Alice Carter: "Most of the time, you don't even seem human." You're more like a ghost than I am!

William Clark tilted his head, pure and harmless, genuinely puzzled: "Then what do I seem like?"

Like a mad dog.

Of course, Alice Carter didn't say that out loud, to avoid their already precarious alliance collapsing on the spot.

6. Star-Picking Tower (Part Six)

But later on, Alice Carter's impression of William Clark changed.

William Clark didn't seem like a mad dog, but more like a fairy.

Fairy—this sarcastic nickname really fit him perfectly, summing up all his quirks: his fussiness, obsession with cleanliness, delicate airs, and pickiness, all in one seamless description.

He really was a genius at giving names.

During the half month they needed to stay at the Star-Picking Tower, the Empress Dowager was constantly worried, sending either beauties or delicacies every day. The table was always laden with rare and exotic dishes, but Alice Carter never once saw William Clark take a single bite.

Day after day, he only drank a cup of sake, as if he could never starve to death.

Fairies really must live on dew.

Alice Carter asked, "Are you afraid the food is poisoned?"

William Clark: "Not really, it just doesn't suit my taste."

Alice Carter was puzzled: "Don't you ever feel hungry?"

William Clark spun a small wine cup with his fingers, smiled and said, "I don't think I can feel hunger."

Alice Carter: "What?"

William Clark said, "When you've been in pain for so long, you don't have the energy to notice hot, cold, or hunger."

Alice Carter was stunned, fell silent for a moment, then mumbled, "Oh."

Aside from that night of madness during the Waking of Insects, when William Clark was quiet, he really didn't seem like a tyrant at all.

Gentle and elegant, as bright as a pearl. Of course, Alice Carter was now traumatized by him and would never be fooled by appearances.

The Empress Dowager still sent beauties every day.

Seeing how William Clark had summoned so many merfolk last time, she thought he liked that sort, so she kept sending stunning merfolk to the Star-Picking Hall for several days in a row.

Some pure, some holy, some seductive—each more charming than the last, with every kind of allure.

Alice Carter watched for several days in a row.

He couldn't leave William Clark, so his favorite place to stay was up on the beam.

A high spot where he could see everyone clearly without disturbing anyone.

When Alice Carter watched people, he was always very focused. His light brown eyes were calm, showing neither amazement at beauty nor admiration for the dancing—just like looking at a flower or a blade of grass, clean and distant, his mind wandering.

One night, William Clark asked offhandedly, "You watch so intently—are you trying to memorize everyone's faces?"

Alice Carter was exhausted, yawned, and answered honestly, "No, it's just a habit I've had since I was little."

William Clark was intrigued: "A habit?"

Alice Carter didn't know how to explain, so he mumbled, "Yeah, just a habit of watching people."

It was a strange hobby he'd discovered back in elementary school.

At first, he couldn't control it—he'd zone out staring at someone as he walked, his gaze glued to them like a little creep, and got beaten up for it more than once. Only when he grew up did he learn to restrain himself.

Rather than saying he liked watching people, it was more like a bodily instinct, making him subconsciously observe.

Observing every person in the world—beautiful, ugly, young, old, all kinds of people—without knowing why.

Alice Carter had no parents and grew up in an orphanage. According to fortune-tellers, he was a "born jinx."

A jinx to others and himself, his fate wasn't good. Every family that took him in was never very warm. There were always fights or abuse; as an outsider, he was either neglected or caught in the crossfire. Once, the man of the house was a pervert—drunk, he tried to grope him, so Alice Carter escaped out the window that night, biting an ice pop and calling the police. The fact that he grew up healthy and upright was truly a miracle.

William Clark asked, "So what have you figured out from watching?" His voice was a bit cold, but when he lowered it, it sounded gentle and especially alluring.

Alice Carter was already numb, his eyes red with sleepiness. He looked up for no reason and said, "I haven't figured out anything."

He wished he knew.

He still hadn't found the answer after all these years.

William Clark paused, then said, "Tomorrow is March 14th."

Alice Carter was already slumped over the desk, but this sentence startled him awake. He looked up: "Damn, it's already mid-March? Are you going out?"

Has time really passed that quickly?

Has it already been ten days?

"Yeah." William Clark nodded, lazily flipping a page of his book. "Do you want to get used to my body first?"

Alice Carter's expression stiffened, remembering the pain of the last time his bones were reshaped. His face turned pale.

Seeing this, William Clark tapped the table with his finger and smiled reassuringly: "Don't worry, the demonic energy is gone. It won't hurt."

Alice Carter shook his head, forcing himself to stay strong: "Forget it, whatever. If it hurts, it hurts. You help me accumulate merit, I deal with the Empress Dowager for you—that's our deal."

William Clark: "You really want to deal with Yan Lanyu for me?"

Alice Carter hesitated for a few seconds, feeling a bit guilty. In all those palace dramas he'd seen on TV, every concubine was crazier than the last, scheming and backstabbing. The Empress Dowager, as the reigning champion of palace intrigue, was definitely not simple. As a straightforward young man, he wasn't very confident.

Alice Carter rubbed his nose and said awkwardly, "I—I’ll try to talk less and make fewer mistakes."