June 5th, Wednesday, afternoon.
The sky was densely covered with dark clouds, and the light had dimmed to a dusky yellow. Although it wasn't even five o'clock yet, it seemed more like seven or eight in the evening. A strong wind swept across the playground, sending scraps of paper dancing into the sky; Li Nan was forced to shut the windows tightly to hear Mother Zhao's voice clearly.
"I've re-explained the process of entering the examination hall. Don't mess it up when the time comes!"
"Let me emphasize the prohibitions in the exam room again..."
"You must check carefully, and if there's time, check over and over again!"
"If you're unsure, trust your first judgment!"
"…"
Mother Zhao had painstakingly gone over these points a few weeks ago, even repeating them two or three times. Some other teachers had mentioned them too. Today, Mother Zhao was stressing them all over again. In any class, there are always some who are careless. They are still children, after all, and Mother Zhao couldn't tolerate them jeopardizing their future due to carelessness.
The classroom was ominously silent, and the students' faces were grave.
Only Mother Zhao's voice echoed.
The sound of light rain started outside, becoming much gentler as it penetrated the glass.
Zhou Li turned his head to look outside and noticed that Brother Nan was actually taking notes, diligently writing down everything Mother Zhao said—an exceptionally rare show of seriousness for her.
The raindrops in the air had now formed a curtain of beads.
Downstairs, layers of paper scraps piled up like snow, slowly being soaked by the water. It looked like the younger students would have quite a task ahead of them.
Meanwhile, San Zheng's huge figure stood in the middle of the playground, shifting blankly from one foot to the other. Zhou Li couldn't understand why he had chosen to stand there when he could have sought shelter from the wind and rain in a corner of the pond.
He took two steps forward, then looked down and up again.
He raised his hand to catch the rain but, finding it futile, let it drop again.
Water streamed down his fur.
For a moment, Zhou Li really wanted to know what was going through San Zheng's mind at that time.
Lightning flashed, illuminating the playground with dazzling white light. For a moment, San Zheng's shadow seemed to be imprinted in the puddles. It looked quite terrifying, almost like a great demon.
Suddenly, another figure appeared on the playground—
Slim, slender, walking through the rain toward San Zheng.
Li Nan had noticed Zhou Li's unusual behavior, so she also turned her head to look at the playground, then nudged Zhou Li with her elbow. "Is rain so fascinating to watch?"
"It's beautiful," Zhou Li withdrew his gaze.
"Hmm…"
Li Nan, uncharacteristically, did not argue. She instinctively peeked out the window again.
The playground's drainage was poor, and a shallow layer of water had accumulated. Suddenly, she felt her vision blur. It was as if the pool of water in the middle had become a little too unruly!
"THUD, THUD, THUD!"
Mother Zhao tapped on the podium. "Don't get distracted! After school, go straight home. Tomorrow you have a day off. It's been cool these days, so take care of your health, don't eat recklessly, and conserve your energy for the college entrance examination! The exam halls will be ready by tomorrow noon, so in the afternoon, gather at the school gates of other examination centers as instructed in the group chat. Teacher Chen, Teacher Chang, and I will take you to see the exam halls. Got it?"
"Understood!"
"Those taking the exam in this school, find it on your own!"
"Understood!"
"Let's see, we still have some time. You can manage it yourselves," Mother Zhao waved her hand.
The classroom suddenly erupted in noise.
Li Nan put down her pen, raised her arms wide, and stretched. "Finally graduating, huh!"
"Yeah, so fast."
Outside, Huai Xu had already taken San Zheng away.
It rained all night, and the next day was much cooler. Light rain was expected at night, and the weather was supposed to stay cool for the next few days.
Under Aunt Jiang's guidance, Old Zhou's family went to 'Li's Old Brand Beef Noodles' for breakfast. Afterward, they strolled through the shopping district across the street and bought four red garments. They headed back at noon after having a nourishing Overlord Flower and Pork Rib Soup.
「June 7th, overcast.」
Old Zhou's family of four dressed in their 'battle attire', as if facing a formidable enemy.
The breakfast Aunt Jiang prepared was quite simple: boiled eggs, porridge, milk, and a plate of pickled cucumbers. This breakfast alone had her agonizing for days; it needed to be nutritious but not too lavish, as she feared that something too fancy might backfire.
Despite a pile of work at the company, Old Zhou had specifically made time.
The family sat together to finish their breakfast. Aunt Jiang was responsible for checking all the items Zhou Li needed to bring, and then the whole family accompanied him to the school.
As Zhou Li walked through the school gate, Huai Xu, who was sitting idly by the flower bed, looked up in surprise. "You're here so early!"
Zhou Li's expression was helpless as he sat next to Huai Xu. "Had no choice."
"Coming early means you're more relaxed. Look, others are early too."
"I'm taking the exam at this school."
"Heh, heh."
"Where did you spend last night?" Zhou Li asked.
"I went out to play. It feels a bit awkward always crashing at your place."
"It's fine, there's a spare bed anyway."
"That still makes me feel awkward."
"Where did you go to play?"
"The arcade."
"How did you go to the arcade?" Zhou Li was taken aback.
"I can manifest my form."
"You can manifest?"
Zhou Li had seen demons that could manifest before, but over the years, he had only encountered it twice. He had thought it was a special ability of those demons, just like Huai Xu's elusiveness and the 'Ghost State' San Zheng had displayed that day.
Huai Xu nodded. "I'm quite powerful."
"So, you are a Great Demon?"
"Yes."
"Is it only Great Demons that can manifest?"
"Good question!" Huai Xu laughed. If Zhou Li had asked him this a few days earlier, he wouldn't have known what to say, and it would have made him look useless in front of Zhou Li.
"Technically, all demons can manifest. However, as we are outsiders, we are restricted by this world on one hand, and on the other, our natural forms aren't compatible with your world. So, you could say we normally exist somewhere between this world and another. Fully entering your world is quite challenging."
Huai Xu was very excited to finally show off his knowledge.
According to him, the ability of demons to manifest comes in two types: passive and active.
Passively manifesting demons can be seen by humans during special times, in special environments, on special occasions, or in certain seasons, and most of them can't even control it themselves.
Demons capable of actively manifesting are rare, and their abilities are not unrestricted.
As for Huai Xu, he possesses a special power within him. He can manifest using this power, but it's difficult to gather, so he's usually frugal with it.
The 'Ghost State' San Zheng demonstrated that day is also a commonly mastered ability among most demons. It involves completely retreating to 'another world'. At such times, only people like Zhou Li can see and touch them; otherwise, no object or energy in this world can interact with them.
Zhou Li felt like he had gained a deeper understanding of the world of demons, yet many more mysteries arose.
Irritatingly, Huai Xu wasn't very knowledgeable either. His explanations were filled with metaphors and ancient fantastical interpretations—metaphors he could only conjure after attending primary school for a year and watching countless TV shows. If Zhou Li really pressed for deeper explanations, Huai Xu wouldn't be able to provide them.
Suddenly, Zhou Li heard a voice—
"Hey, Zhou Li!"
Zhou Li silently turned around to see a young girl riding a bicycle towards him, her cowlick fluttering in the wind.
The girl straightened up and waved at him, holding a guokui in her other hand.
Seeing him look over, the girl leaned forward to grip the handlebars again. When she was about three meters away from him, she squeezed the brakes. The rear wheel locked abruptly, skidding on the ground with a SCREECH.
"You're here early too! That's a nice outfit!"
"Hmm."
"I thought I was the only one who came this early." Li Nan took a bite of her guokui. "My mom was worried I'd forget something, so she told me to prepare enough time to make three trips back and forth. But honestly, there aren't many things to bring. Hey, did you check out the exam venue yesterday?"
"No."
"Neither did I. How about this morning, did you check?"
"No."
"Since we're here early, let's go check out the exam venue."
"My exam venue is over there, number four." Zhou Li turned and pointed towards the middle of the school building, which used to be a second-year classroom.
"Oh, wow!"
Li Nan was somewhat surprised. She squinted towards the school building, leaning forward and craning her neck, bringing herself about thirty centimeters closer to it.
The tiles reading 'Integrity, Scholarship, Diligence, Innovation' were clearly visible.
"How could you see it? I can't see anything!"
"I went downstairs for a walk earlier."
"I was wondering! Do you have eagle eyes?" Li Nan grinned, then pushed her bicycle away. "I'll go park my bike first."
"Okay."
Brother Nan got on her bike and rode off.
San Zheng peeked out.
Seeing Zhou Li and Huai Xu together with no other humans nearby—an incredibly rare sight—San Zheng couldn't control his excitement and jogged over.
Although Huai Xu was powerful, if Zhou Li joined in, they still had a decent chance of winning!
But as he ran over, Huai Xu stopped him. "These few days are very important for Zhou Li. He has his college entrance exams. You are not to disturb him!"
Upon hearing this, San Zheng paused for a long moment, then let out a breath and hung his head.
Brother Nan came back after parking her bike.