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Chapter Text

Liu Qingge is the master of Bai Zhan peak, he is the strongest of his martial siblings (except for Zhameng-Shixiong) everyone calls him the war god of Cang Qiong. 

So. Somebody. Please. Explain him. 

Why. In the goddamn hell. He's a captive. Of a demon?

If you ask him how this happened, he is Absolutely going to tell you that's Shen Qingqiu's fault. 

He went on a mission, hunting a fucking bird whose name is so ridiculous that he doesn't remember it, everything is fine, right? No.

He was flying, following the trace of the nameless bird, when suddenly of fucking nothing he fell of Cheng Luan. He tried to fly again, but that wasn't happening, so what did he do? Cushioned the fall using the deadly fauna.

It was thanks to his intense hours of training that he avoided the worst of the impact and came out relatively unscathed. 

He was about to look for the reason behind his fall, when suddenly, he felt dizzy. His brain was slower, his limbs were heavy, his reaction time was pathetic, and his instincts were screaming at him to leave, when his body collapse after taking a single step he fell into the wet grass that definitely did not belong to the human realm because of how it crawled over his body seeking to envelop him. 

He tried to kick the plant, but his body didn't listen to him.

"There you are!" A voice came from the bushes in front of him, probably a male. He felt bad, so weak, so helpless.

"Now, now, don't look at me like that! You were the one who came into this Lord's Territory!" His gaze was making a hole in the head of the demon.

"We have a fighter here" said the voice with an innocent tone. "What do I do?" The demon hums.

"What...you...did...to...me" God he was so pathetic his voice was so tiny and weak. 

The demon chuckles, "oh no dear, I didn't do anything to you" said while approaching to Liu Qingge "the pollen of the rattan tail saffron drains the spirit power that the humans use, unlike his sister the Rottan tail saffron that is commonly uses for Qi replenishing pills" 

Liu Qingge grumbled in his head for another complicated name, while this was happening, the fern captured another leg successfully.

"Well, it will be a disgrace if I let you there to die, you are lucky that it's been a nice day" 

The next thing that happened in that exact moment was something he couldn't get off of his mind. The air, which had previously passed by his sides in complete tranquility, twisted unnaturally to form a whirlpool that quickly took his body and tore him from the embrace of the death fern. Cradled between the gusts of wind, the ground soon drifted away, oh, was he the one moving away?

Motionless inside the small cyclone, he was finally able to better appreciate the demon that had captured him (he had no illusions, they may have saved him from death, but that does not mean that he would go unpunished for trespassing on the territories of a demon lord without permission).

Mounds of raven hair braided with the pearls and jewels that came with his status, toxic green eyes, thin eyebrows, and heart-shaped lips that contrasted with a square jaw, demonic beauty in all its glory. But that's not what surprised him, it was the four arms (now wings) that kept him afloat, feather-like appendages went from his temples up emulating artificial ears, a frankly gorgeous long feathered tail that stabilized his flight and the feature. More impressive was the zero sound it made when flying.

There was only one demon lord with that description, that along with all the knowledge he gathered so far only led to a simple thought.

"if this demon doesn't kill me, Shen QingQiu will do it¨ Was the last though Liu Qingge had before succumb to the toxic pollen

Chapter Text

The next time that Liu Qingge opened his eyes was in the middle of a (Cave? Nest? Where the fuck is this?) site he really doesn't know. 

He can feel the poison in his body, the normal flow in his spiritual veins wasn't there, and for some reason there's a pain in his back.

Don't misunderstand him, the fall wasn't pretty and several parts of his body hurt, but this back pain wasn't normal. After a quick swing of himself, everything was working normally, a bruise maybe?

He sighs and closes his eyes for some time, just to meditate and help recover his body. He swears it was only an instant, he opened his eyes and there was a demon looking at him with curiosity.

He almost had a QI deviation

“What are you looking at?” he said grumpily.

“What are you doing?” the demon asked.

“. . .” 

He didn't respond of pure spite he's a grown man, of course he wasn't being childish.

“Aiyah, I save you, why are you mad at me?”

 “. . .” 

He refused to believe that the demon just pouted due to his lack of response.

“Where are we”

The demon lord just sighs and looks at the human, “this is my haunt” then looks at the mixture of fabric, branches, grass, and moss “specifically. My nest”.

“Why I am in your nest”  he looked everywhere to find an escape route, his body tense and ready for a fight.

“If you want to rest in the hard rock, be my guest” the demon shrugs and climbs up without making a sound “you are still hurt, so I bring you here to help you heal”

He stares at the demon with a suspicious glare, seeing him get closer and making him move back, there was a stick that pinched his back and made him growl from pain.

In the blink of an eye, he was resting in a fluffy cloud made from feathers, the face of a big ass owl was inches from his face.

“I want to sleep, and you need to rest, so, get comfortable”  a heavy wing was placed over his body keeping him still and warm. 

He won't admit out loud, but it was the best fucking nap he has ever taken. 

When he woke up, he felt like new, his body is all healed up and his QI was coming back. A piece of some sort of meat was on the floor in front of the nest, raw.

He grimaced at the raw meat, it doesn't have to be a genius to know who let the meat there, and much less for why it was there in the first place. 

He jumped off of the nest, took the meat, and he started to look for tinder, twigs, sticks, and firewood. Then he stacked the wood in that order in a square shape, took a talisman of fire and lit the tinder.

The fire eat the tinder like it was a delight, the twigs fuel the flame and the sticks gave strength to the fire, just enough to set the firewood on fire. He stares at the dancing flame filling with life and enjoying its vibrant shades of red; then, he took a knife and cut the meat to make skewers (don't look at him, he only had salt).

While waiting for the food to be ready and then proceeding to devour it. Eyes dilated with delight watched him from the roof where the entrance was located.

When the demon finally let him out of the haunt, it was his fault.

Too much energy to stay still

so, they went into the deep forest to chop wood.

Yeah, you heard it right, he needs to cook his food before eating and his sad campfire left in the cave is not enough. 

Why doesn't he leave? 

It's the idiot bird brain fault

He tried to escape, but was caught immediately.

Dying from boredom, the demon took him to the woods 

It takes away his boredom and has something to cook his food. It's two birds with one shot.

They chose a good tree to chop, and he grabbed an axe to start chopping the trunk.

“Isn't it faster just to use QI?”

“Don't use it. Damage the wood.” 

The demon hummed and after a few couples of swings more, the tree fell. Before it touches the floor, the demon uses his four arms and lands it in a spot made for that. 

“We met some time ago, but I don't know your name yet.” says with a thoughtful voice. 

“Didn't hear yours either” Shen QingQiu would be proud of that answer

Meanwhile, he was removing the thickest branches off the trunk with the axe.

“Oh..... my apologies, the name of this lord is Jueshi-Jun, there! Now tell me your name!”

“Liu QingGe” 

“Liu QingGe, Liu Qingge, … Liu Qingge…? LIU QINGGE!!!!!” there was satisfaction, caution, confusion, and alarm. In that order.

“What?” he stares at Jueshi-Jun with a strange look 

“LIU QINGGE? LIKE QING OF CANG QIONG!? THE GENERATIONAL NAME FROM THE SECT!!!!????”

“…yes…” 

Then the demon started walking in circles, mumbling so low that he can't understand shit. And there was another language that he cannot follow.

“Oh god, oh god, what do I do? Isn't he supposed to be dead? What year is it? What did I miss? The protagonist enter the sect already? Oooooh Gooood this is so messed up!” 

Was it just him? Or the demon really seems an inch from panicking? 

“Have a problem with my name?” 

“NOT! NO! Absolutely not! You're only the war god of Cang Qiong, yeah, why not!? And you aren't supposed to be a tough and rude man with a beard and an ugly nose? What the hell is wrong with this princely looking? You look more like a courtesan than a god of war!”

A strong blush crept up Lord Bai Zhan's neck and ears, not having expected this kind of reaction from the Demon Lord. Embarrassment and something else rising in his chest.

“You…! Want to die?” The words came out a little choked, Liu Qingge's serious face did not reveal how much those words affected him, but the red coloring his face told another story.

“I mean, even though you look quite feminine” there was a Hey! In the back that the demon ignored, “you aren't weak and certainly are quite strong” Jueshi nodded to himself. “But, for goddamn shake, why do you look so pretty? So unfair! Airplane, you fucking hack!” (there it was the estrange language at the end)

“P-Pretty!?” he whispered in a little shock, “YOU! SHAMELESS!” then he just shouts at the demon. 

With every careless word that came out of the demon's mouth, a piece of wood forcibly flew behind the ax. At the same time, the murderous intent of a certain human rose higher and higher like a dark storm cloud about to burst.

With a perpetual twitch in one of his eyebrows since the courtesan's comment, LQG finally lose his patience and brandished the axe stucking it in the trunk where Jueshi-Jun was leaning, missing his head for a sigh and burying himself deeply in the wood. 

“Failed. My bad. Won't happen again.”

The sound of a sword coming out of its sheath filled the air.

 It was at that moment that Jueshi-Jun, one of the most powerful demon lords roaming the earth, understood that he had screwed up really badly. 

“...... I think I'd better start running.”

Chapter Text

The set of wild flora that populated the demon's territory was full of exquisite and rare species that only grew in sections.

To the north, you could see the beautiful jacarandas of misty jade.

To the south, the moriches of eternal dawn stood proudly towards the sky

In the west, being closer to the border to the human kingdom, were the sulfur-tailed baobab.

At the east, were the waxed ashtray copains (these are the trees established to obtain wood).

Finally, in the center of the entire domain, Macerated crystalline bucars had been planted to prevent idiots from trying to reach the nest (excellent wines could be distilled from the flower, and the buds were roasted for dried snacks, however, the pollen was an active repellent to weaker demons. , ironically, it was completely harmless to humans).

All wildlife at the site had some degree of intelligence, and thirsted for blood. Although those closest to the nest were duly warned not to harm the human, those further away did not have a way of knowing that they couldn't attack the human. 

It was understood that he had nothing to do with what followed, right? 

Good. 

Because things went quickly in a direction he didn't expect

“Fight me!” — Liu Qingge shouted furiously.

Shen Yuan didn't know what to do if he didn't accept that cheeky request. Was he being courted?! Was Liu Qingge just angry? He didn't know, nor did he like to fight, usually Jueshi-Jun avoided fights, it wasn't in his nature, even though it was normal for demons to express their affections through violence and intimidation.

It was strangely adorable to bully and tease Liu Qingge, the Peak Lord was so… Handsome and captivating…

In retrospect, Shen Yuan thinks he may have exaggerated a bit.

It's just… He was so excited about fighting Liu Qingge! Demons typically show their affection by proving their strength, and oh, Lord Bai Zhan was very strong.

He lost track of time as they exchanged blows, distracted by having to stay fully focused on each of Liu Qingge's strikes.

The man was not known as War God Bai Zhan for nothing, and the focus required of Shen Yuan to not be skewered by Cheng Luan's shining blade was a sign in itself.

Unfortunately, this also meant that he didn't pay attention to what might be attracting attention when they fought so openly.

The monsters that came to them and tried to devour Liu Qingge met a tragic end by the Cheng Luan blade and Jueshi-Jun's deadly feathers.

The plants were a separate problem, but eventually the two finally got rid of all the sentient plants and monsters that wanted to devour them.

Seriously, Who is the idiot who taught these crazy tree manners? Shen Yuan refuses to admit that he is the only demon lord they listen to.

Liu Qingge was relatively well, according to himself, but ah! Shen Yuan forgot that humans can be different from demons! What if Liu Qingge was irreparably injured? What if he died? Shen Yuan didn't want his handsome God of War to eat grass by the roots!

So naturally, Shen Yuan ignored all of Liu Qingge's protests about being able to walk alone and carried him. He missed how the Peak Lord turned incredibly red at such a situation. He was happy, though, He had an excuse to touch all the nice hard muscle under his hands.

He was getting addicted to the way they yielded to his touch.

Ah, wasn't that too shameless of him? But!- he was being courted, so, nothing is wrong, right?

Bai Zhan Peak Lord Liu it's just so amazing and cute and attractive, it's normal to see such a handsome man that way. It's a fact!

Relieved to decipher the reason behind his reactions towards the other male, he allowed himself to relax and walk with a little bounce in his step towards his haunt.

That reminds him, he really needs to replace some plants for someone who can't hurt his partner.

Chapter Text

Hours passed and after what seemed like multiple broken bones, the duo headed back towards the haunt.

Well, that's what LQG would like to say.

The reality is, he's being a victim of the most humiliating and embarrassing thing in the entire world.

He was hanging on the demon's back like a fucking koala! That's generous, three of four arms keep him attached to Jueshi-Jun's back

"This is humiliating."

"Would you prefer that I carry you like a delicate maiden?"

"You!- I can walk!" A blush exploded on the human's face. Frustration come to his tone.

"If you think I'm going to let you walk all the way to my house with three fucking broken bones, a dislocated shoulder, and a sprained ankle. Think again," he scoffed.

"I'm a cultivator!" he grumbled, as if the injuries he had suffered were an insult to his mother.

"And I'm a demon." he snorted "that doesn't make me immortal, I can be hurt, and I will die if I don't take care of my wounds, the same goes for you, your cultivation can heal you, but when will you take care of your cultivation? It's like humans say, small wounds only become bigger over time" 

Sounds of fighting were heard in the distance followed by small rumblings and slight tremors, signs of a fight between beasts (something not so unusual in those parts) so, Jueshi-Jun was not very impressed by the noises.

Normally he would pass by, but something told him to head towards the source of the disturbance. 

When they arrived, most of the fight had ended and the only living beast was a lava-speckled boar. A few steps away was the corpse of a feline, curled up on itself, as if it were protecting something.

With a flick of one of his wrists, the boar was banished out of the demon's territory, letting the human get off his back and making sure he stayed leaning against a tree, he approached the fallen beast. 

Looking down at the animal's belly, out of LQG's range of vision, Jueshi-Jun picked up a trembling ball of fluff in his free hands, walking slowly back to the human cultivator. 

"This little guy here is an Ash Thunder Leopard. They are beasts originating from the demonic realm, but when they are purified, they become fiercely loyal spirit beasts."

The demon looked sadly at the corpse of (according to LQG's assumption) the cub's mother.

"sadly, without a mother to share her natural Qi with them, they do not survive long enough to learn to defend themselves." Now the demon was looking at him. "However, there is a small chance that it will survive if it is bonded to a master" 

Liu Qingge's eyes widened in shock at Jueshi-Jun's crazy idea.

"I am not a beast tamer," the human warned.

"I know," the demon answered. "But, if the bond is completed without problems, this little friend's life will be saved and you will get a skilled hunting partner, I don't know about you, but it seems like a win-win to me."

A long-suffering groan was heard from the cultivator, his hand (of the good arm) rubbed his face, cursing under his breath and muttering incomprehensible things. 

"Fine! But if I kill him, don't you dare blame me!" he snapped with annoyance and resignation in his voice.

"I won't," was the other's calm response. "I know you'll make it."

The demon offered the leopard cub to the human, and the human placed his hand on the leopard's forehead. 

Sending a prayer to heaven in his head, his Qi flowed like a calm river into the cub's almost empty spiritual veins, filling them just enough to help him heal, but not enough to oppress his fragile body.

The theory was simple, the master would pour his qi and the beast would respond with his, a seal would form where the energy was being administered, in this case, the forehead of the leopard cub and the left palm of the human, following this logic. , the cub would need to want to submit to its master to complete the cycle.

But due to the brush of death, there was almost no consciousness to save, the cultivator frowned and tried to stimulate the small sliver of consciousness that the cub had left.

For a few moments he thought that his efforts would be useless, a series of words of encouragement passed through his head and only a few managed to pass his lips.

"Come on, you can do it! You can't give up yet!" he whispered to himself, not knowing or noticing the look of amazement and affection coming from the demon.

Storm clouds covered the unnatural sky above them, flashing and roaring in anticipation, as the first clap of thunder rang in the distance, the cub's will to live returned in full force, not only accepting LQG as his master, but as a faithful friend. 

The incantation came to an end and a symbol similar to willow branches adorned the cub's forehead, obtaining a matching one in the palm of his hand.

Staggering (and with the help of the older demon) the leopard cub lay down in the human's lap to regain his strength, giving a meow in gratitude for saving him. 

"Congratulations on your new partner," Jueshi-jun said with relief and joy in his voice, "what name would you give him?" 

It only took a few seconds of thinking before LQG came up with a name.

"Bái Léi"

Chapter Text

Satisfied with the results of the match between them, Jueshi-Jun heads to the mother's corpse and puts it in a Qiankiun bag. To clean up the bloody mess, he ends up calling in some iron-seeking mice (the little shits are very annoying, but they are quick cleaners of blood and beast remains). 

A sound makes him step back. When he did so, the demon saw the satisfied expression on the human face.

The cub was lying on LQG's lap, purring very loudly. (Which was impressive for a cute little fur) And Liu Qingge had this small smile, so tiny that he thought it wasn't there. 

Doing his best to capture the scenery, Jueshi-Jun picks up the human once again and begins walking towards his shelter with a big smile and a bounce in his steps.

After the episode of thunder and lightning caused by the cub. (Shen Yuan predicts that this was not even a tenth of the full range of an adult Ash Thunder Leopard.)

The little thing will be so fucking powerful when it reaches maturity.

The demon decided they were going to need more than just wood and an occasional hunt for food. 

So, to search for supplies, they need to travel to the frontier between human and demonic realms.

Then they headed through a passage hidden by the nest, after leaving the cub safe.

“Ah, Peak Lord Liu, don't look at this one like that, someone might think you want to kill me” says the annoying voice of the demon.

The human simply rolled his eyes. Then follow the bird's head deeper into the shelter.

“Where we go?” LQG asks as he looks at the natural tunnel carved into the hard stone.

“Patience, things come in their time,” the demon imitated what was supposed to be the voice of an old and wise teacher. “Besides, that would ruin the surprise.” Failing miserably to give one of the cheekiest smiles, Liu Qingge has ever had the dis(pleasure) to see.

The blush on his face is an illusion of heat, it's not because he's embarrassed. He is Bai Zhan Peak Lord.  Being embarrassed is not something he does.

After going countless times through the tunnels and when the QI flames were no longer powerful enough to illuminate the tunnel much further than about three meters, they stopped. The demon turned around with a slightly nervous expression on his face. 

“To go further I need you to close your eyes” says the demon and offers his hand to guide him

LQG supposes his glare did something right, given the way the demon's nervousness levels increased enormously in a short time.

“AH! Peak Lord Liu! Don't look at me like that! This one swears he means no harm!” the demon waves his four hands trying to explain his self, “It's just that there's something I want to show you!”

“What it is?”

The demon smiles at LQG.

“Not telling you anything! Please, I know we've only known each other for a few days, but can you put your trust in me, just this once?”

After some time of silence and a staring fight, the demon's pleading eyes triumphed over the warrior's steely ones, earning him a long, long-suffering sigh. The human finally accepted the offered hand with bad humor.

“You won't regret this!” 

After Jueshi-Jun gave his conditions for the short walk, he found himself in a slightly disconcerting situation.

One hand held his with a firm grip, without squeezing too much, another hand placed on his lower back kept him on course, a third hand covered his eyes to prevent him from spying.

With his sense of sight taken away, his other senses heightened to compensate for the lack.

He could hear the singular sound of a drop falling into a puddle of water.

His nose could smell the pleasant moist and earthy aroma of seaweed and moss. 

From the way their boots sank ever so slightly into the ground, he knew they had left the solid stone and ended up walking on what appeared to be gravel or sand.

He tried to extend his third eye to at least get an idea of where he was standing, but the demon tightened his grip for a few seconds in protest, resigned, relented and retracted his aura.

They possibly only stayed that way for about 5 minutes, but it was long enough to disorient him slightly.  

Their sounds and murmured complaints earned him soft, amused giggles from the other.

Darkness consumed his world, and only Jueshi-Jun's firm, but gentle grip kept him tethered to reality.

The demon's breath brushed against his ear, causing him to shiver as the demon deigned to speak once they stopped.

“Slowly open your eyes” 

It was the whisper close to his ear and the hands slowly withdrawing from his body, open them at the moment.

However, any complaints he had at that moment were discarded when he could observe the scene in front of him. 

The cave opened into a completely closed dome (except for the place where they were supposed to have entered) the stalactites stood out with their peaks pointing downward with pink crystals peeking out between fissures made in the rock, threatening to fall at the slightest provocation, the blue and purple rock protruded from the walls throughout. Type of sizes and shapes, being adorned by crystals of various shades of pink and violet.

On the floor, there was a river that covered most of the area, with small islands that allowed a passage between the streams, a waterfall could be seen in the background shining because of the crystals embedded in the stalactites above and those in the walls. (He thinks there are some behind the waterfall itself, but there is no way to know.)

Although it could have been an ordinary landscape, what made it special were the flecks of brightness emitted by the white vines, the gray moss, the yellow algae, and the water itself shining green with every touch of the water.

Curious, he knelt on his haunches and his hand lightly brushed the surface of the water, fascinated by the way it glistened upon contact. 

The surrounding shadows gathered and twisted as they pleased, letting the mist and darkness give the area a touch of intimacy and rest, a perfect place to seclude yourself from the world and just let yourself be carried away by the sound of running water.

His battle-hardened eyes couldn't help but marvel at such a magnificent sight, having a spark similar to that of a child when presented with a new toy. 

A presence approached his side and, knowing who it belonged to, he didn't even turn around and continued running his hand through the sparkling water.

“Beautiful, isn't it?” The demon's already kind features were softened even more by the environment and lighting, highlighting his bright, toxic green eyes.

Jueshi-Jun asks while he's looking at the human's face.

“It is.” Liu Qingge avoids eye contact, slightly embarrassed.

“Follow me, we need to collect materials to trade in the night market”

With a movement, the demon stood up and walked to a high rock to place a blanket and a couple of baskets to store the night pearls at the bottom of the river, leaving himself with an inner layer.

Liu Qingge also stoded up and went in the same process of keeping only his inner robes

With the river passing through them and the shine it produced with their touch, they both got lost in the movements of searching for the best pearls between splashes and muffled giggles.

Both of them dove into the cold waters under the cover of shadows. 

With the moment quickly turning into a competition to see who would get the most pearls in the basket

Chapter Text

As the hours passed, the competitive spirit grew more and more, causing an argument to break out.

“I have more!” -squealed LQG.

“Mine have better quality,” replied Jueshi-Jun.

“So?” he raised an eyebrow.

“You can't say quantity is better than quality!” the demon said informatively.

“So?”

“So?” obviously I win!

“In your dreams!” he growled. 

“I mean, it would definitely be a dream if you were in it.” he heard the other's dreamy voice. 

And burst into flames as the red grew on his face and ears.

“YOU!”

“I did it again, didn't I?” The demon's face was blank.

In the blink of an eye, the demon was already putting on his robe and leaping toward the entrance of the grotto with the basket in one of his arms and the blanket marking where he was headed. 

“HEY! COME BACK HERE, YOU COWARD!”

He also put on the robes at top speed to go after him, remembering to bring his own basket with the pearls and remembering to put his boots back on.

"It's not being a coward when you're smart! And smartly I follow my instincts! The demon replied in that bored know-it-all voice .

"So, what do they tell you?" Mocking his words, he cursed the demon's speed as he infused QI into his steps to speed up.

“They tell me to RUN!” he shouted with a nervous laugh.

“Fucker!” 

The chase ended just as he reached the entrance of the shelter with a great leap, the sight of the demon transforming into his beast form distracted him a bit before he gathered himself and climbed onto Jueshi-Jun's back just in time for the other to grab him. flight.

“Did it on purpose.” he accused. 

“Maybe yes maybe no. Who knows?” The devil's teasing voice echoed in his mind.

He snorted, turning his head, he decided to sit and watch the view, enjoy the flight and let the air play with his hair.

After a few stops at different warehouse, to look for more things to travel or sell (such as candles, baskets, palm leaves, the night pearls they collected, incense and even silks). 

Under the guidance of the bird, LQG placed the products in various Qiankiun boxes, apparently organized according to quality.  

Also obtained was a cart with numerous shelves and a storage crate that doubled as a table, a pair of handles that were supposedly used by the demon's claws to carry it when it was in its bestial form. It also had a horse seat and breastplate.

The demon took the trade cart and took flight southwest, heading for a nearby trading town. Minutes after takeoff, the bird's voice echoed in his head.

"I can hear your thoughts. Spit it out, tell this Jueshi what's bothering you." 

LQG grimaces at being exposed.

“This isn't the first time you've been to this village.” 

“It's not.” Jueshi-Jun agreed.

“Why don't we have any complaints about it?”

The other's laugh was so loud and hearty that it made him blush (of anger, it was a blush of anger).

“My God, you don't really think I walk like this wherever I go, do you?”

His silence was proof enough of his embarrassment. Provoking another laugh from the demon.

“I have a human disguise, it hides most of my beastly body parts, like my two arms or my extra eyes, most of my feathers are also hidden.”

The forest behind them began to look more normal and less exotic.

“There are parts I can't hide easily, so an extra enchantment or talisman finishes the job, same for demonic energy, before you ask.”

“Why are you explaining it to me?” 

LQG knew that this kind of information must be a secret, a last resort if the demon has to flee, just a little information Jueshi-Jun just gave him could be the first step to his extermination.

He's going to ignore the pain in his chest that arose at the thought of the other's death.

“I trust you.” 

Was it really that simple? He thought about it and realized that yes, for the demonic culture it was that simple.

A change in the way the wings looked before alerted him that they were going to land soon, seeing how far away the ground was, he jumped and landed in a tree free spot in the woods only half a mile away from town.

The commercial car landed next to him and the demon was the last to land.

He, still deep in his mind, picked up the cart and made sure nothing was missing or out of place, satisfied he turned around and what he saw blew him away.

Liu Qingge saw that the Demon Lord took a form he had not yet glimpsed. In fact, although he knew (also from hearing the demon talk about it) that there were demons capable of changing their appearance, and even those that could almost completely resemble humans (celestial demons, for example), he had never been near him. Let alone seen such a change.

It wasn't grotesque or unpleasant as he imagined, it looked like a cloud of demonic energy surrounding Jueshi-Jun, which dissipated to reveal the handsome man.

His long dark hair looked shiny and soft, perhaps almost as much as his feathers, of a dark brown hue, yet there were delicate feathers around his ears and flowing hair, adorning his delicate pointed ears.

On the demon's forehead, there was a demonic sigil that emitted a faint greenish light similar to the demonic energy that surrounded Jueshi-Jun earlier, matching the demon's beautiful green eyes. It had fox eyes that looked as seductive as Hui Ling's, but had that enthusiastic, playful and almost innocent glow, the pair of eyes below the upper ones gave the image of simply being face paint.

Unlike the previous form the Beak Lord witnessed, now the Demon Lord only had two arms, but he could still make out some feathers coming out of his elbows and Jueshi-Jun's hands seemed somehow softer, almost as if his skin had the same softness. texture as his feathers.

The sharp claws were a clear warning that he might be beautiful, but he was not helpless. Beautiful and deadly. Liu Qingge thought it was beautiful.

“As I said before, this is the only thing I can do on my own to hide my demonic heritage,” a yellow talisman appeared in his hand, then he activated it and placed it on his chest. 

As the talisman disappeared, its effects began to show and the rest of the demonic characteristics disappeared. The only thing that could betray him was his huadian, and that was easy to hide with makeup. 

Last but not least, the demonic energy was receding with an enchantment to seal it. 

A few minutes ago, there was a powerful Demon Lord. Now, a mere human being is standing in the exact spot.

If he didn't know that he was a demon, LQG might make the mistake of thinking that he was also a human. 

“Stop looking at me like that, we have to find a good place and look for a room in a hostel.”

The demon... no, the human walked towards the cart and out of nowhere a damn horse appeared right in front of his eyes.

“What? It'll be suspicious if we get to town without something pulling the cart."

The illusion was all too real, while the mud horse was tied to the cart, it acted like one. The damn thing looks like a beautiful Breton with its light brown color along with its white hooves, mane and face.

With a jump, Jueshi-Jun sat down in the saddle and gave him room to drink.

“By the way, as long as I'm in this form, you can call me Shen Yuan.” A playful look shone in the other's eyes.

“Shen yuan?” he saw a shiver run through Shen Yuan's body. “Are you all right?”

“I am, it's been a while since someone called me like this, don't worry, now come, we have to go now.”

After sitting next to Shen Yuan, for some reason calling him that made him feel good, the horse started its way to the village at a good speed for a thing made of mud. Before long a paved road appeared as they came out of the forest, and soon they were near the gates of the village, it wasn't exactly a small place, but it was big enough for trade to flow well so close to the border. They arrived at a reputable inn and rented a room enough for two people, seeing Shen Yuan exchange their stay with the pearls they collected was impressive.

Though his impression was dulled a bit when upon entering he noticed a certain detail, there was only one bed.

“I saw you give the innkeeper twenty night pearls in exchange for three nights, why did he give you this room?”

“It was the last one there was for both of us!”He realizes that the other was more excited than he should have been.

“If you say so” he looked askance at the costumed demon and watched him place various things in the drawers and cabinets available for his use.“Come on grumps, we need to set up our booth before nightfall.”

“I'm not in a bad mood” he mutters.“Yeah, yeah, now let's go!”

For the next two hours, LQG found himself running around the market running errands for shen yuan, looking for more goods from the inn, and basically just being a helper instead of a partner.

For some reason, the thought filled him with indescribable annoyance.

Having mercy on his frustrated self, Shen Yuan sent him a list of the terrors that plagued the village.

You know, monsters, demons, plants, misguided spirit beasts, ghosts. Things that only a cultivator can take care of.

Although they weren't the most fun fights he had, the feeling of having succeeded in meeting Shen Yuan's expectations kept his spirits high

Returning from the impromptu night hunt, he found several street children, clinging to the skirt of Shen Yuan's robe, eagerly awaiting their turn for easy food and a token of love in the form of a pat on the head.

After chasing the urchins away with a metaphorical stick, Shen Yuan waved goodbye to them before getting down to the real business.

The materials he had collected out of sheer habit were sold, bargained, bartered, exchanged and even ordered by various customers from different social classes. 

This explains the reason for the boxes sorted by quality.

When night fell and all the stalls were emptied, he was counting the taels, while Shen Yuan arranged the materials they received in return.

“Good evening, that's it!” Sy whistled. 

“Isn't it always like this?” he asked as he marked the total earnings on the sheet he had been handed a while ago. 

(Dont look at him like that! He knows how to do his paperwork, he just doesn't like to stay still for too long.) 

Dinner came, and they had to stop the things they were doing to satisfy themselves.

He tried to protest that it wasn't necessary, like sleeping. He was an immortal, inedia was something he mastered and lack of sleep was solved by meditating. 

Afterwards, only when he was brutally criticized for his lack of care for himself, did the duo eat in peace. Shen Yuan, calmed by the food, returned to his earlier question.

“All things have their difficulties, if you are a warrior you will find it easy to understand things related to your profession, on the contrary, if you seek to become a scholar, you will encounter many obstacles along the way.” he wiped his mouth with a napkin before continuing. "If anyone ask you, you could say it's easy, but thats the point, its easy for you, not for others."

A murmur of recognition came from Liu Qingge, thinking and processing the words he had just uttered.

“In other words, you can only learn by trial and error, and I had to make mistakes many times before I achieved the amount of sales we achieved today.”

“You were the one doing the talking," he protested.

“True, but you also brought me a lot more to profit from while helping the community and keeping the citizens safe.”

Warm hands rested on his shoulders and eased some tension in his muscles by massaging them lightly.

“Take a bath, first I have to settle a couple of things with the innkeeper and we can go to sleep.”

Liu Qingge simply sighed and agreed.

After leaving the bath, dressed in his most intimate robe, Liu Qingge sat on the bed to finish drying his hair with a touch of QI and detangling it, using the oils to keep it soft and silky.

At some point, Shen Yuan returned from his talk and also came out with the same amount of robes he had himself. His hair was already braided with the end tied with a gray ribbon, he walked over to him and took the brush from his hands along with the scented oil and proceeded to braid his hair as well.

He was grateful to have his back to the demon, his blush probably reaching his ears, with a green ribbon tied to the end of his braid, the candles blown out with a flick of wrist. 

“Rest well, Master Liu,” Shen yuan says.

“Mingyu.”

After mulling the matter over and over, Liu Qingge determined that if the demon would confide his real name to him, it was only fair that he should do the same for him.

He couldn't exactly see it, but he felt that Jueshi-Jun's smile was one of the biggest.

“Swett dreams Mingyu.”

“Mn, you too, Shen Yuan.”

The two of them, lying on either side of the bed, at some point ended up cuddling, the demon being the big spoon. 

When fatigue finally took over and his mind wandered back to the days he spent with Shen Yuan, he remembered a certain detail. 

The reason why he had the opportunity to meet him said Demon Lord from the beginning.

Oh, Shen QingQiu is going to kill me.