My Demon Friends-Chapter 573 - 547 The End

The Bamboo Book was first discovered by a little demon and, before the great assembly began, it was temporarily entrusted to an elderly Great Demon for safekeeping.

This Lord was very old, so he did not participate in the struggle for it. However, even when he was young, he was not skilled in combat; he always excelled in scholarship, an area where many Great Demons—in fact, the majority—shone. Although the demons here generally admired and were adept in martial prowess, they still held reverence for knowledge. Combined with his good character, this Lord was highly respected.

Before the eyes of all, the peculiar box containing the Bamboo Book was brought forward.

The material of the box was special, looking somewhat similar to Huai Xu's plaque. The years had left their mark on it but had not damaged it in the slightest.

"Open the box, please."

"Okay."

The surrounding demons all craned their necks.

CLICK.

The box was opened.

Inside lay a roll of bamboo slips, bound with a ribbon, without a hint of decay.

"HISS..."

Yue Yin took a deep breath, his expression solemn. Before reaching out to take it, he closed his eyes to steady his breath and clear his mind of distractions. Only then did he open his eyes—

The Bamboo Book was already in Huai Xu's hands.

Yue Yin remained silent.

Huai Xu, showing no respect for Master Shui Zhen's posthumous work, pinched one end of the ribbon and gently tugged—

"Huh?"

It didn't budge.

So, he applied slightly more force.

Still, it didn't move.

Now he dared not pull any harder for fear of damaging it; he could only turn to Yue Yin and say, "Your teacher tied a stubborn knot."

"Rough."

With a flick of Yue Yin's finger, the ribbon untied itself.

"Wow, fancy!"

"..."

Yue Yin saw Huai Xu eagerly flip through the Bamboo Book, letting the ribbon fall. He quickly extended his hands, catching it respectfully. Then, seeing Huai Xu so casually handling the Bamboo Book—which looked as if it had just been written—turning it over and tilting his head to inspect it from different angles, Yue Yin silently cursed in his heart, What a brute!, though his face remained expressionless.

"Hmm?" Huai Xu's expression turned odd. "Why can't I see anything?"

"It means this is the upper volume."

"Don't spout nonsense without evidence!"

"..." Yue Yin glanced. "This is my teacher's unique encryption method. Only the upper volume would be so strictly sealed. As for whether it's the upper or lower volume, I'll know if you let me take a look."

"Erm..." Huai Xu eagerly handed the Bamboo Book to Yue Yin. The movement tugged at his wounds, though he seemed oblivious, his gaze fixed on Yue Yin, anticipating a reversal of the outcome.

Yue Yin looked down, his brow furrowing quickly, his expression growing increasingly grave.

Huai Xu's heart sank a bit.

About ten seconds later, Yue Yin rolled up the Bamboo Book again, inhaled deeply, and said, "This is indeed the upper volume of the Bamboo Book. The content recorded here is of great importance. I need to present it to Lord Lin Zhong immediately."

The surrounding demons grew curious at this, all looking like they wanted to ask but dared not.

Zhou Li felt much the same, though not out of curiosity. He wanted to speak but didn't know how, an uncertainty that wasn't in his character.

After hesitating for a moment, he finally looked up and spoke to Yue Yin from afar, "Currently, Lord Hong Ran is the acting Demon King. By rights, you should present it to Lord Hong Ran."

Yue Yin turned to look at him upon hearing this.

Zhou Li pursed his lips.

Tuanzi blinked.

Shortly after, Yue Yin withdrew his gaze, his face returning to indifference. "I will present it to Lord Hong Ran."

He then turned to Huai Xu, speaking coldly. "Even though you lost the bet, and I do not like you, I've decided to help you out of respect for the deep friendship between my teacher and Master Ming. My teacher once developed a remedy known as Muqingzi Water. Drinking it can rapidly restore memory. This remedy is very precious. I have one bottle left and will bring it to you in a few days."

"Really?" 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"A true demon does not lie," Yue Yin stated.

"Oh, I couldn't possibly..." Huai Xu rubbed his hands, looking a bit embarrassed.

"I'm leaving."

"Hey, wait! What's written in it?" Huai Xu was curious too.

As his words fell, the demons around also pricked up their ears, their eyes sparkling.

But Yue Yin was unmoved, stating with his hands behind his back, "Only the victor is entitled to read it. That's the rule."

Upon hearing this, many demons looked disappointed. Only the old monster, Huai Xu, spread his hands and wheedled, "If you don't tell me, how will I know if it's the upper or lower volume?"

"Boring."

Yue Yin's figure began to fade until it disappeared.

Huai Xu shook his head, and with a dismissive "Hmph, hmph," he mimicked the "Boring" Yue Yin had uttered just before vanishing. However, he didn't try to stop him further and simply walked back to Zhou Li's side.

"He's gone then."

"Your injuries..."

"What injuries? They'll heal in a few days."

"They look pretty scary."

"Wait until nightfall. Before it gets completely dark, I'll just transform. I can make my skin as fair as I like, as smooth as I like," Huai Xu said nonchalantly, waving his hand.

"Does it hurt?"

"You get used to it, and then it doesn't hurt."

"Oh."

Dawn had broken in this world, and thick fog permeated the vast alien forest. From the high mountains, one could see a vast sea of clouds below, yet these ancient, towering trees managed to poke their branches above the cloud cover, creating an utterly magical sight.

With the Great Demons' combined efforts, the abandoned entrance and exit were opened again.

「On Earth.」

The morning was cold, and the fog was heavy. The mountains on both sides of the highway loomed, and the road beneath their feet seemed to stretch into the depths of the fog with no end in sight.

Zhou Li and Huai Xu stood in the emergency lane, with the occasional car whizzing past; it was somewhat busier than the previous night.

But a headache soon began to surface for Zhou Li.

"Where's our car?"

"Gone."

"Are you sure this is the place?"

"There are still skid marks on the ground."

"That's true," Zhou Li nodded. "Where did you park the car?"

"I parked it in the emergency lane."

"You actually had the presence of mind to park in the emergency lane?" The difference between us is vast, Zhou Li thought.

"Who do you think I am?" Huai Xu said proudly.

Zhou Li's head began to throb. "The police definitely towed the car after daybreak," he said. "I just hope they didn't call the original owner. Otherwise, Old Zhou and Aunt Jiang will know, and they'll be worried sick."

"Do you think that's likely?"

"What if?"

"There aren't that many 'what ifs.'"

"Brother Nan is looking out for me."

After some thought, Zhou Li took out his phone, only to find he had no service. He could only dial emergency numbers.

He toggled Airplane Mode on and off, then on and off again.

Finally, a single bar of 3G network connected.

He opened WeChat.

No new messages.

Zhou Li breathed a sigh of relief and then opened the dialer, calling the police directly.

When in trouble, find the police.

BEEP, BEEP…

The call connected quickly.

Under Huai Xu's interested gaze and Tuanzi's curious eyes, Zhou Li spoke directly, "Hello, Officer, I've encountered a demon."

「One hour later.」

「At the police station.」

Zhou Li roughly described his experience: how he'd been driving last night and suddenly found himself in a strange world, then just as suddenly returned to his original location this morning. His car was gone, and he hoped the police could help him.

The officer who received him looked serious. After listening to Zhou Li and repeatedly confirming that his story was true, he told him, "Now you'll go to another place, where a special department will handle your case. Don't be afraid."

Zhou Li nodded obediently.

The police here seem very adept at dealing with such matters, as if it's commonplace. This must mean ordinary people in the Western Regions frequently encounter demons. If things continue like this, it probably won't be long before demons and Heavenly Masters slowly enter public awareness. Initially, it will be as legends. But as the stories multiply and more people personally have such encounters, many will begin to waver and eventually believe.

They moved to a more secluded location. There, a new person—remarkably young—took over his case.

This time, Zhou Li didn't say much and directly revealed his identity as a Heavenly Master.