The first night, with gun in hand and club at the ready, he almost choked to death.

William Clark's face was as beautiful as jade, having shed that gloomy, lazy wickedness—now clean and translucent like a piece of glass. He smiled and said, "Feeling too lonely, aren't you?"

"What?" Alice Carter: "With so many people crowding in front of you every day, you're still lonely?"

William Clark said, "To me, people are more dangerous than ghosts."

Alice Carter was taken aback.

William Clark's skin was pale, the corners of his lips carrying an indescribable fragility. His thin lips said, "That woman wants to kill me."

Alice Carter asked cautiously, "...The Empress Dowager?"

"Mm." William Clark nodded. "I'm not her biological child. The late emperor had few heirs, imperial power was contested, brothers fought each other, and in the end, only I was left, so I ascended the throne as a matter of course. But my health is poor, so the Empress Dowager acts as regent."

Alice Carter looked at him in confusion.

William Clark's gaze fell on a certain spot ahead, filled with deep exhaustion, then he smiled slightly: "Now her brother, the Prince Regent's child, has grown up. She's planning to get rid of me."

Alice Carter secretly sized up William Clark. He had to admit, William Clark's current fragile appearance... was quite convincing.

"Why are you suddenly telling me all this?"

William Clark tilted his head and smiled: "Because you're the only one I can tell."

Alice Carter: Trying to fool a ghost.

Oh, but isn't he a ghost?

Even though he couldn't quite understand William Clark's meaning.

But Alice Carter was a ghost, and a carefree one with no worldly attachments, so he wasn't really afraid of him.

After their last conversation, the stiffness between them had eased a bit.

When William Clark read alone, he would occasionally exchange a few words with him.

When he saw the word "merfolk," Alice Carter thought of what the system had said before leaving, and couldn't help but ask, "Are merfolk really all very good at seduction?"

William Clark thought for a moment, let out a low chuckle, and said lightly, "Perhaps."

Alice Carter was flipping through a book called "Eastern Continent Miscellany," which recorded the history of merfolk from their appearance in the world to their capture.

Merfolk were once a race that existed only in legend, living for generations at the far end of the vast Tongtian Sea, the beings closest to "gods." Folklore and strange tales instinctively believed that these "gods" were true dragons. The ancestors of Chu, seeking immortality, coveted dragon flesh, gathered mortal Daoists, set out to sea, and invaded the merfolk's domain.

The process is not well recorded, but the outcome is clear.

The ancestors did not gain immortality; on the contrary, they died violently upon their return.

The Grand Priest of Chu believed all this was the fault of the merfolk, that the demonic race's evil aura was too strong, so he issued a decree, placing the merfolk under "slave status," making them the lowest of the low. From then on, the men were slaves, the women prostitutes, treated like livestock for generations.

To prevent the merfolk from escaping home, they even built a "wall" on the Tongtian Sea.

The wall stood for hundreds of years.

In a century, the world changed dramatically. Pure-blooded merfolk became fewer, while mixed-bloods increased. The "purity" of the merfolk was determined by the awakening of their bloodline, a gift from the "gods," unrelated to their biological parents. However, human blood polluted the line, and merfolk born from humans rarely awakened as "pure."

Alice Carter thought, Chu really is a nation of bandits.

William Clark asked, "What are you reading?"

Alice Carter shook his head, brushing it off: "Nothing." But that's just how this world is—humans trample the merfolk race without restraint, and are ruthless even to their own kind. The extermination of nations, the massacre of cities, the execution of entire clans—these are common occurrences. When the Son of Heaven is enraged, blood flows like rivers.

William Clark didn't let him get away with it. He reached out his slender fingers and snatched "Eastern Continent Miscellany" from him.

Alice Carter was startled, and in his panic, flipped to a random page—which happened to be an indecent one.

The Eastern Continent was the place closest to the Tongtian Sea. "Eastern Continent Miscellany" not only recorded the history of the merfolk, but also all kinds of erotic legends about them. This page described the famous merfolk courtesans of the Eastern Continent, using extremely vulgar language—things like "ruby lips on a jade pillow" and "natural-born wonders."

William Clark glanced at it, smiled, and said lightly, "Not wrong, actually."

"..." Alice Carter.

Well, William Clark was the Son of Heaven of Chu—what hadn't he seen or tasted?

But their relationship wasn't close enough to discuss such taboo topics. Alice Carter chose to shut up and picked up another book.

William Clark wouldn't let him off: "Are you interested in this sort of thing?"

Alice Carter reflexively retorted, "Of course not." And it was true—he'd always been indifferent to sex, living like a celibate monk. Back in college, his roommates even tried to sign him up for men's health clinics, afraid he was impotent.

William Clark glanced at him: "I can tell."

Alice Carter was indignant: "What makes you so sure?"

William Clark curled his lips: "I can tell you're still a virgin."

4. Star-Plucking Tower (IV)

Looking down on virgins?!

Alice Carter glared at him, baffled.

William Clark stifled a laugh, then suddenly tapped the table and changed the subject: "What's the date today?"

Alice Carter: "March fourth."

William Clark nodded as expected, gave a faint "mm," then turned his head to look out the window at the pagoda said to suppress demons and monsters, and said, "Then tomorrow is March fifth."