The big black snake wasn’t very bright. It brought Liao Tingyan to the boss’s room, accidentally witnessing the boss bathing, nearly causing a disaster. This made Liao Tingyan suspect for a while that this black snake colleague might be trying to use another’s hand to kill her, this newly arrived colleague.
But after several days of observation, she concluded that this creature’s intelligence was only on par with her former roommate’s dog, Big Baby. Workplace sabotage requiring such technical skill would be difficult to accomplish with its intellect, so she unilaterally forgave its black cab behavior and still shared some bamboo juice when it came begging for food.
Everyone knows that when eating snacks at work, you have to share with colleagues.
In just three short days, Liao Tingyan became familiar with this new job. Her colleague was easy to get along with, the boss rarely appeared, and although the work subject liked to curse and spitfire, it was easily managed. Overall, she had no complaints, except for the arduous journey to work—those twenty-plus flights of stairs were killing her.
Three days and Liao Tingyan couldn’t stand those stairs anymore, so she had to think of a solution—she rolled up her bedding and moved to the twenty-second floor, simply living in the central tower, eliminating the need to climb up and down every day.
Although she was somewhat afraid of that ancestor, fear was an emotion that could be overcome and adapted to. Exhaustion was different—that couldn’t be overcome.
The first day she moved to the twenty-second floor, she worried that the ancestral master would become angry and paste her to the wall like a mural, but he didn’t care about her at all.
This night was a new moon. Liao Tingyan lay on her bed looking at the thin crescent outside, almost completely hidden, appearing hazy and ambiguous among the clouds.
She had set up her living space in a corner of this level, with excellent lighting, ventilation, and a good view. From her initial tension to now being able to relax like this, she was indifferent to the giant chains outside and could even appreciate the moon before sleep. Truly, human potential is limitless, and adaptability is first-rate.
There was no wind this evening. Even with the window open, she could feel the heat rushing in from outside. Liao Tingyan felt inexplicably restless, so past her usual bedtime, she still lay there in a daze.
“Today is a new moon,” the flame suddenly spoke from not far away, with excitement in its childish voice. “The first new moon that the Three Sacred Mountains have seen in five hundred years.”
Since early this morning, the flame had changed from its usual foul-mouthed threats to become silent. When Liao Tingyan watered it, she noticed the flame was smaller than usual. Now, her attention drawn to it, she found the flame was even smaller, and if its size reflected its state, then its condition was certainly poor. Yet it wasn’t afraid; instead, its voice sounded anticipatory.
What was it anticipating?
Liao Tingyan suddenly felt a chill, a cold aura surging in from the doorway, followed by a pitch-black figure appearing at the door. As he moved, the air that had just made Liao Tingyan feel hot instantly cooled down.
Why would the ancestral master come here at this time?
Liao Tingyan went from relaxed sprawling to tense sprawling, even unconsciously holding her breath. Sima Jiao, who walked in, had a gloomy and severe expression, yet his crimson lips were curled upward.
Liao Tingyan had seen this ancestor appear in the middle of the night before when the big black snake had awakened her to drink bamboo juice. She had inadvertently looked outside and seen Sima Jiao twice. At those times, he was also dressed in all black, walking alone like a wandering spirit on that expanse of white jade. He would walk toward the bottom of the Three Sacred Mountains, stop at a certain distance, and gaze into the distance. The chains restraining the central tower would clatter as he walked downhill, and after a moment, he would turn and walk back, his robes billowing like a black cloud as he moved.
Sima Jiao now had that same oppressive feeling. He walked directly to the flame, reached out, and plucked it.
The scarlet flame silently spread throughout his entire body, then quickly merged into it.
Liao Tingyan watched this unusual scene, slowly retrieving the blanket she had kicked aside earlier and covering herself. The cold air was too abundant; it was quite chilly now.
Perhaps because of her movement, Sima Jiao suddenly looked at her.
Liao Tingyan: “…” Watch me play dead.
A red flame mark appeared on Sima Jiao’s forehead. Having absorbed a flame, he still had a gloomy demeanor, looking like a demon lord who might kill someone with a wave of his hand. Liao Tingyan revealed just her eyes, watching him, not daring to move.
Sima Jiao raised his hand.
And plucked the lonely flower still in the water pool.
Liao Tingyan: “…” That irritable fire-flower would cry. Wait, was that jade-green pool filled with brother fire-flower’s tears?
Sima Jiao took the red lotus and walked toward Liao Tingyan, ultimately sitting down on her bed.
Liao Tingyan only felt the red lotus brush across her face, a faint, clear fragrance entering her nostrils, instantly making her refreshed and energetic, as if she had drunk three cases of Red Bull.
“Do you know what this is?”
Sima Jiao, sitting on her bed, swayed the beautiful red lotus.
Liao Tingyan found herself once again affected by his truth buff, involuntarily giving an honest answer: “A red lotus.”
Sima Jiao: “Wrong, this is the Fengshan Blood Condensed Flower.”
He asked again: “Do you know what this is used for?”
Liao Tingyan continued to answer every question: “I know, one petal equals a thousand years of cultivation.”
Sima Jiao casually played with the flower in his hand. “Correct, one petal equals a thousand years of cultivation. However, if not consumed with my blood, even eating just a tiny bit would cause you to explode into a spray of blood.”
Cold sweat ran down Liao Tingyan’s back. Thanks to her slacker nature, she hadn’t dared to use this thing even though she had it. If she had used it, she would have turned into a bloody mist long ago.
Sima Jiao looked at her, a strange confusion in his eyes, and asked: “Do you want to kill me?”
You seem to have asked this question before. Do I look that much like a killer? Liao Tingyan sprawled there, making a slacker sound: “No.”
Sima Jiao suddenly laughed and tossed the large red lotus to her: “It’s yours.”
Although it’s a treasure, I can’t fucking use it! Liao Tingyan clutched the flower, inwardly wringing her hands. This stupid boss gave her a box but no key—wasn’t he just toying with her?
Sima Jiao propped his chin with one hand and suddenly asked: “Are you cursing me in your mind?”
Liao Tingyan: “Yes.”
Aaaah, the truth buff is killing me!
Sima Jiao didn’t raise his hand to strike her; something was off with him as he sat beside her and just burst into laughter.
Tonight’s boss was excessively amiable. Liao Tingyan was afraid, shrinking under the blanket to secretly observe, trembling as she asked: “What… what’s going on with you?”
Sima Jiao: “Do you think I’m being very agreeable today? Can you guess why I’m so agreeable?”
Liao Tingyan found the truth buff had disappeared. She carefully thought for a moment, tentatively asking: “Because I’m about to die?” Beyond that, she didn’t want to imagine.
Sima Jiao smiled eerily: “You guessed right, how clever.”
Liao Tingyan: “…” Oh boy.
Sima Jiao suddenly raised a hand and waved it toward the air. Amid the whooshing sound, muffled groans came from the void, not just from one person—from the sound, there seemed to be several.
Liao Tingyan saw several graceful figures appear out of nowhere, landing on the other side of the hall. Their faces were somewhat familiar to her, seemingly part of the hundred-woman team. These sisters were so bold—while she was still trembling in the ancestor’s shadow, they had already taken action.
Although now they seemed to be… defeated. Sima Jiao hadn’t moved from Liao Tingyan’s cushioned bed, merely waving his hand, yet those people had retreated in disarray, their eyes flashing with shock and fear.
“How is this possible? Wasn’t he supposed to be at his weakest at this time?” a young girl couldn’t help saying.
“Don’t retreat, attack!” The lead girl charged forward with a ready-to-die determination. The three people following her exchanged glances, then with determined looks, drew their spirit swords.
To Liao Tingyan, the scene wasn’t tense at all, because the ancestor sitting beside her seemed somewhat absent-minded, rather bored as he pinched her blanket between his fingers. Liao Tingyan barely blinked before those fierce-looking girls all crashed into a hard pillar to one side, vomiting several pools of blood.
Liao Tingyan silently covered her eyes with the red lotus in her hand.
She heard Sima Jiao say: “I’ve been trapped here for five hundred years, my cultivation suppressed, suffering torment daily. Now, on this first new moon night, is when I’m at my weakest. If you don’t act now, after tonight, there won’t be another chance.”
Seeing someone automatically reveal their weakness and ask to be killed was a first for Liao Tingyan. She felt this ancestor either truly had mental issues or was so arrogant he deserved killing. As she was secretly muttering to herself, she suddenly felt a strong killing intent pressing in from nowhere, making it hard to breathe.
“Uncle Master, forgive my offense.” A woman in white appeared from the void, seemingly respectfully bowing to Sima Jiao.
Liao Tingyan had seen this woman before, apparently also one of the hundred-woman team. She remembered this woman was rather inconspicuous, entering with a low status. But hearing her call the ancestral master “Uncle Master,” she understood this white-robed sister’s status was truly high, actually of the same generation as the sect leader. Someone of the same generation as the sect leader should have cultivation at least at the Fusion stage or above. For such a super-powerful person to hide her identity and infiltrate as a small disciple?
And apparently to kill Ancestral Master Sima Jiao—this group’s situation was truly complex.
“Although Uncle Master is the lifeblood of Gengchen Immortal Mansion, Uncle Master killed my master. I cannot ignore this grudge. After killing Uncle Master, I will go beg punishment from the sect leader.” This boss spoke while simultaneously launching a killing move.
Weren’t you all supposed to be unable to use spiritual power here? Yet you’re fighting so extravagantly! Liao Tingyan, being too close to Sima Jiao, was forced to bear the pressure, innocently dragged into the battlefield, feeling extremely distraught.
Sima Jiao waved his sleeve, and an invisible wind suddenly arose from the ground, spinning upward, shredding the incoming countless sharp swords, then shooting the fragments in all directions.
The sister, failing in her attack, instead had a light in her eyes, rejoicing: “Indeed, your cultivation has greatly diminished!”
Her attacks became heavier, but Sima Jiao just sat there, countering her attacks one by one, maintaining that not-quite-smiling expression, somewhat gloomy and world-weary. Liao Tingyan remained quiet as a chicken throughout, not even daring to cheer.
“Puff—”
The white-robed woman was sent flying, apparently seriously injured, unable to rise again. At their level of cultivation, they could command wind and rain, move mountains, and fill seas, but here, in this special place, she was greatly restricted. Compared to her, Sima Jiao would be even more restricted, yet she couldn’t even get close to him. The white-robed woman, lying to one side spitting blood, wore a sorrowful and resentful expression, full of unwillingness.
“You… didn’t suffer great energy loss, nor were you affected by the new moon. You deliberately, lured us to attack.” The white-robed woman said hoarsely, “I thought you hadn’t discovered us, but now I see you knew all along, you did it on purpose. Poor me, I became the vanguard.”
“You’re wrong. I am indeed severely injured. Today is my weakest day. Wanting to kill me is truly a rare opportunity, only…” Sima Jiao smiled: “Even in my weakened state, you’re still too weak for me.”
Liao Tingyan: Ancestor, boss, your mouth is bleeding while you’re saying these cool lines.