Chapter 187: Change of Heart

Chapter 187: Change of Heart

Boros approached the corner and paused, saying, "Use that magical potion Alruda gave me."

With that, he entered.

Wen Ying laid down on the couch, laughing silently. Boros must have been afraid that he would genuinely act out of anger and seek out Yun Lao, which was why he took the time to reluctantly explain himself.

After laughing for a while, Wen Ying patted his own face to fade the curve of his lips, so as not to provoke Boros into further embarrassment later.

Suppressing his smile, he sat up and headed towards where Boros had just left.

Inside was a spacious room with ample space, also decked in black tones. It contained various exercise equipment, and the lighting was dim, provided by lanterns.

A rectangular bathtub-like object seemed out of place here. Boros was currently sitting cross-legged inside, with bubbles continuously rising to the surface. The water appeared to be scorching hot.

As Wen Ying drew closer, a wave of heat greeted him. The temperature was extremely high, and such an environment stirred up the shadows in Wen Ying's heart once more. Without a word, he hastily retreated.

It wasn't until nightfall that Boros emerged from his training room, radiating heat. The magical aura in the air swirled around him, drawn to his presence, bustling with activity around him.

"Shall we go out for dinner?" Wen Ying was just about to step out and casually invited Beros.

Beros nodded. "I'll change my clothes first."

The shops around Mount Flame were much the same as when Wen Ying last visited. He chose a noodle restaurant for dinner.

After the meal, the two demons strolled leisurely.

The stone steps leading up to Mount Flame were illuminated with lights on both sides, and the market was bustling with activity. As Wen Ying walked with Beros, he spotted the mask shop he had visited before.

"Time really flies," Wen Ying couldn't help but remark. "It feels like just last week when you bought that mask over there."

In these past six months in the Demon Realm, so many things had happened – more than in his entire previous life combined.

Beros hesitantly reached out his hand towards Wen Ying.

Wen Ying's gaze shifted from the mask shop, catching sight of Beros's outstretched hand, confusion appearing on his face. "What are you doing?"

Beros's eyes widened slightly. Had he misunderstood Wen Ying's intentions?

Wen Ying raised an eyebrow and tentatively placed his index finger on Belos's hand. "You want to hold hands with me? Without masks?"

"Didn't you want this?" Belos paused, explaining, "Didn't that's what you meant by what you said just now?"

Wen Ying: "..." That was absurd.

"Hold it if you want," Belos's temper flared, embarrassed once more.

Wen Ying opened his palm and grasped Belos's outstretched hand.

"I feel like you've changed a lot too," Wen Ying muttered softly.

As they walked, demons passing by were astonished to see Belos holding hands with a white-haired demon. Their first thought was that the Cerberus was fake.

To verify the authenticity, many demons followed the pair for a while, finding them eerily similar to the real Belos.

So many demons reacted in this way that the line of demons behind Wen Ying and Belos grew, making it seem as if they were leading a group.

Finally, Belos couldn't tolerate it anymore and turned his head, unleashing the ferocious aura of the three-headed hellhound. The demons trailing behind froze for a few seconds before scattering like startled birds. Soon, apart from merchants, there were no other wandering demons left on the street.

"Pfft—" Wen Ying couldn't help it. "Boros, it seems you're acknowledging our relationship."

Bellerophon, with his brooding gaze, looked at Wen Ying and said, "No."

"Alright." Wen Ying's tone was as if he were soothing a child.

Borus was not foolish; upon repelling those demons moments ago, two words had surfaced in his mind—utterly doomed.

"So, do you like me?"

Wen Ying had never been so straightforward before, leaving Perseus utterly perplexed. The usually composed expression on his face shifted noticeably, and he even averted his gaze from Wen Ying.

"Like I said earlier," Perseus stammered, "when I come of age..."

Wen Ying reached up to grasp Perseus's collar, pulling him down for a swift peck on the cheek.

Perseus swatted away Wen Ying's hand, staring at him in disbelief. His ears, perched atop his head, stood upright.

"Dislike it?"

Beros pursed his lips.

Wen Ying spread his hands. "Forget it, I'll look for Yun Lao..."

"Bearable," Beros replied reluctantly.

Wen Ying chuckled.

Beros turned his head and stormed back to his villa in a huff, with Wen Ying flapping his wings to follow.

Only after they left did demons begin to emerge from the shadows, their eyes locking with each other as if there were tempestuous waves in their gazes. Many couldn't resist sharing the exciting scene they had just witnessed with the demons around them, and even pulled out their phones to share the gossip with their loved ones.

The hellhound who had once despised love was kissed by a demon with white hair!

There had been a rumor that a magic mirror demon had dared to dangle its tail in front of Beros.

The magic mirror demon's hair was white, so it was reasonable to assume that the rumor wasn't false. The white-haired demon who had just kissed Beros was likely the same magic mirror demon from the rumor.

What a shocking piece of gossip, full of twists and turns!

Soon, the news of Belos holding hands with and being kissed by the Demon Mirror spread like wildfire throughout the demon realm, causing several of its servers to crash.

In the villa, Belos sat on the couch, frozen in the same position with his phone in hand. Wen Ying sat on a nearby armchair, staring at the stone-like Belos for a long while before finally speaking up, "I don't understand why you seem unable to accept the current situation."

Belos looked rather pitiful, shrouded in a gloomy aura of darkness.

"You wouldn't understand," he replied.

He had once mocked those in love, advocating that they should spend more time strengthening themselves instead. Now, he had technically found himself a demon companion, and it was the notoriously weak Demon Mirror. The combination of these elements made Belos desire to obliterate the entire demon realm.

"Are you embarrassed to be seen with me?" Wen Ying pondered for a moment before breaking into a radiant smile. "Don't worry, I'll soon change their minds."

Perceiving the situation, Belos grew vigilant and asked hesitantly, "Soon?"

"I just had a fantastic idea," Wen Ying's tone brimmed with excitement. "Announce that I'm open to challenges from all demons under a hundred years old in the demon realm. Whoever can make me surrender within five minutes will receive a special body-enhancing potion crafted by Aruda, as well as a chance for a close-up photo with you."

"…This challenge has nothing to do with me, does it?"

"How could it not?" Wen Ying argued persuasively. "I'm doing this to earn you face."

Boros had already guessed: "The loser leaves something behind for the winner?"

Wen Ying averted his gaze. "We have to bet something, right?"

His blood tree had been demanding more fertilizer recently, as the fruit that could become his second spare body was about to ripen. He needed to nourish it with more blood.

Excitedly, Wen Ying verified himself as Boros's boyfriend on a social platform and posted the bet. As soon as he did, his phone buzzed incessantly with both insults and genuine challenge requests.

"Looks like plenty of demons want to help me see my own worth, Boros," Wen Ying scrolled through the comments and private messages with a smile in his eyes. "If I lose, I'll leave you on my own accord."

"The demons really have a profound stereotype about Mirror Demons," Wen Ying pretended to sigh. "They remind me of Phileas, who said the same thing back then." And then, he violently plucked quite a number of their scales.

In a few days, it would be New Year's Eve in the Flower Planting Nation. Wen Ying decided to have some fun during these days before the holiday. While proving his strength to the demonic world, he could also take the opportunity to drain them dry.

Beros believed that the latter was Wen Ying's main objective. He watched expressionlessly as Wen Ying left each challenging demon, full of confidence, in disbelief. The young demons experienced the greatest setbacks in their demonic lives.

Among the challengers were high-ranking demons, but they all failed as well. They couldn't even make this Mirror Demon look remotely disheveled; he remained composed and at ease throughout.

Online discussions shifted from "Beros has taken a Mirror Demon as his partner" to "The Mirror Demon actually dared to accept challenges from all underage demons in the demonic realm," and then to "...".

Rumors from before, combined with the recent battles, have truly reshaped the worldview of all demons in the Demon Realm – this Mirror Demon was absurdly powerful.

Some had whispered that Wen Ying only accepting challenges from demons under a hundred years old didn't make him genuinely formidable, but these words didn't stir much commotion. The Demon Realm revered strength, and any demon with a brain could see that the Mirror Demon was ridiculously strong.

There weren't many derogatory remarks, for Aruda had posted on social media, "I officially announce my successor. He is gifted, and I am fond of him."

The boiling online buzz froze like ice, silent as a chicken.

When Aruda declared that the Mirror Demon was gifted and referred to him as his successor, coupled with the fact that the Mirror Demon had demanded blood from his defeated opponents during those three days, the demons of the Demon Realm sensed that something was amiss.