My Demon Friends

Chapter 739 699: Unattainable

The air conditioning was blasting early in the morning. Zhou Li touched his leg and felt a chill creeping in.

He glanced forward. Huai Xu seemed unaffected by the cold, still sitting bare-legged on the floor right in the air conditioner's draft, her ivory skin shimmering with a pearly luster.

"Aren't you going to class? Today, the teacher will talk about 'using pests to control pests.' You should hurry and learn."

"Biological control," Zhou Li added.

"Right, right, right, that's it! You should hurry and learn. If you learn it well, you can use it on the flowers at home. When bugs appear, other bugs will eat them. Do the same for my Little Lotuses too."

"Your phrasing is always so... unique."

"?" Huai Xu tilted her head to look at him. "Are you mocking me?"

"Not really," Zhou Li pressed his lips together, his expression calm. "It's just that, after all, studying is somewhat useful."

"Hmph..."

A little cat scrambled haphazardly on the bed, as if it were blind, eventually bumping into Zhou Li's leg. It looked left, sniffed right, and then climbed onto Zhou Li.

Zhou Li picked her up and cradled her in his arms, then said to Huai Xu, "Class has already started. It would feel odd to go now. It's better to wait until the afternoon."

"Excuses."

"Moreover, Brother Nan and I skipped class yesterday afternoon, and we didn't return all night," Zhou Li explained honestly. "I feel like Cotton Swab and the others will laugh at me. Baozi might not, but she'll keep glancing at me from the corner of her eye, thinking I don't know... I do know, but I can only pretend not to."

Upon hearing this, Huai Xu's eyes glinted, and a cunning smile appeared on her face—she laughed first.

Zhou Li remained expressionless, feeling numb inside.

He didn't want to talk to this old monster. Lord Dumpling was much more naive and adorable. Zhou Li lowered his head and spoke to Tuanzi in a childlike tone, "Has Huai Xu been taking good care of Lord Dumpling these past few days? Has she often made Lord Dumpling angry?"

"Huai Xu is the worst!"

Tuanzi began to complain, her crisp voice filled with irritation, "Huai Xu took Lord Dumpling to catch little snakes to play with, and little snakes can bite cats!"

"It's all Huai Xu's fault," Zhou Li said.

"You're a cat, and you're afraid of snakes?" Huai Xu retorted. "That little snake wasn't even as thick as a chopstick. Any other cat would have eaten it by now. You truly are a disgrace to catkind!"

"It's all Huai Xu's fault!" Tuanzi said angrily. "She also took Lord Dumpling to catch fish and made Lord Dumpling jump into the water!"

"Huh?" Huai Xu said, surprised. "Aren't fish in the water? How can you catch fish without going into the water?"

"What else did she do?" Zhou Li continued to ask.

"She told Lord Dumpling to climb a tree, really high up, saying there were newborn baby birds up there that would talk to Lord Dumpling. There weren't any! The baby birds just opened their mouths and chirped at Lord Dumpling. When their mother bird returned, she attacked Lord Dumpling! Lord Dumpling nearly fell out of the tree!" Tuanzi said angrily. "She also told Lord Dumpling to steal fruit someone was selling and then run away after stealing it!"

"Steal fruit?"

"Yes!"

"This..."

Zhou Li frowned, looking at Huai Xu.

Huai Xu scratched her head and laughed foolishly, feigning ignorance, though now she actually seemed to feel a bit guilty.

「...」

The small village had already entered winter.

In front of homes and along the paths, most of the Yueli had gone dormant, conserving nutrients for a more glorious bloom in the coming spring.

Overnight, a layer of white frost had formed on every blade of grass and flower stem, and the entire village was enveloped in thick mist. In the distance, the edge of the horizon faintly revealed a red sun, resembling a duck egg yolk. Gradually, a few strands of pale golden light pierced the clouds, spreading and scattering into the mist.

It seemed today would also be a fine day.

Miss Zheng, bundled in a thick coat, a woolen scarf, and woolen gloves, stood rubbing her hands together in the courtyard. Her delicate cheeks were tinged red, her breath forming white vapor.

She stood motionless in the courtyard, occasionally glancing into the distance.

Qinghe stood beside her.

Nearby were Xiao Yuan and Lao Hui, as well as the two distinguished Lords, Xing Hui and Ji Bai. The residents of the small village were all present.

All of this began at sunrise, when a troop of Blood Demons flew in from afar—over a dozen of them. They were followed by several Great Demons, all equally adept at combat, forming what could only be described as a formidable lineup.

Initially, Lord Xing Hui had planned to investigate and see if she could mediate; she had, after all, held considerable reputation and status in Jianghu during her younger days. However, the situation didn't grant her the opportunity. The moment the invaders arrived, they provoked the animosity of Lord Evil God. Upon meeting, no words were exchanged; they immediately began to fight.

Lord Xing Hui wisely retreated.

Lord Evil God possessed exceptional combat power. However, the newcomers were clearly official figures who knew him well. Since they had come, it was clear they were fully confident of success.

The moment contact was made, it was as if heaven and earth were shattering. The massive sounds were more deafening than thunderclaps. The shockwaves seemed capable of shearing off mountaintops, forcing everyone to cover their ears and retreat far away. Things only improved when Lord Evil God intentionally moved the battlefield to a distant, uninhabited area.

Even now, one could occasionally hear thunder rolling in the distance, coexisting with the rising red sun, creating a surreal atmosphere.

"Lord Evil God will be fine."

Xing Hui consoled Miss Zheng. Over the past year of living in the same place, although Xing Hui had almost no interaction with Lord Evil God, they had shared the same space and seen each other day and night. Some affection had developed from this, for Xing Hui was a Demon who valued relationships and loyalty, and she couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow.

"Lord Evil God isn't as brutal as we imagined, and he has changed a lot. Perhaps in the new world, he'll be able to live more freely than he does now."

Miss Zheng nodded but said nothing.

She knew Lord Evil God was bound to lose this battle.

Perhaps Lord Evil God knew this too. That was why he flew to some unknown, distant place—his pride wouldn't allow him to be defeated in front of her.

But if Lord Evil God hadn't done so, if the battle had occurred before her very eyes, should she have helped? She didn't know.

If she had gone to assist, any one of those Blood Demons or Great Demons would have been far beyond her capabilities as a young Young Heavenly Master. She might have even hindered Lord Evil God... Then again, her presence might have made that group of Great Demons hesitate. It was all uncertain.

But Lord Evil God wanted to leave, didn't he?

He hadn't responded to Yu Country, neither stating a desire to go nor to stay. That meant he wanted to leave, didn't it?

It was just that he was too proud...

He could only depart in this manner.

But if she didn't help, would Lord Evil God be heartbroken?

BOOM...

The rumbling thunder suddenly seemed closer, exploding beside their ears as if two great mountains had collided right in front of them.

The thunder was still approaching.

Accompanied by the Evil God's roar.

The sunlight finally dissolved the fog. It was nearly noon. The world before them cleared rapidly; the dense fog gave way to clear skies in perhaps less than a minute.

ROAR...

A massive figure spread its wings against the azure sky, soaring freely.

Though pursued by many small specks and despite its wings being battered and torn, leaking light, its unyielding pride hadn't diminished one iota. At this moment, it reigned supreme in the sky. It was the sole Deity in this small corner of the world, the King among the clouds of Cloud Valley.

Miss Zheng gazed upward in that direction.

The world blurred. Amidst the dazzling sunlight, only that massive figure remained clear, and it seemed he too was looking in this direction.

Their gazes met.

BOOM!

The Evil God drove back the pursuing Demons, black fire erupting from his body, seemingly overshadowing the sunlight. In the blink of an eye, he dived again, disappearing into the sea of clouds.

The thunderous sounds receded once more.

A pang gripped Miss Zheng's heart as she suddenly realized—

That glance... that was the last time she would ever see Lord Evil God.

She took two steps forward.

Then retreated.

Deep silence enveloped her.