The next day.
The two old men were squatting on the ground playing with ants as usual, their characteristic eerie laughter echoing intermittently.
"Hehehe..."
"Hehehe... Hehehe...!"
The evening sun shone warmly on Ye Fan, who squinted comfortably.
Another day spent lying around.
His mood was exceptionally good.
Even the laughter of the two old men had become pleasant to his ears.
Life.
Was meant to be lived in a relaxed manner!
Ye Fan stretched lazily and opened his eyes.
It was almost time to prepare dinner.
Those two brats who came for free meals would be arriving soon too.
Of course.
In Ye Fan's eyes, Liang Rujing was primarily treated as a granddaughter.
He didn't really feel anything for Liang Meikong.
However, since he was Liang Rujing's brother, he'd give him some face and treat him as a grandson.
As the saying goes, extreme situations lead to their opposites.
When a person is in a particularly good mood, they are often prone to encountering misfortune.
This was exactly the case for Ye Fan at the moment.
The instant he opened his eyes, a bizarre combination appeared in his line of sight.
Five young men were walking in from the doorway, carrying a gleaming, enormous coffin on their shoulders.
Perched atop the coffin were a husky and a small fox.
Following at the end of the procession were three spirit beasts...
Ye Fan's entire being was thrown into disarray!
What the hell!
How did these damn things come back?!
Hadn't you all scrammed for over a month?
How did you find this place?
Do you have the scent of a dog...
The group of five gently placed the coffin on the ground and bowed to Ye Fan.
"Greetings, Senior Brother Ye!"
"Master..." the little fox called out weakly, lowering its head.
It was afraid that if it looked up, it would see Ye Fan pulling out a spatula from behind him...
"Greetings, Big Brother!!!" The three spirit beasts stretched their necks and howled with all their might.
Unfortunately, their voices all changed their tone as soon as they spoke.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak..."
"Neigh, neigh—!"
"Chirp, chirp, chirp—!"
...
A complete assault of noise pollution and mental pollution...
"Woof, woof, woof—!"
The husky tilted its head, its tongue lolling out, and happily trotted towards Ye Fan.
Master!
You must have missed me dearly after so long!
I'm back—!
Ye Fan raised his right foot, a look of utter exasperation on his face.
"Bang—!"
"Rumble, rumble—!"
After a 3600-degree Thomas spin, the husky got back up from the ground.
It shook its dog head enthusiastically.
Master really missed me!
As soon as I got back, he couldn't wait to play with me!
Ye Fan walked over and, one by one, picked up the husky and the little fox.
Even though he discovered that these two little creatures seemed impervious to steaming and boiling, he still decided to put them in the steamer.
This was his silent rebellion against the system, his last act of defiance!
Ye Fan turned around and walked towards the kitchen.
The husky shook its head wildly, its four short legs churning as it scrambled forward.
Oh yeah!
Brother Dog couldn't explain why, but he just felt so ecstatic—!
The little fox curled up its body, trembling...
Because it noticed that the direction Ye Fan was heading seemed to be the kitchen...
"Ye Fan, we came to play with you..." Liang Rujing's voice suddenly came from the doorway. "Eh? What is this...?"
Seeing the extra things in the courtyard, the siblings were stunned.
These five strangers could be understood as friends of Ye Fan, and the spirit beasts as their own pets.
But what was this gleaming, enormous coffin on the ground?
The two instinctively glanced at the two old men squatting nearby, playing with ants.
They were alive and well, weren't they?
Could these be Ye Fan's two senior sisters?
Then they realized something was amiss.
Because this coffin seemed to be crafted from a fourth-tier material.
While fourth-tier materials weren't exactly rare, they weren't so abundant that they could be casually used to build coffins.
From their interactions over the past period, they had a general understanding of Ye Fan's sect.
Simply put, it was a weak sect in a remote corner, absolutely incapable of the extravagance of using fourth-tier materials for burials.
"You're here?" Ye Fan turned around and smiled at the two.
"Wow! Such cute little things!" Liang Rujing's attention was immediately captured by the two little creatures.
After all, the two little ones were incredibly adorable in appearance, a sure-fire charm for girls like her!
"Ye Fan, can I hold them?" Liang Rujing ran over, asking pleadingly.
"If you like them, I'll give them to you." Ye Fan casually placed the two little creatures into Liang Rujing's hands.
Liang Rujing was overjoyed, hugging the two little ones and playing with them.
Petting the dog with one hand and caressing the little fox with the other.
It felt so wonderful!
Liang Meikong also found these two little creatures quite cute, wondering if they were spirit pets sent to Ye Fan by these people.
However, he soon realized something was wrong.
Wait a moment.
This little fox...
Holy hell!
Isn't this the legendary Nine-tailed Spirit Fox?
Liang Meikong trembled and rubbed his eyes hard.
Holy hell!
It really is a Nine-tailed Spirit Fox!
The Nine-tailed Spirit Fox was an almost unimaginable existence in the cultivation world; most people never even caught a glimpse of one in their lifetimes.
And today, he had actually seen a living one?!
Liang Meikong's heart sank immediately!
Previously, he had only thought Ye Fan was good at cooking and decent as a person, but ultimately, he was just a mortal without any cultivation.
Now, it seemed things were far from that simple!
How could a mortal casually conjure a Nine-tailed Spirit Fox?!
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that if he paraded this little fox through the streets now, it would cause a massive uproar!
Forget their royal family; even the entire cultivation world couldn't find a Nine-tailed Spirit Fox right now!
Those frantic cultivators wouldn't care if he was a prince or not; it would lead to bloodshed!
"Ye Fan... this little one, it's a Nine-tailed Spirit Fox, isn't it..." Liang Meikong quickly walked over and asked tremblingly.
He was afraid he might be mistaken and thought it was safer to confirm.
"I think so," Ye Fan replied casually. "Remember to take them with you when you go back tonight, don't forget."
How fortunate.
He was just wondering how to get rid of them.
Seeing how much Liang Rujing liked them, this should finally resolve the issue with these two!
Although these two little creatures had never shown any hostility or threat towards Ye Fan, Ye Fan still found them immensely detestable!
Things conjured by the dog system were bound to be used to backstab him later!
They had to be discarded!
"Ye Fan... can I use something to conceal its aura for now?" Liang Meikong asked tremblingly again.
"Brother Liang, they are yours now!" Ye Fan patted Liang Meikong on the shoulder and said earnestly, "You can even stew them! I, Ye Fan, keep my word!"
Without a word, Liang Meikong took out a jade pendant-like object from his ring.
As the jade pendant touched the little fox's body, it slowly merged into its form.
Liang Meikong wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
Fortunately, it was still an infant; his magic treasure could conceal its aura.
Otherwise, things would have gotten out of hand!
Who knew if some passing cultivators would be drawn by the scent...
"Then you all play here, I'm going to cook," Ye Fan called out and left.
Today was a good day; he had to make something delicious!
"That Ye Fan..." Liang Meikong said somewhat awkwardly. "I just remembered there's something urgent at the palace; I have to go back quickly."
"Eh?" Liang Rujing raised her head in confusion. "Didn't we agree to go to the lantern festival with Ye Fan tonight? We haven't been to many places yet."
"I just remembered," Liang Meikong scratched his head. "They'll have to go back with me too. Father has something to discuss with us."
"Alright, if you have something to do, then go ahead," Ye Fan said with a smile. "We can go out and have fun another day."
"Okay," Liang Rujing said with a hint of regret, then turned to Ye Fan. "Ye Fan, I'll take them back to play with for now, and I'll return them in a few days."
"No need; they are yours now." Ye Fan smiled slightly. "You can play with them as long as you like."
The husky and the little fox played ecstatically in Liang Rujing's arms.
So soft and cuddly, so much fun!