“What are you all standing around for? Hurry up and move!”

Standing at the entrance to the Tushan residence, the dog demon barked at Xiao Mo and the others.

Xiao Mo could only follow along and walk up the steps toward the Tushan residence.

“Would you trouble these two brothers to pass word inside? Gou Yazi has come to pay a visit to Steward Xiong and has brought over a fresh batch of goods. I ask only that Steward Xiong take a look.”

The dog demon spoke with a broad smile. From inside his sleeve, he pulled out a calling card, then took out two bits of silver and slipped them into the paws of the two dog demons guarding the gate.

“Oh, Boss Gou is one of our own kind. There is no need to be so polite.” The two gatekeeping dog demons immediately beamed. “Please wait a moment, Boss Gou. I will go announce you right away.”

“Many thanks, both of you, many thanks indeed.”

Boss Gou hurriedly thanked them.

Not long afterward, one of the dog demons ran back out and said Boss Gou could enter.

Boss Gou led Xiao Mo and the five human children into the estate.

Xiao Mo glanced around at this enormous residence.

All kinds of spirit flowers and spirit herbs had been planted in the courtyard. When a light breeze passed by, a faint fragrance spread through the air.

What looked like a pebble path was in fact paved with spirit-gathering stones, one by one.

As the name implied, spirit-gathering stones had the effect of condensing spiritual power and were generally used as materials for setting up formations.

Moreover, the quality of these spirit-gathering stones was extremely high. Every single one of them was worth a great deal. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Aside from that, amid the meticulously trimmed beds of flowers and greenery, decorative rockeries stood here and there.

Some of those rockeries had been forged from dark iron the color of stone.

Some were made from enormous chunks of top-grade spirit stone, carved by master craftsmen until they looked vividly lifelike.

One cat-demon maid after another moved back and forth through the courtyard wearing human-style palace garments, carrying fruit trays, tea, or baskets.

These demon women were different from the pig demon and dog demon Xiao Mo had seen before.

Their transformation was much more complete, to the point that they were almost no different from humans.

The only demon traits they had retained were the pair of beast ears atop their heads and the tails behind them.

These cat demons were no different from the cat girls imagined in human standards of beauty.

Not only were they attractive, those beast ears and tails also carried a certain unique charm.

Before long, Xiao Mo and the others were led into a courtyard.

The steward of the Tushan residence was already waiting there.

“Oh my, Lord Xiong! This lowly one deserves death for making you wait so long. Please forgive me, please forgive me!”

The dog demon hurried forward and clasped the steward’s bear paw in both of his own paws.

“That is enough, that is enough. We are all familiar with each other by now, so there is no need to fawn over me.” Steward Xiong shook off the dog demon’s paw, maintaining a certain distance even while sounding familiar. “Have the servants our Tushan residence asked for this time already been selected?”

“They have, they have! Of course they have!”

The dog demon nodded repeatedly and led Steward Xiong in front of Xiao Mo and the others.

“These human brats were picked from all across Immortal Fox City. I selected them with the utmost care, and then selected them again with even greater care before settling on these final few. Every single one of them is physically sound, and their backgrounds are clean. You may rest easy.”

“Mm.” Steward Xiong sized up Xiao Mo and the other children, then nodded. “They do smell acceptable enough. I trust your work. I will take all five of these human brats. Go to the accounts office and settle the bill.”

“Yes, yes, yes, very well, very well.”

The dog demon nodded again and again and followed a maid away to the accounts office.

After the dog demon left, Steward Xiong stepped forward and said to Xiao Mo and the others,

“My name is Xiong Da. I am the steward of the Tushan residence. Others respectfully call me Lord Xiong, but you may simply call me Steward Xiong.”

“From today onward, you are servants of the Tushan residence. Our Tushan residence will provide you with food, drink, and a place to live, and every month you will also receive a certain wage.”

“One could say that in all of Immortal Fox City, it is already a blessing if you are not sent to the table and made into a dish of baby greens, much less find a place this good!”

“You must know gratitude. You must spend your entire lives serving the madam and the young lady of the Tushan residence properly, and you must absolutely never harbor any divided loyalties! Do you understand?”

Xiao Mo, together with the other children, nodded shakily and answered in timid little voices, “W-we understand...”

“Very good. In a moment, someone will take you to the storeroom to collect clothing. You—”

“Grandpa Xiong!”

Just as Xiong Da was halfway through speaking, a little girl called out brightly from not far away.

Her voice was very lovely, like a clear spring flowing down from the mountains, like an oriole singing in the green of spring, even more like a crisp wind chime under the eaves stirred by the spring breeze.

Xiao Mo lifted his head and looked over. He saw a little girl no more than five or six years old running toward them.

She was wearing a little pomegranate-red dress. Sparse trailing flower patterns had been embroidered along the hem, and the material was a soft gauze so light that when she moved, she looked like a little red cloud drifting along.

Her skirt fell just to her ankles, revealing a pair of satin embroidered bow shoes no bigger than an adult’s palm.

Looking more closely, her little face was soft and plump, her cheeks full with baby fat, like rain-dappled peach blossoms after a spring shower, as though a pinch might bring water out.

At the center of her brow was a naturally born cinnabar mark, making her snow-pale skin seem all the fairer. Her eyes were round and bright, their outer corners slightly lifted, naturally fox-like, the pupils glossy black like two drops of dark mercury. Whenever they turned, they were full of a child’s innocence and a trace of sly light.

Atop her head stood two fluffy ears, pointed and covered with a layer of snowy white fur. The tips twitched slightly from time to time, as though catching every movement in the wind.

Behind her trailed a soft white tail, even longer than her whole body.

As she ran, that tail swayed happily behind her, like a drift of flowing snow or a spray of white reed plumes brushing the ground.

“Young lady, please slow down. Do not fall.”

When the maid saw her young lady run so far ahead, she was so alarmed that she hurried after her, afraid the child might bump herself or trip.

“This old servant greets Young Lady.”

When Steward Xiong saw the little girl, a brilliant smile appeared on his face as well, and he respectfully bowed.

“Grandpa Xiong, who are they?”

The little girl bit one finger and looked curiously at these human children who were about the same height as she was.

“In reply, Young Lady, these are all servants of our Tushan residence.”

“Servants?” The fox-eared girl blinked her eyes curiously. “Grandpa Xiong, are servants like Sister Lulu and the others, people who play with me?”

“Well...”

Steward Xiong scratched his head, thinking about how to explain that humans were not qualified to play with the young lady.

But just then—

Among the group, the fox-eared girl noticed one little boy who was the best-looking of them all.

She trotted over on her short little legs.

The maid jumped in fright and hurried after her, afraid the young lady might touch that little boy.

Fortunately, the fox-eared girl stopped in front of him and asked happily, “What is your name?”

The little boy raised his head, looked at the fox-eared girl before him, and slowly answered,

“Xiao Mo.”

“Xiao Mo? That is such a nice name. Then can you play with me?” the fox-eared girl asked expectantly.

“O—”

Just as Xiao Mo was about to agree out of reflex, with even that first sound already rising to his throat, Steward Xiong hurried over, crouched down, and said directly, “Young Lady, these are humans. They are not qualified to play with you.”

“Grandpa Xiong, why?” the little fox-eared girl asked, blinking her eyes.

“Young Lady, what need is there for a reason?” Steward Xiong smiled. “You are a noble Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox, while they are nothing more than filthy humans. How could they possibly be worthy of serving you?”

“But...” The fox-eared little girl lowered her head. Her eyes blinked, and her expression looked full of expectation, as if she truly wanted a playmate her own age.

Steward Xiong shot a glance at the two maids attending to the little girl.

The two maids immediately understood. They crouched down in front of the little girl, took her little hands, and said softly, “Young Lady, it is getting late. Madam is waiting for you to go eat. If we are late, Madam will be angry.”

“Oh... all right...”

The little fox-eared girl drooped her tiny head, and even that big white tail sank to the ground in disappointment. Unhappy, she followed the two maids away.

“Cough, cough, cough.”

After the little girl’s ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) figure disappeared beyond the front courtyard, Steward Xiong cleared his throat and said to the servants beside him,

“These two little girls, take them away and teach them properly. After that, they will be responsible for emptying the maids’ chamber pots at night.”

“These two boys have sturdy bones. Let them start training in martial arts first. Later, make them courtyard guards.”

“As for this child...”

Steward Xiong looked toward Xiao Mo, stroked his chin, and considered him carefully for a while.

“This little fellow is rather neat and pretty. We cannot very well raise him only to sell him off later as some pretty boy, can we? Still, he looks fairly clever.”

“Steward Xiong, Master Niu in the back courtyard says he is short-handed and asked me to ask you whether you could spare him a few people to help him. The kitchen courtyard has not had any newcomers in quite a long time.”

“That will do.” Steward Xiong made his decision. “Then send this boy to the back kitchen.”

After assigning them all, Steward Xiong gave Xiao Mo and the others one final warning.

“I will tell you this once more. Being sent to our Tushan residence is the greatest blessing of your lives. Here, you will not be turned into dishes and placed on a dining table.”

“Here, you will not lack food or clothing.”

“You may even remain here safely and steadily until you die of old age. It is a thing others could never envy enough in their entire lives.”

“And the only thing you have to do is show absolute loyalty to Madam and Young Lady!”

“Everything you have was given to you by Madam and Young Lady. A single hair of theirs is worth more than your lives!”

“The kindness of the Tushan residence is a debt you could never repay in your whole lifetimes!”

“Did you hear that clearly?”

“We heard clearly...” everyone answered again.

“Why are your voices so soft? Louder!” Steward Xiong shouted.

“We heard clearly!” everyone shouted loudly again.

“Very good.” Steward Xiong nodded in satisfaction and said to those at his side, “Take them all away. Remember to teach them the rules.”

“Yes, Steward Xiong.”

Several attendants and maids each led one of the five children away.

Xiao Mo, meanwhile, followed a cat-demon maid toward the kitchen courtyard.

Not long afterward, Xiao Mo was brought before a very large courtyard.

With just one gust of wind, a thick and complicated aroma of cooked food and smoke drifted out from inside.

He stepped into the courtyard.

Inside was an enormous kitchen.

Stove after stove had been set out to the left, to the right, and in the middle.

Because noon was drawing near, every stove had a fire burning beneath it.

The temperature of the entire courtyard seemed to rise by several degrees.

Sheep demons, dog demons, pig demons, horse demons...

All kinds of demons were in the courtyard, and there were some humans as well.

As for the dishes these demons were cooking, some used the flesh of all kinds of demonic beasts and spirit beasts, while others used ingredients such as chicken, duck, cattle, pig, and sheep.

Xiao Mo saw a pig demon making twice-cooked pork and found the sight somewhat strange.

“Master Niu, I have brought you someone.”

The cat-demon woman called out sweetly toward the kitchen.

“Coming, coming.”

Before long, at the middle stove, a tall, sturdy man with a bull’s head and human body tossed the wok spatula in his hand to a sheep demon beside him.

The sheep demon hurriedly caught the spatula and continued stir-frying. Master Niu casually wiped his hands and walked over to the cat-demon woman.

“Greetings, Master Niu.” The cat-demon maid gave him a small curtsy. “When Steward Xiong heard that you were short-handed here, he told this servant to bring you one person.”

“Mm.”

Master Niu nodded and looked Xiao Mo over.

But very quickly, his brows drew together.

“For heaven’s sake, what is Xiong Da doing? What I asked for was a sturdy man.”

“Do you understand what sturdy means? It means a real man who can make your legs go weak and leave you unable to get up for days!”

“This human brat is only how old? How is he supposed to cook? It would make more sense to cook him into a dish!”

The cat-demon maid did not get angry. She only smiled and said, “Master Niu, please do not be upset. You know the rules of our Tushan residence. Servants and maids are all raised from childhood. Only that way can loyalty be ensured. Naturally, the ones purchased are all children.”

“This human child may be thin and weak, but from the look of his face, he seems fairly clever. Besides, being a little skinny does not matter. He can be fattened up in a few days.”

“If Master Niu does not like him, then the next time some servants are bought, you can be given another to choose from.”

“But it would be best not to cook him. Do not forget the rules of our Tushan residence. We do not eat humans.”

“Tch.” Master Niu smacked his lips. “All right, all right, I know. Damn it, Xiong Da’s wife must have thrown me a flirtatious look, and Xiong Da found out, so now he is making things difficult for me.”

“Forget it, forget it. Off with you. If this brat works himself to death, I will just switch him out for another.” Master Niu waved his hand.

“Many thanks for your understanding, Master Niu. Then please continue your work. This servant will take her leave.”

The cat-demon maid smiled slightly. After leaving Xiao Mo behind, she swayed her hips and walked out of the kitchen courtyard.

“Hey! Boy! Stop staring. At your age, and you keep looking at her backside without a shred of shame. Besides, that cat demon’s backside is not even that big. It is nowhere near as good as my wife’s big hips!”

Master Niu shouted at Xiao Mo.

“...”

Xiao Mo felt very wronged. He had only glanced back casually. There had been no such intention at all.

“All right, boy. Starting today, you belong to me. Come with me!”

Master Niu turned and walked back toward the stoves.

“I will tell you the rules of this Tushan residence!”