Hardened!

Wang Lang paid Su Yao no further heed and walked out of the room on his own, heading to the bathroom beside it.

Inside the bathroom stood a dark brown wooden tub nearly as tall as half a person.

The tub was made from exceptionally thick materials, nothing like the ordinary goods commonly sold on the market.

It had been made when Wang Lang was fifteen, when his physique had been rapidly growing more robust and burly.

He had found ordinary bathing tubs far too cramped and uncomfortable to lie in, so he had specially spent some silver.

He had hired the finest old carpenter nearby, who selected premium century-old hemlock and spent several days crafting it.

Its size was enough for him to fully stretch out all four limbs inside, even letting him move and loosen his muscles a little.

Back then, he had still been fairly well-off, far from his current state of not having even a single tael of silver in hand...

It could be said that this wooden tub had witnessed his entire journey from boyhood to youth, from wealth to poverty, and the gradual strengthening of his physique.

Next came fetching water, lighting the fire, and soaking in the bath.

When Wang Lang removed his clothes and stepped into the wooden tub, the little fox, who had been secretly watching his every move,

suddenly covered her eyes with both little paws and let out a short cry. "Ah! Impropriety must not be seen! Impropriety must not be seen!"

Wang Lang submerged himself completely in the hot water and let out a satisfied sigh. "Ah, refreshing!"

Hearing Su Yao's deliberately prim gasp, he could not help but sneer.

"Heh, you're a fox. What do you know about impropriety must not be seen?"

Su Yao lowered her paws and protested stubbornly, "I... how could I not know!"

"I'm a spirit fox who has succeeded in cultivation! A spirit fox!"

As she spoke, her eyes rolled around. Looking at Wang Lang's contented face as he soaked in the enormous tub,

then at the rising steam, her heart began to itch as well.

"Um... Langzi... your tub looks so comfortable."

"It's so big. One more of me wouldn't make a difference, right? Let me soak in it too?"

As she spoke, she cautiously edged toward the tub.

Wang Lang casually stretched out an arm and precisely grabbed Su Yao by the scruff of her neck just as she was about to jump in.

Su Yao flailed her limbs uselessly in midair. "Hey, hey, hey! Let go of me! Let me try it! Just once!"

Wang Lang looked at her expressionlessly, his tone brimming with disdain.

"I'm not used to bathing with a fox. I'm afraid I'll end up covered in fox smell, and it won't wash off."

"Want a bath? Do it yourself. Fetch water and light the fire."

With that, he gave his arm a light flick and tossed the little fox away.

Wang Lang lay back down and closed his eyes to enjoy himself.

Su Yao landed and rolled once before steadying herself. She lowered her head and looked at her paws.

Soft pink pads, slender little claws—they were perfect for acting cute and pouncing on butterflies, but fetching water, carrying firewood, and starting fires like humans did...

Wasn't that plainly making things difficult for her?

After sulking for a moment, she suddenly froze, then smacked her head with a paw.

"Ah, I'm so stupid! I'm a demon! I'm not some ordinary fox that only knows how to use its paws! I have Demon Power!"

At that thought, she immediately perked up and began wandering around the house in search of something.

Before long, she found a wooden basin in a corner, slightly larger than a washbasin. She had no idea what it had originally been used for.

So she copied what Wang Lang had done, using Demon Power to help fetch water and light the fire, and finally got herself a nice, comfortable hot bath as well.

"So comfortable... you humans really know how to enjoy yourselves." Su Yao sighed with narrowed eyes.

Hearing that, Wang Lang casually asked, "You've never soaked in a bath before?"

Su Yao shook her head. "Never."

She sighed, then seemed to discover something and her eyes lit up.

"Langzi, have you always lived alone in this huge manor?"

"Don't you find it boring? I only snuck out because I couldn't stand how boring it was being a fox all alone."

Wang Lang said, "I spend most of my time cultivating, so I naturally got used to it."

Su Yao muttered, "Then besides cultivating, what do you usually do to pass the time?"

Wang Lang said, "Read, fish, clean the manor."

Although Listening Waves Mountain Manor now had only him living in it, maintaining basic cleanliness, pruning flowers and plants, and sweeping the courtyard still took quite a bit of time.

"Read? Are your human books any good? What are they about? Do they have pictures?" Su Yao fired off questions like a string of cannonballs.

"Miscellaneous books. A bit of everything. Very few have pictures."

"Oh... then what about fishing? Is fishing fun?"

"Mm, it's alright."

Listening to Wang Lang's perfunctory answers, Su Yao changed the subject.

"Langzi, is human food all really delicious?"

"Delicious would be overstating it. At most, it has a bit of flavor. There are some stored provisions in the manor. If you're hungry, go find something yourself. Just don't make a mess of the kitchen."

"Really? That's great! What do I want to eat... hmm, roast chicken?"

"I heard Mother say the roast chicken you humans make is incredibly fragrant!"

"..."

"Langzi, when do you think my mother will come looking for me?"

"..."

"Langzi..."

"..."

"Langzi, Langzi!"

"What now?"

"My water seems to have gotten a little cold... could you heat it up for me?"

My fists hardened!