CHAPTER 44: CHAPTER 43 BLOOD DEMON

After filling out his college preferences, Li Nan reportedly found a new student group chat from a forum—an official one from the faculty—and even got Zhou Li to join.

Zhou Li himself hadn’t really wanted to join. But he was afraid that if everyone else joined and he didn’t, it would be awkward. Of course, Brother Nan would surely keep an eye out for him regarding any official announcements or useful information. However, if everyone else got to know each other in the group before school started, it would be really embarrassing for him to be the only outsider upon arrival. Plus, he wasn’t good at making conversation.

Huai Xu laughed at his overthinking, saying it was his first time attending college and that he was overly excited and nervous.

When Zhou Li first joined the group, he paid special attention to the messages. He noticed that those who were posting were mostly old-timers with "18.x" or even "17.x" in their names, and their comments were all about "welcoming little junior sisters" or "single senior brother here." The greasy vibe was palpable in their words. Not a hint of freshness at all.

Very few freshmen from the Class of ’19 were active, and some of them were even pretending to be younger and occasionally got called out for it. It was probably because the period for filling out college preferences had just ended; it was said that the group number would be on the admission letter.

After looking through the group members, Zhou Li had an epiphany. This "Cai University Life Science Freshmen Class of 2019 Group" must have been called the "Cai University Life Science Freshmen Class of 2018 Group" last year.

A few days later, more people joined the group, and it became much livelier. Zhou Li still hardly ever spoke, just lurking. But he would occasionally open QQ to check chat logs, which always reached 99+ messages in just a short while.

He gradually began to enjoy this feeling—lying on his bed in the bedroom during the hot summer, playing with his phone, watching a group of people from all corners of the country chat about nothing in particular.

There were a few names he had become quite familiar with. One of them was a "19.Li Nan," using a ruggedly handsome guy’s avatar and listed as male. His online name was Successor of Destiny.

Brother Nan usually only came online at night and had lively chats with several people in the group, both men and women. From the looks of it, if Brother Nan were actually male, he might be able to find a partner as soon as he arrived on campus. Sometimes, she would chat in the group while simultaneously messaging Zhou Li, sharing her whimsical thoughts with him.

When many people sent voice messages, she didn’t want to appear too unique, so she borrowed Zhou Li’s voice. The process involved Zhou Li sending her a voice message with the specific content in a private chat. She would then play it on her computer and record it with her phone to send to the group. Zhou Li had never refused her.

「Gradually, July arrived.」

Yan City had reached the height of summer. Although Zhou Li only went out at night, stepping outside still felt like a wave of heat hitting his face, a huge difference from the temperature inside his home.

He had been lurking in the group chat in the past few days and saw that many people were working part-time. Quite a few were on construction sites, or else they were getting their driver’s licenses. Whenever he compared this to his own tutoring job, he felt it was so much more relaxed.

Liu Xuehan and Luo Yuhang had exams coming up. Father Luo hoped Zhou Li would pause the tutoring to let Luo Yuhang rest well, while Father Liu hoped Zhou Li would come every day to ensure Liu Xuehan could get good results and nab a good seat when school started next year.

Liu Xuehan’s affection for Tuanzi grew deeper by the day. Zhou Li tutored for two hours each day, during which Liu Xuehan would spend half an hour playing with the cat. Correspondingly, her wallet grew increasingly thin, yet Tuanzi remained as aloof as ever.

When leaving, Father Liu asked about Liu Xuehan’s recent academic performance. Zhou Li confidently said they would find out after the exams, which reassured Father Liu.

Zhou Li felt that if Liu Xuehan did well, he might have to come here every day during the summer.

As he left the residential complex, he saw Huai Xu.

Huai Xu looked up in a certain direction with a worried expression. "Another Great Demon has awakened nearby. The scent of blood is so strong and foul. This one might be more than just bad-tempered."

"Is it very strong?"

"It just woke up, so it’s okay for now. It’s too far for me to sense clearly. It might not be as strong as the last one, but..."

"Does it have a strong killing intent?"

"I’m afraid so. We’ll only know once we get there."

"Are you going to check it out?"

"Not me, I’m not that foolish," Huai Xu withdrew his gaze, shaking his head. "Nowadays, I’m enjoying delicious food and drinks, lounging on the bed with air conditioning while watching TV shows, or comfortably strolling around the city. Why would I go looking for trouble!"

"I see," Zhou Li nodded, somewhat surprised. "But if it’s really that dangerous, wouldn’t the Demons send someone to deal with it? The last one even had a Great Demon come after it."

"What are you implying..."

"Are you sure you don’t want to go take a look?"

"Let me think about it..." Huai Xu fell into hesitation.

Zhou Li walked on, and Huai Xu, with his head lowered, followed behind, his mind drifting far away. They encountered the uncle selling peaches again. The uncle already recognized him and greeted him, so Zhou Li bought some more.

「When he returned to his complex...」

He customarily gave two peaches to Lao Hui and Xiao Yuan.

Xiao Yuan was quite shy. "You keep bringing peaches over, and we feel bad because we have nothing to give you in return."

Zhou Li smiled. "Don’t be so formal."

Lao Hui sat primly, combing his whiskers with his claws, and said to Zhou Li and Huai Xu, "Have you heard? Two hours ago, a Blood Demon awoke in the mountains of a nearby county."

"A Blood Demon?" Zhou Li had heard this name before, also from the two of them.

However, he was somewhat puzzled. "Huai Xu mentioned he sensed the awakening of a Great Demon, but how do you two get your information so quickly?"

Lao Hui said disdainfully, "When I was young, I was responsible for transmitting messages. How could this city’s movements escape my notice? Moreover, the awakening of a Blood Demon is a big deal. Right now, little demons within a thousand miles are nearly going mad. Even very capable Demons are probably on edge right now, or preparing for a fight."

Xiao Yuan scratched an itch and said, "Lately, you’ve been bringing us delicious food, and we feel really bad about it, especially Lao Hui. That’s why he pays very close attention to this kind of news."

Lao Hui’s expression changed slightly. "Don’t listen to his nonsense! I only heard about it by chance!" After a pause, he pointed at Huai Xu and said, "If you want to know about his past, you can try going near the Blood Demon. An important figure will surely arrive here within one to five days. But Blood Demons are terrifying for Demons, so be cautious."

"Anyway, thanks a lot." Zhou Li guessed they had their own means of passing information, certainly not WeChat or QQ.

Turning his head, he saw Huai Xu still seemed conflicted. He then asked, "How terrifying exactly is a Blood Demon? A Great Demon among Great Demons?"

Lao Hui shook his head. "Not really." Then he looked at Xiao Yuan, fluffed his fur, and said with quite an air, "Let him tell you about such minor details."

Xiao Yuan, after a moment of bewilderment, began to organize his thoughts. "Blood Demons are a general term for a category of Demons, with varying strengths and sizes. However, Blood Demons are the only predators among us, so even the weakest is not something we little demons can handle. For us, Blood Demons are like the predatory animals in your world—expert at searching, tracking, hiding, and especially brutal. Therefore, we might not fear even the most formidable figures we encounter, but Blood Demons are different."

Zhou Li understood. Blood Demons were an anomaly, different from other Demons, and they were not bound by law and morality. But this introduced a logical flaw.

Before he could ask, Lao Hui, looking resigned, glanced at Xiao Yuan, then said to Zhou Li, "What he said is incomplete. The era of Blood Demons hunting indiscriminately is long past. During chaotic times, they were devils, yet in an ordered age, they find it hard to survive."

"Then why haven’t they been wiped out?"

"Because the former Demon King had a merciful heart," Lao Hui slowly explained. "He believed that Blood Demons would die if they didn’t feed on other Demons, and it wasn’t a choice they made themselves. In fact, Blood Demons could also be seen as victims, sacrificed for the continuation of their species. Thus, he never used formal force to eradicate Blood Demons, but it wasn’t illegal for other Demons to kill them.

"However, the force gathered spontaneously by other Demons was still not something Blood Demons could contend with. They dwindled quickly, like ice under the sun."

"And then?"

"When His Highness the current Demon King assumed power, he pacified and recruited the Blood Demons. He used them to deal with those wicked, unforgivable Demons and strictly controlled the Blood Demons’ reproduction. This simultaneously resolved the twin scourges of the Blood Demons and the lawless Demons."

"Oh!" Zhou Li was beginning to understand. The issue is, this Blood Demon has just awakened, and its memory is problematic.

Lao Hui nodded. "Exactly."

Xiao Yuan whispered from the side, "I heard that Blood Demons are His Highness’s sword, used to do things for His Highness that can only be done in the shadows..."

Lao Hui admonished him sternly, "Spouting nonsense!" Xiao Yuan shrank his neck.

Zhou Li pretended not to hear. "Then you guys..."

Lao Hui yawned. "No need to worry. It probably won’t come to the city. But if it does, we will group up and hide. You just need to decide whether to go find it or not."

Zhou Li nodded. "Thanks." Lao Hui kept yawning. Xiao Yuan quietly gestured to Zhou Li and then turned to look at the peaches.

「Back in the bedroom...」

Zhou Li sat down at the desk and turned on the air conditioner. Looking back, Huai Xu seemed as if he hadn’t used his brain in a long time. Wrestling with this dilemma, he looked thoroughly uncomfortable.

Zhou Li said to him, "The movie ’Capture’ will be released at the end of this month. Want to go see it? You’ve been really into animated films lately. For the two of us, one ticket sounds like a great deal."

Oh, okay...

So "Your Highness" refers to the Demon King? But why "Your Highness" and not "Your Majesty"?

Exactly...

That Blood Demon, though... sounds terrifying. Eating its own kind, like a Man-Eating Demon. But according to Lao Hui, Blood Demons seem to become what they are, not born that way. There must be a hidden story there...

I’m not really afraid of it. It just woke up. Even if it’s a strong fighter, it couldn’t possibly beat me right after waking up, could it? I’m pretty formidable too.

"Yes, yes, you’re very impressive," Zhou Li humored him.

He only glanced at the movie release time. When he looked up again, Huai Xu had already lain down on the upper bunk. Staring at the ceiling, he sighed and said, "What kind of Demon do you think I was in the past? I see other Demons waking up and recovering their memory quickly, yet it’s been so long for me...

"The psychologist said it’s self-resistance, meaning I might subconsciously be unwilling to recall my own past."

"You’ve seen a psychologist?"

"Yes, I went in secret, too scared to tell you."

"Alright, continue."

"Ummm... Zhou Li, say something!" Huai Xu suddenly turned over, lying on his side on the edge of the upper bunk, and stared down at Zhou Li. "Could I have done many bad things in the past? Once I remember, might I be influenced by those past memories and turn into a great evil demon? And I’m so powerful. If I turn into a great evil demon, who in this world could possibly stop me?"

"An Evil God?"

"...I might just kill you first!" Huai Xu then lay back down flat.