Chapter 227 – Affection
by 夜阑妖歌Chapter 227 - Affection
The reliability of the eldest prince's words surpassed that of several others, for compared to other demons, the children of the Demon King spent more time with their father and knew him better.
Hai Lige decided that he wouldn't deliberately seek out any other demons today.
After Lan Jiaying finished praising his father in one breath, he returned to his original composed and dignified demeanor. He seemed approachable, but in reality, he was distant.
"I apologize," Lan Jiaying said gracefully, "I was just a little excited. I very much want the people here to know about the greatness of the Demon King."
Hai Lige: "From the sound of it, he is indeed an extraordinary Demon King who loves peace."
Loves peace? A hint of confusion flickered across Lan Jiaying's dark eyes, but he quickly hid it, softly acknowledging, "Mm-hmm."
Lan Jiaying sped up his eating pace, but even so, his movements were not hasty or rude in the slightest. Every gesture exuded an innate nobility.
Hai Lige observed Lan Jiaying. This demon's table manners were impeccable, even for the most rigid and conservative of noble elders. There might be some differences from human etiquette, but visually, it was flawless.
With an elegant facade, Lan Jiaying finished his meal as swiftly as a whirlwind and left naturally.
Hai Lige hadn't finished his meal yet; he smiled, indicating that he would continue eating.
After sharing a bowl of noodles with the Mirror Demon just now, he was about to have his second meal immediately, feeling rather full.
Wen Ying was in the dormitory, comforting the three-headed hellhound that had been upset by Hai Lige's mood earlier. As he left the canteen, Wen Ying held hands with Beros, whose fingers suddenly intertwined with his.
When the little dog felt insecure and jealous, there was one particular action that proved very effective.
Pushing Beros into the dorm, Wen Ying turned around, closed the door, then pushed the dog down onto the sofa. He sat sideways on Beros' lap, encircling his neck with his arms, and spouted sweet nothings continuously.
He mimicked what he had seen in those short videos, where people cuddled and stroked their whimpering dogs.
Surprisingly, it worked wonders. Although Beros wore an expression of disdain and contempt, the fact that he obediently sat still without pushing Wen Ying off his lap already spoke volumes.
Suddenly, Wen Ying's phone rang.
With one hand, he pulled out his phone and let out a surprised "eh," muttering softly, "Why is Lan Jiaying calling me all of a sudden?"
The Exorcist Academy had separated the demons, resulting in less communication among the demons of Class One, who were not exactly a happy, united family to begin with.
In the world of competitive relationships, their final grades for this semester weren't solely determined by the Demon Exorcist Academy; additional factors were involved, such as the merits they earned from eliminating extremist factions.
Finding extremist parties in Flower Planting Country was not an easy task, as the number of human sympathizers who openly aligned with them was limited. At such times, everyone formed their own cliques, vying for points and claiming credit for each elimination.
One should never underestimate the competitive spirit of demons – it was an innate instinct for them to trample others beneath their feet.
"Wen Ying," Lan Jiaying said, his tone unusual, "it's quite rare for you to call me. Have you discovered some significant clue that needs to be made public?"
Lan Jiaying continued, "I just encountered a blond foreign human at the cafeteria. He said the Demon King loves peace. I assume he must have contacted you before approaching me."
Wen Ying was taken aback. "Did he eat with you when he was with you?"
Confused, Lan Jiaying replied, "Yes, he did."
Wen Ying sighed in admiration. "He has quite an appetite. I also ran into him at the cafeteria earlier, and we shared a bowl of noodles together."
The food served in the Demon Exorcist Academy's cafeteria was not ordinary fare; it was infused with magical energy, providing ample sustenance. Exorcists, who consumed specialized meals, had normal appetites. For ordinary humans, they would need to eat at least five or six bowls to feel satisfied.
Lan Jiaying finally understood. No wonder that blond human ate so slowly. He had initially thought the man was a slow eater by nature, but now he realized the other had been taking tiny bites.
Not right, Lan Jiaying pushed aside any irrelevant thoughts in his mind, his tone slightly grave. "What did you say to him when you interacted? I'm in a decent mood now, so I can just about help you cover up your lie."
Even as an avid admirer of his father, Lan Jiaying was well aware that his King was by no means a peace-loving demon lord.
Wen Ying recalled as he spoke, "He asked me why we don't go to other countries and only stay in the Flower Nation."
"What did you say?" Lan Jiaying was curious. This matter involved their conspiracy to invade the Human Realm, so how would Wen Ying respond?
Wen Ying crossed his legs, leaning back against Bellerophon as a cushion, raising an eyebrow with a smile. "What could I say? Of course, I mentioned that the demons treat us very well, and the reason we're not sent to other countries is because their governments don't take catching extremists seriously."
"We are, after all, underage demons. The Demon Lord only feels at ease sending us to the safer Flower Nation," Wen Ying's shoulders twitched with laughter. "As for being peace-loving, I just threw it in there. It's to gain some human favorability, you know. A demon lord who loves peace and cares about underage children is quite perfect."
Holding his phone, Lan Jiaying wore a dazed expression, unsure of how to react to Wen Ying's words or what to say.
The reason sounded absurd at first, but upon reflection, it made sense. Lan Jiaying's solemn elegance returned, and the purpose of that human visiting him earlier must have been to verify the truth of Wen Ying's explanation.
"Indeed, praising the Demon Lord is a very effective tactic," Lan Jiaying murmured, pride thinly veiling his voice.
His voice wasn't deliberately lowered, and Wen Ying, hearing it through the phone, twitched his lips. "If that's all, I'll hang up then."
Lan Jiaying hung up the call without hesitation.
Wen Ying gazed at his now dark screen, knowing that with Lan Jiaying's personality, he didn't need to worry about being exposed for his lie.
For if his lie was exposed, the image of the Devil King that Lan Jiaying had constructed would also crumble. At this moment, Lan Jiaying was likely calling each demon one by one to coordinate their stories.
As for Hai Lige, Wen Ying believed that after his second meal, he wouldn't be in a rush to seek out a third demon.
By the time he finished digesting, Lan Jiaying would have already finished calling everyone.
Thinking about it, Wen Ying chuckled softly, leaning against Bellerophon behind him. His laughter grew louder as he turned his head to say, "I'm so lucky. Fortunately, Hai Lige ran into the doting Devil, Lan Jiaying, when he was trying to confirm things with other demons."
In Lan Jiaying's eyes, the Devil King was probably perfect even down to his hair strands.
Bellerophon nonchalantly raised his hand, threading his fingers through the silver hair on the side of Wen Ying's head, letting the smooth and lustrous strands slip between his fingers.
He wanted to recreate the atmosphere from before, that noisy yet tranquil and peaceful ambiance. It brought him more satisfaction than discovering his own power growth.
An unprecedented sense of contentment filled his chest, spilling over and making Bellerophon feel an impulse to roll around while hugging Wen Ying.
Hai Lige, the extremist, had forgotten everything about Poros except for the devil before him. That state and atmosphere made Poros long to hold onto that feeling, trying his best to remember it.
Seeing Poros not responding and his gaze lost in thought, Wen Ying pouted, the smile on his face gradually fading away. "The friendly match starts tomorrow. I wonder if they'll make their move after the match or during it," he muttered to himself.
Neither Kirishino nor Ye Wang had reported anything to him, which meant they hadn't found anything unusual.
Neither the Mu family faction nor the people on the luxury cruise had shown any signs of abnormality.
"It's unscientific..." Wen Ying pondered with a frown. If he were one of them... the perspective shift wouldn't work, and he wouldn't know their trump cards.
Suddenly, Wen Ying sat up straight and poked Poros. "Poros, do you think humans have inherited any powerful enchanted artifacts? I remember reading in our history books that after angels reincarnated as humans, they crafted quite a few items that could restrain demons."
"There were quite a few angel reincarnations back then. They must have created many things. I wonder how much has been passed down," Wen Ying frowned. "After thousands of years, there probably aren't many that still work."
Poros traced Wen Ying's furrowed brow with his finger. "Look for Koroy. The witch fairy's crystal ball can predict the future."
Boros's thoughts diverged from his words. His fingers brushed against Wen Ying's brows, but it didn't evoke much sensation in him. He yearned for the touch Wen Ying had given him just now.
Lips, nose, eyes... Touching himself elicited no thrill. Boros lowered his hand expressionlessly, suppressing the urge to reach up and touch his own ears, which he suspected would yield the same result.
Wen Ying's eyes lit up. "How could I not have thought of that?"
He had been approaching the problem with a normal person's mindset, forgetting that there was a real Seer by his side.
Wen Ying immediately stood up and rushed to the door.
Boros: "Call her and ask where she is."
Wen Ying pulled out his phone and was about to tap on the call button when he suddenly remembered Koroy, Muershi, and Wei Er eavesdropping. He instinctively looked towards the balcony; it was already quite dark outside.
The session with Essence should be over by now, right? If not, Koroy and the others wouldn't still be eavesdropping, would they?
Wen Ying hesitated for a moment before deciding to send a message instead, asking Koroy where he was and if he had used his innate magic to help.
Koroy, who had recently vomited blood after using his innate magic, saw the text: "..."
Wen Ying addressed Belleros with an awkward and complicated tone, "They're still eavesdropping."
How many people has Essence played with to have such endurance and stamina? Speaking of which, is Essence the top or the bottom? Or do they engage in sandwich play? Wen Ying fell into deep thought.
Koroy asked what Wen Ying had in mind, and Wen Ying answered honestly.
Koroy's eyes lit up. Predicting the future was great! He could manipulate the situation to anticipate Belleros's performance in bed. Belleros really seemed like the type who would be too lazy to move once he laid down, a cold and indifferent lover.
Finding Koroy's quick response peculiar, Wen Ying felt a bit strange. However, without a clear direction for speculation, he dismissed the feeling.
Wei Er whispered, "Koroy, who are you chatting with that makes you so happy?"
Koroy looked up with a cunning and sinister smile, "Wen Ying."
Muershi seemed to share the same sentiment, revealing a wicked grin as well.
Wei Er: "?" He had been there the whole time and heard everything they said. Why couldn't he resonate with their amusement?
The cat, with its big eyes wide open, continued to look at them blankly.
Koroy cooed, "Good boy, little kitty doesn't need to know about this."
Wei Er replied, "...I'm Yeowu, you've been assimilated by the human world. Don't baby talk to me."
On Wen Ying's side —
"It's settled. Koroy said she'll message me when she gets back to her dorm. I'll head over once I see the message."
"Mm."
Perseus responded absentmindedly, his eyes subtly fixed on Wen Ying's hand as he struggled to restrain himself from voicing his embarrassing request.
0 Comments