In her sleep, a bone-chilling cold shot up her spine from the soles of her feet. Su Yaoyao’s eyes flew open in terror, only to see a massive, cyan python slowly emerging from the darkness.

As the snake slithered, its scales scraped against each other with a rustling sound. The instant its icy skin touched hers, Su Yaoyao couldn’t help but shiver.

Then, its thick body abruptly coiled around Su Yaoyao. Every loop brought a cold that seeped into her very bones, threatening to freeze the blood in her veins.

Su Yaoyao struggled desperately, prying at the snake’s body with all her might, her fingernails turning white from the strain, but she couldn’t budge it an inch.

As the coils tightened, Su Yaoyao’s breathing grew ragged, her heart pounding like thunder.

The snake then slowly raised its enormous head. It opened its gaping maw, revealing two rows of sharp fangs that glinted coldly as it lunged toward her face.

Su Yaoyao screamed in terror. The moment before its fangs could sink into her, she shot up from the blanket, gasping for air, her clothes soaked with sweat.

She glanced around in a panic. There was only the birdcage that imprisoned her, no python. She realized it had just been a nightmare.

’But isn’t this place just another kind of nightmare...’

Just then, Su Yaoyao heard the sound of a distant stone door opening, followed by a set of steady footsteps. A man in a black cloak descended the stairs from above. He was one of Mingye’s subordinates.

A bottle of nutrient liquid was carelessly placed in front of the cage. In the dim light, its color looked somewhat sinister.

"Where is your Lord?" Su Yaoyao mustered her courage to ask, her voice trembling slightly.

But the man didn’t reply. He simply turned and left after delivering the meal, his footsteps fading into the distance.

The door at the top of the stairs closed again with a dull thud. The space returned to its previous silence, a quiet so dead one could almost hear their own heartbeat.

Su Yaoyao guessed she was in a basement. It was pitch-black, and though the lights on the walls were always on, they cast a dim, yellowed glow, making it impossible for her to tell if it was day or night.

The oppressive atmosphere weighed on her heart like a heavy stone, making her feel utterly miserable.

Su Yaoyao curled up, hugging herself tightly in an attempt to find some warmth. She stared at the bottle of nutrient liquid but felt no desire to pick it up and drink.

Mingye sat in his study, watching the basement feed from the surveillance monitor on his virtual screen. He narrowed his eyes, a flicker of barely perceptible displeasure crossing them.

"So delicate. Won’t even drink the nutrient liquid," he murmured, his voice laced with disdain.

"I discovered in books from the ancient civilization that humans like to eat processed food. Since you’re going to keep a pet, you should at least try to understand it."

A young man sat on Mingye’s desk, one leg crossed casually over the other. He wore a black shirt and a white robe, holding a book titled *Ancient Earth Knowledge* and holding forth with confidence.

The young man’s dark purple hair was fluffy, soft, and slightly disheveled. His eyes were a deep, captivating dark purple, so mesmerizing you could get lost in them with just a few glances.

Mingye arched a brow, annoyed. A sneer touched his lips. "Are you telling me to mindlessly serve a female like those idiots in the Empire?" His voice was deep and cold, carrying an innate authority.

"As the old saying goes, ’a slap, then a sweet date.’ The carrot and the stick, understand?" the young man said unhurriedly, a confident smile on his face.

"Then you do it," Mingye replied coldly.

The young man closed the book, set it on the desk, and hopped down lightly. He walked out with a brisk step, as if completely confident in his own suggestion.

Mingye’s gaze fell on the book on his desk. ’Learn about Ancient Earth Knowledge just to accommodate a little human female? On what grounds?’

He snorted inwardly, his eyes full of resistance.

Su Yaoyao was sobbing softly, tears streaming down her cheeks and dampening the collar of her shirt.

’I wonder how Bai Lian and the others are doing...’

Just then, the basement door opened again. "Get in!" a rough voice shouted.

"I know I was wrong! Please, I’m begging you, let me go!" a tearful voice cried out.

A young boy was suddenly shoved into the basement. He was covered in injuries, his face black and blue. His clothes were filthy and torn in places, revealing wounds that were still seeping blood. He looked as if he’d just been savagely beaten, and he appeared to be a few years younger than her.

One of Mingye’s subordinates unlocked her birdcage and kicked the boy inside.

The boy collapsed by Su Yaoyao’s legs, his face contorted in pain as he let out a muffled groan.

"Are you okay?" Su Yaoyao immediately moved to help him up, her eyes filled with concern.

"Don’t hit me! Don’t hit me!" But to her surprise, the boy shoved her away in a panic, covering his head with his hands and scrambling backward, his eyes wide with terror.

"I’m not a bad person," Su Yaoyao said softly, keeping her voice as gentle as possible to try and soothe him.

The boy froze and looked at her cautiously, fear still lingering in his eyes. "Are you a servant who made a mistake, too? Did the Lord throw you in the dungeon to be punished?"

"I..." Su Yaoyao didn’t know how to explain her situation. She hesitated for a moment. "I’m not a servant, just an ordinary female."

The boy looked at Su Yaoyao with envy and helplessness. "It’s a good thing you’re a female. You’re still of some use to the Lord. But as a servant who messed up... I really don’t know what will happen to me. I might even die..." As he spoke, his shoulders began to tremble, and he started to cry softly.

Seeing the boy’s state, Su Yaoyao’s heart ached for him. She gently patted his back. "No, you won’t. You won’t die."

"What mistake did you make?" she asked quietly.

"I accidentally broke the Lord’s favorite cup. He got angry and beat me like this," the boy said between sobs.

Hearing this through the monitor, Mingye’s lips curled into a slight, mocking smile. "What crude acting."

Then he heard the little female nod in agreement and say, "That does sound like something he would do."

Mingye’s brow instantly furrowed, his mouth tightening into a thin line. He let out an annoyed "Tsk."

Su Yaoyao pulled the boy into a sympathetic hug, gently patting his back. "How could Mingye be like this? Using child labor is bad enough, but he hits children, too."

"WAAAH, the Lord is so scary," the boy wailed in her arms.

"Don’t call him ’the Lord.’ He beat you this badly," Su Yaoyao said angrily.

"Then what should I call him?" the boy asked, looking up at her with a tear-streaked face.

Su Yaoyao thought for a moment. "Big jerk."

The boy laughed through his tears. "Stinky, rotten snake."

They looked at each other and smiled. It was a smile filled with their shared discontent for Mingye, but also with the warmth of mutual comfort in their predicament.