Inner Demons

The sun was still bright outside the rock crevice, but the temperature inside seemed to be dropping.

Li Yunxin watched silently as the old man roasted the piece of meat over the fire. The scene felt a little familiar.

But he was no longer the shivering, helpless teenager from that cold, rainy night. After a moment of silence, he looked up at the old man's white hair and wrinkled, bark-like face. "What do you call yourself, sir?"

The old man took a deep breath, savoring the scent of the roasting meat. Then he said slowly, "I've forgotten everything—my past and my name. Now, I am reborn. Since I met you in this lake, I'll call myself the Old Man of the Lake."

Li Yunxin thought for a moment, then said calmly, "The Old Man of the Lake is a name with great Intent Realm and style. But if I have to call you 'The Old Man of the Lake' every time I want to address you, it's a little cringey. What's your surname?"

The old man looked at him, blinked, and smiled inexplicably. "Oh. This old man's surname is Su."

"Then I'll call you Master Su." Li Yunxin glanced at the meat. "Master Su, do you know that I am a demon? This Dongting is now my dojo."

The old man stared at him for a long time, then opened his mouth. "Ah... I thought you were a demon, too. You came here alone on a day like this, with no sweat on your body and your clothes clean, not a speck of dust. And you have a face like a celestial being. You must not be human."

"But since you're a demon who rules Dongting, your magical power must be boundless. This old man has been trapped here for many days with nothing to cheer me up. Demon, could you get me a jar of fine wine to drink?"