Crashing into Daylight

Xu Yinian was blindfolded, then shoved up the stairs to the second floor. Chen Ran was led backstage by Three Eyes. From the other end of the Shared Heart incantation came Chen Ran’s mocking laugh. [If even the demons are saying so, then the ancestor1 from this morning didn’t mistake you for a fox for no reason.]

 

[That’s because they’re blind and can’t even recognize their own daddy.] Xu Yinian silently ground his teeth.

 

To be treated as an esteemed guest in a hellhole like this, they were definitely no minor player. Chen Ran retracted the humor in his tone. [Keep in contact in case anything happens. If something goes wrong, staying alive is the priority.]

 

[I got it. You be careful too.] On this rare occasion, Xu Yinian didn’t get defensive and snap back at him. 　

 

The dark blindfold had taken away his eyesight entirely, so Xu Yinian could only approximate his way to the end of the curved hallway. As the door opened with a ‘clack’, the demon escorting him shoved him into the room, tying him tightly against the stone pillar that stood front and center in the middle of the room.  

The blindfold over his eyes was tugged off, and the sudden piercing light forced Xu Yinian to shut his eyes. When he finally opened them again, there were countless cameras pointing towards him from the ceiling, their flashing red lights akin to chilling tongues spat out by poisonous snakes as they eyed their bound prey. 

Behind those cameras, pairs upon pairs of greedy eyes were feasting upon a beautiful face. This small-scale blind auction was only offered to the VIPs in the boxes on the second floor. It ran concurrently to the auction on the first floor, with neither interrupting the other. There was only one chance to bid in this undisclosed auction and the highest bidder took all. The VIPS attached a price tag onto this gorgeous object, and multiple bids were keyed in one after the other, the figures leaving one tongue-tied.     

–

The room was cramped and without windows, and the stifling atmosphere within gradually drove Xu Yinian to irritation. He had no choice but to face the room full of cameras, and he didn’t dare make any sudden movements regardless of how unhappy about the situation he was. Finally bored out of his mind, Xu Yinian decided to annoy Chen Ran.  

[What’s happening on your side?] [I’m backstage. There are over ten golden cages here filled with demons that are being used as auction goods. There are Wind Stalwarts, Earth-eating Spirits, Heavenly Halberds2… they’re all demons that are pretty powerful.]

 

Before the Demon Realm auction became legitimate, it was common for demons caught by the organizer to be sold as auction items. The bone, blood, and flesh of demons could be turned into valuable materials; demons could even be used as live test subjects, so for demons to show up in this auction was not actually much of an elusive sight. 

Upon hearing Chen Ran announce the names of demons he had only ever read about in textbooks, Xu Yinian was astonished. [They even dare catch those? If this place gets raided, the organizers are definitely going to sit in prison for a long time.]

As he listened to Xu Yinian’s voice, Chen Ran scanned the vicinity without batting an eyelid. Three Eyes, who was escorting him, spoke up. “Ge, all of the goods backstage have to be locked in cages. Pick the cage that speaks to you and I’ll send you in.”

“Where’s the key?”

“The guard is holding onto the key. You’re so strong, you’ll be able to get out as long as you just wait for a chance to knock him out when he comes by your cage.”

A short distance away stood two guards, both of whom were large in physique and over two meters in height. One demon had a large axe slung over their back, and on the other, there was a scar that stretched across their entire face. 

As though deep in thought, Chen Ran stayed silent and did not continue this thread of conversation. His line of sight crossed that of the demons locked in the golden cage, and upon noticing his stare, a demon fiendishly snapped, “What’re you looking at?! I’ll rip your head off!” 

“Did another unlucky fool get caught?”

“It looks like a demon slayer. How useless, they managed to get caught by Three Eyes!”

Chen Ran ignored them, his gaze sweeping across the shimmering markings that flashed on the golden cage. He turned his head slightly to cast a glance at Three Eyes – the latter was currently chatting with the two guards. The guard with the scar on his face laughed, “You’re pretty awesome, you even managed to nab a demon slayer. Perfect timing. He can be used for the Wishgranter’s3 blood sacrifice.”

Scar Face stepped forward as he spoke, and Three Eyes pushed Chen Ran to follow closely behind. They finally stopped in front of a birdcage. In the crowd of rectangular-shaped cages that were holding the demons, this giant golden birdcage stood out and was particularly conspicuous. Perhaps because it had been in use for many years, the top of the cage contained a small number of dark red rust marks. This birdcage only held humans.   

After taking a closer look, although Chen Ran didn’t see any sign of the two missing team members, he did spot a slightly familiar face within the crowd. The girl’s face was pale, and she shuddered in fear on seeing the guards. Chen Ran watched her for a little while, then remembered where he’d seen her before.

At the main entrance during the morning, the little internet celebrity that had tagged along with that red-haired idiot. As things appeared, it seemed that the organizers of the underground auction had caught quite a number of people from the daytime auction.

Scar Face opened the birdcage, and the humans inside swiftly retreated the moment they saw the guard. Chen Ran stood unmoving by the side of the birdcage, prompting Three Eyes to urge him in a low voice. “Ge, go in.”

Chen Ran turned back to look at him, and that glance clued Three Eyes in on the possibility that things were about to go south. Seeing as Chen Ran was merely a step away from the cage, he decided that he might as well shove him inside. Scorching hot and raging flames enveloped Three Eyes in an instant, the intense heat burning him into coke before he even had a chance to scream in pain. Chen Ran tossed the handcuffs aside and sneered. “Such an obvious prohibition rune, do you think I’m blind?”

The top of the golden cage was covered in dark gold runes; no matter demon or demon slayer, anyone who entered the cage would no longer be able to use their powers. Sensing that the situation was about to get out of hand, the two guards decided to get rough with him. The sudden arrival of this spectacular show caused the demons in the other cages to tighten their grip on the cage bars in excitement. “Hey! Demon slayer! Get rid of them!”

…

Fighting seemed to have picked up on Chen Ran’s side, as the sounds coming from his end became messy and disordered. Afraid of interfering with Chen Ran’s fight, Xu Yinian tried his best to keep his thoughts from drifting indiscriminately. Just as he was about to lose his mind from holding himself back, the room door was abruptly opened from the outside. Two demons of storky build walked in, one after the other. 

The demon with a bullhead grinned, laughing meaningfully in his direction. “Congratulations, you’ve been sold for a sky-high price.” 

The other demon put the blindfold over Xu Yinian again. They quickly untied him, then roughly dragged him outside after chaining his arms and ankles.

Xu Yinian couldn’t help cursing inwardly while forcibly maintaining a neutral expression. The metals shackles on his ankles clinked and clanked as he was led to a certain box. The two demons sent him in, then closed the door respectfully and left.

The box was dense with the scent of aromatherapy, as if white flowers glistening with condensed morning dew had quietly bloomed. Their clean and sweet scent intermingled with hints of dull woody fragrance, causing one to fall under the illusion that they were standing in a field of flowers beneath an ancient tree. 

A low and pleasant voice spoke up, albeit it was one that where the owner’s frivolity could not be hidden. “The organizers weren’t too shabby this time. They even managed to snatch up such a rare commodity.”

Xu Yinian listened attentively and confirmed that the only other individual in this box was this person. Seeing that he remained motionless, the other party let out a laugh. “Still not gonna come over?”

Sure, Xu Yinian thought inwardly.

I’ll come over and hammer your head off. 

Stepping on the soft carpet, he took his own sweet time to shuffle forward. As the blindfold had not been removed, Xu Yinian’s movements were mildly sluggish; he could only use his breathing to roughly estimate his position. As if annoyed at his snailish pace of walking, the demon who was speaking paced over unhurriedly. He hooked a long finger along the back of Xu Yinian’s ear, this gesture of removing his blindfold as gentle as that of a lover. 

Xu Yinian was suddenly faced with a pair of forest green eyes that were filled with mirth. Noting his white canine teeth, Xu Yinian confirmed that this was a Wolf demon.  

“Such a pretty face. What a pity you’re mute.” The Wolf demon inched close as he spoke, as if meaning to grip his chin. Xu Yinian felt goosebumps rise all over his body. He held back his discomfort to figure out the other party’s strength. After he’d gotten a gauge of the Wolf demon’s power level, Xu Yinian averted his touch immediately, then uttered coldly. “Step the hell back if you don’t want to die.”   

The Wolf demon stood frozen for a moment, as though he’d been utterly shaken up. He stared at him unblinkingly. The emotion in his eyes abruptly shifted, and he finally responded in bewilderment. “Wait, you’re Xu Yinian?”

Xu Yinian thought he was being ridiculous – he was right about to ask who he was. The Wolf demon regained the spark in his eyes; he’d seemed to have acquired an unexpected surprise. “Tell me. If I hand you over to Yu Huai as a gift, how would he thank me?”

Xu Yinian’s expression went blank for a moment.

He’d appeared to have received some sort of shock, little sparks of electricity blooming from the tips of his fingers. The Wolf demon didn’t notice the change in his demeanor and was continuing to blabber. “If you fall into this hands, who knows how he’ll torture you. What a pity for a face like yours—”

A burst of electricity flashed in Xu Yinian’s palms. 

With a speed that far exceeded that of a human, the Wolf demon’s neck had been tightly strangled by the handcuffs. His face had turned red, all of his movement restricted. A bright and piercing violet electric current cruised along the chains and into the Wolf demon’s body; Xu Yinian gripped then twisted the chain. The Wolf demon who had been shocked numb by electricity sank to his knees, falling onto the ground with a heavy thud!      

Xu Yinian swung his hands, and the snapped chains noisily rolled onto the ground with his movements. He kicked apart the broken shackles on his ankles and was right about to teach the Wolf demon another lesson when he covered his neck protectively, waving his hands frantically amidst his desperate coughs. “Stop… stop! Anything can be discussed peacefully!” 

“I am discussing this peacefully.” Xu Yinian’s tone was malicious and foul as he unceremoniously sent a kick the Wolf demon’s way. 

The wolf demon trembled in pain. Afraid that he would attack again, he hurriedly begged for mercy. “I was wrong, I was wrong. How could Yu Huai deserve to be with you… cough cough!”

Xu Yinian had originally planned to hold back, but on hearing this, a jarring amount of electricity burst from his hand, slamming directly on the babbling wolf demon. “Did I say you could talk about him?

The Wolf demon’s entire body was twitching, his pained expression interlaced with a hint of perplexity. He couldn’t understand why he was getting beaten up again. 

He did say that Yu Huai was no good, right?

Why was this brat like a firecracker? Why was everything he said wrong??

Author’s notes:
Evil tyrant Xiao Nian

Chinese insults often invoke the ancestors.These are different demon races. I was aggressively liberal with my naming of these so… I’m hoping they don’t show up again lololol. In pinyin it’s 风魁 fengkui, 食地灵 shidiling, and 天戟 tianji respectively. Debating leaving them in pinyin but we’ll see.Another demon race. Remember this one!