She glanced at me indifferently, went to the counter, and ordered only a bowl of plain congee. The owner served it directly. The girl took the congee and sat at the farthest seat from me, with her back to me. She took a spoon from the holder, wiped it clean with her own tissue, and then slowly savored the plain congee. She looked hungry, eating spoonful after spoonful, yet mindful of her ladylike demeanor, taking only small bites each time.
I watched her from behind and found it quite amusing. In the ancient streets of Jinling City, early in the morning, I managed to find a demon who drank congee, and a great purple-energy demon at that.
Her purple energy was even more potent than Yaoyao's. She must be a master.
It was a pity I couldn't discern whether she was from the Shan Hai clan or the Bai Ze clan. However, I felt I couldn't miss an opportunity to "dig," so I carried my red bean glutinous rice balls over and sat opposite her.
The girl looked up, casting a puzzled glance at me. To be fair, she had cultivated to the point where she looked exactly like a normal human. Even staring closely into her eyes, I couldn't detect anything unusual, unlike some of my demon friends who would squint their pupils into vertical slits at the slightest provocation.
"Sir, do we know each other?" the girl asked softly in a local dialect.
"You don't know me, but I know who you are," I replied. Judging by her expression, she genuinely didn't recognize me. Perhaps some demons from the Northeast knew my appearance from the dark web forums, but in Jiangnan, very few demons would recognize me.
"I am no one," the girl chuckled. Perhaps she was trying to be clever, employing a double entendre, implying she was not human, but a demon.
I pretended not to understand and smiled, "You must be a local, right!"
The girl managed a reluctant smile. "Sir, I don't really like being approached by strangers. Could you please return to your own seat?"
If this were an ordinary young man from the South, he might have felt deflated and left. Some young men from Northern cities might have become enraged, even resorting to violence. But I, neither fully Southern nor Northern, and mostly thick-skinned, didn't feel awkward about it. I grinned and said, "It's just that you look so radiant, it made me feel like I'd seen you somewhere before."
The girl shook her head. "Clichéd..."
"Clichés are classics, aren't they? Can I get your WeChat?" I directly extended my phone, displaying the health code I had ready.
Many young girls actually fall for the shameless approach, feeling compelled to add friends. But this demon was clearly experienced and didn't take the bait. She merely shook her head again and continued eating her congee.
"Why are you only eating plain congee?" I placed my phone beside her. "If you want, I can order you a basket of steamed dumplings. Boss, one basket of steamed dumplings!"
The owner shot me a glare but complied, perhaps also finding my blatant flirting distasteful.
"No, thank you. I only like congee," the girl said without looking up.
"Since you can't digest much anyway, steamed dumplings taste better, right? After all, they have meat, which you love," I probed.
The girl suddenly looked up, her eyes cold as she gazed at me. But soon, the sharpness in her eyes quietly faded, returning to a gentle flow, or rather, a tranquil calm. "I don't like meat. Thank you."
"How could that be? A stunning beauty like you must love meat. Otherwise, how could you have such collagen-rich skin, looking like a middle schooler?"
The girl's lips twitched. Perhaps I had hit a nerve. Demons, especially great purple-energy demons like her, were likely quite old. Being told she looked young would naturally please her.
"I really don't like meat. Thank you," the girl said seriously.
The owner arrived, placing the steamed dumplings heavily on the table. "Eight yuan. Scan the code on the table."
I picked up the girl's phone from the table. She glanced at me but said nothing. I unlocked the screen and found it had a password.
"What's the password, beautiful?"
"Is this how you behave, being polite?" the girl frowned.
"Oh, apologies," I returned the phone to her. "You do it yourself then."
"Do what?" the girl asked.