Chapter 43
As Shao Mian, annoyed at having his ear pulled, reached out to swat Lin Ran, Abyss, misunderstanding the situation, flew over and clung to the lion’s paw, thinking he was attacking A-Ran.
Shao Mian was speechless. Whose flame sprite was this? It was acting like Lin Ran had raised it.
Lin Ran, seeing this, released Yuanbao’s ear and gently coaxed Abyss onto his palm.
“A…!” Abyss settled down, lowering its temperature so as not to burn him. Lin Ran found it incredibly endearing, far cuter than the often-annoying Yuanbao.
“Yuanbao, why did you just abandon Little Flame after bringing him here? He almost got eaten!” Lin Ran scolded, explaining what had happened.
Shao Mian, initially defiant, flicked his tail, his gaze softening as he looked at Lin Ran. The human’s dark eyes, usually calm and deep like a still pond, now rippled with emotion. Even when angry, he wasn’t intimidating, just… cute. Did humans like this exist in the real world?
He towered over Lin Ran, silently observing him, making Lin Ran wonder if he was even listening.
“Yuanbao, are you even listening to me?” he asked, frowning.
Shao Mian, realizing he was genuinely upset, grumbled in response. He had simply forgotten about Abyss after bringing him here. But Abyss’s weakness and inability to survive on its own made him feel slightly guilty. Abyssal Flame Sprites were usually much stronger. This one was childish and gluttonous, obsessed with peaches during its time outside “Demon World.”
[It was an accident…] Abyss mumbled, shrinking slightly under Shao Mian’s gaze. It was still afraid of the powerful lion it secretly admired, dreaming of becoming as strong as him someday. But its first encounter with danger had revealed its own weakness, its sheltered life with Shao Mian having made it complacent.
Lin Ran, though Yuanbao hadn’t spoken, sensed his disapproval of Abyss’s weakness.
“Yuanbao, is that what you’re thinking? That it’s Little Flame’s fault for being weak?”
Shao Mian looked at him and nodded. Even if he hadn’t abandoned it, Abyss would have been targeted in the Abyssal Canyon without sufficient strength.
Lin Ran was speechless. Yuanbao’s “survival of the fittest” mentality, though valid, seemed harsh.
“But didn’t you also have a vulnerable cub stage, needing protection? It’s normal to be weak when you’re young,” he said, defending Abyss, trying to make Yuanbao see reason.
But Shao Mian just flicked his tail, a smug look on his face. No, I was always strong.
His arrogance made Lin Ran want to ruffle his mane. Yuanbao was being unusually difficult today.
“Well, I had a gift for you, but now I don’t think you want it,” he said, mimicking Yuanbao’s tone, about to put the gift away. He had been looking for Yuanbao for days.
Shao Mian: ? He had a gift? He couldn’t deny his interest.
He stood up, realizing Lin Ran was genuinely upset. Lin Ran, about to leave with Abyss, hadn’t even looked at him. Usually, his gaze was always drawn to the majestic lion. Being ignored stung.
“Roar…” He couldn’t let him leave.
“Yuanbao— You cheater!” Lin Ran exclaimed, as the lion nudged him back down with his paw, trying to retrieve the gift from his pocket with his nose. Lin Ran, tickled by the lion’s paw, was both amused and exasperated. Sootball and Snowball’s cuddles were one thing, but Yuanbao’s weight was like being crushed by a heavy blanket.
“Get off, Yuanbao! You’re too heavy!”
“Awoo…” Shao Mian, worried about crushing him, stood up, sniffing his pocket, then nuzzling against him, his tail swishing, waiting for the gift.
Lin Ran chuckled. “Fine, just don’t drop it in the grass. I’m not making another one,” he said, then, under Shao Mian’s intense gaze, opened his hand, revealing a perfect miniature replica of the lion, its expression captured perfectly.
Shao Mian stared at it, stunned. Not only had he made him a plushie, but it was also unique, unlike the others. He felt a surge of smug satisfaction. “Demon World” wasn’t so bad after all. He would double his employees’ bonuses!
“Finally satisfied?” Lin Ran asked, amused, grabbing Shao Mian’s head.
“Were you sulking because you didn’t get a gift?” he teased. Was Yuanbao that attached to these little rituals?
Shao Mian: …! He hadn’t been sulking! He jumped up, flustered, but Lin Ran held him back.
“Aren’t you going to look closely? Do you know why it looks so much like you?”
Shao Mian, playing along, looked at the plushie.
“It’s made from your fur, Yuanbao. You shed so much, I had enough for several attempts,” Lin Ran said, chuckling.
Shao Mian: …? He had been touched, then slightly offended. He didn’t need to add that last part! But he couldn’t stay mad, his gaze fixed on the plushie. He wanted to touch it but was afraid of damaging it with his paws. It was his first plushie.
“Can’t carry it? I thought of that,” Lin Ran said, and Sootball brought him a string, which he tied to the plushie, then hung it around Shao Mian’s neck. He admired the result; the large lion with a miniature version of itself looked adorable, softening his usual intimidating aura.
“It suits you, Yuanbao. Do you like it?” he asked, petting Shao Mian’s paw.
“…Roar.” Shao Mian, however, stepped back, feeling strangely vulnerable under the human’s gaze.
But as he tried to leave, Lin Ran hugged his head.
“Getting a gift and running away? I deserve some petting!” he said, burying his face in Shao Mian’s mane, taking advantage of his rare moment of vulnerability. And Shao Mian’s fur was surprisingly clean and soft, smelling of sunshine, unlike most beasts.
“You smell so good, Yuanbao! Like you just had a bath,” he said, looking up, his eyes shining.
Shao Mian: ?! He froze, his instincts telling him to push the human away, but his tail was wagging happily, brushing against Lin Ran’s waist.
“Your tail isn’t shedding as much,” Lin Ran said, gently grabbing the tail. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He had touched a lion’s tail!
And a simple plushie had made Yuanbao so docile. He was easy to please.
“Roar…!” But as Lin Ran started petting his tail, Shao Mian, snapping out of his daze, pulled it back, glaring at him, trying to intimidate him.
But Lin Ran just petted him again.
“Here’s your gift. But don’t abandon Little Flame again. Teach him gradually,” he said, standing up, admiring the plushie hanging from Yuanbao’s neck. Yuanbao, with his fluffy mane, was like a life-sized plushie. Fortunately, he had a lot of fur to spare.
“But your shedding… should I get you some anti-hair-loss shampoo?” he wondered. Could he bring real-world items into the game?
“…!?” Shao Mian was offended. Was his shedding that bad?
“Cheep cheep—!” Just then, Sootball flew over, urging them to come inside.
“What’s wrong, Sootball? Is Snowball okay?” Lin Ran asked, seeing a faint blue aura emanating from the house, clearly Snowball’s.
“Is it… evolving?!” He rushed inside, hearing the music box and seeing Snowball’s aura intensifying. Abyss quickly hid behind him, and Shao Mian also approached cautiously, ready to intervene if necessary. But it seemed like the cub’s magic was solidifying, a hint of Law within it.
[The second one,] Shao Mian thought, glancing at Abyss. Both cubs had awakened their Law, while Abyss remained weak.
[…Ooh,] Abyss whimpered, determined to become stronger.
“Mew—!” An Xun, feeling his magic converging on the necklace, watched as an icy blue Law Crystal formed, different from Sootball’s purple one, like swirling snowflakes, beautiful and magical.
“It’s attached to your necklace, Snowball,” Lin Ran said, noticing the crystal had frozen itself to the pendant, like a blue sapphire. It looked quite nice, like a snow mountain prince.
“Mew…” An Xun, wanting to give the crystal to A-Ran, hesitated, then broke it in half.
“Why did you do that?!” Lin Ran asked, startled.
“Mew~” An Xun offered him half of the necklace, wanting to share his most precious possession.
“Like sharing a popsicle? You want me to keep this for you?” Lin Ran asked, touched.
“But isn’t this your special necklace?” He knew Snowball never took it off.
“Mew!” An Xun nuzzled against him, chirping softly. A-Ran was also precious to him.
The necklace had been a gift from a fan who had seen his snow leopard ears during his early modeling days, before his first commercial made him famous. He had struggled to control his transformations back then, hiding whenever his ears, tail, or fur appeared, losing many job opportunities, his parents constantly apologizing for him. He had been terrified of being seen as a monster.
Then, he had met the kind fan, who, instead of screaming, had simply petted his ears, encouraged him, and given him the necklace. After that, his transformations had become less frequent and easier to control. He later learned she was a famous investor, known for her sharp eye for talent, but also for her reclusive nature. After his first movie became a hit, he tried to find her, only to be told she was “gone.”
“Is the person who gave you this necklace… gone?” Lin Ran guessed, interpreting Snowball’s gestures.
“Mew…” An Xun nodded, saddened. He now suspected she might have been a demon, powerful and long-lived, perhaps simply changing her identity and living elsewhere…
“You’ve been through a lot, Snowball. No wonder you’re so hardworking,” Lin Ran said, thinking he had been abandoned in the mountains after losing his family.
Shao Mian nodded in agreement. He had seen the cub secretly practicing its hunting skills while he was training Sootball, more diligent than the naturally talented bat cub. He had been intrigued by this cub of unknown lineage, who had now awakened its magic even before Abyss, defying the demon world’s emphasis on bloodline. It was a small miracle.
He looked at the cub, snuggling against Lin Ran, his gaze filled with approval.
“Abyss…” Abyss, seeing this, whimpered enviously. Shao Mian rarely showed such affection.
Lin Ran, however, gestured for Shao Mian to look at the table.
Shao Mian: ? He saw a crude map with a marked location: the River of Demon Energy.
“Yuanbao, remember this place? It’s near your territory,” Lin Ran said.
“Roar…?” Yes, so?
“Can you… take care of this area too? It’s important for the entire demon world. I’m planning to restore the river. What do you think?” he asked, looking at Yuanbao earnestly.
Shao Mian looked at the dried riverbed, then at Lin Ran. Was this an NPC quest? Would there be a reward? His own territory was already resource-rich. He wasn’t interested in this barren wasteland. His territory was already too large to manage.
But…
“Yuanbao, you’re the most handsome and powerful lion in Demon World. I’ll make you something nice if you agree,” Lin Ran said, hugging him persuasively.
“Cheep cheep?” Sootball also urged him to agree. A-Ran wants it!
Shao Mian, logging out, found himself sitting in his study, bewildered.
“Why did I agree to that?” he muttered, touching his ear, feeling like he had been drugged. And he had actually enjoyed being bossed around.
He took off the string and examined the needle-felted plushie. Items from “Demon World” could be brought to the real world with enough points. Though the price was exorbitant, he easily redeemed it. It looked even better up close, its expression capturing his own perfectly, making him smirk. So, that was how he looked in the game? Rather smug, indeed.
He placed it on his desk, its whimsical appearance clashing with the room’s formal decor. His tail, however, wagged happily.
Lin Ran. He liked the human’s name.
“Ah—! I’m back!” Abyss, also brought back by Shao Mian, tumbled onto the floor. Seeing Shao Mian staring at the plushie, it had an idea.
“Shao Mian… a deal?” it asked.
“A deal? What could you possibly offer me?” Shao Mian asked, picking up the plushie.
Abyss, offended, but also determined to become stronger, said, “I’ll tell you a secret if you teach me how to be powerful.”
“A secret about A-Ran!” it added, thinking Shao Mian would be interested.
It had seen a human identical to A-Ran in the real world!
