The naturally unrestrained and uninhibited Emily Thompson, during a house viewing, acquires an ink jade ring in a mansion that resembles a "haunted house." Inside, it turns out to contain a cultivation treasure, cultivation manuals, and miraculous elixirs left behind by an immortal cultivator who had ascended...

...

"Emily Thompson, how many times has it been this month?"

"The third... oh, no... the fourth time..."

"Can't you go a bit deeper? If this keeps up, neither of us will feel good about it!"

"But... I've already pushed myself to the limit!"

"What, is this tiny bit really your limit? Can't you expand a little more... go a bit deeper... you know what I mean, right?"

"I want to! But my abilities are limited, I just can't do it. Besides, I've only managed to hold on these past few days by taking medicine, and that medicine has side effects..."

Main Text

Prologue

Inside the manager's office on the sixth floor of a certain company building in Shanghai, the following scene is unfolding.

"Emily Thompson, how many times has it been this month?"

"The third... oh, no... the fourth time..."

"Can't you go a bit deeper? If this keeps up, neither of us will feel good about it!"

"But... I've already pushed myself to the limit!"

"What, is this tiny bit really your limit? Can't you expand a little more... go a bit deeper... you know what I mean, right?"

"I want to! But my abilities are limited, I just can't do it. Besides, I've only managed to hold on these past few days by taking medicine, and that medicine has side effects... Sigh, if this keeps up, my body is going to collapse."

"But you still look pretty energetic to me, at least more so than last time. Looks like the medicine is working! Even so, you still can't meet my standards."

"No way, just look at me—my face is sallow and thin, I'm practically a dried-up corpse. Every last bit of my energy has been squeezed out."

"You..." A young woman with delicate features, dressed in standard office attire, angrily shouted at the guy in front of her, who wore a completely unconcerned expression: "I've talked to you four times this month. Why? Because you've messed up four big deals. I won't even argue with you about those. Now I'm asking you to improve yourself, expand your energy, go deeper into the market, bring in more clients—what's with this attitude? ... Since that's how it is, just report directly to the Commercial Brokerage Department tomorrow. We can't keep a big shot like you here."

With a flick of his sleeve, Emily Thompson didn't even bother to spare her another glance, not the least bit worried about offending the company boss's beloved niece. If you want to pick a fight with me, just be direct—why all the pretense? No wonder Confucius said, "Only petty men and women are hard to deal with!" Anyway, she's never liked me, so let her do whatever she wants. Don't think that the Investment Department is the only profitable part of Hongda Real Estate. Sending me to the "frontier" with these little tricks? Whatever. As long as I've got skills, I'm not afraid of going hungry. The Commercial Brokerage Department... seems to be part of second-hand housing sales, and I hear it's a money-losing department. Hmph... isn't this just trying to force me to resign? Well, I won't.

As he was about to step out the door, Emily Thompson stretched lazily and said, "Mr. Carter, don't worry, I'll definitely report to the Commercial Brokerage Department on time tomorrow. But don't forget to notify HR to transfer my files over, or else they really won't take me. Today must be my lucky day—getting off work early. What a wonderful day."

With that, Emily Thompson swaggered out, leaving Grace Carter in the office grinding her teeth in anger. This troublesome guy—she still couldn't get rid of him, even after sacrificing four deals to set this up! But then, thinking it over, Grace Carter calmed down. Hmph, if you want to go to that money-losing department, fine—let's see how you like it. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was already 4 p.m., so she quickly picked up the phone to contact HR. If she didn't hurry, they'd be off work soon. She really hadn't expected Emily Thompson not to resign under these circumstances; transferring him to the Commercial Brokerage Department was just a ploy to force his resignation.

Walking along the bustling Nanjing Road pedestrian street, Emily Thompson felt none of the lively atmosphere. He looked up at the Hongda Building he had just left, his feelings complicated beyond words. This was the place he'd worked himself to the bone for three years, finally earning the position of Director of the Investment Department. Was it easy for me? And now, just because I offended some clueless girl who only knows how to boss people around, I have to... Sigh... No point overthinking it—society is just that harsh. As an orphan, Emily Thompson had always been adaptable. Suddenly, he let out a loud roar to the sky, as if releasing all his pent-up frustration in that one shout—his own unique way of relieving stress. Ignoring the curious stares of the bustling crowd, he strode out of the pedestrian street and boarded a bus.

Chapter One: The Haunted House Opportunity