The night deepened, yet Zhou Li had not returned.
Huai Xu sat at his desk, holding a short blade, bringing it close to the light to examine it carefully.
He looked intently. And then he looked some more. After examining one, he switched to the other and continued his inspection. Finished with that, he switched back again, repeating the process.
The two blades had initially been identical, but after enduring countless battles, they had become unique due to those life-and-death fights. One blade was now obviously duller, the other riddled with more nicks.
Yet even though it was duller, it could still cut through iron as if it were mud.
The nicks, though barely visible, acted like serrations on the blade, making it even sharper.
He grabbed a nearby disposable chopstick, spoon, and toothpick to test the blades, muttering to himself, "You always complain that I order takeout and am too reluctant to throw away the trash. See? It came in handy, didn’t it?"
The chopstick broke upon contact, as did the others.
Huai Xu threw everything into the trash bin, then his eyes landed on Zhou Li’s fine-liner pen. All the exams are over now...
A CLICK came from the door lock.
The short blade instantly vanished from Huai Xu’s hands.
He froze, subconsciously putting the broken half of the pen back on the desk.
Sounds of footsteps came from the living room, and then, the bedroom door was pushed open. Zhou Li walked in.
"You’re back," Huai Xu said.
Zhou Li’s voice was very soft. After closing the door behind him, he noticed the broken pen on the desk.
His gaze then shifted downward.
Impulsively, Huai Xu blurted out, "It wasn’t me!"
Zhou Li’s mouth twitched.
Only then did Huai Xu relax. "I figured you wouldn’t need it anymore, so I took it to test the blade."
Zhou Li chuckled. "Why so nervous? It’s just a few bucks, and it was almost out of ink anyway... Did you find out anything?"
"They seem to really listen to me. Watch—"
As Huai Xu spoke, he paused. The two short blades instantly appeared in his hands. They then flew out, circling slowly around Zhou Li, but instead of landing in Zhou Li’s hands, with a POOF, they exploded into cyan smoke before reappearing in Huai Xu’s own grasp.
"It’s like I inherently know how to use them."
"They were yours to begin with." Zhou Li watched, feeling both dazzled and mystified. It also served as a reminder of the fierce confrontations between humans and demons in the distant past, a time that had likely been difficult for both sides.
"By the way," Zhou Li said, "I went to Liu Xuehan’s home today; her cat ran away."
"Is that so..." Huai Xu was somewhat distracted.
Zhou Li then described how sad the little girl was, adding, "She even showed me the surveillance footage, from the community’s cameras too. The demon really did open the door and leave on its own, walking straight out of the residential complex without a hint of wanting to stay."
"Haha, I knew it would be like that! What demon would let itself be kept as a pet forever!"
"Huh? What’s with that look on your face?" Huai Xu was taken aback.
"Nothing," Zhou Li said.
"There is!" Huai Xu insisted.
"I was just thinking, from the way you’re acting, it seems you completely consider yourself a demon," Zhou Li said. "I was afraid you’d be upset if I pointed it out."
"I..." Huai Xu struggled to speak for a moment. "I’ve probably only been human for a few decades, but I’ve been a demon for two thousand years. I think I’ve even lost my memory a few times in between. Each time I lost my memory, it was like starting life over again as a demon."
"Let’s get back to that little demon. The reason I brought it up is that I wanted to ask you what kind of mindset a little demon like that would have."
"To freeload, of course!"
"Then why would it leave?" Zhou Li wondered. The little girl’s family isn’t badly off, are they?
"You’ll have to ask it yourself. Want me to?" Huai Xu looked at him. "I can help you find it. I guarantee I will!"
Zhou Li observed the three items Huai Xu had lined up on the desk and picked up the hairpin.
It was a simple wooden hairpin, devoid of any pattern.
"You can’t tell if this is for a man or a woman," Zhou Li said curiously. "So, what exactly are you...?"
Huai Xu said, "Hold it steady, don’t drop it."
Suddenly, Huai Xu snatched the hairpin from his hand, saying, "Your younger brother is coming. If he sees this, you’ll have a hard time explaining."
Zhou Li turned around and shouted, "Come in."
The door cracked open, revealing one of Zhu Shuang’s eyes. "Want some spicy chicken noodles?"
"Then I’ll cook two more packets."
"Okay, I’ll wash the dishes later."
The crack in the door closed again.
Zhou Li looked helplessly to the side. "Those things are really spicy. Can you even handle them?"
"I’m in a really bad mood right now," Huai Xu blinked. "I urgently need something to cheer me up, or there’ll be trouble. Didn’t you hear Hong Ran say that the Pingding Army is an elite force? If I turn into the Great Devil King... Hey, have you seen that movie? The one about an old veteran who gets bullied after retiring, then makes a comeback and goes on a rampage, causing a bloodbath."
What a chatterbox, he thought.
Zhu Shuang had also added two fried eggs to the noodles. Although they weren’t cooked perfectly, they brought a profound sense of happiness.
Zhou Li chatted with Brother Nan on his phone.
Li Daimao: My family’s place just launched a new dish, minced meat noodles with chopped chili. Super delicious! Have you tried it yet?
Zhou Li: Tried it. It’s savory and spicy.
Li Daimao: Do you remember I told you my dad’s cooking is also super delicious?
Li Daimao: Here’s your chance to taste my dad’s cooking. You coming or not?
Zhou Li: Your family is opening a restaurant?
He was a bit surprised. Brother Nan’s family noodle shop had been around for many years. Back when Yan City wasn’t even a proper city and was still called Yang County, when the county itself barely had any decent streets, their noodle shop was already standing at that crossroads.
After all these years, they’re changing their business?
Li Daimao: What are you talking about? In a few days, it’s my nineteenth birthday—a big one, turning twenty by traditional counting! Come to my place for a casual meal, will you? I’ve invited a few classmates from my class and some from other classes. Not too many people.
I have something, so...
Before he could finish typing, Brother Nan’s second message popped up: "Don’t you dare say no! You’re so close, and it’s not like you’re busy. It won’t delay your evening tutoring. Come and bond with your Brother Nan a bit. It’ll make things easier for us in the future."
Zhou Li had no choice but to slowly delete his text and send another: How can you type so fast?
Li Daimao: Learned it from playing games.
Zhou Li turned off his phone.
She asks if I’m coming but won’t let me say no. Women are so difficult to please, he thought.
Meanwhile, Huai Xu, having transformed into Zhou Li’s appearance, picked up his bowl and walked out. Zhou Li was dumbfounded. By the time he snapped back to reality, he only saw the door slowly closing. A sense of dread immediately washed over him.
Then, he heard his own voice coming from outside—
"You ate that pretty clean, huh?"
"Not as clean as you."
"Tastes pretty good."
"There are still more than ten packs left."
"Mm, make it again tomorrow night."
Zhou Li still hadn’t processed what just happened.
「A few days passed in the blink of an eye.」
Zhou Li left the residential complex and walked down the street, still unable to forget Aunt Jiang’s expression when she heard he was going to Brother Nan’s home for dinner. It was as if she wanted to strip him down, dress him up properly from scratch, and then magically conjure four extra hours just to style his hair.
He hadn’t wanted to mention it, but one of Zhu Shuang’s close female friends was Brother Nan’s cousin, a fact that had nearly made him freeze on the spot.