My Demon Friends-Chapter 628 - 600: Resign Yourself

Friday, the 16th.

The weather was pleasant today—overcast, sparing everyone the trouble of ultraviolet rays, and the breeze felt quite comfortable.

A deep, lead-gray cloud hung directly ahead, looking as if it wanted to rain but couldn’t quite manage it. People bustled about in the streets below, paying it no mind.

Through his studies, Zhou Li, who was gradually maturing into a Heavenly Master, knew that raindrops would likely fall in about an hour. By then, however, the wind would have carried the cloud over Dian Lake.

Even if it weren’t blown away, the pitiful amount of rain would hardly be noticed by anyone.

Zhou Li had climbed over the school wall again.

Yin Le walked beside him. Having skipped lunch, he was eating a triangular piece of cake as he walked, talking between bites, "The agreement has been reached.

"The discussion process was quite harmonious too. I acted as a listener the entire time and learned a lot.

"Yu Country is generally mild-mannered, but since the sealing involved His Royal Highness, the Prince of Yu, they definitely wouldn’t back down. They were adamant about acquiring ownership of the Sealed Land. So, after some discussion, we agreed to let Yu Country research the Sealed Land first, for a period of twenty years, during which the land would belong to them. In return, Yu Country will compensate us by sending knowledgeable demons to educate our Young Heavenly Masters in runes and Symbol Arrays."

"It feels like this is all according to a script," Zhou Li remarked.

"Pretty much," Yin Le said. "Truth be told, we still lack the power to truly contend with Yu Country. Besides, we can’t even understand the Symbol Array of the Sealed Land right now. Even if we had it, it would take at least a few decades before we’d have the capability to research it. It’s better to use it in exchange for speeding up the Heavenly Masters’ revival."

"Twenty years..."

That’s a really long time, Zhou Li thought, long enough for the world to undergo immense changes.

Even if demons didn’t exist, with the current international situation so fiercely competitive, who could possibly imagine what the world would be like in twenty years?

Zhou Li pondered for a moment and asked, "So Yu Country has already started analyzing it?"

"Yes, a lot of Old monsters have arrived."

"Old monsters..."

A smile tugged at the corners of Zhou Li’s lips.

"What about Old monsters?"

"Nothing."

Zhou Li decided he would ask Sister Hong Ran for information later. Deciphering such a large Symbol Array wouldn’t be an overnight task, but determining its general function should take considerably less time.

As a demon passed them on the overpass ahead, they both instinctively fell silent, afraid the demon might overhear them discussing its kind.

Only after crossing the overpass did Zhou Li ask again, "So how did you report this to your superiors?"

"I reported the truth, of course," Yin Le replied. "It’s such a major issue, how could I fabricate a story? Even if I wanted to, I’d need to get those five, and Master Xuanqing, to lie with me. That would be too difficult."

"What will they think of you?" Zhou Li asked, concerned.

"I told them I was afraid that after so many years, something might have changed inside, so I wanted to investigate thoroughly before reporting. I also mentioned that according to the traditions passed down by the Six Imperial Families, if a celestial phenomenon occurs, we are to investigate it first before drawing any conclusions. I don’t know if they believed me or what they thought.

"They might think I don’t take my superiors seriously.

"Or they might think I’m young and reckless, or perhaps greedy for merit and afraid that reporting it would mean sharing the credit.

"But who cares? I’m young, so I can still afford to make plenty of mistakes."

"I see."

"Do you know what Master Xuanqing plans to do next?" Yin Le changed the subject.

"I heard she plans to fix up Changping Lookout first, then, as she and Lou Qingqing put it, ’roam the world.’" Zhou Li paused, then added, "Yes, ’roam the world’—that was their exact phrase."

"Have they set out yet?" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"It seems not yet."

"Ah..." Yin Le sighed. "Changping Lookout has fallen into such disrepair. It used to be so splendid."

「At four in the afternoon, there was PE class.」

Zhou Li gathered at the sports field.

He had finished his Tai Chi class with high marks last year. This year, determined to dedicate more time to learning Spells, he had opted for badminton.

My badminton skills are probably good enough for the Olympics, he’d thought. So even if I skip classes, I should still pass the exam, at worst losing some participation points. Therefore, during the first class, he debated whether to show off his skills and explain to the teacher that he was very busy, or to simply skip all classes and only show up for the final exam. He wasn’t sure which approach would be more respectful to the teacher. Before he could come to a decision, however, the teacher had already recognized him.

It turned out he had played badminton on the sports field a few times before, and it was on one of those occasions that the teacher, who also taught there, had noticed his skill and been deeply impressed.

It’s all because I’m too good-looking, Zhou Li mused.

This is fine too, he’d thought at the time. It’s like fate made the choice for me, so I don’t have to agonize over it anymore.

Then, the teacher asked him to help teach the class.

He had initially refused, claiming he wasn’t a good teacher. However, the teacher then had the students vote on whether he should help instruct... and the class was predominantly female.

It’s all because I’m too good-looking.

"Zhou Li!" the teacher called out, frowning. "Why weren’t you in class last week? You didn’t even ask for leave."

Zhou Li lowered his head and said honestly, "I went out with my girlfriend."

"What?" The teacher was dumbfounded. He’s not even bothering to make up an excuse?

Zhou Li met his gaze helplessly. Ever since the teacher asked me to help teach, girls from the class have been trying to add me as a friend every week. Brother Nan has always been magnanimous about it, but who knows if her patience has a limit? If this keeps up, the foremost Heavenly Master of our time might meet an untimely end.

"Text me next time!"

"Understood."

"Gather up!" The teacher blew the whistle for assembly.

After a brief warm-up and two laps, the teacher went to watch other students play basketball, leaving Zhou Li to begin his teaching duties.

He wasn’t a great teacher, nor was he particularly enthusiastic. Fortunately, PE classes in university generally only scratched the surface anyway.

Badminton for beginners couldn’t be simpler.

Besides, the female students in class don’t care if I teach well or not, as long as I’m pleasant to look at.

The male students care even less; they just want to mess around.

After demonstrating a few simple receiving techniques, he divided everyone into four groups for two-on-two matches, then sat down to browse Douyin.

Ever since Brother Nan had caught him secretly watching her Douyin videos after he claimed not to, he had started openly following her. His follow list now consisted of three people: Brother Nan, Zhu Shuang, and Master Xuanqing. He used to follow Zhou Qianqian, but when he realized that goofball only posted pictures of her big round face and her kids, he had promptly unfollowed her.

Brother Nan had posted very few videos over the past year and had started losing followers. However, because girls with her distinctive antennae hair were rare, she hadn’t lost too many.

Her latest video had been filmed at Fuxian Lake.

Master Xuanqing still hadn’t started livestreaming.

Her last video had been an explanation that her master had passed away, so she wouldn’t be broadcasting for a while. There were quite a few replies below it.

Thanks to a few collaborations with Brother Nan, she had gained a fair number of followers.

Before he’d been scrolling for long, the teacher announced class was over.

Zhou Li checked the time; it was only half-past five, and Brother Nan hadn’t messaged him yet.

He decided to go find her.

Brother Nan had chosen Sanda this semester, and her classes were held indoors. He found her classroom and peered in through the window.

They were practicing movements, with a male-to-female ratio of about 3:1.

In the corner, a Little Trash Cat sat obediently.

The teacher’s commands echoed continuously.

Zhou Li found it quite interesting.

I imagined Sanda class would be like this: everyone sparring, every blow landing solidly, or everyone practicing punches that whistled through the air.

However, in the Sanda class before him, quite a few people were just going through the motions, their movements soft and weak. A small portion was serious, but limited by their strength, their punches still felt powerless. After a swift turn, they couldn’t even keep their balance, and many of the guys were the same.

Brother Nan, however, was very serious. Not only was she serious, but her movements were also precise. Her punches and kicks carried noticeable force, making her stand out, looking like an exceptionally earnest and guileless kid.

Such a beautiful and tall girl practicing Sanda was truly a sight to behold. Even her antennae hair wobbled as if it might fall at any moment, yet it stubbornly remained upright.

Zhou Li watched, thoroughly engrossed.

Soon, it was the moment he had been looking forward to: the sparring session.

The teacher had the students put on boxing gloves, pair up—boys against boys, girls against girls—and repeatedly emphasized which areas were off-limits and which could be hit. But one could tell he wasn’t too concerned; he probably thought these rookies couldn’t do much damage even with boxing gloves on.

Brother Nan’s opponent was also a tall girl, about 175 cm, a bit shorter than her, but with a slightly fuller figure, visibly weighing more.

"Teacher! I request a change of opponent!"

"You two are a good match..."

"No!"

Brother Nan looked in a certain direction, then walked straight over to a guy and stopped in front of him.

"I want to fight him!"

This guy was around 188 cm tall, robustly built, with visible muscles. He looked like he lifted weights regularly and was quite handsome. He must be popular with the girls at school, Zhou Li thought.

An uproar of teasing cheers went through the classroom.

Zhou Li saw a subtle expression cross the guy’s face.

How to describe that expression? A girl more dazzling than a celebrity had approached him, wanting to be his partner. His heart was leaping with joy, yet he forced himself to appear composed, suppressing his delight to seem calm and reserved, as if thinking, ’Even though you’re beautiful and made the first move, I can’t let you think I’m an easy catch.’

The teacher said, "Boys, go easy on the girls!"

"Mhm!" The boy pursed his lips tightly and nodded, sneaking a glance at Brother Nan before settling into his stance.

The teacher gave the command, "Begin!"

BAM!

The red boxing glove was already in front of him.

The sickening thud stunned all the students.

The boy fell straight to the ground.

Brother Nan scrunched up her entire face.

「Ten minutes later.」

As they walked to the cafeteria after class, she lamented, "Still, you take a punch better..."

Zhou Li was silent for a moment, then said to her, "Under the influence of Spiritual Power, your physical abilities will also improve. So, you need to learn to control your growing strength. Before you get used to it, it’s best not to make any dangerous moves, to avoid harming others or yourself. For example, try not to punch people."

"Oh~~" Brother Nan dragged out the sound, nodding repeatedly. Then she turned and punched Zhou Li on the shoulder.

She even asked him, "Like this?"

Zhou Li pursed his lips and remained silent.