Chapter 58: Narcissus Is a Little Fool

“Do you have a name?” Qin Xuan glanced at her a few more times, steadied his thoughts, and asked. This beauty was simply too tempting—even he couldn’t help but sneak several extra glances. No wonder those two young Taoists were so eager to catch her.

“Yes. My name is Narcissus,” she replied, head lowered.

“Why are you lowering your head again? Don’t be so shy. My name is Qin Xuan. From now on, just call me by my name, not ‘master.’ And stop referring to yourself as a servant—it makes me uncomfortable.”

Qin Xuan felt a bit conflicted.

“Yes, Master, I understand.”

Narcissus still spoke with her head down.

“…”

Qin Xuan was at a loss for words.

“All right, if you can’t change how you speak, do as you wish. Narcissus, how long have you been at this villa?”

“Six months.”

“When did you gain the ability to take human form?”

“Just… just now…” Narcissus’s face flushed crimson.

“Your lying skills are terrible—your face is so red.”

Qin Xuan found it amusing. Just now gained the ability to take human form? Then how did she arrive at the villa six months ago? A flower spirit can't travel far without a human form. This flower demon was really quite dim-witted.

“I won’t dare lie to you again, Master…” Narcissus apologized hastily, realizing she’d been found out.

Qin Xuan smiled and didn’t mind it. “All right, let’s leave it at that. Just now, there were two young Taoists outside the villa—were they after you?”

At the mention of this, Narcissus’s expression changed.

“Master, are they still there?”

“I drove them off, but they might come back… Tell me, how did you get involved with them?”

“I went out to collect herbs and accidentally ran into them. When I saw they wanted to catch me, I hurried back…” Narcissus still seemed frightened, clearly shaken by the ordeal.

Qin Xuan frowned. “Collecting herbs? So you planted all those medicinal plants in the back garden?”

“Yes. If Master doesn’t want them, I’ll pull them all out…” Narcissus replied anxiously.

“All right, it’s fine. Keep tending to them. But if you need any herbs, let me know and I’ll buy them for you. Don’t go out on your own—you're too pretty, it’s dangerous.”

“Really?” Narcissus looked pleasantly surprised.

“Of course. Why would I lie? Now, Narcissus, since you’re living here, why not become the villa’s housekeeper? How does that sound?”

“Housekeeper?” Narcissus blinked, puzzled.

“Uh, it just means helping with things like cooking and making tea,” Qin Xuan explained.

“Huh?” Narcissus was stunned. Wasn’t that just a maid? So-called ‘housekeeper’ was just a fancy name.

“Since you’re staying here under my protection, you can’t just live here for free, can you?”

“Oh. But I’m not very smart… I don’t know how to cook…” Narcissus said fearfully, worried she’d be kicked out if she couldn’t cook.

“That’s fine, you can learn. I’ll have someone get some cookbooks right away.”

Qin Xuan pulled out his phone and called Liu Qianqian. “Where are you?”

“Oh, Xiao Qin Xuan, why are you calling me?” came her cheerful reply.

“If you’re still at Tenglong International, bring back some cookbooks for me.”

“Cookbooks? Are you planning to learn how to cook? Great! Then we won’t have to go out for buns so early anymore!” Liu Qianqian cheered.

“Something like that. Bring back at least five books, don’t forget.”

“All right, don’t worry!” Liu Qianqian hung up excitedly.

“Okay, you’ll start learning tomorrow. Breakfast and dinner… Hmm, lunch isn’t necessary for now,” Qin Xuan instructed.

“All right, Master. Was that just now the lady of the house? If she finds out about me, will she dislike me?” Narcissus asked anxiously.

“Uh, no, she’s not the lady of the house, just my tenant. She’s a good person—if you get to know her, you might become friends.”

“Oh? I wouldn’t dare… Please don’t tell her about me, Master—I’m afraid I’ll cause you trouble…” Narcissus shook her head vigorously.

Though she was a demon, she’d heard about certain things in the human world. Many families were torn apart by mistresses, and now her own situation looked suspiciously like that. If the lady of the house found out, she’d surely be angry. That didn’t matter, but if Narcissus was thrown out of the villa and lost the protection of the barriers, her fate would be just as tragic as her sister’s. She had to survive and seek revenge for her sister!

“All right, that’s fine. But make sure you’ve prepared the meals ahead of time,” Qin Xuan said.

He thought to himself that Liu Qianqian was fearless and loved chaos. Tomorrow, Dongfang Qingwan would be moving in—two beauties under one roof would be enough to worry about. If he added a beautiful demon girl to the mix, trouble would surely follow. It was best to keep Narcissus’s existence a secret for now…

“Angelica root, bezoar, poria… so many herbs.”

Qin Xuan went to the back garden to investigate and discovered that half the garden was now filled with medicinal plants. He couldn’t help but laugh. “Narcissus, are you planning to open a pharmacy?”

“Ah? Um…” Narcissus shook her head in confusion, then nodded quickly, blushing.

“What are you growing all these for?” Qin Xuan asked, amused by her flushed cheeks.

“I just… I just thought it was fun…” Narcissus’s face turned even redder.

Qin Xuan could tell she was lying, but didn’t pursue it. “Don’t worry, I won’t interfere. Just don’t do anything that could harm others, or I won’t be merciful. Understood?”

“Yes, I understand…” Narcissus nodded repeatedly.

“And remember, don’t go out so casually in the future. If you’re caught, I might not be able to save you,” Qin Xuan reminded her again.

“Thank you for your concern, Master…” Narcissus lowered her head.

“All right, stay here. Looks like that girl is back.” Qin Xuan heard movement at the front gate and knew Liu Qianqian was probably returning.

Narcissus quickly darted aside and, in a flash, transformed into a little white flower.

Watching Qin Xuan’s departing figure, Narcissus felt torn.

He doesn’t seem like a bad person… Can I trust him? No… What if I’m deceived like my sister was? Humans are crafty and untrustworthy… But if I don’t seek help, how will I avenge my sister…

As she thought, Narcissus couldn’t help but start crying. A few sparkling droplets fell from the little white flower, shining under the moonlight—beautiful beyond words.

…

“Come on! Girl, you don’t have to be so dramatic, do you?” Qin Xuan stared at the villa’s entrance, watching Liu Qianqian, dressed in red, continuously unloading shopping bags from a taxi’s trunk. He felt as if the sky was collapsing.

“Hey, Xiao Qin Xuan, it’s just a few clothes—no need to be so dramatic!” Liu Qianqian said indignantly, tossing her bank card to Qin Xuan and continuing to haul her things out of the taxi.

The cab driver—a middle-aged man—looked on, a hint of disdain in his eyes. To him, this man in a black robe was an obvious rich kid, and the beauty in red was probably his kept woman. Still, this was an absurd amount of clothing—enough to fill a car.

Catching sight of Qin Xuan’s pained expression, the driver felt a touch of schadenfreude. Serves you right for flaunting your wealth and handing her your card. Now you’re in for it! So many clothes, several designer pieces among them—a quick estimate put the bill at least in the tens of thousands…