My Demon Friends-Chapter 565 - 542

"It's still warmer in the car," Huai Xu said as she settled back into the vehicle.

"Was what he said true?" Zhou Li asked.

"We Demons don't lie!" Tuanzi explained earnestly to Zhou Li.

"But Lord Dumpling often... occasionally lies to me," Zhou Li whispered, trying to sound gentle.

"Lord Dumpling didn't lie! Lord Dumpling can't lie! Everything Lord Dumpling says is true!" Tuanzi hurriedly said three times, thinking he was clearing his name.

"I see," Zhou Li nodded.

"Demons in the past indeed didn't lie. Partly because they weren't good at lying, and partly because they disdained to lie. Don't be fooled by their usual humility, or even their seemingly foolish appearance; in reality, their hearts are prouder than those of humans," Huai Xu added. "However, after being in the human world for a long time, some get corrupted by humans, so occasionally there are Demons who lie... Like the two Little Demons who used to live downstairs in your complex and now live with Little Zheng; they've learned to say they aren't hungry when they actually are, or to say they don't want to eat when they actually do."

"That's a white lie."

"It's still a lie."

"..." Zhou Li fell silent for a moment before continuing, "But he spoke so vaguely."

"That's why I need to investigate," Huai Xu said. "You head into town first. I'll go to Shule to find a Demon to ask some questions, and then I'll come back to find you."

"Be polite. Don't use your special interrogation skills."

"You're such a nag!"

"I'm serious..."

POP!

"Oh, Huai Xu is gone." Tuanzi, with his bright eyes fixed on Zhou Li, chuckled softly, "KUKUKU... she never listens to you..."

"Sigh..." Zhou Li shook his head. "Lord Dumpling really is the best."

"Exactly! Lord Dumpling is the best!" Tuanzi quickly agreed, as if afraid of being a step too late.

"Sit tight, we're leaving now."

"Alright, meow!"

「Over an hour later.」

「In Balikun Town.」

Zhou Li was lying in the hotel room fiddling with his phone, purely to kill time. He occasionally checked the time, then glanced outside at the sky. Why hasn't Huai Xu come back yet? he wondered.

With a soft sound, Huai Xu appeared in front of him.

"I'm back."

"You're just getting back now?"

"Yes!"

While munching, Huai Xu looked down at Zhou Li. Her gaze then shifted sideways, catching sight of the switched-on electric blanket. She found it rather jarring and, shaking her head, said, "As a Heavenly Master, to be so cold during the day that you're huddled in bed with an electric blanket... you're done for, beyond saving."

"Lord Dumpling wanted it on," Zhou Li paused, not wanting to dwell on the subject, then continued asking, "Why are you back so late? Was it difficult?"

"Not really," Huai Xu continued munching, as if chewing something. "I got the answers quite quickly. Then I saw a roasted lamb shop on the side of the road in Shule, so I stopped for a bite. The taste wasn't good, so I didn't bring any back for you. But after eating, the owner gave me two pieces of gum."

"...You actually went to eat?" Zhou Li was almost driven mad by her.

"It smelled so fragrant; who would have guessed that something so fragrant could taste so bad." Huai Xu paused, then spread open her hand, revealing a piece of gum. She offered it to Zhou Li, "Want some gum?"

"...Is it xylitol?"

"I don't know. What is xylitol?"

"You can't eat this."

"Why?" Huai Xu froze, her chewing stopping abruptly. "Could it be poison?"

"Spit it out, quickly."

"Is it really poison?" Huai Xu's dazed expression gradually turned murderous. "I knew it! How could a roadside roasted lamb shop exist in the middle of nowhere! I thought those kinds of shady practices from our past had disappeared in your era... Anyway, I'm going back there to kill him!"

"No!!" Zhou Li was startled.

"What is it then?"

"I'm not telling you."

"..."

Huai Xu furrowed her brow tightly and scrutinized Zhou Li from head to toe, trying to glean something from his impassive face. She said suspiciously, "I suspect you're messing with me."

"You're mistaken."

"I'll ask Li Daimao."

As she spoke, she pulled out her phone.

Zhou Li asked calmly, "How did your investigation go?"

Huai Xu typed and replied simultaneously, "Basically true. It seems that although that guy wants revenge on me, he also disdains resorting to schemes and lies... What's the Wi-Fi password? I'm out of data."

"Why don't you just buy more?"

"It's the end of the month..."

"So, are you going?"

"I am."

"Shui Zhen... who is that?"

"A very famous scholar from before, who came over with the Old Land World. He was highly respected and died of old age at the end of the previous era," Huai Xu said, a hint of confusion on her face. "It's possible he only came up with these things just before he died. By then, most Demons had already gone into slumber, and the government of Yu Country had ceased operations, so he couldn't have submitted them. He didn't dare to randomly entrust them to any Little Demon, so he had no choice but to record them and bury them underground for preservation. They automatically unearthed themselves at the start of this era."

"Weren't you afraid of them being stolen?"

"By whom? Humans? Impossible," Huai Xu shook her head. "At the dawn of the era, no human could outmatch a Demon. As long as a Demon got them, they would usually hand them over, barring any accidents."

"Are you sure there's a method to restore memories?"

"No, it only mentioned there's a way to keep Demons from going into slumber again. Not going into slumber means not forgetting anymore," Huai Xu paused. "Although, in the long span of life, some things are still inevitably lost from memory, the important things won't be forgotten."

"Then where did the information about it come from?"

"A Little Demon spread it."

"Then it must be true."

"Pretty much."

"Are you sure it's the second volume?"

"Not sure. It's a gamble."

"Will there be danger?"

"You're asking even more questions than I do," Huai Xu scratched her head, somewhat annoyed. "Demons rarely fight among themselves, and this kind of competition usually adheres to strict rules."

"Usually..."

Zhou Li hesitated slightly. Indeed, Demons rarely fight each other. However, some evil Demons would, or those with extremely low intelligence—or even no rationality at all—wouldn't care about such rules. According to the information gathered so far, this 'game' seems to have some formal structure and probably wouldn't allow such Demons to participate. Still, many Demons dislike Huai Xu. Back in Yan City, Huai Xu had been expelled by other Great Demons before. And here, many Demons could be her former enemies.

"Let's..."

"Stop your chattering," Huai Xu interrupted him. "The event starts in eight days. It's in a remote place on a plateau; it's snowing and very cold. When the time comes, you should stay in the city, just like now, find a hotel with air conditioning and an electric blanket. I can go by myself. I'm very powerful; even that big fellow, the Evil God, couldn't handle me. Don't worry about me."

"I'm also very powerful now," Zhou Li thought for a moment, then said, "If I attack with all my might, even you wouldn't be able to stop me."

"That idiotic move of yours? Who could it possibly hit?"

"You can support me."

"Me, support you?"

"We... can coordinate," Zhou Li rephrased. "I've made a lot of progress recently."

"Forget it. You would only slow me down. Besides, this kind of major assembly is an internal Demon affair; humans aren't allowed in," Huai Xu said. "Even if you managed to sneak in, you'd be asked to leave. More likely, the Demons would band together to eliminate you. Most Demons here are supporters of Lin Zhong, unlike those from Yi Province. They are never courteous to human Heavenly Masters."

"Alright, my bad."

Zhou Li promptly abandoned the idea. It's still the dawn of the new era. Many battle-hardened Demons are old pros. In comparison, human Heavenly Masters are too naive and ill-suited to intervene in conflicts between Great Demons. Bringing Little Zheng and Yin Le along would also likely lead to a situation where two Demons are trading blows, ignoring them completely, only for Little Zheng and Yin Le to get caught in the crossfire and killed. Those who would participate in such a violent game are definitely Demons who advocate for and are eager to use brute force to solve problems. These types of Demons are indeed mostly inclined towards Lin Zhong's faction. In any case, a Heavenly Master should keep their distance.

Zhou Li quietly opened his phone to check the route.

The Shule Huai Xu mentioned was not the current Shule County, but the ancient Kingdom of Shule, one of the major kingdoms in the Western Regions. It covered a broad area, roughly equivalent to today's Kashgar Region.

The map showed it was a twenty-hour drive entirely on the highway from here. However, if Huai Xu drove, it would likely take far less time. Usually, when the Old Monster was in a hurry, only average speed cameras could somewhat restrict her. If she was in a *real* hurry, even those were useless against her; Zhou Li had long since witnessed her ability to make traffic cameras malfunction. So there was still plenty of time.

Zhou Li glanced to the side and noticed that the Old Monster was also looking at her phone, frowning. He pursed his lips and asked, "Are you also checking the route?"

"I'm looking at food delivery."

The Old Monster muttered softly, "Can't believe there are so few places offering food delivery, and this is supposed to be a county seat."

Zhou Li turned off his phone, rubbing his temples.