Chapter 66: Tail Ring

Chapter 66: Tail Ring

Despite having lived in the Human Realm before, Wu Fei was unfamiliar with its blind box culture. He had been raised by his uncle's family and had to be careful with his expenses, never indulging in non-essential entertainment.

Thus, he found it novel and perplexing to see so many demons eagerly snatching up blind boxes. He commented to Wen Ying, "They're going crazy over them, aren't they?"

Wen Ying noticed that Wu Fei's tone was different from an ordinary person or someone well-versed in the capitalistic blind box culture. He took a few steps closer to Wu Fei, who had been standing next to Lilith, and probed, "I've heard that blind boxes are very popular in the Human Realm. Haven't you tried them before?"

Wen Ying believed that most young people were inevitably drawn into the blind box craze, even children who bought stationery with blind box pens.

Wu Fei shook his head, somewhat captivated by the lively scene of the crowd purchasing and opening their items on the spot. His gaze involuntarily lingered there as he answered, maintaining a straight stare, "To be honest, it's rather embarrassing. My identity in the Human Realm was very ordinary, quite different from my current status."

If not for the Demon Realm, he would have been ecstatic, transitioning from an ordinary working drone to a prince of a nation, with wealth, status, and power, even if it were just as a mascot. A life of prosperity, joy, and peace awaited him.

But he was a prince of the Demon Realm, with an arrogant and domineering brother who disliked him, and his brother's followers. Wu Fei couldn't understand why they looked down on him despite his decent magical abilities, which didn't align with the regal aura expected of royalty.

He didn't see himself as competitive, nor did he want to become the Demon King. He had seen those powerful demons when he was officially recognized. They had gathered in the castle hall, standing beneath the throne, their gazes pressing down like Mount Tai. Each demon seemed to have a red-eyed effect, exuding a terrifying air of violence.

Certainly, none of those eyes held any kindness! At that moment, his knees trembled, and he almost knelt down. Having grown up in a peaceful era, he had never seen blood or violence. Those mighty demons carried a horrifying aura of killing.

Wen Ying's eyes flickered slightly as he patted Wu Fei on the shoulder. "Seems like you haven't been having an easy time in the human realm."

Wu Fei scratched his head and smiled. "Actually, it hasn't been too bad. Although I've never met my mother, my uncle's family has treated me well, so I've been fairly happy."

So that was the case. No parents, living under someone else's roof – no wonder Wu Fei had developed such a personality. Logically speaking, with Wu Fei's height and appearance, he should have been quite popular in school, not someone who easily followed the crowd and was timid.

Wen Ying pondered for a moment before leaning in to whisper in Wu Fei's ear, "Do you want to trample Lan Jiaying under your feet?"

Wu Fei shook his head in terror, afraid that Wen Ying might be sent by Lan Jiaying or one of his followers to test him.

Lilith let out a silent sigh, about to approach Wen Ying to ask if Wu Fei could stay with him for a while. But upon hearing the latter part of Wen Ying's words, her steps faltered.

"You must have envied those prominent figures in school when you were studying," Wen Ying looped his arm around Wu Fei's neck. "Those 'so-handsome' someone-somethings that girls would talk about, or the ones boys discussed who paid for meals. Didn't you ever want to be like them?"

Wu Fei shook his head. "I can't imagine it."

Wen Ying: "..."

He looked at Lilith, meeting her helpless gaze behind the mask.

The hope of becoming a dragon seemed to have crumbled.

It was a miscalculation. He originally wanted to use Wu Fei's transformation into a demon lord to revitalize the Mirror Clan, but Wu Fei was too honest for his own good.

Wen Ying retracted his arm from around Wu Fei's shoulders and propped himself against the demon, feeling somewhat despairingly dependent. "Don't you want to punch Lan Jiaying's pretentious and arrogant face?"

Wu Fei shook his head.

In a low voice, Wu Fei said, "Actually, my ambitions aren't that big. It would be enough to become like Lilith and Levimo, elite demons."

Taller but less courageous, Wen Ying let out a deep sigh, rising from Wu Fei's body. He casually said, "Aren't you already one? Your magic power is much stronger than theirs."

Wu Fei was also an adult, and previously, in the human world, he had no magic power. Now, in the demon realm, just like Wen Ying, his magic power was rapidly increasing day by day until it reached its appropriate level.

In reality, Wu Fei was far stronger than the fox siblings, but he didn't know how to use it.

Confused, Wu Fei stared blankly.

Wen Ying shrugged. "Forget it, I'll do it for you. Watching him rage impotently will be quite amusing." He admitted that he had a bit of a twisted side. Sorry, Mom and Dad, he hadn't been able to resist the assimilation of the demon realm.

Lilith chuckled. "Only you would dare to be so bold, Aruda... You've changed a lot. Do you have any secrets?" Her casual teasing held a hint of anticipation.

Wen Ying blurted out, "Stew me for three days, then?"

Wu Fei: "??!" His shock was palpable even behind his mask.

Lilith: "..." Should she still send Wu Fei to Aruda?

Seeing their reactions, Wen Ying snapped back to reality and casually waved it off. "It's not that scary."

No, one's subconscious spoke the truth. In an instant, Wu Fei felt sorry for Wen Ying, but this pitiful Wen Ying had never shown his vulnerability. Was his psychology strong or distorted?

Speaking of which, Wu Fei hadn't seen Wen Ying using his vines to whip demons at first; they were just used for binding and control. But now, every time he watched Wen Ying's ranking matches, he saw the latter using his vines to whip his opponents.

During this period, Lan Jiaying had endured hundreds of lashes from Wen Ying. Looking at the curve of Wen Ying's lips under his half-mask and the forest assassin claw beast he was holding, Wu Fei, hugging Little Hong tightly, silently moved half a meter away.

Although he knew Wen Ying was a good demon, he couldn't shake off the chill running down his spine.

He clutched the dragon cub in his arms for comfort.

After inspecting his "business," Wen Ying was quite satisfied. He planned to earn more in the future and perhaps rent a small storefront in the capital. As his products increased, the tiny shelf wouldn't be enough, and constantly owing favors to Muershi wasn't ideal.

They strolled for a while longer, purchasing some traditional demonic snacks from a street vendor. Around three o'clock, Wu Fei said he needed to return home.

"Won't it be too early to prepare for tonight's banquet?" Wen Ying asked curiously.

Wu Fei nodded. "Mainly, I'm afraid something might go wrong in such an event at night. I'll feel more at ease if I start preparing earlier."

"Then you should head back sooner," Wen Ying said with a smile, his voice softening. "If you change your mind, you can always come find me."

Wu Fei quickened his pace.

Wen Ying shook his head. Changing someone's nature was no easy task.

Wait a moment! Wen Ying suddenly chased after Wu Fei. "You forgot to return Little Hong to me!"

Wu Fei halted, realizing his mistake. He had been so engrossed in holding the dragon that he'd forgotten all about it. Awkwardly, he turned around to hand the young Red Flame Wyrm back to Wen Ying, reluctant to part with it.

The young dragon seemed carefree, still munching on the fruit Wu Fei had bought for him. Wen Ying chided the creature, "You're a dragon, for goodness sake! How can you be so obsessed with food? If another demon were to snatch you away, you wouldn't even warn me."

Little Bai playfully patted Wen Ying's face with its front paw and chirped, indicating that it would remind him in the future.

Unconsoled, Wen Ying looked at the gluttonous creature and felt that it wasn't unexpected; its mother was the same. It had settled down comfortably due to the good food Aruda provided.

Wu Fei and Lilith had left, leaving Wen Ying alone. After wandering around the capital for a long time, seeing and tasting all the novelties, he returned to the tourist attraction, Devil King Castle. The demon performing the sacrificial dance had changed, someone Wen Ying didn't recognize. He left again and randomly entered a rugged, primitive-style tavern.

The interior was dimly lit. It was only a little past three, not the peak hour for customers. There weren't many devils inside. As Wen Ying stepped in, under the faint multicolored lights, his attention was immediately drawn to an irresistible devil.

Essence's beast-skin top hung half off his shoulders, looking quite indecent. His rosy eyes shimmered with emotion, and the half-mask he wore accentuated his decadent allure. Sitting on the bar counter, he swayed a wine glass in his hand while flirting with a cat-like devil beside him, their proximity creating a sultry atmosphere.

It was a place where Essence could be found. With nothing else to do, Wen Ying strolled over leisurely. Even in the dim light, his white attire remained striking; black absorbed light, but white did not.

Recently, Wen Ying's hair had grown past his hips, his silver-white tresses cascading loosely, gently swaying as he walked.

He didn't deliberately conceal his aura. Essence soon noticed him, his rosy gaze turning towards Wen Ying, narrowing slightly behind the mask, revealing no clear expression.

"Hey!" Essence raised a hand, cheerfully greeting him. The feline devil beside him glanced over and, upon seeing Wen Ying, froze for a moment.

The rare white devil approaching with casual steps seemed to command attention in the dim lighting, as if a spotlight illuminated him, captivating the other devils.

In the dim lighting of the bar, the vulnerability of being in the Realm of Devils was somewhat diminished.

Essence let out a soft chuckle, resonating like a gentle tap on the heart of the feline demon, whose eyes grew hazy for a few seconds.

"You're here to snatch my partner for today's Devil's Birthday celebration, aren't you?"

Wen Ying sat down on a tall stool two seats away from Essence, eyeing the feline demon. "Don't worry, I have a one-day-only boyfriend." Although he had run off, he promised to come back tonight.

Wait, with Beros's status, he should be attending the banquet at the Devil King's castle tonight. Suddenly, Wen Ying felt displeased, and the carefree vibe around him dissipated.

Essence propped his chin up, his voice laced with mockery. "Your one-day-only boyfriend doesn't seem very reliable."

Wen Ying remained silent. The bartender, a tall and slender devil with black ram-like horns on his head, approached them. He had an air of elegance and contradiction that didn't quite match his appearance as a bartender.

If he were truly refined, he wouldn't be working as a bartender here, nor would he possess such an incongruous aura.

It was the first time Wen Ying had seen a devil bartender, and it was novel to him. He placed a magical pearl on the counter, tilting his head with a smile. "Give me something with a lower alcohol content, please."

"Sure," the ram-horned devil replied with a graceful and pleasant voice. Under the dusky purple lights, his masked eyes grew even more profound, their shadows merging seamlessly with the darkness itself.

Soft jazz music filled the bar, soothing the demons as they entered.

Seeing Wen Ying's captivated gaze on the bartender, Essence had a mischievous thought. He picked up his phone and sent a message to a certain demon.

The feline demon leaned in and asked, "Who is he? White demons are quite rare."

"A classmate of mine, a Mirror Demon," Essence whispered into his ear, his lover's playful murmur sending the feline demon's heart racing.

"I think I've heard of him," the feline demon said, now distracted, "He's the top student at Lucifer Academy. It's unbelievable that someone who's just a Mirror Demon could surpass so many powerful demons."

"Indeed."

Essence sat back down, his fingers dancing swiftly on his phone. The corners of his lips curled into a deeper smile, stealing glances to the side and even chuckling softly.

Wen Ying turned his head, "Your gaze makes me uneasy. What are you thinking?"

Essence shrugged, "Nothing much."

Wen Ying felt that Essence's demeanor didn't match his words. He turned back, watching the demon bartender skillfully mix drinks with magic. His movements were smooth and graceful, exuding confidence and poise, a pleasing sight to behold.

"Please savor this, crafted especially for you."

The Ram-Horned Devil presented the glass to Wen Ying with a smile. Wen Ying took it and examined it under the light. It was beautiful, with a pale hue that separated into three distinct layers.

Under the purple glow, the light blue liquid shimmered with a deep purple hue.

"Are you satisfied with this color?" The bartender bent down, gazing into Wen Ying's eyes. "By your next visit, I should have perfected a more pure shade."

The devil drew very close, almost touching masks with Wen Ying. The latter, supporting his chin, watched him approach. This devil had purple eyes, like precious gems, making Wen Ying unable to resist staring a little longer.

"Slam!"

A loud thud startled Wen Ying, nearly making him jump. What the hell, who was so uncouth? He angrily looked up, meeting a pair of equally furious eyes. His anger paled in comparison to the red-eyed devil whose gaze seemed to be ablaze.

"Bellerophon?" Wen Ying leaned back slightly. "Didn't you have an urgent matter?"

Bellerophon glanced at Essence, sitting beside them with a lascivious posture. He spun on his heel, exuding a low-pressure yet scorching aura. Fixing his gaze on the bartender devil, the bartender trembled in fear under Bellerophon's terrifying hostility, his face turning pale from the oppressive demonic energy.

"How can you find such trash interesting?"

"What could possibly interest you?" Wen Ying was caught off guard by the question and laughed aloud after realizing the situation. Gazing past Beros, who seemed to be catching someone in the act, he looked at Essence behind him. Now, he understood what Essence had been doing just now – sending Beros inflammatory messages to escalate the situation.

"Don't make such a big move and scare the other guests." Wen Ying glanced at the trembling demons around him. The underage three-headed dog was not something ordinary demons could contend with. He grabbed Boros and pulled him up.Sit down on the stool.

Boros was still furious. He had reluctantly accepted Wen Ying's invitation on Demon Birth Day in response to her subtle hint, but now she was flirting with that good-for-nothing demon in the bar? !

As his anger intensified, the ambient temperature steadily rose around him, giving the impression that everything in his vicinity was on the verge of igniting. Wen Ying's gaze fell upon the cup of wine before him—indeed, it had caught fire. He watched, finding the flames licking at the alcohol strangely captivating.

Little Bai had an ingrained fear of Balthos's suffocatingly oppressive presence, involuntarily assuming an offensive stance. Wen Ying, however, held him back. As for Little Hong... this child, perhaps having bumped his head against the eggshell at birth, displayed minimal reaction, still leisurely munching on the bread that the bartender had handed him moments ago.

"Not quite like Essence described," Wen Ying shot a displeased glance at Essence, who had used Boreas's intimidating presence to make the feline demon beside him tremble in his arms.

"I saw it with my own eyes," Boreas said seriously, with a hint of Boreas-like grievance if one listened closely.

Wen Ying raised his hand, only for it to be swatted away by Boreas. Leaning on the bar counter with his elbow, he supported his chin with the palm of his hand and leaned sideways, saying, "What you see isn't always the truth. I was just killing time; his eyes are captivating."

"Can't we just dig them out if they're attractive?" Boreas glanced at the bartender, who was now cowering on the ground, all composure and elegance gone, replaced only by distress and fear.

Wen Ying: "...Are you serious? That's illegal even in the Demon Realm, right?"

Essence noticed Wen Ying's choice of words, causing the hand caressing the cat in his arms to pause slightly as his eyes narrowed thoughtfully. It was indeed worthy of further consideration.

Beros remained silent.

Wen Ying observed Beros, who seemed upset by the situation, and felt a headache coming on. Was Beros angry due to his pride or because he suspected infidelity?

Given their recent experience, Wen Ying leaned towards the former. Thus, to appease Beros, he needed to address his ego.

Standing up, Wen Ying placed Little Bai on the bar counter alongside the still-eating Little Hong. He then approached Beros, embracing him and whispering by his side, "I only appreciated his eyes from an artistic perspective. He's not as powerful as you; how could I be interested in him?"

By emphasizing strength, Wen Ying sensed that Beros' mood had visibly improved.

Essence wanted to applaud Wen Ying; he had quite the knack for mollifying his partner.

Wen Ying shot Essence a glare for watching the spectacle. Then, he sat down on Beros' lap, wrapped his arms around Beros' neck, and gently stroked the collar around Beros' neck with his fingers. "I like this collar. He doesn't have one."

Beros directed a single word at the bartender on the floor: "Get lost."

The bartender scurried away, crawling on all fours.

Wen Ying seized the opportunity to probe, "If you're not just a one-day boyfriend, I won't come to places like this again. How about that?"

Beros scoffed mockingly. Wen Ying's expression turned cold as he climbed down from Beros' lap and returned to his original seat.

Frowning, Beros said slowly, "Aluda asked me to tell you to get ready. We're going to the Devil King's Castle for the evening banquet."

Wen Ying was taken aback. "I can go too?"

"Never before has a Devil Mirror appeared at the Devil King's Castle banquet on Devil Day," Beros replied, still sounding grim and angry despite himself.

Unperturbed by Beros' sarcasm, Wen Ying asked curiously, "Why didn't Grandma just tell me directly?"

"Because she wants me to take you there. She's a bit busy preparing things for the banquet," Beros explained.

Wen Ying had only come to the Devil Realm bar out of boredom, but now something interesting had come up. Eagerly, he leaped off the high stool – yes, leaped, for the stool was ridiculously tall and seemed to discriminate against demons like him who were just over five feet tall.

"Let's go," Wen Ying said, scooping up Little Bai and Little Hong as he headed out.

Seeing that Wen Ying showed no inclination to linger and was excited to leave, the oppressive atmosphere around Beros finally eased. He glanced at Essence, who sat nearby. Intellectually, he knew that the message the guy had sent him earlier was likely exaggerated, but emotionally, he couldn't help himself.

Just like in that small study back at the castle, it was annoying. Beros stomped out irritably.

Wen Ying was waiting for him outside. The more Beros looked at this guy, the more annoyed he felt. He snorted coldly and climbed onto the magical beast-driven carriage by the entrance. Wen Ying got on too, and without any guidance, the magical beast started running towards a certain direction.

Beros remained silent, closing his eyes to regulate his breath. Feeling a bit bored, Wen Ying scooted over and poked Beros's muscular bicep with his finger.

"Are we going straight in?"

"Where do I wait once we're inside?"

"How many Greater Demons are there?"

"Do they also use their noses to look down on Lesser Demons like Lan Jiaying does?"

Wen Ying's questions kept coming one after another, and Beros couldn't take it anymore. "Annoying!"

Wen Ying blinked his eyes and took out a calming incense powder he had hurriedly made last night from his spatial bracelet. Beros was taken aback. "What's this?"

"A gift for you," Wen Ying said. "A calming magic potion incense powder. It's not high-grade, but I made it myself, without Aluda's help."

Boros pursed his lips, casually reaching out to take the wooden box from Wen Ying's hand. He opened it, gave it a light sniff under his nose, then closed it, saying, "So-so."

Wen Ying wanted to roll his eyes but instead crossed his arms and said coolly, "Then can I have a return gift?"

Boros fell silent for a moment, storing the wooden box into a spatial magical artifact. In his hand appeared a white collar.

Wen Ying: "…"

Before he could speak, Boros said, "It's adjustable." As he spoke, the collar in his hand shrank to the size of a ring.

Fascinated by the design, Wen Ying leaned in curiously.

The white collar wasn't entirely white; it had golden magical patterns on it.

Boros said nonchalantly, "A three-cubic-meter spatial magical artifact. You can wear it wherever you like."

Looking at the expandable ring, Wen Ying thought of the bell on Cat's tail. It seemed convenient to hang it on his tail, and it wouldn't be easily recognizable as a spatial magical artifact. So, he presented his tail to Boros.

"Let's put it on my tail," Wen Ying suggested.

Boros looked at Wen Ying in shock, not speaking, but his aggression and irritability had essentially vanished.

Wen Ying immediately took out his phone to search for the meaning of his previous gesture in the demon world. With skilled speed, he completed the process and let out a sigh of relief. It merely indicated that he liked Boros very much, far less provocative than wagging his tail... It was similar to wearing a ring in the human world.

After experiencing such things frequently, one would become indifferent to them. Wen Ying was no longer bothered; he even used his tail to lift Boros's chin.

Boros waved away Wen Ying's tail, "Always trying to tie me down with tricks. Focus more on increasing your strength."

Wen Ying retracted his tail and leaned back with his arms crossed and legs propped up, in a boss-like manner, "Sure, I've been whipping Lan Jiaying a few hundred times recently. Want to give it a try?"

Boros: "..." He felt that Wen Ying's development over these past three months was somewhat peculiar, but there was no denying his improvement in strength.

Suppressing the faint unease within him, Boros said relatively satisfactorily, "As long as you're taking it seriously, I don't want a good-for-nothing."

"No problem," Wen Ying replied leisurely.

He reached out to take the ring from Boros's hand, first expanding it to fit around his tail, then shrinking it to secure it at the tip. After swinging his tail to confirm that it wouldn't fall off and caused no discomfort, Wen Ying stopped paying attention to the spatial magic tool now transformed into a tail ring.

Boros, on the other hand, kept watching.