By nature, demons lived with a reckless, free-spirited abandon. They embraced passion and indulgence, and their cities reflected their wild natures. Bu Ji City was legendary for its unparalleled pleasures: the finest wines, the most enchanting dancers, the largest gambling dens. Decadent and extravagant, Bu Ji City had no ruler, and anyone with spirit stones could live like royalty here. Even wayward immortals, lured by the allure, could be found among its patrons, often falling under its seductive spell.
“Mumu…” Bai Shuo began, but when she turned, she saw her disciple’s gaze already fixated on the vibrant street. The words died on her lips.
“Do you like it here?” she asked him, a little hesitantly.
“Yes, Master! It’s so lively here. I’ve never seen a place so lively,” Fan Yue said, tugging at her hand with bright eyes. “Master, next time, can we come here to play again?”
“Alright.”
“Really? You have to promise! No take-backs.” His eyes sparkled. “Alright, let’s head back to Nan Hai City…”
He wrapped his arm around her waist, ready to take off, when Bai Shuo suddenly stopped him.
“Let’s not go back,” she said, gripping his hand.
“Hm?”
“Let’s have fun here! There’s plenty of good food here, too,” she said with a grin.
Fan Yue paused. “But this is the Demon Realm, Master. You’re an immortal.”
“Who cares! Come on, Mumu, let Master show you around the grandest pleasure city of the Three Realms!”
She tugged Fan Yue into the bustling throngs on the street.
“Look, Mumu! So beautiful, these little fairies are flying around!” Bai Shuo exclaimed.
On the lively street of Bu Ji City, a caravan slowly rolled by. Tiny fairies with wings like butterflies flitted in the air, each encased in a pink bubble and glittering with multicolored lights. Bai Shuo looked like a country bumpkin, holding a candied fruit in one hand and a sweet osmanthus cake in the other, elbowing Fan Yue like she hadn’t seen such a sight in years.
One bubble drifted over to Bai Shuo, and the fairy inside blinked playfully at her, extending a dainty pink fingertip. Bai Shuo was so delighted she bit down on her osmanthus cake to free her hand and reached out to touch the fairy.
But the instant their fingers met, a thin, sinister thread of red began to seep from the fairy’s finger. Bai Shuo didn’t notice, smiling brightly as the fairy seemed to giggle even more cheerfully. But just as the blood thread was about to reach Bai Shuo, it disintegrated into dust, and the fairy froze, her smile vanishing as she stared into a pair of cold, warning eyes behind Bai Shuo.
“Wow, she’s so soft!” Bai Shuo beamed, giving the fairy a friendly pat. The tiny creature trembled, rigid with fear, until Bai Shuo finally let go.
“Mumu, she likes me!” Bai Shuo said, thrilled. “You try too…”
But when she turned back, the fairy had darted away as fast as possible, vanishing into the crowd of her companions.
Uh… Bai Shuo blinked, momentarily stunned.
“Doesn’t seem like she liked me very much,” Fan Yue said, pulling out another piece of osmanthus cake and placing it in her empty hand.
Bai Shuo took a bite and chuckled. “Of course! There’s no one as lovable as me. I’m irresistible to humans and demons alike!”
Brimming with pride, she turned at the sound of elegant music and saw several musicians clad in white sitting gracefully in a nearby carriage, playing strings and flute, each strikingly handsome.
But before Bai Shuo could utter another “Wow,” her eyes grew even wider.
Behind the musicians, in the center of the procession, eighteen brawny demon men carried a massive, hundred-foot-long mirror. Upon its surface, several young women, barely dressed in gauzy silk, swayed and danced. Their intoxicating fragrance filled the air, and the entire street seemed to come alive as enchanted men and women showered the mirror with spirit stones and roses from either side.
Glittering light shone on the mirror’s surface, illuminating the enthralled demons in an extravagant, hedonistic display of pleasure.
Having lived a simple life for twenty years, Bai Shuo had never seen such a spectacle and was completely awestruck.
Fan Yue plucked a candied fruit from his bag and nudged it into her mouth, snapping her out of her trance. The sweetness brought her back to reality, and she murmured softly.
“Mumu, being a demon seems amazing.”
“They say all pleasures in life were beloved by the Demon God, so the demon race has emulated them fully,” Fan Yue said, laughing as he wiped a crumb from her lips. “Master, they’re going inside. Shall we go join in on the fun?”
Bai Shuo came to her senses and looked up to see the carriage procession moving toward a tall pavilion at the end of the street. Lit by swaying lanterns and filled with joyful laughter, the massive structure stood proudly, welcoming the musicians and dancers inside.
Fan Yue was about to step forward when Bai Shuo instinctively tugged at his sleeve. “No way!”
Fan Yue looked at her, puzzled.
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