"Alright, that's enough!" Evan Chu said, then turned and vanished in a flash of teleportation right before Jill Zhang's eyes.
Evan's sudden move left her feeling a little empty inside, though she couldn't say why. "Ugh, what's wrong with me? Why am I getting distracted by that damn pervert? This is so weird," Jill muttered to herself.
Back at the City Lord's Mansion in Shadowlin City, Evan found that Lin Ruoxi, Kelly Qin, and the others had already returned. A lavish feast was laid out in the main hall, and Evan was sitting at the head of the table, drinking heartily with Sean Xiao, Fenton Liu, Soaring Feather Young Lord Ethan, and Ryan Ouyang.
"What took you so long? Where did you run off to? Did you get into some kind of trouble?" Evan grinned at Jill, acting as if he was genuinely concerned.
Jill shot Evan a glare and said, "Ran into a pervert on the way, but I chopped him up. Sorry for keeping everyone waiting."
"As long as you're okay, that's what matters! Come on, Jill, let's raise a glass—here's to everyone being together and drinking our fill!" Evan laughed.
Jill sat down and, not wanting to embarrass Evan in front of everyone, raised her glass and said, "A toast to all of you—I hope you'll keep looking out for me from now on."
"Pfft! You're about to become the Human King—do you really need us looking out for you? Just don't forget to look out for us! Am I right, everyone?" Evan joked.
Jill just smiled and didn't say anything more. After several rounds of drinks, Evan and the group moved to the grand hall, where they began planning out the details of Jill's succession as Human King—who to invite, how to arrange the banquet, everything was mapped out in detail.
The meeting lasted until dinnertime. Even though the Netherworld didn't have a real day or night, the color of the sky changed enough to tell the difference. No matter where you were, everyone needed sleep—and the Netherworld was no exception.
After instructing the servants to prepare rooms for Ryan Ouyang, Kelly Qin, and Fenton Liu, Evan headed back to his own quarters alone. He was sure that after what happened that morning, Roxanne Lin, Faye Knox, and Princess Ivy would definitely come to keep an eye on him.
But Evan was actually thinking about sneaking over to Princess Ivy's room—hers was right next to Jill Zhang's, so if anything happened, Jill would hear it loud and clear. Since she was so proud, he wanted her to know he could live just fine without her.
After a while, footsteps sounded outside the door. First in was Lin Ruoxi, then Roxanne Lin, and finally Princess Ivy. Evan pretended not to know anything and looked at the three women, asking, "So, what brings you here? Got something you want to talk about? Or maybe you plan to stay the night with me?"
"Come on, Evan, you can drop the act. We know you too well. You've definitely got a thing for Jill Zhang—we're all women here, we can see it a mile away. But honestly, aside from her strength, she's nowhere near us in looks or figure. And she's old enough to be your mom! You really like that kind of woman?" Princess Ivy blurted out, totally unfiltered.
Evan felt a bit uncomfortable at that. They didn't know Jill was wearing a disguise, which was understandable, but Ivy's words were pretty harsh—definitely a sign of jealousy.
"So you came here just to talk about this? If that's the case, you can leave—I’m really tired today and just want to get some sleep!" Evan said.
"We're staying with you tonight—no way we're leaving! We don't want to wake up tomorrow and find you passed out naked again," Roxanne teased.
Evan chuckled, "Aren't you afraid I'll eat you up? You know, a wolf among sheep!"
"Like you haven’t messed with us before! As long as you’re safe, we’re willing to put up with anything," Roxanne said, making Evan feel strangely touched inside.
"I think you should go back. I know you care about me, but I won’t lose control of my cultivation anymore. Really, I’m fine—go get some rest," Evan smiled.
The three women exchanged confused glances—was Evan acting weird or something? He used to be all over this kind of thing, but tonight he seemed like a different person.
Maybe he'd already done something with Jill Zhang outside, but that didn't seem right—Jill wasn't acting strange at all. It was just odd, period.
"So, Evan, what's the plan now? With Ethan and Ryan here, does that mean we're leaving soon?" Lin Ruoxi asked.
Roxanne and Princess Ivy's faces fell. If Evan left, they'd probably never see him again. That kind of heartbreak was impossible to put into words—their moods sank instantly, and Evan felt a pang of guilt watching them.
"Leaving's still a ways off. I've got things to handle first. You all head back—I just want a little peace and quiet tonight," Evan said.
He really wanted the three of them to stay, but thinking about how much Roxanne and Ivy would hurt when he left killed the mood. Seeing how determined Evan was, the three women finally left the room.
Evan flopped onto his bed and closed his eyes, trying to sleep, but after a long time he still couldn't drift off. Finally, he got up, opened the door, and leapt straight up to the rooftop.
But when he landed on the roof, he found someone already there. "Why are you up here? Were you following me?"
Of course, it was Jill Zhang. She hadn't expected Evan to show up on the roof—she'd seen his three women go into his room, and with his usual pervy personality, she figured he'd be busy with them. She never thought he'd end up here instead.
"I was just feeling annoyed, so I came up here for some air. Didn't expect to see you. And for the record, I wasn't following you," Evan said.
His voice was totally different from before—he was treating her like just a regular friend. Jill felt a little disappointed. She knew there was no way they'd end up together, but that didn't stop her from feeling something she couldn't quite name.
"What could possibly be bothering a genius like you? Come on, spill it—maybe I can help," Jill teased.
"I'm worried about heading into the Death-Tower Grounds. Since you made it out of there, can you tell me what it's really like? Why do so many people go in and never come back—do they all die inside?" Evan glanced at Jill and asked.