"What seems a bit off?"
Just as Zhou Li finished asking, he felt an itch on his calf, as if a soft, small paw was scraping at his trouser leg.
Lord Dumpling was gazing up at him, speaking softly and gently, "Zhou Li, Lord Dumpling wants to go out and play..."
Zhou Li was in the middle of discussing serious matters!
So, the serious matter had to be put aside first.
So Zhou Li bent down, picked up Lord Dumpling, and asked in a tone used to cajole children, "Where does Lord Dumpling want to go play?"
"No," Lord Dumpling allowed him to hold him, his little face serious, "Lord Dumpling is a very powerful Great Demon, with a noble status, and should not stay in a small house every day."
"Then, how about I take Lord Dumpling out for a drive later? I'll carry Lord Dumpling in a kitten bag."
"Lord Dumpling wants to walk on his own."
Only then did Zhou Li turn back to Huai Xu.
Huai Xu was holding his cellphone, not even lifting his head. "You've had lunch, right? I can smell it on you. What did you have?"
Zhou Li replied, "Huaxi Clear Broth Goose."
"I'll take you next time."
"You better not go back on your word! I'm ordering takeout now, do you want something?" Huai Xu still didn't lift his head. "I'm thinking of ordering some naan."
"Pizza is high in calories; it'll make you gain weight."
"I'm not human anyway..."
"Won't you get jealous watching me eat?" Finally, Huai Xu glanced at Zhou Li. "This pizza is quite tasty, but it still doesn't compare to the best naan I've had before."
"What was the best naan you've had like?"
"It was just naan, but made very thin and fine, with meat stuffing inside. When I was starving, just one bite was so satisfying..." Huai Xu put down his phone and began bragging to Zhou Li. "Too bad there weren't any roasted meat skewers; otherwise, stuffed with that, wow, it would be blissful!"
"Why wasn't it included?"
"There was nothing I could do..." Huai Xu spread his hands. "That family only made naan, no roasted meat, and it's not like a thief like me could complain. Anyway, I think it tasted better than this naan."
"Only naan baked in a tandoor is real naan. This isn't naan; it's just a type of flatbread."
"Oh, so you have more authority on this than me?"
Zhou Li knew that most of Huai Xu's fragmented memories were from the Western Regions, spanning a considerable length of time. Initially, that land belonged to the Central Plains Dynasty; then it was lost, and later retrieved. He spent most of his time there through frequent periods of union and separation. By then, he was no longer human and didn't care about such matters.
His history with naan was also very long.
It is generally believed that naan came from Central and West Asia, with the earliest discovered naan being a burial item from 640 AD. However, Huai Xu claimed he had eaten naan during the Han Dynasty, clearly making him a more authoritative source on this matter.
"We were discussing serious matters," Zhou Li reminded him.
"What... Oh!" Huai Xu finally remembered. "I got a clue from a Little Demon. I went to check it out and found that the victim had the aura of a demon, but his family said he was harmed by a human."
Huai Xu sat up straight.
The victim lived in Xinping, a small county town over a hundred kilometers from Chunming, but his family was wealthier than Hu Weimin's. It was said that a week ago, after attending a speech, he collapsed on the way back. He is still in a coma in the hospital. Initially, his family thought it was due to his health, but during one brief moment of consciousness, he claimed it was sabotage by a competitor.
Huai Xu added, "I heard all this while sitting by their window. They had invited quite a few monks and Taoists."
"That far away... how did you find the clue?"
"Hey!" Huai Xu laughed. "Use your brain and think about it. If something strange happened in your house, who would you look for first? Definitely those renowned temples and Taoist monasteries around the province, right? Those places often have great environments and typically house a few little demons..."
"A special method of communication?"
"Still, you're more impressive."
"I used to specialize in reconnaissance..." Huai Xu sighed. "It's just that we're not famous enough yet. If we were, those people would come directly to us; no need for all this extra flair!"
"The police should have come to us too."
"What was the strange part you mentioned?"
"Hmm... was he hurt by a Heavenly Master or a demon?" Huai Xu countered. "There's a lot going on here."
"Isn't it possible a Heavenly Master ordered the demon to do it?"
"Not very likely... Hmm?"
Huai Xu initially disagreed, but after looking at Zhou Li and then at himself, he changed his mind. "It's possible, I guess!"
Then, he got straight to the point: "I'm mainly worried that it might be related to Lin Zhong and his group... or that we might run into them as soon as we go out. I've felt since last time that they might be targeting you."
"Why would they target me?"
"Hehe," Huai Xu grinned. "They have radical beliefs and are eager to wage war on humans. With your powerful spiritual power, they'd probably want to eliminate you before you can rise to be a human leader. Plus, Hong Ran should be on the other side of the Earth by now, right?"
Zhou Li suddenly thought of Yin Le.
Seeing his expression, Huai Xu laughed again. "You are First Generation Heavenly Masters, all very impressive. If you were to develop smoothly, that Yin Le might turn out to be the human counterpart to Lin Zhong... After all, if there's a Lin Zhong among demons, there must be a corresponding figure among humans, right?"
Zhou Li remained silent.
Huai Xu's naan order arrived. He went to get it, then discussed things with Zhou Li while eating.
Huai Xu explained that demons had played similar tricks a thousand years ago, setting a trap for Heavenly Masters with a staged 'uprising.' He thought that even if this incident was unrelated to Lin Zhong and his people, there was still a chance they could come under attack. Fortunately, he hadn't revealed his full strength last time, so the enemy might have misjudged their combat capabilities. The rightful source is noⅴelfire.net
"Let's go and see what they can do. We can't just hide in Chunming forever, can we?" Huai Xu said after finishing the last piece of pizza. "But just to be on the safe side, let's change our appearances."
"I'll keep your appearance, and you turn into someone else."
"You can change other people's appearances too?"
"I can't, but I know someone who can... Just wait here, I'll be right back!"
With that, Huai Xu disappeared.
Two minutes later, he returned. After waiting a few more minutes with Zhou Li, a gust of black wind blew in through the window, transforming into a short, dusky little demon.
The little demon bowed to Zhou Li. "Lord Zhou Li, we meet again."
"Hello," Zhou Li said, his eyes widening.
"Don't underestimate him," Huai Xu told Zhou Li. "This kind of demon can transform into wind, making them hard to injure. Even if injured, they're not easy to kill, and they excel at transformation. Back when humans and demons used to fight, he was an excellent scout, even better suited than that Lao Hui who used to live below your building. He was one of the types of demons most hated by humans. That Yin Le also has some skills; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to handle him."
"I see. Then I'll be relying on you."
"You're too kind, My Lord."
Huai Xu then took Zhou Li's phone, unlocked it with his fingerprint, and pulled up a photo of Zhu Shuang. "Change him into this!"
The little demon looked at the photo. "I can only manage about a seventy percent resemblance."
"That's enough, as long as there are no flaws."
"Don't worry, Lord Huai Xu," the little demon assured him earnestly, then looked at Zhou Li. "Lord Zhou Li, I'll begin now."
Black smoke billowed out from the little demon, enveloping Zhou Li. The smoke was initially faint, but it grew denser, quickly obscuring Zhou Li's vision and choking him.
After what felt like a long time, the smoke cleared.
Zhou Li looked in the mirror and found he had transformed into a refreshingly handsome young boy, very good-looking.
At that moment, Tuanzi started tugging at his leg again. "Zhou Li, where are you going to play? I want to come too! Take Lord Dumpling~~"
Zhou Li thought for a moment. "You should just go out and run your scams."
But Tuanzi clung to his legs and wouldn't let go. "Is Lin Zhong going to fight you? You can't defeat Lin Zhong! He's very strong! And he has many tough underlings... Lord Dumpling has connections with him; he'll listen to Lord Dumpling."
Every word Tuanzi uttered seemed to convey, 'I'm only thinking of you.'
But Zhou Li pondered deeply for a while, finally deciphering the true meaning from between the lines. His entire speech boiled down to one plea—