"Me?" Evan Yang hadn't even spoken when a pill flew into his mouth. "Is it poison?" That was Evan's first thought, but as soon as the pill entered his stomach, he felt the Seed stir, absorbing its essence. "Whew, thank goodness," he sighed in relief.
"Hehe, that's a Seven-Day Scatter. If you don't take the antidote within seven days, you'll die from the poison. So you'd better behave and follow me. Once the dangerous period passes, I'll let you go and give you a pile of gold coins. How about it?" The girl inside the sedan laughed after seeing Evan swallow the green pill.
"Dangerous period? Should I go along or not? Forget it, I'll follow for a few days, and if things get bad, I'll slip away." Evan glanced at the group's setup—obviously a young lady from some big family. Since she invited him in, and he wanted to get his hands on herbs, he felt secretly pleased and spoke with a pitiful tone: "Miss, are you telling the truth?"
"Of course. I always keep my word!" The girl inside replied with a serious tone, clearly proud of her credibility.
"Alright, I hope Miss will give me a huge pile of gold coins when the time comes." Evan immediately put on a greedy expression.
Seeing Evan's act, the girl in the sedan burst out laughing instead of getting angry. Meanwhile, the maids and steward beside her all looked worried.
Evan stood there, unsure what to do. The girl in the sedan turned to her maid and said, "Xiaoli, tell him all the rules, especially about his disguise. Make sure he doesn't blow our cover."
Maid Xiaoli helplessly waved Evan over to her side. The steward sighed and announced, "Let's set out!"
"What's your name?" Xiaoli asked Evan, who looked filthy and dirty.
"I don't have a name. Just call me 'little beggar.'" Evan almost said his real name, but swallowed it at the last second and came up with something new. He thought of Master Wu and the Wong Clan hunting him, causing a huge stir. Who knew if these people might trade him for a precious Heaven-Rank pill?
The girl in the sedan chimed in, "Just call him 'little beggar.' That'll really annoy those people."
"Damn, they're really treating me like a beggar," Evan thought to himself, but then he smiled and said, "Thank you, Miss, for taking me in."
"From now on, you'll stay by my side. Do whatever I ask, and if you don't understand something, ask Xiaoli." The girl in the sedan instructed Evan and Xiaoli.
"I'll just go along for now. As long as I get a shot at your precious herbs and pills, it's worth it," Evan thought, secretly amused, but outwardly acted like a respectful beggar.
Seeing Evan's act, the girl in the sedan wanted to laugh—he looked so sly. The maids and steward beside her still wore worried faces.
This situation lasted until they arrived at a luxurious inn in White Slope City. Evan finally learned their background—they were from the nearby Chu Family, and the girl in the sedan was a Chu Family young lady. She'd come out to look for a partner, and chose him just to fend off a marriage proposal from another clan's junior.
"What kind of girl does this?" Evan complained inwardly, realizing he'd soon have to face someone from another family.
"Little beggar, the young lady wants you in her room," Xiaoli said to Evan, who was still in a daze.
Evan turned and walked toward the girl's room, wanting to rush in and see what she looked like—whether she was hideously ugly or stunningly beautiful.
But with others around, he had to keep his pace steady, slowly pushing the door open. From inside, a voice said, "Close the door."
"Close the door for what? To hit me? Or to ruin my innocence and force me into something?" Evan's throat gurgled nervously as he imagined being pinned down on the bed, his blood growing unusually restless.
Just then, a girl sat on the bed to Evan's left, smiling at him. "What's wrong? Afraid I'll eat you?"
Evan finally got a good look at her—flaming red clothes, rosy cheeks, twin braids, about his age.
"Still haven't seen enough?" Seeing Evan sizing her up, the girl grinned playfully.
"I'm worried I'll dirty you, Miss." Evan glanced at his own filthy outfit—he was nowhere near her level, and wondered what would happen if he approached.
"You're funny. Come sit on this chair and let's have a proper chat." The girl beckoned Evan to a chair a few feet away.
Evan had no choice but to shuffle over and sit down, then smiled and asked, "Miss, why did you call me here?"
"It's simple. I just want to explain the rules to you," the girl said.
"Go ahead," Evan thought, knowing he'd have to swallow his pride if he wanted to get any benefits from this family.
"My name is Tara Chu. From now on, in front of others, you must call me 'Tianlan.' And I'll call you 'dear.'" Tara Chu sat on the bed, smiling.
Evan nearly fell off his chair in shock, stammering, "N-no, let's not do it that way."
"It's necessary. Otherwise, how will anyone believe we're so in love, right?" Tara Chu stood up—she was a head shorter than Evan, so he quickly got up too, worried about what she might do.
"Miss Chu, is this really necessary?" Evan couldn't find the words to describe his feelings at that moment.
"I'd rather take a beggar as my partner than let those people get their way!" Tara Chu declared, full of pride and stubbornness.
"Sigh, such a stubborn girl," Evan thought to himself, but outwardly he protested, "Miss Chu, if anyone finds out our relationship is fake, the consequences could be serious."
"If neither of us says anything, who would know it's fake? Just do as I say. When it's over, we'll go our separate ways—you get your wealth, I get my freedom. Isn't that perfect?" Tara Chu turned to Evan, smiling.
Seeing that smile, Evan felt she was an angel turned devil. He couldn't help but step back two paces, knocking over the chair.
"What's wrong?" Tara Chu clicked her tongue and laughed at Evan's reaction.
"Uh, it's nothing. It's just that I've never had this kind of treatment as a little beggar. I'm hungry," Evan suddenly changed the subject, mainly wanting to calm his blood, which was so active he feared he might get a nosebleed—maybe even red and green.
"You're really something. Go on, but remember what I said—if you mess up, you won't get the antidote in seven days." Tara Chu flashed her strange smile.
Evan hurried out of the room, muttering to himself, "Whew, that was close." He was relieved his blood hadn't started pouring from his nose.
Seeing Evan's flustered look, Tara Chu chuckled softly inside. Outside, the guards and maids stared at Evan strangely, wondering what had happened.
Embarrassed, Evan slipped away from the crowd and entered the room next to Tara Chu's—she'd arranged it so he wouldn't be far from her.
Once inside, Evan closed the door and sat on the bed. He checked his face in the copper mirror by the bed and saw it was still red. Rubbing his cheeks, he muttered, "Evan Yang, why does your blood always get so active whenever you see a girl?"
Soon his blood calmed down again. Relieved, Evan lay on the bed and reviewed the day's events. He made up his mind to keep following Tara Chu and see what benefits he could get—especially if he came across good herbs or pills. He planned to let the Seed absorb their essence, then restore them, just like it had done back in the Rising Sun Sect.
He hadn't even closed his eyes for long before the steward barged in and yanked him off the bed, glaring and shouting, "Damn beggar, get up!"
Evan lazily acted as if he was half-asleep and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Hmph, you really think you're the young lady's husband!" The steward tried to kick Evan, but Evan dodged, making the steward hit the bed and cry out, "You! You!"
"Just say what you want." Evan jumped off the bed, shook out his hair, and looked like a normal person again.
The steward was nearly driven mad by Evan's antics and barked, "The young lady wants to see you."
"Miss Chu?" Evan asked curiously.
"Who else?" The steward rolled his eyes, then turned and left Evan's room. Evan had no choice but to follow.
Outside, Evan saw the girl in flaming red clothes lecturing the guards and maids. As soon as she spotted Evan, she grabbed him and pulled him over.
It was Evan's first time holding a girl's hand, and his heart thumped wildly. His blood surged up and down, so he tried to steady himself. The Seed, at his signal, released a faint green gas that circulated through his blood.
Tara Chu didn't care about Evan's feelings. The maids, steward, and guards stared, dumbfounded, at their hands—one was dark and rough, the other delicate like a fairy.
"From today on, you all must listen to him. Otherwise, you'll be expelled from the family!" Tara Chu announced to everyone.
"Has Miss really gone mad?" The crowd glanced at Evan, then at Tara Chu. Even if they wanted to object, no one dared risk her wrath.