Chapter 20: Demons Will Always Be Demons, but Humans Are Sometimes Not Human

“Hey, I’m asking, where exactly are we going? We’re almost out of Dao City already.”

Watching Dao City steadily shrinking behind him, Yang Qingyuan glanced helplessly at Wang Quanzui, who was racing ahead on his flying sword.

“If you catch up, I’ll tell you!”

With that, Wang Quanzui intensified her magical energy, propelling herself forward like an arrow released from a bowstring.

Yang Qingyuan sighed but had no choice but to accelerate as well.

Though Wang Quanzui had mastered hypnosis by the age of three and learned object manipulation by six, she was still very young, with a pitifully small reserve of magical power.

After a short sprint on their flying swords, her speed began to falter as her energy waned.

By contrast, Yang Qingyuan followed steadily behind at a moderate pace, not even breaking a sweat despite the time elapsed.

“Damn it, I refuse to believe it! Hypnosis has no effect on you, but I can’t be worse than you at sword flight!”

Wang Quanzui gritted her teeth and pushed herself to accelerate again.

Yang Qingyuan shrugged and matched her pace.

They chased each other through the sky, two streaks of light weaving one after the other.

Eventually, Wang Quanzui was the first to give out, gently descending on her flying sword.

Before landing, she eagerly leapt off and collapsed onto the ground, drenched in fragrant sweat, gasping for breath.

“You okay?” Yang Qingyuan landed beside her, a bit speechless at the sight.

Had this little girl been competing with him? Yet her sword flight looked like it nearly cost her life...

“How come... you can keep flying so long without any trouble?”

Seeing Wang Quanzui so utterly exhausted, Yang Qingyuan couldn’t help but chuckle and waved his hand.

Normally, using object manipulation for sword flight—as Wang Quanzui did—greatly increases speed while consuming far less magical power than Yang Qingyuan’s direct flight.

At first, Wang Quanzui had planned to fly slowly ahead, wait until Yang Qingyuan was utterly drained, then turn back to mock him, avenging the failure of her hypnosis these past days.

But she never expected that Yang Qingyuan would remain unfazed while she herself ended up ready to collapse.

“Maybe... I’m just gifted?”

“Seriously twisted...” Wang Quanzui closed her eyes in resignation, giving up the struggle against Yang Qingyuan’s stamina.

No wonder he caused such a stir at the Blue Sky Conference. With a sigh, she thought, brother, you truly don’t deserve to lose...

“Alright, can you tell me now? Where exactly are you taking me?”

Lying on the ground, Wang Quanzui stretched out a hand, signaling for a moment’s rest before talking.

Yang Qingyuan sat down beside her, squinting to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

A gentle breeze stirred the endless grasslands, carrying a fresh scent of greenery.

Sunlight bathed the fields, merging golden rays with vibrant green hues in harmonious splendor.

In the distance, a small village lay quietly, smoke curling upwards from tiled rooftops.

From here, they could see villagers living leisurely—children chasing and playing in the fields, elders chatting under shady trees—a tranquil, peaceful picture.

Since arriving in this world, this was the first time Yang Qingyuan had ventured so far from Dao City.

“So the scenery outside Dao City is just as captivating…”

“You’ve never been out before?” Wang Quanzui glanced at him curiously.

“No. I’ve stayed with the Yang family since childhood. Usually, I only go to town for daily necessities. As for outside the city... I’m afraid to go out.”

Wang Quanzui couldn’t help but smile.

“That’s an exaggeration. This is Dao City, the most prosperous city of Yi Qi Dao Alliance. Monsters wouldn’t dare appear here.”

“No, sometimes what truly scares me isn’t monsters—it’s people.”

“Why?”

Yang Qingyuan shook his head.

“Monsters are always monsters, but people... sometimes aren’t really human.”

Wang Quanzui was speechless, unsure how to respond.

She felt as if Yang Qingyuan's distrust of humans far outweighed his fear of monsters.

They sat in an awkward silence for a while before Yang Qingyuan slowly stood.

“Alright, had your fun? If so, it’s time to head back.”

“Going back already? Don’t you want to know about your parents?”

“Of course, but only if you truly know.”

Catching Yang Qingyuan’s steady gaze, Wang Quanzui inexplicably felt guilty, like a child caught doing something wrong.

“How do you know I don’t actually know?”

“Because of my background. If it were so easy to find out, the Xiao family would have acted against me long ago,” Yang Qingyuan replied coolly.

“But if you knew I was lying, why did you come along just now?”

“Most kids lie to get attention from adults, not out of malice. I figured you were bored, so I took this chance to accompany you.”

He shrugged nonchalantly.

“You’re the real kid here…”

Wang Quanzui opened her mouth but hesitated, then lowered her head in shame.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have lied to you…”

“It’s alright. Thanks to you, I got to see such beautiful scenery.”

Yang Qingyuan reached out to ruffle her hair.

No matter what, Wang Quanzui was still a little girl under eight. To the mature Yang Qingyuan, being with her felt like having a little sister from a past life.

After all, which adult with nothing better to do would really get angry at such a delicate, doll-like child?

This trip was just a way to clear their minds—and to entertain the little one.

Wang Quanzui swatted away Yang Qingyuan’s hand from her head, her cheeks flushed as she muttered softly, “He’s only a few years older than me but still tries to act all grown up and take advantage…”

Yang Qingyuan merely smiled faintly, paying no mind.

Just as he prepared to lead Wang Quanzui back to Dao City, a faint scent of blood suddenly drifted to his nose.