Faye Knox and Princess Ivy exchanged a glance, then Faye said, "Lillian, you've really changed a lot lately. Did something happen to you?"
Lillian Zhang showed no sign of panic at all; instead, she gave a faint smile. "What could possibly have happened to me? If anything, it looks like you two are the ones acting strange—bringing some random kid into my City Lord's Mansion. Are you trying to mess with me on purpose?"
From her tone, she could tell something was off as well. These two women were both city lords in their own right—there was no way they'd do something so reckless. She had to get to the bottom of this, or else if she slipped up, it would be hard to clean up the mess.
"We were just messing with you! It's been so long since we saw you, so we thought we'd play a little prank. But you didn't fall for it at all—now my sister and I are disappointed. This game isn't any fun; it was Ivy's dumb idea anyway." Faye laughed, deliberately shooting Princess Ivy a glare.
Princess Ivy gave an awkward smile, then turned to Evan Chu and said, "You can leave now. I didn't expect you to be so useless—Lillian saw through you instantly. What a failure. We'll keep our promise to you when we get back."
Evan Chu nodded and immediately left the main hall. But as he exited, he quietly sent a voice transmission to Cole Chu and Lena Chu, telling them to stay calm—something was wrong with Lillian, so they should play along and act accordingly.
Both of them were extremely smart and naturally understood what Evan meant. They didn't say anything, and didn't even glance at him as he left.
After leaving the main hall, Evan Chu went straight out of the City Lord's Mansion. No guards stopped him, and he quickly slipped into the crowd. Even though it was late, there were still plenty of people walking the streets.
At a street corner, Evan immediately activated Light Transformation, concealed his presence, and returned to the main hall of the City Lord's Mansion. At that moment, Lillian Zhang, Princess Ivy, and Faye Knox were chatting idly inside.
Outside, Cole Chu, Lena Chu, and Chase Chu were talking. "Who was that guy, anyway? Why did Aunt Lillian say he was our dad, then suddenly he wasn't? You guys are really confusing me."
Lena Chu said, "Chase, how do you still not get it? That was my mom deliberately finding someone to pretend to be our dad, just to see how Aunt Lillian would react. She saw through it instantly. Our dad left the Netherworld over a hundred years ago—someone with his strength would have ascended to the Immortal Realm long ago. There's no way he'd come back now. You're really clueless."
Lena's voice was so loud that everyone in the main hall could hear her clearly. Chase Chu's face flashed with a hint of anger. "You guys are way too bored, playing jokes like this. I really thought Dad had come back—you got my hopes up for nothing."
"Chase, let Lena and Cole come in. What are you all talking about out there?" Lillian Zhang called out just then.
The three of them walked in, and Lena Chu asked, "Aunt Lillian, how did you tell at a glance that guy wasn't my dad? I didn't see him slip up at all!"
Lillian Zhang hadn't expected Lena Chu to ask her that, so she smiled and said, "Your dad is a peerless powerhouse—how could he possibly be some young kid? That guy didn't have a hint of a true expert's aura."
Besides, we spent so many years together—I'd recognize him at a glance, especially by his eyes. His eyes were all wrong, so I could tell right away he wasn't Evan Chu."
As soon as she said this, Faye Knox and the others were stunned—her story was full of holes. Evan Chu hadn't spent more than three years in the Netherworld, and less than a year with her. Yet she claimed they'd been together for many years. Plus, Evan looked exactly the same as when he left—not a single change.
This person wasn't really Lillian Zhang—or rather, she was possessed by a powerful soul that knew nothing about Evan Chu. Clearly, Evan had figured it out and used the chance to leave. He must be thinking of a way to save Lillian.
At that moment, Evan Chu also arrived at the main hall. He quietly transmitted to Faye Knox and Princess Ivy: "Now you understand, right? This isn't the real Lillian anymore—she's possessed by a powerful soul. I need you to help me lure it out, or else Lillian won't recover."
Both women were shocked and started looking around the hall. Evan Chu's voice was clearly in the main hall, but there was no sign of him anywhere.
"Stop looking around—I'm right here in the main hall, just invisible. All you need to do is stick to the plan: don't let anything slip for now. Stay in the City Lord's Mansion for one day, then leave and find a restaurant to stay at. I'll handle the rest," Evan Chu said.
"What are you two looking at? Are you admiring how grand my main hall is—way more impressive than yours?" Lillian Zhang suddenly said.
"It really is a bit grander than ours," Princess Ivy replied. "But it's getting dark—Lillian, don't tell me you haven't had dinner prepared? We've been flying all day and we're starving."
"Dinner's been ready for a while—let's go," Lillian Zhang said. "Tonight I'll host you four, but you have to accept a little punishment for teasing me: three cups of wine each!"
With that, the six of them left the main hall, but Evan Chu didn't go with them. Instead, he quietly slipped into Lillian Zhang's room to search for clues.
Inside Lillian's room, there was a faint floral scent and the decor was beautiful—just like a noble maiden's boudoir. It didn't match her identity at all; normally, her room would be full of books and official documents.
After all, she was a city lord and not the type to delegate everything—this was out of character, especially with several pots of orchids blooming beautifully in the room.
"Since when did Lillian like orchids? She used to hate flowers and said she was allergic to pollen. Plus, with her cold and frosty personality, she'd never decorate her room like a young girl's. Could it be that the possessing soul is a woman?" Evan Chu muttered to himself.
"Master, you might be right. This kind of decor probably reflects the soul's personality—and it's usually seen in the rooms of unmarried maidens. That means the soul hasn't been intimate with a man yet," said the Emerald Immortal Empress.
"That could be a breakthrough. If you get close to Lillian, it might provoke her and force the soul out. Of course, it's possible she's not afraid of men," the Emerald Immortal Empress added.
Evan Chu had already made up his mind. "That's a good idea. It's been a long time since I've been intimate with Lillian. This time, I'll see how the soul reacts. As soon as it comes out, I'll hit it with the Firmament Light Mirror."
"It's easy to say, but hard to do. How will you get close to her—by force? That would arouse suspicion. Without force, you might not succeed. I think you need your two women to help again," the Emerald Immortal Empress said.
"Maybe you should reveal yourself in the City Lord's Mansion and have Lena Chu, Cole Chu, Faye Knox, and Princess Ivy help you stage a scene. That way, you can be with her openly and she won't be able to refuse," the Emerald Immortal Empress suggested.