the entire device shattered!
“Such potent demon qi. A battle happened here, involving at least two Demon Ding-level beings!”
The old man’s face darkened slightly. This demon-seeking compass had cost him dearly, and now it was destroyed.
But it confirmed the presence of powerful entities.
Only the demon qi of Demon Ding-level creatures could overwhelm his low-grade magical artifact.
“This is beyond our ability to handle. Report it!”
The other old man nodded, a hint of excitement on his face, smiling, “Two Demon Dings sneaking in—this is rare news. We might earn significant merit, perhaps even a chance to join an immortal sect!”
“If we can join an immortal sect, these decades of hardship will have been worth it!”
The old man whose compass had shattered looked more at ease, then took a transmission talisman from his sleeve and began sending a message.
Meanwhile, Mo Fan, ignoring whether the injured Fish Demon could keep up, headed south.
“Where are you going?”
The Fish Demon frowned, noticing Mo Fan wasn’t heading toward the Demon Spirit Mountains.
“To meet a friend.”
Mo Fan replied calmly, then, as if recalling something, spat out a low-grade spiritual herb and handed it to the Fish Demon.
“Eat it! Otherwise, you’ll bleed out and become a dead fish.”
“…”
The Fish Demon’s face twitched, but he took the herb and swallowed it whole.
“You’re so quick. Aren’t you worried I poisoned it?” Mo Fan asked suddenly.
The Fish Demon froze, then sneered, “You’re a bit of a rogue, but not that low.”
“No, you’re wrong. I did poison it!”
Mo Fan grinned, baring two rows of sharp teeth, sending a chill through the Fish Demon.
“You… how can you be so shameless?!”
The Fish Demon gritted his teeth, finding this guy utterly unlike a demon. What demon was this cunning?
He reached to dig at his throat, trying to vomit the herb.
“Don’t bother. My poison, once swallowed, spreads instantly through your limbs and bones, leaving no trace. If I activate it, you’ll wish you were dead.”
Mo Fan shook his head, then added, “As for principles, those are human standards. I’m a demon. Have you ever seen anyone talk morals with a demon?”
“You…!!”
The Fish Demon gnashed his teeth in fury, but then felt a warm sensation. Looking at his wounds, he saw they were starting to scab.
“Seems it worked well. Your resilience is better than I expected.”
Mo Fan stroked his chin, then turned to leave without a word, saying, “Come on, tell me your story. How did a Demon Ding like you get tangled up with a human girl like Miss Fang?”
“Why should I tell you?”
“Don’t, and I’ll decide whether to make you grilled fish or boiled fish.”
“…”
The Fish Demon was unwilling, both hating and fearing Mo Fan. He couldn’t fight him, couldn’t escape, and was now poisoned—how could he break free from Mo Fan’s grasp?
In the end, he relented, slowly recounting his tale.
The Fish Demon was originally a carp that gained sentience in the Demon Spirit Mountains, a natural-born wild demon.
After awakening, he rose from the bottom of the food chain to its top, dominating the stream where he lived, becoming the undisputed overlord within a ten-li radius.
After a night of demon qi tempering under a full moon, his ambition soared.
He no longer feared the predators of the stream or the tigers and leopards of the jungle. He even hunted a fierce tiger for food when bored.
His ferocity drove all the beasts within ten li away, leaving him no choice but to follow the stream further, seeking a true home.
After an unknown time, he reached a vast river.
Its breadth was unlike anything he’d seen, though the water was somewhat dark. Ignoring this, he dove in, wreaking havoc unchecked.
This provoked other demons in the Black River. After a fierce battle, the Fish Demon fled, gravely injured and depleted, reverting to a carp. Drifting upstream, near death, he was caught by a fishmonger.
Thus, he ended up at Pingyao Town’s market.
Watching his kind slaughtered around him, he despaired, never imagining a demon like him would die at a fishmonger’s hands—so humiliating.
But then, a beautiful figure appeared in his sight, buying him from the fishmonger.
It was Miss Fang, Fang Ru!
Fang Ru was kind, buying him to set him free, but noticing the carp was dying, she didn’t release him.
Her innate kindness refused to let the carp die, so she brought him home, grinding a precious ginseng from her family’s collection to feed him.
That ginseng was no ordinary plant—it was a spiritual herb!
Thus, the Fish Demon’s life was saved. To monitor his condition, Fang Ru kept him in the courtyard’s fish pond instead of releasing him.
What followed was the Fish Demon’s choice to stay at the Fang family school as a kept ornamental fish to repay her kindness.
But over time, deeper feelings grew.
He had never met a woman as kind and beautiful as Fang Ru, and so he gradually fell for her, lingering by her side as she slept.
