Seeing Wen Yang looking at him with some surprise, Cheng Yu gave another calm smile and said,
"You are older than I am, Lay Buddhist Wen, and you have seen more people and more of life. You should know the answer in your heart; you simply refuse to face it. In the end, you are still attached to appearances."
At that, Wen Yang gave a wry laugh, saluted Cheng Yu with cupped fists, and left his bedroom.
Watching Wen Yang leave, Cheng Yu rolled over and went back to sleep.
The next morning, Cheng Yu slowly woke again to the all-too-familiar crowing of the Chicken Demon. After getting ready, he went downstairs.
The Demon Race girl Lingling was still cleaning, and Shopkeeper Hu was still lying on the bed behind the counter, reading The Romantic History of Hu Meier’s Boudoir.
A closer look would reveal that Lingling's eyes were somewhat red and swollen, and her ears drooped listlessly.
When Cheng Yu came down, Lingling merely nodded to him before continuing to clean mechanically.
After returning her greeting, Cheng Yu stepped outside the inn. The sky was just beginning to brighten, some shops had opened, and Demon Folk were gradually appearing on the streets.
Squads of Demon Race Soldiers marched past the inn in orderly formation, apparently heading to the city gates to relieve the guards.
Cheng Yu's appearance earned only a glance from the busy Demon Folk around him before they returned to their own affairs.
Looking at this scene, so different yet broadly familiar, Cheng Yu felt his faintly restless heart settle once more.
Just then, a girl's voice sounded beside him.
"Do you know Wen Yang?"
It was Lingling. Cheng Yu nodded slightly.
"If you simply mean whether we are acquainted, then yes."
Lingling went on to ask,