Chapter 119
The scene was nothing like the chaotic mess the Daoist priests had imagined.
The crew members, upon seeing the spirits flying around in the sky, were more willing to believe that the Daoists could run along rooftops and walls than to doubt that those spirits weren’t human.
Even when they saw the huge toad demon, they only hesitated for a moment: “Was there such an ugly thing in the script?”
As soon as the words fell, the toad that was fiercely battling other spirits in the inn’s courtyard suddenly raised its head and stared straight in their direction.
Its mouth opened wide, and it actually spoke human language: “You’re the ugly one! I am the most handsome and dashing prince in the kingdom!”
As it spoke with its mouth agape, a stench wafted over from a distance. Everyone could clearly see the strange bumps inside its mouth and a long, curled-up tongue.
Everyone: “……”
The crew members on the second floor went silent for a moment, as if shocked by what they saw.
The Daoist priests upstairs were panicking, unsure how to explain any of this to ordinary people—when suddenly, the crowd below started stirring again.
The crew let out a scoff: “Dude, no need to be so petty, right? We were talking about your costume, not your real face underneath. Why are you so eager to take it personally?”
“You weren’t talking about me?” The green toad looked doubtful.
But then, seeing the other demons from the Xiaoyao Sect in human form around him, he suddenly felt confident again.
Right, these other spirits were way uglier than him—the snake demon didn’t even have hands or feet, just a single tail that could barely be called decent-looking, and it was covered in useless scales.
The three dog demons were even worse. Who in the world thought long-haired beasts looked good?
Looking at it this way, he really was the best-looking one among them—no way they were talking about him.
The green toad lifted his head with confidence—only to hear the second-floor crew continue:
“Toads are just ugly, period. Ugly, gross, and poisonous. But we’re talking about toads—what does that have to do with you?”
“What the hell, is this one of Director Yan’s guest actors? He’s totally unprofessional! Breaking character just like that. No way Director Yan’s picking him.”
Green Toad: “……”
Daoist Priests: “……”
Xiaoyao Sect spirits: “?!!”
They were stunned—this ugly thing was also here for a job?
To be honest, they had assumed it was hanging outside the window to attack people inside and impress the director. Now that they realized it was here to compete for a role, they were even more pissed off.This was the hard-earned job opportunity they had been waiting for!
Having just become spirits and already facing a survival crisis, these demons who had escaped from the clutches of the demonic path had quickly learned the survival rules of human society. They understood even more clearly the importance of work for a "person."
Without a job, there would be no food!
The strong sense of crisis tightened their hearts, and their attacks suddenly became faster and fiercer. The way they stared at the green toad was like they were looking at a sworn enemy.
In that moment, the force of conviction that erupted from them was unbelievably strong—even Yan Xingwei, who had already guessed everything, couldn't help but be impressed.
The crew members on the second floor were stunned and unknowingly went quiet.
Sensing the crowd's attention, the Xiaoyao Sect demons fought even harder. Techniques they had barely used since becoming spirits appeared one by one. Their demonic instincts allowed them to quickly master their innate powers, and their moves became more and more fluid.
Unlike the Xiaoyao Sect demons who were like fish in water, the green toad, for some reason, couldn't use any real skills. He clumsily bounced off the walls with his thick skin and brute strength, bluffing loudly: “How dare you! Rude! How could you treat me like this? Do you know who I am? When I return to my kingdom, you better—ow!”
One of the three dogs slashed his back with a claw, leaving a deep wound on the green toad's skin.
Poison from the pus-filled lumps on his back sprayed out, splashing onto the dog's arm. The dog instantly jerked back as if scalded. For a moment, everyone saw the red skin on his arm.
The crew members upstairs gasped: “Damn! This prop costume is so realistic, they even made poison sacs?”
“…That can’t be actual poison, right?”
“He’s such a handsome guy—don’t mess up his face!”
Green Toad: “…”
He’s the one who got hurt! It was him!!
That brat just didn’t have good transformation skills. His human form wasn't perfected yet, which is why he got scared back into his original shape by the poison! Shouldn’t a low-level mutt demon like that be mocked no matter where you go?
What’s wrong with these people?!
The green toad got angry, and the pus lumps on his back started swelling. One by one, they bulged from his green skin, growing to their limit, and then—pop pop pop—poison sprayed in all directions, briefly forcing back the surrounding demons.
Second-floor crew members: “Whoa, don’t get that stuff on the inn walls! Our production budget isn’t that big, and in the end, aren’t we the ones who’ll have to clean it?”
“Let me be clear—I’m not taking the blame for someone else’s mess. Whoever made the mess can clean it.”
“Me neither!”
“…” The green toad was so furious he snapped his head up and glared at the ones speaking.
The people upstairs paused, reflexively wondering if maybe they’d said something too harsh. Then a voice came from above: “What, you’re ugly and flashy and still don’t want anyone to say anything about it?”
They looked up—it was indeed that sharp-tongued Daoist Zhu from the Xiaoyao Sect.
Some crew members had previously found him annoying, but now that he was defending them, they felt a little embarrassed and their feelings became complicated.
The green toad had likely never been insulted so bluntly before. No one was taking his side. Shocked and angry, he turned and started climbing up to the second floor.
The crew didn’t show a hint of fear. Just a guy in a special effects costume—there were so many of them here, why would they be afraid of him?
Still… when exactly did Yan Xingwei get this suit made? It’s ridiculously high quality.They even replicated the disgusting slime and bumpy skin on Toadwart’s body, and his limbs could actually cling to the walls.
Everyone stared for a moment, then suddenly all took a synchronized step back from the window.
The green toad was stunned for a moment, feeling proud—They’re scared, huh? As expected, his appearance was still majestic and imposing!
Then they heard a chorus of retching sounds from above.
“Dear god, that’s really ugly.”
“I almost puked up my breakfast. Did this character really need to be made this gross?”
Green Toad: “…………”
AAAAHHHH!!
How dare they… how dare they insult him like this!!
Furious, the green toad lunged forward, ready to bite these foolish humans who dared to mock his looks. But just as he moved, a burst of golden Daoist light suddenly poured down from above.
A calm and clear voice followed: “Born of Taiyin, essence of water. Aligned with Xu and Wei, the form of turtle and serpent. Roaming the six directions, commanding all spirits.”
A demon-subduing spell!
The green toad instinctively sensed danger, but before he could react, he was enveloped by a golden net formed from the light.
An intense binding force immediately followed, sapping all his strength. His entire toad body slammed hard into the courtyard ground of the inn.
The people on the second floor heard a loud splut, like something wet and sticky hitting the floor. Someone tried to lean out for a look, but Zhu Daozhang immediately stopped them: “Don’t! Don’t look—ugh… seriously, don’t! It’s all smashed… urghhh!”
Everyone: “……”
The crew members exchanged glances, and the same image appeared in everyone’s mind—a squashed Toadwart, paired with that earlier hyper-realistic special effects costume...
“Ughhh!”
Green Toad: “…………”
To treat a handsome prince like this!
It’s too much!!
--
While the crew was still unaware of what was really going on, the Daoists rushed downstairs and subdued the green toad trapped in the Daoist golden light, bringing him up to the third floor.
After being captured, the green toad did not revert to human form, only shrinking a bit under the pressure of the Daoist light.
But his body was still large, roughly the length of an adult human leg.
Combined with his slimy, bumpy skin, even the well-traveled Daoists couldn’t bear to look directly at him. After glancing at him twice, they couldn’t help but avert their eyes.
The green toad was once again deeply hurt by their reactions. He couldn’t hold it in and started shouting at the top of his lungs: “What kind of attitude is this? I am the prince of the Toad Kingdom! I only look like this because of a wizard’s curse! If you can’t appreciate my beauty, fine—but how dare you humiliate me like this?! Aren’t you afraid I’ll lead my kingdom’s army to attack you?!”The Daoists immediately became serious upon hearing this.
To be honest, although these words sounded very childish and absurd, they couldn’t be ignored.
After all, there are other races in this world besides humans. Over the past ten thousand years, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth has rapidly weakened. Combined with the decline of the divine and human races, various races have not communicated with each other for a long time.
Just like the recent surge in supernatural events, they only found out today that the legendary divine beasts actually exist, and that fairies have become so common.
—Even the Xianyao Sect has begun hiring fairies as employees.
As a result, they didn’t know if the demon race was truly flourishing, or if there were even entire kingdoms dedicated to individual races.
Though the demon and human races have traditionally stayed out of each other’s way, now that the demon race has resurfaced, the Daoists have secretly been worried, fearing that the demon race might take advantage of the situation and develop improper intentions.
As the Daoists were growing concerned and preparing to inquire further, Zhu Chu suddenly made a sarcastic "Oh yo" sound.
Zhu Chu: "Still calling yourself a toad prince, how unrefined, how foreign—why didn’t you just say you were a human prince cursed by a witch and turned into a frog, and now you need a princess to kiss you to turn back into a human?"
Everyone: "……"
One of the Daoists, as he listened, felt that the story sounded familiar. It seemed like something his granddaughter had heard before at bedtime.
At his age, he had no interest in the bedtime stories his granddaughter listened to. But one day, his granddaughter had suddenly blurted out, “But the princess is already a princess. If she kisses him, she can only be a queen; if she doesn’t, she can be a queen,” and that’s when he vaguely remembered the story.
But in that story, the prince was only turned into a frog, while this demon...
The Daoist looked at the green toad’s sticky, bumpy skin, and couldn’t help but feel a shiver down his spine. He quickly turned his eyes away.
He tried to refute Zhu Chu: “It must be just a similar experience...”
But then the green toad, with a shocked look, stared at Zhu Chu: “How do you know that I need a beautiful princess to kiss me to return to my kingdom?”
Everyone: "…………"
Everyone stared at the green toad in disbelief, their faces filled with suspicion.
Zhu Chu: “Foreign demon?”
“What foreign demon, I’m local!” The green toad seemed deeply insulted, angrily rebutting, “Can’t a local be a prince?”
“You, a local toad, calling yourself a prince! You’re done for!”
The green toad remained unfazed: “I’ve been called ‘prince’ by my princess since I was a child, there can’t be a mistake! You guys are just jealous of me.”
The Daoists glanced at him, their expressions hard to describe.
But now that the conversation had gone this far, they realized something and turned their gazes toward Xixi, who was pinned to the couch.
Since the green toad had been captured, Xixi had stopped speaking. Unlike before, she no longer confused the facts but instead wore a dark expression, seemingly lost in thought.
All signs pointed to a connection between Xixi and the green toad. The Daoists even suspected that the previous incidents within the crew might have been orchestrated by Xixi and the green toad.
Sure enough, when they noticed their gazes focusing on Xixi, the green toad immediately protested: “A frog does the work of a frog, don’t make things difficult for my princess!”
Everyone: "……"Everyone looked at Xixi with complicated expressions. Her face turned bright red, like the color of liver, and the cold, indifferent expression on her face couldn't be maintained. She angrily shouted at the green toad, “Shut up!”
The green toad, however, felt wronged. He was protecting the princess, so why was she yelling at him?
He didn’t think he had done anything wrong, instead, he thought the princess was just upset because of these ignorant humans. He hopped around a couple of times and decisively declared his loyalty, “Princess, don’t be afraid. Even if you're captured by an evil dragon, I will turn into a knight and rescue you!”
Everyone: "……"
Xixi: "…………"
Under the surprised and astonished gazes of everyone, Xixi's face turned even redder. She almost wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground.
“Shut up! I order you to shut up!!” She shouted hysterically, startling the Daoists.
The green toad was even more surprised and sad: “Princess, are you unhappy? How about you kiss me, and I’ll turn into a prince. You’ll be the happiest princess in the world. Didn’t you used to say that when you were little...”
Before he could finish, Xixi suddenly raised her head and ordered the Daoists, “What are you standing there for? Didn’t you come here to kill monsters? This is the monster that spied on me yesterday. It disgusts me! Kill it!”
Green toad: “...Princess?”
Xixi, seemingly triggered by something, grabbed the ashtray on the table and hurled it at him: “I told you to shut up! What the hell princess? I’m not your princess! I like humans, I like Yan Xingwei! Not some ugly toad!!”
“……” The green toad was struck dumb, frozen in place.
Xixi became too emotional and soon fainted. The Daoists sent for the crew members to take her back to her room to be watched, leaving the green toad behind to continue being questioned.
The green toad was heartbroken, utterly miserable.
With the green toad’s intellect, he probably couldn’t understand why the princess, who used to hold him and kiss him, and even told him about his noble background, suddenly hated him so much.
The Daoists were also speechless. This little girl would fool anyone with anything.
She even created a mixed-up fairy tale backstory for the toad demon.
They almost thought that the demon race was so prosperous that even toad demons could have an entire kingdom of their own.
However, as dramatic as the situation was, it couldn’t be handled carelessly—if a human commits a crime, it’s one thing, but if a demon does, it’s much harder to resolve.
The demon king of the demon race was known to be very protective.
The Daoists, concerned, began discussing: “What should we do now? If this toad monster is sent back to the demon realm, it will be truly uncontrollable.”
“Contact the special incident handling bureau and let them deal with it,” one suggested.
Not far away, Zhu Chu was trying to convince the green toad to give up his challenge to human aesthetic standards and transform into human form.
“Brother Frog, you should really become human. Otherwise, it’ll be hard to find work in the future,” Zhu Chu advised, “Look at our Xianyao Sect employees. Do you think every fairy can have a decent job like them? I once met an employee who refused to hide his horns. Now he can only plow fields in the vegetable patch of the filming base!”
The green toad, immersed in the pain of heartbreak, couldn’t focus on anything Zhu Chu was saying.
“What’s wrong with plowing fields? At least he still has a plow, but I’ve lost my princess who loved me…”Zhu Chu: "……"
Fortunately, the green toad wasn't completely unaware of danger. After a while, he raised his head and asked, "So if I don't fully transform into a human, I really can't work and earn money?"
"That's not exactly the case," Zhu Chu replied. "Brother Niu sometimes cosplays as the Bull Demon King at comic conventions. It's just that recently, when he swapped freebies with someone, he ate a piece of dried beef, and he's been a bit depressed these past few days."
The green toad exclaimed, "Ah! You humans are so cruel?"
You actually gave them dried meat of their own kind?!
"Oh, that's not it," Zhu Chu clarified. "He ate it because it tasted so good. He's just sad that he never knew that the meat of his own kind could be so delicious."
Green toad: "......"
After the conversation, the green toad still cherished his "handsome" appearance and stubbornly refused to turn into a human with long limbs and a dry body.
Green toad: "That's so weird!"
This was the first time Zhu Chu had hit a wall during the recruitment process. Just as he was about to get someone to explain the benefits of joining the Xianyao Sect, he saw An He Guang waving at him from the side.
He walked over and heard An He Guang advising him, "Just let him be. Don't insist on making him human."
Zhu Chu thought, how could that work? A love-struck toad can't bring any benefits to the sect. Of course, he needs to become human before he can do proper work!
These spirits look so good as humans!
An He Guang glanced down at him and then at the toad holding the mirror and admiring himself. He leaned closer to Zhu Chu and whispered, "Don't say I didn't warn you. If he enters the entertainment industry, his career will crash sooner or later."
Zhu Chu: "?"
An He Guang spoke meaningfully, "You wouldn’t want to suddenly hear from paparazzi one day that your favorite idol is a green toad, right?"
Zhu Chu: "……!!!"