My Demon Friends

Chapter 725 686 Street Rules

October had arrived before they knew it.

During the National Day holiday, Zhou Li and Brother Nan hadn't traveled far, merely biking around Chunming. They spent most of their time at school or home. Zhou Li found this quite pleasant. To him, it didn't matter if the scenery was picturesque; as long as he was with someone he liked, it was always interesting.

「October 7th, the last day of the long holiday.」

The entire Probability Society, consisting of its abnormal members, gathered for their second club activity—playing badminton.

Their first activity had been on the first day of the shorter holiday. They had gone to see a movie and then played mahjong at a teahouse for an afternoon. Brother Nan had played at different tables and decisively won several hundred yuan.

Badminton was, in any case, much healthier than playing mahjong. And it didn't involve losing money.

The weather was cool today. The campus was quieter than usual with fewer people around, and the distant sound of basketballs being dribbled on the sports field echoed far and wide.

On the court now were Brother Nan and Junior Sister Xiao Xiong.

Junior Sister Xiao Xiong was about 1.6 meters tall and very slender—the delicate kind of thin. But she was a Heavenly Master, after all. Even though her physical strength wasn't as freakish as Zhou Li's and remained undeveloped, it was still above the average male's. Plus, it was clear she could play badminton quite well.

Brother Nan had freakish stamina, but she sorely lacked skill, possessing merely a beginner's level.

It was a battle between the club's founder and a newbie who had just joined. The match was surprisingly close, though Brother Nan was gradually falling behind.

"4 to 3!" Huai Xu shouted loudly, adding, "Match point!"

While watching their match, Zhou Li said to Su Jue beside him, "I thought you guys wouldn't get any days off."

"Our work isn't fixed. We go on missions if there are any; otherwise, we're idle," Su Jue said, pausing before adding, "Besides, for some reason, incidents of demons harming people have suddenly decreased by more than 80 percent these past few months. So, we've had some downtime, which is why we got the National Day off."

"I see… That's good news."

"Maybe…"

"4 to 4, it's a tie!"

They're actually tied…

Zhou Li focused his gaze on Brother Nan and Junior Sister Xiao Xiong.

Brother Nan looked solemn as she served the shuttlecock with a high toss, as if it were a battle to maintain the Club President's dignity.

Zhou Li shook his head as he watched. Lack of skill really put one at a disadvantage. Faced with Junior Sister Xiao Xiong's offense, Brother Nan was relying solely on her freakish speed to return the shuttlecock, barely managing each time, looking like a complete fool.

And Junior Sister Xiao Xiong also seemed taken aback, apparently lacking the essential understanding of street rules—showing deference to the leader being a very important one.

A minute later, Junior Sister Xiao Xiong cried out with an "Aiya!" as she lost the point.

Huai Xu shouted loudly, "Brother Nan wins!"

"Huh?"

Zhou Li was surprised and took a closer look.

Junior Sister Xiao Xiong's face was flushed, sweat plastering her hair to the sides of her face. She approached the net with her racket in hand, pouting as she complained to Brother Nan, "Club President, how did you get so much better as we played? When it was 3 to 4, I really thought I could win…"

"Next time I'll let you win!"

"You promise!?"

"Haha…"

Brother Nan was in a great mood at that moment. This evenly matched confrontation and the hard-earned victory were clearly much more satisfying than playing with Zhou Li.

Zhou Li fell into thought.

Up ahead, Junior Sister Xiao Xiong and Brother Nan continued to discuss the game. They concluded that perhaps Brother Nan was rusty at the start but got into the swing of things later. Another reason, they thought, could be that Brother Nan's skills had rapidly improved during play, leading her to believe she might be a peerless genius at badminton.

At this, Huai Xu turned to Zhou Li, frowning seriously. "Next one up!"

"My turn?"

"?"

"Oh, oh…"

Zhou Li quickly took to the court, taking the racket from Junior Sister Xiao Xiong.

Riding high on her recent victory, Brother Nan raised her racket, pointed it at Zhou Li, and boasted, "I'm going all out this time! You're not allowed to let me win, or I'll break your legs!"

"Ah?"

"Didn't you understand?"

"Are you serious?" Zhou Li hesitated, examining Brother Nan's expression.

"Of course!" Brother Nan stated firmly. "I am Old Li! My word is my bond! Not even the Heavenly King himself could make me change my mind!"

"Well…"

"Stop hemming and hawing! You're like an old woman!" Brother Nan grew impatient. "Just tell me, yes or no?"

"You need to speak more gently..."

"?"

"Fine."

Zhou Li gripped the racket tightly, his expression darkening. He started by deceptively sending a soft shuttlecock over the net.

Brother Nan received it with ease.

The shuttlecock flew back.

Zhou Li stood straight, lightly on the balls of his feet. His right hand swung the racket high in a large, graceful motion, as if harnessing immense power.

SMACK!

The light shuttlecock shot back with incredible speed, drawing a white line through the air.

Gasps arose from the sidelines.

However, Brother Nan was not to be underestimated. Relying on her strong reflexes and physical speed, as well as the bit of experience she'd just accumulated, she managed to return the shuttlecock, though it was a strenuous effort.

POP.

By now, she had retreated to the very back of the court.

PFFT…

The shuttlecock flew over again, this time landing just in front of the net.

"!!"

Brother Nan's eyes suddenly widened. She hurried forward, cursing inwardly, This son of a… no, that won't do… this bastard!

She barely managed to return the shuttlecock once again.

However, this was just the beginning.

Zhou Li clearly had the ability to defeat her easily but stubbornly refused to do so. He sent one shuttlecock far and the next near, one to the back left corner, then to the front right corner, making her run ragged.

Sometimes, just as she lunged in one direction, her momentum not yet dissipated, Zhou Li would casually swing his racket, and the shuttlecock would immediately fly off in the opposite direction. For a normal person, attempting to return such a shot would not only be a huge test of stamina but also pose a great risk of joint injury.

"0 to 1!"

"0 to 2!"

"..."

"0 to 5!"

"Zhou Li wins!"

"Whew…"

Brother Nan let out a long sigh, smiling graciously at Zhou Li as she nodded. "Well played!"

Zhou Li nodded silently in response.

Brother Nan casually swung her racket, limbering up her joints, then walked off the court and handed the racket to the next player, Su Jue.

Huai Xu glanced at Zhou Li with schadenfreude, mimicking Brother Nan, "Well played."

Zhou Li still said nothing.

「Ten minutes later.」

Su Jue left the court.

Next up was the Old Monster, who also served as a part-time referee. Under Brother Nan's instructions and tempted by a clear goose soup, the Old Monster didn't hold back. Essentially activating his cheats, he imitated Zhou Li's earlier play, making Zhou Li experience what Brother Nan had just gone through.

This is awful…

It's inhumane…

All for a bowl of clear goose soup…

Zhou Li remained silent. I've seen right through him now.

「Two o'clock in the afternoon.」

Zhou Li was at home, reading a book.

A figure, stretching and yawning, walked up from behind him and casually remarked, "Once we leave and there are no more demons, your world will become a... world of supernatural abilities. That's the term used in those novels I've read. Maybe your Probability Society can become a small power then."

Zhou Li turned to look.

The girl was wearing loose clothing, a small cat nestled quietly in her arms, neither stirring nor fussing.

"You even read novels…"

"They're your girlfriend's. I just read along when she does."

"She does like to read all sorts of strange things," Zhou Li muttered, then returned his attention to his book. "It sounds like the Migration Plan is going smoothly."

"We've simulated it many times in the Mirror Zone already."

"Right." Zhou Li paused, then asked, "So, have you decided? Will you leave when the time comes?"

"Not telling you."

"What about Hong Ran?"

TSK, TSK!

His Royal Highness, the Prince of Yu, manifested an 'I've-seen-right-through-you' expression on Brother Nan's face. "Just as I thought! You don't care if I stay or go. It's truly heartbreaking. After all, we've known each other for some time, and I've even woken up beside your pillow on occasion. Yet, you only care about Hong Ran."

"Don't…"

Zhou Li looked embarrassed. "If you keep talking like that, I'm going to call for Brother Nan."

Unperturbed, His Highness settled down opposite him, picked up Brother Nan's teacup, sipped the black tea, and eyed Zhou Li. "Why don't you ask Hong Ran? Won't she tell you either?"

"Your Highness is wise."

"Stop with the flattery; I'm not like your girlfriend."

"It's the truth."

"…"

Despite his words, a pleased expression crossed His Highness's face, proving he was just like Brother Nan in that respect.

Zhou Li pursed his lips and asked, "Without demons, will there still be Heavenly Masters?"

"The Will of the World doesn't react that quickly; it's not human. I reckon it'll be at least until the next era before Heavenly Masters disappear. Until then, new Heavenly Masters will continue to be born into this world," His Highness said, watching Zhou Li with great interest. "So, in this world of supernatural abilities, how do you plan to live? You could be like the protagonists in those books…"

"Not interested."

"Boring…"

His Highness shook his head, stood up, and looked down at him. "You need to manage your girlfriend better. Tell her to sleep less in class; it affects my listening. She should play fewer games and watch more novels, movies, TV shows, and anime, so I can watch along. Otherwise, just watching her play games—which I can't do, plus she's terrible at them—is very frustrating for me."

"Understood."

"I'm off to sleep."

"So soon?"

"Well, there's nothing else to do."

"Farewell, Your Highness."

His Highness lay back down on the sofa and closed his eyes. Soon, the sound of even breathing could be heard. Tuanzi was still lying in his arms, looking around.

Zhou Li fetched a thin blanket to cover him; Brother Nan's health was important.

Being loyal to Brother Nan at all times was also one of the street rules.