On the day the new Demon Venerable ascended the throne, she pulled a mysterious two-horned Pixiu out of her bedchamber!
The Pixiu is a divine beast of the Celestial Realm, and its two horns ward off evil. Yet here it was, brazenly sneaking into the forbidden grounds of the Demon Realm!
The assembled demons were stunned. “Those old angels have no respect for us demons at all!”
“That's a provocation! It has to be!”
The demons grew eager for battle. “Your Eminence! Let us storm the Celestial Realm!”
The Demon Venerable nodded gravely, then cheerfully grabbed a shovel. “Wonderful! With a Pixiu here, I can finally open a restaurant and fulfill my dream!”
The demons: “...Huh?”
-
Ever since Xin Fuzhan could remember, she had had one dream: to open a restaurant! To make every delicacy in the world and let everyone taste her cooking!
Unfortunately, the Three Realms had been divided for ages, and the Demon Realm was thick with miasma, a place where not even grass could grow. Ingredients were more precious than immortal medicine.
Then she pulled out that little Pixiu and discovered that it really could drive away evil!
Green shoots sprang up again across the land for miles. Precious herbs on the mountain behind them came back to life, and even the miasma vanished without a trace!
And this Pixiu could also bring wealth and good fortune!
Xin Fuzhan's eyes lit up. She made her decision on the spot: she wouldn't send it back to the Celestial Court. It could stay by her side as her restaurant's mascot!
The little Pixiu, whom she cuddled curiously and poked and prodded, just blinked and gave her a sweet, obedient smile with its head tilted to one side.
She'd finally found her wife. She'd have to be crazy to go back.
-
Before long, the first restaurant in the history of the Demon Realm opened to great fanfare. They say that when the seal between the Three Realms weakened, it even opened a branch in the human world, where it became hugely popular!
When demons from far away heard about it, they firmly believed the Demon Venerable was setting an example for them, and that this was a signal that they were about to invade the human world! They rushed over from miles away just to answer her call.
But then the demons discovered that...
Bai Ze, who knew everything under the sun, was crouched behind the counter, shoveling down food and keeping the books, muttering about which herbs needed drying.
Zhu Que, one of the Four Spirits, sat firmly in the kitchen, her face smudged with soot as she used her inextinguishable flames to cook, grumbling that Taotie ate too much.
Feifei, who could dispel worry, smiled and held out a paw to every person who entered. Humans squealed with excitement, while she remained utterly unruffled...
There was also Luwu, a divine beast of Mount Kunlun, working part-time as a security guard; Bolao, one of the Dragon King's nine sons, calling out order numbers; and Fuxi, the eighth son, diligently keeping the restaurant's log...
And the cashier, who had seemed completely ordinary, immediately revealed her true form when the Demon Venerable came out, turning into an adorable, cuddly Pixiu who leaped into her arms and rubbed against her affectionately. Even stranger, none of the human diners noticed a thing!
After mulling it over, the country bumpkin demons suddenly understood:
Your Eminence's brilliant plan was to conquer the human world and the divine beasts without lifting a finger!
Your Eminence is wise!
Demon Venerable, devoted only to cooking, as the shou x Pixiu, devoted only to her wife, as the gong
Before you read:
1. A lighthearted restaurant management story. The divine beasts are all foodies, and only their beastly appearances are used.
2. Other than the gong, none of the divine beasts take human form. Those who stay to help are just small, fluffy avatars.
3. The seal between the Three Realms exists purely to serve the plot.
4. There are past-life plotlines.
5. To be continued.
Theme: Good food and love are the only things that must never be let down!
