ABFC | Chapter 26: Lord Demon Really Knows How to Have Fun

By the edge of the cloud sea, Wen Ruan swayed her legs, feeling in a great mood.

Suddenly, a clear sound came from below.

The vast white mist seemed to be stirred by something, boiling like water in a pot. Soon, a crimson figure leaped out from within.

It was a red fish, enormous like a mountain. Its fins were long and wide, and when it opened its mouth to call, sharp fangs with a faint cold gleam could be seen.

In the blink of an eye, it swam up to Wen Ruan, its dark eyes firmly locking onto her. It scanned her up and down repeatedly, then finally stopped at her hand, swallowing saliva with a satisfied gulp.

Wen Ruan: ……

Wen Ruan was stunned.

How could she have forgotten? This was the viewing platform of Mu Zhe.

What was kept here was most likely his pet.

A pet raised by the Demon Lord couldn’t possibly be one of those little dolphins performing at an aquarium…

The big red fish, which resembled a Beiming Kun, looked at her with eager anticipation, politely opening its mouth.

[T/N: The Beiming Kun (北冥鲲) is a mythical creature from Chinese mythology, often depicted as a giant fish or sea creature that transforms into a massive bird, known as the Kun.]

A layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on Wen Ruan’s forehead.

Help! Why does this fish keep staring at her? And it’s showing its teeth!

She stared at the mysterious object stuck between its teeth, her heart pounding wildly, as if petrified, not daring to move a muscle.

One incense stick later.

The big red fish impatiently flicked its tail fin, letting out a long cry. Its body suddenly shrank to the size of a car, attempting to nudge her hand that was holding the pancake.

The touch on the back of her hand was different from the sticky and slippery feeling she had imagined. It was dry and warm, and seemed to have a surprising elasticity.

Wen Ruan lowered her head with a stiffened neck.

The human and the fish silently stared at each other.

Smelling the fragrance of the pancake at her hand, the big fish’s dark, glossy eyes lit up, it continued to look at her with anticipation.

In Wen Ruan’s eyes, within those walnut-sized fish eyes, a strange glint clearly flashed.

It was the malice that a wild beast unconsciously reveals when it encounters prey.

She shuddered, forcing herself to swallow the pancake in her mouth. She sluggishly thought about running away, but her legs had already gone weak, and she couldn’t stand up.

Meanwhile, the fish’s big mouth kept widening.

Facing the wild beast’s sharp teeth, she was on the verge of crying, “If you’re hungry, I can feed you fish food, okay? I haven’t bathed in three days, and I don’t even have two ounces of meat on me, I’m not tasty!”

Beiming Kun: ?

It moved its head slightly away in apparent disgust.

Before Wen Ruan could breathe a sigh of relief, it quickly brought its head back, nimbly snatching the pancake from her hand, and gave her a look of royal contempt.

Wen Ruan: ?

It finished the pancake in a few bites, hesitated for a moment, then continued to nudge her hand.

Wen Ruan began to catch on. She took the last two pancakes from the food box and waved them in front of it, testing it out.

“Do you want to eat this?”

The big fish happily flicked its tail fin and obediently opened its mouth.

Wen Ruan’s heart settled back into her chest. She wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve, tossed the pancake into its mouth, and muttered:

“Just tell me if you want to eat it. No need to scare me like that.”

The big fish tilted its head: ….Ku?

Tsk, as the pet of the Demon Lord, it can’t even speak.

It seems to be just an ornamental animal.

Her courage instantly grew as she waved the pancake in her hand, revealing eight white teeth, and cheerfully said:

“This is the last one. You have to catch it.”

After saying that, she raised her hand, and with a ‘whoosh’, threw the pancake in the air with a perfect parabola.

Beiming Kun moved so fast that only a shadow was left behind. In the blink of an eye, it dashed forward, giving off a strong impression of a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey.

The movements were so skillful that it makes people feel distressed.

Wen Ruan placed her soft hand on her forehead, gazing at the scene. She shook her head as she sighed, “The Demon Lord really knows how to have fun.”

After teasing the fish for a while, she slowly stood up, stretched her limbs, and picked up the food box, preparing to leave.

“Ku—”

The big red fish bit onto the hem of her light blue dress.

“There’s none left.” She opened the food box helplessly, trying to reason with it, “See, it’s empty.”

The big fish still didn’t let go and dragged her to the edge.

Seeing that she was about to fall into the sea of clouds, Wen Ruan panicked. Stumbling, she tried to tug at her clothes.

“I’ll bring some for you tomorrow, okay? Please let go, let go—!!!”

The ground suddenly disappeared beneath her feet, and the sensation of weightlessness, accompanied by the whooshing sound of the wind, swept through her mind. The remaining word got stuck in her throat.

She felt dizzy, and a thousand curses flashed through her mind. But then, she landed on the soft, red back of the giant fish, lying flat like a pancake being flipped.

The Beiming Kun let out a high-pitched cry, swam its body, and then dove straight into the sea of clouds.

Wen Ruan slowly sat up, still in shock. She pressed her hand to her chest, nervously clung to its dorsal fin, and subconsciously asked:

“Where are you taking me?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she knocked her head in frustration, “I forgot you can’t speak.”

This magical fish was different; she couldn’t read its thoughts and dared not jump off midway.

She could only suppress her anxiety and wait until they reached their destination.

Wen Ruan could sense that the fish meant no harm to her, so she wasn’t afraid about being eaten as a meal, but she was still a bit worried.

The Demon Lord’s Palace was so vast. What if it dropped her off somewhere? How would she find her way back?

“I hope you’re a fish that sees things through to the end.” She strained to raise her voice, pushing aside the stray hairs stuck to her face. Her fair face was also deformed by the strong wind.

“No matter where you’re taking me, you have to bring me back!”

The giant fish seemed to understand, letting out a low cry in response before speeding up once more.

After a while, the cloud and mist that had been rushing toward her began to thin out, now mixed with a touch of moist spiritual energy, the visibility improved greatly.

She stretched her neck to look down, her voice trembling in surprise, “Hot springs?! Have we already left the Demon Realm!”

Below was a small flower valley, filled with large clusters of double-petaled snow lilies in full bloom.

In the depths of the blooming flowers, the water rippled gently, and the misty heat mixed with the floral fragrance, slowly rose into the air.

The giant fish stopped beside a clearing next to the hot springs, shook its body, and signaled for her to get off from the top.

Wen Ruan slid down from its back with a ‘swoosh’ and eagerly reached into the pool to scoop up a handful of water.

She was somewhat surprised.

The water contained the purest spiritual energy, and just touching it made her feel comfortable all over. Even the hidden ailments in her body began to heal on their own.

It was a perfect place for healing.

She looked around once more.

Flowers, hot springs, and a silly fish playing with its tail fin.

There was no endless snow here, and it was as warm as spring.

As if it was far detached from that gloomy Demon Realm.

“996, where am I right now?” She gave up trying to communicate with the fish and sharply poked the system in her consciousness, “Am I really out?”

“Host, you are still in the Demon Realm.”

996 was a system that remembered only the good but not bad. It had long forgotten Wen Ruan’s previous threats, and turned into a small dragon cat before flying out, happily rolling around in the flower bushes.

“This is a secret realm, hidden beneath the sea of clouds. No one has probably been here before.”

Wen Ruan relaxed and gazed at the steaming hot spring, feeling a bit hesitant.

Why did the giant fish bring her here?

Was it planning to slowly cook her in the warm water?

Though, it really did seem very comfortable.

She used a wooden barrel to take a bath in Canglang Water Pavilion, which was far less spacious than here.

“Ku.”

The silly fish stopped the stupid dog-like behavior, and gently pushed her body, nudging her toward the spring.

In the end, he gave her an extremely complicated look, scanning her up and down.

This time, Wen Ruan understood.

It was disgust.