My Demon Friends

Chapter 742 742: 702

Zhou Li and Brother Nan pushed their suitcases through the school, the wheels grinding audibly against the ground. A small cat lay on top of one suitcase, hooking her tiny paw around the handle to avoid falling off due to any jolts from the uneven road.

Compared to when they had just gotten off the bus, Tuanzi's eyes were now more lively, rolling around as she took stock of the pedestrians on the road, but she still looked somewhat sickly.

At a corner, Zhou Li stopped.

The trees lining both sides of the road ahead were not evergreens. Their leaves had mostly fallen, leaving some branches bare, which made this path seem somewhat unfamiliar. Seated on a bench by the road was an extremely beautiful young girl dressed in a small suit, a short skirt, and black tights. She propped herself up with her hands on either side of her, her head bowed as she idly kicked at the dry leaves on the ground. She seemed to be waiting for someone and was growing impatient. Behind her, on top of an electrical box, a little demon lay belly-up, lazily enjoying the winter sun. The scene was serene and beautiful.

Zhou Li's gaze swept past the girl and landed on the electrical box. He turned his head to say to Tuanzi, "Lord Dumpling, is that Master Xiao Lǜ?"

"Oh?"

Tuanzi immediately perked up, climbed off the suitcase, and stretched her neck to look in the direction he pointed.

It really was Master Xiao Lǜ!

Tuanzi grew excited and lively, calling out in a clear, sweet voice, "Master Xiao Lǜ!"

The little demon rubbed its eyes and turned over to look their way.

Tuanzi immediately jumped off the suitcase and ran over cheerfully.

Only then did Zhou Li turn his attention to the girl on the bench.

The girl looked extremely bored. She was pretending, of course.

She was an old monster skilled at disguising herself, a creature perpetually in character. Even when she came to open the door for him, she would immediately lie back down on the floor afterward, pretending she hadn't moved a muscle.

With an old monster's powers, she could have comfortably lounged somewhere else, playing games, eating fried chicken, and drinking cola while waiting for them. She could have kept track of their whereabouts the entire time and then used Instantaneous Movement to appear just as they were about to arrive. Zhou Li had good reason to suspect she had done exactly that, yet here she was, pretending she had been waiting for a long time.

Zhou Li walked over with his suitcase and sat next to her. "Good afternoon."

Brother Nan also walked over but didn't hurry to sit. Instead, he stood with one hand on his suitcase and the other on his hip, looking the girl up and down. "Nice new skin."

The young girl, looking as if she'd stepped straight out of a comic book, sighed, shook her head, and said, "Sure enough, no matter what I turn into, I can't hide from you. My radiance is too great. Tsk! There probably isn't another demon as beautiful as me in this world. It's truly lonely!"

Brother Nan glanced at Zhou Li.

Zhou Li quickly scooted aside.

So, Brother Nan sat down between them, casually rested a hand on Huai Xu's knee, rubbed it in a circle, and then commented, "Feels nice."

"Of course it does," Huai Xu said nonchalantly. "Why did you two take so long to get here?"

"Ask him," Brother Nan said.

"Lord Dumpling got carsick on the bus and in the taxi too. I was worried that if I walked too fast, the suitcase would jolt too much and make her throw up," Zhou Li said, pausing before adding, "although I don't know if you demons can even vomit."

"Of course we can't. Whatever we eat goes to the Old Land World."

Zhou Li nodded and looked back. He saw Lord Dumpling had already climbed onto the electrical box and was happily chatting with Master Xiao Lǜ; their conversation was faintly audible.

It was the kind of naive talk kids love. Or perhaps 'innocent' is a better word. It was pure and genuine, free from any ulterior motives or inhibitions. They only shared things they liked, things that made them happy, and discussed only what they found interesting.

Zhou Li retracted his gaze, pursed his lips, and looked at Huai Xu. "After the Old Land World migrates, how many demons do you think will choose to stay behind?"

"Ten percent? Five percent? How would I know..." Huai Xu muttered. "You should ask the Elm King; she definitely has a clear picture."

"What's your guess?"

"No idea."

Huai Xu's eyes darted around; she knew what he was concerned about. "That little thing," she said, referring to Xiao Lǜ, "seems to be leaving. I know many little demons have decided to leave; I hid nearby and eavesdropped on their discussions. Conversely, many Great Demons have chosen to stay."

After a pause, she continued, "It's because many of the Great Demons are very old and have grown accustomed to this world. For them, this world is like the rural hometown of an elderly human. Many little demons, on the other hand, are filled with pure curiosity about the new world. It's this very curiosity—this desire to see what another world looks like—that motivates their decision to go. You know, a demon's curiosity is always much stronger and purer than a human's."

"I see." Zhou Li nodded with a twinge of regret. So Lord Dumpling will have one less friend around Cai University.

They had been sitting and waiting for quite a while, chatting for a long time too, and now they were starting to feel hungry.

Right then, they felt just like parents who had taken their child out for a stroll, only to bump into the child's classmate. The two children would be playing intently, while the parents waited anxiously nearby, not daring to rush them.

"Lord Dumpling has to go home now, Master Xiao Lǜ," Zhou Li called out.

"Oh, then goodbye."

"Goodbye, Master Xiao Lǜ!" Tuanzi chirped.

Zhou Li finally breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing Tuanzi hop onto the suitcase, he began pushing it to head back, saying to her, "Is Lord Dumpling not getting carsick anymore?"

"Not carsick, meow!"

"No more feeling dizzy?"

"Not anymore, meow!"

"Master Xiao Lǜ is quite amazing," Zhou Li smiled. "Then Lord Dumpling should come play with Master Xiao Lǜ often."

"Meow? We're not working, meow?"

"Hmm, let's not work for the next few days..."

Even though finals were approaching, making it the busiest time for Baozi's business, Lord Dumpling's friendship was clearly more important.

Zhou Li thought for a moment, then remembered to remind her, "If you come to play with Master Xiao Lǜ, you can't come empty-handed, okay? Lord Dumpling can wear that little outfit with the small pockets, and each time you visit, bring some snacks or fruit for Master Xiao Lǜ. That will make Master Xiao Lǜ very happy."

"Lord Dumpling knows!"

"True." Zhou Li nodded, also feeling he'd stated the obvious. "Lord Dumpling knows everything; she doesn't need me to remind her."

"Exactly! That's just how it is!" Tuanzi affirmed proudly.

"Does Lord Dumpling have other friends around here?"

"I do, meow!"

"Then go play with them more often too," Zhou Li said thoughtfully. "Because it's almost finals, I'll have to start studying and concentrate hard. That means I can't play with Lord Dumpling. However, I will buy Lord Dumpling lots of tasty treats so you can take them to your friends."

"Got it, meow!"

"Oh, right—"

Zhou Li suddenly remembered something important and said solemnly to Tuanzi, "The Old Land World is moving; it's going up to the stars. Does Lord Dumpling know about this?"

"Of course I know, meow!"

"So, will Lord Dumpling leave?"

"I won't leave, meow!"

"Why not?"

"Because..."

Tuanzi's eyes darted around. She twisted her head on the suitcase—she had been looking forward, but now she turned to stare into Zhou Li's eyes. "Lord Dumpling can't bear to leave Zhou Ni~," she cooed.

"Really?"

"I really mean it, meow!"

"I see..."

Zhou Li glanced back. Although they had already walked some distance, the little demon was still sitting on top of the electrical box, watching them go.

「A new year had already begun.」

The tedious routine of studying for exams began.

For someone like Zhou Li, the hardest part wasn't the studying itself, but the daily mental battle before he could even start. Any little thing could become an excuse not to study. But once he forced himself to start and got into the zone, it actually became much simpler.

Once the final exams were over, the semester would end.

Perhaps because his remaining time at school was dwindling and graduation was drawing near, this semester seemed to fly by faster than any before it—so fast it was almost unsettling.

Baozi approached Zhou Li and Brother Nan, her face set with determination. "Cousin, Cousin-in-law, I've made up my mind! I'm going back to Yi Province with you both to visit Little Sister Zheng!"

Zhou Li nodded, pleased.