CHAPTER 395: CHAPTER 391 SUNDAY

「Sunday, noon.」

The sunlight was as bright as yesterday.

Zhou Li brought Huai Xu and Tuanzi along with Su Jue and Xiao Hua to cling more to Boss Yin’s coattails.

The small fire under the clay pot filled the air with steam. Large chunks of beef and tendons, equally divided, had already been stewed extremely tender. Just looking at them whetted the appetite, and there was no doubt about their taste.

The rich aroma wafted through the steam.

Huai Xu, salivating, took the lead with his chopsticks.

Yin Le also said, "This is the real pleasure of eating! Remember that cake shop we went to last time? What was that good for?"

Zhou Li smiled without a word, picked up a slightly smaller piece of beef, rolled it in the dipping sauce, blew on it a few times, and placed it onto Tuanzi’s small plate.

Seeing that the others had already taken their first bites, he asked, "How is it?"

"Good!" exclaimed Yin Le, giving a thumbs up.

"Nice!" Huai Xu mumbled indistinctly.

"Satisfying!" Xiao Hua said.

"Hmm!" Su Jue nodded along.

"MEOWWW."

"You should have come with me to the Capital. The meals are nice there every day. I even took photos to show you, but then I thought better of it, fearing it would interrupt your fun playing in the mud," said Yin Le, holding a piece of beef with his chopsticks but not eating it yet, letting it cool down instead.

"Was it tasty?" Zhou Li picked up the conversation.

"Probably not as good as a state banquet," said Yin Le.

"I’ve eaten in the Imperial Kitchen too!" Huai Xu retorted, not convinced.

"Imperial Kitchen?" Yin Le scoffed. "They didn’t even have MSG back then; how could it be as tasty as now?"

"Where is the state banquet held? I’ll go have it tonight!"

"You must be tired of living..."

"You must be dreaming..." Huai Xu was even more disdainful than before. "Someone of your level, even at your peak, couldn’t beat me. And now... I could slice up ten of you like watermelons, believe it or not?"

"You..."

Yin Le was somewhat angry.

But anger was of no use, as human Heavenly Masters’ power was currently too weak, simply no match for the Great Demons. As he knew, the combat power of the Great Demon before him was indeed formidable enough to warrant arrogance. So he could only hold it in, which was indeed frustrating.

A smile spread across Zhou Li’s face as he picked up another chunk of beef tendon for Tuanzi, staying out of their conversation.

Su Jue and Xiao Hua watched the whole exchange with the eyes of spectators at a boss fight.

Yin Le ate a couple of bites in silence, relishing the tenderly stewed beef tendon. The pleasure of eating meat in large bites somewhat mitigated his bottled-up frustrations and concerns for humankind, as he turned his attention to Zhou Li, who was carefully feeding the cat.

"You are really good to Lord Dumpling," he noted.

"Lord Dumpling is good to me too," Zhou Li replied.

"Do you usually feed her like this?"

"Hmm?"

"You really are leisurely," Yin Le smirked, realizing he was oddly envious. This didn’t make sense for someone ambitious like him. Why would he envy this often ridiculed lazy fish?

"It’s alright," Zhou Li laughed lightly.

"By the way," Yin Le paused, picking up another piece of beef, "we met Master Ming."

"What?"

"What???"

The last voice was so loud that Yin Le jumped, causing the meat to fall into the saucer of broth and splash oil into his eye.

He simply wiped it with a napkin and turned to face Huai Xu. "What are you so excited about?"

"Where did you see him?"

"At our meeting, on the last day," Yin Le explained. "He was waiting for us outside our office door."

"What did he want with you?" Huai Xu asked.

"What else? Just persuading us not to use the Heavenly Master’s power for human wars, warning us against casually provoking a war with the Demon Kingdom," Yin Le’s expression turned serious and solemn as he looked at Zhou Li. "You know what? I felt his power, and that kind of power... I can hardly describe just how powerful it is. I think he could easily destroy a Demon Kingdom, or any human nation for that matter. Sometimes I can hardly imagine you ever being as strong as him."

"He will never be as powerful as Master Ming," Huai Xu interjected. "Even if he grows stronger, he won’t compare to Master Ming."

"Why?" frowned Yin Le.

"Unless he also becomes a Demon, he can only reach the power that Master Ming had over two thousand years ago," Huai Xu paused. "It’s not just about age. It’s also because humans inherently have less control and utilization of Spiritual Power compared to Demons—Spiritual Power originally belonged to Demons. It was only granted to humans by the Will of the World after Demons appeared. However, to achieve balance, the Spiritual Power in a Heavenly Master’s body far exceeds that of a Demon. So, if a Heavenly Master becomes a Demon, his power would multiply significantly."

"Is that true?" Yin Le’s eyes widened.

"Nonsense!"

"It’s not mentioned in the books..."

"More nonsense..." Huai Xu paused and then asked, "Did Master Ming say anything else?"

"Why are you so concerned about Master Ming?" Yin Le narrowed his eyes.

"Just tell me!"

"..."

I won’t say it!

Glancing furtively at Huai Xu, Yin Le pursed his lips, relishing a sense of revenge from the anxious expression on his face.

It was then that Zhou Li also spoke, "Was Master Ming just there to advise you all?"

"Yeah, after that he left."

"Where did he go?"

"How would I know? He appeared suddenly and disappeared just as suddenly."

"I see..."

"I think he’s a lot more dominating than the books describe, kind of scary," Yin Le said while eating. "We have someone who’s a bit foolish, and maybe it’s thanks to his arrogance that we were able to witness Master Ming’s rumored power."

After speaking, he stealthily eyed Huai Xu.

He felt that Huai Xu must have some connection with Master Ming. However, upon thinking about it, it wasn’t strange for a Great Demon to know Master Ming. Besides, Huai Xu had committed many killings; it wouldn’t be surprising if Master Ming had dealt with him before.

"That’s quite normal!"

Huai Xu put down his chopsticks and said, "Before, he used to interact with people of his own era, so of course, his attitude needed to be gentler. Now, the leaders of your country are nothing but whippersnappers in his eyes... Do you seriously think he should pamper you? You aren’t his kids!"

He paused. "Moreover, this approach does work. You kids are ignorant and arrogant, getting cocky at the slightest courtesy."

"Hmm..."

Yin Le overturned his earlier guess—it seemed he hadn’t been dealt with by Master Ming. Probably they were on good terms.

Yin Le then talked about the meetings he had attended over the past few days. Some were about the other Heavenly Masters, some were about the country’s attitude and thoughts. Some aspects were very comforting to him, while others were troubling.

Because during these days there were disputes, contradictions, and many differences in opinions and perspectives that hadn’t been resolved yet.

Sometimes Zhou Li would comfort him with a few words.

Huai Xu would also occasionally say things like, "Give me the address, I’ll go sort them out for you," or "Just fight it out."

The other two people trembled in fear.

The only one uninvolved was Lord Dumpling.

Little Trash Cat was just like that. Anything she didn’t want to hear or couldn’t understand, she would filter out. That’s why she could paw at Zhou Li’s hand, asking him to pour her water while Yin Le and Zhou Li were chatting happily—because she hadn’t heard a single word of their conversation.

After finishing the meat, they added more several times.

Then they added a few portions of vegetables and two portions of noodles. After soaking up the soup, they found it even tastier than the meat.

This restaurant was a bit far from the university town and had normal Chunming prices, but it was still inexpensive. They ate liberally—four people, two demons—and it averaged less than one hundred yuan per person, and just over two hundred for each demon.

「Outside the restaurant.」

Yin Le asked Su Jue and Xiao Hua, "Coming over to my place this afternoon?"

Xiao Hua nodded eagerly.

Yin Le also nodded. "Alright, you guys take a taxi over. I should get there before you on my bike. I’ll wait for you at the community gate."

"Sure!"

Xiao Hua and Su Jue then went to the roadside to hail a taxi.

As Yin Le unlocked his bike, he turned to Zhou Li. "Are you coming? Join us."

"I have to go see my sister this afternoon."

"Right, I might bring someone to see you in the next few days. They want to confirm your intentions one last time in person. Just refuse, and I will take full responsibility for all corresponding matters afterward."

"Okay."

As Yin Le put on his helmet, Zhou Li, holding Tuanzi, suddenly asked, "About the Six Families... did you say anything?"

"Emmm..."

Yin Le paused abruptly, then eventually said, "It’s too early now. They don’t understand enough about the ancient Heavenly Masters, demons, or the history of both races. I can’t guarantee they’ll make the right choice... I’m also unsure what they think."

He paused. "I probed a bit during dinner. There wasn’t anyone from our Six Families among those people."

Then he stared into Zhou Li’s eyes. "Don’t worry, on this matter, I stand with you."

Over the past year, Yin Le’s understanding of both humans and demons had deepened considerably. He had even specifically researched ancient records and confirmed that the Demon King supported peace. At the same time, he was acutely aware of current human incapability against the Demon Kingdom.

He couldn’t guarantee that there wouldn’t be someone foolish enough to provoke the Demon Kingdom, nor was he sure if the radical faction within the Demon Kingdom might seize power.

As for Master Ming’s suppression?

It actually wasn’t very effective because even in ancient times, minor wars had erupted between the two sides. He didn’t know about demons, but he knew that once humans became impulsive and fanatical, perhaps not even a deity could restrain them.

And regarding his words, Zhou Li trusted him.

Yin Le was also a radical, but still rational. He knew that humans currently had no ability to cope with a war against the Demon Kingdom.

Zhou Li nodded, thought for a moment, and then said, "I will also stand with you."

This statement referred to what Yin Le had revealed during their casual conversation—he didn’t have enough confidence to have the greatest influence among the five, was unsure if the country valued them enough, and felt he alone was weak and powerless.

"Alright! I’m off!"

Yin Le mounted his motorcycle and roared off.

Zhou Li, holding Tuanzi, walked in another direction. He needed to go home first to put Tuanzi down and hide the clay before he could visit his sister.

He had learned a new massage technique and wanted to try it on his sister first. If the feedback was good, he planned to offer it to Brother Nan to enjoy.