"No, no, I hate that human!" Huo'er pecked fiercely at Liu Di, speaking indistinctly, but Liu Di didn't back down, hurling the television set toward the creature. Gui'er shrieked, "My brand new TV!" and swung the still-sizzling frying pan at Liu Di.

"Fine, I'll go by myself then," Zhou Ying opened the door unhurriedly and stepped out. Before the door could close, a teacup slammed against it, shattering into pieces.

"Mr. Zhou, off to work?" Lin Qingping, passing the fifth floor while taking Lin Rui out, greeted him kindly. Lin Rui cleverly chimed in, "Hello, Uncle Zhou."

Zhou Ying stammered, trying his best to muster the appearance of a human greeting his neighbors. Little did he expect Lin Rui to immediately follow up with, "Uncle Zhou, did you get into another fight with your wife? We could hear it downstairs."

Zhou Ying was left speechless. Lin Qingping quickly admonished, "Xiao Rui, don't talk nonsense."

"Oh, Grandma Wang downstairs said that Uncle Zhou and Auntie live together without being married, so it's not a spousal fight, right, Mom?" Lin Rui added innocently.

"Xiao Rui..." Lin Qingping couldn't smooth things over and hurried away, pulling her son along. Lin Rui, looking quite pleased, turned back with a foxy grin and winked at Zhou Ying.

Lin Rui was clearly older than Gui'er, yet he called her 'Auntie'? Zhou Ying shook his head in confusion, thinking that if Gui'er found out about this, it would surely lead to another uproar. Better not to let slip a word of it. As for the routine battles at home, it seemed they were already affecting the humans downstairs—not good. Next time he had Huo'er and the others fight, he'd cast a silencing spell first. Zhou Ying calculated, quickening his pace down the stairs.

Zhou Ying arrived downstairs at Sun Jian's place at the agreed time of 7:15, but Sun Jian wasn't there as promptly as usual. After waiting five minutes, Zhou Ying only received a call from Sun Jian: "Zhou Ying, I can't make it today. Just focus on your own work. Remember, don't let any suspicious people get in the cab; another taxi was involved in an incident yesterday! My team has a mission, I’ll call you tomorrow!" Sun Jian's voice carried a hint of impatience before he abruptly hung up.

Zhou Ying looked at the phone in his hand. Since all humans had these, he acquired one too. It seemed quite useful for humans who lacked magical abilities.

Recently, due to the year-end rush, robbery cases involving taxis in Lixin City had surged again. Perhaps, as Liu Di suggested, the criminals were also trying to boost their income before the New Year. (Looking at Liu Di, one could see the logic—how many corrupt officials who were afraid to report their thefts had Liu Di visited? Liu Di’s own pockets seemed considerably thicker lately.) Sun Jian and his colleagues were naturally swamped with such cases, and Zhou Ying's taxi had become Sun Jian's regular stakeout spot every night; he had been following Zhou Ying on his late shifts for several consecutive days.

Without Sun Jian tagging along today, Zhou Ying naturally didn't stick to the remote streets, instead heading towards the bustling city center out of old habit.

The lights of the prosperous city center flowed ceaselessly, the crowds never thinning, even the hospital entrances remained busy late into the night.

After dropping off a passenger, Zhou Ying remembered he hadn't seen Nan Yu for several days. When he stopped his car and walked to the main entrance, he saw Nan Yu already standing on the steps, quietly watching him.

"I was just looking for you, and here you are after so many days," Nan Yu said as they walked side by side.

"Looking for me? Something up?"

"A reminder: tomorrow is the tenth day of the eleventh lunar month." Seeing his expressionless face, Nan Yu assumed he had forgotten and added, "Gui'er’s birthday."

"Oh." Zhou Ying remained unresponsive.

"You really should get her something, shouldn't you? Me, Huo'er, Lin Rui... Liu Di probably hasn't forgotten either. Everyone else has prepared some token of affection. Are you really going to forget?" Nan Yu walked slowly, hands tucked in his pockets. "Humans exchange gifts on birthdays."

"Humans exchange gifts!" Zhou Ying had a sudden realization. He had never given anyone a gift. After thinking for a long while, he asked, "What do you all give?"

Nan Yu smiled sweetly, "I’m not telling. Think about it yourself. I have a patient to attend to; I have to go back." She nodded to Zhou Ying and turned away. After a few steps, seeing Zhou Ying still standing rooted in thought, her smile deepened.

Zhou Ying spent the entire night driving and pondering the gift. Only in the dead of night did he resolve to go to the department store and purchase something. As soon as he stepped out, he saw people waving from a distance, signaling for a cab. However, before he could drive up to them, the group turned and scrambled away in a desperate hurry.

Zhou Ying followed them in the cab, asking the three "people" with some curiosity, "Didn't you just call for a ride?"

The three "people" collapsed onto the ground, their legs giving out. One of them shakily took out a wallet and pushed it through the window, pleading with a tearful voice, "Grandpa Zhou, we were blind... We don't need the ride anymore..."

"Humans don't charge money for cabs they don't ride in," Zhou Ying kindly reminded them.

"Yes, yes, we'll... we'll take it then..." The three people exchanged glances, reluctantly climbing into the car. Although they feared getting into this 'death taxi,' they feared the consequences of refusing Zhou Ying's offered ride even more, thinking it might be worse if he believed they were mocking him.

"Where to, please?" Zhou Ying pressed the meter.

"The... the corner..." Seeing Huo'er wasn't in the car, they let out a slight sigh of relief.

"The corner?" Walking from mid-street to the corner only took about two minutes. They still hailed a cab—sure enough, there were quite a few wealthy demons around. But the customer is God (though Zhou Ying had never quite figured out who God was), so Zhou Ying stopped the car where the customers directed. The "people" threw down their wallet and jumped out.

"That'll be five yuan." Zhou Ying called out.

"Keep the change, keep the change!" The group ran off even faster.

Truly wealthy demons, giving a five-hundred-yuan tip for a five-yuan fare, Zhou Ying mused. He recalled that Huo'er had asked him to bring back snacks, but oh well, they had already paid the fare. Zhou Ying tucked the wallet into his pocket along with the money, reminding himself that if he couldn't find suitable snacks later, he'd stop by Lu Jiu’s place to buy a pig for Huo'er instead.

Around 3 AM, Sun Jian called again, solemnly warning Zhou Ying to be wary of suspicious figures: "This isn't just about taxi robbers! Do you understand! I’m breaking protocol to warn you! Be careful driving at night! This city has too many dangers!" Sun Jian was shouting over the phone because of Zhou Ying's usual calm tone. "It's a big city, there are all sorts of people! You listen to me! I'm a police officer!"

Zhou Ying hung up, watching Liu Di dragging his fresh catch out of the car to find a spot to enjoy it. He thought Sun Jian was absolutely right; the city was truly dangerous. He hesitated, wondering if he should find Liu Di to share a portion for Huo'er to take back, when a person directly opened the passenger door and sat down next to him, asking, "Picking up or not?"

"Where to, please?" Zhou Ying asked.

The person gave an address. Zhou Ying had to think for a moment before realizing it was a residential area on the other side of the city. Due to demolition, very few residents remained there, making it a place Zhou Ying rarely visited. He pressed the meter and started the engine, recalling Sun Jian's theory. He carefully examined this passenger heading to a remote location: a fair-skinned, refined middle-aged man, delicately wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses—not the type to commit robbery. However, humans, Zhou Ying knew, couldn't be judged by appearances. Liu Di was usually spot on, but Zhou Ying lacked that knack.

Seeing Zhou Ying looking at him, the man chuckled, "Master, you don't want to go to such a remote place, do you? I heard there have been many carjackings recently. It's right to be careful. If it's too much trouble, you can just drop me off at X;X; street, and I can walk the rest of the way."

"No trouble at all." Zhou Ying had little defense awareness against human robbers.

"It's tough work in any profession. Those robbers are despicable. Why not rob rich businessmen or high officials? They specifically target taxis, not considering how hard you work day and night for so little money." The passenger seemed unwilling to let the silence linger in the car. He sighed, pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and offered Zhou Ying one. Zhou Ying shook his head.

"How long have you been driving this line of work?"

"Two years." Zhou Ying gave this standard answer to that human question.

"It must be difficult."

"It’s alright."

The passenger was talkative, engaging Zhou Ying in a rambling conversation, smoking cigarette after cigarette. Zhou Ying offered brief responses; overall, he barely spoke a few words, mostly just listening to the other person chatter away.

As the road led toward the city's edge, the tall buildings grew sparser, the lights diminished, and human presence faded. On a dimly lit street, the passenger suddenly told Zhou Ying to stop, apologizing that he needed to relieve himself by the roadside.

Zhou Ying pulled the car over next to a construction site that appeared half-finished and abandoned.

The man hastily got out, darted into the roadside shadows, and soon returned, wiping his hands with a handkerchief, jogging back while apologizing, "Had a bit too much to drink, my apologies." As he pulled the door open and slid back in, he suddenly clamped the handkerchief over Zhou Ying’s face.

Zhou Ying smelled a strange odor emanating from the cloth. Unsure what the man intended, he froze momentarily.

Seeing Zhou Ying motionless, the man immediately produced a length of rope and, with extremely practiced skill, bound Zhou Ying's limbs. He then dragged him and tossed him into the trunk. Only when the trunk lid closed and the car began to move did Zhou Ying realize: he had been robbed.

Recalling that he had never been robbed before, he considered this a new human experience to accrue, so he remained quietly in the trunk. He felt a bit fortunate that Huo'er hadn't accompanied him today, otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to fully experience the process of being robbed, and besides, the snacks Huo'er requested would be accounted for—killing two birds with one stone.

Coincidentally, Zhou Ying’s phone rang right then. He glanced at the caller ID—it was Sun Jian. He reasoned that answering a call during a robbery didn't align with typical human behavior, so he sent Sun Jian a quick text, promising to call back later. He praised the usefulness of human inventions when magic couldn't be employed.

The car drove for a long time. When it stopped, Zhou Ying calculated the time—it was past 4 AM. He needed to be home by 6 AM for breakfast; being late would upset Gui'er. At 7 AM, he had to accompany Gui'er to the flower market for inventory. At 7:30 AM, he had to hand over the car to Zhu Bing. Zhou Ying mapped out his morning schedule, wondering how long the robbery would last and if it would interfere with his plans? He also worried if the gift he bought was still in the trunk and if that person might have eaten it.

The trunk was opened, and the vast starry sky flooded in. Zhou Ying realized it had been ages since he had seen such a sky. He blinked.

"You're awake?" the man sounded slightly surprised, but he still dragged the bound-up Zhou Ying, trussed like a zongzi, out of the trunk and threw him onto the grass.

Zhou Ying watched him quietly, waiting for the next step of the robbery.

"Are you brave or just too scared to move?" The man affectionately stroked Zhou Ying's cheek. "Don't worry, I’m not taking your car, nor do I want your money. How about we just chat?" he said softly to Zhou Ying, his eyes gleaming with an odd light.

"You're not robbing me?" There was a hint of disappointment in Zhou Ying’s calm tone.

"No! Why would I do something so vulgar and wicked!" The man exclaimed loudly, somewhat indignantly, then lowered his voice, letting out a suppressed, "Hee-hee" laugh. He leaned close to Zhou Ying's ear and whispered, "I'm just hungry." The breath from his mouth made Zhou Ying's ear uncomfortable, so Zhou Ying turned his head slightly to look at him.

"What do you usually like to eat?" The man asked, smiling broadly as he helped Zhou Ying sit up.

"Nothing in particular." Zhou Ying was never a picky eater.

"Do you like meat?" The man moved closer.

"I'm a vegetarian."

"Vegetarian! Ha ha ha!" The man burst into laughter as if he'd heard the greatest joke imaginable. "Vegetarian! You are human, and humans eat meat! Why are you vegetarian! Humans should eat all kinds of meat, every kind of meat! Eat every animal in the world and still want more meat! They live on meat, grow up on meat! Only meat!"

"Television promotes vegetarianism nowadays," Zhou Ying had always been proud that his dietary habits aligned with human trends.

"Who said that! Humans eat meat! Eat meat! Eat meat! What meat do you like?" The man pressed his nose against Zhou Ying's nose and asked.

"I'm vegetarian." Apparently, this person had poor memory? He'd asked less than three minutes ago. Zhou Ying patiently answered again.

"Do you think human flesh tastes good?" The man stuck out his tongue and licked Zhou Ying's cheek, asking with a brilliant smile.

"Human flesh... average, I suppose." Zhou Ying answered impartially, synthesizing the usual comments from Huo'er, Liu Di, Lin Rui, and Gui'er.

"Do you like human flesh?" The man pulled a knife from his pocket; it gleamed cold under the starlight. "Have you eaten it? Human flesh. Do you like it?"

Although human flesh appeared on Zhou Ying's dinner table every few days, Zhou Ying genuinely had never tried it. He could only shake his head. Too bad this person had kidnapped the wrong subject; he should discuss this question with Liu Di, who ate humans often enough.

"I... have... eaten... it. It's delicious! I love it!" The man patted Zhou Ying's face with the knife, his expression full of fascination.

"Eating your own kind is generally frowned upon," Zhou Ying commented. Demons hunted each other, and some demons ate other demons of their own kind, but those who consumed their own species were always considered lower-class by other demons—a bit like uncivilized, savage clans. Humans always considered themselves superior, and cannibalism didn't really suit the status they projected.

"That taste... the smooth blood, the delicious liver... children are tender, women are fragrant, and men... are chewy..." He commented while scraping the knife against Zhou Ying's cheek.

"You're definitely not a demon," Zhou Ying had suspected this was a relatively well-disguised demon, but now he doubted it.

"Demons eat people, right? No, you’re wrong. Only humans eat people. Demons don't eat them. There are no demons in the world, only humans. Humans are demons. Humans eat everything, including themselves. They eat meat. Survival of the fittest—do you know? That's what humans say. Humans eat beasts, and beasts eat humans. Humans eat humans, and humans eat humans too... Do you know? Survival of the fittest..." He pointed at Zhou Ying, then at himself.

"Survival of the fittest, I know that. Liu Di and Huo'er both like that principle," Zhou Ying felt demons should understand that principle better than humans.

"You know it, so you're not afraid, right? You know you should be eaten by me... But why aren't you screaming? It tastes better when they scream! Scream for me!" As he said this, he stabbed downward toward Zhou Ying's shoulder.

Zhou Ying said blandly, "Honestly, I think it's unpleasant when food screams."

The man watched in shock as his knife sank into Zhou Ying's shoulder as if piercing cotton. Then Zhou Ying stood up. His body twisted a few times like rubber, and the ropes fell away. He glanced at his watch and murmured to himself, "It’s almost five. I need to hurry back; if I use the Earth Shrinking Spell, I’ll still have time to buy breakfast ingredients."

"You, you..." The man staggered back several steps, looking utterly astonished.

"I am a demon," Zhou Ying explained to him. "I don't eat humans, but the child at home does. I promised to bring back snacks for it."

"Demon! Demon!" The man seemed to regain some sense, crying out loudly in alarm.

"Since you enjoy eating meat so much, you shouldn't mind being eaten, too. All demons understand that principle." It was rare to meet a human who accepted that theory; this one was quite special.

"Help! Help..." The man screamed and took off running. However, he had chosen a very remote suburban spot for the stop, so even loud shouts would be difficult to hear.

"It's not good when food screams and makes a scene," Zhou Ying said quietly to him.

Zhou Ying remembered he had promised to call Sun Jian back around 9 AM. After completing a series of routine actions—buying breakfast, taking Gui'er to stock up on goods, going to work, handing over the car to Zhu Bing, coaxing Huo'er to sleep—he sat down to cultivate under the sunlight. It was then that Sun Jian's number flashed on his phone, reminding him of the promise.

"Are you asleep yet..." Sun Jian’s voice sounded listless.

"No, I forgot to call you back." Zhou Ying immediately admitted his mistake.

"Forget it, forget it. I was busy then too... Come out for breakfast; I have something to tell you."

"Breakfast... It's nine o'clock?"

"Brother, I just finished my shift. Eating whenever you get off work is only right! Come to Fatty's Porridge House, my treat." Sun Jian yawned and hung up.

Zhou Ying scratched his head, unsure if eating breakfast twice a day was appropriate.

Zhou Ying arrived at the designated spot. Sun Jian was already wolfing down his order alone, managing to greet him with his mouth full of rice: "Sit, order whatever you want."

"I've already eaten."

"Right, someone living with his girlfriend. Someone cooks and does the laundry for him. So happy, hehehe..." Sun Jian grinned, glancing pointedly at Zhou Ying.

"Gui'er lives across the hall. If we don't live in the same house, it's not cohabitation," Zhou Ying felt this explanation was necessary.

"Across the hall, hehehe. Renting two places is such a waste. Just give up that apartment. Society is so open now; don't worry about what others think. I’m just jealous of you!" Sun Jian certainly didn't believe the cohabitation story.

"What did you need to tell me?"

"Almost forgot the serious matter." Sun Jian nodded. "Safety is important even in a happy life. I'll tell you..." He looked around. No one was nearby, and the few servers stood far away before he continued, "Something huge happened last night. A nationally wanted deranged serial killer has definitely arrived in this city."

"Serial killer?" Zhou Ying often heard that word on television.

"I've never seen such a depraved murderer..." Sun Jian recalled the case files from yesterday, feeling nauseous, and put down his chopsticks. He whispered to Zhou Ying, "He eats human flesh."

"Oh." Zhou Ying responded expressionlessly. It seemed there were quite a few people who ate humans; he had one in his own kitchen, after all.

"He uses anesthetics to knock the victim out first, then takes them to a secluded spot, kills them alive, and eats them raw... It was revolting..." Sun Jian felt sick again.

Zhou Ying nodded in agreement: "Eating things raw isn't good for the body."

"Zhou... Ying... Are you completely devoid of nerves? I’m telling you about a perverted serial killer who eats people..." Sun Jian was almost unable to tolerate Zhou Ying's unchanging, composed expression in the face of crisis.

Zhou Ying quickly covered up: "That’s a matter for you police officers; it’s far removed from us common folk. I’m just listening to a story."

"Lixin City has a large population, but I constantly worry about your attitude—you have zero sense of caution. You let anyone get into your car, even letting them sit in the front seat. In the middle of the night, you take fares to the most remote places—that’s so dangerous! What if the person getting in is a robber, a killer, a pervert..." Sun Jian earnestly lectured Zhou Ying on safety.

"I'll be careful," Zhou Ying soothed him.

"Let me tell you, that deranged serial killer is in his thirties, medium build, fair and gentle appearance, nearsighted, usually wears glasses... Don't pick up anyone who looks like that recently. But don't worry, I'll catch him soon. We absolutely cannot let him commit a crime in Lixin City!" Sun Jian declared with conviction.

Zhou Ying mumbled the description repeatedly: "Middle-aged, fair-skinned, wears glasses..."

"Yes, memorize it! Be careful." Sun Jian approved of his attitude. "I will definitely catch him! I will never let such a tragedy unfold in Lixin City!" Sun Jian clenched his jaw, recalling the scenes from the case files.

"Sun Jian, are you really that eager to catch him?" Zhou Ying asked cautiously.

"If I don't bring a devil like that to justice, what kind of police officer am I! If I don't bring him to the law, I swear I'm not human!" Sun Jian's voice grew more fervent as he slammed his hand on the table.

"Damn, I wonder if it’s already in the pot..." Zhou Ying murmured to herself, knowing that Gui'er sometimes cooked the meat ahead of time and kept it ready. After Sun Jian yawned and left to carry out his duty, Zhou Ying sprinted home to check on her kitchen.

Just as noon arrived, Liu Di ambled into the house and flopped onto the sofa, asking, "Is dinner ready yet?"

"I haven't started cooking," Zhou Ying glanced at the time; it was indeed time for lunch, so she rose.

"You're cooking again? Gui'er isn't coming back? Gui'er..." Liu Di groaned from his reclined position.

"After Gui'er opened her shop, she doesn't come back for lunch; she eats at the store," Zhou Ying washed her hands, preparing to make the stewed meat and vegetables—the only dishes she knew how to cook well.

"Then I'm leaving. I'd rather eat at a restaurant," Liu Di shuffled toward the door.

"Stop right there!" A furious shout rang out, and Huo'er shot out of the kitchen like an arrow, leaping onto Zhou Ying's shoulder and yelling, "A whole person is missing! A whole person is missing! Liu Di must have stolen it!"

"Who cares? I just ate one last night."

"Ying just helped me catch him, and he was still fresh! You definitely stole him, give him back to me! Take that!" Huo'er shrieked relentlessly.

"Huo'er, I took that person," Zhou Ying quickly soothed it. "I gave him to Sun Jian."

"What? You clearly gave him to me and then gave him to someone else to eat? That's equivalent to stealing my property and giving it away! What kind of example are you setting for me! This will leave an indelible shadow on my development!" Huo'er had been learning more and more trendy vocabulary lately; in any case, it knew Zhou Ying didn't understand half of it, so it blurted everything out to confuse Zhou Ying first.

Liu Di shrugged. "If you took even a fraction of Zhou Ying as an example, the world would be more than a little more peaceful..."

"Liu Di... do you have any opinion on my excellent qualities?" Huo'er narrowed its eyes.

"No, I don't have a single opinion on your excellent qualities, because you don't possess any quality that could be described as 'excellent'," Liu Di replied with a grin instantly.

"Dead-walking wolf..." Huo'er flapped its wings, preparing to unleash its fury over the lost meal onto him.

"Disrespecting your elders—what kind of quality is that? I'm Zhou Ying's friend; by rights, you should call me Uncle, shouldn't you?" Liu Di continued to pour oil on the fire.

"If you die, I won't have to call you anything, Uncle Liu..."

"Heh heh, haven't you heard that evil spirits live for a thousand years? A great menace like me can easily live another thousand years..."

Seeing that Liu Di and Huo'er were about to start their customary pre-meal battle, Zhou Ying rushed out to stop them. The television he had just bought was still in the box; it would be a shame if it got broken. "By the way, Nan Yu said it's Gui'er's birthday today—do you two know?" He successfully diverted their attention.

Liu Di looked deeply disappointed. "Nan Yu told you? That's boring. I was looking forward to seeing Gui'er's expression if you forgot her birthday."

"You have such a mean heart!" Huo'er kicked him. "Ying, I intended to remind you, but I forgot later. But I prepared a gift for Gui'er—I'm going to buy all the ingredients and throw a grand banquet to celebrate! And we must have fresh flowers!"

"You mean Gui'er has to cook for her own birthday party and use flowers from her own shop to decorate? Isn't that too pitiful for her?" Liu Di expressed great sympathy.

"Are you saying it's not pitiful for Gui'er if Ying cooks for her on her birthday?" Huo'er retorted.

Liu Di was struck dumb, because at that moment in the kitchen, Zhou Ying was dropping large chunks of meat and big sheets of cabbage into clear water, then putting it on the heat to boil. Zhou Ying then remembered Gui'er's instructions to add seasonings while cooking, so he opened various bottles and jars, casually dumping in some sweet and sour mix and pepper into the pot.

"Huo'er, Liu Di, come eat."

"I'm leaving. I'm finding somewhere else to eat..." Liu Di mumbled, covering his mouth as he phased through the wall.

"Good riddance if you run off; more for me to eat." Huo'er perched on the pot, picking out chunks of meat. Although the taste of Ying's cooking couldn't compare to Gui'er's, it didn't have so many strange rules: like washing hands before eating (Huo'er: Where am I supposed to find hands to wash?), no climbing onto the pot, no eating in the kitchen, no wiping one's mouth on the curtains after eating... so Huo'er generally ate quite happily.

"Ying, don't forget to buy groceries after eating to prepare for Gui'er's birthday," it instructed while eating.

It wasn't until past three in the afternoon that Zhou Ying managed to carry all the large bags of supplies into the house. Huo'er counted and confirmed there were enough raw materials for fifty or sixty dishes. Only then did it let Zhou Ying go back to cultivating. Just as Zhou Ying settled back down in the sunlight, his phone rang again.

"Zhou Ying, I... that maniacal serial killer has been caught. We're still going to catch the carjackers tonight. Same place, don't be late," Sun Jian's weary voice carried a hint of excitement.

"Caught him?" Zhou Ying did the math. Lin Rui's ghost vassal had been making that corpse run around the streets for a good few hours; Sun Jian had finally caught him.

"But we caught a dead one." Sun Jian sounded a little regretful that he couldn't send the culprit to the execution grounds. "He resisted arrest, and one of my colleagues fired a shot. He got scared and fell off an overpass, crushed by several cars... Ugh... I won't say more, or I won't be able to eat dinner... I'm going back for a nap first. See you tonight."

Huo'er had been straining its neck to listen. It blinked, and the meaning dawned on it. "That's my whole person—the one I didn't eat a single bite of! Give him back, you dead cop! Give him back!" It snatched the phone and started shouting, luckily Sun Jian had already hung up.

"Ying, you tell me, how will you compensate me!" Huo'er hopped around on Zhou Ying's head. It didn't particularly enjoy eating people, but it hated seeing its food given to others. Zhou Ying would take Huo'er off his head, and it would immediately jump back up; if he took it down again, it would jump up again. It knew Zhou Ying would eventually have to give in. Sure enough, after more than ten repetitions, Zhou Ying said, "I'll catch another one for you tonight."

"It's settled. I'm going with you tonight, I need to keep an eye on you... Ah-hoo-hoo... I missed my afternoon nap, I'm going to sleep now..." Having achieved its goal, Huo'er folded its wings and curled up on Zhou Ying's lap, falling into a deep sleep.

Zhou Ying looked up at the sun, which had already begun its descent toward the west, and resumed his cultivation practice.

"Cheers to Gui'er's birthday!"

Everyone raised their glasses to celebrate. Gui'er's cheeks were flushed with excitement as she took large gulps of champagne under the continuous urging of the others. She was extremely popular among the Yōkai in Lixin City. As soon as they heard it was her birthday, everyone sent a pile of strange and wonderful gifts. If most of the Yōkai hadn't been intimidated by Huo'er and Liu Di and dared not attend her birthday banquet, Zhou Ying's small house truly wouldn't have accommodated so many people.

Now, only Zhou Ying, Liu Di, Nan Yu, Huo'er, Lin Rui, and Hei Bing, the cat demon Gui'er had invited, remained at the banquet. These few people faced the huge spread of dishes Gui'er had made, and they had to eat with all their might just to make a dent in it.

"This is the dress Quan Xian'er sent; she made it herself, and it's studded with pearls—it won't get wet even if put in water. But why is it in the Tang Dynasty style? Luo Tian sent his newly released album?! That's a bit of a scary gift; Gui'er, you'd best not listen to it. Lu Jiu sent two live pigs—how do you plan to prepare them? Slaughter them in the house? Hey, this string of necklaces is pretty; finally, a gift suitable for a girl. Who sent this..." Liu Di rummaged through Gui'er's gifts without restraint, holding up a shell-beaded necklace.

"That was me, Senior Liu," Hei Bing replied respectfully. It sat perfectly upright on the table, holding its wine glass with its paws to sip a beverage. Compared to the rowdy Liu Di and Huo'er, it appeared extremely well-mannered. "I asked Ninth Senior Brother to buy it for me."

"Alas, a whole group of Yōkai are less discerning about gifts than one cat," Liu Di sighed. "Gui'er, I'll give you something nice." He pulled out a box from behind him and flung it open: "The trendiest sexy lingerie... You can wear it for Zhou Ying to see."

Gui'er's face immediately flushed red, and she stuffed a large chunk of tofu into Liu Di's mouth, stealing a shy glance at Nan Yu.

Nan Yu smiled and stood up. "I can't do much else, but I embroidered a few silk scarves. Gui'er, you can wear them when you go out." Nan Yu's embroidery skills were superb, and Gui'er happily accepted them.

"Mine," Lin Rui said vaguely, still chewing, as he handed over a game disc. Before Gui'er could speak, Huo'er shouted, "You actually got it! I get to play first! Gui'er, can you give it to me?"

Gui'er pouted. "He meant to give it to you anyway."

"Is that so? Then I'll take it." Huo'er snatched the disc away.

"I didn't come just to eat for free; I already gave a gift," Lin Rui mumbled, his mouth full of food.

"Sigh..." Gui'er pushed the pile of gifts with her hand. While some were indeed quite valuable for birthday presents, few were actually practical, apart from Nan Yu's scarves and Hei Bing's necklace. "Wait a moment, what is this..." Gui'er dug out a box from the pile of presents, reading the words on the top: "Nao Bai Jin... No way... Who would send something like this? Am I that old already... I don't even have the energy to be angry."

"Nao Bai Jin?"

"Really? Who sent it?"

"Hahahaha... Gui'er, do you need to guard against aging now too?"

Everyone burst into laughter immediately.

"I put it there..." Zhou Ying didn't understand what everyone was laughing at.

"You..." The laughter in the room instantly stopped, only to erupt even louder.

Liu Di held the box of Nao Bai Jin in front of Zhou Ying, gasping for breath between bursts of laughter. "You bought this... Hahahaha... Truly worthy of Zhou Ying, hahahaha..."

"I saw it advertised that humans all buy it," Zhou Ying still didn't grasp the source of their amusement.

"It seems human advertisements are made specifically for people like you. As long as they widely publicize that everyone buys X; Y; Z; you'll definitely follow suit and buy it," Liu Di said, patting Zhou Ying's shoulder.

Zhou Ying took this as a compliment, thinking it meant he was becoming more like a human.

Gui'er looked at Zhou Ying, snatched the box back from Liu Di. "Give it back to me; Zhou Ying gave it to me."

"What are you going to use it for?"

"I'll eat it."

"That's for old folks."

"I'll eat it when I become an old woman."

"Then it'll be rotten by then."

"Mind your own business!" Gui'er glanced at the expression on Zhou Ying's face, hugged the box, and carefully placed it in the cabinet, all while smiling and narrowing her eyes at Zhou Ying, saying, "Thank you, I really like this gift."

"That's good. Nan Yu wouldn't tell me what to buy you, and I thought about it for half the night. I even thought a kitchen knife would be better."

Thud. Liu Di threw his hands up to the sky and collapsed onto the floor.

Halfway through Gui'er's birthday party, Huo'er and Lin Rui started their routine battle with Liu Di over the last piece of fried meat. Gui'er, in front of Nan Yu and Hei Bing, initially maintained the image of a "well-mannered housewife," gently trying to stop them. But when the fight escalated to the point where her gifts were also being damaged, she could no longer hold back, rolling up her sleeves and grabbing pots and basins to hurl at Liu Di and the others.

Nan Yu and Hei Bing cleverly retreated into the bedroom, but Zhou Ying remained seated at the table, leisurely finishing his own portion of food. Whether it was boiling water, Huo'er's flames, sharp claws, or flying plates, he remained as steady as a rock, not even blinking.

"Senior Zhou's cultivation is truly profound; his composure remains unshaken even when Mount Tai collapses before him," Hei Bing praised with infinite admiration.

Zhou Ying finished eating the meal he had cooked and rose from the burning patch of ground. Checking the time, he saw it was time to go and asked Huo'er, "Huo'er, I have to go out. Are you coming?"

"No, I'll decide after I win."

"Oh, Nan Yu, Hei Bing, shall I give you a ride back on the way?"

"Good."

"Thank you, Senior Zhou."

Nan Yu and Hei Bing carefully skirted the battlefield and moved toward the door.

Gui'er bit her lip as she watched Zhou Ying and Nan Yu walk side-by-side toward the exit, but she immediately turned around and threw a plate at Liu Di.

At 7:30 PM, a red taxi stopped beneath Sun Jian's building. "You're late," Sun Jian said, standing by the roadside and showing Zhou Ying his wristwatch.

"I was dropping off a friend."

"Male or female?"

"A female, and a cat."

"...Putting friendship last for the sake of romance!"

The taxi drove into the bustling city center, the pedestrian traffic growing denser. Two men on the roadside reached out to flag them down.

"Drive past them, maybe it's them!" Sun Jian's voice held excitement.

Zhou Ying drove the car past and watched the customers get in. As he drove toward the city outskirts, he couldn't help looking back one more time at the myriad lights of the city. With the passage of time, he was growing more accustomed to this ordinary, quiet human life. Perhaps if this continued, he would become more and more like a human.

"Don't move! We have guns! Hand over the money!" the customers behind him suddenly demanded sharply.

Zhou Ying turned to look at them...

This plain, quiet, day-in-day-out life of humans—he was truly growing more accustomed to it...