My Demon Friends-Chapter 623 - 595 Warmth

"All right."

Zhou Li stood up, his expression calm, and said to Yin Le, "It's time to go out. You stay on the mountain and explain things to Yu Country; I need to go back."

"Ah? You're not coming with me?"

Yin Le was very surprised and confused. This was a big deal, and he was actually feeling nervous and unsettled. In his eyes, Zhou Li seemed like a reliable person. Even if Zhou Li just acted as a companion by his side, doing nothing, it was still comforting.

In fact, he was only nineteen, not quite twenty yet.

Zhou Li shook his head and said, "The current person in power in Yu Country is Hong Ran. It's inconvenient for me to stay here. I still love Sister Hong Ran very much."

Huai Xu, from the side, glanced at him askance. By the time Zhou Li finished speaking, Huai Xu's figure had disappeared again, with no clue where he had gone.

"...Okay!"

Yin Le nodded silently. "Then let's head out."

Zhou Li and he turned back to take a last look at the pitch-black, vast space. They both realized that even if the Demon King wasn't there and the Demon King's Spiritual Power had vanished without a trace, this space still contained academic and informational value enough to drive humans and Demons crazy.

Unfortunately, they couldn't take any of it with them.

Taking photos would only capture a drop in the ocean; it was meaningless.

The way out was still smooth sailing, with no obstacles. Only their clothes were drenched by the icy water that felt three measures colder than the snow at the mountain peak.

Yin Le opened the door to the Sealed Land, letting the cold wind rush in.

Before they knew it, it was already deep into the night.

A crescent moon hung in the sky, its pale light insufficient to illuminate the path. The area below the mountain was pitch-black. Only the towering snowy mountain behind them was visible, and even the grey-white fog that enveloped it like a half-circle cover over the mountain's peak could be seen.

Compared to their arrival, it was even colder now. With their clothes almost completely soaked, they reached an extreme level of cold.

Yin Le started making phone calls.

Lou Qingqing stretched her hand out from her sleeve, pinched her drenched sleeve, and then took off her coat. She muttered a few words before shaking it forcefully in the air.

"PUFF..."

The moisture was shaken off, turning into a cloud of white mist that quickly dispersed.

The rest watched, their eyes widening.

Lou Qingqing smiled brightly. "Most of our family's Spells are related to water... You should take off your clothes too."

In no time, everyone was wearing dry clothes.

By then, Yin Le had hung up the phone and said to them, "I've called someone to pick you up on the road at the foot of the mountain. You go down; I'll stay here.

"Walk slowly on the way, and be careful not to trip.

"Also, I have booked a hotel in the city for you. Have a good hot bath when you get back and rest early. If you feel unwell afterwards, seek medical attention promptly, and all expenses will be reimbursed."

"I'll stay with you," said Lou Qingqing.

"That's good," Yin Le nodded.

"I'll stay with you too, Brother Yin," said Shen Zhengfu, his voice trembling.

"Stop it, or you'll freeze to death." Yin Le paused and then rephrased, "The way down is difficult, and it's dark. You're young and have good eyesight, so keep an eye on them."

"Alright then!"

Several small lights wobbled through the forest, moving down the mountain, leaving only two people standing in place.

"You should take off your clothes too. I'll dry them for you?"

"Thank you." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"It's nothing..."

"I mean for staying with me."

"It's the same." Lou Qingqing waved her hand. "We're not going to wait here until tomorrow, are we?"

"Impossible," said Yin Le, gazing into the distance. "They'll come very quickly."

"That Demon is really powerful."

"The king of assassin Demons, infamous."

"How does he know Zhou Li?"

"Not sure."

"They seem a bit off."

"Maybe... they have other discoveries," Yin Le said hesitantly. "They know more about this than we do."

"I'm so sleepy..."

"..."

「Down the mountain」

Two cars sped away from the scenic area.

The heat was on in the cars, and the people who were previously freezing had now unzipped their jackets.

Zhou Li was in a car with Uncle Liu and Mr. Jiang. Mr. Jiang had tripped on the way down the mountain, covering his knee in mud. He was a meticulous person, currently wiping the dirt off with a wet wipe.

As he wiped, he said to Uncle Liu, "Uncle Liu, since you have no children and no attachments, why don't I find you an easier job? Our ancestors had some connections, and we may need to get in touch in the future. It would be better to stick together."

"That's not a good idea..."

"Are you afraid I'll treat you badly?"

"No, no..."

Zhou Li silently listened to their conversation, turning his head toward the window, his own reflection on the glass.

He had just sent a message to Brother Nan.

No reply.

It was late at night, so that was normal.

Soon, Mr. Jiang brought up finding Uncle Liu another wife to pass on the bloodline of the Six Imperial Families. Uncle Liu became embarrassed, waving his hands and too shy to speak further.

Zhou Li then spoke up, "I'm not going back to the hotel with you guys. I just bought a plane ticket to go back to the Daoist temple to find my girlfriend."

"This late!" Mr. Jiang was surprised.

"Yeah," Zhou Li nodded. "Driver, after you drop them off, could you please take me to the airport as well?"

"Of course."

"If you're in a hurry, you can go to the airport first," Mr. Jiang didn't insist.

"There's plenty of time."

Zhou Li took a taxi from Camel Hump Airport to the Daoist temple. Due to the long and remote road, he was seriously overcharged. By the time he arrived at the temple, it was the dead of night.

He knocked on the door, but there was no response.

"Master Xuanqing?"

"Brother Nan?"

No one responded. Only dog barking could be heard from inside the courtyard, but even with the noisy barking, no one came to open the door for him.

Zhou Li's heart sank. "Lord Dumpling?"

"MEOW~~"

A faint meow came from inside, as if from a distance.

"HUFF..."

Zhou Li took a deep breath. "Lord Dumpling, I'm back. Can you open the door for me?"

"Are you the big bad wolf, meow?"

"I'm Zhou Li."

"MEOW~~"

"Help me open the door."

"Lord Dumpling won't open the door."

"Lord Dumpling will be able to open it if you turn into Little Cat Girl."

"Are you locked out?"

"Yes."

"Lord Dumpling is locked inside."

"..."

Speechless, Zhou Li silently lifted his head.

Not tall...

With a two-step running start, he easily climbed over.

The local dog inside immediately pounced towards him. Seeing it was him, it abruptly halted, cocked its head in confusion for a moment, then wagged its tail and let out a couple of whines before lying back down.

Zhou Li walked towards the inner courtyard and asked as he did, "Is Lord Dumpling the only one in the Daoist temple?"

"Just Lord Dumpling."

"What about Brother Nan and the others?"

"They left."

Zhou Li quickly arrived in front of the door and spoke to Tuanzi through the bolted door, "Where did they go?"

"To the hospital."

"Why did they go to the hospital?"

"Brother Lan got sick, so they went to the hospital."

"How did he get sick?"

"Don't know, meow. Brother Lan started having stomach pains after eating. He might have eaten a dead mouse."

"..."

"Zhou Li, hurry up and open the door! Let Lord Dumpling out! Lord Dumpling wants to go to the hospital to see Brother Lan's stomach pains!"

"I don't have the key. Lord Dumpling, you should stay inside. See you tomorrow."

"Aren't you coming in, meow?"

"I'm not."

The voice was already growing distant.

Zhou Li climbed back over the wall and left the Daoist temple. He hesitated and then called Brother Nan.

The phone was turned off.

He then called Master Xuanqing, which did get through, but it disturbed Master Xuanqing's sleep.

According to Master Xuanqing, they were now at the town hospital because of stomach troubles from bad food. However, she couldn't specify what exactly caused it. This morning, Brother Nan found some exceptionally plump mushrooms by the roadside on the way back to the Daoist temple. Her cravings got the better of her, so she picked the mushrooms. In the afternoon, she saw some wood ear fungus growing on the dead trees next to the temple and wanted to eat some hot and sour wood ear fungus to whet her appetite. Before the old Temple Master had passed away, he left a pot of chicken soup made from a big old hen, which they had only eaten once. Afterwards, because they had to observe a vegetarian diet, they hadn't eaten it, and she thought it would be a waste to throw it out.

The mushrooms ended up being cooked in the chicken soup, along with some fatty pork, accompanied by hot and sour wood ear fungus. That evening, she ate three big bowls.

By eight o'clock, she was sent to the hospital.

"The town hospital..." Zhou Li remembered seeing Brother Nan's motorcycle at the foot of the mountain when he was coming back, and he conveniently had the spare key.

He'd only ridden the motorcycle twice, both times taught by Brother Nan, totaling less than three kilometers.

Zhou Li went down the mountain alone in the dark, without needing any lights, his footsteps faint. He quickly reached the motorcycle, wiped off the dew clinging to it, took out the key, and started the ignition.

He set up the navigation.

He fumbled to turn on the headlights.

Amidst the roaring noise, the motorcycle sped away, its headlight moving through the darkness of the mountains like a flickering matchstick.

「The town center hospital.」

Zhou Li quickly found his way to the ward.

In the dead of night, the lights in the ward were still on, their glow dim; the world was very quiet.

Master Xuanqing slept on the small spare bed next to Brother Nan. Brother Nan, however, was awake, staring blankly at the ceiling. Hearing footsteps, she slightly shifted her gaze and caught sight of Zhou Li treading lightly. She immediately turned her head to the other side.

So embarrassing.

Zhou Li carefully carried a stool over and sat down beside her.

Since the old Temple Master's illness had worsened, Master Xuanqing had hardly had any good rest. For nearly half a month, she had been sleeping on and off, and especially these past two days, she hadn't closed her eyes at all.

He didn't want to wake her up again.

Zhou Li whispered, "Why are you in the hospital again?"

Brother Nan turned her head back and rolled her eyes. "I already woke up when you were on the phone with Master Xuanqing just now!"

Implicitly, you already know why I'm in the hospital, so don't pretend you don't know and ask me again. Trying to make fun of Big Brother? Not a chance!

"Is it a stomach bug?"

"You're asking despite knowing!"

"I'm just glad you're okay."

"Pretending to be gentle..." Brother Nan, although she saw through him, still fell for it. "Why are you back so late?"

"I came back after I finished with everything," Zhou Li replied.

"What I mean is, why did you rush back in the middle of the night? If you finished tonight, you should have found a place to rest and come back during the day tomorrow." Brother Nan mentally added, "That way, you wouldn't know I was in the hospital again." "What? They didn't cover your hotel costs?"

"I wanted to come back and see you."

"See me? What for?"

"I'm just glad you're okay."

"Why are you acting so strange..." Brother Nan twitched the corner of her mouth. "So sappy."

"What exactly happened to you?" Zhou Li asked.

"Stomach ache, duh..." Brother Nan went expressionless again. "Are you regretting not being able to record it?"

"Besides the stomach ache?"

"?"

"I mean, did anything else happen at the time?"

"?"

"I understand."

Zhou Li nodded, slid his hand into her warm quilt, and grasped her hand. It felt slender, soft, and very warm. He asked, "Does it still hurt now?"

"It hurts."

"How does it hurt?"

"It's just... like my stomach is churning, like there's a monkey wreaking havoc in the Heavenly Palace." Brother Nan tilted her head and thought. "Have you seen Journey to the West? The episode with Princess Iron Fan."

"It's like...

"Sister-in-law, Sister-in-law, open your mouth, I'm coming out..."

"Be serious," Zhou Li said.

"I am being serious!" Brother Nan protested. "Anyway, it's really uncomfortable, like I'm going to die. It's just that Big Brother has been through a lot, so I don't show it."

"..."

"But as the saying goes, 'Better safe than sorry.' If I die later, make sure to castrate yourself because you're mine now. If you dare to lie in the same bed with another girl in this lifetime, I swear I'll climb out of my grave to get you!

"Also, if that censored episode of *Roast!* gets released, remember to come to Big Brother's grave and play it for me. Use a big tablet and turn the volume up. But I don't think that's very likely; those people are shameless."

"..."

Zhou Li lowered his head, finally relaxing.

By the time he noticed the movement on Brother Nan's bed, she had already taken her other hand out of the quilt. A fair, tender arm in a short-sleeved shirt, and a palm with smooth skin and soft flesh, pleasantly warm, pressed against his cheek. She even pinched his face.