Chapter 33

In the end, Lang Xiao bought some canned food and cat sticks—twelve cans of wet food and twelve of treats.

As for why the number was twelve: five for the cat, five for the dog, and the remaining two were for her and Hu Yuanfei to taste. After all, humans aren't cats or dogs; how could they know what tastes good? Perhaps the flavor wasn't even that great.

Regarding the cat sticks, whether the clerk thought the cat and dog were too cute or simply wanted to make a sale, she viciously opened one and held it near Li Bai’s mouth.

"Our cat sticks have a meat content of up to eighty percent. We have a wide variety of flavors, and they are enriched with fish oil and probiotics, which are excellent for fur and gut health. You can try feeding it to your cat."

As she spoke, the clerk handed the opened cat stick to Lang Xiao. Lang Xiao took it, her nose twitched slightly, and her mouth began to water uncontrollably.

What was happening? It was just a smear of mush. She had always preferred eating meat in big chunks; she didn't like mushy things. She wasn't a cub!

But... but it did look quite delicious.

She stared at the meat paste being squeezed out, her hand rising higher and higher.

Then, she took a lick.

Delicious.

A scream pierced the air—it was the startled clerk.

She hurriedly stepped forward, looking alarmed. "That’s for pets, you, you..."

Lang Xiao finally realized what she had done. How terrifying—a single cat stick had actually bewitched her. Humans truly had a perfect grasp of an animal’s palate; it was frightening!

The clerk’s intentions were also terrifying; to get her to buy more, she had actually opened one for her!

Her thoughts raced, but her expression remained indifferent, as if she hadn't been the one licking the cat stick just a moment ago.

She bent down and placed the cat stick in front of Li Bai. The cat hugged it and began licking it rapidly, cleverly squeezing the bag itself so as not to waste a single drop of the meat paste.

The yellow dog smelled the scent and crowded over, watching Li Bai with longing eyes. When Li Bai finished, it looked up at the dog, turned its head away, and left the last two bites for it.

The clerk wanted to tell them not to put it on the floor, as it would get dirty, but the two animals licked the ground clean, so she kept her mouth shut—especially since Lang Xiao had decided to buy a whole case.

A case. A case contained two hundred cat sticks, and the price wasn't cheap, yet she bought a whole one!

A wide smile immediately appeared on the clerk's face. "Alright! I'll go get it for you. Our cases are mixed packs, with four large bags, each a different flavor."

Lang Xiao nodded and continued browsing other items.

The clerk followed her gaze and began promoting pet brushes and toys.

Lang Xiao looked at the brush. She had never brushed her fur, and after achieving enlightenment, no companion had ever groomed her. Apart from Qing Yao, no other human dared to touch her head.

She didn't need a brush.

Her gaze drifted, then quickly returned. She snatched up two brushes and placed them with the cat sticks.

She didn't need one, but the cat and dog did.

She didn't need toys either, but the cat and dog certainly would, and Qing Yao could play with them too.

Thus, a frisbee, chew balls, cat wands, fish-shaped toys, and more all ended up in her arms, plus two dog leashes—which all demons disliked but were a necessary evil.

Finally, the cat and dog chose their own beds. By the time they left the pet shop, the two of them were weighed down by two large bags and a box.

The expense was even higher than Hu Yuanfei’s own shopping trip.

***

Hu Yuanfei sighed, "I didn't expect you to like cats and dogs so much."

He cursed himself for being a fox!

Lang Xiao swept a blank look over him.

"Go call a taxi."

With so much stuff and a child to hold, they couldn't get back without a cab.

Hu Yuanfei raised an eyebrow at her. "Who said we can't fit it? I have a way."

As he spoke, he unzipped his jacket and tucked Qing Yao against his chest, leaving only her head exposed. He carried two bags in one hand and hoisted the box with the other.

"Sorted!"

Lang Xiao shook her head, feeling both helpless and amused.

With their own beds, the cat and dog finally integrated into their new home. Soon, neighbors would often see the cat and dog following Qing Yao whenever she went out.

Time always passes quickly when you have company, and in the blink of an eye, the New Year arrived.

This was the first New Year the two demons had spent in the human world since descending the mountain, and it was also the first New Year for Qing Yao since she was born.

The family of five was full of anticipation and began frantic shopping for the holidays a week in advance.

Couplets, red lanterns, and Chinese knots—even the carpets were replaced with red ones. The house was decorated in a festive, vibrant glow.

Not only that, the family bought new clothes. Qing Yao donned a full set of red traditional New Year attire, and her slightly longer hair was tied into two little buns, adorned with rabbit-shaped tassels. She looked adorable from every angle.

The cat and dog also received two new outfits and little capes.

Lang Xiao and Hu Yuanfei didn't usually buy clothes; what they wore were manifestations of their own fur. This time, however, they made a rare exception and bought two new sets.

Seeing the family of five dressed in fresh attire, Lang Xiao felt the festive atmosphere of the New Year.

In truth, when she was still on the mountain, she had been curious about the human New Year. Every year at this time, it was incredibly lively, and everyone was full of joy.

One year, she had snuck down the mountain and mingled with the crowd. The streets were filled with pairs—husbands with wives, parents with children. Even those who walked the streets alone had a lover waiting for them at home.

Lang Xiao, who had never felt lonely, felt a touch of desolation for the first time. She was merely an outsider in this world, with no one to welcome her and no one to walk alongside. Her world was always quiet; apart from the sound of wind, trees, and the occasional insect or bird, there was nothing.

But what did that matter? Instead, she felt the human world was a bit too noisy. Humans spoke too loudly and laughed too loudly; it disturbed her cultivation.

That night, Lang Xiao didn't wait for the New Year countdown and returned to the mountain early, taking nothing with her.

For many New Years after that, she never went down the mountain again, until the turmoil of war broke out and humans came into the mountains, disturbing her cultivation. She went to take another look and found that nothing had changed; people were still the same, and the noise was just as loud.

But at this very moment, standing on a familiar street, holding the hand of a cub curious about everything, with a fox chattering and yelling incessantly by her side, Lang Xiao suddenly felt that the human New Year was actually quite interesting. The lanterns were beautiful, and the food stalls were tempting.

Hu Yuanfei couldn't stop walking once he saw the stalls. His eyes kept darting toward them, his nose twitched frantically, and saliva began to pool at the corners of his mouth.

"Do you guys want to eat grilled meat? I'll go buy a few skewers. Yao-yao, shall I buy you a sugar figure? It's sweet!"

Hu Yuanfei lifted Qing Yao high into his arms, letting her see the sugar painting stall surrounded by children.

"Eat."

Perhaps from being with Hu Yuanfei for so long, Qing Yao had also become a little foodie, wanting to take a bite of everything she saw.

Lang Xiao shook her head helplessly—a pair of foodies. But it was a great day, and she was in a good mood, so she said, "Eat whatever you want today. My treat."

***

Hu Yuanfei turned his head in disbelief, wanting to know if he had misheard.

"Keep staring and I'll take it back," Lang Xiao said coolly after meeting his eyes for a moment.

Hu Yuanfei cheered and charged into the snack stalls with Qing Yao on his shoulders.

Lang Xiao followed slowly behind. Li Bai and the yellow dog, dressed in their new clothes, followed obediently at her side, their leashes loosely attached. They hated the restriction, but who told them they couldn't transform yet?

There were too many people, and the two were too low to the ground; they could only see the dark pavement and the feet of humans passing by. The yellow dog walked along, looking up at things hanging high, and kept bumping into people.

For once, Lang Xiao reached out and scooped the two little demons up, tucking them into the crook of her arm.

The cat and dog were startled for a moment, but soon relaxed their bodies, eyes wide with curiosity as they looked around.

Although they had lived in the human world for many years, they were stray animals before. New Year for them had only meant a bit more food than usual, with no mood to enjoy the holiday.

This year was different for everyone in this home.

On New Year's Eve, the family of five watched the lively yet incomprehensible New Year's Gala while waiting for the time to pass. Qing Yao fell asleep on Li Bai’s back by nine o'clock. Lang Xiao didn't carry her back to the bedroom as usual; instead, she covered her with a small blanket and let her stay in the living room.

Hu Yuanfei sat with his legs crossed, complaining about how boring the Spring Festival Gala was, while his hands were busy scrolling on his phone. He had self-taught how to grab digital red envelopes and had snatched several hundred in a short time. He was so happy his tail started wagging, but when the group members asked him to send envelopes, he stingily sent only twenty. Lang Xiao, unable to watch, sent a large two-hundred-yuan envelope to the group.

Facing a string of messages calling "Boss Lang generous" and "Boss Hu stingy," Hu Yuanfei, for the sake of his face, reluctantly sent another hundred, then finally tossed the phone aside, refusing to look at it anymore.

Grabbing red envelopes meant having to give them back; it wasn't fun.

As he waited, he grew sleepy. The gala was genuinely not very good and quite noisy.

Looking to the side, the yellow dog and Li Bai were already fast asleep beside the cub, and only Lang Xiao was lying to the side, watching the TV.

Hu Yuanfei yawned. So, Lang Xiao liked this kind of program? He would watch and learn more during the day.

Gradually, the only sounds in the room were the lowered volume of the TV and the snoring of the animals.

The clock ticked forward, closer to midnight. The TV began playing "Unforgettable Tonight."

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew in through the open window. Lang Xiao, who was also drifting off, suddenly raised her claw and snatched something that had flown inside.

Hu Yuanfei woke up in an instant and stood before Lang Xiao. "What is it?" His voice was completely alert, showing no signs of the sleepiness he had just felt.

Lang Xiao opened her hand; it was a paper crane.

It was folded from high-quality yellow paper, the shape exquisite and lifelike. It even had eyes drawn on it. Now, as if it had come to life, the crane fluttered its wings in her palm.

The crane pecked at her palm with its beak and then went still.

"It smells like that Taoist, Wen Yuan. Is this his paper crane? Did something happen? Is he asking for help? Open it and see."

Lang Xiao unfolded the paper crane and, sure enough, saw a few short words written on it.

"Wishing you a Happy New Year. Tangled in worldly affairs and unable to visit, I present this gift—Wang Wenyuan."

Shortly after being unfolded, the paper automatically folded itself back into the shape of a crane along the creases.

The two demons looked at each other. What gift? Was it this paper crane? It was somewhat fun, but they didn't need it. This thing clearly required Taoist arts and incantations to operate, and they didn't know how to use it.

No sooner had they finished that thought than both demons felt a presence of ghostly energy outside the window. And it wasn't just one ghost. Soon, several black shadows silently pressed against the window, trying to squeeze into the room. But there was a barrier protecting the house, and they couldn't get in, only lingering outside in anxious agitation.