Chapter Seventy-Two: The Fearless Demon Who Knows Not

In the demon realm, a peculiar phenomenon existed: only those who had cultivated to the level of a great demon could possess their own lair. Lesser demons had no choice but to stay in inns or sleep in the wild. Thus, many inns were overcrowded with demons, and even the streets were rife with those sleeping under the open sky. One had to keep their eyes wide open at night, lest they accidentally step on a little demon.

Demon beasts from the first to the ninth rank were considered small demons; above them were the Mystic, Earth, Heaven levels, then Demon Lord, Demon King, Demon Emperor, Demon Saint, and Demon Ancestor. Only those with cultivation above Demon Lord could have a lair, and even then, there was one per city—a privilege of the highest order.

Youshi Yue and Jun Yang spent much effort searching for an inn, but found not a single vacancy; every place was full. Forced by circumstances, they headed to the forest on the west side of Swallowing Sky City. Although they had often camped outdoors in the immortal realm, this was the demon realm, where protective arrays were not so convenient to use. The forest seemed rife with demons, and some even began to follow them.

The demon kept its distance, but its greedy gaze was unmistakable. From the moment it started tailing them, Youshi Yue and Jun Yang sensed its intentions.

"Is that little demon trying to rob us?" Jun Yang found it unbelievable. He had always been the one doing the robbing; this was the first time anyone had dared try to rob him.

Youshi Yue sighed helplessly. How reckless was this little demon? Or perhaps, how fanciful? Perhaps ignorance truly bred fearlessness.

Once inside the forest, the demon refrained from acting immediately, shadowing them for a long while. Only after Youshi Yue and Jun Yang chose a secluded spot did it finally reveal its claws. It turned out to be a hawk demon, flapping its wings and soaring skyward, swooping swiftly toward Jun Yang.

Jun Yang suddenly felt indignant—did it really think he was a legless snake, only able to crawl, easily bullied by his supposed natural enemy? Was he not also winged? With a slight sidestep, Jun Yang dodged the hawk demon’s attack.

The hawk demon, undeterred, assumed it was mere coincidence and curved its sharp claws into hooks, launching another ferocious assault at Jun Yang.

"Little ancestor, can I use magic?" Jun Yang sent a message to Youshi Yue.

"Magic? For this little demon?" Youshi Yue frowned in disdain, feeling Jun Yang should be sent back to the Hidden Realm to practice physical arts.

Jun Yang scratched his cheek sheepishly and, pressing his toes to the ground, also took flight. The hawk demon was dumbfounded. "How can a little snake fly?"

"Little? Where am I little?" Jun Yang had never been underestimated before; in a flash of anger, he kicked the hawk demon square in the face, sending it flying onto a distant tree branch.

The hawk demon was wedged between the branches, unable to move, struggling in vain to get down. Jun Yang approached, picked up a stick, and poked the hawk demon's cheek. "How dare you? A mere second-tier little demon, trying to rob your grandpa?"

"Grandpa, I was wrong, please spare me! I failed to recognize your might. Seeing your snake eyes, unable to fully disguise yourself as human, I thought you were just a young snake demon."

Jun Yang knocked the hawk demon’s head a few times, and his snake eyes returned to normal. He had merely wanted to look more like a member of the demon clan, not expecting it would bring so much unnecessary trouble.

Though Jun Yang subdued the hawk demon easily, he was still annoyed, so he reverted to old habits. "Hand over all the demon stones in your spatial pouch."

The hawk demon protested, "Grandpa, I’m stuck in this branch and can’t reach my pouch. Could you let me down first?"

Jun Yang gave the hawk demon another kick, knocking it to the ground. The hawk demon was resilient; after two kicks, it was still unscathed. It flapped its wings, transformed into human form, and walked over with a grin, obediently handing over its pouch. "Grandpa, I only have a few demon stones. Please leave me some—I still need to pay for my room."

"Room money? What room money?"

"Well, at the Demon Capital Inn..."

"Demon Capital Inn?" Jun Yang raised an eyebrow. "We have to sleep in the forest, and you still have an inn room?"

"Ah, I’ve been staying there for two years now..." The hawk demon kept a nervous eye on Jun Yang’s pouch, fearing he would take all the demon stones. "There’s a rule in the demon realm: you can’t take everything when robbing someone."

"There’s such a rule?" Jun Yang eyed the hawk demon suspiciously.

The hawk demon’s gaze was steady. "Isn’t it the new rule set by the Demon Administration two months ago?"

Jun Yang had no interest in the Demon Administration's rules. He weighed the pouch in his hand. "I can leave your demon stones untouched."

"Really?" The hawk demon looked up happily at Jun Yang, but with some apprehension—he seemed to detect a hint of scheming in that gaze.

"Give me your room at the inn."

"Impossible. I queued for ages to get it. In the demon realm, there’s a saying: heads may roll, blood may flow, but an inn room cannot be lost. Demons who sleep in forests are looked down upon."

No matter what, the hawk demon refused.

At this moment, Youshi Yue came over, holding a rabbit leg seasoned with celestial pepper blossoms, and waved it before the hawk demon’s eyes.

The hawk demon had never smelled anything so delicious; it swallowed hard.

"I... I am a demon of principle."

Youshi Yue tore off a chunk of rabbit leg and shoved it into her mouth. Even Jun Yang was tempted.

"I... I can let you stay for three days," the hawk demon finally succumbed to temptation and compromised.

"Five days," Youshi Yue bargained.

"Deal."

Youshi Yue tossed the rabbit leg to the hawk demon.

Unable to resist for even a minute, the hawk demon gulped down the rabbit leg in a few bites, barely savoring the taste, feeling wholly unsatisfied.

"Is there any more? I'll let you stay for five more days."

Jun Yang shot the hawk demon a glare—how shameless could a demon be?

Youshi Yue didn’t shut the door on negotiations. "If we want to stay after five days, we’ll pay you again. For now, take us to the inn."

"Alright, let’s go." Shameless as he was, the hawk demon was also straightforward, leading the two out of the forest toward the Demon Capital Inn.

As they walked, he offered, "My room has two chambers—why don’t you take the inner one, and I’ll stay in the outer?"

Jun Yang objected, "You got your share, and you still want to stay with us?"

The hawk demon was a bit embarrassed, but persisted, "I just feel Swallowing Sky City isn’t safe lately."

"How so?" Youshi Yue was intrigued.

"There’s this chill wind, as if it could blow up at any moment. I bet there’ll soon be cases of demons suddenly disappearing."

Youshi Yue and Jun Yang exchanged glances, then looked at the hawk demon.

"Why do you feel that way?" Jun Yang inquired curiously.

"I don’t know, but my instincts are usually right. So... for safety, can we discuss me sleeping in the outer chamber? I promise I’ll be quiet."

"Do as you wish."

Youshi Yue didn’t make things difficult.

Though shameless, the hawk demon still respected the demon code.