Chapter 17: Poison

Chapter 17: Poison

Tiger Essence was incredulous. How could Wen Ying possibly be a Mirror Demon? The reputation of Mirror Demons' vulnerability was well-known, yet, after repeatedly observing Wen Ying, he had to concede that Wen Ying was indeed one - with crystal-clear, glass-like horns and an almost entirely white body from head to toe.

Especially his pair of silver-white eyes, which truly give the impression of mirrors.

The Mirror Demons had long vanished from public sight, and even the bustling Magic City was devoid of their presence. They had migrated to remote towns due to their limited capabilities.

Wen Ying casually took a card from his pocket and said to the Black Horned Demon, "This is what they were referring to. You can check if it's an enchanted item."

The horned devil took it and examined it for a moment, shaking his head as he addressed the others, "It's not an enchanted item."

"Are you serious?"

"My God, didn't they say that magic mirror devils were useless? Why does this seem so useful? That card can cast spells instantly, right?"

"I think it might only be useful in the early stages. Later on, when everyone has become powerful, those weak spells won't matter even if they're instant. Someone with slightly greater speed could reach him and beat him up before he even gets to use the card."

The group engaged in heated discussions, with some even arguing loudly because their opinions differed from those of other devils.

Beros gradually withdrew his intimidating aura, and Wen Ying sensed it, feeling somewhat complicated. It was astonishing that the arrogant Beros had actually helped him.

Wen Ying asked the Black Horned Devil to count the score cards while he walked over to Beros’ side and whispered, “Thank you.”

Surprisingly, Beros looked at him with some confusion, “Are you insane? Why are you thanking me?”

Wen Ying: "..." Damn, the emotional quotient of devils was questionable.

But Beros had indeed helped him just now, so Wen Ying had to endure his impatience and say, “Didn’t you just release your magical power…”

Beros’s crimson eyes revealed that familiar disdain and contempt to Wen Ying once more: “Do you think it’s because of you? They’re just too noisy.”

Aruda chimed in at the right moment: “Beros doesn’t like noise, Little Yin. You need to understand him when you play together in the future.”

Wen Ying: "..."

Taking a deep breath, Wen Ying rubbed his numb face with the palm of his hand, forcing his twitching facial muscles to relax. Only then did he manage to force a smile and say, "Alright."

There was no hope for a demon’s emotional quotient. He really wanted to pin Beros down on the ground and beat him up.

He glanced at Beros’s face, a handsome one with distinct features and a three-dimensional structure. His air of hostility and ferocity might have intimidated others, but in the human world, even vicious dogs had their admirers for their vigor and splendor. However, when Beros opened his mouth, all that was gone.

To avoid getting angry, Wen Ying shifted his gaze away. Even the congratulations from the Black Horned Devil for being the current first place didn't make him happy; he merely responded with an indifferent hum. This behavior left the surrounding devils in disbelief.

Was this mere Mirror Devil really that arrogant? Having secured the top position and defeating so many powerful devil offspring with noble bloodlines, this guy didn't seem to be the least bit pleased with himself.

The surrounding devils began speculating about whether he truly possessed some extraordinary abilities. Some thought Wen Ying was just overly arrogant, while others disagreed, sparking another argument.

Hupo stared at Wen Ying with a bitter expression, his face growing more somber as he pondered.

Li Jie, with his black goat horns, walked over to his side and patted his shoulder. "Are you questioning your own magic abilities?"

Hupo nodded subconsciously, suddenly realizing the devil next to him and swatting away Li Jie's hand from his shoulder. "Keep your distance, you reek of medicine."

"Tsk," Li Jie dismissed further discussion about the profound depths of alchemy with this simple-minded, muscle-bound creature. He tilted his chin in the direction of Wen Ying. "I think he's not an ordinary Mirror Devil."

"Of course, he's not," Hupo immediately said. He couldn't have been defeated by an ordinary Mirror Devil; it had to be an anomaly.

Li Jie's gaze narrowed slightly as he looked at Wen Ying. "His magic reserve surpasses our understanding of what a Mirror Devil can possess."

Tigerclaw rolled his eyes and spotted Aruda. An idea sparked in his mind. “It must be Aruda!”

He immediately lowered his voice. “She must have cast some spell to stimulate magic growth on Wen Ying.”

Tigerclaw’s gaze toward Wen Ying was filled with pity. Aruda had no connection to Magic Mirror Demons at all. It was clear that Wen Ying had been taken by Aruda for experimentation. Poor guy, he’d overlook Wen Ying’s previous teasing due to his magnanimity.

Perhaps Wen Ying had even lost his wits due to Aruda’s experiments and forgotten this basic knowledge.

Li Jie observed the vivid expressions flickering across Tigerclaw's face, guessing the demon's various mental shifts. His lips twitched as he decided to ignore this fellow. The guy's muscular physique probably came at the cost of his brain.

He glanced at his own physique and thought of his sharp intellect, smiling faintly.

Many demons shared Tigerclaw’s thoughts – Wen Ying’s illogical magic level might be a result of Aruda’s experiments.

Scarlet deliberated but still didn’t dare confront Wen Ying right now. He would wait until Aruda was no longer around before teaching Wen Ying a lesson.

Feeling that everything was settled, Wen Ying told Aruda, “Grandma, let’s go back. I think quite a number of demons have already left.”

Aruda nodded, then shook her head. Pointing at the growing black dot in the distance, she said, “After this performance is over, Grandma will cook you something nice… Right, you should also start preparing for your school supplies.”

As Aruda spoke, he was already engrossed in contemplating what to purchase.

Wen Ying lifted his gaze to the sky. The few small black dots grew larger and soon revealed the outlines of demons. Curious about how events would unfold, his heartbeat involuntarily quickened. He wondered if the drama between these demon princes would resemble a royal court drama.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the second prince, the handsome young demon who had been standing by Lilith's side. Now that Lilith was with Levimo, both were receiving advanced healing magic from their respective demons.

It turned out that even demonic high-level healing magic didn't instantly mend injuries. Wen Ying had thought that such spells could swiftly restore vitality to the injured.

Watching for a while longer, he wondered if he could somehow learn from it.

Amidst the demons, there was a commotion, and they collectively moved away from one spot. There were screams and raised voices. A demon shifted, blocking Wen Ying's view of the one casting the advanced healing magic. Irritated, he turned his head.

The disturbance was caused by a group of seemingly law enforcement demons not far away, about a dozen or so. Two of them held a young demon each. Upon closer inspection, Wen Ying was immediately impressed by the efficiency of demon law enforcement – weren't these the two demons who had been sprinkling powder under his tree?

But very quickly, Wen Ying's curious expression transformed. His face paled, and his hands hanging at his sides trembled slightly.

—Those law enforcement demons had directly killed the two powder-sprinkling demons.

With a simple stab to the heart, Wen Ying witnessed red blood spurting out for the first time.

Amidst the chattering demons, Wen Ying swallowed hard, silently observing their reactions. Their expressions were natural, as if the bloody incident that just happened didn't affect them at all.

Watching two demons being killed by the Law Enforcement demons, they seemed to have merely witnessed a slaughter in a movie, still discussing it casually.

"One almost had me, I was almost done with my ambush. Damn those hateful guys, they ruined my chance to get those score cards."

"Stop talking about it. I lost all my score cards while running away. Damn those monster groups, those two demons really had nothing better to do."

"Just the Extreme Party again. Tsk, mimicking humans won't make us lose any hair, why do they have to hinder progress? I love human recipes. Eating prey raw was too unbearable before."

"Well killed! Those Extreme Party members who defy His Majesty the Devil King!"

"It's all their fault. Damn it, my hand got severed by a monster."

"Speaking of the Extreme Party, they ambushed and destroyed our spice purchases from the Human Realm last week. It made me furious. I was just waiting for the supermarket to restock."

Listening to the conversations of the surrounding demons, Wen Ying's pale complexion improved slightly due to the familiar feeling. The Devil King, like the emperor in palace dramas, didn't expose the mastermind behind the scenes, instead giving those two demons another label.

Taking a deep breath, he decided to retreat when he returned. He must acquire hundreds of escape and survival cards first! Healing cards, speed boosters, Turtle Shell Defense, and he would search for teleportation magic. He had to arm himself thoroughly. From this day on, he would be Wen Runrun!

The Demon Realm was damn too dangerous; they killed each other at the slightest disagreement! Even criminals in the Human Realm went through legal procedures, thought Wen Ying, swallowing hard.

Aruda patted Wen Ying’s shoulder gently, as if nothing had happened, and asked, “Did you enjoy the show?”

Wen Ying answered resolutely, "Grandma, I'm going into seclusion when we get back."

Aruda shook her head and handed Wen Ying a small cross-body bag she carried with her. Curious, Wen Ying took it, catching a glimpse of Beros retreating swiftly out of the corner of his eye. He looked up at him in confusion.

Beros still had that air of supreme arrogance, but his movements seemed somewhat stiff.

Aruda introduced warmly, “Little Yin, these are some things I carry around, all quite practical. Look at this pink powder, it’s called Love Powder. I borrowed the name from human novels because I think it fits well. It’s not your ordinary Love Powder; once someone is affected, it can only be resolved by actually engaging in a physical relationship.”

"Be careful with this purple potion. It's Bone-Dissolving Powder. If you mix a bit of it in water, the resulting liquid can dissolve bones. It's useful for disposing of corpses."

"This is an extract from Devil Bees. I mixed it with some fragrances to make perfume. You can use it safely without any problem, and it smells nice. But once someone drinks honey water after being exposed to this scent, the perfume will turn into a paralyzing toxin. In the future, if you want to numb someone, spray this perfume on yourself and then offer them a cup of honey water."

"And this, I made it myself. It can release a demon's stored magical power externally..."

"...

Aruda rattled on, describing the various uses of the medications in the package, and finally patted the stunned Wen Ying on the shoulder with a chuckle. “Essentially, this pack contains all sorts of remedies you might need. Carry it with confidence as you deal with the demons that irk you. There’s an antidote inside as well, but not directly so. I was worried that if other demons got their hands on it, they might use it to neutralize the poisons. Hence, the antidote for this Blissful Reunion Powder is a blend of these two toxins, see?”

Wen Ying slapped his stiffened cheeks, realizing belatedly that the “devil” the demons had mentioned wasn’t Beros, but this serene and kind old lady before him.