CHAPTER 401: CHAPTER 397 IT’S REALLY DIFFICULT TO BE SANDWICHED BETWEEN TWO DEMONS

Diplomacy, while serious, is also about being flexible and adaptable.

Unless both sides hold extremely adversarial positions, it’s common for the host to arrange additional activities during a visit to display hospitality. These activities might cater to the preferences of visiting officials, showcase national traditional culture, or present something related to the visit’s theme that promotes diplomatic efforts. All are beneficial. For instance, ancient dignitaries often took foreign delegations to visit brothels. In modern times, it’s common for foreign leaders to tour the Forbidden City or climb the Great Wall during their visits. When everyone enjoys themselves, conversations tend to become much more pleasant.

This isn’t limited to diplomatic delegations; even the military forces of two countries often play sports together during exchanges.

However, when it comes to the Demon Kingdom, humans of this era have no understanding of it, and ancient records offer scarce mention. What the delegation prefers or avoids is unclear. Consequently, it’s impossible to tailor activities for their visit, and even arranging banquets poses a problem.

Zhou Li considered. First, I’ll rule out taking the Great Demons to the Forbidden City or the Great Wall.

"Huai Xu."

"Huai Xu."

"Free Little Demon!"

"Not home?"

Zhou Li called out several times but heard no response from Huai Xu, which made him frown.

After some thought, he pulled open the drawer under the coffee table, took out a new package of Lamp Shadow Beef Jerky, and silently tore it open.

"CLICK!"

The door to Huai Xu’s room opened. He leaned against the doorframe, eyeing Zhou Li suspiciously. "Why are you eating my snacks? You don’t even like them..."

"You’re home."

"I’m in a game, and I’m losing."

"I have some questions for you."

"I’m about to attack their high ground."

"Then go ahead and play," Zhou Li said understandingly, munching on the beef jerky. "I’ll wait. I can only consult you and Lord Dumpling on this matter. After all, Lord Dumpling used to accompany the Demon King, and you’re so experienced and possess vast powers. I’m sure you know things others don’t."

"Heh..."

Zhou Li rarely acknowledged his capabilities verbally, more often teasing him or poking fun at him surreptitiously. At this, Huai Xu practically beamed, almost floating on the spot with delight.

"COUGH, COUGH!"

He coughed twice, reining in his glee, and feigned indignation. "What do you mean, ’know something’? I know a lot, alright!"

Having said that, he quickly glanced at the beef jerky in Zhou Li’s hand and sniffed.

"Go and finish your game first. I’ll ask you afterward."

"No need!" Huai Xu was eager to flaunt his extensive knowledge and vast powers. "I’ve already carried them to a strong position. We should be able to win even four versus five. If we still can’t win like this, then we don’t deserve to, and might as well drop back to the Master rank. No point in going pro, either."

"Is that so..."

"Yes!"

Huai Xu nodded firmly and sat beside Zhou Li. He grabbed a small packet of beef jerky and tore it open, trying to look composed, but his leg jiggled with barely contained excitement.

"Ask away!"

"Ask Lord Dumpling! Lord Dumpling is an amazing Great Demon! Your Highness’s Close Attendant!" Tuanzi piped up, not wanting to be outdone.

"Okay."

Zhou Li eyed the two demons glaring at each other and pursed his lips. "Do you know what kind of activities the Demon Kingdom Delegation would arrange when they officially visited human kingdoms in ancient times, apart from formal discussions?"

Tuanzi spoke before Huai Xu, her voice crisp and loud, "They would eat lots of delicious food!"

After speaking, Tuanzi glanced at Huai Xu.

Huai Xu, ignoring her, thought for a moment and organized his words. "When demons came to this world, they had to adapt. Not only did they adopt their current forms, but their ways of thinking also changed significantly, heavily influenced by humans. As a result, many demons are fond of human culture."

Zhou Li understood.

He paused, then continued, "Do either of you know a Great Demon named Han Hong?"

"The one who sang ’Daybreak’?" Huai Xu interjected.

"Lord Dumpling seems to remember this demon!" Tuanzi exclaimed.

"Is that so?" Zhou Li turned to Lord Dumpling. "What kind of demon is he?"

"MEOW!" Tuanzi tilted her head, pondering, then shook it in frustration. "Lord Dumpling doesn’t quite remember. He must not have been a very impressive Great Demon. And I don’t think he ever gave Lord Dumpling a gift; he probably wasn’t qualified to."

"...Lord Dumpling truly is remarkable."

"Of course! MEOW!"

Tuanzi stood tall and elongated her neck with pride.

Huai Xu pondered seriously. His memories always returned slowly and in fragments—a side effect of becoming a demon—requiring great effort to unearth them.

"I don’t know..."

Huai Xu was also annoyed, frustrated at being outdone by this silly cat.

So, he stood up decisively, stuffed all the beef jerky into his mouth, and threw away the wrapper. "I’ll go ask around for you!"

"Won’t that be difficult to ask about?"

"Relax! I have my own special ways of inquiring!"

"Inquiring..." Zhou Li mulled over the word. "Maybe it’s better not to."

"Put away your needless worries," Huai Xu said.

"Alright then, I’ll be counting on you," Zhou Li replied, feeding a strip of beef jerky to Tuanzi. After Huai Xu vanished, he also asked Tuanzi, "Does Lord Dumpling know what else Lord Han Hong likes to do?"

"Don’t know."

"Lord Dumpling is a silly little cat."

"I am not... HISS... you’re the silly... HISS... cat!"

The Lamp Shadow Beef Jerky was still a bit spicy. Tuanzi stuck out her little tongue, panting, "HISS... HISS..." She stubbornly tried to retort, "It’s... HISS... because he’s just a minor official... HISS... Lord Dumpling is..."

Zhou Li quickly passed her a cup of water.

After taking a sip of water, Tuanzi felt a bit better, but at that moment, Zhou Li offered another strip of beef jerky to her mouth.

After hesitating for a moment, she ate it.

About half an hour later, Huai Xu returned, plopping down on the couch. He continued to eat beef jerky, saying between mouthfuls, "Han Hong is highly valued by Hong Ran. A key reason for this is that he’s staunchly pro-human, the opposite of Lin Zhong."

"That’s good news." Zhou Li nodded.

"Moreover, he has a particular fondness for human culture. During past periods of peace, he often befriended humans—not just Heavenly Masters, but ordinary people too," Huai Xu continued. "I heard he especially loves poetry, calligraphy, and painting. He even disguised himself as a human once to associate with poets."

"Very useful."

"HMPH, HMPH..."

"Impressive, impressive." Zhou Li immediately got the hint.

"I want to eat at the state banquet!"

"..."

"I want to eat at the state banquet!"

"...What’s so great about that stuff!" Zhou Li switched to persuasion mode. "Don’t listen to Yin Le’s nonsense. Think about it: food made for a bunch of old folks. They can’t eat anything too oily or spicy, it can’t leave a strong aftertaste, and presentation has to be impeccable. How tasty can food like that actually be?"

"I still want to eat it!"

"..."

Zhou Li was out of arguments and could only say hesitantly, "We’ll see when the time comes. We don’t even know if there will be one. If there is, I’ll try my best to arrange it for you."

"Lord Dumpling also wants to eat the fruit bird-nest feast!"

"...Okay."

"Huh?" Huai Xu immediately frowned. "Why did you agree to that silly cat so readily? With me, you just hemmed and hawed for ages!"

"..."

Zhou Li’s face darkened. "Because arranging it for one is the same as arranging it for two. Besides, Tuanzi eats so little. You can just share some of yours with her, and she won’t even finish it."

Huai Xu humphed softly.

Now it was Tuanzi who felt indignant, raising her voice in protest, "Lord Dumpling can eat lots and lots!"

Zhou Li: ...

Sighing to himself, Zhou Li began to compile the information he had gathered into suggestions and typed them out to send to Yin Le. He sent a long series of detailed messages.

Then he thought for a while. Based on his understanding of the prominent figures from the Demon Kingdom, he added another line: "Also, based on my understanding, you could take them to see things that highlight the differences between this new era and the old one. They might find that very interesting."

Yin Le: Received

Yin Le: I was right to come to you

Zhou Li: Is there going to be a state banquet?

Yin Le: emmm...

Yin Le: That depends on where it’s held; nothing’s been decided yet.

Yin Le: I initially suggested Chunming. It’s our territory and also overlaps with the Demon Kingdom’s Capital in the Old Land World. The downside is that Chunming isn’t a major city, so it doesn’t carry enough prestige. Plus, after reading your suggestions, I realized Chunming doesn’t seem to have any famous masters of calligraphy and painting, or any significant exhibition halls.

Yin Le: If it’s held in the Capital, there will definitely be a state banquet.

Yin Le: It’s Huai Xu who wants to eat it, right?

Zhou Li: You made a typo.

Yin Le: Damn it!

Your friend has retracted a message.

Yin Le: I initially suggested to them to hold it in...

This time, the typo was corrected.

Zhou Li felt a sense of relief.