Chapter 556 - 456: This Is a Debt You Can Never Repay in a Lifetime
Chapter 556: Chapter 456: This Is a Debt You Can Never Repay in a Lifetime
"What are you all standing around for? Get moving!"
Standing at the entrance of Tushan Mansion, the Dog Demon barked at Xiao Mo and the others.
Xiao Mo had no choice but to follow, heading up the steps toward Tushan Mansion.
"A moment of your time, brothers. Please inform Butler Xiong that Gou Yazi is here to pay him a visit. I’ve brought the new batch of goods for him to inspect."
The Dog Demon chuckled, pulling a calling card from his sleeve. He then produced two small pieces of silver and pressed them into the paws of the two Dog Demon guards.
"Well now, Boss Gou, you’re one of our own. There’s no need for such pleasantries." The two Dog Demon guards instantly broke into wide grins. "Please wait a moment, Boss Gou. I’ll go announce you right away."
"Many thanks, many thanks."
Boss Gou thanked them profusely.
Before long, one of the Dog Demons ran back out and said Boss Gou could enter.
Boss Gou led the five human children, Xiao Mo among them, into the courtyard.
Xiao Mo gazed around the immense courtyard.
All kinds of Spirit Flowers and Herbs grew in the courtyard. A gentle breeze swept through, filling the air with their faint fragrance.
What looked like a cobblestone path was actually paved with individual Spirit Gathering Stones.
As their name implied, Spirit Gathering Stones had the ability to gather Spiritual Power and were typically used as materials for setting up Arrays.
Furthermore, these Spirit Gathering Stones were of exceptionally high quality; each one was worth a small fortune.
In addition, several decorative rockeries were nestled among the exquisitely manicured flowers and plants.
Some of the rockeries were forged from stone-colored Profound Iron.
Others were enormous top-grade spirit stones, carved by a master craftsman to look astonishingly lifelike.
Cat Demon Maids dressed in human-style Palace Attire bustled about the courtyard, carrying fruit platters, tea, and baskets.
These demons were different from the Pig Demon and Dog Demon Xiao Mo had seen before.
Their transformations were highly advanced, making them nearly indistinguishable from humans.
The only demonic features they retained were the pair of animal ears atop their heads and the tails behind them.
These Cat Demons were essentially no different from the "cat girls" popular in human aesthetics.
Not only were they beautiful, but their animal ears and tails added a certain exotic charm.
Before long, Xiao Mo and the others were led into another courtyard.
The butler of Tushan Mansion was waiting for them there.
"Ah, Master Xiong! It’s a crime to have kept you waiting, a thousand apologies! Please, forgive me!"
The Dog Demon scrambled forward, grasping the Tushan Mansion butler’s bear-like paw.
"Alright, that’s enough. We’ve known each other long enough; there’s no need to lay it on so thick in front of me. Have you selected the servants our Tushan Mansion requested?" Butler Xiong shook off the Dog Demon’s paw, his tone familiar yet maintaining a clear distance.
"Yes, yes! Of course they’ve been selected."
The Dog Demon nodded eagerly and led Butler Xiong over to Xiao Mo and the other children.
"These human cubs... I scoured all of Xianhu City for them. They’re the best of the best, hand-picked from a carefully chosen lot. Every one of them is healthy and able-bodied, with a clean background. You have nothing to worry about!"
"Mm." Butler Xiong sized up Xiao Mo and the other children, then nodded. "Their scent is indeed not bad. I’ve always been able to count on you. I’ll take all five of these human cubs. Go settle up with the bookkeeper."
"Yes, yes, right away!" The Dog Demon bobbed his head eagerly and followed a Maid to the counting house to get paid.
After the Dog Demon left, Butler Xiong stepped forward and addressed Xiao Mo and the others.
"My name is Xiong Da, and I am the butler of Tushan Mansion. Others address me respectfully as Master Xiong, but you will just call me Butler Xiong."
"From this day forward, you are servants of Tushan Mansion. We will provide for your food, drink, and lodging. You will also receive a monthly stipend."
"Frankly, in a city like Xianhu, you’re lucky you haven’t been served on a dinner table as the main course. Finding a place like this is an even greater stroke of luck!"
"You must be grateful. You will spend the rest of your lives serving the Madam and the Young Miss of Tushan Mansion. You are absolutely forbidden from having any disloyal thoughts! Do you understand?"
Along with the other children, Xiao Mo nodded fearfully and stammered, "Y-yes... we understand..."
"Very good. In a moment, someone will take you to the storeroom to get your clothes. You..."
"Grandpa Xiong..."
Xiong Da was only halfway through his sentence when a little girl’s clear, sweet voice called out from nearby.
The little girl’s voice was lovely to hear—like the tinkling of a mountain spring, the song of an oriole on a spring day, or the crisp sound of a wind chime stirred by a spring breeze under the eaves.
Xiao Mo looked up and saw a little girl, no older than five or six, running in their direction.
The little girl wore a pomegranate-red dress, its hem embroidered with a sparse wisteria pattern. The fabric was a soft, ethereal gauze, so light that as she moved, she looked like a little red cloud drifting by.
The girl’s dress reached her ankles, revealing a pair of tiny, embroidered satin slippers no bigger than an adult’s palm.
On closer inspection, her little face was as round and pink as a rice-flour dumpling, her cheeks puffed with baby fat. She looked like a peach blossom after a spring rain, glistening with dew and so tender it seemed a single pinch would release a drop of water.
A natural vermilion mole rested between her brows, making her snow-white skin seem even more radiant. Her eyes were large and round, the outer corners tilted slightly upward into a natural foxy shape. Her pupils were a glistening black, like two beads of dark mercury, and as her gaze shifted, it held both a child’s innocence and a glint of cunning.
Two fluffy, pointed ears stood atop her head, covered in a layer of snow-white down. Their tips twitched from time to time, as if catching the slightest sound on the wind.