Qiqi blinked. "Why do I need to be careful?"
Rong Yi said, "That fox will probably come back. Unfortunately, the activation of the Moon's Guidance has already alerted the monsters. I'm afraid a war over the treasure is about to begin."
Qiqi asked, "But aren't you the Demon King? Isn't that jade pendant supposed to command the demon race? Would they dare disobey?"
Rong Yi spread his hands helplessly. "The monsters in this place aren't under my control. That jade pendant is a sacred relic of the demon race from my realm. Here, it's probably just a magical artifact that attracts monsters and boosts their cultivation... In the coming days, we're likely to face a lot of trouble."
Qiqi scratched her head. "So what do we do?"
Rong Yi replied, "It's fine. With me here, what are you afraid of? My demonic power is gradually recovering. If I rest a few more days, I can regain about twenty to thirty percent of it. That'll be enough to handle ordinary small monsters. But it seems there are quite a few monsters roaming this human world. If I subdue them one by one, maybe I can establish another kingdom here..."
He had already started daydreaming about his grand ambitions.
Qiqi said, "Oh."
It seemed he still couldn't let go of losing his status as the Demon King.
Rong Yi warned, "But for today and tomorrow, you must be careful. I can't use force anymore. Right now, I'm no different from an ordinary person."
Qiqi asked, "Really?"
To test his words, she waited until he turned around, then suddenly poked his back with her finger. Without warning, Rong Yi fell to the ground with a "thump." "I told you I'm very weak right now."
"Alright, sorry about that..."
After settling Rong Yi, Qiqi hid the Moon's Guidance and then went out to buy groceries. Over the past few days, because of Senior Brother Lu's illness, the two of them hadn't eaten properly. Now that Rong Yi was also injured, she decided to make a big meal today to help him recover.
After all the commotion, it was almost dark. Qiqi slung her eco-friendly shopping bag over her shoulder and cheerfully headed to the old city's vegetable market. It was only a ten-minute walk from her home and had been around for over a decade. Ever since she first moved into this neighborhood, her mother had often taken her there to shop. Most of the vendors were neighbors from the same block, greeting each other warmly. Every time Qiqi went for a stroll, she'd always receive small fruits from kind-hearted uncles and aunties.
With a light heart, Qiqi arrived at the market, but the sight before her left her stunned—the once bustling market had vanished into thin air, and the nostalgic-style buildings had been razed to the ground. Scattered around were fruit peels, vegetable leaves, bricks, and scraps of paper, a scene of utter chaos.
What happened? Did the demolition crew come? Or did the market relocate entirely?
Qiqi stood by the garbage-like foundation, a bit dazed.
Just then, a "ding-ling" sound came from behind her. She turned around and saw Aunt Zhao, a neighbor, riding her bicycle with her son Xiaoming in tow. They seemed to be coming to buy groceries too.
Seeing Qiqi, Aunt Zhao stopped her bike and greeted her. "Qiqi, what are you spacing out for? Planning to buy groceries?"
Qiqi nodded and asked, "Aunt Zhao, when did this market move?"
Aunt Zhao got off the bike and handed the shopping basket to Xiaoming. She had already bought her groceries.
She said, "It moved a while ago. I saw your yard gate closed all day a few days back and thought you already knew. It was the demolition crew's doing. This market was originally converted from an old factory. It seems Director Liu settled on a price with the factory owner and cleared the whole place out."