That afternoon, Henry Foster ran out, having been busy all morning, and only then did he hurry back to the window outside the main hall where she usually rested. Peeking his head in, he saw the little girl sitting cross-legged on the couch, breathing in and out with surprising seriousness. The small figure was surrounded by wisps of spiritual energy, faintly swirling around her, intertwining in threads, as if manifesting some divine art—truly an enviable sight!

"So this is immortal magic..."

Henry Foster watched, feeling a surge of excitement. If he could learn this and perform it every day, who in Niutou Village would dare not respect him?

But this little girl was hard to deal with, forcing him to bring out his trump card!

Looking at the bamboo basket in his hand, Henry Foster couldn't help but feel a bit smug...

"With the skills of Master Henry Foster, I still can't handle a little girl like you?"

Chapter Five: The True Canon of Nine Spirits

"Henry Foster gege..."

Little Lily sensed someone approaching, so she withdrew her inner breath and looked out the window, giving a faint smile.

"Mudfish, come here..."

Henry Foster beckoned to her mysteriously from outside the window.

Little Lily jumped off the bed and ran up to Henry Foster. "Are we catching pebbles today?"

Henry Foster scoffed, "Only fools play that game. We're not playing it!"

Little Lily said, "But haven't you always played it with me before?"

Henry Foster replied, "...Because you're a fool!"

As he spoke, he pulled Little Lily along, mysteriously running to the back of the manor, into the woodshed. There, a bamboo basket was buried under a pile of weeds. Henry Foster carried the basket over, presenting it to Little Lily as if showing off a treasure, and with a mischievous grin, he lifted the weeds on top. Little Lily's curious expression instantly turned to delight.

Under the pile of weeds, a cluster of fluffy wild rabbits huddled together, having just shed their downy fur, shivering and squeezing close for warmth. Henry Foster said proudly, "I spent the whole morning catching these. Aren't they fun?"

Little Lily carefully poked a little rabbit with her finger, her face beaming with joy. "They're fun!"

Henry Foster grabbed one and stuffed it into her arms. "Then have fun with them!"

With that, he squatted to the side, watching Little Lily cuddle the little rabbits, making nests for them, pulling grass for them, and giving each one a name. Her usually wooden face became lively, her smile never fading—she truly couldn't put them down.

Henry Foster watched her with a satisfied smile, feeling quite pleased himself.

After a while, sensing the time was right and that the green-robed maid and old nanny were already tending to their injuries, he grinned and asked Little Lily, "Are they fun?"

Little Lily nodded vigorously. "They're fun!"

Henry Foster laughed, "Not only are they fun, they're tasty too. Should we braise them or stir-fry them?"

"..."

Little Lily was completely stunned, staring blankly at Henry Foster.

Henry Foster grinned, "Roasting is good too, sprinkle some pepper on top—delicious!"

Little Lily's face gradually showed a look of horror. "Wh...why do you want to eat the bunnies?"

Henry Foster said, "Because they're tasty!"

Little Lily cried, "But the bunnies are so cute..."

Henry Foster replied, "That's why they're tasty..."

As he spoke, he reached out to grab a rabbit. Little Lily instinctively tried to hide them behind her. Henry Foster didn't really try to take them, just scratched his head helplessly. "Hey, what are you hiding them for? Sister Qing and the old nanny asked me to take care of you. A few days ago when I roasted grasshoppers for you, you liked them a lot, didn't you? I'm doing this for your own good—I'm going to make my specialty, roast rabbit, for you..."

Little Lily wasn't good at forcefully keeping things for herself, she just kept saying, "No... can we not eat the bunnies?"

Henry Foster put on a stern face. "The old ladies in the village are unreasonable, and now you, little girl, are being unreasonable too. Aren't these rabbits mine?"

Little Lily hesitantly nodded.

Henry Foster said, "Since they're my rabbits, why can't I roast them?"

Little Lily lowered her head, unwilling to let go.

"Not eating the rabbits is fine too..."

Henry Foster narrowed his eyes, deliberately drawing out his words.

Little Lily looked up in surprise.

Henry Foster pretended to be generous. "These rabbits are mine, so of course I can eat them if I want. But if they were yours, then I couldn't eat them. However, I caught these rabbits, so if you want them, you'll have to trade something for them..."

Little Lily quickly took off a jade pendant with a luan pattern from her waist and handed it straight to Henry Foster.

Henry Foster took it casually and shook his head. "This worthless stone can only trade for one rabbit. There are still several left..."

Little Lily hesitated, lowering her head.

Henry Foster was full of pride, lowering his voice, "I'll take a loss—if you teach me your family's immortal arts, I'll give you all these rabbits. How about it?"

Upon hearing this, Little Lily immediately hesitated, unable to answer for a long time.

Henry Foster was smug and unhurried, looking as calm as ever.

No one knew how long the little girl struggled in her heart, or how much courage she had to muster. Looking at the adorable little rabbits in her arms, she finally nodded.