Liao Tingyan was captivated by the red flame—it was truly a beautiful flame, as if enchanted with magic.
She found herself staring at it in a daze until a sudden chill crept up the back of her neck, jolting her awake.
Sima Jiao’s hand rested on her nape, his touch as cold as a corpse. He pressed down slightly, nudging her forward, forcing her to stiffen her neck as he pushed her toward the red lotus flame.
The center of this floor was nothing but a small emerald-green pool, where a single red lotus grew. The flame hovered above it, burning without any visible fuel. Even with her shallow understanding of the fantasy world, Liao Tingyan could tell this thing was incredibly rare. Yet Sima Jiao treated it carelessly—after bringing her before the flame, he reached out and plucked a petal from the red lotus without hesitation.
Liao Tingyan heard a loud wah —a cry like a child’s, but it cut off abruptly after just one sob.
A child’s cry? From a flame? She wondered if she was hallucinating.
“Do you know what this is?” Sima Jiao casually crushed the petal in his fingers before tossing it aside. Liao Tingyan faintly heard another whimper.
Liao Tingyan: “Uh… a flower?”
Sima Jiao gave her a strange look. “They let you in here without telling you anything?” The Demon Realm really was in decline.
Liao Tingyan: “Yeah, no one told me anything.” Mainly because her master and senior brothers weren’t that close to her—they didn’t know any inside information either. If she’d known earlier, she would’ve faked her death to avoid coming here.
Sima Jiao didn’t bother explaining. “This thing—you’ll water it every day.”
Liao Tingyan: Are you serious? Sure, there was a flower beneath the flame, but if she poured water on it, wouldn’t it extinguish the fire?
But Sima Jiao didn’t seem to be joking at all. In fact, after giving his order, he simply left, abandoning her there alone. What kind of heartless boss dumps a bizarre task on a new employee on their first day and then swaggers off?! Scumbag boss, you have no conscience!
Too afraid to chase after him, Liao Tingyan stared helplessly at the flame, which seemed to have grown just a tiny bit. Soon, she realized it wasn’t her imagination—the moment Sima Jiao disappeared, the small, flickering flame suddenly doubled in size, like a cowering weakling finally standing up straight.
The abruptly enlarged flame singed off a small lock of hair at her chest.
And the flame seemed to sway smugly. Smug? Liao Tingyan questioned her eyes again. But she didn’t hesitate any longer—if watering it was the task, then so be it.
The small pool beneath the red lotus had water in it. She fished out a bamboo tube from her brocade pouch, scooped some water, and prepared to pour it onto the flame. But the flame suddenly leaped, forming a gaping mouth-like fissure that spat a jet of fire straight at her.
Liao Tingyan ducked swiftly, splashing the water onto the flame in the process. With a sharp hiss , the flame let out a loud, wailing cry.
“You jerk ! You poured water on me! I’ll burn you to death!” Its voice sounded like a spoiled toddler throwing a tantrum—a different kind of menace compared to Sima Jiao’s.
Liao Tingyan: This is a fantasy world. Talking flames are normal. Don’t panic. Stay calm. I can handle this.
“ Pfft— ” The flame seemed genuinely furious now, spitting out bursts of fire aggressively.Never thought watering flowers could be so life-threatening. Liao Tingyan stepped back, pondered for a while, and fished out a gourd-shaped watering can from her brocade pouch.
Sorry, Clear Valley Heaven—professional farming sect. As a disciple of Clear Valley Heaven, the original owner of this body had a full set of tools, though she rarely used them. But the current owner, who carried all her belongings with her, found a use for them now.
She filled the watering can and aimed it at the little flame spitting fire, giving it a good spray. Then she ducked to avoid the flame’s counterattack before turning around for another round—watering flowers felt like guerrilla warfare.
The little flame, initially fierce and furious, quickly turned pitiful. It knew when to surrender, very adaptable, and whimpered in a miserable tone, "Stop watering me, I feel awful, wuwuwu..."
As it spoke, it deliberately coughed twice, spitting out two tiny sparks from the gaps in its flame. Oh, too much water, and it couldn’t even spit fire anymore.
Liao Tingyan put away the watering can, wondering if today’s flower-watering task could be considered complete.
At that moment, the flame spoke again, "I’ve never seen you before. It’s been so long since I’ve seen anyone else. Who are you? How did you end up being brought here by... that person?"
When mentioning "that person," the flame’s voice dropped to a whisper, as if afraid of being overheard.
Having been here for so long, Liao Tingyan had barely spoken to anyone and was nearly socially withdrawn. Now, even if it was just a flame in front of her, she still responded, "I haven’t been here long. I’m here to serve the Grandmaster."
The flame jumped. "You’re a disciple of Gengchen Immortal Mansion! I knew it! Someone would come to save me from that person’s clutches! Alright, alright, since you’re also a disciple of Gengchen Immortal Mansion, you’re not allowed to water me next time!"
What kind of internal office politics was this? The big boss gave her a task that probably harmed someone else’s interests in the company, and now this person was threatening her not to do it. Was she holding a workplace survival script?
Liao Tingyan: "If I don’t water you, how am I supposed to answer to the Grandmaster?"
The flame seemed to put its hands on its hips, righteous and confident. "Aren’t you his woman? Just act coquettish with him, and it’ll be fine!"
Liao Tingyan: "???" Wait a minute? How did you even come to that conclusion?
The flame: "Anyone he dares bring here must be his. You’re a woman, so you’re his woman. What’s wrong with that? Didn’t the person who sent you teach you how to act spoiled? Hurry up and go charm that person to get things done! I can’t take this life anymore, wuwuwu!"
Truly the Grandmaster’s flame—its brain was also messed up. Rumor had it they’d been imprisoned here for five hundred years. Judging by this, the condition was severe. Ignoring the flame’s babbling, Liao Tingyan continued watering it.
Faced with choosing between a little flame that could only spit tiny sparks and the far more terrifying Grandmaster, she had to bow to the latter. Office alliances were just that brutal.
The flame screeched under her watering, starting to curse.
"Sima Jiao, you heartless bastard! You betray your master and ancestors! You’re insane! If you drown me out, you’ll die too! And you, you wretched woman! Daring to water me—one day when I recover, I’ll burn you to ashes and scatter them right in front of that bastard Sima Jiao!"
Hearing it curse "Sima Jiao," Liao Tingyan guessed that was probably the Grandmaster’s name.Suddenly, the flames instantly fell silent.
Liao Tingyan sensed something and turned to look. Sure enough, she saw the ancestor clad in black robes appear at the doorway. His expression was irritable as he strode forward without glancing sideways, plucking the red lotus petals beneath the flames one by one. With each petal he tore off, Liao Tingyan could hear a faint sob, each cry laced with deep distress.
In the presence of the ancestor, the once-boisterous flame no longer dared to bluster loudly as before, now utterly subdued.
After stripping the petals, Sima Jiao drifted out like a ghost.
"Wuwuwu, my flowers, the flowers I worked so hard to nurture," the flame whimpered softly before turning fiercely to Liao Tingyan. "Help me, and I'll reward you! That madman Sima Jiao—no one who follows him will come to a good end. Even if you help him, he'll kill you eventually. But if you help me, I can give you many treasures. See my red lotus? A single petal equals a thousand years of cultivation. Help me, and I'll give you twenty petals!"
Liao Tingyan: "..." Is this flame an idiot? Well, understandable—it's just a flame, after all. Flames don't have brains.
She gathered the six petals Sima Jiao had torn off and discarded earlier, along with the one he had crushed into a ball at the start—seven petals in total—and carefully stored them away.
"Thanks, now I know these are treasures." This should count as payment.
She hadn’t expected compensation, and the realization instantly lifted her spirits. No matter how tough the job, as long as the pay was good, everything was negotiable. Wage slaves had principles like that.
The flame fumed, "If you help me, I'll give you even more! You should know—aside from Sima Jiao, I'm the only one in this world who can pluck red lotus petals!"
Liao Tingyan: "No need." Greed knows no bounds, and honestly, she wasn’t sure she dared to use such treasures. A thousand years of cultivation sounded impressive, but what if she couldn’t handle it and died? Novels were full of such tropes.
The flame continued its sales pitch like a pyramid schemer, so Liao Tingyan pulled out her homemade earplugs and stuffed them in.
With the flower-watering task complete, she figured she could take a short break. Carrying a full set of bedding and even a bed around meant she could enjoy leisurely rest anytime, anywhere.
At that moment, the Black Snake slithered in. Spotting its newly acquired caretaker, it was overjoyed. The flame, however, shrieked at the sight of it.
"Damn snake! Get away!"
The Black Snake glided over to the flame, slurped noisily from the green pond, then raised its head and sprayed all the water onto the flame.
Ah, so the Black Snake’s job was also watering the flowers. Liao Tingyan understood now.
Doused twice, the flame wailed like a bullied child, screaming, "That woman already watered me! Why do you have to do it too, you stupid snake?!"
The Black Snake sprayed it once more, waiting until it wilted before slowly slithering over to Liao Tingyan and nudging her hand with its massive head.
Liao Tingyan: "..." Buddy, you're a snake, not a dog.
She took out the Black Snake’s bowl and poured it some bamboo sap. As the snake happily drank, she asked, "Hey, do you know when I can clock out?"
The Black Snake slurped noisily in response.Liao Tingyan slumped back. "Forget it, let's wait a bit longer. Climbing stairs is exhausting—I need to conserve my energy first."
The Black Snake seemed to suddenly understand her, flicking its tongue before turning to slither away. It then twisted back and hissed at her. Liao Tingyan gathered her things and followed, only to be scooped up by the snake's tail and placed on its back.
The Black Snake was used to carrying Sima Jiao this way, but it was Liao Tingyan's first time riding such a flashy "vehicle," and she felt a bit motion-sick.
The snake carried her outward, gliding past towering pillars and wide-open windows. They were high up, and beyond the windows stretched massive interwoven iron chains and floating sealed jade tablets. They exuded an oppressive aura, and Liao Tingyan had no doubt these were meant to imprison the infamous Grandmaster—just as she had guessed, this was indeed a prison.
Dazed, Liao Tingyan barely noticed as the Black Snake pulled her into a room. This space was just as vast but slightly more furnished, with a long table, shelves, a bed, and a rectangular pool.
The water in the pool emitted a chilling mist, lowering the room's temperature. Floating in the center was a figure. The wide black robes and inky hair spread like seaweed in the water, while the unnaturally pale face took on an eerie, cold hue. The robes hung open, revealing a neck, collarbones, and a broad expanse of chest—like a soul-stealing water spirit.
Liao Tingyan even caught a glimpse of the Grandmaster's chest—no, this was deadly! She frantically grabbed the Black Snake's scales, yanking its head back. Let's go! If we're caught peeping at the Grandmaster bathing, we're dead! You scheming snake, are you trying to frame your colleague?!
The Black Snake didn’t understand her panic and hissed in confusion. Helpless, Liao Tingyan watched as the Grandmaster in the pool stirred awake, opening his eyes and sitting up to stare at them.
"Grandmaster, the flowers have been watered. So… can I clock out now?" Liao Tingyan asked in the sweetest voice she could muster.
Sima Jiao stared at her for a long moment, making her scalp prickle, before finally giving a slow hum. As he watched the foolish snake being dragged out by Liao Tingyan, he suddenly chuckled.
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