My Demon Friends-Chapter 711 - 672: Let the Bad Genes End Here

「The next morning.」

Today, Huai Xu had taken the form of an Eastern European girl. She had long, chestnut-brown hair, a delicate face with distinct features, and snow-white, tender skin. Her eyes were brown. She was tall, with a slender waist and long legs, appearing to be at the precise age when Eastern European girls are considered most beautiful. Any older, and she would begin to decline.

Zhou Li couldn't help sighing. "You've been a girl for several days now."

"Isn't that good!?"

"No, it's not."

"Why isn't it good?"

"Don't you get tired of it?"

"Not tired at all." Huai Xu shifted her crossed legs, moving her right leg over her left. As she moved, her delicate skin brushed and pressed together. "Right after summer vacation started, I was a man for a long time," she said. "Now I need to make up for it."

Zhou Li was speechless. This old monster has become a woman, and somehow she's ended up sharing a room with me these past few days, he thought. I wonder if Brother Nan will get jealous. Maybe she will, maybe she won't. But no matter how slim the possibility, it's a gamble with my life.

Just then, an off-key singing voice drifted in from outside: "My child is torn, my hat is torn, the cassock on my body is torn! You laugh at me, he laughs at me..."

"BANG!"

The door to Zhou Li and Huai Xu's room was kicked open. Standing in the doorway was Brother Nan, who had just woken up. She held a rather small palm-leaf fan, fanning herself as she continued to sing, "Even the fan in my hand is torn..."

After finishing her song, she raised an eyebrow. "You two, still not up?"

Huai Xu and Zhou Li exchanged a glance.

Huai Xu scratched an itch on her long leg. "We've been up for ages," she said. "We even had breakfast. We only came back up to lie down because we were bored."

Zhou Li pursed his lips. He glanced at the door, then at the scantily-clad Huai Xu, and said weakly, "This door is pretty old. If you keep kicking it like that, it might not last much longer..."

"Ah! Time to make lunch!" Brother Nan declared.

"Oh." Zhou Li immediately rolled out of bed.

He walked over to Brother Nan and glanced at the small fan she was holding. "Why are you holding my little fan?" he asked timidly.

"How is it yours?"

"I've been using it for the past few days..."

"Hey, with that kind of reasoning, what's the difference between you and those scumbags who hog public parking spots?" Brother Nan sized up Zhou Li. "What, does the fan have your name written on it?"

"Yes." Zhou Li pointed to the end of the fan's handle.

"Huh?" Brother Nan was taken aback and looked down.

The fan's handle was as thin as a little finger, and the area at its end was only about the size of a fingernail. Yet, someone had managed to carve four small characters into it: "Zhou Li's Fan." They were inscribed in small seal script, resembling a stamp, as if showing off their skill.

Brother Nan looked a bit awkward. "Haha..." She laughed twice and slapped Zhou Li on the shoulder. "So what if it has your name on it? Even you are mine... Oh, but doing that sort of thing is a bit unethical. Try not to do it in the future."

"The vassal of my vassal is not my vassal."

"What does that mean?"

"If you'd paid more attention in your middle school history class, you'd understand."

SMACK!

"Got it." Zhou Li lowered his head deeply. "Brother Nan, please, you use it."

"Heh heh..." Brother Nan turned and swaggered off, waving the small fan in her hand. That incredibly goofy song started up again: "Namo Amitabha Buddha, Namo Amitabha Buddha..."

Zhou Li silently followed behind her.

Miss Zheng's home had several palm-leaf fans, new and old. Most were of a normal size, about forty centimeters in diameter. There was only one small fan, about the size of the round silk fans used by young ladies from noble families in ancient times. Although made of cattail leaves, it was edged with patterned cloth, making it delicate and cute. It showed that even ordinary people from traditional lower classes had a pursuit of beauty and a sense of taste.

Zhou Li had taken a liking to this small fan last year and had been using it ever since. It was good for fanning away the heat, swatting mosquitoes, and it was also very cute.

Now, it had become Brother Nan's Magic Artifact.

And just like that—Brother Nan spun around, looked at him seriously, and declared, "Mani mani hong! Become an idiot!" With that, she fanned him with a gust of wind from the fan.

Zhou Li looked at her, his face expressionless.

Brother Nan exclaimed with delight, "It worked!!"

Zhou Li remained silent.

"Boring!" Brother Nan shook her head, turned back, and continued down the stairs.

In her hands, the small palm-leaf fan now transformed into a Divine Weapon with edges so sharp it could slice through iron like mud. It ranked first on the list of all armaments, striking fear into the hearts of everyone in the Jianghu... she imagined, slicing the air with the small fan. Each wave seemed to unleash an invisible, powerful force.

"WHOOSH! WHOOSH!"

Zhou Li couldn't resist reaching out to touch her forehead.

Brother Nan whipped her head around, her eyes, burning with intensity, fixed on him. Her eyebrows furrowed. "What do you think you're doing!? Trying to sneak attack me?"

Zhou Li took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

A fair-skinned fist extended towards him, not to strike, but stopping near his mouth like a microphone.

"What are you thinking about?" Brother Nan asked, her expression solemn.

Zhou Li stole a glance at her, then quickly looked away. After pondering for a moment, he decided to answer honestly. "I was just thinking... being DINK isn't a bad choice either..."

"DINK? Who's that?"

"It's not a person."

"Then what is it? Are you insulting me?"

Without waiting for Zhou Li's response, Brother Nan threw a punch, landing it solidly on his chest.

A dull thud sounded.

Zhou Li took the punch from the Demon King—in her current human form—without any change in his expression or emotion. He continued to explain, "It refers to couples who are able to have children but choose not to. That's called DINK. It's not an insult."

"Oh..." Although it wasn't an insult, a punch thrown is like water spilled—it can't be taken back. Brother Nan felt not the slightest bit guilty, simply nodding before continuing on her way.

Coincidentally, Zhou Li didn't feel he had been wronged either.

They arrived at the kitchen.

Miss Zheng and Qinghe were quietly sorting vegetables.

The kitchen roof had several glass tiles that served as the room's main light source. Although these tiles had been installed many years ago, Qinghe, being an extremely meticulous Demon, frequently climbed up to wipe them, clear away fallen leaves and debris, and would occasionally remove them for a thorough cleaning. This kept the glass tiles remarkably clear, so the kitchen wasn't dim during the day.

Qinghe would bring the vegetables close to her face, her eyes wide, relying on touch and experience. It wasn't difficult for her; at least, she appeared quite adept.

Zhou Li walked over and asked, "Is the power back on?"

"Not yet," Miss Zheng replied, looking up. "They said it would be back before this afternoon."

"I see..."

"Are your phones out of battery?"

"No, no, we have plenty of charge," Zhou Li said. "With Huai Xu around, we can charge them anytime."

"It's cool today too," Brother Nan added. "No need for an electric fan."

"Yeah."

"What are we eating today?"

"I've picked some luffa, eggplant, and Malabar spinach," Miss Zheng answered softly. "How would you like them cooked?"

"Luffa is delicious stir-fried or in soup—luffa with slippery meat soup is the best! And Malabar spinach is great stir-fried too. There are so many seasonal vegetables available right now." Brother Nan's eyes sparkled as she pointed at Zhou Li. "He likes fish-flavored cripples."

"There are so many vegetables these few months, more than we can eat," Miss Zheng said, looking down. "Especially cucumbers, pumpkins, and winter melons."

"Exactly..."

This was a topic only Brother Nan and Miss Zheng really had in common. Zhou Li didn't understand gardening. He had learned some botany, but he felt it didn't contribute much to their conversation. So, Zhou Li sat down by the stove, waiting for Master Zheng to give the order to light the fire, and listened quietly to their chat. Even someone as quiet and reserved as Miss Zheng could chat effortlessly with Brother Nan for hours, or at least until there was work to be done.

It wasn't hot sitting there today.

Outside, the sky looked as if it might rain, but it held off. A cool and pleasant breeze was blowing.

It seemed that even though Miss Zheng had voiced her wish, it still came true. But actually, I silently made two wishes identical to Miss Zheng's, Zhou Li mused. If the rainbow really was magical, that is.