My Demon Friends

The Great Demon held the Beaded Chain, his silhouette gradually receding into the distance. A light breeze blew over the small hill.

While putting on his clothes, Zhou Li said to Zheng Zhilan, "I really owe you one this time. If Lord Evil God hadn't shown up, we wouldn't know how much effort it would have taken to trap that guy."

"No need to thank me." Zheng Zhilan turned her head to glance at Zhou Li. Seeing him pulling his clothes down, she quickly averted her gaze. "I had wanted to come here for a long time," she added.

"Really..." Zhou Li murmured.

"Yes." Zheng Zhilan nodded. "You said there are many demons here, and you even met people like us. The weather is good every day. I thought this must be a special place."

"You must be hot; your face is all red."

Zheng Zhilan didn't respond, instead continuing to look toward the distant figure. "He's so powerful."

"Right," Zhou Li agreed.

Lin Zhong probably hadn't anticipated the Evil God's presence. He could have taken advantage of Hong Ran's absence to cut off the demons aiding Zhou Li; he only needed to reassign the capable demons before Hong Ran's orders arrived. Given his seniority and the initiative, even other high-ranking Great Demons would likely have deferred to him, allowing him to easily delay matters. But he would never have foreseen the Evil God. That particular demon was terrifyingly powerful. Zhisha was likely the strongest combatant Hong Ran could readily command, yet even he couldn't take down the Great Demon.

Speaking of which, I owe Zheng Zhilan thanks again. If she hadn't arrived and removed the Beaded Chain, the outcome might not have been so favorable by the time Zhisha and the reinforcements arrived. Some demons would likely have been injured. Or that Great Demon might have been surrounded and killed.

Several strands of hair stuck to Zheng Zhilan's flushed face. Not daring to stand with Zhou Li any longer, she walked over to the Evil God's side and placed her hand on the scales on his head. "Why did you follow us here?"

The Evil God looked at her with cold eyes. Zheng Zhilan smiled. "Anyway, thank you!"

The Evil God shook his head vigorously, startling her into quickly retracting her hand. Then, with a powerful flap of his wings, he soared into the sky, carried by the strong wind.

It was a mostly cloudy day. The Evil God's silhouette rose and fell among the clouds, occasionally letting out a few thunderous roars.

Zheng Zhilan gazed upward, her eyes following the Evil God. Sunlight streamed through a break in the clouds, illuminating the land below. It made her cheeks seem to shine, her long eyelashes trembled, and even her somewhat pale eyes gained a unique beauty.

"I've never seen him so happy," she whispered.

"Your realm is too small," Huai Xu said, also looking up. "Anything with wings loves the vast sky. Nothing brings them more joy than battling the heavens."

"I see..." Zheng Zhilan murmured softly.

At that moment, the Evil God suddenly changed direction, diving straight towards a particular point, his speed increasing rapidly. Huai Xu suddenly chuckled. "That ugly Blood Demon has arrived! They have a score to settle, so it looks like they might fight! Zhou Li, who do you think is stronger: the Evil God or your reinforcements?"

"You..." Zhou Li was speechless.

"What's wrong? Enjoying the spectacle is in our nature!" Huai Xu declared triumphantly, feeling proud rather than ashamed.

Zhou Li thought for a moment. "...That's not what I meant."

"Then what?"

"You used to call them weak, and now you're calling them ugly..."

"What do you mean!?"

"You misunderstood..." Zhou Li trailed off.

"Hmph!" Huai Xu huffed angrily.

Zheng Zhilan just smiled, then looked into the distance with renewed worry. She could faintly hear the Evil God's prolonged roar from that direction.

Zhou Li nudged Huai Xu with his elbow. Huai Xu rolled his eyes and disappeared with a POOF.

About ten minutes later, he reappeared, having already forgotten his earlier displeasure. He excitedly told Zhou Li, "Your sister Hong Ran sure made a big move! Ever seen the elite demon forces from the warring periods of ancient times? Tsk, tsk. I thought they had all disbanded. I didn't expect them to still have an organized structure..."

"How did it go?" Zhou Li asked.

"I persuaded the Blood Demon to leave," Huai Xu said, then paused. "And I thanked them on your behalf."

"What about the Evil God?"

"That fool doesn't know when to quit. He's still chasing after them relentlessly."

The Evil God was engrossed in harassing their allies, and Zheng Zhilan could do nothing about it. She stood on the hill slope waiting for him, chatting casually with Zhou Li as the sun continued to redden her cheeks.

"How did you get here from Chunming?" Zhou Li asked.

"I took a taxi."

"That must have been expensive!"

"It was okay."

"I'll show you around Chunming for a few days," Zhou Li offered.

"Okay," Zheng Zhilan agreed.

Without realizing it, a thin layer of sweat had formed on Zheng Zhilan's face again. A few strands of hair stuck to her skin, but she seemed completely unaware, trying hard not to appear out of place in this unfamiliar environment, her hands tightly clasped together.

About half an hour later, the Evil God finally returned. Zheng Zhilan stepped forward and spoke a few words to him. It was unclear if they reached an agreement, but regardless, the Evil God flew up into the sky again.

「That evening, they returned to Chunming.」

As they walked, Zhou Li said, "There's a cross-bridge rice noodle place downstairs from our apartment complex. It's an old, established shop and tastes really good. I'll take you to try it. You can stay with Huai Xu and me for the next few days. Our place isn't as big as yours, so I'm afraid you and Qinghe will have to make do with my room."

Zheng Zhilan nodded slightly, then asked, "And what about you?"

"I'll sleep in the living room."

Normally, Zhou Li and Huai Xu couldn't sleep in the living room because it was actually Tuanzi's room, but she wasn't home during those days.

Zhou Li continued in a low voice, "Chunming is quite fun. Although it might be inconvenient for you to see the scenery, you can enjoy the food. There are many delicacies here that you can't find where we're from."

Zheng Zhilan continued to nod.

When they arrived at the rice noodle restaurant, Zhou Li, considerate of Zheng Zhilan's vision, took the initiative. "I'll order a few dishes for you that I usually eat. Do you have any particular favorites, or is there anything you can't eat?"

Zheng Zhilan first nodded, then shook her head. Zhou Li hummed in acknowledgment.

The counter at the rice noodle restaurant displayed dozens of add-ins. Zhou Li wasn't fond of the braised or pickled items; he disliked things like cured meat, sausage, and pickled ham. He preferred plain or lightly flavored additions and didn't like to add too many.

Two servings of bamboo fungus; raw quail eggs and cooked quail eggs; one serving of shredded chicken; one serving of plain boiled pork; one pan-fried egg. He paid the bill.

The two bowls for Zhou Li and Zheng Zhilan cost less than thirty, and with Huai Xu's bowl, the total came to sixty-eight. So satisfying!

Then, Zhou Li helped Zheng Zhilan to a seat and went to get her bowl, add condiments and rice noodles, and fetch chopsticks.

"Thank you."

"Stir it a bit; it's quite hot."

"Okay."

Zhou Li carefully observed Zheng Zhilan's expression as he ate. He saw her pick up some rice noodles mixed with shredded chicken, blow on them cautiously, and then put them into her mouth. Her eyes immediately narrowed slightly in pleasure.

He smiled.

Zheng Zhilan ate slowly. By the time Zhou Li and Huai Xu had finished, she was still delicately savoring the bamboo fungus, her bowl still half full.

"Take your time eating, there's no rush. We live just across the way," Zhou Li said, noticing her glance at him. To prevent her from feeling anxious, he simply took out his phone and started playing with it.

"This is delicious," Zheng Zhilan commented.

"It's bamboo fungus. Have you had it before?"

"No."

"I only tried it for the first time after coming here, and I like it too," Zhou Li said. "I originally thought about buying some to keep at home, but I heard that if it's not prepared properly, it can have a strong soapy taste, so I gave up on the idea."

"You could ask the owner for advice," Zheng Zhilan suggested.

"That's what I was thinking too."

When Zheng Zhilan finished eating, Zhou Li also got a takeout portion for Qinghe, adding plenty of vegetables and mushrooms.

Caiyun wasn't particularly wealthy, but it certainly had an abundance of mushrooms.

They chatted as they walked, and Zhou Li also picked up a delivery package along the way.

After returning home and handing the rice noodles to Qinghe, Zhou Li immediately began to tidy up his room. His home wasn't messy, but he had bought many things recently that were still in their packaging and needed to be sorted.

Additionally, he needed to at least change the bedsheets and duvet cover to a fresh set. He didn't know how Zheng Zhilan and Qinghe usually arranged their sleeping quarters, but he had to prepare a floor mattress as an option for them.

Fortunately, his home was well-equipped with everything needed. Twenty minutes later, Zhou Li had worked up a slight sweat, but he was finally satisfied with how he'd tidied up. It wouldn't be too much of an imposition on his guests.