Why is the Demon Venerable Like That? - Chapter 1

It was night, and Lu Yuan was running for his life.

This was because, half an hour ago, he had been bound to the wrong person by a “System.”

When he first landed, he found himself in the middle of a forest. A solitary branch had nearly scraped the bridge of his nose, and his robes were snagged and torn in several places. Not far away, the faint, chaotic sounds of a crowd reached his ears. Looking toward the source, he saw flickering torchlight dancing through the trees.

Before he could even process the situation, a voice informed him with heavy solemnity: [Hello. You are currently being hunted.]

Lu Yuan did not even have time to ask a single question before the voice turned frantic and urgent: [Run!]

The cultivation of this body was meager, barely at the Foundation Establishment stage. That he had managed to run this far was a miracle attributed to his ancestors’ favor, but he did not dare stop his pace.

It was exhausting. Lu Yuan pressed himself desperately against a moss-covered wall. In front of him was a cart full of farming tools, and further back were several piles of unbound straw. The gap between these two houses was far too narrow for a man of his broad shoulders and long legs.

In a nearby puddle, the reflections of a group of people hurried past. “That kid is fast!”

Lu Yuan shifted silently further into the shadows.

The System could not watch any longer: [There is no need. Your spiritual energy is currently near zero; they will not be able to detect your presence.]

Lu Yuan: “…”

Lu Yuan adjusted his stiff posture. Settling his mind, he attempted to communicate civilly with the kidnapper floating in front of him. “What exactly are you?”

The System cleared its throat seriously and began to speak eloquently: [I am a “Cool-Fic” System. My designation is unimportant.]

[You are Chen Shi, a native of XX District, XX City, XX Province, China, on Planet Earth. You died on Month X, Day X, 20XX AD. Your mission is to]

Lu Yuan could not help but interrupt. “I am a citizen of Nan Yin.”

The System insisted: [You are Chinese.]

Lu Yuan continued to deny it. “And my name is not Chen Shi.”

The System persisted: [Your name is Chen Shi.]

“My name is Lu Yuan.”

[Your name is Lu]

The System let out a strangled squawk, like a duck being plucked alive.

Lu Yuan: “…”

The System, which resembled a white, irregular sphere, began twisting itself into various shapes in the air, screaming: [You are Lu Lingyue?!]

It screamed for no other reason than the fact that this man was the “Son of the Plane,” a genius who had ascended to the Dao at a young age, presided over the Haotian Immortal Alliance, was revered by all as the Chief, and had died in his prime.

His name was Lu Yuan; his courtesy name was Lingyue.

The System flew up and down in disbelief as a string of data circled it. It muttered to itself, [Impossible. The spatial coordinates were correct. How could I have bound the wrong person?]

After a long silence, it turned into a dull white ball as if the power had been cut, sounding utterly despondent. [I actually forgot to input the temporal coordinates.]

I am a “Cool-Fic” System and I bound the actual protagonist of the story?!

Lu Yuan watched this self-directed tragedy for a moment before asking, “You say you are a “System.” What is a System?”

The System replied feebly: [A corporate slave who cannot finish its tasks.]

Lu Yuan did not understand the jargon. He silently examined his palm. The lines were clear, and the fingers were long and slender. Most importantly, they were warm and flushed with life. He said hesitantly, “I remember. I seem to have died.”

He felt as though he had died, or perhaps slept for a very long time. His memory felt fragmented. He was merely a wandering soul misplaced by the System, lucky enough to return to the mortal realm, but his missing memories haunted him.

“How did I die?”

The System was completely wilted. The man and the machine stared at each other in the gap between the houses for a long time. Once the noise outside faded, Lu Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, only for the sound of approaching footsteps to return. The group from earlier had doubled back with their torches.

The leaping flames in the darkness made Lu Yuan’s eyes sting, reflecting in his pitch-black pupils.

Had he been discovered?

Lu Yuan slowed his breathing. His mind remained clear in the dark. His slender fingers began forming a mudra beneath his long sleeves. A faint, almost imperceptible ripple of spiritual energy flowed through the air.

Ironically, his weak cultivation was what provided him a chance at survival now.

“Reporting to Elder Ye, this person is a disciple of the Fengchi Sect. He entered the Hundred-Territory Demon Realm solely to steal the “Yue Shui Yao.” Should we inform the Sovereign?” someone whispered.

Elder Ye’s voice sounded like wind leaking through a broken throat. “Do you know what the Sovereign hates most?”

The subordinates glanced at each other and remained silent.

Elder Ye raised a hand and abruptly yanked down his collar. Lu Yuan’s pupils contracted.

He saw a cluster of blue-black flames silently burning on the man’s neck. The skin on the man’s jaw was slowly healing under the influence of his own magic, only to be burned through again the next second by the inextinguishable fire, exposing the cartilage beneath the rotting flesh.

Elder Ye’s raspy voice sliced through the night like a bone-stripping knife. “Half a month ago, out of concern for the Sovereign’s health, I failed to report the disturbances in Jiucang City. The Sovereign judged me for withholding information.”

“He placed “Immortality” upon my throat. As long as the Sovereign does not stop it, I must endure the agony of burning and suffocation every single day.”

“So, do you wish to deceive the Sovereign? Fool! Although the “Yue Shui Yao” is merely a minor medicinal catalyst, stealing from our Hundred-Territory Demon Realm is a capital offense!”

The air grew heavy. In the silence, only the snapping of the torches in the wind could be heard.

Lu Yuan felt a drop of cold sweat slide down his temple, and then he locked eyes with a pair of sinister, brooding eyes.

Elder Ye slowly broke into an exaggerated grin, his voice rasping. “Look what I have found. A little rat eavesdropping in the gutter.”

Lu Yuan’s breath hitched. He instinctively gripped the cracks in the bricks behind him.

Elder Ye flashed in front of Lu Yuan, but the boy did not dodge. Sensing something was wrong, the Elder swung a palm strike, and “Lu Yuan” instantly dissolved into a flurry of flying straw.

Elder Ye caught a piece of straw and rubbed it between his fingers. “The lingering aura is so weak. Has he already fled far away?”

He glanced toward the straw pile deep in the crevice, his feet shifting as if to investigate.

Suddenly, a pitch-black token appeared abruptly before Elder Ye, blocking his path. The token suspended itself in the air, vibrating with a low hum.

Elder Ye reached out and caught the token. On the back were two gilded characters: Return Immediately!

He flipped the token twice, confirming it was the Sovereign’s Myriad Demon Command. Unless something major had occurred in the Demon Realm, this would never be used. Changing his mind, he delegated the capture to his subordinates.

Within seconds, he had vanished into the night, spanning hundreds of feet.

Lu Yuan waited until the chaotic footsteps disappeared. After counting to several hundred in his head, he cautiously crawled out from the straw pile. He looked a bit disheveled as he plucked bits of straw from his hair. His voice was slightly hoarse. “System, still there?”

“Where is this?”

[This place is called the Hundred-Territory Demon Realm.] The System cleared its throat defensivey. Since there was no other choice, it issued the mission with difficulty: [The current number one Demon Venerable in the world is the co-lord of the Hundred-Territory Demon Realm. He is a man of utter evil, his crimes are too numerous to record, and the Heavens will not tolerate him.]

Its tone became solemn: [Your mission is to eradicate the Demon Lord, acting on behalf of Divine Punishment to uphold the Heavenly Dao.]

Lu Yuan, currently only at the Foundation Establishment stage and covered in straw, pointed to himself expressionlessly.

Who would eradicate him?

Me?

Lin’an Town was a small settlement bordering the Demon Realm. It was now the hour of the Dog. The streets were empty save for a few houses with warm lights in their windows.

The lantern under the eaves of the town’s only inn swayed in the wind. The shopkeeper leaned against the counter, listlessly clicking his abacus. Noting the sudden change in weather where dark clouds obscured the moon accompanied by thunder, he shouted to the waiter, “Bring in the salted fish from the backyard! It looks like it is going to pour.”

The waiter called back an acknowledgment and ducked behind the curtain.

The shopkeeper rubbed his eyes, yawned, and tucked the ledger into a drawer. He was getting old and could not stay up like he used to.

With a tooth-aching creak, the front door opened. The shopkeeper thought to himself that the door could use some oil.

The person who entered looked a bit worse for wear and his clothes were torn, but his eyes were like dark ink, his nose was high, and his lips were thin. He stood as straight as a pine tree. With a faint, effortless smile, he looked as clear and elegant as moonlight resting on his brow. He was the very image of a righteous cultivator.

It was Lu Yuan, who had just finished a cross-country night run of several dozen kilometers.

“Senior Brother, where have you been!” At a table near the door, a young man of about twenty stood up anxiously, his round, cat-like eyes wide with concern.

The youth had a heart-shaped face and was half a head shorter than Lu Yuan, looking much younger than his actual age. Based on the information provided by the System, Lu Yuan quickly identified him. He was the personal disciple of the Fengchi Sect Leader and the future Grand National Master of Nan Yin, Shen Xun’an.

A person at a neighboring table saw Lu Yuan standing dazed and silent, and mocked, “He saw the Secret Realm was about to open and ran away because he was scared of dying.”

They were wearing the same white robes with gold-patterned collars, and the hilts of the swords at their waists were carved with phoenix feathers. They were all disciples of the Fengchi Sect.

Looking at Lu Yuan, their faces held varying degrees of contempt.

The original owner of this body had been a bottom-of-the-barrel outer disciple, weak in cultivation, dull-witted, and socially awkward. Anyone could get away with insulting him.

However, during a previous inter-sect competition and social gathering, he had met Xiao Jingchun, the young master of Baiyu City.

Xiao Jingchun was the grandson of the Baiyu City Sect Leader, naturally noble and elegant. Upon meeting him, the original owner had become like a man possessed, his already slow brain becoming entirely fixated on the other man.

Xiao Jingchun, of course, had no interest in someone with neither status nor strength. But the original owner was undeterred, seemingly incapable of understanding rejection.

Recently, he had heard Xiao Jingchun mention that he wanted a Yue Shui Yao plant to decorate his bedside pond. The plant was actually just a replaceable catalyst for Foundation Establishment Pills. It was not particularly precious, but it was exceptionally beautiful, looking like transparent silk swaying in the water.

Coincidentally, this plant only grew in the Hundred-Territory Demon Realm. Thus, the mediocre original owner had recklessly charged into the Demon Realm to steal one, which led to the pursuit.

On the way back, Lu Yuan had been half-amused and half-irritated by the man’s idiotic determination. Setting aside the suicidal nature of the mission, simply pouring one’s heart out for someone who did not like them back was the height of foolishness.

The System said coolly: [You do not understand. That is what we call a “Simp.”]

“Senior Brother Lu, what happened to you?” Shen Xun’an, seeing the scrapes on Lu Yuan, hurried over.

“Junior Brother, why are you bothering with him?” Someone nearby, peeling peanuts, spoke in a mocking tone as if pitying Shen Xun’an. “Lu Yuan is habitually ungrateful. Just ignore him.”

Shen Xun’an was the Sect Leader’s only personal disciple and held high status in the Fengchi Sect. Others naturally tried to curry favor with him.

Lu Yuan subtly avoided Shen Xun’an’s reaching hands and smiled. “I just encountered some evil spirits outside. It is nothing serious.”

“Wow, incredible! He encountered evil spirits and actually made it back alive.” The other Fengchi disciples laughed and jeered.

Shen Xun’an took a deep breath. He had always hated their snide remarks, but he was too polite to argue, so he simply pulled Lu Yuan upstairs to rest.

The stairs were old and smelled of damp wood. Every step Lu Yuan took creaked.

He pushed open the door to his guest room. A faint scent of wood lingered inside. Simple paintings of birds, flowers, and fish hung on the walls. In the center stood a lacquered wooden screen, in front of which was a marble table flanked by wooden chairs.

Beneath the window was a dressing table with a bronze mirror and an incense burner. The scent of wood emanated from there.

As Lu Yuan passed the bronze mirror, the smooth surface reflected his face. It bore some resemblance to his original self, but upon closer inspection, it was different. This body’s features were significantly softer than his own.

The System had sighed eighteen times on the way upstairs. It let out another long sigh. [Lu Yuan, Chief Lu, can you please just follow the mission objectives?]

Lu Yuan sat in a chair and picked up a cup of tea.

The System coaxed: [Complete the mission, and the rewards will be immense.]

Lu Yuan brushed aside the tea leaves. The tea was cold and the leaves were of poor quality, tasting extremely bitter. He swallowed it without a change in expression.

The System continued its temptation: [For example, becoming the strongest in the world and reaching the pinnacle of life.]

He set the teacup back on the table and said sincerely, “I was already that in my last life.”

Calculated wrong!

The System’s voice sounded like a vengeful ghost, eerie and low: [Lingchuan Du, the co-lord of the Hundred-Territory Demon Realm, massacres villages and commits countless atrocities. You were the leader of the righteous path when you were alive. Do you not want to eliminate such an evil-doer and bring peace to the world?]

Lu Yuan froze. He instinctively replied, “Impossible. Lingchuan Du is not that kind of person.”

His instinctive denial stemmed from the fact that the Lingchuan Du the System spoke of was someone he knew very well.

The man was his Junior Brother.

They had met in Jiucang City before they were even fourteen and spent a youth that could only be described as chaotic. Their relationship involved the fact that if Lingchuan Du went east, Lu Yuan had to go west. If Lu Yuan was injured during training, Lingchuan Du would definitely apply bandages with excessive, agonizing force while coldly mocking his carelessness. On Lu Yuan’s birthdays, he would forcibly wake the quiet, routine-loving Lingchuan Du in the middle of the night just to make him watch fireworks.

They had lived in mutual annoyance.

However, Lingchuan Du was not a bad person at heart. If someone called him evil, Lu Yuan simply would not believe it. Lu Yuan believed he was the person who understood Lingchuan Du best in the entire world.

Therefore, he remained indifferent to the System’s claims.

The System wanted to scream. Its professional mistake had already left it at a loss, and this new host was proving impossible to manipulate. It was a “Cool-Fic” System designed to let those who died prematurely experience a “comeback” story. Since such stories usually end with the protagonist becoming the strongest in the world, and the current strongest was the Demon Venerable Lingchuan Du, the System had set the final goal as killing the Demon Venerable.

The faster the goal was achieved, the sooner the System could finish its work.

But this host clearly had no interest in experiencing the thrill of being over-powered, building a harem, or slaying the villain to become the “Son of the Plane.”

Realizing its retirement was being delayed, the System said crossly: [Fine. You do not have to kill him. At most, the mission will just proceed slowly.]

[Lingchuan Du is going to die anyway. Because he is going to meet Xiao Jingchun, fall head-over-heels in love with him, and eventually die for him.]

From the moment Lu Yuan had been inexplicably tethered to this weakling’s body, he had remained calm and expressionless, as if he were still the Chief of the Haotian Immortal Alliance.

But now, a ripple appeared on his face, like a crack in a sheet of ice through which a cold chill silently seeped out.

Lu Yuan asked in a strange tone, “Who did you say he loves?”