As soon as the door closed, Evan Chu grinned and walked over to the women. "Going to the Divine Battlefield this time really made you all worry about me, huh? Now I'm finally back, and my wives are so generous—they actually agreed to share a bed with me tonight. I'm just too happy!"
"Heh, Evan, if you want us all to sleep in the same bed, I don't mind. I just don't know if the other sisters will agree," Selena Yale said at that moment.
"Of course you'll agree! I'm your husband, after all. Serving your husband at bedtime is only natural, isn't it? Especially after being apart for so long—we ought to make up for it properly." Evan Chu laughed.
Serena Dream interrupted, "You really think it's that simple? Tonight, you'd better give us sisters a proper explanation—why did you go to the Divine Battlefield, and why were you gone so long? Did you have any idea how much we worried about you every single night?"
As soon as Serena finished, all the women's expressions changed—they grew very serious, and looked at Evan like he was a criminal in need of punishment. Each one felt a strong urge to teach him a lesson.
Seeing their faces, Evan could only force a bitter smile. "Come on, wives, really? I ended up in the Divine Battlefield by accident, you should try to understand me. How could you blame me for that? You know, I barely survived in there—almost died a dozen times! Now I've finally made it back, and you greet me with these faces. That's just too much."
"You dare talk about barely surviving? What if something really happened to you—what would we do? What about your two kids? Evan, you're not a kid anymore, so why do you keep making us worry? I know you'll be heading to the Netherworld soon too, leaving us all behind again, won't you!" Selena Yale snapped.
Evan felt a surge of irritation in his heart. If he didn't show some backbone, they'd really start thinking he was weak. He was the Frostbane Sect Master, after all, and now Alliance Lord of the Five-Sect Alliance—yet here he was, being henpecked. If word got out, where would his dignity be?
"I know what I'm doing—no need for you all to nag me. Don't forget, I'm your husband and the Frostbane Sect Master. What do you take me for? Roxanne, let's go find the Obsidian Tortoise and then head for the Netherworld!" Evan snapped at the women.
Evan's expression was ugly, and the women were startled too. Maybe they'd gone too far, ganging up on him without considering his feelings. After all, he was the Frostbane Sect Master, and now the Alliance Lord of the Five-Sect Alliance.
Roxanne Lin hesitated, glancing at the other women before helplessly coming over to Evan Chu's side. "Evan, everyone just cares about you too much, that's all. How could you lose your temper at us?"
Evan didn't reply, just grabbed Roxanne and walked straight out the door, leaving the women staring in shock. "I know Evan's temper too well—this time he might really be mad. Maybe we should go check on him," Selena suggested.
"No way, that would just make him think we're in the wrong. This is his fault—why should we be the ones to give in? If a man can't care for his women, what's the point of marrying him?" Selena Yale argued.
"Selena's right—we can't be weak. If Evan doesn't apologize, none of us should talk to him, let alone spend the night with him. And if anyone sneaks off to sleep with him, she's not one of us," Lynne Nie chimed in.
For the moment, the women all agreed—they were deeply unhappy with Evan's behavior. But even as they said this, their hearts longed for his affection. After waiting so long for him to come back, driving him away was the last thing any of them wanted.
After Evan pulled Roxanne out of the room, he flew straight into the night sky, teleporting to a deserted mountaintop. The mountain breeze in the moonlight ruffled their hair, bringing a refreshing sense of freedom.
"Evan, maybe you went too far this time. Everyone's just worried about you. You should go back—you have no idea how much they've missed you, how much they've worried while you were gone," Roxanne said.
"Roxanne, that's enough. I know what I'm doing. Honestly, I'm not angry at them—right now, the urgent thing is to find the Obsidian Tortoise Bloodline inheritor. I only know he's somewhere in the Azure Tide Ruins, but I have no idea who it is," Evan replied.
"You should sort things out with the others first, or you'll just cause unnecessary misunderstandings," Roxanne advised.
"I've got this, so don't say any more. If they can't understand me, are you saying you don't either?" Evan retorted.
Roxanne wanted to say something but stayed silent, just quietly watching Evan. Suddenly, a white light flashed between Evan's brows—a tiny silver sword flew out and instantly transformed into a breathtakingly beautiful young woman.
"Big Sis Luna, you finally came out—I've got something to ask you!" Evan said with a smile.
Roxanne stared in shock at Evan, then at the sudden apparition. Finally, she couldn't help but ask, "Who is she? Is she the Sword Spirit you've told me about?"
"That's right, she's the Sword Spirit. Roxanne, hurry and greet Big Sis Luna!" Evan laughed.
"Roxanne greets Big Sis Luna. You're so beautiful—like a fairy! Compared to you, our looks are nothing," Roxanne said.
Luna smiled. "You're too kind, Roxanne. You and your sisters are all stunning beauties. I'm happy to meet you. Now that your Vermilion Bird Bloodline is fully awakened, if your cultivation improves, you might truly evolve into a divine-beast descendant one day."
Evan glanced at Luna and asked, "Big Sis Luna, do you know who the Obsidian Tortoise Bloodline inheritor is? My time is running out, and I bet you came out just to tell me about him."
"That's right. The Obsidian Tortoise Bloodline is here in the Azure Tide Ruins, but the inheritor's power hasn't awakened yet. You'll need to help him and bring him to the Obsidian Tortoise Clan. That clan is the most troublesome of the Four Divine Beasts, so don't act rashly," Luna warned.
"We can talk about that later. Right now, I just want to know who this inheritor is. Is it the Soaring Feather Young Lord? He seems special—otherwise, you wouldn't have made me work so hard to save him before," Evan pressed.
"Nothing gets past you. That's right—the Soaring Feather Young Lord is the Obsidian Tortoise Bloodline inheritor. But you have some history with him, so taking him out of the Azure Tide Ruins won't be easy. You'll also need to deal with the Freewind Palace Lord," Luna said.
Roxy was totally lost in their conversation, her head spinning, and she couldn't get a word in edgewise. Finally, she blurted out, "Seriously, what are you two going on about? Who the heck is this Soaring Feather Young Lord? I've been in the Azure Tide Ruins for ages and never even heard his name!"
"The Soaring Feather Young Lord is Serena Dream's senior brother—and the Freewind Palace Lord's son. But hardly anyone knows who he really is. You'll figure it out soon enough," Evan said, keeping his tone casual.
Luna asked, "So, Evan, what's your move? Are you planning to take Ethan Fenn—the Soaring Feather Young Lord—out of the Azure Tide Ruins right now?"
Evan shrugged, "That's the plan, but first I need to smooth things over with the girls. If I head off to the Netherworld and leave things messy, it'll just get worse when I come back."
Now that he finally knew who the Obsidian Tortoise Bloodline inheritor was, Evan felt like a huge weight had been lifted. He grinned at Roxy, "Let's head back!"
Luna shimmered and slipped back into Evan's body. Evan and Roxy made their way back to Frostbane Sect, and by the time they arrived, it was already past midnight.
When they got back, none of the girls had gone to bed. They were all still up, talking about how to handle Evan. The room only fell silent when Evan and Roxy walked in.
Evan grinned, "Hey, why's everyone still up? Don't tell me you were all missing me?"
Selena Yale fired back, "Who's missing you? If you want to leave, just go. We don't care!"
Evan raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, ladies, it's all my fault. I'm here to apologize—if you want to yell at me or smack me, go ahead. I'll take it like a man."
The girls all hesitated. No one wanted to be the first to forgive Evan, but none of them wanted to be the first to lose their temper either. The room hung in awkward silence, stuck in a stalemate.
Evan glanced around, then flashed over to Selena Yale and scooped her into his arms. "Selena, you're always the most understanding. Don't be mad at me, okay? Happy wife, happy life!"
He planted a quick kiss on Selena's cheek, let her go, and then hugged Serena Dream, teasing, "You're the gentlest—why are you joining in with the others? Don't tell me you've stopped loving me!"
Serena Dream pouted, "You're the one who ignored our feelings! We're all your women, our hearts have been tied to you for ages, and you still dare to get mad at us? Sometimes I really want to ignore you, you know."
Evan promised, "No more surprises, I swear. From now on, I'll tell you all before I do anything risky—deal? Lynne, Selena, you two come over here too!"
Lynne Nie and Selena walked over, looking a bit helpless, and Evan pulled both of them into a big hug. "I messed up today, okay? Please forgive me. I really have to go to the Netherworld this time—there's no way around it. I hope you can understand."
Selena (demon princess) asked, "Evan, can't we come to the Netherworld with you? We're not as strong as you, but we're not weak either. Maybe we can help out."
Evan smiled softly, "Sel, I get how much you all care, but the Netherworld is just way too dangerous. I can't let you risk yourselves for me. If I'm alone, I can get away easily without worrying about anything holding me back."
You all know about my special powers—I can merge into water, earth, or fire to hide. But if you were with me, I'd be constantly worried. You get what I mean, right?
But I promise you all—no matter what happens, I'll come back alive. That's my word as Evan Chu. Please, trust me.