Girl, There's Something Wrong With You - Chapter 36

“Jinyang,” Xie Guyan said lightly, “Ever since I regained some of my past life memories, I’ve wanted to come see you.”

“Is it because of the emotions my past life’s mother left behind?” Cheng Jinyang asked tentatively.

“Of course not,” Xie Guyan replied. “Memories are memories; emotions are emotions. When I recall her memories, it’s like watching a movie with someone else as the main character, and demons almost entirely lack empathy.”

“The reason I wanted to see you was to confirm whether you have become a ‘half-demon’.”

“Half-demon?” Cheng Jinyang asked in a low voice.

“Yes, a half-demon,” Xie Guyan nodded. “Demons do not have the ability to reproduce, as you should know.”

“However, demons themselves have a strong reproductive instinct, manifested in infection, devouring, and assimilating humans. This brings about a problem.”

“Humans cannot be exterminated because if humans go extinct, the creation of new demons will also cease, leading the entire species to a complete halt and death.”

“So some demons proposed the concept of ‘captive breeding,’ allowing humans to maintain their communities, reproduce freely, and then be harvested periodically. Most human settlements in the northern lands are preserved this way now.”

“However, the efficiency of captive breeding is still very low, with the main loss occurring in the ‘infection’ stage. First, infected human males inevitably die; second, most infected human females turn into mindless puppets. These mindless beings are not considered demons.”

“Puppets need to devour more people to have a chance of transforming into anomalies or ghosts. This process is highly inefficient, often requiring the sacrifice of hundreds or thousands of humans for a single low-level demon to be born.”

“In her previous life, Xie Guyan was the Southern Dipper Star Lord under the Great Emperor Ziwei and had a special interest and affection for humans.”

“She was always researching the emotions between human couples and thus came up with a new idea: since there are no males among demons, why not try to reproduce using the same method with human males?”

“This method wouldn’t cause population loss and would be easier for humans to accept compared to captive breeding. If the plan could be widely implemented, demons might even merge with humans into a single race again, which Xie Guyan called ‘new humans’ or ‘half-demons.'”

“As you should know, Xie Guyan later successfully conceived the first half-demon using her modified body as the mother.”

Cheng Jinyang: ……

Xie Guyan’s explanation was similar to what the princess sister had mentioned, but the details were completely different.

Sister Xinnan said his mother was ‘yearning to become human,’ while according to this Xie Guyan, his mother seemed more like she transformed herself to ‘create a new half-demon race.’

However, regardless of the true situation, it didn’t change one thing: The child of destiny is me.

“So, half-demon…” he murmured.

“According to her research data, half-demons possess some abilities of demons while retaining human emotions and thought patterns. This means they combine the strengths of both races.”

“More importantly, half-demons can reproduce with both humans and demons. All offspring strictly follow the principle of a drop of blood: as long as either parent is a half-demon, the child will definitely be a half-demon.”

“In this way, through several generations of intermarriage, a completely new race would gradually emerge from humans and demons. Well, it’s not entirely accurate to call it a new race because a race is defined by reproductive isolation, and since there is no reproductive isolation between humans and half-demons, they should be considered the same race, don’t you think?”

“I don’t know,” Cheng Jinyang replied with a bitter smile, “but I doubt it will be as smooth as you say.”

“Perhaps,” Xie Guyan said. “No race rises entirely peacefully. However, as the first half-demon in the world, your historical mission in this life is to sow as many seeds and reproduce as much as possible. Before humans realize it, spread the bloodline of half-demons quickly.”

“The faster the number of half-demons increases, the lower the probability of humans facing ‘captive breeding’ or ‘extinction,’ and the higher the chance of ‘living with dignity.’ Of course, there will be some obstacles along the way…”

“Wait,” Cheng Jinyang suddenly noticed a flaw in her words. “You said, ‘before humans realize it,’ but what about the demons? Do the demons know about the existence of half-demons?”

“Xie Guyan was the Southern Dipper Star Lord back then. Do you think the Great Emperor Ziwei wouldn’t know?” Xie Guyan shook her head. “This is the obstacle I mentioned: some powerful demons believe that the emergence of half-demons is a desecration of demon bloodlines.”

“So once they find out about you, with your current strength, there’s no chance you’ll survive.”

Cheng Jinyang was silent for a moment.

“I understand, Mom. So the reason you came here is because…”

“It’s certainly not to save you,” Xie Guyan said coldly. “I told you, I just came to see you in passing.”

“Understood, Mom,” Cheng Jinyang replied, having grasped her mindset and attitude. “Then you must have other important matters here. Is there any way I can help?”

“I am not your mother, and you want to help me?” Xie Guyan asked, surprised.

“For humans, the word ‘Mom’ naturally has a special meaning,” Cheng Jinyang replied, with a hint of meaning.

“Is that so?” Xie Guyan murmured, seemingly touched.

Cheng Jinyang watched her quietly, evaluating the extent of the past Xie Guyan’s influence on her.

However, Xie Guyan’s slightly confused eyes soon became clear again.

After a brief thought, she spoke lightly, “Over twenty years ago, Xie Guyan, the Southern Dipper Star Lord, defected and fled to the Great Jin Empire with her research results, cutting off contact with the Great Emperor Ziwei.”

“The Great Emperor Ziwei was furious, but due to the pressure from a newly ascended emperor, she didn’t have time to deal with her defection.”

“To this day, that emperor has become the new Great Emperor Ziwei. The political ascension among demons is ruthless and urgent. Naturally, the position of the Southern Dipper Star Lord hasn’t been left vacant for all these years.”

“I understand,” Cheng Jinyang said cautiously. “You want to kill the current Southern Dipper Star Lord and take her place.”

“Under the Ziwei constellation, the Northern Dipper is in the open, the Southern Dipper is in the shadows,” Xie Guyan neither confirmed nor denied, continuing, “The role of the Southern Dipper Star Lord is to assist the Great Emperor Ziwei in managing the southern Great Jin Empire.”

“There are a certain number of high-level demons in the armies of Su Zigao and Zu Shishao. She should have infiltrated among them. I can confirm this, but I can’t pinpoint her exact location.”

“I had Zu Shishao secretly investigate the army, but found nothing, so I need a bait to lure her out. Just as you’ve recently been demonstrating your half-demon abilities to the human authorities.”

“So she already knows about this,” Cheng Jinyang said gravely. “She will be interested in me.”

“I can use you to find her,” Xie Guyan was pleased with his understanding and ‘filial piety.’ “Of course, this also conveniently solves your own crisis. We each get what we need.”

“Also,” she added seriously, “our battle cannot take place here; it’s too close to Jiankang City.”

“How about moving it to the north of Jingkou?” Cheng Jinyang immediately suggested. “Jingkou is my territory, and further north is the frontier area beyond the Empire’s control. There, battles between refugees, armies, and demons frequently occur, which won’t attract too much attention.”

“Hmm, you first find a way to get out of this war yourself,” Xie Guyan nodded. “Let your subordinates continue the mission here, while you return to Jingkou.”

“I need a plausible reason to leave,” Cheng Jinyang said quickly. “What if there are signs of demon activity north of Jingkou, posing a threat to the Northern Army?”

He was probing whether Xie Guyan had placed agents within the demon world.

She either didn’t notice or didn’t care, and said lightly, “That works. Do it that way. But from now on, you must act quickly, not giving her a chance to intercept you here.”