The Demon's Bargain

Xiao Chen gave a cold snort. “That’s not a very funny joke.”

The demon sighed. “Through endless ages and countless transformations, all I have awaited is the chance to return to life. I am no longer a corpse. I have flesh and blood, a human body. I truly do not wish to kill anymore.”

“And the several people you tore apart at the village entrance—how do you explain that?”

“They attacked me first. The woman shrouded in colored mist can bear witness.” The demon sighed again.

Xiao Chen remained unmoved. “As if you were forced into it. You have killed so many people. How can a demon’s nature change so easily? And if you had truly restrained your ferocity, why would you have pressed me for the sapling?”

The ghostly mist around the demon thickened, and the chilling yin aura spread once more. He spoke in a low, melancholic tone. “Dragon Island suppresses my power, keeping me from breaking through my shackles. That is why I must absorb yang energy every few hundred years. Though I now have flesh and blood, I still lack some vitality. If I cannot obtain the nourishment of the Sacred Tree, I will have no choice but to absorb yang energy on a large scale again—but I truly wish to avoid more slaughter.”

“A pack of lies,” Xiao Chen said, unconvinced.

“Why would I need to deceive you?” The demon’s pale face emerged from the black mist, looking earnestly sincere. “Even if you have the Accompanying Dragon Kings protecting you—their blood can indeed restrain me—but can they truly keep you safe? You should understand that if I truly wished to kill, I would always find an opportunity. And what of the others on this island? Who can protect them? If I wanted to take lives, who could stop me?”

“Are you threatening us?”

“Think of it as you wish.” The demon sighed again, sending a chill down everyone’s spine. He was a true demon; none of his words were a joke. Taking lives was as ordinary to him as breathing.

“Someone is coming…” With those words, the demon vanished silently from the street ahead. A moment later, a scream rang out from the dense woods before the village. The old woman and the old man immediately changed color—clearly, that had been a villager.

“Stop, you fiend!” the chubby youth shouted, charging toward the village entrance with the Black Dragon King. Xiao Chen and the others followed close behind.

A gruesome black mist surged from the forest, and the demon reappeared a few dozen meters ahead of them. His pale face was calm, as if nothing at all had happened, which made a chill rise from the depths of their hearts.

“Give me the Sacred Tree. After I use it, I will return it to you. I swear that from then on I will never again kill the living—I will strive to be a good person.” His bloodless face showed a sincere expression, earnest and honest, without the slightest hint of pretense.

The old woman and the old man trembled with rage—clearly, the clansman who had screamed was already dead.

Xiao Chen, Dugu Jianmo, and the others found the situation extremely absurd. A demon who had once slaughtered countless people was now talking about reforming…

“What is the origin of this Sacred Tree you speak of? Do you truly need it so badly?” the chubby youth asked.

“Alas, it is the sacred tree of the dragon race. I am in dire need of it. On Dragon Island, it is the only thing that can make me fully human.” The demon always sighed when he spoke, looking melancholy, which gave a false impression—as if he were a lonely, desolate man, utterly unlike the merciless killer he was in action.

At the words “sacred tree of the dragon race,” waves of shock rippled through the hearts of those present. But the most agitated were the two young Accompanying Dragon Kings. Their eyes blazed with near-physical divine light as they slowly advanced toward Xiao Chen and Keke.

Keke huffed angrily, wriggled out of Xiao Chen’s arms, and jumped to the ground. With the Treasure Tree hat still on its head, it stared fearlessly at the two dragon kings. Though the little beast was usually lively and cute, it now radiated an intangible pressure. The little thing seemed ready to fight for its dignity—and wanted to take on both dragons at once.

Xiao Chen knew Keke had formidable defensive power; even he struggled to break free if Keke restrained him. But he had never seen Keke display offensive strength, and he did not want it to fight the two dragon kings—it was still far too young.

However, when Xiao Chen reached out to pull Keke back, a barrier of light stopped him. Keke’s pure white body shimmered with a multicolored radiance, as if seven-colored sacred flames danced around it. It blazed with a startling battle intent.

This was unprecedented. Keke had always been lively and mischievous, never aggressive. But now it seemed to have completely overturned its usual nature.

The Purple Dragon King gleamed with violet light, and the Black Dragon King glowed with dark radiance. They continued to advance.

The Sacred Tree of the dragon race was far too tempting. Everyone present found it hard to remain calm. Yet they knew they could not let the dragon kings fight amongst themselves. The woman in colored mist and the chubby youth kept trying to dissuade the two dragons.

But the two young dragon kings were unmoved. That was the Sacred Tree of the dragon race, now held by some unknown little beast. They felt it was an insult to their kind.

“Ya-ya…” At that moment, Keke let out a childish cry, pointed one tiny paw at the tree on its head, then pointed toward the mist-shrouded forest ahead, and dashed forward. The two dragon kings understood and, with roars, charged toward the demon.

Keke waved its little claws, sending out two arcs of seven-colored light that swept toward the demon in the ghostly mist. At the same time, the horns on the two young dragon kings blazed with piercing beams, shooting straight at the demon. They seemed to want to settle the contest this way—to see who the true king was.

The black mist roiled violently, and the demon vanished from his spot. But the three divine beasts seemed to lock onto his aura and plunged straight into the forest after him. Amid the dragon kings’ roars and the crashing of ancient trees, light blazed brilliantly, and leaves scattered wildly.

Suddenly, as if a wind had swept away the clouds, a patch of ghostly mist rushed over. The demon appeared silently beside Xiao Chen and the others, locking them in a chilling aura. They felt as if they had fallen into an ice cavern, a bone-deep cold seeping through them.

Keke turned into a flash of white light and landed on Xiao Chen’s shoulder. The two dragon kings also rushed back. The demon vanished without a sound—it all happened in an instant.

“You have seen it. Just now, I had several chances to kill you, but I did not strike.” The demon sighed from a distance. “The dragon kings are far too young. Their blood can indeed restrain me, but if I am on guard, they can do nothing to me. On the other hand, if I truly wanted to kill them, they would be in grave danger. But… I do not wish to offend the dragon race.”

This was true. The demon was unfathomable.

Now, everyone present hesitated. Finally, they all looked toward Xiao Chen and Keke. They were the key to the situation—everything depended on their decision.

Keke puffed angrily on Xiao Chen’s shoulder, its big eyes glaring wide at the demon in the mist. The little tree was the Sacred Tree that had grown alongside it, its very food. After being abandoned by its parents, only this tree had kept it company. Though it usually seemed not to care, now that someone was trying to take it, Keke would never agree.

“Little one, I am only borrowing it. I will certainly return it later, and I will repay you handsomely.” The demon’s expression turned gentle, and he smiled at Keke with his pale face. This surprised everyone present—the demon seemed to value Keke even more than the two dragon kings.

Xiao Chen glanced at the others. After a brief assessment, he understood their thoughts. Even Dugu Jianmo, who had the strongest fighting spirit, seemed inclined to compromise. The demon was truly unfathomable, impossible to oppose. Though no one knew if his words were true, it was at least a glimmer of hope.

Understanding their feelings, Xiao Chen fell silent for a moment, then tightly embraced the fuming Keke to keep it from charging off again. He said to the demon, “Since your target is the Sacred Tree, then face me alone. Leave the others out of this. Let us talk somewhere else. Whether you succeed or not, please do not harm anyone else—that is the baseline for showing your sincerity.”

A trace of color returned to the demon’s pale face, and he nodded lightly. “My goal is only the Sacred Tree. As long as no one obstructs or attacks me, I will not harm them.”

A storm that had seemed imminent was thus defused. Xiao Chen strode out of the village without looking back. The two dragon kings roared and chased after him, unwilling to let the Sacred Tree fall into another’s hands.

The chubby youth from the village hurried after them, calming the Black Dragon King. It took considerable effort to finally persuade it to retreat. In truth, though the dragon king was young, it was already intelligent. It knew its power was insufficient to reclaim the Sacred Tree.

“I hope you come through safely. I’d very much like to make a friend of you. My name is Niu Ren.” The simple, chubby youth whispered to Xiao Chen before withdrawing.

Niu Ren’s name was almost laughable, but Xiao Chen could not bring himself to smile. He nodded lightly. “Next time we meet, we will be friends. I am Xiao Chen.”

The woman shrouded in colored mist also approached, not to take back the Purple Dragon King, but to soothe it, hoping it would stay by Xiao Chen’s side to protect him.

“I appreciate the kindness, but it’s not necessary. Keke is no less than a dragon king. If Keke cannot restrain the demon, having another dragon king at my side would make no difference.” Xiao Chen felt that the mysterious woman was truly kind-hearted. In a voice almost inaudible, he told her about the other two dragon kings, then walked alone into the forest. The demon, rolling a cloud of yin energy, had already vanished ahead.

The snow-white little beast Keke, possessing great intelligence, understood exactly what was happening. Reluctantly, it took the Treasure Tree from its head, hugged it tightly for a long time, and then, with a look of pitiful reluctance and resentment, extended it toward Xiao Chen.

Xiao Chen smiled. “This is the Sacred Tree that has been with this little fierce beast since birth—how could I give it to others? Besides, that’s a demon. You cannot believe him or deal with him.”

Annoyed at being called a little fierce beast, Keke grabbed a lock of Xiao Chen’s hair and gave it a light tug, then still pushed the Treasure Tree toward him.

“Don’t worry. There’s no need for the little fierce beast to hand over the Sacred Tree. He must have his reservations—otherwise, why would a demon negotiate with us politely instead of simply taking it by force?”

“Ya-ya…” Keke’s big eyes brightened, and its long lashes fluttered. But then it drooped its head in dejection, comically gesturing at its own height and then at the demon’s, as if to say it was still too young and couldn’t beat the demon.

Xiao Chen was amused by its display. “You spend all day sleeping, while those dragon kings are out fighting every day, trying to improve their strength. You’re not inferior to them—you need to work hard. If you want to be able to stand against a demon, you can’t be so lazy from now on.”

The snow-white little beast tugged at Xiao Chen’s hair again in annoyance, then—unexpectedly—nodded solemnly. It placed the Treasure Tree hat back on its head, jumped from his arms to his shoulder, and seriously began to sit in meditation.

Yes, sitting in meditation!

Xiao Chen was so surprised his mouth fell open. Keke was sitting like a cultivator in meditation—legs crossed, big eyes closed, long lashes still. Its whole body radiated a faint, colorful glow, as if it had entered an ethereal state.

Words could not describe Xiao Chen’s feelings at that moment. Keke had surprised him so many times. How could a little beast behave like this?

But after walking a few li into the forest, Xiao Chen was completely speechless again. He heard faint snoring. The little creature was sitting cross-legged on his shoulder, fast asleep, gently snoring.

Speechless… utterly speechless.

Old habits were hard to break. This little creature really left Xiao Chen at a loss for words.