He and It Chapter 103: Dark Sky Sanctuary (38)

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Chapter 103: Dark Sky Sanctuary (38)

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: GaeaTiamat

 

Yu Mengzhou explained to the two Demon Horses, “He’s kind of my teacher. He helped me a lot when I was starting out, and he saved me from making a lot of wrong turns…I’m very grateful to him.”

Falchion grabbed his hand and shook it lightly like a child pulling on a rope.

“So let’s go.”

“But I don’t know if he’ll be able to accept the bullshit reasons I’ve concocted. What kind of over-dramatic life do you lead to go into seclusion because you’re getting an inheritance from a rich distant relative? Especially since I don’t want to confuse his perceptions with magic,” Yu Mengzhou agonized. “Master Hu isn’t getting any younger, so if something happens…”

“Do you need any props to corroborate the lie?” Gao’er asked. “Sometimes all it takes is a piece of paper, and a lie can become a truth more rigid than law.”

“Ah, yes!” Yu Mengzhou wracked his brain. “I’ll need a forged inheritance letter. Preferably one that comes with a personal account that has a huge deposit, plus…Well, let’s see…”

“A fancy car, extravagant gowns, a couple of powerful and handsome footmen, plus a castle and a vast territory?” Gao’er teased with a smirk.

Yu Mengzhou, “…None of that, thank you. We rich people who have inherited a legacy from a rich distant relative keep a low profile.”

“How about an accompanying butler?” Falchion asked. “Young master?”

Yu Mengzhou froze for a second.

“Young master would be…Again. No need! It’s too classy a title for us small-towners to bear…” he stammered. “A butler isn’t really necessary, but a bodyguard is fine!”

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He couldn’t help but nod. “That’s right. An accompanying bodyguard would instantly set up the image of a deathly rich white boy ¹ who’s afraid of life.”

Falchion watched him plan all of this with such seriousness that a pang of amused fondness overcame him. His human had always been so adorable, but there were times when his adorableness would cross a whole new peak. A peak so high that it would make a demon lose its breath.

“Then I can be your bodyguard,” he cleared his throat and said.

Yu Mengzhou looked at him. “You? Are you going to use some kind of illusion, or…”

“I can change my physical form,” Falchion replied gently. “Just for you.”

A purely human form symbolized wonkiness and incompetence in Hell, as any soul capable of absorbing magic could produce sharper, more horrifying mutations in that hellish environment. Sharp claws that could tear through enemies, fangs that cascaded out, or eyes that were simply a mass of chaotic tentacles were all commonplace enhancements for demons.

The centaur form, on the other hand, was a unique look just for the powers that be in Hell, and since the Heart of the Demon Realm had chosen the Demon Horse as an incarnation, it was only natural that all hellish beings thereafter could no longer choose this supreme evolutionary direction.

The Emperor was going to turn into a human body for his mate? That was really big news.

Gao’er shrugged and made a badass remark, “We can change too. It’s not a big deal. It just depends on whether you can afford thirteen bodyguards.”

“Uh, it’s really not necessary!” Yu Mengzhou raised his hands. “One is enough. Thirteen bodyguards, it’s almost like being afraid of being beaten to death by a victim’s family on the street or by the paparazzi.”

Falchion glanced faintly at Gao’er.

The Lord of Shadows smiled as he flicked away the bamboo stick from the tanghulu. Black mist flowed out. The stick followed the wind, flew into the smoke that was dispersing in the air, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

They didn’t say anything. Only their eyes briefly collided for a moment.

In order to help prepare the papers and huge account for fooling people, Falchion snapped his fingers, and his Origin magic, black as the eternal night, swirled and reshaped the centaur’s body.

In the surging darkness, the Emperor of Hell stood barefoot. He had transformed into a completely human body and covered his horns. His handsome face still had a kind of magical charm, though the scarlet of his pupils transformed into an almost orange amber color, so much so that when he turned his gaze, it was simply soul-stealing. ²

Yu Mengzhou stared at him for a long time before he choked out, “You…Why are you so tall?”

It was true. Even after becoming a human, Falchion’s height and size hadn’t shrunk much. He was so incredibly tall that Yu Mengzhou, who was already considered to have a gracefully tall build, could only barely reach the demon’s chest so he came face to face with his magnificent pecs.

The youth barely managed to swallow, and found it incredibly difficult to breathe.

“You like this…How can you be a bodyguard like that? It draws too much attention…I mean, your size, your looks…You’ll be mobbed when you walk down the street!”

Yu Mengzhou’s face was slowly burning up while his mouth became parched. He tried to pretend not to care and fanned himself in an attempt to bring down the heat that was like a small fire frying his face.

“Then, I could use a little…like you said, an illusion?” Falchion cocked his head. “Would that work?”

Yu Mengzhou turned his gaze away with difficulty and nodded. “Yes.”

Falchion also changed into a human’s regular clothes. From the perspective of an ordinary person, although he was tall, he hadn’t exceeded a human’s common sense, only his face was really striking. 

As soon as he walked out of the magical barrier, with one glance, the many eyes on the street turned his direction in unison, like broken needles drawn by a magnet.

“Let’s walk faster.” Yu Mengzhou coughed and took his hand. “Master Hu’s house is in the neighborhood in front of us. You don’t have to say anything when we get there. The less you say, the more professional they’ll think you are.”

Falchion indulged him in whatever he wanted. “Okay. As you wish.”

Gao’er followed with interest. He felt entitled to a good show.

They walked briskly through the increasingly crowded streets. There were already a number of onlookers who had picked up their cell phones to take sneak pictures. Unfortunately, Yu Mengzhou was a spirit body and Falchion was a demon that naturally had a deflecting magnetic field, so no matter how much they filmed, the images on their electronic screens were blurry.

Throughout history, the pursuit of beauty was almost an instinct engraved in the DNA of the vast majority of human beings. The number of people surrounding and intercepting them increased, to the point it was about to cause a traffic jam. Fortunately, Falchion’s intimidating power allowed them to make their way into the neighborhood unimpeded.

“That was close!” The moment Yu Mengzhou had gotten his new cell phone, he had tried to take a few pictures of the centaurs in order to familiarize himself with its performance, so already he knew that they couldn’t be captured by cameras. “It’s just lucky that they can’t take any pictures of you with their cell phones.”

Falchion comforted him, “Even if I use a crystal, there’s no way to fix my face in it. Don’t worry.”

Following his memory, Yu Mengzhou went up to the floor and knocked on the door of Master Hu’s house. He hoped that the family hadn’t moved to live in another city… 

“Who is it?” The lock on the door rattled slightly. A young man opened the door a crack and eyed him warily.

“I’m looking for Master Hu.” Yu Mengzhou flashed a smile at him. “Is he home, please?”

Gao’er levitated behind him to peep inside and muttered in amazement, “What a pocket-sized room. Is it because humans as a race are so small that only such a small house will suffice?”

Yu Mengzhou couldn’t answer Gao’er’s question as the young man let out an “Oh” and turned his head to shout, “Dad! Someone is looking for you!”

Immediately, a strong voice rang out from the bedroom. “I know! You take care of the guest first!”

Yu Mengzhou understood. “You are Master Hu’s eldest son, right?”

“Yes.” The young man nodded his head and opened the door to the room. “You can come in first and sit down. The house is messy. My apologies…”

It was then that he saw the demon disguised as a human behind Yu Mengzhou. Dumbfounded, the word “about” was silently extinguished on the tip of his tongue.

“Dad, there’s a spirit,” he muttered. “Come out…”

Master Hu propped himself against the door, looked out, and instantly froze as well.

“Little Yu?!” He raised his voice, his face white as if he had seen a demon or a ghost. “You, you, you…Didn’t something happen to you?!”

He hadn’t not seen his senior for a few years and now he had a bit more gray hair and his accent wasn’t as thick as it used to be. Yu Mengzhou had always looked up to this senior who was also his teacher and father, and hurriedly ran over to shake his hand.

Falchion was right behind him, as he casually scanned the structure of the house.

“Do I even need to go in?” Gao’er bared his teeth. “I can see through their ceiling and tell you what the occupants of the upper floors are doing.”

“Go find the other brothers.” Falchion’s lips didn’t move. “Blasphe will probably need your help.”

“Stay here with the humans then.” Gao’er faded into a swirling vortex of black mist. “We’ll meet back at the King’s Tent when it’s done.”

“You don’t know…I even went to the police back then!” Master Hu shook his head in pain and tears. “Even the police couldn’t find anything. In the end, the matter was left unsettled. Where the hell have you been? You’ve been gone for years, and you haven’t sent us a word!”

The Demon Realm really wanted me to go to Hell to kill the Demon Prince alone, if the police really couldn’t discover anything…

Finally, Master Hu also spotted the man in black who was standing at the door. Even though he was already so excited that he almost bit his tongue, he was still surprised by the demon’s appearance.

“My god, this good young man, he’s really handsome, ah! Quickly come in and sit. Come in and sit!” Master Hu turned his head to Yu Mengzhou, “This is…?”

“My bodyguard,” Yu Mengzhou finally seized the opportunity and immediately introduced him calmly, “Bodyguard.”

Master Hu frowned. He felt that the matter must not be simple.

“Bodyguard?”

Yu Mengzhou sucked in his breath and prayed in his heart. He hoped that the demons he mixed with every day could grant him the ability to blindly bullshit without blinking.

“That’s right!” he said. “He’s my hired bodyguard. I disappeared for a few years because…”

Again he got Master Hu’s “My god, you’re not kidding” look. Yu Mengzhou firmed his resolve and continued his patter, “…a distant relative I’d never heard of died. The relationship was my aunt’s grandfather. He built a rich family business abroad, but there was no one to inherit it, so, uh, then his lawyer found me, hoping that I could…could fulfill the requirements of the will…”

His face was burning so badly that he just couldn’t pull it off anymore, so he hurriedly gestured for the forged will to speak for him. Falchion handed it just at the right moment for Yu Mengzhou to grab it in a hurry and show it to Master Hu.

“Here! This is that inheritance letter. I, uh…I’m quite rich now, Master Hu.”

“Heavenly masters, heavenly masters…” When he glanced at that serious-looking document, Master Hu only sighed. On impulse, he blurted out, “Little Yu, now you can build a real Disney castle!”

Yu Mengzhou, “?”

Master Hu knew he was out of line and coughed to cover it up. “Ah, no, let’s not talk about that nonsense. I’m happy to know that you’re fine, well and alive! Over the years, I’ve never seen a young man with more talent than you, and when I think of how you disappeared…I’m so sorry, I can’t even mention it…”

“Yes. I am also very grateful to you,” Yu Mengzhou said sincerely. “And, I came here today, because in addition to reporting that I am safe, I also want to inquire about one thing with you.”

“Speak, by all means.”

“Do you know where there are horse farms in a hurry to be sold? It’s best if it’s against a mountain, secluded, but still slightly near people.” Yu Mengzhou specified. “Of course, I’m not starting a business, I don’t have much ambition to make money, personally. It’s just that I think that I can start my retirement early, so…”

Master Hu drifted off into memory, “Raise a few ponies, a few calves, right? You said that. I remember, you told me about it.”

Falchion listened in silence.

“Money isn’t a problem, either,” Yu Mengzhou added. “I’ll take it if it’s in good condition and on the right lot.”

“Then you’ve come at a good time.” Master Hu thought briefly, got up, went into the other room, tore a page out of the phone book and handed it to him. “You go talk to this man. He’s in the next county. You know how the next county is next to the mountains, and the alfalfa grows well up there…”

“Ah, I know.” Yu Mengzhou was reminded of a distant memory. “Some years ago I heard that someone wanted to build a horse farm there. Is it done yet?”

Master Hu shook his head in amusement. “Yes, but unfortunately their luck wasn’t good. Just after it was built, something happened to the owner’s family. If you want to buy it, it will be fine!”

To Master Hu, Yu Mengzhou was just a good junior who had disappeared four years ago, but for Yu Mengzhou, he was indeed a deceased person who had been away for hundreds of years. He had returned to his hometown after a long time, and was able to talk and laugh with Master Hu face to face. It was just like eating a pill that could help you distinguish the real from the imaginary, and he finally had the feeling of being on the ground.

After they solved that big issue, Master Hu warmly invited them for dinner. Not long after, his wife brought their little daughter home from the amusement park, and she was also thrilled to see Yu Mengzhou.

The family had added a daughter in their old age, and the whole family spoiled the youngest girl very much. The little girl shyly hugged her mother’s arm, looked at Falchion blankly, and suddenly said, “Prince…”

Falchion inclined his head and looked at the human cub curiously.

“…Demon prince.” The little girl laughed at once. “Demon Prince!”

Yu Mengzhou was startled. It was said that children had spiritual eyes. This couldn’t be her seeing something, could it?

He hurriedly picked up the little girl and gently coaxed her, “Where is the Demon Prince? Are you looking at him wrong?”

The little girl then turned to Yu Mengzhou and smiled. “Princess.”

Yu Mengzhou was dumbfounded.

Falchion lowered his head and silently laughed so hard that his shoulders couldn’t stop shaking, but he didn’t dare to let Yu Mengzhou see.

Before they left, Falchion pulled out a small square box from his pocket and handed it to the mistress of the house.

“A small gift, no discussion,” he said. “As thanks for taking care of Mengzhou all those years. He’s a good person, and so are you.”

This tone wasn’t like a bodyguard’s, but rather like someone…

The family was very puzzled. However, due to Falchion’s aura, it was impossible for them to speak up and retort. The only thing they could do was to nod their heads and say thank you. They couldn’t push it back like they usually did with favors.

After they sent Yu Mengzhou off, the family opened the box and took a look. A ruby the size of a spring apricot and the color of a brooding heart brimming with red blood, burst with a beautiful crystal light that made their hearts palpitate.

“…Heavenly master,” Master Hu murmured.

As they walked under the streetlights, Yu Mengzhou asked, “What did you give them in the end?”

Falchion replied, “A pure substance that is not precious, not frivolous, and that humans can understand and exists in this world.”

Yu Mengzhou guessed, “A diamond?”

“I don’t know what a diamond is,” the Demon Realm’s Emperor played dumb. “The important thing is that they took care of you in your time of need, and that makes me feel good…It’s like, even if I wasn’t there for you, you still weren’t an isolated person.”

Yu Mengzhou stood still with his head under a streetlight.

“A kiss?” he asked, as he tilted his head in Falchion’s fashion.

The streetlight’s circle of illumination was hazy, with a kind of dimness that made people drunk, while the clear moonlight rippled slightly. Falchion hugged him and pressed his burning lips to his forehead. Then he slowly moved down, kiss after kiss, continuing from the center of his forehead, the corners of his eyes, his cheeks, the bridge of his nose…Until finally, he tenderly touched the youth’s lower lip and gently sucked on the tip of his tongue.

It was a lingering and silent kiss. They said nothing, but there were endless words that they then recounted in their mingled breaths.

.

Three weeks later.

“Hey, Ether! Move your blue as shit field!” Bloody Butcher growled grumpily. “Do I look like a toilet?!”

“Yup,” Ether said lazily.

“…I’ll kill you!”

“Gao’er, this side seems a little short…Oooooh, okay.”

“The library isn’t going to be set up here, is it?”

“Who cares if it isn’t? I’m going to put it here, and I’m happy.”

“Where’s the human’s room set up?”

“…Definitely one for each palace room. There’s no need to ask!”

The corners of Yu Mengzhou’s mouth twitched as he looked at the chaotic scene in front of him, absolutely speechless.

“You guys…are bringing over the royal palace?”

A week ago, Blasphe, as the representative in charge of their finances, exchanged a small portion of the gold and jewels they had brought for human currency. It was first used as funds for daily expenses, and then they went to talk to the original owner of the horse farm about the price of the transfer.

The actual negotiation time was a lot less than five minutes. If Yu Mengzhou hadn’t insisted on agreeing to the other party’s price, Blasphe would not only take it for nothing, but also let the opposite side give him a mountain as well.

Once they had taken the site for their home, it became Noel and Ether’s job.

Noel carved formation spells that covered the entire mountain range to obscure the demons’ movements, while Ether branched off energy from the earth’s veins to create an effective little loop that could solidly extend their space.

After doing that again, the centaurs began to put together the Demon Realm’s royal palace, piece by piece, like with Legos.

“Just a small palace,” Falchion said. “Just enough for us to live in.”

Yu Mengzhou felt powerless. When he looked at it that way, the expansive horse farm was just the tip of the iceberg. It assumed the role of the entrance to their real dwelling.

“In the afternoon, the ponies and calves I picked out will arrive,” he instructed them. “So don’t bully them.”

The bare-chested centaurs flinched, then replied in unison, “I know!”

The hell you know.

Yu Mengzhou wasn’t worried. He’d bought three ponies and three calves. He couldn’t take care of any more, when he also had to be on the lookout for his destructive magical stars bullying small animals that couldn’t speak.

After the transportation truck arrived, he coaxed the half-grown foals and calves off the truck in order, and, after he thanked the master driver, turned his head to see a bunch of demons, had surrounded the six shivering calves and ponies and were leering at them.

Yu Mengzhou, “…”

Striker snorted. “Che! Isn’t this just a horse without horns? A horse without horns doesn’t look like a horse…”

Crusade muttered, “At a glance, it’s just unloved…”

“Fat. Chubby.” Catastrophe poked a colt’s ass carefully with his knuckles. “Good keeper?”

Radiant Angel mused, “I guess it’s a good keeper, right? It’s a horse, at least.”

The colt sputtered in fear, while a calf regurgitated in panic, chewing and chomping in its mouth, as it looked around for rescue with watery eyes.

“No more huddling!” Yu Mengzhou shooed away those curious centaurs and cradled the fearful critters in his arms. “You’ll be their elders from now on as well, so take good care of them, okay?”

What a great threat!

When they saw Yu Mengzhou’s stance, and the way he lovingly embraced those young animals, the centaurs’ hearts all rang with alarm bells. They remembered how when he first came to the Demon Realm, he had compassionately stroked their fur and said to them, “I’m here. Don’t be afraid…”

Now, the person who spoke was still the same person, but they were not the ones being spoken to. Was this what was meant by the saying “things have changed”?

The centaurs were green with envy, especially when they saw a few foals shake their heads and rush to lick Yu Mengzhou’s cheeks. They knew, for the first time in their lives, what it meant to be unable to use one’s power.

After dinner, Falchion came to look for Yu Mengzhou.

Yu Mengzhou was in the stable, as he prepared to lay down a layer of hay for the foals. Falchion naturally took over the instrument in his hands and began to do it for him.

He had maintained his human form, since it was easier to walk on two legs than with a massive horse body.

“What’s wrong?” Yu Mengzhou asked with a smile. With his goal of retirement closer to achievement, he was in a good mood.

“Well, they’re not too happy.” Falchion moved nimbly to lay down the hay, while the foals timidly huddled in the corner, not daring to look at him. “You know, just…”

“Unhappy?” Yu Mengzhou was surprised. “Why? Is it because of these critters?”

After he patted the grass clippings from his hands, the Emperor of Hell gazed at him, and a smile flickered in his eyes.

“Yes,” Falchion said. “They’re worried about you. Afraid you’ll leave everyone out in the cold for these creatures.”

“I won’t,” Yu Mengzhou hastily assured him. “I really won’t. Family and pets are not the same thing. Although it is true that pets are another kind of family, but…”

He paused for a moment, then said in surprise, “Is it possible that I bought these little things in too much of a hurry, so they thought that I was tired of spending time with them?”

Falchion nodded, “Something like that.”

Yu Mengzhou was very chagrined. “Ugh, I sure didn’t mean it that way! I was thinking that if you guys weren’t good at integrating into the world or adapting to the environment here, then we could raise some small pets together. By working together to take care of them, it’ll be like having a tie to this land instead of being disconnected. The small animals won’t just be raised by me, but by all of us together. Even the money I use to buy them is not my money!”

“I know, I know.” Falchion rushed to hug him, and rubbed his shoulder comfortingly. “I understand where you’re coming from, it’s just that, as you well know, they’re a bit childish at heart. I’ll go talk with them, okay?”

Yu Mengzhou sulked and said, “No need. I’ll go and explain to everyone. We can’t have you in the middle as a messenger.”

Falchion asked, “Where are you going to sleep?”

“It’s their first day here,” Yu Mengzhou turned his head to look at the ponies. “I have to keep watch over them and see how their acclimatization is going.”

“I’ll keep watch with you then.” Falchion kissed him on the lips.

 

The aroma of hay floated in the air. As he looked into a gaze that only reflected him, Yu Mengzhou’s eyes shone brightly and he couldn’t help but smile.