The overlord of the gods is interrogating the alien female spy.

　Looking at the shapeshifter dressed in the Nine-Colored Deer costume and transformed into the Nine-Colored Deer, Chen Lingxu gently pointed, and the small algae ball that had turned into a cream block slid down.

　The basin was dragged aside by the Qilin's tail to make room. The free hand no longer held the source stone, but instead grabbed the pair of white jade-based, amber-tipped antlers of the 'Nine-Colored Deer' that Chen Lingxu had been curious about and wanted to try out.

　"Hmm...not bad. This way, it has a unique flavor."

　The shapeshifter listened speechlessly to his master's shameless words, then slipped to the side and started sipping his soy milk.

　"..."

　The nine-colored deer faintly heard the sound of water.

　The rain is really heavy... She's already taken a nap and it still hasn't stopped.

　Am I going to have to stay at this inn today?

　That would mean troubling Ah Xu again... That wouldn't be good. If he really can't leave, we should contribute some money; we can't let him always spend all the money. And there's the bed too.

　Sleeping on a straw mat is uncomfortable; he should sleep in the bed. She's already slept one night, so whether it's a straw mat or sitting in a chair, it's her turn.

　Okay, I'll talk to him about it later.

　Just as the Nine-Colored Deer was thinking about these things, it heard a vague conversation.

　"Is it a hit or not?"

　"No, that won't work..."

　"You failed, you failed? Now is it okay or not?"

　"It's working! It's working!"

　Although the conversation was tinged with some accents, Nine-Colored Deer wasn't completely ignorant. How could someone studying medicine not be familiar with these aspects? Besides, she had seen the small animals in the mountains and forests in spring... In short, it turned out it wasn't raining after all.

　That...that must be...

　Ah Xu and... Zhao Girl?

　So that's how they were... Well, Ah Xu looks so healthy and energetic... and Zao is very cute too.

　Nine-Colored Deer knew that some scions of powerful families did keep pageboys and maids to relieve stress, but this was the first time she had ever seen it... She decided not to open her eyes to avoid embarrassment.

　But she couldn't even turn over to pretend to hide... She slept quietly all night and then suddenly turned over; even this idiot could tell she was pretending to be asleep.

　"Does the master think I'm Miss Deer? He's really rough tonight, you've pinched me all red."

　After a while, things seemed to calm down, but the conversation made it even harder for the Nine-Colored Deer to sleep.

　What do you mean by "mistaking her for her"?

　"Oh? Little algae ball, are you jealous?"

　No rebuttal? Why... no rebuttal? Could it be...?

　The Nine-Colored Deer recalled those past events.

　Was the kindness he showed her from the very beginning...with ulterior motives?

　"Of course, Miss Lu is so beautiful, isn't she exactly the kind of girl Master likes? The fact that he's been so kind to her today makes me, Tong'er, feel sad."

　It's exactly what he likes...

　The Nine-Colored Deer's feelings became as complicated as a whirlpool.

　Firstly, her new friend harbored ulterior motives towards her and wasn't genuinely kind to her... On the other hand, she also thought that all the kindness was heartfelt...

　"Hehe. Little Algae Ball, you've been with me for so long, don't you know that I treat all kind people the same? Liking someone is one thing, and everyone loves beauty, but if she's not truly kind-hearted, no matter how beautiful she is, I still won't like her."

　"It is precisely because of her kindness that I was attracted to her. I admire her, which is why I wanted to help her."

　Is that so...? It's because he admires her that he's nice to her, not because of her beauty... Oh, that's wonderful.

　She knew then that she hadn't made a mistake in making this friend.

　The nine-colored deer quietly raised its toes, and even though it was 'asleep', it couldn't help but smile.

　"..."

　The shapeshifter looked up slightly at the little deer girl on the bed and nudged her Qilin master.

　Sigh, she's clearly not an ordinary person, yet she acts like a naive, inexperienced young girl... so easily manipulated. Who knows how she'll end up inseparable from this Qilin in the future?

　Chapter 46 The Moon Through the Ages... Shall we make a date?

　"How did you sleep, Lulu?"

　The nine-colored deer slept again in the middle of the night, still half asleep.

　When I woke up, it was really raining outside the window this time.

　She looked at the man sitting by the window, feeling as if she were dreaming, the sound of rain still lingering in her ears...

　"It's... well, very good."

　But let's not talk about that kind of thing.

　The nine-colored deer sat up, its two tender, bamboo shoot-like hooves dangling in the air beneath its gauze skirt.

　After several swipes, her toes, which looked like white pearls, finally managed to steady the slippers that were tilting and leaning.

　"What's wrong, Ah Xu?"

　The sleepy little deer tilted her head and looked at the Qilin who suddenly picked up a cup of tea. Was she looking a little sloppy?

　"I've been curious about this for a while."

　Chen Lingxu used the act of drinking tea to suppress his appetite and steered the conversation away from the topic.

　"What's going on?"

　The nine-colored deer stood up, bent over to tidy the bed, and stood up with its ears perked up to listen to his words.

　"Won't Lulu's feet get cold in these shoes?"

　"...Yes, there will be some. I also brought other clothes."

　Upon hearing the inquiry, the Nine-Colored Deer belatedly realized that her clothes did indeed look rather thin, and considering how 'helpful' this person was, she wanted to reassure him. Although she didn't have much money, she still had a winter coat. And if things really got too tough, she could use magic to ward off the cold and heat.

　"Is that so? Speaking of which, I happen to have a set of clothes that a friend gave me, but I don't have any female friends. Since I've run into Lulu, why not take advantage of this and give it to her?"

　"Oh? How could I possibly accept this? I've already received so much help from you, how could I possibly take clothes? As for Miss Zao..."

　“That dress is just sitting there unworn. The size is way too big for Xiaozaoqiu, she can’t wear it. It’s just sitting there unused, I might forget where I put it at any time. It’s better to make good use of it. Good clothes need to be worn by a beautiful woman so as not to waste the weaver’s good intentions.”

　"Ugh...beautiful woman...that's too exaggerated."

　The Nine-Colored Deer recalled the words it had heard last night.

　Appreciate it, like it... and so on.

　She stole another glance at him, and the light shining in Qilin's peculiar eyes made her feel as if she were on a sunny day, with the sun's warmth radiating from her body, and her slightly chilly feet felt much warmer.

　"LuLu, try it out first. If it doesn't suit you, I'll look around some more. Don't refuse, or I'll get angry."

　"OK then."

　After trying it on, he still said it wasn't suitable... After all, it was a gift from his friend, so how could he accept it?

　Nine-Colored Deer pondered this, then saw the man take out a complete set of clothes from the package.

　Coats, long brocade dresses, belts, and ornaments are all available.

　The long skirt seemed to be woven from brocade, gauze, and silk, and its color was the same as the man's, a dark black. However, it had more patterns and colors, including gold thread sun and star patterns, indigo water patterns, and white and orange cloud patterns.

　"There's also a plain white silk shirt, Lulu, try it on first."

　"it is good."

　The nine-colored deer accepted the clothes, and the man turned around in compliance, behaving very gentlemanly.

　The clothes were very clean and had a faint scent of incense. The Nine-Colored Deer sniffed them and recognized the scent as orchid.

　The tulle skirt was removed, the strapless top was pulled away, and the silk blouse felt smooth and very soft against the skin.

　Wearing a long, dark dress, the two floral patterns on the neckline align perfectly. A belt, threaded through a buckle, cinches her waist, and a coat draped over her shoulders, instantly dispelling the chill of the rainy day.

　This dress is very comfortable and fits her perfectly, as if it were made just for her.

　"Ah Xu, I've changed. What do you think?"

　Turning around, the newly transformed deer came into view.

　If the gauze dress she wore gave her an ethereal, otherworldly air, then this brocade robe was like gilding a clay Buddha statue, dispelling the otherworldly aura and adding a touch of earthly life.

　"Huh? Ah Xu... is it... not pretty?"

　The man frowned and approached step by step. Nine-Colored Deer, wearing sandals, fidgeted with her fingertips resting on her waist and awkwardly tucked her hair behind her ear, trying to ease her nervousness with this small gesture.

　"LuLu, don't move."

　The man's face drew closer, his breath brushing against her fair chin and sliding down her throat, bringing a ticklish sensation. His hand rose, gently lifting the delicate, tofu-like ear that clung to her left side.

　"Ugh... It's so cool."

　A slightly cool, metallic touch was pressed against his ears, and Nine-Colored Deer felt his ears become a little heavier, probably because he had put some kind of earring on them.

　"Well, that's perfect."

　Two golden threads, one long and one short, were hung near the ears of the nine-colored deer. Only then was the final layer of gilding completed, making it perfect.

　Does this look good?

　"Of course it looks good. But it's not over yet, Lulu, sit down."

　"Ah good."

　Nine-Colored Deer reluctantly sat down on the edge of the bed, following his fingertips. Before she could react, the man in front of her was already squatting down, grasping a delicate little deer hoof, and with his other hand he pulled out a pair of shoes made of some kind of animal hide.

　"babble……"

　A burning sensation came from the soles of his feet, and his palms were hotter than hot soup. His small, crescent-shaped foot involuntarily curled up, which almost made the Nine-Colored Deer let out a soft moan.

　Deng, Deng Tu Zi...

　That would be considered lewd.

　But when she looked down, Nine-Colored Deer saw his face, which was so serious and earnest. It was as if he wasn't a pervert who would grab a girl's foot without permission, but an expert who was examining a precious antique or jade.

　Don't stare at her feet so intently... it's embarrassing.

　The nine-colored deer wanted to say something, raising and lowering its hand by its ear, but it couldn't utter a word.

　"LuLu has an orchid fragrance, it smells wonderful."

　“…A-Xu…no, don’t say that.”

　This is more like harassment... but he acted as if it were perfectly normal, as if she really did have a fragrance on her, and he just said it because he smelled it, leaving Nine-Colored Deer with no reason to blame him.

　It must be the lingering scent of incense on her clothes; there's no strange smell on her at all.

　"LuLu is so modest, she's clearly more like a piece of milk cake..."

　"Ah Xu... if you keep doing this, if you keep doing this... I, I'll get angry too."

　Nine-Colored Deer lowered her voice, feigning embarrassment and anger, urging him to shut up. What milk cake? What orchid fragrance? Next time, will she say something like, "I really want to try it?"

　"Haha, okay, I'll put the shoes on Lulu right now. Lulu, don't be mad at me."

　Actually... she won't get angry.

　Feeling the solid texture of her toes pressing against the shoe, and seeing the man in front of her looking like he had accomplished something, Nine-Colored Deer's hand inexplicably touched his hair.

　It's soft, fluffy, and smooth...it feels really nice to touch.

　"How does it feel?"

　Just as she was thinking this, she looked down and saw that Qilin was staring at her. After they made eye contact, Qilin asked her a question.

　"Ah... excuse me, Ah Xu. I didn't mean to!"

　The Nine-Colored Deer hurriedly withdrew its hand and apologized to him with a face full of shame.

　A woman's waist and a man's head should not be touched lightly. This is closely related to politeness and dignity. She touched his hair without permission... If this is investigated, it could lead to a big argument, or even turn them into enemies.

　"It's okay, we're not strangers. Lulu, feel free to pet me as much as you like. Also, let me tell you a secret: I'm a Qilin, touching me will bring you good luck."

　"……Really?"

　Seeing that he didn't mind, and that he had taken her hand and placed it on her hair, Nine-Colored Deer recalled the feeling from before, gently rubbed it a couple of times, and became very curious about what he was saying.