Perfumed balm

Meanwhile, in the corridors of the Plane Administration Bureau, a row of ice sculptures emitted waves of chilling air. Their raw materials were none other than the administrators from the last dereliction of duty in Plane 103.

Every time the groups of Heavenly Laws from various planes passed by, they felt as if they were monkeys treading on thin ice.

Though the newly appointed director by the Lord God rarely appeared in person, his hands-on, silent style left everyone uneasy, wary of slacking off.

Yet the recently overhauled 103 Heavenly Law team was as carefree as if they belonged to a retirement department.

Everyone was astonished—this shouldn't be happening!

The Bureau's function was to ensure the stability of all planes, usually requiring only respect for each plane's operational rules.

But the Spirit World was famously full of troublemakers. As in the last incident, without intervention, calculations showed it would soon devolve into a chaotic war across all planes.

Occasionally, a powerful demon or Taoist would cultivate bitterly and, if successful, ascend to challenge the Heavenly Law itself. If they failed, they'd turn dark, dragging the whole world down with them—collapse index permanently in the red.

In short, the Heavenly Law group and the plane's beings always suffered a round of calamity.

Yet the 103 group remained so leisurely, it was as if they'd abandoned all caution in madness.

"You’re the mad one," retorted the 103 group’s representative, rolling their eyes and pointing a thumb at the light screen behind with a smug hum. "See? The times have changed."

The demon mountain, thick with spiritual energy, was peaceful and serene. When the white mist cleared, a line of demon cubs queued up—some carrying little baskets, some small bamboo crates, their big tails swaying as they traveled along mountain trails deep in the woods.

If they encountered a blocking great demon, the leading fox cub would swing its basket, and the other would quickly give way.

The cubs frolicked in the mid-mountain flower clusters, rolling about, then ran to their baskets to shake out their fur, countless tiny mountain flowers fluttering down.

Once they’d gathered enough, they’d race to the mountaintop, choose the sunniest and flattest stone, lay out all the flowers to select the best, then, tails cocked, lay beside it to slowly pluck the stems.

Was this some kind of rural idyll—a record of demons farming together?

The tranquil scene left everyone dumbfounded. "How can this be?"

The 103 administrator shrugged. "These days the fox cubs are busy wrangling other demon spirits into work, so they haven’t time to tease mortals. There are far fewer conflicts."

Even the most turbulent demon mountain was now calm, the whole plane enjoying a massive reduction in trouble.

Some were envious, curious, "What are they doing with all those flowers?"

The 103 administrator shook their head. "No idea."

As long as it saps the demons’ exuberant energy, it’s good enough!

The fox cubs had no idea that, above the vault of heaven, a group of working Heavenly Laws watched and discussed them.

Focused on their flower selection atop the stones, they followed ancient recipes to make fragrance balm, bringing thirty small porcelain jars to Ning Zhixia.

"Well? Does our product pass?" The fox cubs twisted their fingers, gazing eagerly at the quality inspector.

Ning Zhixia tried a jar; the balm was soft, moist, and clear, melting quickly on the back of her hand, not sticky even in this season.

Inspector Ning nodded, hands behind her back. "I want it!"

The fox cubs cheered, "Wow! Yay!"

Ning Zhixia didn’t really need so much balm, but since it was delivered, she decided to keep it as a little gift for guests.

The next day, she went to complete the balm’s registration, obtained a permit, and as agreed, purchased a dozen boxes of assorted chips and cookies for Bai Zhu.

Recently, many new customers had arrived, with appointments fully booked. They’d seen reviews online and decided to try the shop.

Lu Yaoguang’s video description for fans wasn’t exaggerated: the flower trellis outside the cottage was brimming with spring, a few mischievous kittens lounged on the windowsill, ready for petting, and the nail art lived up to its price.

After finishing their nails, a guest couldn’t help but remark, "Boss, what’s that scent? It smells so good!"

Qu Banqing grinned, "Raw meat scent."

Guest: "?"

Ning Zhixia calmly pushed him aside, cradling a porcelain jar. "It’s the fragrance balm."

"Oh, oh."

The guest curiously twisted the lid, dabbed some, and sniffed. The balm’s scent was elegantly sweet, lacking that cheapness of synthetic perfumes. Even after prolonged exposure, it didn’t cause dizziness or nausea.

She exclaimed, "How much is this?"

Ning Zhixia hesitated, "Special promotion now, spend five hundred for the first time and get a jar free."

The guest slapped the table, "That’s—"

Ning Zhixia nervously, "Uh, actually, it could be less—"

Guest: "Such a deal!"

"Hmm~" Ning Zhixia immediately shut up and smiled.

The guest cheerfully added two more rhinestones to her chosen style. Even after leaving, Qu Banqing was still incredulous.

Damn, is this for real?

They’d thought the balm would just be used themselves if no one wanted it, but unexpectedly, the fox cubs’ balm was wildly popular.

Any guest interested in the balm would adjust their budget to bring a jar home, raising the average spend considerably.

Qu Banqing raised an arm in triumph, "Increase production!"

Ning Zhixia clenched her fists, "Stabilize the clientele!"

The transformation was miraculous!

Bai Zhu soon received a new order from the nail shop, gleefully submitted a snack list, and at only three hundred years old led the demon mountain cubs to achieve snack freedom.

---

"This bunch sure can eat. The mini truck’s delivery vanished in no time."

Ning Zhixia confirmed the snack list and placed a supermarket order, humming as usual while uploading recent photos to the platform. But within seconds, her humming faded.

She scrolled through the comments, frowning and muttering, "What’s all this?"

At the top, an account was furiously berating her shop—

Golden Autumn Dream: [Such expensive prices, a single glass rhinestone costs dozens, and the work is lousy! And that stupid balm, it made my skin allergic, my hands are red and swollen, this shop ruined my hands!]

Many replies below said they’d used the balm with no issues, and the shop had a clear price list—if you didn’t like the price, you could go elsewhere.

Golden Autumn Dream: [I’ll go wherever I want, it’s none of your business!]

Golden Autumn Dream: [Expensive and I can’t even complain?]

Anyone who defended the shop was accused of being paid shills, and those who asked for allergy evidence were brushed off. The comments section was in turmoil.

Ning Zhixia opened the private messages demanding a refund and medical fees, already guessing what was happening, and replied: [Then call the police.]

Golden Autumn Dream, outraged, threatened: [Fine, I’ll have the police shut down your shop!]

"Shut down your shop—can you really pull that off? How capable are you? How much clout do you have?" Ning Zhixia stared at the barrage of messages, lips curled in mocking tones. "Hmm?"

That evening, the fox cubs brought another hundred jars of balm to restock the store, neatly arranging them in the cabinets before piling onto the living room sofa, urging Qu Banqing to play cartoons.

"Slurp, slurp..."

Four fox cubs nestled on the sofa, tails in one arm, milk tea in the other, busily slurping up the last of the jelly.

Ning Zhixia, unusually, didn’t join the fun, but pedaled the exercise bike upstairs, fuming.

"We don’t rely on your electricity, why pedal so hard?" Qu Banqing observed him, then asked, "So, what happened?"

"Whoo."

Ning Zhixia exhaled through her nose, disgruntled, handing over her phone and recounting the day’s events.

"Hmm?"

Bai Zhu paused mid-sip, nudged her sisters, and several fox cubs raised their triangular ears in silent understanding.

"Who is this person?"

Qu Banqing saw the profanities on screen and her eyes widened. "We haven’t offended her, have we?"

"She came a couple days ago, lives nearby—Aunt Jin," Ning Zhixia recalled miserably. "Permed hair, heavy eyeliner, clutching an evil plush, fully geared up."

Qu Banqing was dumbfounded. "Ah..."

Apart from grumbling while paying, nothing unusual had happened. Who’d expect her to lay a trap here? After the incident, Ning Zhixia asked around among local shops—this woman always slipped through loopholes, whether reporting or mediating, always coming out unscathed.

Most clients trusted Ning Zhixia, but gossip could easily tarnish the shop’s reputation.

Ning Zhixia sighed quietly, glancing up to find Qu Banqing pursing her lips silently. He didn’t like his bad mood affecting others, so he bumped her shoulder and said, "Just venting, don’t purse your lips."

"Hmph, if I don’t ask, you won’t say."

Qu Banqing bumped him back. "So, what’s your plan?"

"Well..."

He’d saved screenshots of all private chats as evidence. Thinking the sum was too small for extortion, Ning Zhixia planned to send the balm for testing and post a notice.

He asked, uncertain, "Is that the right way to handle it?"

"Hmm? Oh..." Qu Banqing seemed distracted, then nodded, "Sure, sleep in tomorrow, I’ll take it for testing."

Ning Zhixia muttered, "I’ll go."

"Are you afraid to trouble me?" Qu Banqing pinched his cheeks, looking into his eyes and softly said, "Don’t worry, get a good night’s sleep. Maybe tomorrow you’ll wake up and find nothing worth bothering over."

"Okay!" Ning Zhixia grinned, and they bumped shoulders like two childish friends.

Qu Banqing, seeing his mood lighten, announced she’d fry some chicken wings and drumsticks for a midnight snack. Heading downstairs, she glanced at the sofa—the cubs were engrossed in cartoons.

Once she entered the kitchen, the fox cubs nuzzled each other’s tails, flashing little sharp teeth in silent agreement.

The second hand ticked, the door opened and closed, and tonight the heavens were dark and bleak.

Cold white light from a phone screen illuminated the malicious face of a woman, her fingertips ceaselessly tapping out ten more negative reviews.

Anyone in business cares about reputation, and her demanded "compensation" wasn’t much. Shops she’d pestered before all paid up to avoid trouble—her tactic worked every time.

Aunt Jin was smug, yawning theatrically as she settled in to browse short videos, soon growing sleepy.

"Bzz, bzz, bzz, bzz..."

In the haze of sleep, something seemed to vibrate deep in her ear, scraping her eardrum like thunder. Annoyed, she dug at it with her finger.

The rustling persisted inside her ear; she twisted her pinky and, to her surprise, actually pulled something out.

Aunt Jin looked down—it was a tattered dried flower, just like the ones from the nail shop, blood-red against her fingertip.

Disgusted, she flung it away, but the fluttering noise returned. She quickly tilted her head and kept probing—

---

"Rustle, rustle..."

A mass of dried flowers, impossible to clear, swelled as if soaked, clogging her ear canal, growing more painful, squeezing tighter, until they sprayed out from her ear like a fountain—

"Ah!!!"

Aunt Jin screamed, eyes snapping open, the chandelier’s yellow glow filling her pupils.

Beads of sweat rolled down her temples. Trembling, she opened her hand—nothing there. After a moment, she realized it was just a dream, cursing under her breath.

Before she could feel relief, the familiar itch returned in her ear. She grabbed the ear spoon from her keychain and dug fiercely. Red petals fell onto her body, morphing into the lower half of some insect, its severed limbs writhing...

Aunt Jin’s face drained of color, her hand trembling towards her ear.

"Rustle, rustle..."

The halved insect seemed to crawl deeper, its legs twitching, its jaws gnawing at her eardrum, sharp pain searing to her bones. She collapsed onto the recliner, whimpering in agony.

"Huff! Huff! Huff!"

Aunt Jin opened her eyes again, clutching her chest and gasping, drenched in sweat as if hauled from water, now lying on the floor.

The room was pitch black, the TV flickering static, casting pale cold light across the floor.

Her hand, groping blindly in the darkness, suddenly touched something icy. Shivering, she looked up, terror flooding her face, eyes rolling back as she fainted with a thud...

---

Next morning, sunshine streamed in. The cats, energized after breakfast from the automatic feeder, squatted by the flower rack, pondering which blossom to terrorize today.

Ning Zhixia bounced downstairs at ten, spotting empty milk tea cups on the coffee table, scratching her head.

Last night, she was too distracted to watch cartoons with the fox cubs, not even noticing when they left.

She tossed the cups in the kitchen trash, finding a pot of white porridge on the stove, the surface glistening with rice oil. At the right temperature now, a ladle would stir it up nicely for a side of pickled vegetables.

Just as Ning Zhixia carried out her bowl, Qu Banqing returned with a package.

"What did you buy?" Ning Zhixia sniffed like a puppy.

"Picked up some Li’s braised foods on the way—his braised pig ear is the best."

Qu Banqing opened the box, perfectly complementing the porridge set.

"Mmm, you’re the best, mommy!"

Ning Zhixia, eating like a hungry piglet, asked, "By the way, when will the test report be out?"

"You mean that... I opted for expedited, it’s already here."

Qu Banqing sent the electronic report, tilting her chin happily. "Look, the formula’s clean, not a single allergen!"

"Wow! Awesome!"

Ning Zhixia dropped her bowl, quickly screenshotting for her account’s clarification post.

Once-wilted cabbage now perked up, Qu Banqing patted her head and took the dishes to the kitchen.

Ning Zhixia cheerfully opened the platform, only to find yesterday’s nasty reviews wiped clean, the account showing as deactivated.

"...Hmm?"

All geared for battle, now facing a white flag, she was left bewildered.

She couldn’t fathom why the other side had a sudden change of heart, and wary of anomalies, hurried to draft a full account, attaching the test report for posting.

"Knock, knock!"

Slim fingers curled and tapped gently on the window frame.

Ning Zhixia looked up, finding Odelo at the window. Waist-length silver-gray hair fluttered in the breeze.

A fluffy, glossy calico cat sat on the sill, mewing, nosing toward her.

Odelo gazed at it, lazily extending a finger to its twitching nose. The little calico’s eyes brightened, mouth snapping to bite.

But his teasing finger moved away just before the sharp teeth touched, flicking its brow instead.

The kitten covered its head with a paw, yowling in frustration, while the culprit’s eyes sparkled with mischief, eager for another round.

Ning Zhixia interrupted in confusion, "Hello?"

Odelo looked up at the young voice inside, spring’s damp chill lingering, and she still wore a hooded fleece with little dog ears, soft as a lump, eyes shining like a bowl full of light.

His cold, slender fingers were now contentedly licked by the calico cat, but Odelo was unconcerned. He wondered, if it were the dead of winter, would this little human be bundled into a ball that could be gently pushed, rolling far away?

Ning Zhixia, seeing him stare for ages without speaking, prompted, "Are you looking for me?"

Odelo nodded. "Are you free?"

Ning Zhixia: "...Yes."

Odelo nodded. "Then come with me."

Ning Zhixia: "...?"

Was she stuck in some kind of looped plot?