Chapter 50: Trembling

Chapter 50: Trembling

"Really, you're already grown up, not some naive child. Why would you fight in a place with magical plants?" Aluda shook her head. The surrounding vines gradually withdrew, and Wen Ying followed their direction to see that it was the entrance's large tree. Many vines were entwined around its trunk, but they weren't as thick and long as the ones they had just encountered.

With the vines gone, the two young demons landed on the ground. After Wen Ying regained his balance, he quickly ran behind Aluda and poked his head out from behind her to address the still-aggressive Berros, "You started it."

Berros was amused by this. Who actually started it? He recalled how Wen Ying had hidden behind Aluda, boosting his confidence as he approached.

Aluda sized them up and said, "Berros, didn't you leave? When did you come back, and why are you fighting? My magical plants almost got ruined because of you."

Neither demon dared to explain what happened.

Berros felt ashamed. Being slapped by a demon mirror was humiliating enough. It was bad enough that he couldn't dodge such speed, but if he asked why the other party slapped him... that would be even more shameful. Because he kissed him? Berros felt like he was possessed at the time. He should have killed the guy with the two faces instead of kissing him. Damn it!

Wen Ying didn't have the courage to tell Aluda that he slapped Berros because the latter kissed him. He wasn't entirely sure about the situation back then, and he had slapped out of instinct. It was only after the slap that his mind cleared up, and he realized that he was indeed the one who initiated the fight.

The two young demons remained silent for a long while. Berros glared fiercely at Wen Ying, who was hiding behind Aluda. He would definitely retaliate for that slap!

Wen Ying felt even guiltier.

"Truly, I fail to understand the thoughts of your younger generation nowadays," Aruda said, pulling Wen Ying out from behind him. The towering presence of the giant, Beros, who was a head taller, made Wen Ying look up and chuckle awkwardly. "You were just as confused back then... I only wanted you to be my card partner."

Beros glanced at Aruda standing behind Wen Ying, suddenly toning down his intimidating aura. He raised his hand, casually flexing his wrist while looking sideways at Wen Ying. "You still have Feng Luo's class this week."

"Beros, I might have ruined some of your magical plants earlier, and for that, I apologize. I'll bring compensation next time. For now, I'll take my leave." With that, Beros spread his wings and flew away, leaving Wen Ying with a stunned expression.

Aruda waved at Beros with a smile before turning back to ask, "So, what exactly happened? It's not like him to act impulsively in your garden."

It wasn't appropriate to discuss such matters with an elder, so Wen Ying scratched his cheek. "I did something... rather embarrassing, which is why he got so upset because of his pride."

But it was surreal, why had Beros kissed him at that moment? Not only Beros, but Wen Ying was also perplexed.

Fact One: Beros helped clean him up without any reaction to his nudity.

Fact Two: Beros initiated a kiss on his lips.

Question: Does Beros have any interest in him at all?

"Grandmother, demons don't think like humans. I feel so drained," Wen Ying murmured, pouting as he leaned against Aruda's arm.

Aruda pondered Wen Ying's words and offered a cryptic smile. "Could it be that just as people differ from one another, so do demons? Do Essence and Beros resemble each other?"

Wen Ying fell silent.

...

The next day, Wen Ying went to school. Many demons had come looking for him, forming a crowd at the back entrance. Last Friday, Wen Ying had told them to return on Monday to collect their cards, but since he hadn't shown up yesterday, those who had placed orders were here again today.

One demon, after checking his card, inquired, "Wen Ying, why didn't you show up yesterday?"

"I had some health issues. Don't worry, as long as you place an order, I'll make sure to fulfill it. I won't run away with your money."

Another demon chimed in, "It's not that we doubt you'd run off with the money, but we're worried you might stop this business altogether."

A hint of determination flickered in Wen Ying's eyes upon hearing this. "Rest assured, I'll sell even more varieties of cards in the future." It was his mission to instill fear of blind boxes in demons too.

With joy, the multitude of demons happily took their cards and left.

Scarlet watched as Wen Ying was about to return to his seat and tugged him towards the corridor's railing, whispering, "When are you going to sell those cards you made earlier?"

Looking at him, Wen Ying asked, "Are you eager to sell them?"

Scarlet pulled at his hair in frustration, adopting a reckless attitude, "The sooner the better."

Wen Ying chuckled, and Scarlet couldn't resist either. He reached out, but halfway through, his hand was caught by Wen Ying's. Scarlet increased his strength, only to find his arm not budging an inch. Surprise flickered across his eyes as he stared at Wen Ying's hand, then looked at Wen Ying, "Your strength has increased?"

"Considering the torture I endured a few days ago, it's only natural for my strength to increase to soothe the pain," Wen Ying let go of his hand and turned back to walk into the classroom. Scarlet stood there for a moment in thought before quickly catching up.

"What new experiment is Aruda conducting?"

Recalling the scorching pain that left his skin blistered, fear lingered on Wen Ying's face, "Want to give it a try?"

To Scarlet, Wen Ying was like an evil bird, never up to any good. Sensing potential danger, Scarlet immediately declined the invitation.

Wen Ying said with regret, "What a shame." You missed a chance to become stronger.

The bell signaling the start of the first class rang, and the old devil leisurely climbed onto the platform with his textbooks, ready to begin his hypnotic teaching.

Wen Ying glanced at the side where Beros was, but the latter completely ignored him, gazing absentmindedly at the elderly teacher on stage.

Looking past Beros, Wen Ying focused on the female demon with a horn curling from her forehead to the back and a closed, purple-eyed orb in the middle of her forehead. He had seen this demon's race during the ranking matches, and they were a spiritual type. Wen Ying felt that her innate magic would be very compatible with his Magic Mirror Puppet stacking technique.

Yesterday, Beros' mental power was too immense, making it impossible for Wen Ying to pull his consciousness into the puppet.

Unfortunately, he had only seen her once during the ranking matches. It seemed like she was quite indifferent about rankings. The last time he saw her, he failed to create a card, so he needed to observe her casting magic again.

Speaking of spiritual magic... Wen Ying looked towards the butterfly-winged merman Phelos. What was up with this merman? He clearly read in the introduction to the demon races that the butterfly pond mermaids had the innate ability to control minds through their songs. However, despite being here for so long, Wen Ying had never heard Phelos sing.

Staring at the exquisite, handsome, and noble merman, a dark thought flashed across Wen Ying's mind – using a small whip to force Phelos to sing, exploiting him, and then making a card out of him. That would make the third demon card.

With his holy and beautiful silver eyes blinking innocently, no demon could tell what he was thinking. Phelos felt a chill in the air as their gazes met. Wen Ying smiled, but Phelos coldly turned his head away.

Wen Ying then looked at the delicate but lifeless puppet girl with a ghostly mask. Every time he saw her, she wore a little dress, making her look even more like a doll. He had only seen her fight once, and like the purple-eyed demon, she didn't seem interested in the ranking matches. Her combat style involved manipulating puppets.

Such magic could help him control the actions of his Magic Mirror Puppets, increasing his chances in practical drills.

Beros had been stealing glances at Wen Ying for a while and finally couldn't take it anymore. What was with this demon? He kept looking at one demon after another with either admiration or concentration in his eyes!

Lost in thought, Wen Ying suddenly sensed a pair of devilish red eyes staring at him, causing him to shiver. The hand supporting his chin slipped, and his upper body lurched forward, hitting the desk with a clatter.

The old demon teacher looked over, and Wen Ying's heart sank. He prayed fervently that he wouldn't be called upon to answer a question. After studying Wen Ying for a moment, the aged instructor simply said, "No noise," before resuming his lecture.

Wen Ying felt a great relief, as if he had narrowly escaped a disaster. He was truly clueless about Demon Realm history.

He glanced at Belos again, but the prince wasn't looking at him, seemingly absorbed in the lesson.

This demon's mind was so hard to read, Wen Ying mused to himself.

After class, Wen Ying went straight to the Ghost Mask Puppet. The girl had large, unemotional eyes, and even her questions sounded like statements: "What can I do for you?"

Wen Ying smiled. "Last time you mentioned trading puppets for scales. I don't need the scales anymore. Can I ask you to demonstrate your innate magic in front of me a few more times?"

It wasn't a difficult request, and the Ghost Mask Puppet nodded. "Alright, there's more time between the second and third classes. After the next class, we'll go to the training grounds."

"Thank you," Wen Ying replied, his brows curving into a smile. He had a high initial affinity for the Ghost Mask Puppet, as the young demon resembled a life-like doll. Being someone who enjoyed collecting figurines, he naturally took a liking to her.

The petite demon fairy casually walked over to Belos' seat and remarked, "Wen Ying seems quite fond of the Ghost Mask Puppet."

Beros lifted an eyelid. "Are you bored? Coming all the way over here just to chat?"

"I thought I'd get to know the strong fighters better since the combat exercise is approaching," Koroy chuckled. "Have you read that book?"

"No."

Koroy flipped her hand, and a deep crystal ball levitated in her palm. She pretended to examine it for a while before saying, "The crystal ball tells me that the demonic mirror likes you."

Beros casually swished his tail. "Did you really need your crystal ball to tell you that?" He probably didn't like him very much, or he wouldn't have slapped him. He had never heard of slapping one's beloved demon.

"He likes things from the human world, like the recent shaved ice dessert that's popular there. It could be a good choice for a date. Or you could try making a loving husband bento?" Koroy hurried back to her seat before Beros could show his displeasure.

What does it matter what he likes, Beros mused, propping his chin on his hand. He still remembered that slap vividly.

The second class was for humans, and Lu Qingtao approached Wen Ying again to buy some cards. Wen Ying greeted him with a bright smile, which made Beros stare for a long time. Then, he realized Wen Ying had never smiled at him like that, and his mood soured even more.

In the afternoon, Feng Luo led the practical combat training. With Beros still unhappy and fueled by the desire for revenge, he sent Wen Ying straight to the school infirmary. The next day, Wen Ying entered the classroom limping.

Satisfied to some extent, Beros noted that after being cooked in Arudana's pot, Wen Ying had become more robust. It hadn't dampened his mood, but when Wen Ying limped off to find the Purple Demon Eye, Beros' decent mood soured once again.

A few days later, Wen Ying was once again sent to the school infirmary by Belos during practical class, and he didn't even attend classes the following morning.

Wen Ying had truly fallen into a pit of misfortune. A demon who had seen him twice enter the infirmary with injuries, thinking him weak and easy to bully, challenged him. In the ranking match, Wen Ying took out his frustration on that demon, beating him up. After the fight, Wen Ying felt much better, strutting around with an air of confidence.

His actions made the demons of Lucifer Academy realize that this Mirror Demon was actually powerful. They discussed it for several days, and those with ill intentions towards Wen Ying gradually got used to his strength that didn't align with his race, removing the label of weakness from him.

Lai Yehua watched Wen Ying's battle and left in silence. He flipped through many ancient books in his family library before finally couldn't resist visiting Aruda in the Eternal Forest.

The elegant and majestic elderly demon sat at a round table in her garden, enjoying her afternoon tea calmly. The demon sitting opposite her usually exuded an aura of authority without even trying, but next to Aruda, their presence seemed subdued. The handsome adult demon had a few wrinkles on his face, which deepened when he frowned, giving him a solemn appearance.

"Lord Aruda, I wish to know, where was the Mirror Demon you raised born?"

Aruda put down her cup with a smile in her eyes. "How could I possibly know? He wasn't born from me; I merely found and raised him."

Lai Yehua frowned. "... Lord Aruda, I am not joking with you."

Aruda replied, "I'm not lying to you either. Can you tell where an amnesiac child you found was born?"

Lai Yehua placed his hands on his knees, slightly bending them. "Lord Aruda, let me be straightforward. You should also know that the sudden rise in power of the Mirror Clan centuries ago is related to the divine stone in the human world, right? I fear that a divine stone has appeared in the demon realm."

Aluda sipped her tea and picked up a bone-shaped pastry from the table, offering it to Lai Yehua, who had no choice but to swallow it with an open mouth. "I'm worried that the Extremists might be plotting something."

Looking at Lai Yehua's serious expression, Aluda chuckled softly. "Don't overthink everything. He's stronger than other magic mirror demons because I experimented with a new potion on him. Last Saturday, I boiled him in my cauldron for three days."

Aluda spoke casually, but Lai Yehua couldn't help feeling a chill run down her spine. This kindly old demon's true nature was far from what she displayed.

After a moment of silence, Lai Yehua stood up. "If that's the case, then I... "

Aluda reached out to pluck at Lai Yehua's wings, causing her heart to skip a beat. She met Aluda's smiling eyes, which held an unfading snowstorm in their green depths.

"I happen to be short on feather materials. Could you spare some for me? And I still need demon blood for dinner—would you mind donating a bit to this old lady?"

Lai Yehua shuddered, her hanging hands numb with cold.

Wen Ying would never know what ingredients were really in those visually appealing soups he drank every day. Aluda remained seated, her smile as gentle as ever.

With a pale face, Lai Yehua left the castle, her characteristic black wings now somewhat tattered. Fear was evident on her usually composed countenance, and her body trembled slightly.

She didn't want to come back anytime soon, nor did she wish to meet that magic mirror demon again.