Master, Your Salted Fish Has Arrived - Chapter 54

“Ah, I heard some news yesterday,” Red Spiral suddenly piped up, eyes gleaming. “The Demon Lord of Winter City is stirring trouble again. Word is, he’s preparing to expand his territory. Crane Immortal City might be within his sights.”

“Really?” Shi Yan clicked her tongue twice, unimpressed. That Demon King from Winter City—Sima Jiao—was infamous even among commoners. He already controlled nearly half the Demon Realm, and most believed he would unify it sooner or later.

But what did that have to do with her? In the Demon Realm, territory changed hands all the time. To her, talk of Sima Jiao was no different than her previous world’s chatter about presidential elections—interesting, perhaps, but far removed from her own life.

Red Spiral, however, was far more animated. “If they seize our city, that’d be great! Forget meeting the Demon Lord—even a few handsome Demon Generals would be enough! I’d throw myself at their feet and beg to sleep with them!”

Shi Yan rolled her eyes, finished her breakfast, and returned to Rouge Platform for another uneventful day. When night fell, she clocked out as usual. Passing a roadside duck shop, she was delighted to find they were selling marinated duck imported from the cultivation world. She bought a generous portion and carried it home happily.

But stepping into the courtyard, she froze. Her father, Shi Qianlü, sat in his wheelchair, staring bitterly at the sky as though nursing the weight of a thousand regrets.

The moment he saw her, his expression darkened, disappointment etched into his gaze. Shi Yan had grown used to this—many parents probably looked at their children that way. Unbothered, she tossed him a handful of roasted peanuts. “Want some?”

Shi Qianlü slapped the armrest of his chair, voice sharp. “How can I eat when the vengeance of our Shi family remains unfulfilled?”

Ah, here it comes again. Fine, don’t eat then. It wasn’t as if he’d starve. She calmly popped the peanuts into her own mouth, listening as he launched into his daily sermon.

Since she had awakened in this body, her father never tired of recounting their clan’s tragic fall—how the once-glorious Shi family of the Gengchen Immortal Mansion was annihilated by their enemy, Sima Jiao. Once, her father had been the master of the First Immortal Mansion; now he was a crippled fugitive, forced to hide in the shadows. Shi Yan herself had been left disfigured, her memories shattered.

When she first woke here, she only remembered collapsing from exhaustion at work in her previous life. Opening her eyes, she found herself face-to-face with this stern man calling himself her father. “Do you remember who you are?” he had asked.

She couldn’t exactly confess to transmigrating, so she played along, claiming memory loss. Whether her acting was convincing or not, the man immediately believed her. Perhaps that was proof enough that he truly was her father. He had given her a name, an identity, and a constant reminder: never forget the family’s hatred.

“In the future, if you see Sima Jiao, you must kill him!” he repeated now, rage crackling in his voice.

Shi Yan only nodded obediently, while secretly helping herself to the marinated duck. Inwardly, she sighed: if killing him were possible, would your clan have been destroyed in the first place?

The truth was, she had no interest in vengeance. She wasn’t the original Shi Yan, just an unlucky soul caught in another’s feud. Revenge against the great Demon King was impossible. All she wanted was to live quietly, care for her bitter father, and avoid trouble.

Just then, the door opened and her brother returned.

“Brother,” Shi Yan greeted cheerfully.

Unlike their father, Shi Zhenxu wasn’t cold toward her. He worked as a traveling cultivator, returning only once every couple of weeks.

“You’re back. I’ll get water ready for your bath,” Shi Yan said quickly, seizing the chance to escape her father’s endless tirade.

After she left, Shi Zhenxu bowed respectfully to Shi Qianlü. “Sect Master.”

Shi Qianlü’s face was grim. “Hmm. How are things outside?”

Shi Zhenxu replied, “Winter City’s Demon Lord is indeed preparing to expand. Crane Immortal City may not remain safe much longer. Should we move her away?”

Shi Qianlü slammed his hand against the armrest, anguish twisting his features. “That girl Liao Tingyan is worthless! After all these years of planting hatred in her, she still thinks only of food and leisure. We erased her memory to mold her into a weapon against Sima Jiao, but she’s become a dull blade. Completely useless!”

Shi Zhenxu glanced at the marinated duck on the table, his mouth twitching. Had he known, he wouldn’t have wasted a priceless life-saving artifact to rescue her.

If Shi Yan were present, she would have described their feelings perfectly: they had invested heavily in stock, expecting great returns. Yet the stock never moved, and they were too reluctant to sell.

Unaware of their schemes, Shi Yan called from outside the window, “Big brother, the water’s ready! Bring in the marinated duck while you’re at it!”

Shi Zhenxu pressed his throbbing forehead, then dutifully carried the food inside, putting on his good-brother mask.

Shi Yan beamed, even giving him a back rub. “Big brother… I’ve been spending too much lately, and wages are delayed. Could you… maybe lend me some demon stones?”

Shi Zhenxu sighed inwardly—I knew it—but handed her a pouch anyway.

Shi Yan’s heart melted once again. In her past life, she’d often complained that fate had denied her a brother. Now she finally knew what it felt like. This was a real brother—the kind who gave pocket money instead of taking it away!

Days passed peacefully until, one evening, Shi Yan returned home to find a middle-aged woman with a zither sitting with her father. The woman’s eyes burned with open hostility.

Shi Yan blinked. Was her grumpy father… finding love again?

But Shi Qianlü introduced her instead: “This is my sister, your aunt. You don’t remember her, do you? You two were very close.”

Shi Yan looked at the woman’s twisted expression. Close? More like sworn enemies. Still, she forced a smile and politely called, “Auntie.”

Later that night, restless, Shi Yan lay on the rooftop stargazing—until hushed voices drifted from the courtyard. Her father and aunt were speaking under a sound-blocking spell. Curiosity pricked at her. Remembering a trick Red Spiral had taught her, she carefully eavesdropped.

Shi Qiandu’s voice was icy: “Sima Jiao never believed the girl died. He’s searched ceaselessly, killing every Shi clan member he finds. We’re nearly wiped out. Do you intend to keep hiding her forever?”

Shi Yan’s heart skipped.

Her father answered, “It’s not yet time for her to act.”

Shi Qiandu sneered. “I can see through her. Even without memory, she clings to Sima Jiao. She’s useless. We should have let her die back then! If she had, perhaps Sima Jiao would’ve gone mad from losing his beloved!”

Shi Yan nearly fell off the roof.

Beloved?!

Romeo and Juliet flashed across her mind—star-crossed lovers torn apart by family feuds. So that explained everything: her father’s brainwashing, her aunt’s loathing, the heavy secrecy.

But what did that have to do with her, Zhou Yan? She was just an unlucky transmigrant, not the Shi Yan who had once loved that demon. And Sima Jiao? He wasn’t some tragic lover—he was a terrifying tyrant who could annihilate entire clans.

If he ever discovered she was inhabiting his former lover’s body… she shivered. That would be her end.

The next morning, she dragged herself to work, exhausted from a sleepless night. Even the sight of a fresh corpse dumped outside her door barely earned a glance.

Over breakfast, she tried to calm herself. It’s fine, she reasoned. Winter City was far away. The chances of meeting him were slim.

Then, a thunderous boom shook the distance.

Screams echoed through the streets: “Winter City’s forces have invaded Crane Immortal City!”

Shi Yan: “…Damn it. Why now?”