Evelyn Foster felt a bit dazed, and in a moment of inattention, she was taken by the black car to a room. This room was also empty, but compared to other places, it had a few more things: a long table and shelves, a couch, and a rectangular pool.

The water in the pool was exuding a chill, lowering the temperature of the entire room, and a person was floating in the middle of the pool. The wide black robes and jet-black hair spread out in the water like seaweed, the excessively pale face showing a strange, cold hue beneath the surface. The collar was wide open, revealing the neck, collarbones, and a large expanse of chest, like a water spirit capable of stealing souls.

Evelyn Foster even saw those two points on her ancestor’s chest... No, this is bad! She suddenly grabbed the big black snake’s scales with both hands and yanked its head back. Hurry up, if we get caught peeking at this ancestor bathing, we’ll be dead! You scheming snake, are you trying to set up your coworker on purpose?!

The big black snake had no idea what she was panicking about and hissed in confusion. Evelyn Foster could only watch as the ancestor soaking in the pool was awakened by the commotion, opened his eyes, and sat up to look at them.

“Master Ancestor, the flowers have been watered. Look, can I get off work now?” Evelyn Foster asked in the gentlest voice of her life.

Brian Carter stared at her for a while, making her scalp tingle, before finally giving a slow “hmm.” He watched as that dumb snake was dragged out by Evelyn Foster, and suddenly let out a laugh.

Chapter 9

The big black snake, not thinking clearly, accidentally brought Evelyn Foster to the boss’s room and let her see the boss bathing, nearly causing a disaster. This made Evelyn Foster suspect for a while that this snake coworker was trying to get rid of her, the newcomer, by using someone else’s hand.

But after a few days of observation, she concluded that this guy’s intelligence was about on par with her former roommate’s beloved dog, and with its IQ, it was unlikely to pull off any technically demanding office intrigue. So she unilaterally forgave its black car stunt and still shared some bamboo sap with it whenever it came begging for food.

Everyone knows that when you eat snacks at work, you have to share with your coworkers.

In just three days, Evelyn Foster became familiar with this new job. The coworkers were easy to get along with, the boss rarely showed up, and the work targets, though fond of swearing and spitting fire, were easy to handle. Overall, she had no complaints—except for the grueling commute. Climbing those twenty-plus flights of stairs nearly killed her.

After three days, Evelyn Foster couldn’t take the stairs anymore and came up with a solution—she rolled up her bedding and moved to the twenty-second floor, deciding to just live in the central tower so she wouldn’t have to go up and down every day.

Although she was a bit afraid of that ancestor, fear was an emotion she could overcome and get used to—exhaustion, on the other hand, was insurmountable.

On her first day living on the twenty-second floor, she worried that the master ancestor would get angry and stick her to the wall as a mural, but he didn’t pay her any mind at all.

That night was a new moon. Evelyn Foster lay on her couch, looking at the thin sliver of moon outside. The almost completely hidden moon looked hazy and ambiguous behind the clouds.

She had set up her living space in a corner of this floor, with great lighting and ventilation, and a nice view. From her initial nervousness to now being able to sprawl out and relax, she was indifferent to the giant chains outside and could even enjoy the moon before bed. It just went to show that human potential is limitless, and adaptability is top-notch.

There was no wind that night. Even with the window open, she could feel the heat wafting in from outside. Evelyn Foster felt inexplicably restless, so even after her usual bedtime, she was still lying there in a daze.

“It’s a new moon tonight.” The flame not far away suddenly spoke, its childlike voice tinged with excitement. “The first new moon seen by Three Sacred Mountains in five hundred years.”

Since this morning, the flame had stopped its usual cursing and threats and had become silent. When Evelyn Foster watered it, she noticed the flame was smaller than usual. Now, as it caught her attention, she saw the flame had shrunk even more. If its state could be measured by its size, then it was definitely in bad shape right now. Yet instead of being afraid, it sounded expectant.

What was it looking forward to?

Suddenly, Evelyn Foster felt a chill, as a cold breath swept in from outside the door, and a pitch-black figure appeared at the entrance. As he walked in, the air that had felt stiflingly hot to Evelyn Foster instantly cooled.

Why would the master ancestor come here at this hour?

Evelyn Foster went from relaxing in a sprawl to tensing up in a sprawl, even unconsciously holding her breath. The approaching Brian Carter wore a gloomy, chilling expression, but his bright red lips were curled upward.

Evelyn Foster had actually seen this ancestor appear in the middle of the night before—back when the big black snake woke her up to drink bamboo sap, she had accidentally glanced out the window and seen Brian Carter twice. He was dressed all in black, wandering alone like a ghost across the white jade plain. He would walk down the Three Sacred Mountains, stop at a certain distance, gaze into the distance, and as he walked down the mountain, the chains binding the central tower would clatter. After a while, he would turn and walk back, his robe swirling behind him like a black cloud.

At this moment, Brian Carter gave off that same oppressive feeling. He walked straight up to the flame, reached out, and plucked it.