Chapter 96: Chapter 94 Wishing Everyone a Happy New Year Since I Don’t Know What to Title This
"It’s like this. I heard from an old demon who has lived for many years that the situation around here is getting a bit complex; some demons are negatively influencing humans in wicked ways." Huai Xu sipped his cola as though it were fine red wine. "So I went to investigate. You know I’m best at these things, so it didn’t take me long to find the information."
"Impressive."
"Actually, I’ve seen many similar things before!" Huai Xu burped. "Some demons use certain human desires to extract what they need from humans. They don’t cause deaths; they just withdraw when the time comes. This way, they aren’t easily targeted by human Heavenly Masters. And if other demons ask about it, it’s presented as consensual on both sides and doesn’t cause a big fuss."
"If it’s consensual, the demons don’t intervene?"
"Most of the time, yes, but it also depends on the severity of the issue and how clever that particular demon is. I don’t understand it all that well myself."
"I see."
"Those involved in such affairs are usually quite powerful demons. Of course, I’m not scared of them..." Huai Xu quickly clarified. "I just think it’s not worth having conflicts or making enemies with a major figure over a bit of money."
"You’re right."
"Right?" Huai Xu was pleased Zhou Li understood him. "After all, we are Great Demons. We need to show each other some respect."
"Indeed."
"Also, like I said before, this is the heart of the Demon Kingdom, not Yan City." Huai Xu sprawled on the couch, frowning. "Right now, the Demon King hasn’t awakened, and there are actually two factions among the demons. You get it, right?"
"Got it."
Zhou Li had already heard about it from Hong Ran.
Most demons, like the ones he had encountered, preferred peace and had sought harmonious coexistence with humans since arriving in this world.
But there were exceptions.
A small minority of demons were more radical. Considering things from the perspective of racial survival, they didn’t care about the lives of this world’s native humans. They advocated for the eradication, by any means necessary, of anything that could threaten their race’s continuation.
If they had been in power from the start, given the overwhelming advantage demons initially held over humans, humanity might have already gone extinct.
Fortunately, most demons did not agree with them.
And because their overall strength was relatively weak, they couldn’t stir up much trouble when the Demon King was awake.
But now, with no Demon King, there was only Hong Ran.
Huai Xu reached behind his back to scratch an itch, fiercely suppressing his hunger. "But don’t worry too much. After thinking it over, firstly, this matter isn’t necessarily related to them. Secondly, even if we get involved, it doesn’t mean we’ll become their enemies. Truth be told, this is just a trivial matter, and we’re only trying to earn a little money. We’ll just leave some leeway. From their perspective, they wouldn’t bother picking a fight with me over such a minor issue, right?"
"You sound so experienced..."
"I haven’t finished speaking, don’t interrupt me!" Huai Xu continued his analysis. "Besides, they still have to abide by the laws of the Demon Kingdom. You, as a human Heavenly Master, are supposed to handle these matters. If you hadn’t discovered it, that would be one thing. But now that you have, are you supposed to pretend you didn’t see it? I think they’ll most likely just have to consider themselves unlucky... I mean, come on! If a thief breaks the law and gets caught by the police, can they hold a grudge against the police?"
"Is it really a Heavenly Master’s job to handle such things?"
"Yes, of course! Otherwise, why would Heavenly Masters even exist in this world?" Huai Xu suddenly felt something was off and quickly added, "But Heavenly Masters also need to earn a living; they can’t work for free, and they have to act within their capabilities."
"Understood."
"Maybe once they realize how formidable I am and become afraid to provoke me, they’ll start giving us money every time they see us. That way, we wouldn’t have to tire ourselves out looking for business." Huai Xu fantasized, "That would count as a steady income, right?"
"..."
This old monster was too worldly-wise.
Just then, Tuanzi’s delicate voice suddenly piped up from the side, "What are you two talking about? Lord Dumpling doesn’t understand."
"We’re talking about earning money," Huai Xu said.
"Oh."
Tuanzi understood a little but was now even more confused—why go to such lengths to earn money from rich people? Were these two fools really that much less intelligent than Lord Dumpling?
After a moment of thought, she added, "When you’ve earned money, will you buy Lord Dumpling boiled cabbage, bean sprouts, and a mobile phone?"
Zhou Li said, "We will."
Huai Xu said, "We’ll need to earn a lot of money for that."
Tuanzi’s eyes instantly brightened. "Then how will you earn money? Lord Dumpling will help you!"
Just as Zhou Li was about to say something to placate her, he heard Huai Xu ask, "Do you know about... that... that group, the demon equivalent of an underworld organization, the underground gang whose leader is Lin Zhong?"
Tuanzi thought for a moment. "I know, Lord Lin Zhong! He used to cause trouble a lot, and His Highness would call him in for a scolding. One time, he even brought Lord Dumpling a gift."
Zhou Li had almost forgotten that Tuanzi was raised by the Demon King. Technically, she might be considered the Demon Kingdom’s Chief Rodent Catcher or perhaps Chief Cuteness Officer? She had quite a bit of influence.
What had she called herself again? Right, a Close Attendant.
Zhou Li smiled.
Huai Xu asked more about those demons, but Tuanzi, being a cute little kitten who only knew about eating, drinking, and playing, knew very little about such grand affairs of the Demon Kingdom. She only said that His Highness was very powerful, so in His Highness’s Demon Kingdom, those demons couldn’t stir up much trouble. They usually abided by the law, occasionally exploited legal loopholes, and then were dealt with by His Highness.
And there are four Demon Kingdoms in this world.
Or rather, for ease of management, demons in this world are divided into four administrative districts. These are quite different from human nations; there are no barriers or conflicts between them.
The term ’Demon Kingdom’ was also coined by humans.
「September 23rd, Monday.」
「Autumnal Equinox.」
There was no military theory class this week, so Zhou Li didn’t leave until nine o’clock. He took Huai Xu to the noodle shop across the street for a bowl of "crossing-the-bridge" noodles and helplessly watched as the old monster added about twenty different side dishes, spending over thirty yuan on his meal alone.
"I’m off to class."
"I’m going to gather some intel!" Huai Xu declared, sounding a bit guilty. "I’ll do it quickly and make sure to earn back the money I spent on food!"
"Be careful."
"I’m very capable."
"Still, be careful."
"Alright, go to your class then."
"Mhm."
With that, the two parted ways.
The second class period was English Listening and Speaking, held in a large multimedia classroom where the display screens could easily hide people from view. Zhou Li, as usual, saved a seat for Brother Nan, and soon he saw Brother Nan’s figure at the door.
Seeing her standing there looking lost, he raised his hand high.
Brother Nan quickly walked over.
Once she sat down, Zhou Li glanced up at her. "How come you don’t have that cowlick today?"
"Sometimes it’s just not there!"
"Is there a principle behind it?"
"Hey, what’s with you!"
"Oh..." Zhou Li murmured.
Just then, Little Cousin came over. She was holding a bag, which she handed to Zhou Li with her expressionless Baozi face. "This is from my mom for you: spicy chicken, sausages, and braised beef, all homemade."
"Oh, oh."
Zhou Li quickly took it, still a bit slow to react. Only after Baozi had walked past him did he manage to say, "Thanks."
Baozi didn’t stop or turn around, but she nodded her head.
Beside him, Brother Nan fiddled with the bag, peering inside curiously. "Smells pretty good."
"You can have one."
"Hehe, I’ve got a bag too."
"You do?"
"Yeah, it’s in the dorm. Your cousin just brought it back; I haven’t eaten it yet." Brother Nan tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Your aunt must think I’m your girlfriend; otherwise, why would she give me any?"
"Oh..."
Zhou Li’s gaze began to drift, occasionally glancing at Brother Nan beside him and then quickly looking away.
Brother Nan, however, didn’t seem to care. As she poured some 502 glue onto her finger, she said to Zhou Li, "Behind the school’s back gate, there’s a patch of person-high grass. It’s lush green and has yellow flowers that look like big chrysanthemums. Have you seen it?"
"I think I’ve seen it."
"Why do I get the feeling those are sunchokes?"
"Sunchokes? What are those?" Zhou Li’s eyes widened as he watched her pour the glue onto her index finger and press her thumb onto it.
"It’s a kind of... a kind of..." Brother Nan pinched her fingers together tightly, struggling to describe it. "It’s a type of edible plant. When I was a kid, we had a lot of it growing in our yard. You can use it in cold dishes; it’s crispy, refreshing, and very tasty."
"What are you doing?"
"I’m trying to see if they’ll stick together."
"...Impressive."
"It’s not sticking! Is my glue no good? Look..." Brother Nan rubbed her fingers, showing them to Zhou Li. When it came to courting disaster, she was truly in a league of her own, utterly fearless. "You know, I was just thinking, it’s been so many years since I last had sunchokes."
"What are you up to..."
"Hehe, I really think those are sunchokes..."
"There’s no need. They might belong to someone, or they might not even be what you think they are." Zhou Li also stared at her fingers curiously. Brother Nan’s fingers were quite pretty—long and fair, now with dried glue on them. He instinctively wanted to reach out and touch them, but then he recalled Brother Nan’s decisive manner when cracking walnuts and quickly retracted his hand.
"Hmm, that makes sense," Brother Nan nodded, sneaking a glance at him.