During the picnic, they came across Jingjing's family.
Zhou Li handed snacks to Jingjing while Brother Nan forcefully stuffed some fruit into Jingjing's parents' hands and chatted for a while before saying goodbye and leaving.
Huai Xu wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand and glanced into the distance, saying, "Once this little girl grows up, your human Heavenly Masters will pretty much truly have the ability to confront us head-on."
Zhou Li nodded.
People like him, Zheng Zhilan, and Yin Le were pioneers among the new generation of Heavenly Masters. They were destined to be very powerful and would be the strongest group in this era. They would become the guides of the future world of Heavenly Masters. Not only would they shoulder the responsibility of strength, but perhaps they would also lead the future human Heavenly Masters in their attitude towards Demons. But relying solely on them was not enough to confront Demons.
Jingjing's generation would likely be the main force.
At that moment, Huai Xu grinned and said, "That little girl is much braver than you, and she'll definitely be braver than you when she grows up."
"Indeed." Zhou Li nodded again.
"You'll have Brother Nan to cover for you in the future!" Brother Nan said, holding a piece of chicken, pretending to offer him some, "Do you want some chicken?"
"I don't eat it, thank you, Brother Nan."
"Then give it to me!"
The chicken on Brother Nan's chopsticks merely feigned a pass before being placed back into her own bowl. She then stretched out her hand, calmly lifting the chicken from Zhou Li's bowl piece by piece while mumbling, "Why don't you eat meat when you're so thin, it's so delicious..."
Zhou Li watched her, dumbfounded.
Faintly, he saw the hint of a smile at the corner of Brother Nan's mouth.
Before Zhou Li said anything, Huai Xu suddenly jerked his head up and looked off into the distance, "A Demon is coming, a Great Demon."
After a slight pause, he waved his hand and said, "It's probably here to probe or monitor me, or possibly as a warning. Don't panic."
Upon hearing this, Tuanzi raised her head and said, "It might also have detected Lord Dumpling and come to pay respects."
Huai Xu curled his lips disdainfully.
Brother Nan, on the other hand, was full of anticipation.
A group of Demons quickly arrived, but alas, she couldn't see them.
Zhou Li narrowed his eyes to take a careful look. The group of Demons consisted of about a dozen individuals, one of whom clearly had a higher status—he was in the safest position and was intentionally protected by other Demons, and his appearance was different from the others. His figure was hunchbacked, and his grey hooded robe covered his entire body. The other Demons all looked the same, appearing very fierce.
They arrived quickly and maintained the same formation the entire time.
There was a noticeable hesitation at the sight of Brother Nan; then, presumably, the Demon wrapped in the grey robe made a decision, and they approached.
"This area is sensitive. Human Heavenly Masters and non-affiliated Demons are required to report in advance to avoid misunderstandings," said the Demon in the grey robe, whose voice sounded like an old human woman with unclear speech.
"We're here on a trip," Huai Xu stated.
"Right," Zhou Li nodded, "We mean no offense and accept all inspections."
"HUH?"
The hunchbacked old Demon stared intently at the picnic blanket and lifted her hood slightly to take a closer look, "Isn't that Lord Dumpling?"
Only then did Tuanzi look up, "You've seen Lord Dumpling before?"
"I have."
"Then you should pay your respects to Lord Dumpling."
"Lord Dumpling, may you be well," the old Demon in the grey robe removed her hood and bowed slightly. She had the face of an elderly human woman, very old, with intense white light shining from her eyes; other than that, not much different from a human.
"Lord Dumpling honors us with your presence... How did you come to the Mirror Zone?" the old Demon asked kindly.
"Who are you?" Tuanzi asked doubtfully in return.
"Don't you remember me? You visited the Mirror Zone with Your Highness before, and I attended to you," the old Demon reminisced, "But that was a very long time ago..."
"Lord Dumpling remembers now, you are Lord Tao Zhi," Tuanzi said, tilting her head again, "But how did you become like this?"
"I've aged."
What followed surprised Zhou Li and Huai Xu. Tuanzi scurried over and placed her paws on Tao Zhi's foot, looking up with a tone of distress and sadness, "It must be hard guarding the Mirror Zone; you all age so quickly."
Tao Zhi bent down to meet Tuanzi's gaze, smiling forlornly, "That's our duty."
Afterward, she asked, "You haven't told me yet, how did you come to be here, Lord Dumpling? Has Your Highness awoken?"
"Not yet," Tuanzi huffed, "Lord Dumpling doesn't want to see Lord Hong Ran, so I've been playing around, and I ended up playing here. That Demon and those two humans are Lord Dumpling's friends and followers."
"I see," Tao Zhi nodded.
"Lord Dumpling wants to go to the Mirror Zone. Lord Dumpling wants to find Your Highness to play," Tuanzi said, pausing, "to inspect—on behalf of Your Highness."
"This is our honor!"
"And I want to bring my friends along."
"This…" Tao Zhi glanced at Huai Xu again, her gaze sweeping over Zhou Li and Brother Nan. "Since Lord Dumpling requests it, of course, Lord Dumpling has the authority to do so."
"HAHA!"
Tuanzi ran back to Zhou Li in a dash. "Let's go! Lord Dumpling will take you to play in the Mirror Zone and treat you to good food!"
"You go ahead; we'll wait for you in the county."
"Why? It's super fun! Zhou Li can find the old Lord Dumplings to play with in the Mirror Zone, don't you want to?" Tuanzi tilted her head, looking at Zhou Li suspiciously. After a moment of thought, she adjusted her body to look at Huai Xu. "You can also find Master Ming to play with."
"HMM?" Huai Xu was startled.
"That's amazing!" Zhou Li looked at Huai Xu and then at Brother Nan. "Can Brother Nan go, too?"
"It's possible; ordinary people could enter in ancient times, but it requires a Great Demon like Lord Dumpling to lead the way."
"Then we'll trouble Lord Dumpling," Zhou Li said with an apologetic expression. "Always following Lord Dumpling for good food and drinks, sometimes, Huai Xu and I feel quite ashamed."
"Really?" Tuanzi was immediately proud. "Who made Lord Dumpling so amazing? Of course, Lord Dumpling should cover for you!"
"That's great."
"MEOW!"
"Wait."
Zhou Li quickly crouched down to start packing and said to Brother Nan, "Someone has invited us to visit a very mysterious place."
「About five minutes later, they set off.」
They had proceeded only a short distance along the scenic area's path when it seemed to transform into a different route. The lush rainforest parted automatically. Mindful of their pace, Tao Zhi slowly led them up and down the mountainside.
"Do you know Master Ming and Lord Hong Ran?" Tao Zhi, having heard Tuanzi's earlier remarks, asked.
"Yes," Huai Xu nodded quietly.
"He is Master Ming's student," Zhou Li said on his behalf.
"Master Ming's student!" Tao Zhi appeared surprised, a flicker of light passing through her eyes. She nodded slightly and then turned to Brother Nan. "This little girl seems to be unable to see us. Is she a Junior celestial master or a mortal?"
"Sort of," Huai Xu mumbled vaguely.
Zhou Li, seeing this, remained silent.
This was part of the ancient classification of spiritualists—distinguishing them as Orthodox Taoist Masters and Junior celestial masters. Besides the difference in Spiritual Power, the primary distinction lay in whether one could clearly see Demons. Typically, Junior celestial masters either couldn't see Demons clearly or needed external assistance to achieve clarity or even visibility. Su Jue belonged to this category, a rare member of the first group of Junior celestial masters.
Junior celestial masters had a significant flaw—their inherently weak Spiritual Power made casting Spells extremely difficult.
However, an alternative path suitable for Junior celestial masters had been developed in ancient times: forgoing Spells and, with the assistance of other Orthodox Taoist Masters, employing various methods to harness their own Spiritual Power and affinity for it to endow their bodies with tremendous strength.
These Junior celestial masters could be exceedingly powerful, yet the downside was that they could not operate independently of their organization and lacked the functionality of Spells.
They were natural born members of the Heavenly Master army, usually dedicating their martial prowess to imperial households.
As Zhou Li walked, he engaged in quiet conversation with Tao Zhi, learning about this place through her and Tuanzi's responses.
The Mirror Zone was a unique place within Yu Country. Zhou Li had initially thought it was some kind of military restricted area, but it turned out to be more than that. He found it difficult to describe this place.
An experimental zone? An institution? A treasure land from a fantasy tale? Or perhaps a region created by some Divine Artifact or the like? None seemed quite right.
However, the Mirror Zone possessed a remarkable ability—it could control your dreams, allowing you to return to the past in your sleep. The Mirror Zone would construct a world of the past for you, a world that seemed both real and illusory, mysteriously defying all reason.
Tuanzi said that the world in those dreams was just like the real one.
Suddenly, the path ahead came to an end. Tao Zhi turned and nodded at Tuanzi, then took the lead and stepped forward.
WHOOSH!
Her figure vanished in an instant.
Zhou Li, holding Tuanzi, glanced back at the bewildered Brother Nan. He reached out and grasped her wrist, which felt smooth and delicate, and clearly saw her startle.
"Follow me…"
Zhou Li didn't look at Brother Nan but simply pulled her along.
WHOOSH!
A burst of light shone, and after a brief blur, vision returned to clarity.
In front of them was a dip in the mountainside, which must have been concealed by some method. Nestled within the hollow was a cluster of small western-style houses.
Brother Nan's eyes widened, her forehead furrowed with question marks.
Zhou Li was momentarily speechless.
The two exchanged glances, finding the reality different from what they had imagined.
Noticing their thoughts, Tao Zhi smiled and said, "We have to keep up with the times, keep up with the times. These are much more comfortable than the old bamboo houses."
Zhou Li nodded; she had a point.
Tao Zhi led them onward.
There were many Demons in the Mirror Zone, and Zhou Li guessed they must be engaged in some sort of work within. The Demons were very friendly toward them, and many that had the ability of Manifesting Form did so to accommodate Brother Nan. The elders each paid their respects to Tuanzi; those who had met her before all made small talk with her, much to her annoyance.
Dinner too was made to Tuanzi's liking.
She wanted to eat grilled lizard, and the elders prepared it for her.
She wanted to eat roasted peacock, and the elders prepared a roasted pheasant for her, claiming that a peacock looked like this once plucked.
Zhou Li had previously thought that deceiving Tuanzi had been his original idea… He had been too full of himself.
For Brother Nan, this was undoubtedly a fantasy realm akin to Narnia. Naturally fearless, she dragged Zhou Li everywhere, exploring and observing with boundless energy.
She had no choice but to cling to Zhou Li, as some Demons were invisible to her. She had to stay close to him at all times—very close, indeed.
As night fell and the sky shimmered with silver light, the three of them received a quiet, large room. The conditions were not great, lacking both a television and network reception, and the beds were hard boards. Despite this, they were satisfied and grateful. Two people and two Demons lay on their beds; the room was quiet.
Apart from Tuanzi, now asleep, the rest struggled to fall asleep, their minds compulsively wandering.
Who might they dream of? What time would they dream of?
Dreams were said to be highly unpredictable. They heard that thoughts before sleep could slightly influence what one dreamed of. It was also said that sleeping close to others might result in dreams about each other. In any case, there were many uncertainties that varied from person to person. Tuanzi was special in that she always dreamed of Your Highness or delicious food she had eaten before.
If it were controllable, Zhou Li would want to go back to his childhood. He missed his grandfather dearly.
Huai Xu, of course, wanted to see Master Ming. Master Ming might have been the most special person in his life, perhaps even the most important. But the frustrating part was that he, a human transformed into a Demon, seemed to have a slight problem—his memory was recovering too slowly.
Brother Nan was more unique. She had no regrets and only thought of playing. So, in their pre-sleep discussion, after thinking for half a second, she expressed her desire to return to the childhoods of either Zhou Li or Huai Xu and give them both a beating.
Zhou Li wasn't surprised—Brother Nan's mind... well, it couldn't be measured by common sense.
Gradually, Zhou Li's consciousness sank, the images in his mind blurring, then they rippled like the surface of water.