“You have to get up at the crack of dawn. Wash up, wear your butler’s robes and stand outside of the Young Miss’ door.” A woman in her thirties was lecturing the boy about his duties whilst he sat on his knees and listened uneasily.

“Next, at 7 in the morning, you will enter the room quietly and head next to the Young Miss’ bed and wake her up. Now, let me say this, you need to wake her up gently. The Young Miss has a habit of being too surprised if woken abruptly.”

“Aunt Qian,” the boy stopped her. “What will she do if she did get surprised?”

“She’ll attack you,” Aunt Qian answered bitterly. She was Qian Yu, the maid who previously attended to Li Chyou. “Remember, she’s a cultivator, so it’ll hurt if she did attack you.”

The boy’s face paled. “Anyway!” Qian Yu changed the subject, “I forgot to mention when you’re waking her up, take a bowl of water and towels with you so that you can wash the Young Miss’ face when she gets up. She’s a heavy sleeper so she probably won’t be fully awake even if it does seem otherwise.”

The boy sighed helplessly. Just what kinds of clichés are being thrown at me?

“No, wait!” the boy felt something off, “I have to wash her face?” He wore a look of disbelief, “Are you sure you’re not mistaken!?”

“Are you daft or something?” Qian Yu rapped his head. “The servant must take care of their master’s needs. The Young Miss doesn’t need to spend her energy doing something so trivial!”

“Wha-?” The boy just couldn’t comprehend what he had heard. Is this really alright? But then he realized something even worse. Trembling, he asked, “D-Do I have to b-bathe her as well?”

“Of course not!” Qian Yu answered with an ‘as it should be’ expression.

The boy heaved a sigh of relief. He did not know what he would do if he was asked to bathe her. At least, this world has some common sense!

“Stop interrupting me!” Qian Yu berated him. “Where was I? Oh right! After you’re done waking her up, you are to let her get washed up. There will be maids to help you do that. They will help the Young Miss wash up and get dressed, however, you have to be the one to do her hair."

"Why though? Can't the maids to do that as well?" The boy felt exasperated

Qian Yu glared at him, "Do you think the Young Miss will take around an entourage of maids with her everywhere? As her butler, you have to be able to fix her appearance anytime and anywhere."

I think that's a perfectly reasonable expectation to have. Rather, it'd be weird if she didn't have an entourage of maids everywhere!

“Then after all is done, you are to follow the Young Miss as she goes about her day! If she…” then Qian Yu taught him about what to do when Li Chyou had certain tasks to complete.

When he was finished, it was already night. The moon was high in the sky. The boy entered his designated living quarters and saw that all of his luggage was placed near one of the walls.

Did Butler Yu take my luggage here when he left me with Aunt Qian? The boy thought to himself and felt that to be the truth. He looked around his room. It was plain but a bit bigger than where he used to sleep.

A bed, a desk, and a closet; those were all the furniture in his room. There were also a pair of butler apparel on the desk. He crashed on his bed and used an arm to cover his eyes as he thought about this day.

My god, this must be the longest day I’ve had. I just came to Li clan today and it’s already this troublesome! Is what every big clan is like? I feel so tired…got to wake up early tomorrow!

Li Chyou didn’t know but her image had worsened in her butler’s eyes. The boy needed to get up early tomorrow so he went to sleep early.

----------------------------------------

Cock-a-doodle-doo!

The sun rose as dawn broke. The rooster’s crowing served as an alarm clock for all the early risers. The boy got up from his bed groggily and wore the butler’s apparel that was on the desk. Black robes, a yellow belt, and a pair of white pants. After getting dressed, he went out of his room. He saw many servants getting up and groggily walking around. Going to the well, he waited for the people in front of him to be done and then drew a pail of water to clean himself.

He moved towards Li Chyou’s room and stood in front of the doors. And then he spent the most boring one hour of his life. Dawn broke at 5:30 in the morning and he spent the next half-hour getting ready. He dreaded winter when the sun would rise at 4.

During this one hour, he’d see many disciples of the main family walk by and look at him, some with surprise and others with contempt. The boy didn’t pay them much attention only bowing to show respect. They could view him however they wanted as long as they didn’t cause problems. It was the girls and women he was having problems with. Some of the girls looked at him with stars in their eyes as they either shyly glanced at him before walking away or just stood there and stared at him.

Some of the girls struck up conversations with him and one of the older disciples even offered to make him hers. The boy politely smiled and declined. It wasn’t that she was ugly nor was it about feelings; it was simply because he didn’t want to become the boy toy of a forty-year-old aunty.

Just when it was ten minutes before 7 a.m., the boy left and brought back a large bowl of water and some towels. Qian Yu had already told him where to get them from, so he didn’t have too much trouble.

Right at 7 a.m., he quietly entered the room. The room had a slight fragrance in the air; the room was decorated to look like a girl’s room. Expensive furniture, stuffed toys, and two closets full of clothes; all of it pointed that this room was a wealthy young miss’ room.

He stopped looking around and went next to the bed where a figure was lying asleep under blankets. He set the towels and bowl of water on the bedside table. He looked at Li Chyou who was sleeping on her side facing him. Her hair was disheveled and there was a bit of saliva flowing out her slightly open mouth.

The boy pursed his lips. I wonder how many people would pay to see this…

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Shaking the unwanted thoughts in his head, he gently spoke, “Young Miss, it’s already morning. Please wake up.”

No reaction.

The boy spoke again, “Young Miss, it’s me, your butler. I’ve come here to wake you up!”

No reaction. This cycle went on five more times. After the fifth time, he was getting a bit irritated. But then there was a reaction. Her eyes scrunched up! Hope slowly arose in the boy’s heart.

“Young Miss, please wake up!” the boy called again.

Li Chyou’s eyes scrunched up as she mumbled, “Five minutes later, Aunt Qian.”

The boy felt speechless. He subconsciously touched his throat. Do I really sound like Aunt Qian? He then looked at Li Chyou again.

“Young Miss, get up!” his voice crescendoed.

“Mmn…” she let out a tone of complaint.

He sighed and then gently removed the blanket off of Li Chyou. Her figure underneath the blanket slowly revealed itself. She wore a loose pink nightgown. The fabric was light enough that her skin was almost visible.

Is it really okay to be sleeping like this? The boy wondered but soon stopped thinking. It was Li Chyou’s nightgown, what did it matter to him? All he needed to do was his job.

After he was done pulling the blanket, he slowly grabbed her wrists and pulled her up. He also put a hand on her back for support. He sat her up and took the bowl of water and towel from the bedside table.

Wetting his hand, he gently washed Li Chyou’s face. Feeling the cool and wet sensation, she gradually opened her eyes halfway and looked at him groggily. But even after seeing him, she did not react.

He smiled faintly. She wasn’t fully awake. If she was, she would’ve at least had been surprised. He wet his hands before placing the bowl on the bedside table. He again used his hands to wash her face.

This time she fully opened her eyes and looked at him. Her eyes widened, “You-!” She pushed him with the power close to the 6th stage of Qi Refinement realm. Being an ordinary mortal, the boy obviously couldn’t resist and flew off the bed.

Thud!

He fell to the ground with a painful sound. After a second, he got up and dusted himself off. He walked up to the bed again and smiled, “Good morning, Young Miss!”

He then took the towel which was on top of the bed and tried to dry her face when she stopped him.

“A-Are you okay?” she meekly asked him.

“I’m just fine, Young Miss.”

He then proceeded to dry her face. After he was done, he placed the used towel on the bedside table when she asked him, “W-Why are you here?”

“I’m your butler from today onwards,” he replied amiably.

“R-Right…” it seemed she had remembered.

Then she was asked the one question he was dreading the most, “W-Will you do the same things as Aunt Qian?”

He pursed his lips and replied, “…no. Other maids will help you bathe and dress.”

She made the same relieved reaction as him upon hearing this. Her mood had considerably brightened up.

Li Chyou then saw him bow. The boy said, “I’ll be leaving for a short while as the maids cater to your needs. However, should you require my assistance, I will be right outside.”

She blushed and furiously yelled at him, “Who needs your assistance!?”

The boy shot her a weird gaze. He felt as though she had misunderstood him but he didn't step up to correct her. With a business smile, he walked out of the door.

Outside her room, he saw three maids on standby with towels and a wooden tub of water. They saw him and he in turn nodded at them.

Smiling sweetly at him, the maids entered the room and closed the door behind them.

Inside, they saw Li Chyou spacing out.

The maid at the front coughed gently to remind her of their arrival.

"Ah!" Li Chyou's eyes refocused and looked at the maids in front of her. She immediately regained her composure and looked at them, "I'll wear blue robes with white inner robes today."

"Understood, Young Miss!" The maids did not waste a single second and got to washing her clean. Wetting the towels in water, they wiped her down.

As she was getting wiped, she looked at the maid who coughed, "What do you think of my new butler?"

"I can't say, Young Miss. But I don't think he has any ulterior thoughts towards you."

"But he looks quite cute and his face is quite pleasing too!" another maid chimed in.

"Right?" the third maid agreed and all of the giggled. Li Chyou looked at them and narrowed her eyes.

After they were done wiping her down, the maids quickly and efficiently dressed her up. Only her hair remained untied. The maids stepped back and looked at Li Chyou. The latter looked like a playful but careless forest fairy; her messy hair further added to this charm. The maids nodded in satisfaction and bowed before leaving the room.

On their way out, they saw the boy leaning on a nearby wall. Hearing the door open, he opened his eyes and looked at them. The maids looked at each other and giggled.

Under the boy's confused expression, the maid in front said smilingly, "The Young Miss has finished dressing up."

"Very well. Thank you for your hard work." With a nod, he walked inside Li Chyou's room and closed the door behind him.

Li Chyou was already sitting in front of the dressing table. She inspected every inch of her face to find any blemish or pimples. Without looking back, she told the boy to tie her hair up.

Li Chyou made some idle talk as the boy thought about what style to go for, "You know...Dad must trust you a lot to make you my butler."

“No,” he shook his head, “Master only trusts my intelligence. If he had complete trust in me, he wouldn’t have Butler Yu keep an eye on me.”

“Wha-?”

He cut her off and said, “Out the window.”

She stood up from the dressing table and bolted towards the window. Opening the window, she saw Butler Yu far away smiling at from behind a tree.

“How did you know Butler Yu was outside the window?” she asked, no longer holding her curiosity in check.

“I guessed,” the boy replied casually.

“You guessed?” Li Chyou frowned in incomprehension.

“Yes. Master would certainly send Butler Yu to keep an eye on me. And since he couldn’t watch through the door without alerting you, he did so from the window.”

“But what if Butler Yu had some sort of Cultivation Technique to look through objects?” she asked.

“There’s such a thing?” the boy was flabbergasted. He then shook his head, “Even if Butler Yu had such a technique, what Tendon Transformation expert would use it to keep an eye on a mortal who he could kill with a casual slap?”

“Eh?” she was surprised. “How do you know Butler Yu’s Cultivation Realm?”

“He’s your father’s butler. Having strength close to his master is a given.”

"That's..." Li Chyou came back and sat in front of the mirror on her dressing table again.

“Young Miss, time to do your hair,” he reminded with a faint smile.

“Y-Yes.” She then looked at him and said, “Give me a hairstyle as you see fit.”

“Very well,” he nodded and lifted her long black hair. He grabbed a comb from the dressing table and started combing her hair.

“Do you know how to tie hair?” she asked skeptically.

“I do.”

“A boy like you?”

“Yes, Aunt Qian taught me.” His voice became quieter, “Well, she taught me by tying my hair in different styles.” His face was full of grief.

Hearing his plight, she giggled. Her voice was melodious, like an oriole.

After he was done combing her hair, he started tying it up. After a while, Li Chyou finally saw the completed style. Her eyes widened in surprise. H-He had given her twin buns.

“Am I a child?” she pouted.

“Not at all. Is it u-unsatisfactory?” he truly had done this intentionally and looking at her childish look, it was becoming quite hard to restrain his laughter.

The boy smiled. Tying her hair made him feel warm inside. It was somehow familiar.

“Yes, it is! Change it!” she spat out angrily.

“Understood,” the boy nodded and went to work. After a while, he was done. When Li Chyou saw what he had done, she gasped. A bun was the crown of her hair while the rest of it flowed down[1]. There was a beautiful jeweled hairpin holding the bun. It gave her mature charm.

“Where did you learn this?” she asked in surprise.

“I…don’t know…” the boy said hesitantly. He really didn’t know. No one used this hairstyle, so how could he know?

“What do you mean by that?” she frowned.

“Has Master never told you?”

“What?”

“It’ll be better if you ask Butler Yu or Master because you might not believe me!” he shook his head.

“I see…” she narrowed her eyes, still skeptical. “Anyway, let us go!” she stood up and headed towards the door.

“As you command, Young Miss!” He sighed and followed her. If only waking her up was this hard, then how hard will the rest of the day be?