Keep the Act Going

In the grand hall of the Demon City, Evil Wolf himself began his transformation.

Though he had cultivated for many years, the number of humans he had encountered could be counted on one hand. Relying on those fragmented memories, he morphed into the appearance of a middle-aged man.

Glancing at the others gathered in the hall, Evil Wolf felt a surge of irritation.

Damn it, why are so many of you clustered together?

Isn’t this just drawing attention?

"You, all of you, scatter immediately! Don’t stay bunched up here. Once you leave, transform into humans just like I did. Understood?" Evil Wolf commanded. "For those of you who’ve never seen a human before and don’t know what they look like, take a good look at me. Study my appearance carefully before you transform."

"Yes!"

All eyes focused on Evil Wolf, scrutinizing him for a long moment before the demons dispersed in streaks of black light.

Once outside the main hall, the demons gathered again and began their transformations.

Following Evil Wolf’s instructions, they all took on the form of middle-aged men.

In an instant,

over thirty identical men stood together.

"Quick, quick! Check each other carefully—make sure there are no mistakes!"

"That’s right, help each other out. If anyone slips up, Evil Wolf will never forgive them!"

They nervously discussed while inspecting one another.

"You’ve got an extra hand."

"Tuck your tail in, hurry!"

"Your hair—Evil Wolf’s hair isn’t that long."

After a thorough mutual examination, ensuring everyone matched perfectly, they finally relaxed.

"Alright, follow Evil Wolf’s orders and scatter now!"

The group nodded and swiftly dispersed in all directions.

Meanwhile, in the outer city…

Yi Feng walked bare-chested, clad only in his underwear, gripping his sword as he strolled.

He had never imagined this was a Demon City.

Upon entering, he had encountered countless demonic creatures.

Unlike Evil Wolf and his ilk, the demons here weren’t well-informed. The moment they caught the scent of a human, many lunged at him without hesitation.

This delighted Yi Feng.

A city this large—perhaps he’d finally meet a demon strong enough to kill him?

So, whenever he encountered a new type of demon, he let them attack him first.

To preserve his last set of clothes, Yi Feng had no choice but to strip down to his underwear.

Yet, after traveling this far, he hadn’t met a single formidable demon—only weaklings he could cut down with a single swing.

Having slaughtered countless demons, Yi Feng grew disheartened.

At this rate, he’d have preferred if this were a human city. At least then he could find a place to rest and a decent meal.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, Yi Feng suddenly noticed the demons were disappearing.

Ahead on the street, he spotted a human figure.

"Oh?"

"There are people in this city?"

Yi Feng hurried forward, catching up to the figure.

By now, the demons had all received Evil Wolf’s warning about the "great demon" in their midst. So when the transformed demon saw Yi Feng, its legs turned to jelly.

Trembling, it stared wide-eyed, unable to utter a single word.

"Ah, another poor soul."

Yi Feng sighed softly and, without another word, continued on his way.

Countless eyes watching this scene lit up.

That demon—no, that human—hadn’t killed again!

The news quickly reached the Demon City’s main hall.

"Excellent!"

Evil Wolf clapped Gou Da on the shoulder, beaming.

"Da, your brothers have done a great service in helping our Demon City survive this calamity," Evil Wolf praised.

"My lord, it was our duty," Gou Da and Gou Er replied, wiping sweat from their brows in relief. "Now that the human seems convinced, we must keep up the act."

"Well said. I’ll have them continue monitoring closely. For now, we wait here for further updates."

Evil Wolf finally allowed himself to relax.

As Yi Feng wandered the city, he noticed more and more humans appearing.

Meanwhile, demons became increasingly scarce.

"It seems this city hasn’t completely fallen—just a few demons infiltrated the outskirts," Yi Feng concluded.

Seeing how skittish these people were, they must have been terrified by the demons.

Poor souls, all of them.

That said, the people here were… odd.

Their walking gaits were awkward—some pigeon-toed, others bow-legged, each more peculiar than the last.

And their faces… well, let’s just say symmetry wasn’t their strong suit. They were downright hideous.

But Yi Feng didn’t dwell on it. Different lands bred different folk.

In his past life, there’d been all sorts—different skin tones, even tribes with more primitive features.

No one was inherently superior or inferior.

Though, if he had to pick, East Asians were probably the most handsome and beautiful?

Shaking off the thought, Yi Feng pressed on.

But after a while, he began muttering to himself.

"This damn city is so strange. Even with demons around, you’d think there’d be some shops or vendors. People need to live, after all!"

Yi Feng wasn’t wrong.

No matter how poor or chaotic a place was, where there were people, there was commerce.

However,

Yi Feng had no idea the unintended ripple his words would cause in the Demon City’s main hall.

Evil Wolf paced anxiously.

"Careless, so careless!"

"Think of something, quick! If we don’t, that demon—er, human—might catch on!"

Evil Wolf barked orders.

"Spread the command: no matter what, make this city look like a human one. Replicate everything—vendors, restaurants, market stalls. I don’t care how you do it, just don’t let him suspect a thing!"

"If anyone slips up, if any clan fails, I’ll wipe that clan from existence!"

"Even if it costs your lives, nothing can seem out of place!"

Evil Wolf’s decree echoed through the Demon City, and the demons scrambled into action.

Transformed into humans, they set up stalls and shops with painstaking precision. Clan leaders personally supervised, terrified of making even the slightest mistake under the threat of annihilation.

"Oh?"

"Finally, some signs of life!"

Yi Feng’s face brightened at the sight of the bustling street vendors.

His mouth practically watering, he hurried to the nearest stall.

Ancient Bear, one of the bear clan leaders, had taken charge himself, fearing his subordinates might blunder. He never expected to actually cross paths with the "demon."

Bracing himself, he maintained a stoic expression, forcing his inner panic down as Yi Feng approached.

"Your stall’s empty—what exactly are you selling?"

Yi Feng's face was full of anticipation as he looked at the stall, which had nothing but a chopping board and a knife—not even a single green onion. His expression immediately fell.

Ancient Bear broke into a cold sweat at the question.

"Y-yes, we have some," he stammered, forcing out the words with difficulty.

"Oh? Then what are you selling?" Yi Feng asked, puzzled.

Ancient Bear hesitated for a long time before finally squeezing out two words.

"B-bear... bear paws."

"Oh ho, you’ve got something this good?"

"Give me one—I’ll try it."

Yi Feng’s excitement returned instantly, and he declared boldly, "Get me a bear paw, and bring me a jug of wine too."

"Y-yes, right away..." Ancient Bear replied, trembling.

He stood there silently for a long moment, then remembered the absolute order Evil Wolf had given him. Gritting his teeth, he raised his hand and chopped off one of his own palms.

Hiding the severed hand in his sleeve, he began solemnly frying his own bear paw.