Chapter 68: Chapter 67: Isn’t That Me?
「Evening.」
A strong cross-breeze still blew through the room.
Chen Yang had put on pants today but was still shirtless as he smoked in the dormitory.
Because of the strong wind, Zhou Li couldn’t smell the smoke.
But he still felt it was inappropriate.
Through their interactions over the past few days, Zhou Li had come to understand Chen Yang’s personality. He guessed Chen Yang had likely continued the habit from his high school days. Since nobody in the university dormitory had pointed it out, Zhou Li believed he would likely succeed if he decided to speak up.
He hesitated.
Should he speak now or wait until they were more familiar?
He should say it now...
Suddenly, a voice interrupted his thoughts, "Zhou Li, I’ve decided! Tomorrow, let’s swap places in the cafeteria bathroom. After I leave, you come out wearing a mask about ten minutes later!"
Zhou Li looked toward Huai Xu standing below.
Huai Xu was practically bursting with excitement about the military training the next day.
"With so many people in your troop, someone is bound to talk to me tomorrow, right? The instructor will definitely ask me questions, and he’ll probably... No, I need to practice beforehand! If I mess up, you can’t blame me!"
"AHEM, my name is Zhou Li."
"Report, my name is Zhou Li!"
"Report, my name is Zhou Li!" he boomed.
"Zhou Li, let’s not eat in the cafeteria at noon today. How about we go to Southern Capital for a dry pot?"
"Okay."
"Let’s go play basketball!"
"I don’t know how. I only play badminton."
"Why are you pushing me?" He tilted his head up to look at the person bullying him. "I’m just good-looking; I didn’t provoke you."
"..."
Zhou Li watched his performance expressionlessly. So exaggerated.
Actually, he had already exchanged names with the people sitting near him yesterday. Except for Brother Nan, no one else would invite him for dry pot. His other dorm mates didn’t have that kind of inclination either. Besides, military training was so exhausting; who would have the energy to play basketball? Also, with the angle you tilted your head, was the person bullying you built like San Zheng?
As he thought about it, Zhou Li started to feel a bit sorry for Huai Xu.
The next morning, following the plan, Zhou Li had breakfast, let his roommates leave first, and then made his way to the bathroom.
He casually picked a stall and went in.
Huai Xu appeared outside.
"I’m going first."
"Be careful."
"Don’t worry, I’m a professional!"
"Okay."
Huai Xu walked out of the bathroom humming a tune, his steps light. He even stopped in front of the mirror to tidy himself up a bit. He was quite pleased with Zhou Li’s looks.
Once outside, he immediately slowed his pace, his entire demeanor becoming unhurried, and he stopped humming.
From time to time, he glanced left and right.
But he pretended not to see the glances cast by girls.
He was the spitting image of Zhou Li.
On the other hand, Zhou Li left the bathroom after about ten minutes and put on a mask.
At this hour, the entire dormitory building was likely empty, so it wasn’t convenient for him to go back to his room. He couldn’t roam around in his military uniform either, so he headed straight to the main gate, scanned a shared electric bike, and rode to Tianruikang Garden.
The apartment Hong Ran had arranged for him was in this residential complex, which housed a mix of tenants.
Soon, he received a message from Hong Ran.
Hong Ran asked him if military training was fun. Upon learning that Huai Xu had gone in his place today, she invited Zhou Li to come and visit her.
Zhou Li was wondering what to do anyway, so he agreed.
Hong Ran: I’ll send someone to pick you up.
Zhou Li: Okay.
About three minutes later, Hong Ran sent another message—
"Come up to the rooftop."
Zhou Li was bewildered. He left his apartment and climbed the stairs to the rooftop.
On the rooftop stood a Demon resembling a giant ladybug. It was larger than a sedan, and its body was hollow. Eyes as large as washbasins stared fixedly at him.
"Sir Zhou Li?"
"That’s me."
"Please come inside. No one will see you within my body."
"Oh, okay."
Zhou Li stepped into its body and found surprisingly soft sofas, pillows, and Minion dolls inside.
There was also a power bank resting on the sofa.
"Hold tight, we’re taking off."
"Okay."
A gentle HUMMING sound reached his ears, surprisingly soft. Then he felt the rooftop receding smoothly below him.
The Demon began to accelerate.
Flying over the city,
nearing Dian Lake.
Seagulls swirled below in groups, snatching food from tourists on Haigeng Dam. Dian Lake was exceptionally calm in the morning; from their high vantage point, all they could see was a vast, smooth green surface.
The distant city, Haigeng Dam.
The school behind them.
A strong wind blew.
Zhou Li took out his phone to snap some photos. At the Demon’s reminder, he sat down. They crossed Dian Lake to reach the area behind West Mountain.
Deep in the woods stood an ancient-looking house.
As the Demon landed, it said to Zhou Li, "We’ve arrived. Someone is waiting to escort you below. Please disembark."
Zhou Li stumbled slightly as he stepped out. Landing on the ground, he felt it was unusually soft beneath his feet. He looked down and saw a thick layer of fallen leaves. Chunming usually started to get hot by this time of day, but this place remained unusually cool.
And very quiet.
It was as if the city had suddenly been shut out.
A man was waiting below—Hong Ran’s driver. He gestured politely for Zhou Li to follow, without a word.
Zhou Li followed him inside the house.
Gradually, he began to hear voices—
"We’ve caught it."
"That was quick."
"It’s because Zhisha awoke. Although his full strength hasn’t returned, he truly is formidable." This was an unfamiliar voice. "It’s fortunate you had him join the pursuit. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been resolved this quickly, and who knows what other trouble might have erupted."
"My guest has arrived."
"Then..."
"If it needs to be killed, leave it to Zhisha. They’ve both just awakened and need to replenish their energy."
"I’ll take my leave first, then."
"Take care."
Zhou Li waited outside the room.
A tall, thin man, looking like a shadow stretched by a slanting light, walked out. He nodded at Zhou Li and then left.
Only then did Zhou Li enter.
The house had a classical exterior, but the interior decoration was surprisingly modern, even featuring a robotic vacuum cleaner, which undoubtedly added greatly to its comfort. Hong Ran was sitting on a soft sofa, wearing a loose gown and lazily yawning.
The sofa was very soft, as if she might sink into it.
"Little brother, I’m so stressed..."
"A lot of things bothering you?"
"So many, they’re giving me a headache," Hong Ran said as she uncrossed her legs, stood up, and beckoned him. "Come on, let’s not stay here. This room is for discussing business, and it’s frustrating just looking at it!"
Zhou Li followed her.
Further inside, there was another courtyard.
It was full of bamboo, with water trickling nearby. A gentle breeze was blowing, and the bamboo leaves, though seemingly reluctant, swayed nonetheless.
They rustled softly.
Zhou Li couldn’t help but comment, "This place has a really nice environment."
"Oh, I just threw it together."
"It’s so quiet."
"I don’t like noise."
"Hmm."
They entered a small living room. While not as grand as the one outside and somewhat cluttered, it felt more homey. After sitting down, Hong Ran pushed a fruit platter on the coffee table towards him.
"Try this. It’s good stuff."
"What is this?" Zhou Li found the fruit odd.
"I had my people search the world over for these. No matter how powerful you humans are, you wouldn’t be able to eat them. See if you like it. Try something new."
"Oh."
Zhou Li picked one up and took a bite.
Refreshing, juicy.
Hong Ran looked at him with concern. "Is it tasty?"
"Delicious."
"I really love these."
"It’s a bit sour."
"These fruits used to be abundant in our world, but then they became rare. I have no idea why," Hong Ran said, taking a bite of one herself. "I suppose I’m abusing my authority to get these. Otherwise, even I wouldn’t get to eat them."
"Is it because of the environment?"
"Maybe it’s because we came here, and that had some impact," Hong Ran said with a smile. "Never mind that. The other day, I specifically went to check on Huai Xu’s background for you."
"Did you find anything?"
"I did," Hong Ran said. "He didn’t have many Demon friends, and the few he had are all dead. Sister Hong really put in a lot of effort. If people didn’t see how exhausted I’ve been lately, some might have started gossiping."
"You worked hard, Sister Hong," Zhou Li said, hitting the nail on the head.
"Say it again!"
"Sister Hong."
"Just calling me that isn’t enough. Stay and chat with me tonight. I have plenty of rooms; pick any you want."
"Sure."
Zhou Li compromised his principles.
Hong Ran then crossed her legs again, munching on fruit as she said, "Huai Xu was born shortly before the Common Era. His father was a thief, and his death might have been related to a Heavenly Master. Anyway, young Huai Xu ended up in that Heavenly Master’s possession."
"That Heavenly Master discovered Huai Xu’s exceptional talent and pure nature, so he presented him to the king."
"At the time, the human king wanted to suppress us Demons. On the other hand, he felt that traditional Heavenly Masters were arrogant, overbearing, and disrespectful of royal authority. So, he began to establish a series of special units, training them from childhood to ensure their loyalty to him."
"In the end, three forces remained."
"Suppression of Demons, Suppression of Devils, and Stabilization."
"The first two were just rabble. Only Stabilization was an elite force, its members skilled in fighting and loyal to the king."
"Huai Xu was among them."
"Furthermore, the Pingding Army had ten squads, designated Jia through Gui. Each squad had anywhere from a few to over a dozen members. He was fourth in the Jia-ranked squad. Considering he’d received training like that of a death soldier from a young age, while he lacked strategy, his pure combat prowess was likely among the very best."
"What happened next?" Zhou Li asked.
"After that, he was primarily active in the Qingjiang region. Following the king’s orders, he eliminated Demons and also dealt with humans."
"Later, somehow, he had an epiphany and followed Master Ming for a spell. I couldn’t find out what happened after that, but it’s not that important anyway. Eventually, he turned into a Demon and then met me a few times."
"Who is Master Ming?"
"A very important figure, the most powerful person of that entire era."
"You said last time that he also became a Demon."
"Yes, and now he’s the most powerful Demon."
"I see."
Zhou Li fell into thought.
After lunch at Hong Ran’s, he ate ice cream and played on his phone. Initially, Hong Ran chatted with him, but gradually she fell asleep against the sofa armrest, clutching a pillow.
The blazing sunlight filtered through the bamboo grove, its heat absorbed by the tiled roof, so very little warmth reached the room.
Suddenly, there was some commotion outside.
Hong Ran opened her eyes and turned to Zhou Li. "That Demon you’re keeping is so infuriating! I’d just managed to fall asleep..."
"Huai Xu is here?"
"Yes, he was stopped at the entrance. So annoying."
Hong Ran got up, went out, and brought Huai Xu inside.
Huai Xu’s eyes landed on the ice cream Zhou Li was holding. He froze for a moment, the memory of his own suffering flashing through his mind...
"What are you eating?"
"Why are you here?" Zhou Li asked.
"I’m in the restroom right now," Huai Xu said.
"Didn’t you bring toilet paper?"
"No."
"Then what is it?"
"I have something to tell you."
"Did you get into trouble?"
"Forget it, never mind!" Seeing Zhou Li’s nonchalant reaction, Huai Xu lost the desire to say more. "I’m leaving."
"Huh?"
"I’m going, I’m going."
Huai Xu turned and walked a few steps, then spun back around and snatched the ice cream from Zhou Li’s hands.
Watching him disappear, Zhou Li chuckled. Had the old monster forgotten he was currently on the toilet? He couldn’t help but picture Huai Xu emerging from a stall, ice cream in hand.
Soon, his smile froze.