Demons Beside You

“The road is really dark.”

Fanny looked at the winding forest path.

She knew that Kyla was not going to harm her, but she was still worried.

“Kyla, anyone who lives here’s got to be weird, right?”

“Yeah, yeah, he’s weird,” Kyla replied impatiently.

Fanny had really been pestering her with questions along the way.

“Could he be some kind of evil wizard? And I’ll have to sacrifice something to have my hand healed?”

“Fanny, did you get a strange role recently?” Kyla asked, rolling her eyes.

“The place is just scary.”

There were no street lights on the path, so they could only rely on the headlights.

Even Kyla did not dare to drive too quickly.

Suddenly, an enormous shadow flashed before them.

Kyla caught a glimpse of the beast. It should be Princess.

Kyla knew that Chen Zhao’s pets would roam around the place all the time.

“Ah!!! Monster!”

“Stop shouting,” Kyla said impatiently. “It’s just a bear.”

“What? Bears can’t be that big!”

The beast was almost as big as their car.

“If you keep shouting, you can get out of the car!” Kyla threatened, stepping on the brake.

Indeed, Fanny stopped shouting at once.

However, Fanny’s greatest fear came true.

The car broke down. Kyla tried to start the engine but nothing happened.

“Uh forget it. Let’s walk there. It’s just ten minutes away.”

“No, I’m not leaving the car! Kyla, don’t go.”

“Don’t worry. It’s safe here.”

“But the beast just now… Even if it’s a bear, it’s still dangerous.”

“Then stay in the car. I’m going.” Kyla opened the door.

“No… Don’t leave me here!”

“Are you coming with me or not?” Fanny eventually alighted from the car with Kyla.

The path was in complete darkness. Even the wind and rustling of leaves managed to frighten Fanny badly.

Just then, the enormous beast appeared again. It stood in the middle of the path, staring at the two with its glowing eyes.

“Monster, monster!”

Fanny turned around, wanting to run, but another two giant beasts appeared before her.

They similarly glared at Fanny with their gleaming eyes.

Fanny almost collapsed on the ground. Luckily, Kyla managed to hold her with her hands.

“Let’s go.”

“But… That…” Fanny clearly could not move. The beast was still standing in the way.

“Just ignore it.”

Kyla walked up confidently and petted Princess’s head. “Hey, Princess.”

Roar!

Princess roared and then moved away coldly.

She was in the midst of playing with the Silly Twins and did not care about Kyla.

“Kyla… Aren’t you scared of it?”

“She’s called Princess. The two behind are Black-Ma and White-Ma.” Kyla took out a banknote from her wallet. “Black-Ma, White-Ma, could you please lead the way?”

Black-Ma and White-Ma charged up and fought to take the banknote.

“Oh my god… What’s happening?”

Could wolves be bribed with money?

Perhaps I should bring my wallet when I go to the wild too, Fanny thought.

“Alright, stop fighting. I’ll give you one each.”

Black-Ma and White-Ma could not resist money at all, given that they could go to the supermarket themselves.

The entire Mountain Town knew the two of them. They knew how to buy items and pay themselves.

Of course, they could not add.

Once, there was a cashier who charged them a hundred dollars more.

Then, Chen Zhao appeared and beat the cashier up at the spot.

The cashier was fired very soon after. Since then, nobody dared to deceive them.

“Won’t they attack people?”

“All the animals here do not attack people. They’re pets,” Kyla said. “Princess, can you help me to move the car to the roadside? I’ll pay.”

Princess strolled to the car. Crash!

Fanny was startled. As Princess hit the car with her body, the car slid to the side of the path.

However, Kyla would probably have to repair the door.

After walking a few minutes, Fanny finally saw some light in the distance.

In the lake was the reflection of a magnificent mansion.

Under the night sky, the scenery was especially elegant.

The gloominess had vanished totally, replaced by calming light.

Where the light and shadows met, the chuckles of children could be heard.

There even seemed to be kids playing in the water.

“Why would they allow children to play in the lake at this hour? It’s dangerous,” Fanny muttered to herself.

Fanny and Kyla approached the house and knocked on the floor to ceiling window.

“Hey, Kyla, have you eaten? Come and eat something.” Fali noticed Kyla.

With a smile, Kyla pulled Fanny to the side. “Don’t step on Obitos.”

Only then did Fanny see the red lizard munching a bloody piece of bone beside her feet.

Shocked, Fanny immediately jumped away.

Just then, Black-Ma and White-Ma ran to Fali in excitement and placed the banknotes on her hand.

Fali put the money into a glass jar in the living room.

Fanny was very confused. “What is she doing?”

“The money in that jar has been collected by Black-Ma and White-Ma.”

“…”

“Where’s Mr. Chen?”

“There, in the yard. He’s just finished dinner.”

Kyla was already used to seeing Chen Zhao in his loose shorts.

Chen Zhao had always been very casual at home. Although he would not be naked, he would not wear anything too formal.

Of course, given that it was his home, he could wear whatever he wanted.

“Mr. Chen, this is Fanny.”

Chen Zhao stood up and shook hands with Kyla. “Is she your sister?”

“Yes. Fanny, this is Mr. Chen.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Can I take a look at your hand?”

After a slight hesitation, Fanny removed her glove.

Chen Zhao inspected Fanny’s hand. “You’ve used my ointment?”

“Yes.”

“The burn is worse than I thought,” Chen Zhao said. “I don’t have any ointment or other drugs that can help you at the moment. Ms. Fanny, please come back another time.”

“Mr. Chen, is there no other way? We can pay more!”

“It’s not about the money. I’ve actually sold all the drugs I have, and I’m not trying to raise the price. But I can give you acupuncture to dredge your meridians for now to prevent blood stasis.”

“When would you have the medicine?” Fanny asked quickly.

“Not sure. It could be anywhere from a few days to a month.”

“Is someone going to deliver the medicine to you?” Kyla thought that Chen Zhao might have special, possibly illegal, connections.

“No, I have to go into the mountains and get the ingredients myself,” Chen Zhao said