My Demon Friends-Chapter 563 - 540: The Atmosphere Terminator Still Has Style_2

Following Huai Xu's memory, they continued upward, toward the area familiar to her.

The snow on the ground grew thicker.

Soon, a stone grotto suddenly appeared ahead. It was clearly not naturally formed, as it bore marks of having been carved, although not nearly as exquisitely as the Dunhuang Grottoes.

Zhou Li subconsciously glanced at Huai Xu.

Huai Xu was lost in thought.

After a while, Zhou Li finally asked, his voice very soft, "It's a bit different, isn't it?"

Huai Xu didn't respond and stepped inside.

Zhou Li followed, carrying Tuanzi on his back.

Snowflakes had drifted into the entrance of the grotto, forming only a thin layer. Walking inside, the contrast made the grotto's crudeness even more apparent. Axe marks were everywhere, though they had faded with time, imbuing the place with a sense of antiquity.

At the very back of the grotto, a Deity statue was carved into the stone wall. Besides that, there were only two long stone benches, possibly meant for people to rest and shelter from the elements, their surfaces worn smooth.

Zhou Li walked forward and stared at the Deity statue.

The statue was around two and a half meters tall and lacked the traditional carving style of Deities. It was neither imposing nor solemn, just a tall, thin figure holding an unidentifiable object in each hand. One could barely make out the outline of long hair behind it, while its facial features had long been blurred by the elements. Moreover, there were many scratches on its body, likely vandalism from later visitors.

After a sweeping glance, Zhou Li's gaze shifted to the Deity's hands.

Occasionally, he stealthily glanced at the Old Monster beside him.

Tuanzi stirred in the backpack and let out a lazy MEOW. Footsteps sounded from outside.

A local, a middle-aged man, passed by the grotto entrance carrying a sheep.

He glanced inside unintentionally. Noticing people within, the man was momentarily stunned. He sized them up before calling out, "Hey! Where are you from?"

His Mandarin was quite standard.

This surprised Zhou Li. In such a rural and remote area, many locals, especially the older generation, often couldn't speak Mandarin, or spoke it poorly. Even with gestures, they could be hard to understand.

"We're tourists."

"Tourists? How did you end up here?" The middle-aged man was still very puzzled.

"Just wandering around." Zhou Li smiled, trying to appear friendly, and complimented, "Uncle, your Mandarin is really good."

"It's alright." The uncle also smiled. "You must be here to visit the Barkol Grassland, right? It's more fun that way. To reach the Heaven Mountain scenic area, go the other way. Our little village doesn't have much to offer, nor a place to stay. You should leave soon. It's going to snow tonight, and there might be wolves."

"We'll be leaving soon." This uncle seems easy to talk to, Zhou Li thought. He glanced at the sheep on the man's shoulder. "What happened to your sheep? Did it freeze to death?"

"Killed by a wolf. My dog chased the wolf a long way."

"Ah?"

"I lost a few; this is the only one I found." The uncle shook his head and urged, "Hurry up and go. There really are wolves at night, and maybe even snow leopards. Food is scarce in winter, so they come down from the mountains. Then you'll find out how terrifying a starving beast can be."

"Understood."

At that moment, Huai Xu, who had been silently observing the Deity statue, suddenly turned her head and interjected, "Those missing animals could also be the work of Demons."

The uncle continued to grin, his teeth very white. Perhaps tired, he walked into the grotto, set the sheep down, and caught his breath. "Demons in this era? Such things only existed in ancient times."

"Were there really Demons?" Zhou Li immediately asked.

"I don't know, but there are many legends around here." The uncle pointed at the Deity statue. "This statue is of a Deity we used to worship to protect us from Demons. Apparently, in the old days, there were many ferocious Demons here. Livestock would disappear every so often, and sometimes the Demons even ate people."

"Really?"

Zhou Li's eyes widened.

That saves me the trouble of steering the conversation to the Deity statue, he thought. So he asked, "When was this carved?"

"They say it's from the Han Dynasty."

"The Han Dynasty... Is it The Bodhisattva Guanyin?"

"No," the uncle grinned. "I heard from the elders that this was an ancient General who specialized in exterminating Demons. He often came here to help us, and each time we entertained him with fine wine and food. Later, for some reason, the General had to leave. He told the villagers to make a stone statue of him. If a Demon came, they were to place something in front of the statue. He said he would frequently come back to check, and if he saw offerings, he would expel the Demons."

"That's amazing."

"Heh, it's all just stories. Believe it if you want. The youngsters nowadays don't believe these things anymore..."

"I see."

Zhou Li pondered. A General? Impossible. However, for such a rumor to persist for so many years, even in this secluded place, is quite remarkable. It was passed down orally, from generation to generation. Deviations were inevitable. Perhaps they simply meant he was a formidable military figure and thus respectfully called him a General.

Just then, Huai Xu turned her head again and blurted out, "They are gradually awakening—the ancient Demons."

The uncle stared at her, the corner of his mouth twitching. Such a pretty girl, but how could she... he thought.

Zhou Li hastily said, "She gets a bit carried away from watching too many TV dramas. Don't mind her."

"Haha..."

"Is this Deity statue very powerful?"

"They say it's powerful, but it's just a legend," the uncle said with a laugh. "It's all made up."

"It used to be very powerful." Huai Xu turned to face the uncle directly. "But then the Deity realized you fools kept putting things out for him every day. Have you heard the story of the boy who cried wolf? That's why it gradually became less powerful."

The uncle looked bewildered. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The uncle pointed at Huai Xu and looked at Zhou Li. "Is she...?"

Zhou Li didn't speak. He just pointed to his own head and then waved his hand. The uncle immediately showed an expression of understanding.

"Thank you, Uncle."

"You're welcome. Anyway, you two better leave now."

"If Demons appear again, you can still come and pray to this Deity," Huai Xu spoke up again, emphasizing, "But this time, don't leave offerings. Just write down what happened on paper, weigh it down with a stone in front of the statue, and don't burn it. Write clearly."

The uncle simply nodded at Zhou Li, hoisted the sheep onto his shoulder, and walked away.

Huai Xu frowned. "How rude."

Zhou Li rolled his eyes at her, then took a few steps forward to the Deity statue, looking up to examine it more closely.

He never would have imagined... This was actually the Old Monster...

Observing the statue, covered in the marks of passing ages, having lost the appearance it had two thousand years ago, its face now unrecognizable, Zhou Li suddenly fell silent. This was his most direct and profound confrontation with Huai Xu's true age, heavy enough to make his chest tighten with a stifling weight.

Then, a voice suddenly came from behind him: "I'm awesome, right?"

Zhou Li was speechless.

The atmosphere vanished.