"The Demon Lord We Expected, So Why Is Everyone a Turncoat?" is a sprawling novel that blends subversive xianxia, workplace comedy, and a powerful partnership.
The peerless Demon Venerable Li Qianshuo once struck fear into the Three Realms. After failing his tribulation, he is reborn, only to discover that he has become an "old relic" left behind by the times. The ruins of his Demon Palace have become a cultural heritage site, and his once-notorious subordinates have long since turned over a new leaf, finding their own careers in the new era. The Left Guardian is now a tea master and marketing genius at a chain of spirit-tea shops; the Right Guardian founded "Cultivation World's SF Express," crushing the competition; even the guileless, brawny general has become an anonymous bestselling romance tragedy author, going bald over his mortgage and royalties.
Determined to revive the demonic path and return to a life of tyranny, Li Qianshuo sees his worldview collapse when his subordinates ask him soul-searching questions like, "Do you offer benefits and a housing fund?" and "Do we get weekends off?" Just as he sinks into unprecedented confusion, an even greater "crisis" arrives. His old nemesis, Yun Qingxuan, the newly ascended leader of the immortal path, comes to him of his own accord. Ignoring the nervous former demons, he murmurs, "Is your company still looking for a cultivation partner? I come with resources."
And so the "Qianshuo Group," a joint venture between immortals and demons, is established against their will. The Demon Venerable has immense power but must cram for KPIs and business models, while the seemingly aloof and haughty Immortal Venerable brings the resources of his immortal manor and contributes technology. From the "humiliating" job of organizing a celebration for his sworn enemy, to joining forces against crises from within and without, and finally realizing that "evil" in the new era means monopolies and setting the rules, Li Qianshuo, with Yun Qingxuan's "support" (and interactions that periodically send his heart racing out of control)
