# 217
**Chapter 217: The Thriving Asylum**
Lin Qiye was not the kind of person to be swayed by beauty. Absolutely not.
His decision to hire the Flame-Vein Earth Dragon was solely because it had taken human form—and once it had a human form, it could do many things.
Can't wash dishes? No problem, Li Yifei will teach you!
Can't sweep the floor? No problem, Li Yifei will teach you!
Can't make the bed? No problem, Li Yifei will teach you!
The Flame-Vein Earth Dragon wasn’t lacking in intelligence—Lin Qiye had learned that the hard way during their fight. Teaching it to cook, wash dishes, or clean wasn’t going to be difficult.
In the end, Lin Qiye’s earlier hesitation had only been due to its size.
Now that the Flame-Vein Earth Dragon had transformed into a human—a tall, red-haired beauty with just the right aura—he naturally had no reason to reject this Sea-level powerhouse from moving into the asylum.
Upon hearing she was hired, a glimmer of joy flickered in the red-haired beauty’s dragon-like pupils—joy at having survived—but also a hint of shame and anger.
In the end… she had compromised.
Lin Qiye reached into the air and pulled out a contract. He handed it to the red-haired beauty, who didn’t even glance at it before—
She swallowed it whole.
Without chewing.
Lin Qiye: “…”
“Why did you eat it?” Lin Qiye asked helplessly. “I wanted you to sign it. *Sign!*”
The red-haired beauty looked confused. She had no concept of what “signing” meant.
In the dragon world, signatures didn’t exist.
Lin Qiye pulled out another contract and, just as she tried to shove it into her mouth again, he quickly covered her mouth, grabbed her hand, smeared ink on it, and slammed it onto the contract.
He didn’t expect her to perform something as complex as signing—he just hoped a thumbprint might work.
As it turned out, the asylum’s functionality was even more powerful than he’d imagined. The moment the thumbprint touched the paper, the contract vanished into thin air.
The deal was sealed.
At the same time, the iron cage in front of the red-haired beauty disappeared, replaced by a cyan caretaker uniform that perfectly covered her curvaceous figure.
On her chest badge were three small words:
—004.
Lin Qiye sighed. From the contract process alone, he could tell that taming this Flame-Vein Earth Dragon—who had zero common sense—was going to be a long and difficult journey.
“What’s your name?” Lin Qiye asked, looking into her eyes.
The red-haired beauty shook her head.
“Right, you can’t even speak…” Lin Qiye rubbed his temples. “Since you’re the Flame-Vein Earth Dragon, let’s call you… Erniu.”
Flame-Vein Earth Dragon: …
The red-haired beauty firmly crossed her arms in front of her chest, her cold face filled with defiance and solemnity!
“…Fine, Hongyan. Let’s go with Hongyan,” Lin Qiye said reluctantly.
After thinking for a moment, the red-haired beauty nodded vigorously.
These days, even employees dared to talk back to the boss. This kind of insubordination had to be nipped in the bud.
Lin Qiye clasped his hands behind his back, shook his head, and walked out of the dungeon.
One minute later.
Li Yifei and A Zhu stood in front of Lin Qiye, staring at Hongyan in stunned silence, their jaws practically on the floor.
“Qiye… your taste in caretakers… is *top-tier*!” Li Yifei chuckled, giving Lin Qiye a big thumbs-up.
A Zhu’s mouth was also wide open, her eyes sparkling. “Big sister, you’re so pretty!”
Hongyan’s lips curved slightly. She ignored Li Yifei’s gaze, crouched down, and affectionately patted A Zhu’s head.
“This is Hongyan. She’s the asylum’s fourth caretaker. But her situation is a bit special. Li Yifei, take good care of her,” Lin Qiye said, standing in front of Hongyan.
Only then did he realize something was off. He looked around. “Where’s the Cube?”
“Oh, Merlin took it. It’s being used as a toy in the study. Can’t escape,” Li Yifei shrugged.
He then stepped up to Hongyan, cleared his throat, and extended his right hand with a smile.
“Hello, my name is Li Yifei. I’m the… head caretaker here.”
Hongyan finally looked away from A Zhu and examined Li Yifei carefully. Seeing his outstretched hand, she looked puzzled.
Then, the red-haired beauty in the caretaker uniform slowly crouched down—
*Awoo—!*
She stuffed Li Yifei’s hand into her mouth.
Lin Qiye: Σ(￣ロ￣lll)!
A Zhu: (*?.?*)?
Li Yifei: (?°?д°?)!!!! *What the hell!!*
Li Yifei yanked his hand out of Hongyan’s mouth. His red, swollen palm was covered in bite marks…
He turned to Lin Qiye in shock, who nodded. “I told you, her situation is… special.”
Just then, a Pekingese trotted up to Hongyan’s feet, sniffed her leg, and rubbed its head against her.
“Woof! Woof woof!!”
Hongyan looked puzzled again. She crouched down, picked up the dog, and—
*Awoo—!*
The dog’s legs flailed wildly in the air.
“Holy crap! Hongyan, no! You can’t eat that! You *really* can’t eat that!!” Li Yifei screamed, rescuing the terrified dog and setting it on the ground.
The dog was clearly traumatized.
It lay there stunned for a moment, then suddenly sprang up and bolted, barking in human language:
“Yamete—!!”
*Smack—!*
It ran headfirst into a wall, twitched once, and passed out cold.
Lin Qiye glanced at Hongyan, who was now being lectured by Li Yifei, then at the unconscious dog, his expression growing strange.
He couldn’t help but feel that, under his careful treatment and management, the number of mental patients in this asylum… was somehow *increasing*.
An illusion. Definitely an illusion.
He left the chaotic asylum and headed upstairs to the second-floor reading room.
As soon as he stepped in, Lin Qiye froze.
Merlin was lounging in a chair, casually fiddling with the Cube, his interest growing with every twist.
The Cube looked utterly defeated, as if it couldn’t comprehend how it—once a proud automatic washer, dishwasher, and card-shuffler, Li Yifei’s right-hand appliance—had fallen so low.
Seeing Lin Qiye enter, Merlin set the Cube down and smiled.
“Good evening, Director.”