Chapter 563 461: Let's Not Tell the Madam for Now

In another month, after the Young Miss celebrates her sixth birthday, she'll be able to attend a private school.

And that little Human Race boy will naturally be forgotten.

...

「The next morning.」

Tushan Jing Ci woke up early. After washing up, she ran to the kitchen courtyard, full of energy.

"Greetings, Young Miss."

"You're up early, Young Miss."

"Would you like some pastries, Young Miss?"

The old men in the kitchen courtyard weren't surprised to see the Young Miss. They all greeted her with wide smiles.

After all, the Young Miss loved running around and would sometimes pop into the kitchen courtyard to have a look.

All they had to do was be careful not to bump into her.

However, they noticed she was staying in the kitchen courtyard for quite a long time today, and she seemed to be looking for something.

Tushan Jing Ci wandered around and around the kitchen courtyard.

Finally, the little girl found Xiao Mo, who was stoking the fire and adding wood.

Xiao Mo was continuously feeding firewood from his side into the stove, occasionally prodding the flames and shoveling out the charcoal and ash from below.

When she found Xiao Mo, Tushan Jing Ci's eyes lit up, and she wanted to greet him.

But Tushan Jing Ci was also worried about exposing her relationship with Xiao Mo, so she held back.

While everyone else was busy, Tushan Jing Ci pretended to wander about casually, walking toward Xiao Mo with her little tail swaying.

When Xiao Mo noticed Tushan Jing Ci, she was already standing beside him, her foxy eyes crinkling into a smile as she looked at him.

"Greetings, Young Miss." Xiao Mo gave a simple bow.

"Mhm." Tushan Jing Ci nodded happily.

Just as Tushan Jing Ci was about to say a few more words to him, Xiao Mo pretended not to know her and went back to busying himself with the stove.

Seeing Xiao Mo ignore her, Tushan Jing Ci pouted, a hint of unhappiness on her face.

But when she turned her head, Tushan Jing Ci saw Sister Yue Shi watching her and understood why.

"Young Miss, they're cooking in the kitchen courtyard. The smoke and grease are heavy, so let's go somewhere else for now."

A moment later, Yue Shi walked over and spoke to Tushan Jing Ci.

"Oh..."

Tushan Jing Ci lowered her little head.

She didn't actually want to go anywhere else; she just wanted to stay with Xiao Mo a little longer.

But she also knew she couldn't stay in the kitchen courtyard, or she would expose her friendship with Xiao Mo and cause him a lot of trouble.

So, Tushan Jing Ci didn't insist on staying and obediently followed Sister Yue Shi away.

After returning to her small courtyard, Tushan Jing Ci sat on a stone stool, her chin propped in her hands. She stared blankly at the sky, her little tail swaying back and forth as she looked forward to the evening.

This was the first time in Tushan Jing Ci's life that she had ever so eagerly awaited nightfall.

'Because tonight, I can go find Xiao Mo to play again!'

She waited and waited, and waited and waited.

For the first time, Tushan Jing Ci felt that a day could be so long.

Finally, the sky grew dark.

After dinner, Tushan Jing Ci had a bath with the help of her maids, then obediently climbed into bed, pulled the covers over herself, and pretended to go to sleep.

The other two maids were stunned to see her like this. They felt the Young Miss was being so well-behaved that she hardly seemed like herself anymore.

Yue Shi, who knew the reason, said nothing, simply telling the other two maids to go about their business.

Once again, after the Hour of the Pig had passed, Tushan Jing Ci arrived at the woodshed's wooden door and knocked with her small hand.

Xiao Mo opened the door to see Tushan Jing Ci standing there prettily. "Xiao Mo, I came to play!" she said happily.

Xiao Mo didn't say much, just let Tushan Jing Ci into the woodshed and played chess with her.

For Xiao Mo, this was one of the few moments of leisure in his day.

Without them realizing it, half a month went by.

Tushan Jing Ci went to play with Xiao Mo every day.

At first, Yue Shi had regarded the little Human Race boy with a degree of disdain and was always extremely wary of him.

If the Human Race boy even looked like he might touch her Young Miss, Yue Shi would appear instantly to stop him.

But Yue Shi discovered that this little Human Race boy was truly different.

When he faced her Young Miss, he showed none of the fear or fawning sycophancy of the other servants.

He would even put some distance between them whenever the Young Miss got too close.

Moreover, the Human Race boy seemed to have a lot of tricks up his sleeve.

He not only came up with tic-tac-toe, but also Gomoku, and then something called hopscotch...

Watching the two of them play, Yue Shi would even find herself smiling like a doting aunt.

It was as if she felt that the innocent friendship between children should be just like this, regardless of status or race.

But soon, Yue Shi cast that unacceptable thought from her mind.

'The Human Race is just the Human Race, but the Young Miss has the noble blood of a Nine-tailed Celestial Fox!'

'The two of them will always be different—master and servant!'

'This boy is nothing more than a temporary tool for the Young Miss to relieve her boredom!'

Several more days passed.

Tushan Jing Ci's sixth birthday was fast approaching.

The entire Tushan Mansion gradually grew busy.

High-hanging red lanterns and colorful ribbons were put up around the mansion, and hundreds of invitations were sent out.

The people of Xianhu City were also full of anticipation for the birthday of the Tushan Mansion's eldest young miss.

After all, the birthday of the only daughter of Xianhu City's number one family was sure to be a grand affair.

Not to mention, the eldest young miss of Tushan Mansion was the granddaughter of that old man.

It was rumored that on the day of her birthday, that old man himself would come to celebrate with his granddaughter.

And if that old man was coming, how could the Sovereign of the Celestial Demon Country not show him face?

Word was that the Sovereign of the Celestial Demon Country had already set out in his carriage and was on his way to Xianhu City.

This just went to show how lively the Tushan Mansion's eldest young miss's birthday was going to be.

The servants of Tushan Mansion felt a sense of shared glory and worked even more diligently than usual, eagerly looking forward to seeing the legendary great figures.

But Xiao Mo had little interest in those great figures.

Every evening, whenever he had a spare moment, Xiao Mo would be by himself, whittling something.

'Since she considers me a friend, I have to give her a gift for her birthday.'

'Of course, I have no idea if she'll even like the gift I'm making.'

...

「The night before Tushan Jing Ci's birthday.」

As usual, Tushan Jing Ci went to the kitchen courtyard to find Xiao Mo and play.

Xiao Mo suggested they go fishing by the lake, and Tushan Jing Ci naturally agreed.

Before long, the two of them arrived at the shore of the mansion's lake.

Xiao Mo made a small fishing rod for Tushan Jing Ci out of a tree branch.

They sat by the lake, baited their hooks with an earthworm, and waited for a fish to bite.

Tushan Jing Ci had no idea if they could actually catch a fish this way.

But she felt that as long as she was playing with Xiao Mo, anything they did was fun.

Besides, Xiao Mo had told her that if she caught a fish tonight, he would give her a present!

For the sake of the present, the little fox-eared girl's eyes were fixed on the water's surface, and even the tail behind her seemed to have tensed up.

"But why aren't the fish biting?"

Half an hour passed. Tushan Jing Ci puffed out her cheeks, feeling a little discouraged.

'If this keeps up, am I going to lose my present...?'

'Fishy, fishy, please take the bait.'

Meanwhile, not far away, Yue Shi lowered her gaze as she watched the backs of her Young Miss and the little Human Race boy.

In Yue Shi's eyes, tonight was the last time the Young Miss would see this little boy.

In the future, the Young Miss would be able to leave the mansion and would have many friends from the Demon Race. But he, a member of the Human Race, was no longer qualified to accompany her.

But just as Yue Shi was watching the two children's every move, her focus suddenly sharpened.

"Young Miss, look out!"

Yue Shi shouted as her figure shot forward.

A flash of sword light split the night sky, stabbing straight toward Tushan Jing Ci's back.