Starting with the frog, he has ruled for eternity.

Chapter 9! A complete mess.

"Tiger and Leopard Thunder Sound"?

Why is the young lady holding this thing?!

The butler held the thin booklet in both hands, feeling as if he were holding a hot potato. His hands trembled uncontrollably, and his heart sank to the bottom.

Although the booklet is only a dozen pages long and very thin, its contents are probably equivalent to half of the Lu family's fortune!

"M-Miss..." the butler's voice was weak and feeble. He glared sharply at the servants and lackeys who were peeking around, dismissed everyone else, and then approached Nan Nan, lowering his voice and trembling as he asked, "Where...where did you obtain this?"

"I took it from Daddy's study," Nan Nan said matter-of-factly, her face innocent. "I saw so many books on that shelf, taking this thin one won't hurt. Daddy doesn't read much anyway!"

Not really watching?!

The butler's forehead was covered in cold sweat, which slid down his cheeks.

He naturally knew why the master "didn't look at it much"—it was the Lu family's most prized possession, kept hidden away!

That's an internal martial arts technique!

"Tiger and Leopard Thunder Sound" is a legendary internal martial arts technique for cultivating strength and power. Upon mastery, it causes the internal organs to resonate, and the exhalation to be like thunder. Furthermore, it nourishes the blood and qi, and promotes longevity!

How could such a divine object be allowed to be played with and auctioned off by a bunch of beasts?!

What blasphemy!

"Young Miss..." The butler swallowed hard and cautiously advised, "This...this is probably against the rules..."

"What's wrong with the rules?" Nan Nan tilted her head, blinking her big eyes. "Aren't books for people to read? They can read them too!"

They? These hairy, horned beasts?

Not to mention them, even the First Madam and the Second Madam of the mansion are not qualified to peek at a single word of this book!

The housekeeper's heart was bleeding.

My little darling, if Master heard this… sigh…

"Miss, please heed my advice," the butler said rapidly, his voice extremely low, "This book is incredibly valuable; it's the master's lifeblood. You know about internal energy cultivation, right...? It contains the supreme methods of internal energy cultivation!"

"I won't listen!" Nan Nan puffed out her cheeks. "I want to bid on this one! Isn't the point of an auction to have a grand finale? The more expensive the better! Isn't that how it is at Daddy's auctions?"

The butler opened his mouth, but was speechless for a moment.

What you're saying, Miss... actually makes some sense.

The problem is, real auctions involve spending a fortune, this is just childish nonsense!

"That's different!" The steward was so anxious that his face turned red, but he dared not raise his voice, for fear that the servants would hear him.

He stamped his feet in frustration, sighed, and earnestly explained, "Young Miss, martial arts are divided into internal and external. Those martial artists who practice externally, even if they train their whole lives, will only become brutes and violent brutes, practicing only physical skills! But this booklet records internal skills!"

"So-called external martial arts are nothing more than muscles, bones, skin, and flesh, and the handling of swords, spears, and clubs..."

"Internal cultivation is different! It trains the five internal organs and nourishes a breath of innate true energy, which can prolong life! How could such an internal martial arts secret manual be put up for auction? Even if the master himself were here, he wouldn't dare to treat it so lightly!"

"If I were to soil or damage this unique copy, even losing my life wouldn't be worth a fraction of its value!"

The butler stared longingly at the booklet in the little master's hand, wanting to snatch it back but not daring to act rashly for fear of tearing it. He could only humbly beg the little master to change his mind.

Unexpectedly, Nan Nan's interest only grew stronger upon hearing this.

"I'm going to take pictures of the ones Daddy doesn't dare to!" Nan Nan grabbed the booklet and happily leaped onto a bluestone. "Besides, it's not like it's being given to outsiders! Whoever takes the pictures gets their chance! Whether it's Little White, Big Yellow, or Little Frog, they're all family!"

"Even if they take pictures, they won't understand them!" the butler continued earnestly, hoping the little darling wouldn't waste such a priceless treasure...

But Nan Nan got even more excited:

"Maybe the little frog is smart enough to understand! It's very clever!"

The butler glanced at the frog lying on the cushion, wearing a Taoist hat.

The toad was tilting its head, its eyes darting around aimlessly, looking rather stupid.

You say it's smart?

The head of the household sighed.

That's it? A frog in a well?

Understanding internal energy? Understanding my ass!

Even a scholar who has passed the imperial examinations still needs several years of medical knowledge to master this method. How could a toad that only knows how to catch insects possibly recognize the eight extraordinary meridians and the twelve regular meridians?

Seeing that the young master was determined and had no intention of giving up halfway, the steward could only accept his fate.

Alright, alright, I'll just accompany this little devil through this ordeal.

Anyway, these beasts wouldn't understand it. After their antics are over, he'll personally return the book to the study. As long as the contents aren't leaked, the master shouldn't be too furious.

I just hope those servants know their place and stop looking around so recklessly.

"Alright...alright then..." The butler nodded helplessly, "Then I'll add this item as well..."

"Great!" Nan Nan clapped her hands and cheered.

The butler took a deep breath, held up the book "Tiger and Leopard Thunder Sound," and cleared his dry throat:

"Next item—"

He paused, then swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue:

"Tiger and Leopard Thunder Sound... one incomplete copy! Starting price... never mind, just start bidding!"

The steward was still cautious and didn't dare to reveal the full name, fearing that the servants might have ulterior motives.

only……

The housekeeper looked worried.

Even a fragment of an internal energy cultivation manual can fetch several thousand taels of silver in the black market.

Now it's just playing house...

"Starting bid: one tael of silver!" he shouted, forcing himself to be brave.

The words had barely left his mouth—

"Woof! Woof woof!" The servant tending the big yellow dog poked it twice, and the dog barked twice. The servant raised his hand: "One tael!"

"Caw caw!" Another servant chimed in, not to be outdone, and poked the parrot.

"Two ounces!"

"Meow!" the tabby cat hissed, arching its back. "Five taels!"

The butler's temple veins throbbed violently.

A priceless, peerless martial arts technique was so humiliated by these beasts with just a few taels of silver...

He felt as if his heart was being torn apart.

At that very moment—

"Croak—!!"

Look at me! Look at me!

I want to bid!

Fang Yuan shouted, and seeing everyone's bewildered expressions, he exclaimed twice more in exasperation.

"Quack! Quack~!"

What are you looking at? Haven't you ever seen a frog auction before?!

Fang Yuan glared fiercely at the servant behind him, signaling him to hurry up and raise the sign!

The butler turned around in surprise, his gaze falling on the frog.

The servant responsible for looking after the frogs froze on the spot, holding up a sign, completely at a loss.

According to the script, it's not his turn to bid yet! There are still several cats and dogs ahead of him who haven't bid! How are they going to explain this situation?

He only remembered that he was supposed to shout out fifty taels, but what would happen to the others in front of him if he did?

Is the order not completely messed up?

Nan Nan blinked, surprised, and asked, "Little Frog... wants this book?"

The butler was also stunned.

This frog... is it possessed? Could it actually understand the quality of auctioned items?

Even if you filmed it, how could you possibly imitate the Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound?

Quack! Quack quack quack!!

The atmosphere froze for a moment.

Just then—

"Gah—ga ga! Ga ga ga ga!"

The parrot suddenly opened its throat and started chirping with extra fervor, flapping its wings and stretching and retracting its neck.

The servant in charge of it was startled and hurriedly waved his hands, "No, no, no! I haven't..."

Before she could finish speaking, Nan Nan clapped her hands and exclaimed, "Oh my! Xiao Bai wants one too! Great, great, great!"

She casually praised the parrot's performance.

Now, the scene was completely chaotic.

The servant in charge of the big yellow dog panicked – even a frog dared to steal the show, and a parrot could even ask for a price on its own. If he didn't perform quickly, would the young lady think he was incompetent?

He gritted his teeth and poked the big yellow dog hard in the lower back.

"Woof! Woof woof!"

"Fifteen taels!" he shouted.

Upon hearing this, the servant in charge of the tabby cat became anxious and poked the cat as well.

"Meow!"

"Twenty taels!"

"Squeak! Twenty-five taels!"

"Coo coo! Thirty taels!"

The servants started talking all at once, and everything became chaotic.

The script had long been forgotten; nobody cared about anyone else, everyone was vying to bid higher, afraid of falling behind.

"Croak! Croak! Fifty taels!!" The servant in charge of the frogs finally came to his senses and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Woof woof woof! Sixty taels!"

"Meow! Seventy taels!"

"Caw caw caw—" the parrot continued to squawk to itself, and the servant forced a smile: "Eight...eighty taels!"

Fang Yuan was furious.

What kind of nobodies dare to bid against him?! Do they even deserve it?! A bunch of illiterate beasts! He really intended to bid on Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound for in-depth study!

Quack quack quack quack!!!

Fang Yuan jumped around frantically, making the soft cushion tremble, and the small Taoist crown on his head tilted to one side.

The butler's temple veins throbbed; what kind of behavior was this, causing such a commotion! He was about to reprimand them when he saw—

The big yellow dog got annoyed by the servant's repeated poking and let out a low "woof" sound.

Its ears perked up, it bared its teeth, and glared at the tabby cat not far away.

The tabby cat was also annoyed by the barking. When it heard the dog barking, it instinctively arched its back and its tail bristled like a bottle brush.

"Hiss—ha!"

The cat's eyes narrowed to slits, revealing its sharp claws.

The atmosphere instantly became tense.

"Hey! Big Yellow! You..." The servant in charge of the dog noticed something was wrong and tried to pull it back, but the dog suddenly shook its head and almost bit his hand.

"Ouch!" he cried out, jumping back as the rope slipped from his hand.

"Little Flower! Little Flower, stop... Ouch!" The servant in charge of the cat panicked. The tabby cat slapped him with its paw, scratching his hand and causing a burning pain.

He exclaimed "Ah!" and instinctively let go.

The next moment—

"Woof—!!"

The big yellow dog kicked off with all four limbs and pounced straight at the tabby cat!

"Meow—!!"

The tabby cat accepted the challenge, and the cat and dog instantly started wrestling and rolling around in the yard!

"Woof woof woof!" Seeing its kind being bullied, another little black dog broke free of its leash and pounced on it!

"Meow!" The other cats also bristled and joined the fray!

The courtyard instantly descended into chaos.

Two dogs and three cats rolled around in a ball, their fur flying, their meows and barks blending together, while a parrot circled in the air.

The servants stumbled and staggered as they tried to catch the animals, only to be bitten and scratched, ending up in a sorry state.

"Quick! Stop them!"

"Oh my god!"

"Don't bite me!"

"Someone please help me!"

The butler, clutching "Tiger and Leopard Thunder Sound," retreated in terror, only to slip on a puddle of water on the ground—

"Ouch!"

He plopped down on the ground, nearly dropping the booklet from his arms.

He hurriedly shielded himself, his face turning deathly pale.

"You...you are all not allowed to fight! Stop it!" Nan Nan stomped her feet anxiously, her face flushed red.

But nobody listened to her.

Apart from……

Fang Yuan jumped onto Nan Nan's head in no time.

Looking at the mess, Nan Nan huffed, "None of you are good! None of you are good! Only Little Frog is obedient!"

She suddenly rushed forward!

Two punches sent the yellow dog sprawling to the ground, and a kick made the cat curl up in fear. Only then did the other servants and steward dare to tidy up the various pets.

"Never mind," she suddenly looked up, trying to see the only frog still obediently staying on her head.

"Little Frog was the most obedient! He sat up straight the whole time!"

Then Nannan pointed with her little hand and said in a clear voice:

"This book is for Little Frog!"