My Demon Friends

"Where's Huai Xu?"

"He went to fight with the nearby demons."

"Your demon is kind of..." Before Brother Nan could finish, she caught a glimpse of Zhou Li's expression and quickly corrected herself, "So cute!"

"You two are quite similar."

"..."

"Where shall we eat?" Zhou Li asked.

"I was thinking of going to that place facing Meili Snow Mountain above. But since the weather is so bad today, let's just find any place." Brother Nan stretched her neck, looking around. "There are so few people, and it's so cold. Let's find somewhere that looks a bit warmer."

The National Day Golden Week was drawing to a close. Coupled with the cold weather and falling snow, the shops on the street, though still open, were desolate.

However, every restaurant had plenty of customers.

Yicai Restaurant had the most, followed by various types of mushroom chicken stew and mini hot pots. The lights from the signs illuminated the falling snowflakes. Brother Nan led Zhou Li down the main street they had walked during the day to its end, then they wandered through some alleys, climbing slopes and inclines, finally settling on a small shop.

The small shop was decorated in an artistic yet cozy style. Thick curtains blocked the cold air, and warmth came from a stove rather than an air conditioner.

Inside, there were even a few groups dining.

In this day and age, tourist attractions focus on online marketing, so Zhou Li guessed they might have come following its reputation.

Brother Nan sat down and ordered two small yak hot pots, adding some meat dishes, luncheon meat, and meatballs, among other things. This place was, after all, remote, so she felt it was already quite good to be able to eat these things here.

"Finally, it's warmer!"

Brother Nan unzipped her down jacket, revealing a thin sweater underneath that outlined her youthful curves.

A lamp hung overhead, its light pouring straight down onto her head. Her antennas stood tall and firm, drawing Zhou Li's gaze. He felt quite indignant for them; during the past few days of cycling, wearing a helmet had been a necessity.

When he came to his senses, Zhou Li met Brother Nan's gaze, which seemed somewhat unfriendly.

"What are you looking at?"

"There's a mosquito flying above."

"Oh! At an altitude of 3,400 meters, with heavy snow, perhaps that mosquito also ate an Immortal Pill?" Brother Nan rolled her eyes at him, threw her hands back, and slid her down jacket down to her elbows. "I'm talking to you!"

"You have a point..."

"I said! Finally, it's warmer!" Brother Nan gritted her teeth.

"Oh, oh, indeed."

Zhou Li quickly took a sip of tea. The restaurant was indeed much warmer than outside. Soft music played, but it wasn't too quiet due to the conversations from the next table, creating a relaxed atmosphere.

Zhou Li was not relaxed. He had felt awkward before, and now he found it embarrassing to be sitting with Brother Nan like this, as if they were a couple.

Fortunately, Brother Nan was completely oblivious. She even slouched in her chair, playing with her phone. Without lifting her head, she said, "I checked the weather; we won't be able to see the sunlit golden mountain tomorrow. I was even wavering before coming, debating whether to watch it here or try to go to Wunong Peak. I regretted for quite a while not having enough time to climb Yubeng..."

"There's nothing we can do about it."

"I thought I'd see the sunlit golden mountain as soon as I arrived."

"Then we wouldn't be seeing the snow."

"That's true..."

"Hey!" Brother Nan suddenly sat upright, leaned in close to Zhou Li, and with a quick glance around the room, gestured for him to come closer.

"What's up?" Zhou Li also looked around. Since they had entered, many people had indeed glanced over from time to time, but he didn't feel anything was amiss. The appreciation of beauty is universal, and he was used to it.

"Do you know any spells?" Brother Nan whispered. "Like turning tomorrow's moderate snow into a clear sunny day?"

"I don't."

"Then how do you make a living in your line of work?"

"Mostly by reasoning."

"..." Brother Nan slowly reclined back in her chair, leaning against it again. "Huai Xu doesn't know any either?"

"He only knows how to fight and steal."

"..."

The mini hot pots arrived, bubbling with yak meat, crispy meatballs, and assorted mushrooms and vegetables. After a few bites, Brother Nan took off her outer coat, revealing her graceful figure.

They chatted while they ate.

After the meal, they braved the snow to wander the streets. Brother Nan bought lots of snacks and shared half with Zhou Li.

Back in the room, Zhou Li turned on the light.

The room felt empty and quiet. He tossed the snacks onto Huai Xu's bed and took out his phone to send Huai Xu a message, asking when he would return.

Zhou Li suddenly noticed that Huai Xu had changed his personalized signature—

Huai Xu's QQ account had been registered by Zhou Li, so naturally, he had also written the original personalized signature. It used to be 'I am the Old monster, free and at ease,' but now the sneaky old monster had changed 'Old monster' to 'Little Demon.'

Totally shameless. Just as he was thinking this, he heard a soft sound, and Huai Xu's figure abruptly appeared in the room.

"Have you two finished eating? Was it good?"

"It was delicious."

"What were you just doing?"

"Thinking about some things."

"Thinking about what?"

"About tomorrow's weather," Zhou Li said, then casually changed the subject. "Did you win your fight?"

"Don't even mention it! No fight broke out!" Huai Xu waved his hand. "That Great Demon used to be an official and has met me before. When I arrived, before I even had a chance to provoke him, he said he wanted to treat me to a meal. We ended up chatting over food for a long time... Good thing I wasn't rash."

"Yeah, otherwise it would have been really awkward."

"Right, you and Li Daimao were complaining this afternoon that the bad weather was obscuring the snow mountains, weren't you? I mentioned it to that Great Demon, and he happened to know a demon who can control the weather, so I asked him for a small favor."

"What a coincidence."

"Yeah." Huai Xu belched; it seemed he hadn't eaten lightly tonight. He took out his phone. "Huh, you sent me a message?"

"Yes."

"The signal wasn't good over there; I couldn't receive anything."

"I only just sent it."

"Li Daimao and I are about to play a game. Are you joining?"

"No."

"Alright then."

Huai Xu sent a message to Brother Nan.

Zhou Li continued to inquire, "What did you chat about with that Great Demon?"

Huai Xu, staring at his phone without lifting his head, said, "Oh, just random stuff. I mean, he treated me to a meal and even gave me some precious... Oh right, I brought you a few fruits; they're quite tasty."

As he spoke, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a few fruits, and tossed them blindly to Zhou Li, then continued, "Since he treated me to food, I couldn't just bury my head and eat without saying a word, right?"

"Don't you do that quite often?"

"..."

Huai Xu lifted his head and said earnestly to Zhou Li, "You can be really annoying sometimes!"

"Go on."

"He's not that familiar with me either, so I could only talk to him about Tuanzi, Hong Ran, and Lin Zhong, as he knows all of them." Huai Xu had already joined the game with Brother Nan. "He seems quite rare, a neutral type, and doesn't really oppose that Lin Zhong. However, when the Demon King was around before, he still followed the Demon King's orders. But now the Demon King's whereabouts are unknown, with only Hong Ran... Do you think the Demon King was really schemed against and killed by humans?"

"Lin Zhong is also a suspect, right?"

"That's impossible. Demons are single-minded; they can't pull off the kinds of things you humans do," Huai Xu shook his head.

"I see."

Zhou Li ate the fruits and continued to listen to the story.

「The next day, early morning.」

The sky was still dark, and the temperature was very low.

Brother Nan wrapped herself tightly in a down jacket, a hat on her head, standing on the open ground beside the path that led down from the viewing platform, pacing back and forth.

Overhead, the sky was clear for thousands of miles, and the east was ablaze with light. The God Mountain range stretched out, its color pure in the darkness.

The Feilai Temple viewing platform was one of those rare pay-to-enter spots that, aside from a concrete area, offered no real advantages. One could choose to walk down to the roadside for a nearly identical view, or simply hop over the low wall to avoid the fee.

Many chose not to pay, and there were quite a few people standing around Brother Nan and Zhou Li.

They excitedly awaited the sunrise, all their discussions centering on today's unexpectedly clear weather.

Brother Nan then turned her head. She zipped her jacket all the way to the top and lowered her head, covering her chin and mouth. Her large, expressive eyes fixed on Zhou Li, blinking messages to him.

Zhou Li paid her no mind.

Soon, the sun leaped from the east, golden sunlight streaming forth, coating the snow-capped mountain in a layer of gold.

Brother Nan whooped excitedly, snapping photos with her phone.

Each photo seemed beautiful, but then the next moment would be different and even more stunning, so she continued to capture image after image, unwittingly accumulating a mass of photos in her gallery that would be indistinguishable from each other the next day.

The early morning air was bone-chilling. In just a few moments, her hands were stiff and throbbing with cold, making her grimace.

This continued until the entire mountain turned gold, then gradually faded.

Finally, Brother Nan put away her phone and released a long breath. The light was sufficient now. She pocketed her hands and, like a crab, scuttled sideways step by step until she was beside Zhou Li. She then settled down to appreciate what was dubbed 'one of the most beautiful snow mountains.'

Whether it was truly beautiful, neither Zhou Li nor Brother Nan could tell; they had never seen snow mountains before and had no basis for comparison.

But it was vast, close, and highly distinctive.

Brother Nan's nose was already red from the cold. She hissed in a sharp breath of cold air, then exhaled a puff of white vapor. She nudged Zhou Li. "I have some not-so-good news for you."

"What is it?"

"I didn't manage to get tickets back to Hui Chunming, so we'll have to charter a car to Zhongdian or Lijiang, then transfer back to Hui Chunming."

"Oh, okay."

"I have an idea..."

"I agree!"

These days, Zhou Li had always followed Brother Nan's arrangements. Where to go each day, what to eat, where to stay—he just listened to Brother Nan. His only responsibility was to take in the scenery with his eyes, completely carefree.

This was probably the kind of enviable journey many people dreamed of.

However, Brother Nan was also quite laid-back. She didn't research extensively or plan everything perfectly in advance because she wasn't overly concerned about the uncertainties of travel. On the contrary, if unexpected things happened, whether good or bad, she accepted them cheerfully, even viewing them as a kind of fun, and would laughingly recount them to Zhou Li.

She was a very broad-minded person.

Fortunately, Zhou Li didn't mind either.

So, he found the trip enjoyable.

As he was thinking this, Brother Nan suddenly elbowed him again. "Where's your Huai Xu now? Quick, call him out! I want to ask him to rush to the top of Meili Snow Mountain to take some photos for me. I have a big use for them!"

Zhou Li didn't say anything, just looked towards Huai Xu.

Unsurprisingly, given Huai Xu's photography skills, the pictures would hardly be suitable for what Brother Nan called their 'big use.'