CHAPTER 54: CHAPTER 53: FAREWELL

Dark clouds covered the moon, and as expected, it rained that night.

The world plunged once more into darkness and noise, yet the lamp in the courtyard was still lit. Its glow reached inside the room, where Huai Xu’s bright eyes fixated on the wooden token he was unconsciously caressing in his hand.

He had been doing this frequently lately.

From the bed beside him came Zhou Li’s even breathing.

He had fallen asleep.

Huai Xu quietly got up, perched himself on the windowsill, and took out the pendant, looking at it against the dim light outside the window.

"Master Ming,"

"Pingding Army,"

"Jia Si..."

he murmured softly to himself.

After a long while, he retreated, sat on the floor with his knees hugged to his chest, and stared blankly at the rain dripping in the light of the window.

The sound of rain induced sleepiness. He didn’t know how long it had been when he leaned against Zhou Li’s bed and slowly closed his eyes as he looked up.

Voices seemed to whisper in his ear—

"Demons are stronger than humans, and fighting demons is perilously dangerous, but since we are both members of the Pingding Army and bear the Jia rank, we should not be cowardly in the face of even the fiercest demons, much less be sympathetic or lenient!"

"They seem quite friendly."

"Nonsense! This is our world, how can we share it with those monsters? Besides, we fight for the heavens and earth, and for our loyalty to His Majesty. Best keep such thoughts to yourself in the future!"

"But..."

There were words he left unspoken.

Another voice began to rise, a ballad of returning home, its haunting melody tugging at the heartstrings.

...

The sleep was still perfect.

Zhou Li was woken by chirping outside the window, and that damn crow making noise. He opened his eyes to see a strange woman with a spirited look on her face.

Zhou Li was a bit stunned.

The woman turned her head towards him and lazily smacked her lips, "I’ve noticed you always wake up particularly late when you’re here!"

"I sleep well."

"Tsk! You’re just oversleeping, aren’t you?"

"Why have you changed into another new look?"

"How about my new style, huh? Pretty, isn’t it?"

"Pretty. Is this another celebrity?"

"Hehe, you’ve got taste!"

"You’ll scare Miss Zheng if you go out looking like that."

"No way!" Huai Xu yawned again. "I already said hi to her by the window earlier. She was much calmer than you. Look at you, your eyes are bulging out like grapes!"

"Oh."

Zhou Li put on his shoes and went to wash up.

Breakfast was light yet delicious, and Zhou Li felt good after eating. After washing the dishes, he went out into the courtyard and saw flowers scattered all over the ground.

Zheng Zhilan had planted many colorful, year-round blossoms in the courtyard, on the roof, the balcony, and even along the path leading to her house, making the air after the rain seem fragrant and moist.

Zheng Zhilan sat in the courtyard and turned to ask him, "Did the rain knock down a lot of flowers?"

"But there are many still blooming."

"Are there any buds?"

"Yes, quite a few."

"Then that’s good."

Qinghe returned from outside and picked up a broom to sweep the floor.

He had already taken a walk up the mountain.

Zheng Zhilan mentioned that Qinghe had this idiosyncrasy—he loved to wander the mountain and check on the crops, especially after rain or a string of hot days. He felt he had to go and check.

It was a habit much like that of an old farmer.

And there was a certain charming contrast to it too.

According to Qing He, a lot of mushrooms had sprouted on the mountain.

Zhou Li and Zheng Zhilan decided to go pick them.

After summer rains, mushrooms grew quickly, particularly in bamboo and woodland areas, yielding a bountiful harvest.

For lunch, they had chicken soup and stir-fried the extra mushrooms. Qinghe loved mushrooms; he could eat a whole bowl just by themselves, and with just one rainfall on this mountain, there would probably be enough for him to eat for days.

Two days later, on the 18th, Zhou Li spent each day tending a fire, strolling the mountain, and taking pictures, enjoying a leisurely life.

The season for the autumn harvest had arrived.

The corn on the mountain had long since matured.

Zhou Li and Huai Xu volunteered to help with the harvest.

Zheng Zhilan didn’t grow much, just enough to feed the poultry. Her chickens, ducks, and geese all foraged for their food. She only needed to feed them when they were unable to find anything themselves.

But she herself did not eat it.

The corn she consumed was planted behind the house, just two rows of different varieties, and their season had long passed.

The corn was taller than a person, with beans planted in between.

Zhou Li, Zheng Zhilan, and Qinghe were tasked with picking the corn, while Huai Xu was responsible for transporting it back and for playing around.

Picking corn was simple, and Zhou Li learned quickly. He felt he had reached 0.8 of Little Zheng’s speed.

As for where Miss Zheng was, he had no idea.

All he could hear was a rustling sound in the distance.

Huai Xu lay on the mountain, a blade of grass clenched between his teeth, humming a tune, occasionally sitting up to look down below. From his elevated vantage point, he could see all three people in the field.

"Zhou Li, you’re so bad at this!"

"Zhou Li, I found a pheasant on the mountain, how about we catch one and eat it?"

"Have you ever eaten eagle meat?"

"Look at me catching a rabbit!"

"Oh, another bag done, alright, I’m off to deliver it... HA HA, I’ve already brought it back and returned!"

"The water from that well over there tastes so sweet!"

"..."

He was so idle.

Zhou Li was annoyed, and Zheng Zhilan found it funny.

Originally, they were supposed to spend two days on it, but with the addition of Zhou Li and Huai Xu, it took less than one day.

In the evening, Zheng Zhilan roasted rabbits and chicken, boiled mushroom soup, and even opened a bottle of homemade plum wine. She said to Zhou Li and Huai Xu, "Thanks to you guys today, otherwise it would have been tough for me with my poor eyesight."

Zhou Li felt a little embarrassed.

Huai Xu, on the other hand, was quite straightforward, "What’s the big deal? If you need it next year, Zhou Li and I will come again!"

"Really?"

"Anyway, I’m coming for the free food! I don’t know..."

"I’ll come too."

"Deal."

"Mm."

The night was cool, and it felt great to take a bath.

With a bright moon and sparse stars, the corn laid out in the threshing ground to dry. Zheng Zhilan set out a wooden bench in the yard to enjoy the cool air.

Next to it was an enamel mug filled with sugar water.

Zhou Li joined her.

They chatted quietly, mostly about "Golden Thread." Zhou Li was curious about it, but he admitted that even if he were given all those books, he wouldn’t be able to understand them. Maybe, once Huai Xu’s memory recovered, he could understand it with Huai Xu’s help?

But the current Huai Xu only knew fun and games.

There was no TV. The sounds of insects outside were somewhat monotonous, yet time seemed to fly.

Perhaps a long time ago, people’s days passed by quietly and slowly like this?

「The 20th.」

It was Zhou Li’s first time going out to chop firewood with them.

Purely for the excitement.

On the opposite mountain, beyond the sea of clouds.

Zhou Li helped chop a bit, then after having his fun, he stood at the cliff edge with Huai Xu to take in the view.

"CLICK! CLICK!"

"I want to see the pictures you took!" Huai Xu tiptoed over to look and said, "Looks good! Are you gonna show it to Aunt Jiang?"

"Yeah."

Zhou Li looked towards the opposite side.

From this vantage point, the small mountain village seemed tiny, shrouded in the mists, but the mountain behind it still looked majestic. The landslide still appeared terrifying.

He always felt that the landslide should have destroyed the entire village, but it was as if something had stopped half of it with an external force.

It was an immense force...

Suddenly, a roar echoed. Zhou Li glanced over and saw the gigantic figure of the Evil God moving in and out of the clouds.

Huai Xu said, "Doesn’t this guy remind you of that TV drama your brother watched a few days ago, what’s it called, Game of Something, with a fire-breathing monster in it? Does it look alike?"

"Sort of."

"It just doesn’t breathe fire," Huai Xu said, paused, and then exclaimed, "This guy is really strong!"

"Strange."

"Seriously!" Huai Xu said, "Remember the Blood Demon we encountered the other day? It had just awakened, its Spiritual Power was very weak, less than a tenth of mine. I thought handling it would be a piece of cake for me, but when I arrived, I realized it was incredibly fierce and even badly injured! If it had half my Spiritual Power in its heyday, I wouldn’t stand a chance!"

"Is that so."

Zhou Li also knew that converting Spiritual Power into combat ability was a complex process that required a lot of time and energy. Thus, many Great Demons had formidable Spiritual Power and a strong aura but were not good at fighting because they were important figures.

Huai Xu was good at fighting, hence he fought against both heaven and earth.

As a natural predator, the Blood Demon should be one of the best fighters among the Demons, right?

Thinking of this, the Evil God truly seemed terrifying.

Huai Xu then added, "I think, among all the Demons, there are probably only a few who can defeat this guy in a one-on-one battle. Back then, he must have been attacked by a group. Tsk tsk, really pitiful, laughable."

Zheng Zhilan’s voice came from behind, "Let’s go back."

Zhou Li and Huai Xu turned around. Qinghe had already shouldered the firewood; they hurried to follow.

After lunch, Zhou Li was to head down the mountain.

Zheng Zhilan didn’t show much sentimentality. She just walked Zhou Li out along the path, slowly saying, "Next time you come will be during the New Year, right?" Her voice was very soft.

Zhou Li nodded, "Most likely."

Zheng Zhilan hesitated a bit, "Since you’re going to university, I don’t have much to give, so I’ll give you a piece of jewelry. I hope you’ll have smooth sailing at university and a prosperous future."

Zhou Li and Huai Xu stopped and turned around at the same time.

Zheng Zhilan straightened her arm and opened her hand, revealing a thin golden chain.

Huai Xu said, "That seems like something you’d give to a girl!"

Zheng Zhilan’s face turned slightly red, "I don’t know what to give. I have plenty of these, and I’ve never given anything to anyone else. If you don’t like it, you can just keep it. If you’re ever tight on money, it can also be exchanged for money."

"Don’t listen to his nonsense."

Zhou Li took the chain from her, feeling its soft, warm touch in his palm.

Zheng Zhilan nodded and hummed, "Then this is as far as I’ll see you off."

"Alright, you go back now."

"If you run into trouble and need my help, call me. Even if it’s about a Demon and no matter how far, I will come to help you."

"You too, call me if you have any trouble."

"I’m going now."

"Okay."

Zheng Zhilan turned and left.

Huai Xu leaned in closer, looking at the chain in Zhou Li’s hand, "Is that the gold she used for cultivation? How much could it sell for?"

Zhou Li pocketed the chain.

Huai Xu encouraged, "Put it on, let me see?"

Zhou Li ignored him.

Huai Xu’s eyes swiveled, then he asked, "Don’t you think this feels like the old times when girls sent their husbands off to exams?"

Zhou Li quickened his pace without a word.