Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

The fox spirit's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over everyone's heads.

The stone chamber suddenly fell silent.

The group of little monsters huddled together, some still sobbing, some secretly wiping away tears, but all eyes were on Chen Anran and the others.

Vigilance, fear, and doubt, but still a tiny bit of cautious expectation.

The little deer panicked and stamped her foot: "Little fox! What are you saying? They really are here to save us! Look—" She grabbed Chen Anran's sleeve and pulled him forward, "This Master Chen, if he wanted to harm me, he would have done it already. Why did he bring me here?"

The fox spirit stared at Chen Anran for several seconds, her fox eyes filled with complex emotions. She had lived for over a hundred years and had seen far too many immortals. Those immortals either regarded them as ants or used them as materials for alchemy. She didn't believe in immortals, much less in an immortal who would help a little demon.

But Little Deer believes.

The little deer was the smallest and most foolish of them all, always believing that there were good things beyond the mountains and that good people in stories would be rewarded. It had tried countless times to dissuade her from going out, but she wouldn't listen.

Now she has brought back a group of immortals, saying they have come to save people.

The vixen's gaze shifted from Chen Anran's face to the people behind him: the smiling man, the woman of her own tribe dressed in strange clothes, the plump middle-aged man, the monk with prayer beads…

It suddenly realized that the woman of its own kind was also watching it.

The gaze was neither cold nor warm; it simply watched it quietly. But somehow, the fox's initial wariness suddenly lessened.

"You..." It opened its mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know what to say.

Qi Lan stepped forward and knelt down in front of the fox spirit.

She reached out and gently stroked the fox's ruffled head. The movement was light and gentle, like petting a frightened kitten.

"Don't be afraid," she said. "We're really not here to arrest you."

The fox spirit was startled when she touched him, her fox eyes filled with confusion.

"You...you're a demon too..."

"Yes. Just a half-demon." Qi Lan nodded. "I've lived for five hundred years and seen many people and things. Good and bad, kind and evil, I've seen it all."

She paused, shifting her gaze from the fox spirit to the group of little monsters huddled together.

"But I've never seen anyone so small as you protect someone even smaller."

The fox spirit's eyes reddened again.

It turned its head away, not wanting anyone to see its tears. But the rabbit spirit behind it had already started crying, rubbing against Qi Lan as it sobbed.

"Sister...sister, you're a good person..."

Qi Lan laughed out loud, reached out and scooped up the rabbit spirit as well, rubbing its long ears.

"Alright, stop crying. If you keep crying, you'll bring those bad guys back."

The rabbit spirit was so frightened that she quickly shut her mouth, but tears still flowed uncontrollably.

The little deer watched from the side, laughing heartily. "Alright, alright, let's go back now."

………………

When everyone returned to the cabin, the fire was already burning brightly, and Jiang Yan was holding the pot and adding water to it.

"They're back! They're back!" Feng Lie was the first to jump up, looking over. "How did it go? The people... no, the monsters, have they all been rescued?"

As he spoke, his gaze fell on the string of small figures behind Chen Anran, and he froze.

One, two, three... big and small, furry, huddled together, some shivering, some peeking out to look this way. The fox spirit at the front, with its dusty gray fur, was protecting the smaller ones behind it very well.

"This...so much?" Feng Lie swallowed.

Master Tianbao stood up from beside the fire, dusted off his hands, squinted, and counted: "One, two, three... Good heavens, more than thirty!"

Qi Lan walked at the back, still holding the rabbit spirit in her arms. The little creature huddled in her arms, its long ears drooping, its red eyes blinking, looking both frightened and curious.

The little deer ran ahead, and as soon as it reached the wooden house, it opened its arms wide like a mother hen protecting her chicks: "Don't be afraid! Don't be afraid! These are all good people! There's porridge to drink and a fire to roast you; they won't catch you to make pills!"

The group of little monsters crowded at the door of the wooden house, looking at each other, none of them daring to go in first.

Finally, the fox spirit gritted her teeth and took a step forward: "Fine, let's go in! The little deer won't harm us!"

With it taking the lead, the little monsters cautiously followed. The rabbit spirit jumped down from Qi Lan's arms and sidled up to the fox spirit, its long ears twitching. The squirrel spirit puffed out its tail, looking around nervously, ready to run away at any moment. Several smaller ones huddled together, encouraging each other.

Jiang Yan had already set up the pot, which was bubbling and steaming, with the aroma of rice mixed with the fragrance of dried meat wafting through the air.

"Come on, everyone, sit down, sit down." He waved his large ladle like a cafeteria worker serving food. "Line up, one by one, everyone gets some!"

The little monsters were stunned by the sight, but the aroma was simply irresistible. They had been hiding in the mountains for so many days, eating only wild fruits and roots; they had never smelled anything so fragrant before.

The little rabbit spirit at the front swallowed hard and cautiously took a step forward.

Jiang Yan, with her sharp eyes, immediately scooped up a spoonful of porridge and poured it into the wooden bowl prepared beside her: "Here you go, little rabbit, catch!"

The rabbit spirit took the bowl, blowing on it because it was so hot, but couldn't bear to put it down. It lowered its head and took a sip, its red eyes instantly lighting up.

"Delicious! Delicious!" it exclaimed, holding its bowl and turning back to its companions. "It's really delicious!"

That shout seemed to flip a switch. The group of little monsters swarmed around Jiang Yan, completely surrounding him.

"Me too! Me too!"

"Give me a bowl!"

"Don't push, don't push—"

Jiang Yan was jostled and swayed by the crowd, but her spoon remained steady as she handed out bowls one by one, saying, "Don't rush, don't rush, there's plenty!"

Master Tianbao, watching from the side, couldn't help but laugh: "Fatty Jiang, have you switched careers to become a cook?"

Jiang Yan didn't even turn her head: "Being a cook is fine, it's easier than being a photographer!"

The area around the campfire gradually became lively.

The little monsters, holding bowls, sat in twos and threes around the fire. The firelight shone on their faces, making their dirty fur feel warm. Some drank deeply, some sipped slowly, and some took a sip, looked up at the people around them, and then lowered their heads to continue drinking.

Chen Anran stood under a tree not far away, quietly watching this scene.

After an unknown amount of time, Qi Lan came to his side.

"Not going?"

Chen Anran did not answer, but just stared at the furry little figures by the fire.

Qi Lan didn't urge him. She just leaned against the tree trunk, took out a fruit from her sleeve, and slowly ate it.

"Chen Anran," she suddenly spoke after taking a bite of fruit, "what do we do with these little monsters?"

Chen Anran turned to look at her.

Qi Lan pointed to the group of little creatures burying their heads in their porridge by the fire: "More than thirty of them. The older ones are only at the Qi Refining stage, and the younger ones haven't even fully transformed. If we release them back into the mountains, what if those powerful demons come to capture them again?"

"Since you've said that, doesn't that mean you already have a plan?"

"But we still have to ask you, the 'boss,' first, right?"

As Qi Lan spoke, she also looked towards the "little monster".

"Her name is Xiaolu. She's a little mountain spirit who's lived for twenty-three years. She can tell stories, runs fast, and has sharp ears. She just rescued more than thirty little friends. She's not Feng Xiaolu, but she's like Feng Xiaolu in many ways."

"Didn't you already have a plan in mind? Otherwise, why would you have offered your help?"