My Demon Friends

Chapter 732 693: Younger than Lord Dumpling

The bus drove between two mountains, and since then, Zhou Li's spirit sense kept reminding him—

He was being watched.

The feeling was hard to describe, like a strand of hair falling onto his hand, or an eyelash stuck on the tip of his nose; he could sense the strangeness, yet it was untouchable.

Zhou Li tried hard not to care, to make it psychologically less uncomfortable.

The bus sped along, maintaining a speed of over 115 kilometers per hour, only slowing slightly before speed cameras. That was almost two kilometers a minute. But Zhou Li had now endured this peculiar feeling for more than ten minutes, and the gaze showed no sign of disappearing or even weakening.

Only then did Zhou Li realize—

He was targeted, and perhaps he would be under continuous surveillance until he left the area or was deemed not a threat to the Migration Plan.

But where was the watcher?

Zhou Li had no clue. Is this the might of the Demon Kingdom's military? he couldn't help but think.

He hadn't had previous contact with the Demon Kingdom's military forces. Most of the demons he met were those living normal lives; even Great Demons were mainly cultural, academic types. But he also knew the Demon Kingdom's military was made up of demons adept at destruction or with war-auxiliary capabilities. According to Huai Xu, they hardly ever made large-scale appearances, historically only a few times. It seemed their existence was like a nuclear button for the demon race, and what Lin Zhong had wanted to do was to push it.

Perhaps part of the reason Master Ming chose to become a Demon was to gain a longer life, to ensure that types like Lin Zhong wouldn't have the chance to push it, especially considering the Elm King would be in slumber...

Zhou Li took off his headphones, unable to listen any further.

It was like trying to distract oneself from needing the toilet by listening to music... It was useless.

Then his shoulder felt lighter—

The person next to him opened her eyes, her gaze clear and calm, without a hint of grogginess.

His Royal Highness, the Prince of Yu, turned her head to look outside the window. Seeming to pinpoint her location instantly, she gazed out and said, "I used to live around here for a while, eighty li behind this mountain. I miss the taste of the plantains and the various fruits beside the house."

Her awakening made Zhou Li feel much better. After all, she was the BOSS of Yu Country; her presence allowed Zhou Li to mentally dismiss part of the watched feeling.

"The fruit here is delicious," Zhou Li said softly. "Did you have papayas back then?"

"Not as many fruits back then."

"How about mangoes?"

"Didn't have those either."

"Then you definitely haven't tried papayas and mangoes dipped in chili... Oh right, no chili either. It was truly miserable back then," Zhou Li told her. "Brother Nan really likes it. You should try it too."

"Will do."

"Do you feel it..."

"Just routine surveillance. Special circumstances, it's unavoidable. Don't worry too much. It will be resolved when we get there by calling Tuanzi."

"Okay."

The bus entered the ramp and quickly left the toll station.

But there was still a considerable distance to go.

The gaze from the unfamiliar demon remained the same, faintly itchy on the skin. Zhou Li felt if a war broke out, he would quickly be eliminated, with no chance to escape.

「As dusk fell.」

They finally arrived at their destination.

It was a guesthouse next to the botanical garden, quite a large one, nearly two kilometers from the main entrance, which made it a bit cheaper. Yicai had booked the whole place. During the internship, the classmates would stay here, walking to and from the garden's entrance morning and evening—apparently, they could also take motorcycle taxis.

Because of budget constraints, four people had to share a standard room, with two to a bed, and were not allowed to find their own accommodations as per the dormitory assignments.

Meals were on their own to manage.

Zhou Li had some difficulty accepting the lodging conditions. The most he could handle was sharing a bed with a male version of Huai Xu.

So he proposed to Brother Nan that he was planning to find a new hotel nearby, meaning he hoped Big Brother would join him and give Little Brother some help in life.

Plus, this way, the three people in the dormitory would feel better, as 'finding other accommodations because you want to stay with your girlfriend' sounds much better than 'finding other accommodations because you don't want to stay with us.'

But he was rejected by Big Brother, who wanted to take turns lavishing Cotton Swab.

Fortunately, Big Brother supported his idea. He dismissed Zhou Li's worries by saying, "The teachers from Yicai will rush back to Hui Chunming tonight, and no one will check the rooms in the evening." He also reminded Zhou Li that he could use 'the guesthouse owner doesn't allow pets' as an excuse.

The classmates lined up to disembark and retrieve their luggage.

Zhou Li opened the cat bag, let Lord Dumpling out, and said apologetically to her, "Lord Dumpling, my apologies for the inconvenience. It's all because the driver was too fierce..."

"Not at all!" Tuanzi shook her fur and comforted him. "Lord Dumpling just took a nap!"

"Really?"

"Yes! It was so boring in the bag, so Lord Dumpling decided to take a nap! And sure enough, after waking up, we'd already arrived!"

"Lord Dumpling is truly witty beyond comparison!"

Zhou Li turned his head to look around; there were several guesthouses and hotels nearby. He was torn between booking one right here or finding one closer to the park entrance, as both options had their pros and cons.

Just then, Chen Yang's broad back shielded him and Tuanzi. As everyone else was busy retrieving their luggage and surveying the surroundings, he took the opportunity to pick Tuanzi up and whispered to her, "There happens to be something I need Lord Dumpling's help with... Her Highness and I discussed it on the bus."

The class teacher called them to gather.

"Alright!" Tuanzi's eyes sparkled with excitement. It was time to display Lord Dumpling's importance again, and serving Her Highness this time felt so joyous!

"Thank you, Lord Dumpling."

"You're welcome!"

"Okay."

Zhou Li set Tuanzi down and went to join the others.

Students from the two classes assembled in the courtyard of the guesthouse. Zhou Qianqian took attendance, then the vice principal gave a speech and introduced the teacher leading the trip, an unfamiliar woman.

Tuanzi, meanwhile, scampered away, hiding behind a clump of bushes and spitting out a badge from her mouth.

Zhou Li heard her clear, pleasant voice, "I am Her Highness's Close Attendant, Lord Dumpling. By Her Highness's command, you are to count off and depart..."

The feeling of being watched finally vanished.

"Zhou Li," Zhong Xin whispered to him, "Your cat wandered off."

"Lord Dumpling just went to use the restroom."

"Oh."

After that, they entered the guesthouse lobby, where they were assigned rooms and distributed keycards, which took some time.

During this process, Zhou Li also rebooked a room at a hotel on his phone. It was right across from this guesthouse, the best among the local accommodations, and included breakfast.

Since the teachers hadn't left yet, Zhou Li was afraid they might ask questions. So, he pretended to take his luggage upstairs. After putting it down, he chatted with his roommates for a while. Feeling hungry, he then invited his roommates and those from Dorm 106 to eat at the Yicai Restaurant across the street. Only after that did he return to the guesthouse to retrieve his luggage and go to the hotel he had booked.

POOF.

Huai Xu appeared out of thin air in the hotel room, his voice sounding without delay, "It's unpleasant being watched all the time, isn't it?"

"A bit," Zhou Li nodded as if it were normal, then asked, "How did you know? Were you also on the bus?"

"AO! I was on the roof getting some air!"

"And you didn't do anything?"

"What could I do? Take care of him? Impossible."

"Oh, then what?"

"Then I just left!" Huai Xu naturally sat down at the edge of the bed. "Why would I let him keep staring at me? His skills are too inferior! I never make people uncomfortable because hardly anyone can detect my observation!"

"You're impressive, yeah..."

"Don't talk to me like I'm a child!" Huai Xu complained. "I am truly impressive!"

"Yes, yes, yes..."

At that, Huai Xu made a pained expression, flopped backward onto the bed, kicked out his legs, and said, "Sometimes you really like to be annoying on purpose!"

"Just like you," Zhou Li remarked calmly.

"I learned it from you!" Huai Xu immediately retorted without hesitation.

"You started it," Zhou Li remained calm.

"You were the first!" Huai Xu frowned.

"I learned from you," Zhou Li stated the fact.

"I learned it from you!" Huai Xu grew frustrated.

"..."

Tuanzi crouched in front of them, twisting her head from side to side, looking at one then the other, slightly confused and not understanding what game they were playing.