"Important facilities..."
Zhou Li hesitated as he looked at Huai Xu.
As a human, there was certainly no issue for him to tour around here. However, Huai Xu was special, a Great Demon with strong combat abilities who remained unaffiliated with the Demon World. His body, shining with starlight, told tales of his past slaughters.
Wouldn't that be a bit sensitive?
Tuanzi noticed his concerns, then straightened up and touched his face with her paw, earnestly saying, "Don't worry. Since you have chosen to be loyal to Lord Dumpling, Lord Dumpling will cover for you."
Zhou Li nodded.
Seeing this, Tuanzi burrowed into the quilt. "Let's sleep. Lord Dumpling will take you there to play tomorrow."
"There's no need for that."
"OH, why?" Tuanzi popped her round head out from under the quilt, staring at him and emphasizing again, "It's super, super fun!"
"Never mind."
"MEOW?"
"You should rest now, Lord Dumpling."
"OH~"
That day, Zhou Li went to sleep quite early. He felt it was likely due to the mental strain Huai Xu had caused him during the day.
「The next day.」
Zhou Li queued to buy three tickets.
The staff member glanced at Tuanzi in his arms and kindly reminded him, "Take good care of your pet. It's best to put it in a bag; otherwise, you might not be able to find her if she runs into the rainforest. Also, the treetop corridor is very high. She might easily fall if she gets scared."
"Thank you."
"MEOW~"
"You're welcome. What a beautiful cat."
"Thank you."
Under the staff member's smile, Zhou Li turned away. Huai Xu, wearing his backpack on his front, followed closely behind him.
Brother Nan was behind them, eating ice cream while waiting.
The three of them set off side by side.
Zhou Li had bought a package ticket. It included the entrance fee to the scenic area and a one-way sightseeing boat ticket, which was an alternative to a sightseeing car for reaching the area. It also included a choice between the main attractions of Wangtian Tree Scenic Area: the treetop corridor or the Rainforest Corridor Bridge.
The Rainforest Corridor Bridge appeared to be made of glass.
The treetop corridor was a shaky rope path built upon the Wangtian Tree canopy, very high up.
Brother Nan had specifically come for the treetop corridor.
Besides, all other attractions in the scenic area seemed to be the kind that just depleted one's physical strength without serving any real purpose. Only with the 'being with Zhou Li' attribute active would Brother Nan be mildly interested in strolling around.
They arrived at the ferry, queued, had their tickets clipped, and then boarded the boat.
There were quite a few people.
It seemed they had arrived around the same time as a large tour bus group. However, since they were at the end of the line, after the two boats ahead had filled with more than twenty people each, only a family of three boarded with them when their turn came.
The boat soon started up with a loud rumble.
Zhou Li was a southerner from the Yi Province basin. He grew up in a place far from any reservoirs or rivers and, to this day, couldn't swim. His only previous boating experience was six months ago when he and Brother Nan had rowed a boat on Lashi Lake in Lijiang. This could be considered his first proper boat trip.
As the green waves rippled, he took out his phone to take photos.
Next to them, a pretty little girl from the family of three, dressed in a Republic-era school dress, stared straight at them.
Tuanzi languidly stretched in Zhou Li's arms, making eye contact as if she were trying to entice the girl. Brother Nan was licking her ice cream, a small yogurt pudding she had been enjoying for a while; it had almost melted. Tuanzi was beautiful. Brother Nan ate with relish, and the ice cream seemed to get even tastier as she continued.
The little girl felt a stir of temptation.
Just then, Tuanzi turned her head towards Zhou Li and whispered softly, "Zhou Li, didn't you say we weren't going to play there? Then why are we still heading that way?"
"What's wrong?"
"The scent I'm following is getting closer."
"...Lord Dumpling indeed has a sharp nose," Zhou Li whispered, bending over.
"Lord Dumpling is super amazing!"
"Mommy, that kitty can talk! He's talking to the kitty!" the little girl nearby suddenly exclaimed, pointing at Zhou Li and Tuanzi.
Zhou Li immediately looked at the little girl, as did Huai Xu and Brother Nan. Realizing what was happening, he quickly smiled to make the little girl less afraid.
The girl's parents smiled kindly at Zhou Li and nodded repeatedly.
Zhou Li smiled back in response.
Tuanzi again turned to Zhou Li and said, "This little human also has talent. Heavenly Masters these days are increasingly... HMM HMM... Let go... HMM... Why aren't you letting Lord Dumpling... HMM..."
"Don't scare her," Zhou Li said, covering Tuanzi's mouth.
After saying that, he looked up.
He saw the little girl, eyes wide, telling her parents again, "The kitty really can talk! I heard it!"
Her parents, a bit embarrassed, still made exaggerated expressions as they looked at her. "What did the kitty say? Was it calling for Jerry? Or was it complaining that the sun is too strong today?"
Zhou Li felt a bit envious.
At that moment, Tuanzi suddenly wriggled out of Zhou Li's arms, took small, quick steps to the little girl, looked up, and MEOWED repeatedly at her. Then, in a posture very familiar to Zhou Li, she flopped onto the ground, rolled over, and showed her belly while tilting her head to look at the little girl.
The little girl's eyes widened instantly.
Zhou Li maintained his smile and said to the parents, "She's very friendly. She isn't aggressive and won't hurt your daughter."
The young parents nodded, their worries easing.
Nearby, Brother Nan withdrew her gaze from Zhou Li. After a moment's thought, she used this opportunity to strike up a conversation with the young parents.
She began by praising the little girl for being lovely—a standard opening.
The young parents, in turn, praised Tuanzi for being so spirited.
And just like that, they started chatting.
The young parents asked Brother Nan where she had bought her ice cream. Brother Nan vaguely said it was at the entrance of the scenic area. A little later, feigning curiosity, she asked them why their little girl claimed she could hear Tuanzi talking.
Zhou Li wasn't much of a talker. By the time he tuned back into the conversation, Brother Nan had already asked everything he had been curious about.
Nearby, Tuanzi was happily playing with the little girl.
Before they knew it, the boat was nearing the shore.
Zhou Li thought for a moment, gave Huai Xu a subtle look, then turned to the little girl and said, "Jingjing, how about I do a magic trick for you? Do you believe I can pull an ice cream out of this empty pocket?"
"Really?"
"Really. Watch."
Zhou Li first showed them the pocket; it was indeed empty. Then he opened his hand and wiggled his fingers. He was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, and his slender, clean fingers clearly couldn't hide anything.
Finally, he reached into his pocket.
With a quick movement, when Zhou Li pulled his hand out, it unexpectedly held a lollipop.
It was a huge lollipop, exquisitely made.
Jingjing stared at him, dumbfounded.
Brother Nan and Jingjing's parents also stared at him, dumbfounded.
Zhou Li was speechless.
He glanced at Huai Xu.
Huai Xu wore the same stupefied expression and was also looking at him.
"Whoops, wrong item... Well, this will have to do."
Zhou Li handed the lollipop to the little girl. As she shyly thanked him and reached out to take it, he put on a mysterious expression and whispered, "Actually, I can hear them too. Hearing kitties talk and seeing peculiar things is a special ability that only gifted children have, you know. Keep it as a secret, and don't easily tell anyone else."
"EH?" The little girl looked puzzled.
"Don't be scared of them; they aren't scary, are they?" Zhou Li continued, pointing at Tuanzi. "You can try to be friends with them, but do it secretly, of course."
"OH..."
The boat docked, and the captain called out.
Jingjing's parents nodded to Zhou Li to express their gratitude. Zhou Li merely smiled shyly in return without saying much. Today's young parents are more knowledgeable and cultured than previous generations; they understand how to communicate with their children better. This is a sign of social progress.
When he turned around, Brother Nan and Huai Xu were both looking askance at him, making Zhou Li feel somewhat uneasy.
So, he hurriedly stood up.
"Let's go!"
"Say goodbye to the big brother and big sister," one of the parents said.
"Goodbye, big brother and big sister."
"Goodbye, Jingjing."
"MEOW~"
Tuanzi, true to her fickle cat nature, left Jingjing without a backward glance and returned to Zhou Li's feet, wanting to be picked up.
The three of them walked swiftly and soon reached the front of the disembarking crowd.
Brother Nan walked in the lead. She carelessly tossed the ice cream stick she had been holding the entire way into a trash bin, then took out her mobile phone to take a selfie.
Huai Xu followed Zhou Li.
Zhou Li hadn't intended to complain to him, but unexpectedly, Huai Xu spoke first, his tone contemptuous. "Have you no common sense? How could I possibly open the fridge, grab an ice cream, and close it again in an instant? The fridge would break, you know!"
The iron fist of science instantly knocked Zhou Li for a loop.
Brother Nan, walking ahead, chuckled.
「An hour later.」
Brother Nan and Zhou Li carefully walked to the middle of the canopy corridor. The walkway was only about a foot wide, just enough for one person. Although the steel cables and rope nets on either side ensured physical safety, they didn't provide much of a sense of security, especially since it swayed as they walked on it.
Brother Nan, with her extensive experience walking on water pipes and narrow aqueduct bridges, even intentionally swayed the corridor, trying to scare Zhou Li. But to her slight disappointment, Zhou Li's expression remained calm.
"Zhou Li, take a photo of me!"
"Strike a pose."
"Zhou Li, take one of me too," said Huai Xu from behind, hands in his pockets, standing as casually as if on solid ground. "What pose should I strike?"
"Lord Dumpling wants one too!"
"..."
The canopy walkway wasn't long, and they spent most of their time taking photos. They hadn't actually taken enough, but because there were people behind them, they felt awkward making everyone else wait, even though the others were very understanding.
It was a one-way path; once they descended, they couldn't go back up.
"This is much more fun than that Wild Elephant Valley Primeval Forest!" Brother Nan declared.
As Brother Nan spoke, she looked up at the midday sun, then quickly found an auspiciously scenic spot. She spread out a picnic blanket and took out the food they had brought in Huai Xu's bag and from the car, arranging it all invitingly.
The main dishes were chicken-oil rice, lemon ghost chicken, and lemon jelly.
For fruit, they had pineapple, bananas, and grapes.
There were also snacks and Sprite.
They took photos first to capture the beauty of their trip, and then they began to eat.