The very next morning, Li Yundong awoke from his meditation to find Su Chan and the little foxes already up. Upon seeing him, they greeted him in unison with crisp, sweet voices: “Sect Leader, good morning!”
Though Li Yundong had narrowly escaped death from a sneak attack previously, seeing a group of beautiful young maidens bid him a cheerful good morning immediately swept away any lingering resentment. He felt, at least, that his position as Sect Leader wasn't entirely in vain.
To be surrounded by a coterie of dazzling beauties first thing in the morning—what more could a man ask for in this life?
Li Yundong’s spirits lifted instantly. He chuckled and greeted them warmly, asking, “Up so early? Have you packed your things?”
Su Chan beamed and replied, “My things have been ready for ages. As for the others…”
Before she could finish, the other little foxes chimed in eagerly: “Sect Leader, we don’t have any luggage! Let’s go quickly, we can’t wait!”
“Exactly! Sect Leader, we actually have our own rooms now. Cramming into the living room was so uncomfortable and inconvenient!”
“Yes, you have to step over people just to go to the restroom!”
“Hey, Second Senior Sister, the one you stepped on was me! I was wondering who was stepping on me all night!”
“Fourth Junior Sister, I didn’t even argue when you tripped me, and now you’re playing the victim?”
“Waa, Second Senior Sister, that’s awful! You bruised my arm! Look, look, see for yourself!”
“Hey, stop arguing, you two! Second Senior Sister, when you fell yesterday, you landed right on me—that hurt!”
“Tell me about it! You were pressing down on me too; your chin hit me so hard!”
“What’s that supposed to mean? I’m a victim too! If someone hadn’t been pressing on my little stomach all night, would I have been desperate to use the latrine?”
“What? Who was pressing your stomach?”
“Who slept next to you yesterday, Second Senior Sister?”
“Was it you? No? Then you?” The little foxes turned to look at each other, shaking their heads one by one, until their gazes converged sharply on Li Yundong. In unison, they declared, “Sect Leader, you must settle this!”
Li Yundong instantly felt a massive headache brewing. Being surrounded by a cluster of pretty lasses was certainly gratifying, but if they were going to be bickering and chattering around him all day, it would be pure torment.
Li Yundong quickly put on a stern face and declared, “Nonsense! You are all disciples of the Fox Zen Sect; you should show mutual respect. To quarrel over such trivial matters—what kind of comportment is that?”
The little foxes pouted, lowered their heads, and fell silent, looking thoroughly wronged.
Seeing that although they looked unconvinced, at least they had stopped making a ruckus, Li Yundong said, “Alright, everyone tidy your things. Prepare to leave.”
The moment the little foxes heard they could move to their new home, they clapped their hands and cheered.
Elder Sister Cao Yi, who had been observing quietly for a while, suddenly spoke up, “Don’t get happy so fast. You eat and drink for free at the Sect Leader’s expense all day long; you should be working harder to share some burdens for him.”
As the little foxes spent more time with Li Yundong, their sense of awe diminished while their affection grew. They immediately scurried over to Li Yundong, smiling playfully. “Sect Leader, let me rub your back!” “Sect Leader, let me give you a massage!”
Seeing this, Su Chan instantly lunged forward, wrapping her arms tightly around Li Yundong and glaring suspiciously at the others: “What are you trying to do? Yundong is mine! You are not allowed to touch him!”
The little foxes all chided her, “Su Chan, you’re too bossy! The Sect Leader belongs to all of us! What’s wrong with us showing him some care?” With that, they swarmed forward, offering back rubs and shoulder massages, vying to be the most attentive.
Su Chan’s two fists were no match for their many hands, and she was quickly submerged. Li Yundong found his vision filled with swaying, snowy-white jade arms. Given the voluptuous figures of the little foxes, it was truly a landscape of heaving bosoms and undulating hips, the air thick with perfume. Li Yundong thought to himself: Good heavens, even the most steadfast revolutionary soldier would eventually defect under these conditions! What is to be done?
Li Yundong’s face hardened. He projected his voice, subtly infused with the principles of the True Word Great Hand Seal technique, and commanded, “Stop right there! Is this how you treat the Sect Leader?”
At his sharp shout, the little foxes all shuddered, their fox-nature instantly subdued. They retreated hesitantly.
Cao Yi stepped in to mediate, saying, “Alright, alright. Everyone grab some things to carry; it counts as helping the Sect Leader ease his troubles.”
With that, she pulled open the large door that had been stuffed full of tea bales. “We already sorted the contents into bags. Everyone take a few bags each. Let’s aim to move everything in one go.”
Li Yundong took a closer look and gasped in shock. There were easily thirty or forty plastic bags, each the size of four basketballs. Given the stature of the Fox Zen Sect’s little foxes, carrying even two bags would obscure them entirely!
Li Yundong took a sharp breath: “Where did you find so many plastic bags?”
Cao Yi chuckled. “True Master Ziyuan brought them over.” Then, she called to the younger disciples, “What are you standing around for? Hurry up and take some!” Saying this, she herself picked up two bags in each hand.
Li Yundong watched as Cao Yi, carrying four bags, became half-hidden, looking utterly cumbersome. He asked, astonished, “Can you actually manage that load?”
Cao Yi smiled sweetly. “Sect Leader, you underestimate us too much. Though our cultivation is low and we aren't skilled in direct combat, we can certainly manage to carry these things!”
Li Yundong laughed. “Seeing each of you as peerless beauties, I forgot you are all cultivators. That’s right; cultivators shouldn’t struggle with such a small amount of cargo.”
Li Yundong waved his hand toward the little foxes. “My little ones, go grab the goods! We’re setting off for the new home!”
The little foxes replied with a cheerful roar of agreement and swarmed toward the bags. Some took two bags each, others three. Zhou Qin, emerging from the room, also grabbed a bag. Just then, Ziyuan and Ruan Hongling arrived. Seeing the scene, they laughed, “What a lively affair! Is there a share for everyone? Wonderful, we’ll each take two bags as well!”
Saying this, Ziyuan took four bags, and Ruan Hongling took two.
However, when Li Yundong finally moved to take a load, he realized the last few bags had already been claimed by Ziyuan, Ruan Hongling, and the others. He laughed, “You’ve all taken everything, what am I left to carry? Oh, right, I still have my own luggage; I’ll take this one.”
Su Chan immediately hopped over, dragged out her neatly packed suitcase, and declared cheerfully, “I’ll carry this one! This is our stuff; I must carry it myself!”
Li Yundong threw his hands up in mock helplessness. “You all have things to carry, what am I supposed to do?”
Cao Yi chuckled. “Since you hold the esteemed position of Sect Leader, why should you bother carrying things? Leave this sort of work to us.”
Li Yundong looked a bit embarrassed, fidgeting slightly. “It doesn’t look right, having a whole group of beautiful ladies carrying things while I, a grown man, walk empty-handed, does it?”
Ziyuan couldn't help but playfully spit out, “Pah! Look at the smile splitting your face! Stop feigning innocence after getting the best end of the deal!”
Indeed, Li Yundong burst out laughing and waved his hand grandly. “Fine! My little ones, let’s move out!”
The group departed from the Hongsheng New District. On the road, their procession caused passersby’s eyes to bulge in astonishment. They muttered, “No way! Such a large crowd of beauties, all laden with belongings, surrounding a single man who is empty-handed? Am I—am I seeing this correctly? Can something like this actually happen in modern society? Am I—am I living in the past?”
When Li Yundong’s entourage arrived at the Riverside New Village, it attracted considerable attention again. Fortunately, the complex consisted mostly of mansions, many of which were empty second homes owned by the wealthy, resulting in a low occupancy rate. Thus, a mass spectacle was fortunately avoided.
Once the group settled into their quarters and the rooms were distributed, Li Yundong claimed the two-story bedroom on the east side, near the rooftop. Su Chan and Zhou Qin shared a room on the ground floor, west side. Cao Yi of the Fox Zen Sect took the room next to Li Yundong’s. The other four little foxes were split between the two rooms downstairs. Liu Yuehong, Zhuang Yating, Ziyuan, Ruan Hongling, and the remaining three little foxes occupied the adjacent suite.
The space immediately felt much more expansive. Having their new home, the little foxes all gathered in the living room of Li Yundong’s quarters, bouncing and jumping with excitement, causing a near-uproar.
Seeing their enthusiasm, Li Yundong decided not to interfere, letting them enjoy their rare burst of joy. However, not long after, the doorbell rang. Having learned from the previous ambush, Li Yundong was now wiser; his entire body was enveloped in dense true essence as he cautiously opened the door. But upon opening it, he found a middle-aged woman wearing a red armband standing there with an aggressive posture. She glanced inside, saw the room filled with peerless beauties, and was instantly taken aback, startled out of her wits, immediately suspecting the occupants were the progeny of high-ranking officials or ultra-rich tycoons.
The middle-aged woman’s accusatory glare immediately softened. She forced a smile and said ingratiatingly, “Hello, I’m from the community management office. Someone complained about the noise; I came to see if you all could quiet down a bit?”
Li Yundong finally understood. He chuckled apologetically. “My apologies. I haven’t kept them in line. I’ll speak to them right away.”
Turning around, Li Yundong shouted toward the little foxes, “Quiet down, all of you! Can’t you see someone has come to complain?”
Startled by Li Yundong’s rebuke, the little foxes immediately hushed, sticking out their tongues and making a gesture to silence themselves. The room instantly fell quiet.
Seeing the beautiful women settle down so quickly after Li Yundong’s single command, the middle-aged woman’s earlier assumption solidified: this young, handsome man must indeed be a second-generation official or rich heir—someone not to be trifled with, someone she should avoid in the future!
The middle-aged woman’s smile grew more solicitous. “Hehe, just be mindful in the future; there’s nothing else. If you ever have any issues, feel free to come to the management office; we will certainly help you resolve them.”
Li Yundong replied genially, “Yes, yes, of course.”
After seeing the woman out, Li Yundong turned back, his face stern. “Are you people even cultivators? You act like a gang of convicts just released from prison! Especially you, Su Chan, leading the disruption—what kind of example is that?”
At his reprimand, the little foxes hung their heads, and Su Chan’s chin nearly touched her chest.
After being scolded by Li Yundong, the group of little foxes watched him leave, their eyes downcast. They exchanged glances. “What should we do now?”
Having been lectured, their voices were barely above a whisper, as if they were thieves.
The little foxes all looked toward Su Chan. “Su Chan, you’ve spent more time in this mortal realm than we have. Do you know anything else fun we can do?”
Su Chan paused in thought, a sudden spark lighting up her face. Just as she was about to exclaim happily, she remembered Li Yundong’s recent scolding. She quickly clamped a hand over her mouth, lowering her voice significantly, “I’ve got it! Let’s watch soap operas!”
The little foxes immediately broke into wide smiles. “Great, great!”
Su Chan saw the excitement in their expressions and her voice inevitably rose slightly. She quickly made a shushing gesture. “Quiet!”
The little foxes murmured in response, “Shh, shh.”
Su Chan’s eyes darted. She said, “I’ll go ask Yundong if he’ll let us watch.”
Then, Su Chan quietly crept up the stairs and tentatively pushed the door open, sticking her head out. Her eyes darted around, and she called softly, “Yundong?”
Seeing Su Chan’s secretive demeanor, Li Yundong felt both annoyed and amused. He asked, “What is it?”
Su Chan asked timidly, “Can we watch television?”
Li Yundong couldn’t help but laugh. “Of course. Just don’t turn the volume up too loud!”
Su Chan immediately cheered, “Mister, you’re the best! This little girl loves you to death!” With that, she darted in, threw her arms around Li Yundong, and planted a loud kiss on his cheek before zooming back out like a gust of wind.
Li Yundong called after her, “Hey, you can watch, but don’t get too rowdy! We don’t want another complaint!”
Su Chan’s clear voice drifted back from outside the door, “Got it!”
Li Yundong shook his head and chuckled inwardly. Sitting cross-legged in his room, preparing to circulate his energy, he was suddenly stopped by music drifting from the living room. Li Yundong stared blankly.
He thought: It’s one thing to let you watch TV, but why pick something so… They’re watching cartoons? It’s one thing to watch cartoons, but why such ancient cartoons? And on top of that, they’re singing the theme song along with it!
Li Yundong clearly heard a deeply familiar tune from the living room, followed by the little foxes humming along: “Huluwa, Huluwa, seven flowers on one gourd! Great wickedness, fear nothing, la~ la la la! Brother, big hole, big hole, Huluwa! Big hole, big hole, fear nothing!!!”