In terms of fame, Daji and Luya were opposites. The alias 'Daji' was more iconic than 'Nine-tailed Fox,' while Luya's true form, the Three-legged Golden Crow, was more widely known.

Therefore, Duan Jiaze's reaction upon seeing Daji was a little more intense than when he saw Luya.

Logically speaking, Daji had already been executed. However, considering the truth behind the legends and the fact that she was actually a Nine-tailed Fox, her reappearance in the Mortal World didn't seem that strange. It was just that her appearance was rather shocking.

Duan Jiaze was in near disbelief. After a long moment, he managed to squeeze out a sentence: "You, you, you... why do you look like this?"

Although she was very beautiful, no matter how pretty a little girl was, there was still a huge gap between her and the 'Nation-toppling Demonic Concubine' of mortal impression.

Yousu lifted the hem of her pure white dress and said with a very innocent and cute smile, "Isn't this all for Lingyou Zoo's sake? If I used an adult's body, it would be easy to stir up trouble."

The implication was obvious: she was afraid that her stunning beauty and bewitching aura would attract unwanted attention.

If someone else had said this, it might have sounded arrogant, but when she said it, it was simply the truth. She couldn't have been more justified.

"Then is Yousu your real name?" Duan Jiaze asked cautiously.

Yousu replied, "I don't have a name; it's just for the Zoo Director's convenience. Yousu is Daji's clan name, which I borrowed for use—it wouldn't be good to be called Daji again, would it?"

Without comparison, there's no harm. Compared to Luya, Yousu seemed extremely considerate, having even thought of such details.

With such an appearance and an approachable attitude, Yousu didn't make Duan Jiaze feel too much fear, even though he knew she was the Nine-tailed Fox. "Welcome to Lingyou Zoo. You know about our situation here, right? I'll prepare a room and an office for you... they're a bit simple, please don't mind."

Duan Jiaze carefully observed Yousu's expression. He still remembered how Luya had pestered him for a big house a few days ago. He was so afraid Yousu would open her mouth and say something like, "Build me a Deer Terrace."

The Nine-tailed Fox was so easygoing it was almost unimaginable. "I will follow the Zoo Director's arrangements."

Ah, this feeling was too wonderful. Even the Nine-tailed Fox was listening to his arrangements.

Duan Jiaze was feeling euphoric for a moment before Luya pushed him out in disgust. "Arrange for her to be far away from me. She stinks."

Duan Jiaze muttered, "Such a bad temper..."

"Someone unorthodox like me, the Daoist Lord naturally looks down on," Yousu said, shrugging. "He's actually being quite amiable today. Zoo Director, I think it's all thanks to you."

'This is considered amiable?'

On second thought, Duan Jiaze realized Luya did always look like he was holding back. After all, he was bound by the System.

But even while holding back, his temper was bad enough...

Duan Jiaze couldn't help but say with lingering fear, "Right? If he could actually make a move, he would have beaten me to death long ago."

"Hey, wait, I bought something," Duan Jiaze suddenly remembered the clothes he'd bought today and knocked on Luya's door again. "Daoist Lord, I saw you wear the same clothes every day, so I bought you two sets to change into."

Luya showed not a hint of gratitude. Instead, as if he'd been insulted, he roared, "Who changes clothes every day like you of the Human Race! These are transformed from my feathers!"

With a "bang", Duan Jiaze was shut out again.

But Luya had a point. What bird changes the color and style of its feathers every day? That was a human hobby.

"Forget it, forget it. If he doesn't want them, I'll wear them myself." Duan Jiaze couldn't be bothered to exchange the size. A little bigger would be cooler in the summer anyway.

......

After Luya's roar, Duan Jiaze had no choice but to arrange a room for Yousu at the other end of the hallway. Then he took her to see her enclosure. "If you have any needs, I'll do my best to meet them."

Yousu showed no dissatisfaction. "None, it's very nice here."

Duan Jiaze: "Then can I register you as an arctic fox?" For these dispatched animals, the System could help complete all the paperwork, ensuring there were no loopholes.

Yousu also said very smoothly, "Of course."

Yousu being so agreeable moved Duan Jiaze deeply. 'Luya, look at her level of understanding!' Back then, Luya had even demanded to be registered as a National Super First-Class Protected Animal.

Yousu asked casually, "Oh right, you just mentioned a food supply. That would be Xiao Su and Liu Bin, right?"

Duan Jiaze stared at Yousu in terror: "..."

Yousu immediately noticed his expression was off and asked considerately, "What's wrong, am I mistaken?"

Duan Jiaze: "...No, they're official employees. The food is allocated by the System and will be sent to you daily."

'My previous thoughts were truly too naive. The Nine-tailed Fox is still very dangerous!'

Yousu's expression remained normal as she said magnanimously, "Oh, that works too."

Duan Jiaze, his face pale, went over their cover story with Yousu.

From now on, they would tell outsiders that Yousu was Luya's cousin. They were both exceptionally good-looking. Since Duan Jiaze had previously said Yousu was Luya's relative, Xiao Su and the others hadn't been suspicious.

He also briefed Yousu on the zoo's current situation, mainly hoping that after she understood things, she would be a bit more careful during work.

Yousu listened attentively, not at all like Luya when he first arrived, who looked ready to fly into a rage and hurt someone if Duan Jiaze said a few extra words. She waited until Duan Jiaze had finished before speaking, "So, the Zoo Director's only problem right now is being afraid of not having enough visitors?"

Duan Jiaze: "Yeah, I'm currently looking everywhere for those promotional news stories..."

Yousu smiled. "The Zoo Director said some students came here for a free tour. Are there none you can charge? If you sent people to contact more schools, wouldn't that be getting twice the result with half the effort? It's better to spend a little more money to complete the mission."

Yousu grasped the key point at once. If he could really reach agreements with some schools to have their students visit Lingyou Zoo, it would certainly be worth the money.

Duan Jiaze scratched his face. As an ordinary recent college graduate, he wasn't very good at management or making rounds. "Can I try that later? I don't have much experience."

"No rush, you can take your time." Yousu's voice was a crisp, childish tone, yet her manner was serious, without the slightest hint of foxy charm. "Then we can start by working on other aspects. I'll first get a better understanding of the situation here."

Faced with someone so willing to take initiative, Duan Jiaze was deeply moved for a moment. "This must be hard on you. Being an animal is already... you know, and you still have to think of solutions for me."

"It's nothing, we're on the same side," Daji said lightly. "Although we've been assigned to be animals, the boundaries aren't that clear. I can assist you as much as possible. I hope that when the time comes, the Zoo Director will give me a slightly higher score, and also let me regain my freedom sooner."

Duan Jiaze looked bewildered. "What freedom?"

He could understand the scoring mechanism, but he didn't quite get what Yousu meant by "freedom".

"Oh, you don't know?" Yousu's eyes widened a little, and she glanced toward Luya's room.

Duan Jiaze immediately sensed something was wrong. "Aren't you guys volunteers? Here to find joy in helping others? What's this about freedom?"

Yousu said innocently, "Does the Zoo Director think that Daoist Lord Luya, or I, look like the type to find joy in helping others?"

Duan Jiaze: "..."

'...Fuck, she has a point.'

Yousu said with a grin, "Anyway, I just made a small mistake and was assigned to this service as punishment. If you're dissatisfied with me, not only can you give me a bad review, you can even return or exchange me."

Duan Jiaze was shocked.

No wonder the legendary Nine-tailed Fox was so easy to talk to, wasn't picky about anything, and was even eager to give him ideas. It turned out she was sent here as punishment, hoping to get a good review and be done with it. Because the app was newly developed, this function wasn't yet displayed on his client, which was why Duan Jiaze hadn't known.

'...So, what's the deal with Luya's awful attitude?!'

Watching Duan Jiaze's retreating back as he headed for Luya's room, a trace of schadenfreude, completely at odds with her behavior and appearance today, flashed in Yousu's eyes.

......

Duan Jiaze ran to knock on Luya's door again. Luya opened it with a displeased look on his face. He sniffed the air around Duan Jiaze and pinched his nose. "What is it now? You're always bothering this venerable one."

Duan Jiaze: "I just found out that you volunteers have to be graded?"

Luya: "..."

"That damn fox!" Luya knew the Nine-tailed Fox had exposed him and said angrily, "Let me tell you, if you dare to give me a bad review, you're dead! And you're not allowed to return me!"

The Human Realm has been closed off to the other realms for who knows how many years. Coming here was like traveling abroad. Moreover, the missions here were much easier because they were evaluated based on the assisted person's own living environment. Luya really didn't want to be returned.

Besides, he had already suffered so much.

Luya felt quite wronged. "I have to pretend to be an animal for you, like in a circus, and even live in a cage..."

"You're just smitten because the Nine-tailed Fox is pretty. Let me tell you, she's no good person."

"You even listen to her nonsense. Don't you think about what happened to King Zhou of Shang?"

"You people of the Human Race need to get a clue!"

Duan Jiaze: "..."

'Why did he say it in a way that sent a chill down my spine? Am I being compared to King Zhou already?'

Duan Jiaze said speechlessly, "Fine, I won't return you. But you're pretending to be an animal, and I've been pretending to be your grandson! Bro, can you be a little more sincere? And you call yourself a volunteer... It wasn't until Yousu reminded me that I remembered there's no way you're the type to find joy in helping others..."

Luya: "..."

Luya flew into a rage from shame and anger. "Does this venerable one not find joy in helping others?"

"You helped, sure, but you don't seem very joyful about it," Duan Jiaze said, then suddenly asked gossipily, "I heard you guys only have to do volunteer service because you made a mistake. What did you do?"

Luya's face darkened. "Get out! Get out! If you don't get out now, I'll eat you!"