"What just happened!?"

"Was it the wind?"

"Holy crap! That was scary!"

Before even stepping into the courtyard, the group was already in complete disarray.

Zhou Li glanced at Huai Xu.

He saw him standing at the entrance of the courtyard, snickering nonstop.

Eventually, the Club President stepped forward. He, too, was uncertain. After looking left and right, he mustered his courage. "Everyone, don't be afraid! It's getting late, and the wind is a bit strong. It's mostly just the wind. Let's not lose our composure. There won't be any danger!"

"President…" a young girl spoke up, shrinking back, "your voice is trembling."

"COUGH, COUGH! Anyway, don't be scared. Even if you are, don't run around randomly. Maintain discipline and let's stay together. If it gets scarier inside," the President swallowed, uncertain if it was from nervousness or excitement, "you can hold onto the clothes of the person in front of you."

"There won't be any danger," he added.

"Are, are you sure?"

"I'm sure!" The President asserted firmly. "I asked the Immortal Pen on the day I planned the activity!"

"Was it that one from the other day?" someone asked.

"I guess so?"

"PHEW..."

Clearly, several people breathed a sigh of relief. Zhou Li looked them over; they were all participants from last semester's Immortal Pen activity.

He glanced ahead again.

Huai Xu also wore a look of astonishment. Scratching his head and meeting Zhou Li's gaze, he seemed startled.

He seemed to have received Zhou Li's message—

Zhou Li, expressionless: You're responsible.

Huai Xu shrugged: Not my problem.

Zhou Li, still expressionless: You caused this.

Huai Xu pouted: If I have to take responsibility, then I will.

The human and the demon reached an agreement.

By then, the Club President had already taken a courageous step into the courtyard, his heavily heaving chest betraying his emotions.

The people behind hesitated.

Brother Nan grabbed Zhou Li, and they sprinted from the back of the crowd to the front, also stepping into the courtyard.

The courtyard was in a state of disrepair, overgrown with sparse weeds and covered with fallen leaves. A large tree with lush branches and leaves grew in the center. A quick glance revealed at least four or five bird nests in the tree, and the chirping of birds was clear and serene.

"It's so quiet," Zhou Li whispered.

"!" Brother Nan glared at him, her voice also low. "Didn't we agree that you're supposed to act scared?"

"..."

"You acting a bit scared would add more to the atmosphere."

"..."

Zhou Li turned his head and heard voices coming from upstairs in the house, the sound faint and clear.

A gust of wind blew, the leaves rustling softly, sounding like many people whispering. He saw the Club President's body tense up; the Club President then instinctively looked back, seeking a companion for support or comfort.

"You two..." The Club President obviously had a deep impression of the strikingly good-looking couple. "The ones who asked about pi?"

"That's us," Brother Nan nodded, turning her head left and right, arms crossed as if pretending to be scared. "Why do I always feel like there are ghosts here? Hiss… President, don't you feel cold too? It's so creepy in broad daylight, never mind at night!"

Hearing her say this, the Club President indeed felt a chill.

He only calmed down after looking around and confirming that nothing unusual was happening and that his club members were entering the courtyard.

At the same time, Brother Nan gave Zhou Li a meaningful look.

"I'm scared," Zhou Li said helplessly.

"Can't you act a little more clingy?" Brother Nan frowned.

"I'm scared," Zhou Li countered, wrapping his arms around Brother Nan's waist, still with a calm expression.

"Isn't that a bit too perfunctory?"

"Just bear with it," he replied in a flat tone, and still remembered to add, "I'm really scared."

"..."

As more and more people entered the courtyard, its atmosphere grew livelier, and the Club President gained much confidence. Heading towards the old staircase of the building, he declared, "If we don't encounter 'them', let's chat upstairs and decide on the next batch of club officers since the pandemic has…"

His speech was cut short as a small round object suddenly fell from upstairs, bouncing and coming to a stop on the ground.

It was a dirty tennis ball.

The Club President lowered his head, staring blankly at the tennis ball. His pale face and the large beads of sweat on it were so convincing. This was more persuasive than any elaborate setup, making it impossible for the others to even entertain a sliver of doubt.

For a moment, the courtyard was silent as a graveyard.

Just moments later—

"WAH!"

"A ghost!"

Screams and shouts pierced the twilight, startling birds from the old tree into flight and sending mice in the bushes scurrying back to their holes.

Of the dozen or so people, more than half scattered, leaving only six or seven behind, including Zhou Li, Brother Nan, and the Club President.

The remaining few looked at each other.

A chubby boy stuttered, obviously forcing himself to stay, "Club, Club President, this... this isn't someone you arranged to ambush us from above, is it?"

The Club President was shivering too much to speak, but the chubby boy already knew the answer and began to silently back away.

"Sorry to disturb..."

"No offense intended..."

"..."

Now, besides Zhou Li, Brother Nan, and the Club President, only two others remained.

One of them, with eyes closed, murmured, "To see a ghost, to prove that they really exist in this world... I'd die happy!"

The other one was also extremely nervous. "Club, Club President... th-that... last year's Immortal Pen... was it reliable at all?"

The Club President did not answer but instead looked at Zhou Li and Brother Nan.

As the two calmest people present—one of whom was even complaining that the others were too cowardly and had ended the game too quickly—their mere presence was a source of reassurance for the Club President.

Zhou Li silently glanced at Huai Xu.

It turned out the Immortal Pen was reliable.

At that moment, the so-called Immortal Pen tilted his head back towards the upper floors, hands on his hips like a stereotypical landlord, and yelled, "Who's throwing things from up there? Come out! See if I don't spank your bottoms sore! You scared everyone away!"

CREAK.

The window on the top floor was pushed open again.

WHOOSH!

Only Zhou Li and Brother Nan remained on the scene.

The Club President fared slightly better than the other two—who had already sprinted a hundred meters away. He was still running but kept glancing back fearfully at the pair who remained standing calmly in the courtyard. He even shouted to them a couple of times; although he received no response, he felt he had done all he could.

In Zhou Li's eyes, a somewhat kawaii little head peeked out from the window, followed by a faint, clear voice—

"You're here again? We aren't playing with you."

"Who wants to play with you! I'm here to beat you up! What were you doing just now?"

"Play-playing ball... Could you not beat us?"

"No way!"

The Old monster pretended to be stern.

Zhou Li then walked to the side, bent down to pick up the ball, and threw it back to them. "Hello, I am a Heavenly Master who studies here."

"Heavenly Master?"

Another small head popped up at the window, speaking seriously, "We haven't harmed any humans. According to the treaty between our two nations, even if you are a Heavenly Master, you can't touch us, or else you're instigating a diplomatic incident."

Zhou Li was taken aback for a moment. After thinking for a long time, he finally spoke, "I was just passing by to see you. I also wanted to let you know that you've already made many people aware of your existence."

"We haven't hurt anyone!"

"Stop your nonsense!" Huai Xu clenched his fists. "Disobey, and I'll thrash your bottoms!"

"HMM!"

Both little heads withdrew.

Huai Xu then looked towards Zhou Li, his expression a mixture of pride and disdain. "See? You still wanted to reason with them. You can't even get that dumb cat of yours at home to listen, yet you want to educate wild demons! With these little ones, you have to do it like me—beat them!"

He paused for a moment. "Same with Tuanzi. Give her a beating, and I guarantee she won't dare to misbehave the next day!"

Zhou Li remained silent.

He felt that the temperament and attitude of these little demons seemed more assertive than many adult demons, even Great Demons.

Huai Xu seemed to see through his thoughts. As they walked back, he slowly explained, "They're still young. They probably haven't seen a Demon King since birth, so the influence of the Demon King's ideology on them is minimal. They likely haven't seen Master Ming either, so they don't know how terrifying it is when the entire world's power is concentrated in a single individual. They also haven't witnessed war, so they don't realize how many lives are senselessly turned to ash on such battlefields. Plus, they're at an age where they fear nothing."

He hesitated. "Maybe it'll get better once they grow up."

He didn't quite believe his own words.

Zhou Li did not respond. After leaving the desolate area, he looked back, pondering: what exactly was the situation with His Highness of Yu Country?

Just then, Brother Nan poked him.

Turning his head, the first thing that met his eyes was a stray lock of hair dancing in the wind, followed by Brother Nan's delicate face, and then her delicate white hand pointing ahead. Since he wasn't looking in the right place, she even gave him a light, guiding slap as a hint—very thoughtful of her.

Zhou Li followed the direction Brother Nan was pointing.

He saw the Supernatural Society's Club President standing on the road, staring intently at them. "I've decided! I will pass the club on to you! The Supernatural Society will certainly flourish in your hands!"

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