My Demon Friends-Chapter 463 - 459 The Sunshine in Chunming is Very Good

Chapter 463: Chapter 459 The Sunshine in Chunming is Very Good

"Lord Dumpling, get up quickly! Shall we go catch Fortune Butterflies?"

"I don’t wanna~"

"What about little birds?"

"No~~"

"What a pity. It seems Lord Dumpling isn’t in the mood," Zhou Li said regretfully. "I was hoping Lord Dumpling would take me to catch Bright Bugs."

"Lord Dumpling wants to catch Bright Bugs with Your Highness, BOO-HOO..."

"What’s wrong with me?"

"Hmph~~"

This "Hmph~~" was not an expression of agreement, but rather one of disdain, with its elongated ending and several shifts in tone. Tuanzi had been lying on Zhou Li’s legs, covering her head with her tiny paws. When she spoke, she also shook her head, clearly signaling Zhou Li not to disturb her.

Comforting her had backfired, it seemed.

After a bit of thought, Zhou Li leaned in closer to Tuanzi. "Actually, I know a big secret about Your Highness."

Tuanzi removed the paws from over her eyes and turned to look at him.

"What, meow?"

"You like Big Mimi, huh? You should have said so earlier!" Huai Xu was back to being a pest. "You’ll have to wait until tonight."

"This secret is of great importance." Zhou Li ignored Huai Xu and spoke very softly. "I’ll tell Lord Dumpling after we get back."

"Tell me here~~"

"I’ll explain when we’re back!"

"Liar~"

"Not at all," Zhou Li said, gazing into Tuanzi’s watery big eyes, and he raised his finger. "I swear on Brother Nan’s name."

"What if you’re lying?"

"Then let Brother Nan have his colored chalk stolen, be picked up and spanked, and have his face pinched until it hurts!" Zhou Li paused briefly. "And let it happen in front of his Little Brother, and he can’t even get revenge. How about that—isn’t it cruel enough?"

"Mew~~"

Tuanzi, after hesitating and finding the idea satisfactory, believed Zhou Li’s words. "Do you know where His Highness is?"

"Roughly, maybe."

"Oh!"

Then Tuanzi got up, licked her paws, wiped her face, and regained some of her energy.

Yawning, Huai Xu sat by the window, swinging his legs and glancing at them. "Have you calmed her down? If so, it’s time to go out for breakfast."

"Lord Dumpling?"

"Okay!"

"Right!"

So, Zhou Li picked up his jacket and put it on, then stood up to put on his shoes, taking Tuanzi with him while he and Huai Xu left together.

The morning air was cool and damp.

Outside the door was a stone path about a meter wide, meandering off to other places. Each stone was placed about a foot apart, and wildflowers and weeds seized the opportunity to grow through these gaps, lush and verdant with dewdrops, left untended by anyone.

"Not bad!" the Old Monster commented as he walked barefoot beside Zhou Li. "You also know there are some things that can’t be mentioned here."

"Some secrets belong to demons, and some to humans. I’ve just happened to learn about them," Zhou Li said frankly, stepping over the grass.

"Thumbs up!"

"You’re not wearing shoes..."

"Wearing shoes is for warmth, protection, and to keep clean," Huai Xu said nonchalantly. "I don’t need any of that."

"It’s also for looks," Zhou Li added.

"So sometimes I wear them too," Huai Xu stated.

"Why have you turned into a little boy today?" Zhou Li examined the form Huai Xu had taken, which was similar in age to when they first met, though this boy seemed even more endearing. "You look like a middle schooler."

"Because my teacher has left me," Huai Xu scratched an itch on his back. "I’m not in a good mood at this time, so I should look like a kid—a child’s appearance matches my mood... don’t you think?"

Zhou Li nodded calmly. This Old Monster sure knew how to have fun.

"Do I look good?"

"Good-looking."

"And the Demon King?" Huai Xu glanced at Tuanzi in Zhou Li’s arms. "Has something happened?"

"A small problem." Zhou Li pursed his lips and caressed Tuanzi’s head while speaking. "Lord Dumpling dreamed about the Demon King, who told her in a confined space that she might never wake up again."

"That’s not good." Huai Xu touched his chin and glanced sidelong into the distance. "Do you know what’s been troubling your ’sister’ lately?"

"A lot."

"The most troubling thing!"

"The Yu Country’s Highness has yet to awaken."

"That’s probably it," Huai Xu said. "I’ve heard from other demons that in the past few years, the other Demon Kingdoms have sent people here many times. Just a few days ago, the Demon Kings of the other three countries all came to Yu Country."

"Doing what?" Zhou Li asked.

"What do you think?" Huai Xu raised his eyebrows slightly. "By all accounts, the Demon King of Yu Country should have woken up already, but he has yet to awaken."

"So?"

"At first, the Highnesses from the other three Demon Kingdoms wanted Hong Ran to intensify the search for clues about the Elm King, but no matter what, they could not find anything. Although Yu Country now has Hong Ran governing in her stead, and she’s managing quite well, she isn’t the Demon King, after all. In this new era, many matters require the joint decision of the four Demon Kingdoms. Consequently, they hope Yu Country can quickly discuss a solution," Huai Xu explained. "There’s no struggle for power like among you humans. However, this kind of pure, well-intentioned dispute can also be very distressing."

"What kind of solution?"

"For example, having Yu Country elect a new Demon King, or having the other three Demon Kingdoms take over the governance of Yu Country, or even dissolving Yu Country altogether..." Huai Xu said, shrugging his shoulders. "Especially the last two; they are more eager to achieve those. It’s not because of power or ambition. As you know, Yu Country is the most peaceful among the four Demon Kingdoms; even the most peaceful of the other three is more radical than Yu Country. So, if Yu Country no longer exists, it will be easier for the Demon Kings of the other three countries to implement their ideas."

"A clash of ideologies."

"Yes, everyone is for the good of the demon race," Huai Xu smiled wryly, "but preferably in their own way."

"Stubborn."

"Exactly," Huai Xu nodded. "And for Hong Ran, she neither wishes to elect a new Demon King nor does she want other countries to forcibly impose their ’incorrect’ ideologies onto Yu Country. If anything, it should be the other way around. But, as I said, she is not the Demon King. Thus, she is naturally at a disadvantage when facing the other three Demon Kings."

"I see."

Zhou Li wasn’t very interested in the discussion because Tuanzi was present.

At this moment, Tuanzi turned over in his arms, grunted dissatisfiedly, and buried her head in Zhou Li’s chest, silently grieving.

Huai Xu had been talking about the Demon King next to her ear all along, which was undoubtedly continually poking at her sorrow.

Zhou Li then said to Huai Xu, "Since you’ve taken the form of a little boy, let’s not discuss things that don’t match this image."

"Then I’ll become an old man next time."

"Let’s talk about next time when it comes."

"Tch!"

The food in the Mirror Zone wasn’t all that delicious; it seemed the big shots here didn’t pay much attention to culinary delights, but rather used it to replenish energy. Although some exquisite ingredients were prepared because of Lord Dumpling’s arrival, the cooking still lacked finesse.

During the meal, Tuanzi told Hong Ran and several Great Demons about her dream the night before, causing great shock.

Hong Ran immediately requested the Great Demons to keep it a secret and asked Tuanzi in detail about her experience that night, even asking her to draw the patterns on the wall.

However, dreams are often quickly forgotten after awakening, and Lord Dumpling was also a little uneducated and confused. Surrounded by several serious-faced Great Demons, she was under a lot of pressure. Though she tried hard to remember, after a long time, she could only draw a few super simple and skewed symbols.

No one could make out what she had drawn.

But Hong Ran still solemnly preserved the drawing and called over a demon, saying, "Ask Lord Zhisha to invite Master Minran out of retirement. Say that there is something very important for which we need his help. He is learned and has seen much; perhaps he can solve this."

"Master Minran has been reclusive for a long time..."

"That’s why you should ask Lord Zhisha to go."

"Understood."

The demon twisted, turning into smoke, and disappeared rapidly.

Then Hong Ran turned around, her resoluteness gone. She pursed her lips. "I’ll take you back to Chunming."

Zhou Li nodded.

More than half an hour later, he and Huai Xu were standing on the land of Chunming.

Tuanzi did not follow them back but stayed temporarily in the Demon Kingdom. Hong Ran had invited another Great Demon who could search memories and, after doing what needed to be done, would send Tuanzi back.

...

It was just past ten in the morning in Chunming. The sunlight was just right, shining on Zhou Li, who had just returned from the Old Land World, making him feel as if he had been dreaming.

Huai Xu tiptoed to pluck leaves from the trees, crushed them with his fingers, and sniffed them at his nose, saying somewhat sentimentally, "Humans certainly never thought that their sealing of the Demon King could be hidden from everyone, but not from a little cat’s dream."

"What do you mean?"

"Minran is a highly respected master of Spiritual Formation," Huai Xu hinted. "He’s a venerable scholar of great age. He led the design of the procedure to transform me, that silly little cat, and Master Ming into demons."

"I see."

Zhou Li watched him picking leaves, lost in thought.