In the basement of an old residential block in City A, the heavy scent of dampness and mildew hit you before you even stepped through the front door. In Unit 103 on the first basement floor, a girl lay motionless on the bed—dead pale, foaming at the mouth, chest completely still. She looked exactly like a lifeless corpse.

Then out of nowhere, her body jolted, and she suddenly sat up straight!

Eve Mason’s head throbbed like it was splitting open. As the 24th head of the Tianshi Sect, she had been crossing lightning tribulation. She used every magical tool she had to hold it off, but the last bolt—straight from the heavens—hit her square on the head. That kind of pain knocked her out cold.

When she came to, she found her soul had ended up in this girl’s dead body.

As her spirit fused with the girl’s lingering consciousness, pieces of the girl's life came rushing into Eve’s mind. She was stunned to find out this girl was also called Eve Mason—what a coincidence. But this Eve had been stuck on the lowest rung of the entertainment industry ladder—barely even a background extra most of the time, and her paychecks were laughably small, barely cracking five digits even on a good day.

She’d entered showbiz at eighteen and now, at twenty-three, she was utterly forgotten by her agency. Her base salary was a joke, and the company had started pushing her to “network”—code for accompanying wealthy men at dinners. The original Eve had no idea what that really meant until one night, a so-called business dinner turned into a grotesque scene with a sleazy boss making moves on her. She fought back and ran, stone-cold sober.

The fallout was brutal. The agency sued her, claiming millions in damages for breaking “business obligations.” They demanded two million in breach penalties and another three for early termination.

Despite living frugally, she had only saved about a million, hoping she could buy a small place and walk away from it all when the contract ended—just live life quietly as a regular person.

But just then, her mother showed up crying, begging for money. Said it was “for her own good,” claimed she was saving it for her. When Eve tried to explain that her accounts had already been frozen because of the lawsuit and she really needed the cash, her mom smugly told her it was already spent—used by her brother to buy a house. “You’re his sister; it’s your duty to help him,” she’d said. Like it was the most natural thing in the world.

After being crushed by her agency, betrayed by her family, and having no one to turn to, the girl swallowed a massive amount of sleeping pills in this damp, dark basement.

People always say overdosing on sleeping pills is a painless way to go. It’s not. There’s a stretch where you’re fully aware—writhing, choking, foaming—it’s hell. Many even try to claw their way back from the brink in that window. And even if they’re rushed to the hospital for stomach-pumping, that’s an experience of torture in itself.

But this girl had made up her mind. Even when her whole body was convulsing, she violently scratched at the wooden desk with her fingernails, gouging deep marks into the surface. Not one sound escaped her lips. Not once did she cry for help. She just waited for it to be over. That was how hopeless she’d felt.

Eve let out a long breath and softly recited a Buddhist prayer for the dead. As the head of Tianshi Sect, she’d dabbled in more than just Daoist arts. She’d learned a bit of everything, and this prayer was something she’d picked up studying Buddhist teachings.

She just hoped that in her next life, this girl—this other Eve Mason—could live happily, be loved, treated like someone precious.

The girl had been desperate for love. She banked on her pretty face to chase fame, craving affection from fans. But without any connections in showbiz, what real future did she have? All she’d done was waste her youth, day after day.Sure, the original girl couldn’t even lift a chicken, but Eve Mason? Not a chance she’s that weak. Back when she was still the head of Tianji Sect, she’d done her fair share of sneaky stuff to hustle for resources—like stealing legendary swords from Sword Sect, swiping elixirs from Medicine Sect, picking rare illusion flowers from Illusion Sect. Grab and run was her specialty, and honestly? It was kinda thrilling.

And if she ever got caught? No biggie. Senior brothers from the sect—now elders—were always there to cover her. Life back then? Sweet and easy.

So, that nasty agency and her so-called mom from the original life? They’d better watch their backs. Eve wasn’t the forgiving type.

But for now, she had to get moving. This cramped shoebox of a room didn’t even have its own bathroom. Had to share with eight other tenants. If she wanted a shot at the shower in the morning, she’d have to be up by four just to head out by six. And if she came home late? Yeah… minimum 2 AM to squeeze in a wash.

Big cities moved fast during rush hour. Thank god it was around 3 or 4 in the afternoon—restroom was finally free.

The stench alone made her gag. Clutching a towel and some clean clothes from memory, she forced herself to the bathroom.

It reeked of damp mold. Tiles on the wall were soggy and falling off in spots, revealing damp concrete underneath. The toilet? Caked with yellow stains. And the trash bin was overflowing with soggy tissues.

Honestly? This bathroom was grosser than her room.

She took the quickest shower of her life, then darted back to the room. The bed sheet smeared with dried puke was wrapped up and trashed. It was hellish-hot August in A City—her only relief was a rickety floor fan left by the previous tenant. At least the basement stayed cool, otherwise she’d have bolted already. She hated the heat.

One thing was clear—she needed to move out, ASAP.

The head of the Tianji Sect, reduced to this? Please! Her old bed was 3x3 meters minimum, covered in soft cloudwing bird feathers, with a jade pillow carved from Dreamstone off the Buzhou Mountain. She lived in a palace spreading over 5,000 square meters, had disciples handling her every need.

Now? Dead broke. She was almost embarrassed for herself.

Her stomach growled loudly—yeah, she was hungry. Really hungry. Now human and not some spiritual being, she needed real food like everyone else.

Sure, she had no cash, but what if she stumbled upon someone kind enough to treat her to a meal? Sitting in this dump waiting definitely wasn’t gonna make that happen.

She slung on the original girl’s tiny shoulder bag—guess what? A thirty-yuan knockoff bear-shaped dark brown rubber purse from a discount store. Functional with a tight zipper, the previous owner loved it.

Stepping outside, finally catching some sunlight, Eve felt like she could breathe again. The basement room was half underground—just one tiny window peeked out above. Not that there was much to see anyway. The landscape trees planted outside blocked every inch of sky.

Fact is, she needed money. As someone who never had to worry about it before, now her brain worked overtime trying to figure out how to make some.

She was best at fortune-telling and divination, but modern folks? They thought it was all nonsense. Superstition. Had zero patience for it.

Whatever. She was starving now. First things first—get food. The rest? Figure it out as she went.

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