Compared to the master who likes to wear flowing Taoist robes and run around everywhere, Granny Camphor Tree who walks like a ghost and talks like a wandering spirit, and Comrade Mo Bao who has picturesque features but skin so pale it seems eerily ghostly, the landlord who suddenly appeared among them was indeed so normal that he couldn't be any more normal.

With the contrast provided by the others, his usually slightly devilish appearance and temperament were no longer so obvious. Walking from afar, except for looking a bit lazy, he was almost like a refined white-collar worker coming out of some high-end office building.

It's just that those white-collar workers wear crisp suits with a natural aura of abstinence, while as for this guy... hehe! Su Kun gave a dry laugh, inexplicably thinking of the massage stick he once found in a cabinet..._(: з」∠)_

But Su Kun forgot one thing, that is, sometimes, the one who looks the most normal when mixed in a group of abnormal people may very well be the most bizarre one. Just like how in novels, the supreme masters often have their inner strength undetected by others, or how thousand-year-old demons can often disguise themselves to be no different from ordinary people.

He looked at the few people who walked to the front of the store, mouth agape, face full of surprise.

The landlord seemed to find his expression interesting, nodded at him, and said with a smile that was not quite a smile: "Morning."

Su Kun looked back and forth between him and the others several times, finally saying dumbfoundedly: "You actually know each other?! How amazing!"

"I just got back to Li City this morning and ran into them on the road." The landlord stood outside the sales window, lightly tapping his fingers on the windowsill, and said, "Hearing them say that you happen to be opening today, I came to take a look. No matter what, I did put in some effort, so it would be inexcusable not to come support you."

He seemed to be in a very good mood today, with a hint of a smile always hidden in the corners of his upturned eyes.

However, the landlord's words were a bit obscure. In any case, after listening, Su Kun still didn't understand why he would know this group of people like the old lady.

He subconsciously glanced at the few people behind the landlord, but found that the old lady and the master seemed to give the landlord a speechless look. Upon meeting Su Kun's gaze, they both put their hands behind their backs and looked up at the sky. Comrade Mo Bao smiled at him and said good morning.

Su Kun was even more confused: Did these people eat something bad? Running here early in the morning to act mysterious... =_=

Beside him, Gu Yan sized up the landlord, then seemed to think of something. With a deadpan face, the corners of his mouth twitched imperceptibly a couple of times.

The landlord looked back at the number of people, then lazily waved a palm at Su Kun and said, "Come, five cups of milk tea. As for flavors... just pick a few of the more popular ones."

Su Kun dug his ears. "What did you say?"

"I said I want five cups of milk tea." The landlord propped his elbow on the store counter, bent his right index finger, and tapped it on the drink menu a couple of times.

Su Kun had a face like he'd been struck by lightning. He swept his gaze over the group of people—whether it was the half-immortal half-ghostly Comrade Mo Bao, or the smiling, wrinkled, and rather thin old lady and master, none of them looked like they would stand at the store entrance holding a milk tea cup and sucking on the straw. Could that image be any more incongruous?!

But the landlord's expression didn't seem to be joking, and the others showed no intention of refuting him. So, Su Kun twitched his mouth and said, "Alright, wait a moment."

Only Su Kun had received training. Gu Yan had no idea how to make this kind of beverage at all, so he could only stand to the side, helping Su Kun pour tea, hand over measuring cups, and so on. Su Kun's movements in brewing the tea were quite skilled, and his speed was also very fast. After a short while, he had lined up five cups of prepared milk tea on the windowsill. Since the landlord had no specific requirements, he picked five flavors from the menu, one flavor per cup, without repeating any, taking the opportunity to practice his skills.

The landlord picked up a cup, the corners of his mouth curled in a smile. He turned around and beckoned to the boy who looked about ten years old, saying, "Little Stone, come, this cup is for you."

The master jumped up and down with an "I knew it" expression. "I've told you eight hundred times, his name is Stone, not Little Stone. You've been teasing my disciple from when he was three until thirteen. Don't you ever get tired of it?!"

"When Little Stone grows up, he will naturally be Stone. It won't be too late for me to change how I address him after he turns eighteen." As the landlord spoke, he handed the cup of milk tea to the little disciple called Stone. Then, without waiting for a response, he stuffed a cup into everyone else's hands as well. Then, from somewhere, he took out some money and handed it to Su Kun.

Su Kun twitched his mouth and kept waving his hands. "How can I take money from you all?"

The landlord disapprovingly said, "You must accept the first income after opening, otherwise you won't make money all year."

Su Kun: "..." Did you come to support me or to curse me?!

Under the pressure of losing money for a whole year, Su Kun tremblingly took the money and stuffed it into the cash register.

He had just torn off the receipt when he looked up and saw the landlord pick up the last remaining cup of milk tea on the counter and stuff it into the little disciple's hand, saying, "This cup of mine is my treat for you too."

Little Disciple: "..."

Seeing this, the Granny Camphor Tree also toddled over with small steps, smilingly took the little disciple's hand, stuffed the milk tea in her hand into his arms, patted it, and said, "I drank a lot of water this morning. Plants will rot if they have too much water, you know. So I'll let you have this one too."

Little Disciple: "..."

Comrade Mo Bao, who was holding milk tea with a helpless expression, saw this, coughed, and also stuffed his milk tea into the little disciple's arms. "Much obliged."

Little Disciple: "..."

The master glared at the three of them. After a moment's hesitation, he also stroked his beard with a righteous face and stuffed his own milk tea to the little disciple, saying, "You take care of Master's cup as well."

The little disciple, who had never spoken, was silent for a while. Then, in a hoarse voice that was changing, he solemnly looked at the master and said, "M-Master, if I'm stuffed to death, will you b-bury me?"

The master disdainfully said, "I didn't see you getting stuffed to death yesterday when you were hugging the wooden bucket and eating."

"I ate f-five steamed buns this m-morning. They'll expand if I drink w-water."

Master: "..."

Su Kun, who was listening in the store, almost twisted his mouth from twitching. He was just about to pull Gu Yan aside to make a few comments when he saw the landlord smilingly turn his face over.

Based on the few times Su Kun had interacted with the landlord before, most of the time he was lazy and sluggish, too lazy to move or speak, even when looking at people he would only lift his eyelids halfway. When he found something interesting, at most he would curl up the corner of his lips. Rarely was he like today, with a smile in his eyes and on his lips.

"You seem to be in a particularly good mood today," Su Kun couldn't help but say.

"Of course!" Before the landlord could open his mouth, Granny Camphor interjected beside him, "His sweetheart will be taking form in a few more days. He's holding it in out here, but when he gets home, his mouth will probably be sore from smiling."

Su Kun chuckled a couple of times, "For someone like him, there are times when his mouth gets sore from smiling... wait a minute!"

Gu Yan looked at him with some exasperation: He had focused on the wrong point again.

"What does 'sweetheart' mean?!" Su Kun felt like a door to a new world was slowly opening in front of him. "Why does this story sound a bit familiar!! Is it what I think it is?"

"It seems so," the master looked at him with a face full of regret.

Pointing at the landlord with trembling fingers, Su Kun opened his mouth wide and after a long while, weakly said, "You, you're that weirdo who's growing a sweetheart?"

The landlord selectively ignored the adjective "weirdo" and said, "Mm, I captured his soul over 500 years ago and kept it in an ancient pine tree."

Su Kun took another cold breath, "Over 500 years ago?! ...Then what are you?"

Granny Camphor said, "Can't you sense the fox spirit aura in his every move?"

Su Kun slowly turned his face to look at her, "I thought he was just lazy..."

Thinking along the lines that the landlord was in cahoots with them, Su Kun suddenly connected some previous events--

When he and the landlord were discussing the milk tea shop at the S University cafe, the landlord had already noticed something amiss with the red bean paste shop, but didn't say it directly, only reminding him not to rush to rent. Later, when he and Zhang Fuquan encountered the infant spirit on the street, Granny Camphor Tree had also appeared. At that time, she was muttering something about that fox who deserved to be skinned and dumping things on her...

The landlord had told Granny Camphor Tree and the others about Zhang Fuquan's matter early on, so they were able to rush to the police station in time to take him out later...

"Then--" Su Kun thought for a moment and asked, "Why did you suddenly come to my place that time?" The landlord had rented the house to him for two years and had never visited. Even if there was something, he would ask to meet outside. That time was really a bit out of the ordinary.

The landlord pointed to Gu Yan standing beside him, "Little Zhang told me that the infant spirit was directly swallowed by a little ghost with a very heavy murderous aura, and that little ghost was following you, so I went to take a look."

Su Kun blinked a couple of times, "Who is Little Zhang?"

"Her," the landlord tilted his chin to the side. Su Kun looked in the direction he indicated and saw Granny Camphor Tree smiling with her eyes narrowed into slits, her face full of wrinkles as she looked at him.

Su Kun: "..." Calling an old lady Little Zhang, don't you feel bad, Landlord!

The landlord seemed to see what he was thinking, curved his eyes, and raised a finger, "I'm over 1,700 years old."

Su Kun rolled his eyes and collapsed on Gu Yan's shoulder.

Gu Yan: "..."

"Wait!" Su Kun pouted for a moment, then sprang up again, stood up straight and asked the landlord, "What did you want to do when you came to my house to see him?"

"Originally, I planned to take him directly to the underworld to Bai Wuchang--" Seeing Su Kun's face suddenly tighten, the landlord smiled and said, "But when I saw it was him, I dismissed that idea."

Su Kun was confused, "What do you mean when you saw it was him?"

Gu Yan frowned slightly and asked the key point, "You know me?"

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This is to make up for yesterday~ I'll continue writing the second update, but it will probably be posted around 1 or 2 AM~~ You can come read it tomorrow~~ ╭(╯3╰)╮