Bai Ye stood at the main entrance, his face grim. The terrifying demonic energy emanating from him was difficult to contain, leaking out and making the entire courtyard feel oppressive and suffocating. Within a radius of several kilometers, the small animals on the ranch all bolted towards the deeper parts of the territory.
The Great Demon King has returned! Everyone run!
The terrifying one is back, it's the end of us…
For a moment, the ranch, which had been relatively quiet for some time, became lively again, filled with the vibrancy of life.
"Woof?"
In the courtyard, Gou Dan, Xiao Fantuan, and a group of dogs, along with the dazed and adorable little girl, were startled and all looked towards the entrance.
Who dared to cause trouble with such audacity?
Upon seeing the familiar, handsome figure at the entrance, and the still-trembling demonic aura, Gou Dan and Xiao Fantuan were stunned.
"Woof? Woof woof!! (Master? Master is back!!!)"
"Awooo!!! (Master, Xiao Fantuan missed you so much!!!)"
Snapping out of their shock, Xiao Fantuan and Gou Dan dropped the delicious golden roasted legs from their mouths and, with oil-smeared faces, excitedly rushed towards Bai Ye.
"Woof woof woof!! (M-Master is back, quickly go greet him!)" Quan Yi and the other dogs also hurriedly got up and rushed over.
However, as he watched the dogs rush towards him with their tongues lolling and heads wagging, especially Gou Dan, Bai Ye reached out and slapped it away.
"Woof?" Gou Dan's massive body was immediately sent flying. He landed by the wall, looking pained and bewildered.
Then, a cacophony of barks erupted, and streaks of grey and black figures flew up, landing on Gou Dan and forming a mountain of dogs.
Xiao Bai obediently wagged its tail by the side, while Xiao Fantuan happily hugged Bai Ye's leg, whimpering.
Bai Ye lowered his head and patted its head. He noticed that the little guy had grown considerably in their short separation, now reaching his thigh, whereas before it barely came up to his knees.
However, seeing his oil-stained pants, Bai Ye's mouth twitched. He reached down and lifted Xiao Fantuan up.
"Xiao Fantuan, have these dogs been badmouthing me often?"
Xiao Fantuan immediately nodded affirmatively. "Ying ying ying! (Gou Dan often says your cooking isn't that good…)"
Gou Dan's eyes widened in panic. He quickly kicked off the dogs on top of him and tried to scramble out.
"Woof woof woof woof woof woof woof! (Master, it's a false accusation! I didn't! I love eating Master's cooking the most…)"
However, a blast of cold ice shot from Bai Ye's hand, striking Gou Dan. It instantly froze into a dog statue, falling to the ground with a thud, only its eyes rolling.
Quan Yi and the others immediately bristled, wagging their tails in fear. "Woof woof woof!! (M-Master, it's none of our business!)"
"Woof woof woof! (We are all your most loyal subordinates, Master!)"
However, Xiao Fantuan, who was being held by Bai Ye, pointed at them with its chubby paws and cried out, "Ying ying ying! (They are lying!)"
Bai Ye casually threw a ball of flame, forming a fiery cage around Quan Yi and the others. Under the terrifying heat, screams and barks echoed throughout the entire courtyard.
"Master!!!"
As Bai Ye was about to set Xiao Fantuan down, a small white figure rushed towards him and leaped up, intending to hug him.
Bai Ye instinctively activated his spatial abilities, and the charging figure was held suspended in mid-air.
Master? Looking at the little loli before him with silver hair, a small round face full of joy, and eyes sparkling like stars, Bai Ye was a little bewildered.
He had been so focused on scolding Gou Dan and the others upon entering that he hadn't paid attention to her presence.
"Master, Master!!! You're finally back!"
The little loli excitedly waved her fair and tender hands and feet. Her bare feet were chubby.
Looking at this dazed and adorable loli, calling him Master with every breath, Bai Ye couldn't quite process it.
"Ying ying!" Xiao Fantuan grabbed Bai Ye's pants and pointed at the little loli in the air, excitedly calling out, "Ying ying ying ying! (Master, this is Sister Lydia!!)"
"Lydia?" Bai Ye was truly shocked. Such a massive serpent had transformed into such a tiny thing?
"Master! It's me, it's me!" Lydia called out happily. Bai Ye slowly set her down on the ground.
As soon as she landed, she leaped onto Bai Ye, clinging to him like a little charm, overjoyed.
"When did you advance to Disaster level?" Bai Ye grabbed her small arm and gently pulled her off him.
"A few days ago!" Lydia chuckled. "Thanks to Gou Dan and Xiao Fantuan giving me some of Master's glucose!"
"Is that so? (﹁﹁)" Bai Ye glanced at Gou Dan, wondering if this dog had too much freedom.
"Master, look quickly, this is the beef I grilled!" Lydia pointed at the beef roasting over the charcoal, a hint of proud satisfaction on her small face. "It's very fragrant and delicious! Does Master want to try it?"
"Ying ying ying!" Xiao Fantuan tugged at Bai Ye's pant leg again, looking very enthusiastic.
"Is that so?"
Seeing Xiao Fantuan, the little glutton, so excited, Bai Ye walked over and sat by the charcoal fire.
"Master, here!" Lydia extended her small, fleshy hand and directly grabbed a handful of steak and offered it to Bai Ye, unfazed by the heat. Her large eyes looked at Bai Ye with immense anticipation.
"Thank you!"
Bai Ye smiled and, using his ice power, conjured a large plate, along with a knife and fork.
"Put it here!"
Looking at the strange cutlery, Lydia's large eyes revealed curiosity. She placed the steak onto the plate.
"Lydia."
"Hmm? Master? ｡◕ᴗ◕｡"
"After transforming into human form, be more graceful from now on, especially you girls."
"Understood, Master!" Lydia nodded her little head quickly, then earnestly asked, "What does graceful mean?"
"It means being elegant. For example, when eating. Like this…"
Bai Ye conjured a set of cutlery for her and then, like a gentleman, demonstrated how to cut a piece of meat with a knife and fork.
"Mmm! It's indeed quite delicious. Lydia's cooking talent is exceptional!"
"Really? That's great!" Upon receiving Bai Ye's affirmation, Lydia jumped up with joy. "Mmm, I'll be more graceful too."
Saying that, she picked up a knife and fork like Bai Ye and cut a piece of beef.
"Ying ying ying!" Xiao Fantuan, who had been wolfing down food, heard Bai Ye's words and immediately put down the large piece of meat in its mouth, crying out with a hint of grievance. It pointed at the cutlery in Lydia's hand, gesturing.
"You want to learn too?" Bai Ye smiled and conjured a set of cutlery for it as well.
"Awooo!!" Xiao Fantuan immediately operated it with excitement. However, with only paws and no hands, it couldn't use them at all. After struggling for a while without managing to eat a single piece of meat, it finally gave up with a huff.
Gou Dan could only watch enviously, drooling with regret. Meanwhile, Quan Yi and the others in the fire cage were still wailing.
Xiao Bai sat quietly by the campfire.
"Master, I learned it, look!!!"
"Mmm! Lydia, you're so smart!"
"Ahaha! Master is praising me! I'm so happy!"
"Lydia?"
"Hmm? Master?"
"Listen, don't call me Master anymore from now on." Bai Ye mused. Having such an adorable little loli call him Master constantly, who knew what outsiders or fans would think?
They would probably call him a pervert!
"Ah? Master doesn't want Lydia anymore?" Lydia immediately became anxious upon hearing this, her big eyes welling up.
"Master, did Lydia do something wrong?"
"No!" Bai Ye quickly explained, "Among humans, in modern society, there is no master-slave relationship."
"From now on, call me Brother!"
After hearing the explanation, Lydia's emotions calmed down a bit, but she still couldn't quite accept it. Bai Ye had to use an authoritative tone, "This is an order."
"O-Okay then!"
Seeing Bai Ye's stern expression, Lydia finally accepted it. "Mas… Brother~ Brother, you won't abandon Lydia anymore, right?" Lydia looked a little scared.
"Of course not!" Bai Ye smiled and assured her.
"That's great! Mas… Brother is so good!" Lydia's small face was filled with a cute, healing smile again.
Xiao Fantuan also waddled over. "Ying ying ying? (Master won't abandon Xiao Fantuan either, right?)"
Bai Ye smiled and patted its little head, assuring it he wouldn't. On the side, Gou Dan watched wistfully, wanting to beg for forgiveness but unable to open its mouth.
During the joyful and pleasant lunch, time slowly approached half-past two in the afternoon.
With a wave of his hand, Bai Ye used his spatial abilities to clean up the trash.
Bai Ye also lifted the punishment for Gou Dan and the others. With a wave of his hand, he said, "Let's go! We'll go to the ranch to check on our adorable little animals."