After another night, the day of Fu Jing’s freedom had finally arrived.

Fuelled by excitement, Fu Jing jumped out of bed earlier than usual. The stars were still visible in the sky, and even the demon was still in the room.

“You’re in high spirits today,” Xuan Qi remarked, his tone laced with amusement.

“Of course I am! I can finally leave this stuffy palace. Here, take a whiff! Do I smell like you now?”

Xuan Qi smiled. “Your human stench is definitely not as pungent anymore. Enjoy, and don’t forget the rules.”

The rules were simple: one, don’t cross into other territories, and two, come back at night. Easy enough.

“Yeah, yeah,” Fu Jing waved him off and wandered outside.

He first explored the courtyards of the palace before venturing any further. Of course he would’ve loved to escape right away, but he had to be patient. It was best for him to familiarise himself with his surroundings first before attempting to flee. Doing so blindly could end with him running into a dead end, or worse, his own death.

The sheer scale of the palace astounded him. It wasn’t just Xuan Qi’s residence; it was the capital itself—the largest settlement Fu Jing had encountered in the demon realm so far.

Everywhere else had been either villages or smaller towns, but nothing compared to the size of the palace’s courtyards. They were more expansive than he’d expected, with small shops scattered throughout. No wonder the main road was filled with people—it was a shopping street after all.

The shops offered a variety of things: animal hides, herbal medicines, demonic tools, food and liquor… basically everything one’s heart could wish for.

The crowded street reminded Fu Jing of a night market in his own hometown. As Fu Jing threaded through the throngs of people, he picked up snatches of conversations. Apparently, demons had the same mundane troubles as humans, such as stress at work, relationship problems, health concerns… even food dilemmas.

Fu Jing sauntered about in awe of his new-found insight, when he bumped into a child. The little one was crying, rubbing tears from his cheeks with small hands. Fu Jing’s heart softened, and he got down on one knee to meet the child at eye level.

The boy was no more than six or seven years old, his black hair pulled back into a neat bun and a single, small black horn protruding from the top of his head.

“Hey, are you lost?” Fu Jing asked.

Upon hearing the stranger’s voice, the child lowered his hands, revealing a single large eye in the centre of his face. He looked at Fu Jing with a pitiful gaze and nodded.

Fu Jing extended a hand, offering a warm, comforting smile. “Let’s go find your parents.”

The boy stared at him for a moment with his tear-filled eye, then nodded again and took Fu Jing’s hand. Unlike a human, the boy only had three fingers.

Apart from his looks, the boy wasn’t any different from a human child. Being separated from one’s family was always terrifying, no matter what you were.

Fu Jing led him around the courtyard and circled back to the main road. This was his best chance to find the boy’s family. And indeed, not long after they’d reached the road, a woman’s voice rang out, calling a name in distress.

The boy stopped in his tracks and turned toward the sound, his face lighting up as the woman’s cries came closer and closer. Her voice was filled with both panic and relief.

When Fu Jing turned to look, the woman was already on her knees and had pulled her little boy into a tight embrace, both of them sobbing uncontrollably.

Smiling softly, Fu Jing turned to leave when the woman called out to him.

“Wait!”

Fu Jing turned back, a little surprised. The woman was looking up at him, her child still tightly pressed against her chest. She had long black hair and two small horns on either side of her head.

“Thank you! Thank you! How can we repay your kindness?”

Fu Jing politely dismissed her. “No need. I’m happy to help.”

With that, he disappeared into the mass of the flowing crowd.