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    Chapter 202: Knowledge of the Truth

    After sending his mirror image away, Wen Ying stayed quietly in the restroom for a while longer. Then, he consumed a pill that transformed him into human form, turning his hair black and erasing his demonic features.

    He took out a brown curly wig and put it on, donning sunglasses and a mask, zipping up his down jacket to its maximum height.

    Next, he pulled out a pair of elevator shoes, instantly increasing his height by five centimeters.

    Amidst the continuous sound of people entering and leaving the restroom, Wen Ying patiently waited for an hour before stepping out and blending into the crowd at the mall.

    Leaving the mall, he hailed a taxi to the outskirts of the city. Once there, Wen Ying confirmed that no one was around before his bat wings pierced through his skin, tearing the fabric apart. Soon, they were shrouded in black demonic mist.

    The speed at which a demon flew at full capacity was swift, similar to the burst of energy humans could exert during short sprints, but it wasn't sustainable.

    Using his phone to navigate to Mu City, Wen Ying flew in spurts, stopping periodically to avoid crowded areas and evade detection. It wasn't until nightfall that he finally reached Mu City.

    It had been a long time since he'd flown like this... No, actually, he had never flown such a distance or at such speed since becoming a demon. As he landed, he stumbled a few steps, occasionally gasping for air. The muscles around his shoulder blades ached even with just the act of breathing, numbing with pain.

    Grumbling inwardly, although every muscle in his body ached, he didn't dare to relax. He hurriedly walked towards the city center, finding a suitable spot along the way to dissipate the black mist before entering the city.

    On his way home, Wen Ying changed wigs and outfits three times before finally stopping outside the residential area.

    The security guards in his neighborhood wouldn't allow strangers to enter. After donning his fourth disguise, he strolled casually towards the entrance.

    "You're a friend of one of the residents here, right?" The guard on duty sized up Wen Ying's face, inwardly criticizing his odd choice of wearing sunglasses and a mask at night.

    Wen Ying approached the guard and slightly lowered his sunglasses, revealing his peculiar, shimmering eyes.

    "I'm going to visit my friend. He lives in Villa 14."

    The guard's gaze went blank for a few seconds. "Friend of the owner from Villa 10, please come in."

    The guard stepped aside, allowing Wen Ying to pass through the gate.

    After entering, someone peered out from the security booth beside him. "Who was that person just now?"

    The standing guard's expression cleared up, and he seemed puzzled as he scratched the back of his head. "He's a friend of the owner from Villa 14."

    "Did he call you?" the person in the booth asked.

    The standing bodyguard's heart skipped a beat. How could he forget the most crucial confirmation? He didn't dare to say it out of fear of losing his bonus, so he pretended to be calm and said, "Confirmed."

    Owner 14 was none other than Lin Wenpu, a shareholder of the Devil Mobile Game Company. If anyone were to look for Lin Wenpu later to inquire about this supposed visitor, Lin Wenpu would only confirm that such an incident did occur.

    Given Lin Wenpu's frequent interactions with devils and his guilty conscience, Wen Ying was certain he wouldn't dare deny it.

    Upon entering the neighborhood, Wen Ying walked towards Villa 14. Along the way, at a spot where the surveillance cameras couldn't see, the cluster of demonic energy surrounding his naturally hanging hand surged forth, shooting a bolt of white lightning at the electric pole where the camera was installed, then swiftly moving on to other locations.

    The brightly lit neighborhood flickered a few times before plunging into darkness.

    Wen Ying strolled confidently into his building and took the emergency stairs up to his floor. He unlocked his front door and quickly slipped inside.

    Lin Tianbao was annoyed by the power outage and had just stepped out of his room when he heard the commotion. Seeing a stranger, he immediately reached for his phone—

    "Dad, it's me," Wen Ying removed his sunglasses and mask.

    Lin Tianbao's tense demeanor relaxed as he approached Wen Ying with a smile. "Why are you dressed like this? Mom and I watched your live stream yesterday from start to finish, and we haven't missed any news or gossip today."

    "I didn't go to work or do anything yesterday or today. I spent my time online following your situation," Lin Tianbao's face lit up with excitement. "I even engaged in a fierce battle with a bunch of people who were criticizing you. I criticized them so much that they dared not reply anymore."

    As Wen Ying removed his wig and tidied his hair while listening to Lin Tianbao's animated chatter, his expression suddenly froze. His parents had been browsing the internet for news about demons both yesterday and today...

    Memories of the trending topics flooded his mind, overwhelming him. The room was already dark due to the power outage, but this realization made him feel dizzy.

    His parents' continuous attention to the news meant they were aware that he had a demon boyfriend.

    Lately, juggling the responsibilities of being a Demon King and devising ways to dispel the Exorcist Organization's suspicions about his family had consumed all his mental energy. He had completely forgotten that his parents could watch live streams and browse the internet.

    Not only did they know he had a demon boyfriend, but they were also aware that he had learned dangerous things in the demon realm (poisons), shattering the image of the obedient son he had carefully cultivated.

    It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck him.

    Just then, the electricity returned, allowing Lin Tianbao to witness the change in Wen Ying's expression clearly.

    Reading Wen Ying's thoughts, Lin Tianbao cleared his throat, losing some of his earlier innocence and adopting a slightly more solemn tone. "Your mother and I are quite open-minded. Even though you've found a demon partner, who happens to be male, as long as you truly love each other, we won't object."

    Wen Ying pondered inwardly. Lin Tianbao's expression and tone were sincere. If he didn't object to Bellerophon, he must definitely disapprove of Wen Ying's involvement with poisonous potions.

    Sure enough, Lin Tianbao frowned, creases forming between his brows that could trap a fly.

    "But!" Lin Tianbao raised his voice, aghast. "How could you touch something so dangerous? Look at what you pulled out yesterday – those deadly poisons that sound so hazardous. How could you have come into contact with them? What if you accidentally hurt yourself?"

    "Wen Dingjue even received an angry transnational call from your grandmother over this matter."

    Upon hearing this, Wen Ying felt a sudden sense of relief. He was filial, but not overly so, because Wen Dingjue had indirectly caused him trouble several times.

    "I won't hurt myself," Wen Ying assured. "I have a very professional teacher, a friend of my great-grandfather's. I'm currently living with her."

    Lin Tianbao still disapproved. "You should avoid those poisons as much as possible."

    Wen Ying lowered his gaze. "But if I don't handle them, my status in the demon realm will decrease."

    Lin Tianbao seemed to imagine something terrible, as he hugged Wen Ying and wept. "Little Ying, you've suffered."

    Images of the victims in the demon realm flashed through Wen Ying's mind, and he slowly replied, "Yes... I've suffered."

    Only, it wasn't him.

    While Lin Tianbao continued to sob sentimentally, Wen Ying changed the subject. "Dad, where's Mom?"

    "She's at the beauty salon," Lin Tianbao's presidential IQ kicked in. "Is there something important that brought you here?" Otherwise, Wen Ying wouldn't have traveled all the way from NanDu City to Mu City.

    Wen Ying was about to speak but, looking at Lin Tianbao's face, suddenly reached out to support him.

    "Dad, don't be nervous."

    Lin Tianbao dismissed it casually. "What could I be nervous about?"

    "The Demon Exorcist Organization suspects that our family has demonic lineage."

    Wen Ying felt the weight of Lin Tianbao leaning on his hand.

    Lin Tianbao wiped the sweat from his forehead, his expression grave and worried. "Did you come back with a plan?"

    "I've been absent for half a year, and since I haven't returned to school or visited the hospital, they suspect that I've become a demon," Wen Ying retracted his hand. "I've already prepared a plan for this very suspicion."

    Lin Tianbao's tensed heart eased slightly. "That's good. What's the plan?"

    Wen Ying explained to Lin Tianbao the effects of the magic potion that Aruda had helped him create.

    "Dad, ask Aunt to come over for dinner tomorrow."

    Upon hearing Wen Ying's plan, Lin Tianbao's heart settled, patting his shoulder. "Well done."

    Then, Lin Tianbao looked at Wen Ying with a sentimental gaze. "You're growing up."

    Meanwhile, Wen Ying's mirror clone finished his meal and walked back to the dormitory with Beros.

    Beros found something odd about the way Wen Ying was behaving, as if his vitality was depleted, and his aura seemed weaker than usual, even though Wen Ying, as a Magic Mirror Demon, didn't usually exude a strong presence.

    Upon returning to the dorm, Beros was about to speak when he noticed Wen Ying heading straight into the bathroom, the sound of running water soon filling the air.

    When Wen Ying emerged, Beros attempted to talk, only to see him climb into bed and promptly fall asleep.

    Beros: "???" Something is definitely off!

    Approaching Wen Ying's bedside, the demon opened one eye. "Let's talk about it tomorrow," Wen Ying said, then rolled over to face away from Beros.

    Boros chuckled inwardly.

    "You're not such an early bird, either, Demon..."

    Wen Ying's tail brushed against Boros's hand, silencing him instantly.

    The next day, Wen Ying himself woke up very early, his mind preoccupied with thoughts that kept him from sleeping.

    The relatives didn't arrive until noon. Lin Tianbao had sent them a message the previous night, urging them to come over for a family gathering and emphasizing the importance of their presence. As a result, they all arrived early, curious about what Lin Tianbao was planning.

    By nine o'clock, everyone had gathered – Wen Ying's uncle and aunt from his mother's side, as well as his paternal grandparents. After the usual pleasantries, Ou Yangcheng took the lead to ask, "Tianbao, why did you insist that we come yesterday?"

    The sight of Uncle Ou Yangcheng made Wen Ying's head throb. In this big family, only Ou Yangcheng was unaware of the situation – they had deliberately kept him in the dark to prepare for the exorcist's inspection.

    Lin Tianbao had forgotten about this, and now, faced with Ou Yangcheng's question, he wasn't sure how to respond. He looked around at the others for guidance.

    Wen Qinxue spoke up, "We're celebrating Wen Ying's recovery."

    Ou Yangcheng examined Wen Ying with delight. "You've recovered? Are you well enough to go back to school?"

    Wen Qinxue replied, "I think he should be ready for the next semester."

    "Indeed, it wouldn't be convenient for him to join this semester now," Ou Yangcheng mumbled.

    Wen Qinxia, Wen Ying's aunt, firmly pulled Ou Yangcheng up from the sofa. "Let's go pick out some king crabs and lobsters at the hotel. We'll ask the chef to prepare them and send them over later."

    Ou Yangcheng was taken aback. "Do we really need to go there specifically? Couldn't we just give them instructions? One person could do it, right?"

    "Well then," Wen Qinxia had been waiting for that response, "you can go take a look. I've heard rumors that the kitchen has been substituting inferior ingredients lately."

    Ou Yangcheng promptly stood up. "I'll go check it out."

    With a hasty departure, he added, "You don't need to order lunch, I'll have the hotel deliver it."

    Wen Ying's grandmother spoke up. "Alright, Tianbao, Qinxue, now you can tell us why you insisted on calling us here."

    "Grandma, let me explain."

    Wen Ying shared the events of last night with Lin Tianbao, but omitted certain details, with the crowd.

    None of his relatives knew that he had turned into a demon, nor that he had spent the past half year in the Demon Realm.

    Uncle Hong Rui, Wen Ying's maternal uncle, frowned with suspicion, "Where did you get this demonic potion?"

    "From a demon."

    Interrupting Hong Rui before he could voice his concerns, Wen Ying continued, "He works for the Demon Realm's Judiciary Bureau. I coincidentally met him when I went out some time ago, and we became friends without me knowing he was a demon."

    Seeing that the others were still uneasy, Wen Ying added, "I've already consumed it, there's no issue."

    Everyone was startled. Wen Ying's grandparents rushed to his side, examining him from head to toe, "Are you really fine?"

    Wen Ying couldn't help but chuckle, "I'm really alright."

    His grandfather pondered for a moment before asking, "Could there be any lingering effects from that potion? Little Ying, be honest with Grandpa. Even if there are side effects, it's okay, Grandpa just wants to know what they might be."

    "There really aren't any side effects, not unless you consume too much," Wen Ying reassured, "The dosage has already been adjusted." He had tested it himself.

    Wen Ying's grandfather asked, "Really? It won't stop me from going fishing, will it?"

    Wen Ying couldn't help but smile through his tears. "No, it's just that my body feels a bit heavy. It'll be fine once the effects of the medicine wear off."

    Wen Ying's grandfather nodded. "Alright then."

    "Hong Rui, my uncle, asks if we should take it too," Wen Ying relayed.

    Wen Ying shook his head. "Not necessary. Just Grandpa, Aunt, Aunt Two, and Mom need to take it."

    None of the others had inherited Wen Dingjue's demonic bloodline.

    "In a few days, the Exorcist Academy will come to our house under the pretense of a home visit, and they'll conduct a talent assessment for everyone. Don't worry; just treat it as any other day," Wen Ying said. "Even if they find out, it won't matter since they don't know about our great-grandfather. They'd only assume it's an inheritance from thousands of years ago."

    The exorcists probably didn't have a way to test the concentration of one's bloodline, right...right?

    Wen Qinxue, upon hearing Wen Ying mention Wen Dingjue, belatedly grew worried. "There must be exorcists abroad, too, right? They might—"

    "I've asked that demon friend of mine to send the potion to him," Wen Ying reassured.

    Wen Qinxue's pounding heart, which had just been fraught with fear, finally eased.

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