After the Fairy Maidens Fell to Darkness, They Captured Me to Ruthlessly 'Repay' Their Gratitude-Chapter 50 - Adorable, Makes You Want to Pet

The commotion finally ended, and He Ange had made enough money for the night.

He could have kept the shop open, but given everything that had happened, he decided it was better to call it a day. It would also give him time to process the new information he had gathered.

As he began packing up, he noticed the fox maid standing behind him, staring at his face. When he turned to meet her gaze, she didn’t look away. Instead, she continued to look at him, her expression growing softer before she blinked, her cheeks turning slightly pink, and she quickly averted her eyes.

“Th-thank you for helping me earlier,” Xia Ranyue said, her voice quieter than usual.

It was rare for her to say thank you. In fact, this was the first time He Ange had ever heard her express gratitude.

“No need to thank me. I might end up deceiving and using you again someday. When that happens, you’ll probably curse me as a heartless bastard. So, it’s better not to have high expectations of me from the start,” he said bluntly, speaking his mind.

Xia Ranyue looked at him. Normally, she would have snapped at him for saying something like that, but tonight, she just wanted to look at his face. She didn’t feel like arguing.

After a moment, He Ange sighed and asked, “Why are you staring at me? Don’t tell me you’ve fallen for me?”

“Look at you, why are you so eager?” she teased, sticking out her tongue playfully. Her lips were a soft pink, and her smile was undeniably cute.

But her constant urge to bicker with him was a bit annoying.

“I’m not eager. Why would I be?” he replied.

“You were definitely thinking, ‘I’m such a handsome hero, I must have charmed Ranyue. Oh no, what if she falls for me? That would be such a hassle~’”

“...”

“Hey, hey, why are you blushing? I didn’t even deny your guess~” Xia Ranyue teased, linking her arm with his, her mischievous eyes narrowing.

She really understood men... and to be fair, she wasn’t entirely wrong. He Ange’s thoughts had indeed wandered in that direction.

But that was normal, wasn’t it?

Everyone has moments of vanity. He Ange was no exception.

“If you have time to repay kindness with sass and annoy me, I’d rather you help me pack up the unsold goods,” he said.

“I was just joking. Sorry...” she said, looking a bit guilty. Still, she obediently started helping.

One of the boxes was placed on a high shelf, and Xia Ranyue had to grab a stool to reach it. Standing on tiptoe, she stretched her legs to retrieve it.

As she did, the fluffy white fox tail attached to her maid outfit swayed back and forth.

And it was right in front of He Ange.

Seeing something so fluffy, humans have an instinctive urge to pet it. It’s practically written into their DNA.

He Ange was no exception.

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He reached out and touched it.

“Ah!!”

The moment his hand made contact, Xia Ranyue let out a surprised yelp.

Holding the heavy box above her head, she couldn’t put it down. Instead, she looked down at He Ange with a mix of annoyance and embarrassment.

“Why are you touching my tail?!”

“It’s a fake tail. Can’t I touch it?” he replied.

His words reminded her that the tail was just an accessory, not her real one.

But for some reason, it still felt incredibly ticklish and sensitive.

Maybe it was because the tail’s attachment had tugged slightly on her dress, creating a sensation she couldn’t ignore.

“Even if it’s fake, can’t you take it off and touch it yourself? Why do you have to wait until I’m wearing it?” she complained.

“A tail only has value when it’s attached to something cute,” he said matter-of-factly.

“What kind of weird logic is that...”

Her tone softened, though. People tend to feel flattered when complimented, even indirectly. Being called cute made it hard for Xia Ranyue to stay mad.

She stopped resisting, so He Ange continued to pet the tail.

Her cheeks turned pink, and her heart raced as she thought about him touching her tail. It was strangely... pleasant.

Why was that?

There’s a psychological experiment where a person’s real arm is hidden, and a fake arm is placed in front of them. With enough suggestion, the person starts to believe the fake arm is theirs. When the fake arm is touched, they feel the sensation as if it’s real.

Xia Ranyue was experiencing something similar.

Even though it shouldn’t have felt like anything, the mere thought of him touching her tail made her feel like he was really touching her.

“Alright, that’s enough! Stop touching it like some kind of pervert!” she said, jumping off the stool and hiding the tail behind her.

If he kept going, she felt like she might start acting... strangely.

He Ange didn’t push it further and went back to packing up.

A little while later, he noticed Xia Ranyue had finished cleaning up and was sitting down to rest. He tossed her a pouch of silver coins.

She caught it, looking surprised.

“That’s fifty percent of tonight’s profits,” he said, sitting at the table and jotting down numbers in a ledger.

Running a business meant keeping track of finances. It was tedious, but until he found someone reliable to manage things, he had to do it himself.

“That’s a lot. Are you really giving me this much?” she asked, opening the pouch and peeking inside. She was shocked. While she wasn’t short on money, earning this much so easily felt unreal.

All she had done was wear the outfit he gave her and stand in the shop as a mascot.

Did she really deserve this much?

“Do I look stingy to you?” He Ange asked, raising an eyebrow.

She shook her head and pushed the pouch back toward him.

“It’s not about being stingy... It’s just too much. I can’t take it.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t really need money... Even if you gave it to me, I wouldn’t know how to spend it.”

“Then you haven’t reached the point where you need it yet,” he said, setting down his pen and sighing.

He handed her a notebook, looking a bit exasperated.

“Tonight’s total earnings were ten thousand silver taels. If you convert that to spirit stones, it’s about ten low-grade ones. Ten spirit stones can buy ten low-grade elixirs in the black market. And for a cultivator, those elixirs are like candy—barely enough to make a difference. The path of cultivation is long. No matter how many low-grade elixirs you consume, it won’t be enough to reach your ideal level.”

He looked at her, a hint of envy in his eyes.

“Take the money. You might not need it now, but who knows what the future holds? If our dear fox demon lady ever falls on hard times, I wouldn’t mind having you as my shop’s mascot again. I’ve got plenty of pretty outfits for you to wear,” he teased.

“Oh...” she murmured, holding the pouch thoughtfully.

She looked up at him, biting her lip, a bit embarrassed.

“Really... thank you for tonight,” she said softly.

…

…

…

Shengxu Sect, Shiyun Pavilion.

Late at night, the sect was quiet. Qin Shiyan was preparing to rest when a carrier pigeon flew through her window, interrupting her.

Yawning, she extended her hand, letting the pigeon perch on her finger. She removed the letter tied to its leg and began to read.

As she read, her expression grew more serious, her phoenix-like eyes narrowing.