My Demon Friends-Chapter 675 - 636: The Warm Cousin

Putting down his phone, Zhou Li turned his head to look at Huai Xu.

"Huai Xu."

"What do you want? Don't call me."

The Old Monster was focused on the screen and didn't really want to pay attention to him.

Zhou Li said directly, "Baozi encountered a demon in Xidian Village and seems to be in great danger. Although Xidian Village isn't far, only you can get there immediately."

"Where?"

Huai Xu took his hands off the keyboard and turned to look at him. "At least give me a direction and an approximate distance."

"Let me check."

Zhou Li quickly started searching on the map.

Huai Xu raised his head and stretched his neck. His screen had turned black and white, and his teammates were typing question marks. Even the player who had solo-killed him sent a question mark. Huai Xu didn't care. He just said languidly, "There are more demons, so encounters with demons have increased. Slowly, your era is starting to resemble ancient times, where you could bump into demons anywhere."

"Found it."

Zhou Li raised his phone and pointed in a direction. "This location. The straight-line distance is about... perhaps twenty kilometers. Take my phone with you, and you can look for more details when you get there."

SWISH.

Huai Xu grabbed the phone from his hand and disappeared instantly.

Zhou Li picked up his motorcycle keys and hurried out the door as well.

One could generally be at ease once the Old Monster took off. But his Little Cousin was still young and might get frightened, and he would feel a tiny bit of heartache for her.

The elevator ascended from the first floor, stopping on the fifth floor on its way down to the basement. Zhou Li had just mounted his motorcycle when Huai Xu silently appeared beside him.

"Yo! You just got here, huh!" Huai Xu teased.

"Is it taken care of?" Zhou Li asked. "How is it? Is anyone hurt?"

"No." Huai Xu's eyes shifted. "Halfway there, something suddenly came to mind, so I came back."

"What?"

"Beg me and I'll go."

"I beg you," Zhou Li said bluntly and effortlessly.

"Problem solved, haha…" Huai Xu revealed a smile. "With the Great Devil King on the case, it's a piece of cake, as easy as reaching out and grabbing it."

"Oh."

"You're not surprised at all?"

"…"

"Tsk! Boring!" the Old Monster said, emphasizing again but louder, "Boring!!"

VROOM...

Zhou Li started the motorcycle. "I'm going to take a look."

The Old Monster vanished again with a POOF. Being AFK for a few minutes wouldn't affect his domination of the match.

After leaving the highway, the motorcycle still sped along the county road.

Being a Heavenly Master, he had great control over his body and wasn't afraid of falling. So, when Zhou Li wanted to ride fast, it wasn't a problem. His motorcycle could accelerate from zero to one hundred kilometers per hour in just over five seconds. Darting through traffic with ease, he surpassed most vehicles on the road.

He answered a call on the way. It was from a support member of the Celestial Master Department. Their conversation didn't hinder him from overtaking other cars.

Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Zhou Li parked his bike and looked up at the dissipating dense fog. First, following Huai Xu's description, he went to find the unconscious suspect demon and two injured, unconscious people. He also contacted the Local Government. This way, when the Celestial Master Department and police arrived, they could immediately head up the mountain to rescue his Little Cousin. So, he waited patiently.

The Celestial Master Department and police arrived twenty minutes later than he did.

The Local Government demons arrived almost simultaneously.

Zhou Li dealt with the procedures first, then took the support staff from the Celestial Master Department and a few police officers up the mountain.

They climbed much faster. The dense fog had just cleared when they reached the village. The police quickly located the refuge chosen by the group through phone calls.

It was a rather enclosed house with only one main door for entry, which was locked.

A police officer went up to knock on the door.

Zhou Li, in the middle of the team, peered inside.

About a dozen people huddled in a corner, holding hands. The women were protected in the middle, with two younger girls right in the very center. Most of the men had items like sticks, chairs, and brooms at their sides.

Baozi's fair, round face was hidden deep within the crowd. With several tall uncles in front of her, her face was only about level with their shoulders and hard to see. Only a pair of eyes, twinkling with fear yet brimming with unrestrained curiosity, could be seen peering out from a gap.

"The police! It's the police!"

"The police are here!"

"They're finally here! Now we're safe!"

"Cousin!"

Baozi stood on her tiptoes to get a better view and stared blankly at Zhou Li. "Cousin, what are you doing here?"

But her question was overheard by one of the uncles.

The uncle suddenly furrowed his brows and became vigilant again. "I heard that some mountain demons can take on all kinds of appearances or make people hallucinate to trick them into trusting them."

This statement caused a commotion.

Suddenly, even the police didn't seem so friendly anymore. The few people facing the door hesitated, then quickly retreated, gripping their makeshift weapons tighter.

"Comrades! We are real police officers! We have credentials!"

"Please don't doubt us!"

"That's right, they are real police officers," Zhou Li also stepped in to explain. He said to the still baffled Baozi, "Didn't you tell me this morning you were coming here to play? You mentioned the scenery here was quite good. Since it's the weekend and I was free, Brother Nan and I rode our motorcycles here to enjoy the scenery. While hiking, Brother Nan and I were even wondering if we'd bump into you. But halfway up, fog suddenly rolled in, and then we met police officers coming up the mountain. They said people on the mountain were in danger and advised us not to go alone, so I followed them."

"Where is Brother Nan?" Baozi looked around.

"Brother Nan fell and was escorted back by two police officers," Zhou Li said sincerely.

Police officers...

A policeman, not much older than him, gave Zhou Li a helpless glance.

Baozi nodded after hearing this, finding it reasonable.

But she still hid deep within the crowd, quietly observing Zhou Li. Tentatively, she asked, "Do you know what I bought for Brother Nan a few days ago?"

"Ma Ren Moistening Intestine Pills."

"Oh..."

Baozi pursed her lips. While saying to everyone, "He really is my cousin," she sidestepped out of the crowd, quickly walked up to Zhou Li, and, with a small hand tightly clutching the corner of his clothes, looked up at him. "Cousin, there's a demon!"

Zhou Li hummed in acknowledgment.

The policeman, seeing this, quickly stepped forward to continue negotiations. He finally gained the crowd's trust and led them out the door.

"Officer! What exactly happened?"

"What about our two friends?"

"What was that beast you mentioned?"

"It couldn't have been an ordinary beast, could it?"

"…"

The crowd threw out a string of questions in trembling voices.

A Celestial Master Department logistics member disguised as a policeman explained, "Don't panic. The other two have been found. They were injured and have been urgently sent for treatment, so don't worry. As for what caused this, we'll explain after we get back. For now, please put aside your fears, relax, and follow us down the mountain. Also, please refrain from spreading word of this incident to avoid causing panic."

This was the Celestial Master Department's usual way of handling incidents involving demons with the public.

Inform truthfully, remind them to keep it confidential.

But they didn't enforce secrecy, and there was no punishment for breaches.

That's why more and more stories were gradually emerging online, and an increasing number of people were beginning to believe in the existence of demons in this world.

Naturally, Zhou Li walked with his Little Cousin. He whispered to her as she held the thermos cup without drinking from it, "It's really scary. The world isn't as simple as we thought."

His Little Cousin hummed in response.

Zhou Li looked at her with concern and asked, "Are you afraid?"

"I wasn't at first."

"And later?"

"A little scared."

"Just a little?" 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"The more I thought about it, the more scared I became." His Little Cousin was honest, her head lowered as she closely followed behind him. "What about you, Cousin?"

"I'm okay," Zhou Li answered.

"You're strange," his Little Cousin said weakly.

"How am I strange?" Zhou Li countered.

"You're not scared."

"I said I'm okay," Zhou Li paused. "You're strange too. Everyone else is terrified, and you're only a little scared."

"Oh."

"By the way—"

Zhou Li turned around, took off his backpack, pulled out a cup of milk tea, and offered it to Baozi. "We thought we might bump into you, so we bought you a milk tea on the way. Here, do you want it?"

"Yes!"

Baozi took the milk tea, her head lowered.

Cousin is so good... Baozi thought. She hummed softly and, still with her head lowered, tore open the straw wrapper.

The milk tea was a new 'Cheese Honeydew Melon' product from a shop known for its grass jelly drinks. Its refreshing, vibrant green color looked very appealing through the clear cup.

It was at room temperature.

Baozi took a sip and squinted her eyes.

Zhou Li reached out and patted her head, his expression gentle. "Drink the milk tea, and don't be afraid anymore. The police told me it's not a ghost; just think of it as a wild animal."

Baozi hummed in agreement.

She quickly finished it, then took out another cup of milk tea from her bag—the same Cheese Honeydew Melon—and continued drinking.

Zhou Li watched her, his expression quite something.

After a visit to the police station, it was almost evening when they came out. Curiously, by this time, Baozi's expression had completely returned to normal. The little bit of fear she'd felt before had vanished. She was fair-skinned and chubby-cheeked, but her expression was unreadable.

Perhaps she was too lazy to be scared.

A group of uncles and aunties were exclaiming about the day's encounter, each seemingly with countless emotions and endless words to share, creating a cacophony of noise.

Only Baozi stood quietly to the side, seeming somewhat out of place.

"Shall I take you back to school?"

"MHM!"

Zhou Li got on the motorcycle and started the engine.

Baozi also got on, sitting in the back. She wrapped her hands tightly around his waist and pressed her face against his back. Her little face was somewhat serious, her eyes flickering with a faint light, lost in thought.

The light and shadows around them zipped by quickly.

Her hair, blown by the wind, slapped painfully against her face. The night air chilled her body. It wasn't until then that she snapped out of her daze and felt her worldview slowly shaking.

Fortunately, her cousin's back was still warm.