We Agreed On Experiencing Life, So Why Did You Immortals Become Real?

“What are you all standing there for? Get moving!”

Standing at the entrance of the Mount Tu residence, the dog demon barked at Xiao Mo and the others.

Xiao Mo had no choice but to follow, walking up the steps toward the Mount Tu residence.

“If I may trouble the two brothers to announce my arrival, Gou Yazi is here to pay a visit to Steward Xiong, bringing a fresh batch of goods. Please ask Steward Xiong to come and take a look.”

The dog demon said with a grinning smile, digging into his sleeve with his dog-paw and producing a calling card, then pulling out two small pieces of silver and pressing them into the claws of the two dog demons guarding the gate.

“Aiyah, Old Brother Gou and we are all of the same kind. There is no need to be so courteous.” The two gate-guarding dog demons immediately broke into wide smiles. “Please wait just a moment, Old Brother Gou. I will go and announce your arrival right away.”

“Many thanks, many thanks.”

Old Brother Gou expressed his gratitude at once.

Before long, one of the dog demons came running back out and said Old Brother Gou was welcome to come in.

Old Brother Gou led Xiao Mo and the four other human children into the courtyard.

Xiao Mo looked from side to side at the large courtyard.

Various spirit flowers and spirit grasses grew throughout the grounds, and as a gentle breeze passed through, a faint, delicate fragrance drifted through the air.

What appeared to be a pebble footpath was in fact made of spirit-gathering stones laid one by one.

As the name suggested, spirit-gathering stones had the effect of concentrating spiritual energy, and were generally used as materials for setting up formations.

Moreover, these spirit-gathering stones were of exceptional quality, each one worth a considerable sum.

Beyond that, nestled among carefully and exquisitely trimmed flower beds and plant arrangements were a number of decorative rock formations.

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

Others were carved from large blocks of high-grade spirit stones, shaped by a master craftsman into remarkably lifelike designs.

One by one, cat demon maids dressed in human court service robes moved through the courtyard carrying fruit platters, tea trays, and wicker baskets.

These demon folk were quite different from the pig demons and dog demons Xiao Mo had encountered before.

Their transformations into human form were highly refined, with almost no visible difference from humans.

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

These cat demons were no different from the aesthetic ideal of cat-girls in human imagination.

Not only were they beautiful in appearance, but those animal ears and tails lent them an entirely different kind of appeal.

Before long, Xiao Mo and the others were brought into an inner courtyard.

The Mount Tu residence’s steward was already waiting there.

“Oh my, Steward Xiong! This one deserves to die for making you wait so long! My apologies, my sincerest apologies!”

The dog demon hurried forward, dog-paws clasping the bear-paw of the Mount Tu residence’s steward.

“All right, all right. We all know each other well by now. No need to fawn in front of me. Have the servants we at Mount Tu requested this time been properly selected?” Steward Xiong shook off the dog demon’s paw, maintaining a balance between cordiality and a certain measured distance.

“Selected, selected, they have absolutely been selected!” The dog demon nodded eagerly and led Steward Xiong over to stand before Xiao Mo and the others.

“These little human whelps were personally sought out by me from across the whole of Immortal Fox City, carefully selected through layer after layer of picking, and only then were these final ones chosen. Each and every one of them is in perfect health, and their backgrounds are clean and free of entanglements. You can rest completely assured!”

“Mm.” Steward Xiong looked the children over, then gave a nod. “The smell seems decent enough. And I trust your work. These five human whelps, I will take all of them. Go find the accounts room and settle up.”

“Yes, yes, of course.” The dog demon nodded rapidly and followed a maidservant toward the accounts room to complete the transaction.

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 Mount Tu residence. Others respect me with the title Steward Xiong, but you may simply call me Steward Xiong.”

“Starting today, you are the servants of our Mount Tu residence. Our residence will provide all your food, drink, and lodging, and will also give you a monthly allowance.”

“Let me tell you, in this entire Immortal Fox City, the fact that you have not been put on a table as a dish is already more than most can say. Finding a place as good as this is another matter entirely.”

“You must know to be grateful. You must devote your entire lives to serving the Madam and the Young Miss of Mount Tu with all your heart. Absolutely no divided loyalties! Is that understood?”

Xiao Mo and the other children nodded shakily and said in small, fearful voices, “We understand…”

“Very good. Shortly someone will take you to the storeroom to collect your clothing. You are…”

“Grandpa Xiong!”

Just as Steward Xiong was in the middle of his instructions, a little girl’s bright, clear voice rang out from not far away.

The little girl’s voice was lovely, like clear spring water tumbling merrily down a mountain, like the sweet warbling of a yellow oriole on a spring day, like the crisp, bright sound of a wind chime stirred by the breeze beneath the eaves.

Xiao Mo looked up and saw a little girl of no more than five or six years old come running toward them.

She was wearing a small pomegranate-red long dress, its hem embroidered with a sparse, trailing pattern of vine flowers. The fabric was a kind of soft, sheer silk, light and airy, so that as she ran, she looked like a little red cloud drifting through the air.

The dress reached just to her ankles, revealing a pair of small satin embroidered shoes, no bigger than an adult’s palm.

Looking more closely, the little girl’s face was like a small pink dumpling, her cheeks round and full with infant fat, like a peach blossom after spring rain, heavy with dew drops, looking as though one touch would release a drop of water.

At the center of her brow sat a natural cinnabar mole, which made her skin look all the more snow-white by contrast. Her eyes were round and bright, the outer corners tilted ever so slightly upward in a natural fox-eye shape, her pupils so dark they shimmered like black mercury, full of a child’s innocence and a hint of clever light as they shifted and glanced around.

Atop her head stood two soft, fluffy ears, pointed at the tips and covered in snow-white downy fur, the tips trembling faintly from time to time, as though catching the faintest sounds in the wind.

Behind her trailed a full, fluffy white tail, longer than she was tall.

With each step she took, the tail swayed behind her happily and lightly, like a flowing drift of snow, or a spray of white cattail reeds brushing lightly across the ground.

“Young Miss, slow down, please do not fall.”

The maidservants saw their young miss running ahead and hurried anxiously after her, afraid she might trip or bump into something.

“This old servant pays his respects to the Young Miss.”

Steward Xiong saw the little girl coming and broke into a warm smile, bowing respectfully to her.

“Grandpa Xiong, who are they?”

The little girl chewed on her finger and looked with curious eyes at the human children before her, all roughly the same height as herself.

“In reply to the Young Miss, these are servants of our Mount Tu residence.”

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

“Well, that is…”

Steward Xiong scratched his head, trying to think of how to explain that human folk were not quite fit to keep the Young Miss company but just at that moment, the fox-eared girl noticed, among the group before her, the best-looking small boy.

The fox-eared girl toddled over on her short little legs.

The maidservant was startled and rushed over quickly, afraid the Young Miss would touch the little boy.

Fortunately, the fox-eared girl stopped right in front of the small boy and asked cheerfully, “What is your name?”

The small boy raised his head, looked at the fox-eared girl before him, and said slowly, “Xiao Mo.”

“Xiao Mo, what a nice name. Will you come and play with me?” The fox-eared girl asked with eager anticipation.

“Sure…”

Just as Xiao Mo instinctively started to agree, the word “sure” already at the tip of his throat, Steward Xiong quickly stepped forward, crouched down, and said directly, “Young Miss, these are human folk. They are not qualified to keep the Young Miss company.”

“But why, Grandpa Xiong?” The fox-eared little girl blinked, asking with genuine curiosity.

“Young Miss, there is no particular why.” Steward Xiong smiled. “You are a noble Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox, and these are nothing more than lowly human folk. How could they be fit to serve you?”

“But…” The fox-eared little girl lowered her small head, eyes blinking slowly, her expression full of longing. She clearly very much wanted to find a playmate of the same age.

Steward Xiong glanced meaningfully at the two maidservants who attended and cared for the little girl.

The two maidservants immediately understood, crouched down before the little girl, took her small hands in theirs, and said softly, “Young Miss, the hour is not early. Madam is waiting for you to come and eat. If we are late, Madam will be displeased.”

“Oh… all right then.” The fox-eared little girl lowered her small head, and even that great fluffy white tail drooped downward in visible disappointment as she followed the two maidservants away.

“Ahem, ahem, ahem.”

Once the little girl’s figure had disappeared from the front courtyard, Steward Xiong cleared his throat and said to the servants nearby,

“These two little girls, take them away and give them a proper education. After that, they will be responsible for emptying the night soil buckets of the residence’s maidservants.”

“These two boys have fairly sturdy bones. Have them start training in martial arts, and later they can serve as guards.”

“As for this child…”

Steward Xiong looked at Xiao Mo, rubbed his chin, and thought it over carefully for a moment.

“This little fellow has a rather fine-looking face. Surely one cannot actually plan on raising him to sell him off to a pleasure house when he is older. Though he does seem somewhat clever?”

“Steward Xiong, Master Niu of the rear courtyard said he is short-handed and asked me to inquire whether you might assign him a few helpers. Their kitchen courtyard has not taken in anyone new for quite some time.”

“That works.” Steward Xiong decided. “Then send this boy to the back kitchen.”

After making the assignments, Steward Xiong addressed Xiao Mo and the others one final time.

“I will say this to you one last time. Being brought to our Mount Tu residence is the greatest fortune of your lives. Here, you will not be turned into dishes and put on the table.”

“Here, you will never go without food or clothing.”

“In fact, you may stay here in peace and security until you are old and gray. That is something others will envy for a lifetime and never attain.”

“And the one thing you must do in return is pledge your absolute loyalty to the Madam and the Young Miss.”

“Everything you have comes from the Madam and the Young Miss. A single strand of their hair outweighs your entire life.”

“This debt of kindness from Mount Tu residence, you could never repay in an entire lifetime!”

“Is that understood?”

“Understood…” everyone answered.

“Speaking so quietly? Louder!” Steward Xiong called out.

“Understood!” Everyone answered loudly in unison.

“Very good.” Steward Xiong gave a satisfied nod and said to those nearby, “Take them all away. Make sure to teach them the rules.”

“Yes, Steward Xiong.”

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

Xiao Mo followed a cat demon maidservant toward the kitchen courtyard.

Before long, Xiao Mo was brought to the entrance of a large courtyard.

A gust of wind passed through, carrying with it a rich and complex mingling of food aromas and the warm smell of cooking smoke from within.

Walking into the courtyard, inside was a massive kitchen.

Stove after stove was arranged to the left, to the right, and in the center.

Since it was approaching noon, every stove had a fire going.

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

Goat demons, dog demons, pig demons, horse demons…

There were all manner of demons in the courtyard, along with a number of human folk as well.

The ingredients in the dishes these demons were cooking included the flesh of various magical and spirit beasts, as well as the ordinary fare of chickens, ducks, cattle, pigs, and sheep.

Xiao Mo watched a pig demon making braised pork, and found the sight deeply at odds with what he expected.

“Master Niu, I have brought someone for you.” The cat demon woman called out toward the kitchen in a pleasant voice.

“Coming, coming.”

Shortly after, a tall, broad-shouldered man with the head of a bull and the body of a man tossed the ladle in his hand to a goat demon standing nearby.

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

“This servant pays her respects to Master Niu.” The cat demon maidservant gave a bow. “Steward Xiong heard that Master Niu was short of help here and asked this servant to bring one over.”

“Mm.”

Master Niu gave a nod and looked Xiao Mo over but shortly after, Master Niu’s brow furrowed.

“What the bloody hell is Xiong Da playing at? What I asked for was a strapping fellow.”

“You know what a strapping fellow means? I mean a big man who could make your legs go weak for days!”

“How old is this little human brat? How is he supposed to cook anything? If anything, he would be more suited to being cooked as an ingredient himself!”

The cat demon maidservant did not take offense and simply smiled. “Master Niu, please do not be in a hurry to be upset. As you are aware, our Mount Tu residence’s policy is to raise servants and maids from childhood, so as to ensure their loyalty. Naturally, anyone purchased will be a young child.”

“This human child may be thin and slight, but judging by his face, he seems fairly sharp-witted. And being a little thin is no problem. A few days of proper feeding will sort that out.”

“If Master Niu is not satisfied with him, the next time servants are purchased, one will be set aside especially for you.”

“Though putting him in a pot as an ingredient would be best avoided. Our Mount Tu residence has a rule against eating people. Please do not forget.”

“Tch.” Master Niu clicked his tongue and grumbled, “Fine, fine. Probably that old Xiong Da’s wife made eyes at me again, Xiong Da caught wind of it and is making things difficult for me on purpose.”

“Whatever, whatever. You go on. If this little runt drops dead from exhaustion, I will just find another one.” Master Niu waved her off.

“Many thanks for Master Niu’s understanding. Then please carry on. I will take my leave.” The cat demon maidservant smiled faintly, left Xiao Mo behind, and swayed out of the kitchen courtyard.

“Oi! Boy! Stop staring. At your age, sitting there gawking at someone’s backside, have you no shame? Besides, that cat demon’s backside isn’t even that big. Nowhere near as large as my own wife’s, I can tell you!”

Master Niu called out to Xiao Mo.

Xiao Mo felt this was entirely unjust. He had merely glanced back casually with no particular intent at all.

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

Master Niu turned and walked back toward the stoves.

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