The Old monster was really a handful. He actually caught a snake from the woods beside the road and played with it in his hand. It scared a passing young girl so much that she shrieked and almost jumped onto her boyfriend's shoulders.
It wasn't just the young girl; Zhou Li was scared too. He had only ever learned about this type of snake from Animal Planet and various rumors or anecdotes.
Triangular head, pointy mouth, frightening patterns.
Huai Xu said it was called a Five-Paced Snake.
Its scientific name was supposedly Protobothrops mucrosquamatus.
Zhou Li used the excuse that 'they'd be fined if the park staff saw them' to dissuade Huai Xu from his idea of catching it to give to Aunt Jiang as a local specialty. He only relaxed after watching Huai Xu mutter about how tasty snake soup was while letting the snake go.
However, not long after, the Old monster caught a lizard from who-knows-where and ran over to Zhou Li to tease Tuanzi with it. Thɪs chapter is updated by 𝖓𝖔𝖛𝖊𝖑~𝖋𝖎𝖗𝖾~𝖓𝖊𝖙
He said lizards were edible, and he'd eaten them before, his tone carrying a hint of boasting. Lord Dumpling, of course, wouldn't stand for it and quickly claimed she'd eaten them before as well, but Huai Xu exposed her lie within moments.
Brother Nan didn't join Huai Xu in his questionable acts but seriously speculated whether it was some kind of endangered protected animal.
Lord Dumpling just loved eating rare things!
Zhou Li had a splitting headache.
They had been walking from morning until noon. Initially, they had packed three boxes of clay pot rice and a can of beef in Huai Xu's backpack. However, they hadn't even used them, as the Old monster seemed to have boundless energy and didn't mind the weight.
It was because they had just walked past "Baiguo Garden."
Zhou Li had been forced into it. Really. He was, in fact, a very ethical and socially responsible person.
As the afternoon sun grew harsher, they found a spot in the shade to reapply their sunscreen. Brother Nan had a small mirror with her. However, this palm-sized mirror wasn't much help to Zhou Li, who had only ever used baby cream. Brother Nan had no choice but to squat in front of him and gently smooth out the sunscreen on the bridge of his nose. Then, under the pretext of checking her work, she leaned in close, carefully inspecting Zhou Li's face.
She patted Zhou Li's face, then stood up to continue their journey.
They then wandered around Eastern Garden for another two hours.
Eastern Garden wasn't fun at all; it was just a tropical rainforest full of trees and vines, and unbearably hot.
Zhou Li still had to carry Tuanzi.
Their clothes were soaked with sweat.
When they left the garden, it was three in the afternoon. Once in the car, Brother Nan immediately grabbed two bottles of water. She handed one to Zhou Li, then twisted off the cap of her own bottle and guzzled it down—GLUG, GLUG, GLUG—until it was empty.
Brother Nan rolled down the car window, closed one eye, and aimed with the other at a trash can in the parking lot.
Brother Nan pulled her hand back and said smugly, "Looks coach's skills are still as sharp as ever... Are we only left with Wangtian Tree now?"
"Isn't Wangtian Tree next to that county?"
"Right, right, that's the one!"
"It's still several dozen kilometers away."
"Not an issue!" Brother Nan decided then and there. "We're staying in Mengna County tonight. I've checked the GPS. Let's have a good dinner; last night's roadside diner was expensive and awful, it nearly did me in."
"You're just like Tuanzi, you mix up your Ls and Ns."
Brother Nan turned in surprise to Tuanzi, affectionately patted her head, and asked, "Is Tuanzi from Yi Province too?"
"She said you should call her Lord Dumpling."
"Oh, so Lord Dumpling, are you a Yi Province cat then?"
"She's asking you what Yi Province is."
"...I see," Brother Nan nodded as if she had found the answer. While starting the car, she said, "It's still early. Let's go back and sort out the photos at the hotel first. Oh, and you can start looking for a hotel. When it cools down in the evening, we can go out for a stroll. Let's buy some tasty food from a supermarket, and we'll have a roadside picnic at Wangtian Tree."
Brother Nan was a very easy-going person; most things could be taken casually, but food was something she would never compromise on.
It was exactly one hundred kilometers from here to Mengla County.
Due to the poor road conditions, the drive took two and a half hours and left the car covered in dust, much to Brother Nan's dismay.
It was still hot in Banna at 5:30 PM.
Brother Nan created a QQ group named 'Human-Demon Journey.' The two humans and one demon would post their photos there for everyone to share and save their favorites. It had to be said that Huai Xu was only in this group thanks to Brother Nan's kind heart.
Anyway, Huai Xu just kept posting…
Zhou Li opened the window to take a look. The ground was no longer sunlit. The last rays of sunlight rested on the treetops of the Alexandra palms and the golden edges of the red tiles on the distinctive local buildings. That line of golden sunset was still slowly moving upward.
Zhou Li called Brother Nan to head out.
It was still Brother Nan's favorite: fish wrapped in vegetables.
Plus various grilled items.
After a satisfying meal, they wandered around, following their instincts, and then headed for the largest local supermarket.
This border county town wasn't bustling, and Brother Nan found even the largest supermarket rather modest. However, as they slowly walked the streets, their gazes searching for the differences between this small town and Yan City or Chunming, a subtle feeling stirred in their hearts.
The architecture here was filled with the character of the Foreign Clan.
The Alexandra palms and Talipot palms used as street trees, along with the rain trees that could canopy entire roads during the day, were all things they had never seen before.
Only the rows of shelves in the supermarket looked familiar, yet as Brother Nan walked carefully through the aisles, she still found differences from the supermarkets back home.
Clearly, this was a path they had never walked before, filled with customs and scenery they had never experienced. If they could walk this path together, see these sights, and share their thoughts, it was bound to become a precious memory in their lives.
Zhou Li followed the map's navigation voice, glancing in Brother Nan's direction, inadvertently catching glimpses of her.
Her face was flawlessly pale, appearing even more delicately pink under the lights, her features exquisite. Just then, she puffed up her cheeks as she inhaled, then pursed her lower lip to blow upwards, making her bangs flutter.
She turned her head abruptly. "What are you staring at?"
Zhou Li quietly averted his gaze. "We've arrived."
Brother Nan just hummed in acknowledgment.
Perhaps it was because it had been too hot that day. She sneakily took out a set of light clothes from her suitcase and, unusually, went to take a shower first. Afterward, she sat cross-legged on the bed, looking at guides for the Wangtian Tree, her long, fair legs on display.
"Zhou Li, are you afraid of heights?"
"What about Huai Xu?"
"Brother Nan, you've become silly," Huai Xu said.
"Alright, so you're not afraid," Brother Nan said. "Tomorrow, there's a really high treetop walkway. You know, those trees are so tall and straight. Why didn't people in ancient times cut them down to build houses?"
"How do you know people in ancient times didn't use them to build houses?" Zhou Li casually retorted.
Brother Nan propped her chin on her hand, resting her elbow on her knee, lost in thought, who knew about what.
Tuanzi climbed onto Zhou Li's lap of her own accord. After playing for a while, she looked up at Zhou Li and said, "Lord Dumpling feels like she has been to this place before."
"Really?" Zhou Li played along. "When was that?"
"A long, long time ago..."
"Lord Dumpling must be mistaken. A long, long time ago, this place didn't look ," Zhou Li said earnestly to her. "Could it be that Lord Dumpling has been to a similar place?"
"Lord Dumpling smells a familiar scent." Tuanzi's eyes sparkled. "There are many Great Demons living here."
"Hmm?" Huai Xu suddenly turned his head. He furrowed his brow at Zhou Li and said, "She's not wrong. There indeed are some Great Demons living here. It's likely that in the past, this was the site of some important institution."
"There's something really fun here~~"
Tuanzi paused, tilting her head in thought, then added, "Super, super, super fun!"