“Kill them all?”
When Aoki heard this, he immediately realized that after a hundred years, Nong Li, this fox, had become thoroughly corrupted.
So, was it that his actions just now had made this Supreme Demon King lose face, and now she wanted to kill off everyone who had witnessed her humiliation?
But to be honest, Aoki wasn’t particularly surprised. He’d already had a bad premonition about this, and now that it had come true, he’d already thought of a countermeasure.
Although in Aoki’s eyes, this so-called Demon King had always just been a little fox, to others she was the Supreme among the demon race, and to humans, a terrible calamity.
With a single command, the demon clan immediately raised their blades, while the humans’ faces filled with terror.
Naturally, Aoki found himself in danger as well. Nong Li turned her palm toward him, crimson light gathering with killing intent. At the critical moment, Aoki shouted to Qin Feng, who’d kept his head lowered all this time:
“Immortal Qin Feng, save me!”
Why had he kept his head down?
This human and this demon definitely knew each other. Qin Feng probably wasn’t afraid of Nong Li, so there was only one possibility.
Qin Feng was hiding his identity. Even if he were about to die here, he wouldn’t want Nong Li to discover who he really was.
First, there were past grievances between Qin Feng and Nong Li. Second, Qin Feng’s mother, Qin Shuang, was a close friend of Sword Immortal You.
So it was clear enough.
As long as he shouted that line, Nong Li would stop.
And Qin Feng, he would have no choice but to negotiate with Nong Li.
“Stop!”
As soon as these words left Nong Li’s mouth, Aoki knew he’d guessed right.
Across from him, Qin Feng sat on the ground, coughing up blood, his eyes filled with surprise as he glanced at Aoki, then shifted his gaze back to Nong Li.
The human and the demon stared at each other. Nong Li spoke first:
“Take them all back to Benji City.”
*****
…….
Though it was still called Benji City, when Aoki came here for the second time, he found the place completely transformed. Compared to a hundred years ago, Benji City was much more prosperous. Many fox statues stood along the streets, and judging by the happy, contented looks on the faces of the demonfolk, it was clear that Nong Li governed the place extremely well.
The demons also cast their eyes on Aoki and his group.
Humans were rarely seen here—those locked up in prison carts even more so.
Aoki and the other children were escorted into a secret room within Nong Li’s palace. Just as he thought he’d be the last to enter, a hand yanked him back. Turning around, he frowned.
This demon had already taken on human form, with no features left that marked him as a demon—he was indistinguishable from a human. Just like those demonfolk who’d once pretended to be disciples of the Sword Sect. But Aoki found him strangely familiar.
A giraffe-like feeling?
“You don’t need to go in. Come with me.”
The demon frowned as he looked at Aoki, and from the sound of his voice, Aoki recognized him.
Wasn’t this the Giraffe Demon?
However, Aoki didn’t say anything to him, merely allowed himself to be dragged along to a small side room in the palace.
The room was cramped but well-equipped. The Giraffe Demon tossed him inside, then left.
Aoki looked around and realized this was a place Nong Li had set aside for him specifically. But what was her purpose?
He couldn’t quite figure it out, but according to the system’s task, what mattered now was forging a friendship with Nong Li.
Aoki was puzzled. Clearly, he and Nong Li already shared an unbreakable master-disciple bond, so why did he have to build a relationship all over again in this second simulation?
What’s more, the problem was that the current Nong Li wasn’t just a slightly dangerous little fox anymore, but a demon king of the demon world.
This situation couldn’t even be called a swap between past and present—it was an outright hell-level beginning.
So, Aoki thought, he’d have to get to the bottom of why Nong Li had forgotten him.
Suddenly, Aoki felt the room seemed familiar.
Had he, perhaps, lived here before?
*****
…..
“Cough, cough, cough!”
Qin Feng was chained to a wooden frame, coughing violently from the beatings of the little demons, while Nong Li sat to one side, sipping her tea.
When Qin Feng finally came to, Nong Li picked some tea leaves out of her cup and tossed them on the ground, then looked at him coldly and asked, “What do you mean by all this? Who is Aoki?”
During the interrogation, Nong Li had wanted to pry some information about the Sword Sect out of Qin Feng, but instead, Qin Feng had said things that left her chest heavy and her head throbbing.
Aoki?
Who was that?
It was all so hazy…….
Following Qin Feng’s words, Nong Li seemed to recall some vague memory in her mind.
She didn’t understand why these memories brought with them a sense of anxiety and fear—she could only pretend to stay calm.
And there was something oddly familiar about Qin Feng, too, as if he played some kind of role in her memories.
What was wrong with her mind?
“I don’t know any Aoki. That’s enough for today… Don’t let him die.”
Nong Li stood up, gave orders to the little demons at her side, and left the interrogation room.
In the corridor, the Giraffe Demon was waiting.
“Nong Li-sama, I’ve already taken the child to that room.”
“Hmm… Do you know Aoki?”
Nong Li nodded, then suddenly changed the subject. The Giraffe Demon was taken aback, then shook his head. “Aoki? I don’t know who that is.”
“I see… You may go.”
With a wave of her hand, Nong Li dismissed the little demons, and went alone to the room where the child was being held.
As soon as she opened the door, she saw that very child, the one who filled her with amazement, sitting in a chair, one hand resting on the table, legs crossed, holding a teacup in hand, tea leaves scattered on the floor.
Strangely, when the child looked at her with eyes utterly free of fear, she felt something odd.
“What are you doing?”
Nong Li closed the door, folded her arms, and asked.
“Drinking tea.”
Aoki took a sip, completely at ease despite Nong Li’s appearance, as if she were a guest visiting his room.
“Why are you tossing the tea leaves on the floor?”
“Too many tea leaves, they end up in my mouth.”
As Aoki spoke, he pinched another tea leaf with his fingers and threw it onto the ground. Nong Li frowned slightly at the sight.
How odd, she used to do the same thing.
And as for Aoki’s posture?
It seemed… she sat just like that, too.
What was going on?
For no reason, Nong Li began to feel uncomfortable, as if someone were deliberately imitating her. But then again, this was just a kid—how could he be copying her?
He’d never seen her before, right?
Who was he? Where did he come from? How did he know her weak spot was the nape of her neck?
These questions circled around in Nong Li’s mind, but she wasn’t ready to ask them yet—there was still plenty of time. Inside this child’s body seemed to lie some kind of power, a force that could allow her to grow her eighth tail.
….
According to what the Giraffe Demon and the others said, he was the key to her defeating Sword Immortal You, and the treasure that had allowed her to protect the demon world.
For that reason, since she’d need to devour him in the future, for now she would keep him, and have compatible interactions with him.
“What’s your name?”
No name.
That was Aoki’s answer to Nong Li’s question.
“Then… From today on, your name will be Aoki.”
For some reason, Nong Li had a very strange feeling. She thought… this name, Aoki, the one Qin Feng had just mentioned, sounded delicious.
Since she’d be eating this brat in the end, she might as well name him like food.
“Huh?”
Aoki was stunned.
“You… come and be my son, will you?”
Nong Li spoke again.
Aoki spat out a mouthful of tea.
Reversal of the Celestial Order?