The landlady's hysterical shriek nearly made Li Yundong, who was eavesdropping outside the door, burst into uncontrollable laughter; Ziyuan and Zhou Qin were also forced to cover their mouths to stifle their giggles, while Ruan Hongling simply bent over, laughing until she cursed breathlessly, "Li Yundong, you are absolutely wicked! You actually incited them to deliberately pick a fight. Bad, so bad! You are rotten to the core!"

Li Yundong also laughed, "Who told her to think I was a big sugar daddy trying to fleece me? Doesn't she know I’m dirt poor!"

Ziyuan teased him with a playful pout, "Who told you to have such a large entourage when you go out? Every person sees you and thinks you’re loaded."

Zhou Qin chuckled too, "Master, that trick of yours was too malicious. Who could stand up to those little rascals kicking up such a fuss?"

As she spoke, they saw that the room inside had already descended into chaos. The little foxes, provoked by the landlady’s shout, had finally let loose; hands on hips, they struck the classic, aggressive posture of a shrew yelling in the street, retorting without restraint.

"We say you’re full of it! We have everything where we come from, except for what you don't have!"

"Exactly! You have no vision yourself, so you assume everyone else lacks it too!"

"What's an amusement park? I’ve never even heard of it!"

"Hey, you old hag, hurry up and install all this stuff, or we’ll tear your house down!"

They argued in a chaotic clamor, making the house sound as if several thousand ducks and ten thousand sparrows had invaded, leaving the landlady’s head buzzing. She wanted to argue back, but the moment she opened her mouth, she was drowned out by the foxes’ noise; she couldn't even hear her own voice.

The landlady was weeping internally: Can I just cancel the lease? Please, ladies, I admit I was wrong, aren't you satisfied? My ears are going deaf!

Li Yundong judged the timing was right. He walked in, clearing his throat. His cultivation was profound; a mere cough echoed throughout the room. The little foxes immediately fell silent, turning in unison to look at him: "Sect Master, were we wrong?"

Li Yundong glared at them, "Don't shout those things in public!"

The foxes responded in chorus, retreating to the side with aggrieved expressions. Su Chan, positioned behind the landlady, winked and gestured at Li Yundong, clearly soliciting praise and reward, beaming with self-satisfaction.

Li Yundong pretended not to notice, turning to the landlady with an apologetic expression, "I am so sorry. I usually spoil them too much; they really are being too reckless."

Hearing this, the landlady felt as if she had found a great savior, a kindred spirit, her eyes welling up with tears: "You are the reasonable one, handsome!"

Ruan Hongling, still eavesdropping at the door, let out a soft scoff: "Pah, he’s the worst! This silly landlady got played by him and still doesn't realize it!"

Ziyuan laughed, "If it were you, you’d be dizzy too."

Ruan Hongling rolled her eyes, clearly unconvinced.

Li Yundong, unaware of the commentary happening behind him, waved his hand with a smile toward the landlady, "My surname is Li. You can just call me Xiao Li."

The landlady dared not address him so casually. She knew perfectly well that a man surrounded by so many beautiful women could not be ordinary. Call him Xiao Li? If she somehow displeased him, she wouldn't even know the trouble she’d stirred up!

Though the landlady’s head was throbbing from the long, unreasonable argument with the little foxes, she managed to squeeze out a smile. "Boss Li, what you just discussed... oh, no, what you all were talking about for so long, it's truly asking too much. As you know, this is a duplex structure; how could I possibly have these amusement park items! Boss Li, if you don't want to rent, you could have just said so. After all, business might fail, but goodwill remains, right? Making a friend is good too!"

By now, the landlady was beginning to suspect Li Yundong was the mastermind behind the attempt to drive down her price. Though she didn't want to lose the deal, the sheer noise and chaos caused by the little foxes had left her thoroughly frustrated; she was almost ready to give up renting the place entirely.

Li Yundong chuckled, "Madam Boss, you don't need to be like that. I never said I wouldn't rent, did I?"

"You'll rent?" The landlady eyed him suspiciously. "I don't have those things you mentioned here!"

Li Yundong waved his hand dismissively, "The little girls were just fooling around. Don't take them seriously!"

The landlady felt like Li Yundong’s words had struck a chord deep in her heart. Her hope flickered back to life, and she asked, "Then how much are you willing to pay to rent?"

Li Yundong replied with a smile, "Since I sincerely wish to rent, why don't you also sincerely name your price, Madam Boss."

The landlady had originally intended to fleece Li Yundong, but after the chaos incited by Su Chan and the little foxes, her spirit was depleted. She calculated carefully and said, "One property, eight thousand a month!"

Li Yundong considered this. While he felt that for the condition of these two properties, eight thousand was somewhat reasonable, for a third-tier city like Tiannan City, the price was still a bit steep. He began to negotiate, "Madam Boss, this price is a bit high; it’s almost as much as one month's mortgage payment."

The landlady felt deeply wronged. I was originally planning to ask for ten thousand a month! But recent government policies cracking down on housing prices had been very severe, and few people were buying. These two fully furnished luxury homes she possessed wouldn't sell quickly, and few people were looking to rent such properties. Leaving them empty was a waste. A tenant like Li Yundong, willing to rent two at once, was rare.

The landlady sighed mournfully, "Boss Li, this price is very fair. This is a duplex luxury home over 180 square meters. I have to pay luxury property tax, and you're taking both units, which I happen to have two of—it’s hard to find houses like this."

Li Yundong seemed to have anticipated this. He smiled back, "That’s right. I also happen to be renting both your units at once. It’s hard to rent out your properties when they sit empty, too. Ordinary people won't come to rent your place, and tenants like me are hard to find. Let’s both meet halfway!"

Watching Li Yundong bargain with the landlady, some of the little foxes whispered, "One calls the other Boss Li, and the other calls him Madam Boss—hehe, the Sect Master is taking advantage of her!"

The little foxes all tittered, but Su Chan was quite displeased. She shot them a glare, and the foxes immediately understood, hastily flattering her: "Senior Sister Su Chan, you are the Madam Boss!"

Su Chan let out a 'Hmph,' tilting her chin high, looking immensely pleased, adopting the air of 'Who else but me could be the Madam Boss?' She announced, "I’m telling you all, Yundong already said that when we open the shop, I’ll be managing it too. You all better behave. Those who perform well, I’ll let them come to the shop later and live a life of luxury with me!"

Upon hearing this, the little foxes’ eyes lit up, and they clamored, "Yes, yes! Madam Boss is wise and mighty! Long live Madam Boss!"

Su Chan put her hands on her hips and burst into proud laughter.

Li Yundong heard their laughter but didn't know what they were laughing about. He turned to look at the rowdy fox spirits with a slightly strange expression. The landlady’s heart skipped a beat, and she thought, What are these ladies plotting now? I can’t handle any more of their antics. Forget it, whoever rents is the renter. They might be noisy, but they don't seem like bad people—more like a group of naive children.

The landlady considered and said, "Boss Li, since you sincerely want to rent, I’ll give you my rock-bottom price: Six thousand. It absolutely cannot be lower! And it must be a one-year lease. If the price is any lower, I’d rather not rent it out!"

Li Yundong immediately agreed, "Fine, that's the price. A one-year lease is no problem!"

The little foxes, with their ears pricked, heard the two finally seal the deal quickly. They raised their arms, about to cheer, but Su Chan quickly shot them a warning look and whispered, "Shut up! Do you want this landlady to know we were deliberately causing trouble?"

The little foxes snapped back to reality, covering their mouths, daring not to make a sound.

Only after Li Yundong signed the contract with the landlady and paid the agent's fee did the little foxes finally erupt in cheers: "Hooray! We have a home! The Sect Master is wise and mighty! Long live the Sect Master!"

Li Yundong was caught between laughter and tears, "Who taught you that chant?"

Su Chan rushed over, flattering him wildly, "These are all words straight from our hearts, where would we need to learn them from anyone!"

The little foxes nodded furiously like chicks pecking grain, chanting in unison, "Exactly, exactly!"

Li Yundong felt a wave of artificial sweetness wash over him. He quickly said, "Stop, stop! If you keep praising me like that, I’ll turn into the Star Constellation Old Immortal!"

Zhou Qin, rarely teasing, piped up, "The Star Constellation Old Immortal has an eternal lifespan; those words belong to Invincible East!"

Li Yundong glared at her, then turned to Cao Yi and the others, who had been smiling silently all this time. "Now that the house is sorted, let’s divide the rooms?"

Cao Yi smiled, "We'll follow the Sect Master's arrangements completely."

Li Yundong didn't decline. He took Su Chan, Zhou Qin, and the five little foxes to share one unit. Ziyuan, Ruan Hongling, along with Cao Yi, Liu Yuehong, and Zhuang Yating would share the other unit with two little foxes. Once the group had divided the rooms, Zhou Qin said to Li Yundong, "Since the housing is settled, should we go look at storefronts after lunch? I’m worried if we wait too long, someone else will rent them."

Li Yundong considered this and nodded, "Good idea, we should strike while the iron is hot. But humans are iron, and food is steel; if you don’t eat, you get hungry. Let’s find somewhere to eat first."

Upon hearing this, everyone agreed immediately, especially the lively little foxes, who jumped up and down, cheering: "We want to eat the food made by the Sect Master!"

Li Yundong immediately felt a massive headache coming on, "Hey, do you take me as your Sect Master or your head chef? No! We're eating out today! We don't even have any ingredients, how can I cook!"

This was the first time the little foxes were eating out since descending the mountain, so they cheered again: "Hooray! We get to go out and eat delicacies!"

Li Yundong widened his eyes, "What do you mean, 'eat delicacies'? You sound like you belong to the triads! Who taught you those phrases!"

The little foxes didn't answer, instead turning their heads and looking in unison toward Su Chan.

Su Chan cursed internally: These brutes betray me the moment trouble starts! Rotten scoundrels! How hateful! Seeing there was no escape, Su Chan could only offer Li Yundong a forced, awkward smile, "I just said it casually."

Li Yundong shot her a warning look before stating, "I need to make one thing clear in advance: you must follow orders when we go out. No grabbing food! Anyone who doesn't listen, I won't bring them out next time!"

The little foxes responded in a crisp chorus, "Yes, Sect Master!"

Their voices, a sweet blend of chirps and warbles, were incredibly pleasing to the ear. Li Yundong thought to himself, Ah, if only these little ones would listen a bit more!

Li Yundong sighed inwardly, waved his large hand, and announced, "Let's go out and eat delicacies!"

The little foxes burst into laughter, "Okay, let's go eat delicacies with the Sect Master!" "The Sect Master is wise and mighty!" "Long live the Sect Master!"

Li Yundong glared at them, "Stop shouting!"

The little foxes chirped an 'Oh, oh,' "Then okay, we’ll shout quietly!"

Li Yundong felt his head swell again, "Quietly is forbidden too!"

The little foxes looked deeply aggrieved, "Then we'll shout in our hearts..."

Li Yundong was left weeping internally, forced to wave his hand, "Forget it, I won't manage you anymore. Just don't make a fuss while eating later."

The little foxes immediately cheered, "Long live the Sect Master!" As they cheered, they proceeded to march out in a grand procession.

Ziyuan and Ruan Hongling exchanged glances. Ruan Hongling looked both shocked and amused, saying, "Why does it feel like they’re about to march in a parade?"

Ziyuan also shook her head and smiled, "It’s over for Li Yundong. He’s going to have a hard time being the Sect Master from now on."