Chapter 31

Hu Yuanfei ultimately did not take that bite.

Qingyao simply stepped forward, gently wrapped her arms around his neck, and cooed twice, instantly dissolving all his murderous intent.

Lang Xiao sighed from the side. They were finding it increasingly difficult to remain heartless toward this human cub, though they weren't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Seeing them calm down, the Li Bai cat felt its racing heart ease slightly. It opened its mouth to explain, "We did not use demonic arts to bewitch her."

It recounted the encounter with Qingyao in detail.

"I found her sitting at the stairwell entrance crying. She was thinly dressed, her hands, feet, and face frozen red, and she nearly tumbled down the steps. She would have frozen to death if she had stayed there, so I brought her back to our nest. I originally intended to take her to the police station, but I was afraid to go near it. I wanted to wait until daybreak to see if I could find a human she knew to take her, but you arrived first."

The last part was a slight lie; Li Bai had never truly intended to take Qingyao to the police station, though its fear of the station was genuine.

Although the two demons knew Qingyao had run out of the house and had lingered in the stairwell for a moment, they hadn't realized the situation was as dire as the cat described. Thinking of the cub cold and terrified, they were overcome with self-reproach and sorrow. They touched the cub's hands and feet, which were indeed warm, and her cheeks were rosy; it was clear she had been well cared for.

The cat had not lied.

Li Bai continued, "She fell asleep quickly after she returned. We did nothing but bring her back. If you don't believe me, you may check."

Its demeanor was candid, and Lang Xiao quickly pulled Hu Yuanfei aside to apologize.

"We are sorry; we were too impulsive and misjudged you."

Hu Yuanfei had never apologized to a lesser demon, but for the sake of the fact that they had saved Qingyao, he was willing to lower his head.

Their attitude exceeded Li Bai's expectations; these two great demons were more unconventional than it had imagined. It widened its eyes, watching for a moment before whispering, "It's fine. That is what a cat should do."

Qingyao, still clutching the fox's neck, yawned. Her sleep had been interrupted several times throughout the night, and she was truly exhausted. Yet, she insisted on crawling back to the cat and dog. She rested her head on the dog's paw and propped her legs over the cat's belly, appearing ready to drift off again on this warm, makeshift bed. It was clear she was very fond of the two.

Lang Xiao sighed. What could they do? Since the cub liked them, they had no choice but to indulge her.

"Do you want to come with us?" Lang Xiao asked finally.

Li Bai felt nervous yet thrilled. Following two great demons meant an uncertain future, but it would surely be better than their current life. Years of wandering in the city had taught it the importance of strength, and these two great demons would undoubtedly serve as powerful protectors. Despite a difficult youth, Li Bai secretly craved a stable home. However, after attaining sentience, it knew it was best to avoid entanglement with humans, as it would cause trouble for both them and itself. Thus, it had spent years wandering from city to city.

Now that the opportunity was before it, Li Bai tightened its tail and nodded cautiously. "Yes. But will I still be able to come out and check on these cats?"

They weren't taking them as slaves, so Lang Xiao replied nonchalantly, "Of course. Do as you please."

Li Bai's eyes brightened. "Thank you, Boss."

They hadn't even entered the house yet, and it was already calling them "Boss."

The yellow dog also perked up its ears alertly and immediately followed suit, barking a thank-you to the boss. The sound nearly woke the drowsy Qingyao, so Lang Xiao picked her up and headed outside.

Leaving the house, the cold night wind struck again, but Lang Xiao was prepared and had already cast a barrier around her, ensuring she remained in a steady, warm environment. She looked back at the two small demons and said, "Follow."

With that, she leaped and vanished.

Li Bai and the yellow dog knew this was a test. If their strength was too lacking, they might be left behind. The two exchanged a glance, closed the door, and quickly exited the apartment complex. Fortunately, Li Bai knew where Qingyao lived, so even without seeing the two great demons, it could navigate toward the target.

Having wandered the city for so long, the cat and dog were intimately familiar with every shortcut and hidden path. By the time Lang Xiao appeared outside the building, the two small demons had already arrived ahead of them, their speed not lagging in the slightest.

She said in surprise, "Not bad."

Having received praise, the sitting Li Bai and the yellow dog immediately held their heads high, suppressing their excitement with a reserved smile. Lang Xiao felt that having two more small demons might not be such a bad thing.

"Come up together."

And so, the three people, one cat, and one dog entered the elevator.

When Qingyao had left, the door hadn't been fully latched and was still left ajar. Fortunately, the neighbors were asleep, and no one had entered. Lang Xiao changed Qingyao's clothes, washed her hands, feet, and face, and tucked her into bed.

Once inside, the cat and dog sat cautiously by the door, not daring to move forward. They scanned the room; it was not large but was decorated in a clean and cozy manner, filled with items for a child.

Back in his own territory, Hu Yuanfei saw the two stray demons huddled together for warmth and felt a strange sense of pride. As expected, they were the superior ones. Not long after coming down from the mountain, they already had their own home and earned enough money to live worry-free. These two could only live in dark, cold basements, eating leftovers discarded by humans and cat food of questionable age. That basement likely smelled of mold and saw neither sun nor moonlight, making cultivation difficult.

With this contrast, Hu Yuanfei looked at the two small demons with a hint of sympathy. Since they were so pathetic, and they had saved Qingyao, it wouldn't be bad to train them as his subordinates in the future.

This cat looked like it was good at catching mice. Their business was growing, and the two of them couldn't keep up with everything. In the future, they could leave the mouse-catching business to these two and focus on the bigger jobs.

After calculating this in his mind, the smile on Hu Yuanfei's face gradually widened. He remembered something and asked the sitting pair, "Can you shapeshift?"

The cat and dog shook their heads in unison. "No," they replied together.

Just as he thought.

Not being able to shapeshift meant... it meant they had no ID cards, no household registration, and no bank cards; any money they earned from working would have to be handed over to him.

What excellent laborers!

Hu Yuanfei suddenly adopted the wicked face of a capitalist, offering a friendly, welcoming smile to the two small demons.

"Don't just stand by the door. Come over. From now on, this is your home too. We are all family; don't be so polite."

He ushered them inside.

Lang Xiao had just settled the cub and, upon coming out, saw Hu Yuanfei looking as though he had just stolen a chicken. She couldn't help but feel he was brewing some mischief.

The cat and dog walked forward with hesitant, cautious steps, eventually stopping by the sofa. They sat down, not daring to lie down, their eyes fixed on Hu Yuanfei, waiting for his next command.

The living room of this home only had one small sofa, which had been pushed into the corner. Because the two demons preferred to lie on the balcony, and Qingyao liked to crawl around the living room—the spacious area was her playground, and now that she could stand, she liked to move about while holding onto the walls—the entire room was quite empty, with nothing on the floor but toys and cushions.

Hu Yuanfei had no further instructions. He told them to find a place to sleep, adding that they could go to the bedroom if they wished, as there was an empty side room.

The two small demons naturally didn't dare. Li Bai slowly lay down, curled itself into a ball, and whispered to Hu Yuanfei, "We are fine here; it is very warm. Thank you for taking us in."

Satisfied with just this? Hu Yuanfei couldn't help but shake his head; such unaspiring little demons. Lang Xiao, unable to watch, brought over Qingyao's cushion for them.

"Sleep on this for now. We will buy you your own bedding tomorrow."

To actually receive a cushion made both small demons very grateful.

The yellow dog was more vigilant than Li Bai. After surveying the room, it lay down beside the cat. Its body, significantly larger than the cat's, almost wrapped around it, appearing like the cat's guardian.

Lang Xiao looked at them for a moment. It was rare for two different species to get along so well; it looked a bit like the state of her and Hu Yuanfei.

Perhaps to give the two small demons time to adjust, or perhaps out of worry for Qingyao, the two great demons did not go to the balcony to practice cultivation that night. Instead, they hopped onto the bed, one on each side of Qingyao.

The five-foot bed couldn't accommodate two large animals, so they transformed into human form to lie down.

Sleeping like this made Hu Yuanfei very uncomfortable. He tossed and turned, his tail and ears popping out.

Lang Xiao stayed very still, pressed against Qingyao, her fingers occasionally brushing the cub's forehead. Having been frozen for so long in such cold weather, she was worried the cub would get sick; she had felt the child was a bit warm when they brought her back.

Sure enough, as dawn approached, Qingyao's fever spiked. Her face was flushed, her forehead was sweating, and her breathing became rapid.

Despite having dealt with the cub's illness once before, Lang Xiao still felt somewhat helpless. She instinctively channeled her demonic energy into Qingyao, but it had no effect.

Lang Xiao kicked the sprawled-out Hu Yuanfei awake, wrapped Qingyao in a thick blanket, and picked up the cub, intending to leave.

Hu Yuanfei rolled off the bed and onto the floor, waking up instantly. He asked groggily, "Why did you kick me?"

"Qingyao has a fever. We need to go to the hospital."

"Ah? The cub is sick again?" Hu Yuanfei woke up in a second. "Go, let's go to the hospital immediately."

The two hurried out with the child, waking the cat and dog in the living room.

Li Bai stood up to follow and help, but before it could even reach the door, it was slammed shut by the two great demons rushing out. They had completely forgotten that they had two new small demons in the house.

Li Bai had to stop.

After a moment, confirming that the two great demons had gone far away, the tension in Li Bai's body suddenly relaxed.

The room had heating and was warm all night long. It could stretch its claws freely without feeling the cold, and it wouldn't be driven away.

Although the presence of the great demons still felt somewhat oppressive, it excitedly circled the empty room, checking every corner and even batting at Qingyao's toys.

"It's wonderful," it said, looking at the yellow dog following behind. "We seem to have a home. It's very nice here. I won the gamble."

The yellow dog was not as optimistic. It frowned, its gentle eyes filled with worry. "Perhaps they are keeping us as emergency food. Perhaps they will eat us tomorrow. We must be ready to run at any time. I just checked; the window in the side room has no iron screen. It can be opened; we can escape from there."