The meeting had ended for the time being.

Now they were sitting in the dining room, waiting for their meal.

Yin Le had won, but it had cost him significant energy. As a result, he felt somewhat exhausted, an empty sensation churning in his stomach.

He had not only redeemed Master Ming's image in the heart of one person but had also dispelled the ideas some held about forcefully pulling Zhou Li into their group.

The former was relatively simple.

When later generations look back on history, their perspectives tend to be more rational, especially as more time passes. Upon reflection, Master Ming hadn't really done anything wrong. At that time, human emperors attempting to breach the agreement and attack the Demon Kingdom was fundamentally an act of treachery. Human emperors were a different matter; dynasties changed, and no one really blamed them for not adhering to agreements from previous eras. But at the time of signing the agreement, Master Ming was a key figure. What was wrong with his unwillingness to break his word?

The flaw most criticized by the ancients regarding Master Ming was his choice to become a demon, but that too was to safeguard the peace between the two races for a longer period.

Otherwise, his lifespan would have been just a few hundred years at most. Once he died and the two races went to war, wouldn't that lead to a massive loss of life?

The latter was much more challenging.

Yin Le not only had to repeatedly explain Zhou Li's laid-back, unambitious nature, striving to prevent these people from disturbing or entangling Zhou Li excessively, but he also had to make them realize how rare it was for someone like Zhou Li to be born in their country, among other things.

Ultimately, it was decided that someone would accompany him back to Chunming to reconfirm Zhou Li's wishes, ensuring he truly didn't want to become deeply involved.

After that, all communication with Zhou Li was left to him.

"PHEW..."

Yin Le smelled the fragrance of food.

The dishes had not yet been served.

The five of them ate together. The dishes were usually very delicate and tasty, but not very numerous, as they needed to eat quickly and return to their meeting later in the evening.

That's how busy they were.

Those who met with them were even busier. They were the type who ate fast food, gobbling it down in two or three bites before moving on to more discussions. Even the lives of these big shots don't seem as good as I imagined, Yin Le thought.

He'd heard that the top leaders were even more exhausted.

Perhaps only those who are idle and just going through the motions have it good.

"RUMBLE..."

Yin Le heard his own stomach growl.

The other four probably couldn't stand it anymore either. They chatted while frequently glancing towards the door, and one person even loudly urged for faster service.

As for the topic of their conversation, it inevitably revolved around Master Ming of ancient times and the current Zhou Li.

Among the four people, three were men and one was a woman, all from different provinces with diverse backgrounds and personalities.

One, named Xiang Wen from Jizhou, had a very calm demeanor. He appeared shy and reluctant to speak, but in reality, he was quite detached.

Another, named Fang Yuan, was direct and hot-tempered. He was the one who had previously declared Master Ming a traitor and shouted for the food to be hurried up. He often displayed an attitude during meetings that demons should be completely eradicated, even more radical than Yin Le. After all, Yin Le didn't show such an extremist side, as he thought it was foolish to do so at this time and in this setting.

The girl was named Long Ping. Yin Le had only seen this surname in novels before, though her first name was somewhat common.

Yin Le noticed that she occasionally showed a hint of selfishness.

There was also a young man named Li Chu, who was the most naive. It was clear that he had been well-protected by his family since childhood, like a typical college student. The others, however, had different childhoods than their peers. For them, being ridiculed and bullied was considered a mild fate; being entangled with demons or encountering evil demons was far more terrifying. Consequently, they typically learned to protect themselves earlier, maturing more quickly than their peers.

These will probably be my future teammates, he guessed. Personalities don't matter; differences and flaws are normal. Aren't I the same? As long as we can cooperate happily, that's good enough.

At last, the dishes were served.

Yin Le eyed the table, fiddling with the heirloom 'key' in his hand. He watched silently as plates of exquisite dishes were served. These fancy dishes are all style and no substance, he thought. A few plates of this wouldn't even add up to one of my stews. How frustrating.

***

After a hearty meal and plenty of drinks, everyone left the Dai Flavor Restaurant.

Brother Nan was drunk, her face flushed, and she became adorably naive, her usual cool demeanor transforming directly into cuteness.

"I want to go... for a walk by the lake!!"

"With all that you've drunk, you might end up diving into Dian Lake." Zhou Li draped an arm around her shoulder, pretending she was unsteady and needed his support, deliberately ignoring Brother Nan's still stable steps. "Better to go back to the dormitory and sleep."

"If I dive in... you'll have to pick me up from the other side!"

"No, I'm taking you back to the dorm."

"I'm going!"

Brother Nan was very adamant. "Let's go feel the breeze, catch a few seagulls to stew!"

Zhou Li patted her head and pinched her flushed cheeks, which felt a bit hotter than usual. He spoke in the tone he used for pacifying Lord Dumpling, "It's windy by Dian Lake. You're drunk; what if you catch a cold again from the wind? It won't be as simple as getting a shot this time. You'll need injections, isolation, and testing. You've seen those nucleic acid tests on TikTok, right? They shove a swab this long..."

He gestured about half a meter, continuing, "All the way up your nostrils, stirring it around. It's much scarier than getting a shot."

Brother Nan didn't care. She extended her hand, made a few quick calculations on her fingers, then declared, "I've divined it; it won't happen."

"No way."

"Yes, way! I say... it will be fine!"

"You're acting like a child in front of the new members." Zhou Li glanced at Xiao Hua and Su Jue beside them. "There goes your dignity."

"Not true!"

"Let's go back, be good."

"No!"

Brother Nan stood with her hands in her pockets, tilting her head and staring directly at Zhou Li, her expression clearly saying she wouldn't budge unless they went to Dian Lake.

So Zhou Li went behind her and began to push her, promising as he did, "We'll go tomorrow; I promise I'll take you tomorrow. I've already left Lord Dumpling at home all afternoon... It's not that I want to go back to see her; it's mainly that I have a bad feeling."

"What kind of feeling?" Brother Nan asked, resisting as she leaned backward, though she was still being pushed forward.

"A bad feeling," Zhou Li repeated.

"Tomorrow then?"

"Tomorrow!"

"Then I grant you a Spirit Talisman; it will ward off your bad luck!" Brother Nan, no longer resisting, turned around and beckoned him closer. "Come here!"

...

Zhou Li looked around. He saw that Xiao Hua and Su Jue had tactfully turned away, but the Old Monster was still staring intently, clearly very interested. So, he looked back at Brother Nan with a troubled expression.

"Come here!!"

I have no choice; Brother Nan's even raising her voice... This isn't my fault if it looks bad! He had to go over.

Zhou Li moved closer.

Brother Nan held up her right hand as if forming a sword, put it to her lips, took a long breath, and then, with a serious face, began scribbling randomly on his face while making "CHOO CHOO" and "SHOO SHOO" sound effects.

"All set!"

Brother Nan confidently declared, "The Spirit Talisman is complete! It guarantees you good luck today. If it doesn't work, come back to me, and I'll draw you another one!"

Zhou Li... That's it??

He smiled and said, "Thanks, Brother Nan."

Brother Nan waved her hand generously. "No need for formalities! After all, we're an item; no need to be so polite! It's just that, after drawing this Spirit Talisman, my energy has diminished. On the way back, you'll have to prepare two skewers of meat and a serving of Oden, heavy on the chili, to help me recover properly!"

"Of course!"

"And a serving of Cao's extra-extra-spicy duck necks, and two Waizui Langs..."

"That's enough," Zhou Li hurriedly said.

"Is it enough?" Brother Nan tilted her head and asked him.

"It's enough," Zhou Li nodded. "That's quite enough."

"Then that should be enough," Brother Nan said, knowing when to stop. "I'm not an insatiably greedy person, you know."

"Weren't you 'this master' a moment ago?" Zhou Li asked.

"'This venerable one' now," Brother Nan corrected.

"Ah, I see," Zhou Li replied.

...

About forty minutes later, Zhou Li finally arrived home.

As he opened the door, Tuanzi, covered in what looked like a fresh coat of mud, sat obediently at the doorway waiting for him, as heart-warming as ever...

Wait a minute! Mud??

Zhou Li looked down at this... clay cat?

A second later, his gaze moved from her, sweeping from the doorway to the living room.

Everywhere he looked, the floor was speckled with mud. Some spots were clearly her paw prints, like plum blossoms, from when her paws were heavily caked. Others were probably made when her paws were drier, leaving only a small muddy smudge or a faint stain.

How bored can a cat get when its owner leaves it alone at home?

This bored, apparently.

What do cats even do when left alone?

Probably pace around to get their steps in.

At that moment, Tuanzi, puzzled as to why he was standing still, approached and gently hooked his trousers with her paw. She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling as if filled with a swirling galaxy.

"MEOW~~"

"Zhou Li, you're back! Why aren't you moving?"

...

Zhou Li looked down at the new mud on his trousers, an indescribable feeling welling up inside him.

Blaming her is out of the question, of course.

I'll just have to teach her properly later.

So Zhou Li forced his expression back to normal, crouched down, and looked at Tuanzi. "Lord Dumpling, how did you get yourself into such a state?"

"Lord Dumpling played with mud."

"That's so dirty!"

"It's not dirty!" Tuanzi said, puzzled. "I told you already! When Lord Dumpling transforms into a piece of cat food and then back, I'll be all clean!"

"Then... what about all this?" he gestured around the room.

"Lord Dumpling played with mud." Tuanzi blinked her eyes at him. "Lord Dumpling heard a noise outside and thought you guys were back, so Lord Dumpling ran to the door to wait. But it wasn't you, so Lord Dumpling went to play with mud. Then there was another noise, so Lord Dumpling went to look again..."

So that's how it was.

She probably heard the elevator. Apart from arrivals on their floor, the sounds of the elevator reaching the floors above and below could also travel and be heard by Tuanzi.

Zhou Li felt an unexpected stirring of emotion.

But...

Zhou Li pointed at the ceiling. "Lord Dumpling, could you explain to me what these footprints up there are all about?"

Tuanzi looked at him, her gaze unwavering.

Zhou Li asked again.

Tuanzi still stared at him, unblinking. She's like a deaf-mute cat, or maybe a fake one.

Zhou Li sighed, feeling helpless. He gave up on that topic and simply continued in a gentle tone, "It's good that Lord Dumpling had fun, but there's one thing... making the house this dirty is very troublesome to clean up."

Tuanzi tilted her head, clearly not understanding. She said adorably, "Just make the house change a little and then change it back, and it'll be clean!"

"Houses don't change like that."

"So silly."

"Of course, I'm not as clever as Lord Dumpling. That's why Lord Dumpling should try to stay clean in the future, okay?"

"I know something else!" Tuanzi piped up again, like a primary school student eagerly raising her hand.

"Hmm?"

"That thing!"

Tuanzi turned and scampered off, leaving another trail of footprints. She pointed at the robotic vacuum and mop charging in the corner. "It will clean the house! It will eat up all the dirt on the floor, and then it will be clean!"

"Lord Dumpling is indeed clever."

Zhou Li silently changed into slippers, called for Huai Xu to get a mop, and prepared to start the day's major cleaning operation...

So much for Brother Nan's good luck charm.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed.

Yin Le: You owe me dinner.

Hm?

It seemed like a message that brought a bit of relief.

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