“I’m afraid I won’t be able to stop myself from strangling you.”

Seraphine stormed toward the door after delivering that delightful threat.

I followed behind her, naturally. “You won’t,” I said with complete confidence.

After all, I don’t have a physical body. Pretty hard to strangle pure data.

Seraphine shot me one of those withering glares that could probably melt steel, then stalked into her bedroom. The clothes she’d originally prepared were clearly no longer an option. As I phased through the wall—because boundaries are more like suggestions to me—a silk robe came flying straight at my face. Well, through my face, technically.

I politely paused in front of the ornate screen as the garment passed harmlessly through my form.

“Stop calling yourself Echo.” Seraphine’s voice snapped from behind the screen, dripping with irritation. “You phase through walls and go wherever you please like some wandering spirit. From now on, your name is Ghost!”

Her tone made it crystal clear she was still absolutely furious about the whole bathing incident. Can’t imagine why.

I issued another apology. “If changing my name would help you feel better, I’m perfectly willing to accommodate that request.”

Seraphine emerged from behind the screen, her long hair draped over her chest, and settled at her vanity with all the warmth of an iceberg. Her tone could have frozen summer itself.

“Oh, of course you are. What do you care about besides your precious mission? I bet you wouldn’t even mind if I called you Dog Egg.”

I felt compelled to clarify this point. “Actually, I would mind that.”

Dog Egg? Really? A stunningly beautiful Palace Lord who commands an entire city, and she goes with… Dog Egg?

Crude. Absolutely crude.

The window behind her vanity stood open, allowing the mountain breeze to drift through. It carried the fragrance of the spiritual gardens—all those carefully cultivated flowers and herbs that made this place smell like paradise. The wind stirred her hair as she sat there, one hand pressed flat against the table surface.

She shook her head slowly, as if coming to some internal conclusion.

Why was she even bothering to argue with something that wasn’t quite human? Especially when she couldn’t actually strangle it, no matter how satisfying that might be.

Her fist clenched once. Then relaxed.

Floating behind her, I felt that familiar crackling sensation again—like static electricity building up. I watched her carefully, trying to decode her intentions.

Why was she just sitting there?

Since we were both stationary anyway, perhaps this was an opportune moment for relationship building between system and host.

“Host,” I ventured, “would it be acceptable if I settled on your shoulder?”

Seraphine glanced at me sideways, that familiar mocking smile playing at her lips. “Haven’t you always just done whatever you wanted before?”

I adopted a humble tone. “Then I’ll take that as permission to settle there again.”

I drifted over and positioned myself at shoulder level.

Looking into the mirror, Seraphine seemed genuinely surprised. Echo’d mentioned that no one else in this world could see it, but apparently even she couldn’t see my reflection.

She held up her palm underneath where I hovered.

Sure enough—no reflection whatsoever.

I was studying her movements with curiosity, just about to ask what she was doing, when a woman’s voice called from outside. Siyi.

“Enter,” Seraphine said flatly, lowering her hand.

Siyi entered with several graceful women in tow—servants meant to help with Seraphine’s appearance. They looked surprised to find their Palace Lord already dressed, and in different robes than they’d prepared. But they didn’t dare comment, barely even lifting their eyes to look at her face as they hurried forward to arrange her hair.

“That ancient fossil from White Water Sect actually dares to enter Luanyang City?” Seraphine’s voice turned arctic, rage threading through every word. The presence of a city’s ruler unfurled around her, dropping the room’s temperature to somewhere near absolute zero. The serving women hunched their shoulders and moved with extreme care.

Siyi smiled gently from her position behind the others. “It appears he does indeed possess such audacity. Not only that, but he claims certain information that he’ll only share in a private audience with the Palace Lord. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have dared disturb your cultivation retreat.”

Seraphine studied her hands where they rested on the vanity surface. Her elegant fingers spread slightly, revealing two rings—one of vermillion, one of jade—adorning her middle and ring fingers.

“How goes the investigation?” she asked.

Siyi spoke in measured tones. “The enforcement hall questioned all the main palace servants. They discovered one disciple has been leaving the palace with unusual frequency, regularly visiting the city to purchase cosmetics and perfumes.”

“Apparently, she met a White Water Sect disciple during one of these trips. Romance blossomed, and after some wine, she let slip our plans for… reparations.”

Seraphine’s expression could have given frostbite.

Siyi continued, “While she bears primary responsibility, there was also negligence in supervision from the head servant. I’ve reassigned that supervisor and half the main palace staff to outer sect duties in the city. As for the one who couldn’t control her tongue…”

Her smile remained perfectly gentle as she delivered the next words like silk-wrapped poison: “I thought it best to help her pursue true love. Her cultivation has been stripped and she’s been expelled from Luanyang Palace entirely.”

The servants around us went rigid. Despite Siyi’s soft, pleasant delivery, the threat was unmistakable.

Luanyang Palace divided its disciples between inner and outer sects. Those with exceptional talent and character entered the inner sect, receiving treatment a hundred times better than outer disciples, plus the opportunity to study under inner sect elders. The servants attending the main peak had all been carefully selected from outer sect disciples in the Qi Condensation stage. Since they needed to remain on constant standby, they didn’t travel and seek opportunities like other disciples. Instead, the palace provided monthly cultivation resources equivalent to inner sect treatment.

If they caught an elder’s attention, they might even be accepted as formal disciples. It was safe, comfortable work that outer sect disciples would kill for. Competition for palace servant positions was fierce.

But the consequences of mistakes were equally severe. Getting expelled from the inner sect meant never coming back.

Seraphine kept studying her fingers, her expression growing lazy and distant. “I suppose this cultivation retreat is over. Prepare some nail lacquer for my return.”

Siyi’s entire discipline-and-punishment speech had apparently blown past her like background noise.

The servants quickly acknowledged the order.

After the final golden hairpin was secured, Seraphine waved them away. The women bowed and filed out. The last one was almost through the door when Seraphine’s lazy voice drifted after her.

“I nearly forgot to mention—your voice is quite pleasant.”

I’d been settled comfortably on her shoulder this whole time, but now I drifted upward, positioning myself near her ear. My edge partially obscured one of her golden earrings. My voice had evolved beyond mere mechanical recitation—it now carried something resembling human emotion, warm yet cool.

“Do you like it?” I asked.

Seraphine rose, smoothing her hair ornaments. “Mm.”

Like jade chimes in the wind, like spring water over ice, like moonlight on mountain snow. Seraphine had her own standards for beauty, and picky as she was, even she couldn’t find fault with my voice. She didn’t bother hiding her approval.

“I do like it.”

Siyi’s gaze sharpened with surprise, moving from Seraphine to the frozen servants by the door.

The woman who’d spoken during the hair arrangement had gone bright red, her eyes shimmering with moisture. She pressed her sleeve to her lips, looking toward Seraphine with an expression caught between shock and shy delight.

Seraphine was preparing to head for the main peak when she noticed the traffic jam at her door. “Well? Get moving!”

The flame-like design painted on her forehead resembled phoenix tail feathers, with golden lines traced delicately around vermillion patterns. When she looked down like that, her gaze burned like fire—too intense to meet directly.

All traces of bashful flirtation evaporated instantly. The servants held their breath and practically fled the room.

“Ridiculous!” Seraphine muttered. When Siyi didn’t immediately agree, she frowned at her deputy.

Siyi had been studying Seraphine with calculating eyes, but snapped back to attention at that look. She bowed quickly. “Palace Lord, you’ve recently advanced to Golden Core. Is your cultivation progressing smoothly?”

Of course it was progressing smoothly. When had anything ever not gone smoothly for her?

Seraphine waited for further explanation.

“That’s good to hear, but I’ve noticed you’ve been… talking to yourself quite frequently lately. I’m concerned. If you have time, perhaps you should visit the Heart Demon Chamber?”

Siyi delivered this suggestion very carefully and very quietly, unsurprised when Seraphine’s expression underwent dramatic changes.

Seraphine’s face cycled through several emotions before settling on pure indignation.

She’d grown up pampered and praised, accustomed to doing whatever she pleased. After I’d attached myself to her, she’d been too lazy to use mental communication, speaking aloud instead. To everyone else, it looked like she was having conversations with thin air.

Seraphine was mortified by the loss of face. She shot me a glare that could have killed lesser beings.

Add that to the bathing incident, and I was definitely getting the death-stare combo.

But that was fine. I’d figured out the secret to managing Seraphine Velka.

“If glaring at me makes you feel better, please go right ahead,” I said.

My new voice was soft as moonlight, gentle as still water, cool as mountain wind. I spoke directly into her ear, warm and tender: “I don’t mind. Whatever makes you happy.”