As I reached the doorstep of my home, I couldn't help but frown. The house was brightly lit, and a faint singing could be heard from within… it sounded like "Two Butterflies."
"Could it be that a thief broke in? Are thieves this brazen these days?"
When I left, only Bai Ling'er was home. If a thief had come, it should have scared them away. Even if it didn't, there was nothing valuable to steal in the house. Moreover, no one in this area dared to steal from my master's house.
Could Bai Ling'er be causing trouble at home?
With this thought, I didn't make a sound. I pushed open the door and cautiously moved to the window, wanting to see what was happening inside.
As I peeked into the room, I felt like I had been tricked by a dog.
I saw Bai Ling'er comfortably coiled on my master's favorite recliner. Two weasels, about the size of small mice, were pushing at the corners of the chair, making it sway back and forth, like two maids attending to a magistrate.
But when I saw the television playing music, and in front of the TV, five or six yellow and white weasels were standing on their hind legs, their front paws moving up and down like humans, their waists swaying left and right, my mind went blank. I had no words to express my shock.
I estimated that even my master would have been astonished to see this scene.
After the shock, a surge of anger rose within me. Bai Ling'er had gone too far! What did it think my master's house was? It had even invited a bunch of wild spirits to "dance." Didn't the wild spirits detour around my house when my master was home?
*Bang—*
I kicked open the door.
Immediately, I heard a chorus of squeaking sounds from inside, along with Bai Ling'er's scolding.
"What are you all panicking about? What are you afraid of with me here?"
*Squeak—*
"Nonsense, he's my pet, I'm his master…"
Hearing this, I was almost so angry I could have spit out my nose.
"Bai Ling'er, what did you say? Say it again if you dare?"
I took three quick steps into the house and looked at Bai Ling'er angrily, saying, "This is my master's house, not mine…"
The seven or eight weasels, startled by my appearance, all huddled under the recliner. Their eyes, the size of soybeans, darted between me and Bai Ling'er, as if trying to figure out who the master was.
"Why are you yelling? How long have you been out? I'm almost starving to death. Didn't you say this can't be eaten and that can't be eaten? How can I not find some friends to pass the time? Besides, have you forgotten what you promised Fifth Princess when we left Molu Village…"
Unexpectedly, Bai Ling'er's voice was even louder than mine. Moreover, it looked at me with a wronged expression, its human-like large eyes misting over, as if it were about to cry at any moment.
As soon as Fifth Princess was mentioned, my voice immediately dropped by half.
Ever since I had that dream of marrying her, I hadn't seen her. I didn't even have a chance to say goodbye. When Bai Ling'er found me, it not only said it wanted to leave with me but also brought a handwritten scroll.
The handwriting was very elegant, clearly written by a woman. It only contained a few sentences.
"Take good care of Bai Ling'er. We will meet again if fate allows. Do not forget that an old friend awaits in the bamboo house…" At the bottom of the handkerchief was embroidered a 'Five'.
I had originally intended to keep the handkerchief as a souvenir, but after reading it, it spontaneously burned, almost getting me arrested by the railway police. Zhang Dabiao kept chuckling at me all the way…
I sighed helplessly.
"But you still shouldn't have brought these wild spirits into my master's house! There are rules for entering my master's house. Unless he consents, wild spirits are not allowed to enter. Aren't you causing me to break the rules…"
"Tch, what rule is broken? Your master isn't here. This house is yours to command now. As the head of the household, what are you afraid of…"
Facing Bai Ling'er's "sophistry," I was utterly unable to refute it. Its nature was such that the more I argued with it, the more excited it became. If I really took it seriously, it could talk until dawn.
Therefore, I could only vent my anger on the weasels.
"You guys, what are you looking at? Aren't you going to scram? If you dare to trespass again next time, don't blame me for being impolite…"
Although I didn't have my master's skills, dealing with a few weasels that hadn't yet fully matured was no problem. Coupled with my master's reputation in this area, it was enough to awe them.
But who would have thought that they wouldn't run? They even squeaked at me, as if saying something. Their soybean-sized eyes looked at Bai Ling'er.
Without Bai Ling'er translating, I understood what they meant: they wouldn't dare to leave without Bai Ling'er's permission. The ranking of household spirits has always been Fox, Weasel, Snake, White Fox, and Grey Fox. However, this strength is merely based on their mutual restraint. Who is truly the boss and who is the subordinate depends on their own cultivation. With Bai Ling'er's cultivation, it could completely dominate this area.
"Alright, since the master doesn't welcome you, hurry up and leave. But remember to watch how humans dance carefully. If I'm not satisfied with your dancing next time, I'll eat you all."
Upon receiving Bai Ling'er's permission, the group of weasels showed excited expressions in their eyes. However, upon hearing the last few words, they all drooped their heads, looking dejected.
"Aren't you going to scram…"
After driving them all out, I opened all the windows to let out the "stench" from the house.
Bai Ling'er lay on the recliner indifferently, blew a puff of Yin energy onto the ground, and the recliner began to creak and sway again, as if my master were lying on it.
This annoyed me.
"Can't you get down from there and lie on the sofa?"
"I don't want to…"
"You… forget it…"
Thinking of my master, I suddenly remembered that when I met the village chief earlier, he told me to quickly give my master money if I returned.
With this in mind, I quickly took out the note from my pocket and transferred the money according to the account number.
Looking at my phone displaying 'Your account transferred 7 million yuan on [Date]', I felt a pang of heartache. This was all my hard-earned money!
Just as I was lamenting becoming a pauper again, my phone rang. It didn't display a caller ID, but rather 'Unknown Caller'.
Usually, when this happened, I would hang up directly, as it was often a harassing call or a phone scam.
As soon as I hung up, the phone rang again.
"They're really persistent…"
Looking at the screen still displaying 'Unknown Caller', I pressed the answer button. An incredibly familiar voice came from the receiver.
"You little brat, earning so little in a month, what's that good for! Do you know how much money I've thrown in this month? Are you worthy of me…"
Listening to my master's familiar scolding from the receiver, I almost shed tears.
"Master…"
Before I could express my suffering of "missing" him, I was interrupted by him. Then, an unacceptable piece of bad news came from the other end.