My Demon Friends-Chapter 617 - 589: That Night

The open doors of the Taoist temple, the flickering lights within, and the lean figure in a Taoist robe at the entrance signified a wait spanning a thousand years.

Mr. Jiang stared at this scene for a long time. He was no longer young and had thought himself immune to the emotional outbursts of youth. Yet, at this moment, he found himself unexpectedly overwhelmed, as if he had returned to his passionate younger days, leaving him somewhat bewildered.

After a moment's hesitation, he mimicked Yin Le's tone. "A descendant of the Jiang Family has come to visit."

An old man's severe cough echoed from inside the house.

Master Xuanqing noticed Zhou Li, but she was too preoccupied to think of anything else and quickly said, "Please, come in!"

The three stepped through the door, which creaked shut behind them, and the light no longer shone outward.

Zhou Li, looking down, said to Master Xuanqing, "Master Xuanqing, it has been a long time. How is the elder of the observatory?"

"Master... his health is very poor."

"Ah..."

"You... you are...?"

"I am not," Zhou Li shook his head. "They are; I am just accompanying them."

"Oh, oh."

Only then did Master Xuanqing turn to Yin Le and Mr. Jiang. She had no time for idle chatter, eager only for her master to see them. "Master is inside waiting for you. He was just discharged from the hospital specifically to wait here for you."

"Yes."

Yin Le and Mr. Jiang, having been briefed by Zhou Li during the car ride, hastened their steps into the building.

The old man on the sickbed was already in tears. The light cast deep shadows across his deeply lined face, making him look like a withered branch, clearly showing signs of having burned the candle at both ends. Yet, he still managed to lift his head laboriously to observe the two who entered. The room was filled with the smell of medicine.

Yin Le walked to the bedside, grasped the old man's hand, and said with inexplicable sorrow, "You have waited a long time, old man..."

"Good..."

The elder of the observatory managed only this single word. His inner emotions were likely too complex for words.

Then Yin Le turned around. "May we have a moment to speak privately?"

"Yes."

"We'll step outside."

The indoor light was also blocked by the door.

Outside stood Zhou Li, Master Xuanqing, and Boss Zhang, none of whom spoke.

Master Xuanqing was still in shock from inadvertently witnessing a monumental secret. She felt as if she had become a character in some fantasy movie, her emotions not yet settled. Meanwhile, Boss Zhang's worldview, fixed by his age, was profoundly shaken. Whether he believed in deities or atheism, his convictions were firm, and tonight's events undoubtedly challenged his old views. Zhou Li, on the other hand, didn't know what to say.

After a while, Master Xuanqing finally composed herself and introduced Boss Zhang to Zhou Li. "This is Boss Zhang."

"Hello, I am Zhou Li. Master Xuanqing has told me a lot about you. I'm glad to finally meet you," Zhou Li said respectfully.

"Hello..."

"Don't be too nervous; it's okay," Zhou Li comforted him.

"Who... what kind of people are they?" Boss Zhang asked subconsciously. "What's all this about?"

"They..." Zhou Li thought for a moment. "Their ancestors were all people of excellent repute and great honor. They have a pact here, and now they have come to fulfill it."

"..."

"You should go back and rest well," Zhou Li said directly. "We will take good care of the elder of the observatory. Please keep what happened here to yourself."

"Okay!" Boss Zhang, a decisive man, left promptly.

In the courtyard, only Zhou Li and Master Xuanqing remained. One kept peering indoors while the other paced back and forth, occasionally scraping their shoe soles against the small blades of grass on the ground. Perhaps it was a habit picked up from Brother Nan or Huai Xu.

Finally, Zhou Li spoke first. "The last time I stumbled here by mistake, Brother Nan and I thought about coming back, but I never expected it to be like this."

Master Xuanqing merely hummed in response.

Zhou Li continued, "I know the descendant of the Yin Family. A celestial phenomenon occurred the day before yesterday, and he told me about this, asking me to accompany him. It wasn't until this afternoon, in the car, that I realized our destination was here... Perhaps this is fate."

That was a lie; he had guessed it the day before yesterday.

Master Xuanqing's gaze flickered. She sensed the sincerity in Zhou Li's voice. Combined with her impression of him and his girlfriend from their first meeting last year, they seemed quite trustworthy. Moreover, she had kept in contact with his girlfriend and they had become good friends over the past six months, which formed another basis for trust.

The coincidence of these events made it easy to speculate that their visit last year had been intentional, and the story of getting lost was a fabrication, adding a layer of mystery to the situation. This kind of ambiguity could easily lead one's thoughts astray.

After much thought, Master Xuanqing ultimately decided to trust them, to trust Brother Nan. Trust is the foundation of communication.

Master Xuanqing quickly turned to the only person who could clarify her doubts, pressing him, "Just who are you? Who is Brother Nan? Who are they? And why have my master and the cultivators at Changping Lookout been waiting for them all these years?"

"Let's take it one question at a time." Zhou Li looked down and sat on the steps. The blood-red moonlight cast an eerie glow over the scene, but he quickly adjusted. "There are things I can tell you and things I can't. I'll share what I can here. For what I can't tell you, you'll have to ask the elder of the observatory."

"I am a Heavenly Master. In ancient times, we dealt with demons. You must have guessed this, as the elder of the observatory probably mentioned something similar to you."

"As for Brother Nan..." Zhou Li furrowed his brow, finding himself at a loss for words to describe her. It wouldn't be right to say she was just an ordinary person; that would be an affront to Brother Nan. "She is not a Heavenly Master." Ultimately, that was all he could say.

At that moment, the bell in the courtyard sounded again.

DONG!

The dull yet melodious sound seemed to emanate from ancient times, momentarily making one forget the current era. It was as if they were transported to the Splendid Tang Dynasty, where a bell tolled in a serene Taoist temple, and the incense in the tripod had nearly burned out, leaving a long, white trail of ash.

"Someone else has arrived." Zhou Li quickly got up and walked out.

The temple's dog was barking. He waited briefly at the entrance and heard voices—a man and a woman—coming from the stone steps.

"This dreadful place is so cold! So eerie!"

"Let's get out of here fast!"

"And the dog is barking. Will it bite us?"

"I must have been out of my mind to follow you to this dump!"

"Just hold your tongue for once."

"I'll say what I want! What's wrong? You think you're still young? Traveling halfway across China for some ancestor's dying wish? You're nearly thirty and still into this nonsense. If we end up sleeping in the car tonight, I'll be the one who's speechless!"

"We could still go back to the county..."

Only two of those lines were spoken by the man, and Zhou Li immediately identified him as the key person. Soon, their figures came into view.

Through the faint light, he saw a slightly overweight man in a silver reflective jacket over a white T-shirt, revealing a large belly. Accompanying him was a woman with heavy makeup, wearing an identical silver reflective jacket. Both were hunched over from the cold mountain night air.

The two parties locked eyes, and the newcomers visibly froze.

Zhou Li pursed his lips and asked, "Which family's descendants are you?"

"Shi... Shi Family." The slightly overweight man's voice trembled. He turned to the dazed woman beside him and said, "It's true! See? I told you it was true! Didn't I say it was true?"

The woman remained unresponsive. The man, however, grew increasingly agitated, looking as if he was on the verge of tears.

Zhou Li hurriedly said, "Please come in. The Temple Master has been waiting for you for a long time. Two others have already arrived; they're inside."

Almost as soon as he finished speaking, the door to the inner room suddenly opened, and the light outlined a tall, straight figure.

Yin Le, a severe case of "eighth-grader syndrome," swept his gaze over the man and woman, raised his hand in a cupped-fist salute, and introduced himself first. "Descendant of the Yin Family, Yin Le."

"Shi... descendant of the Shi Family, Shi Weijun." Shi Weijun, as if infected by Yin Le's demeanor, spoke with a similar flair.

Zhou Li helplessly stepped aside.

「About an hour later」

Another descendant arrived, as if everyone was destined to gather tonight. This time it was a girl even younger than Yin Le, of medium height with a pleasant face. She was an unaffiliated Young Heavenly Master, a descendant of the Lou Family, formerly based in the southeast.

It was astonishing that, after a thousand years, four of the Six Imperial Families had responded. Not only had their bloodlines remained unbroken, but the ancestral directive had also been passed down. Furthermore, their descendants, a millennium later, still believed in it enough to undertake such an arduous journey. It was truly incredible.

They were quietly conversing in another room. Only Zhou Li could accompany them; even Mr. Shi's girlfriend was not allowed to join and had gone to her room to rest. Their discussion mostly revolved around their ancient ancestors, sharing the knowledge that had been passed down to them.

The Jiang Family possessed the most complete inherited knowledge, but since Mr. Jiang was not a Heavenly Master himself, the discussion was largely led by Yin Le and the Lou Family descendant. They also took on the responsibility of answering the various questions posed by the others.

As for their recent personal circumstances, they tacitly avoided the topic. Times change, fortunes shift; some rise while others fall. This is normal. But here and now, they were only descendants of the Six Families, united by their inherited mission, nothing else mattered.

"I'm a bit sleepy..." Zhou Li, struggling to hide his own fatigue, said to the group who were clearly excited yet trying to maintain composure, "You all continue chatting. I'm off to bed."

He left the room and headed to the guest room Master Xuanqing had arranged for him, but he heard footsteps behind him. Turning around, he saw Yin Le following him, holding a water cup.

"What's up?" Zhou Li asked.

"I need to talk to you," Yin Le said. "Do you know why I asked you to come with me?"

"You were afraid that powerful demons, attracted by the celestial phenomenon, would come to observe, or that Yu Country would notice something unusual and come to investigate," Zhou Li said without hesitation. "Plus, you didn't report the true cause of the celestial phenomenon to the Celestial Master Department, so you hoped I could help."

"Please!"

"I'll do my best."

"By the way... have you called Huai Xu?"

"No."

"Oh, okay..." Yin Le was visibly disappointed but said nothing more, took his cup of water, and went back.

Zhou Li felt that since Huai Xu was a demon, regardless of his actions or choices, his involvement would be inappropriate, so he hadn't asked for his help. As for the Old monster, his powers were vast; it would surely be impossible to hide such a long journey from him.

He pushed open the room door and fumbled for the light switch.

CLICK.

Light flooded the room. The Old monster was lying on the bed, one leg casually crossed over the other, head tilted as he looked at Zhou Li.