When Evan Chu arrived at the palace gate, Selena was already waiting. Evan jumped straight off Goldwing’s back and said to Selena, “Xuan’er, how long have you been here?”
“Not long. So, how are we getting there? Are we riding your flying beast, or just flying ourselves? Do you know exactly where Weakwater is yet?” Selena asked.
“I’m still not that good at flying myself, so let’s let Old Goldwing take us. I already know Weakwater’s location—it’s pretty far from here, right on the border with the Crabfolk Kingdom.”
After speaking, Evan took Selena’s hand and flew up onto Goldwing’s back, quickly leaving the imperial city behind.
Evan always felt as if he owed Selena something. The whole way, he kept holding her hand, but didn’t say a word.
Goldwing flew swiftly, scenery flashing by below. Suddenly Evan asked, “Xuan’er, how exactly do you use spatial power? And what about space confinement—I still don’t really get it. Can you explain it to me?”
“Once you reach the Heaven Martial Realm, your Heaven Star Core resonates with heaven and earth, letting you borrow a bit of their power. But you still have to comprehend it for yourself—some people get it right away, others are clueless even at ninth-layer Heaven Martial.”
There are plenty of people at ninth-layer Heaven Martial who still can’t fly or use spatial confinement. You can’t rush this kind of thing,” Selena said.
Evan pondered Selena’s words. He felt like his Heaven Star Core hadn’t really resonated with heaven and earth; flying seemed more like instinct. He couldn’t figure out why.
When Evan and Selena were still over five hundred li from Weakwater, they stopped at a small town. It was already late, so they decided to spend the night there and head out again tomorrow.
The small town was quiet and deserted—it was, after all, a border outpost. There were barely any people on the streets. Goldwing had already returned into Evan’s body, and the two of them strolled slowly down the main road.
They finally picked a barely decent inn to stay at. At their cultivation level, even going ten days without food wouldn’t be a problem.
As soon as they entered, the inn’s attendant—clearly a merfolk, with obvious fins by his ears—came up and greeted them, smiling: “Welcome, guests! Are you here for a meal or a room?”
“Just bring us a few simple dishes, and we’ll need two rooms,” Evan said.
“One room is enough. Hurry up and get it done!” Selena interrupted.
Evan glanced at Selena in confusion, not sure why she wanted just one room. Was it because of what happened with Claire Ouyang these past few days? Was she planning to take the initiative herself?
He was puzzled, but didn’t dare say anything. “Just one room, then. And bring us a pot of wine too.”
Evan and Selena found an empty table and sat down, finally taking stock of the other customers in the inn. They were all merfolk, and there were fewer than ten in total.
The guests were chatting about everyday things, nothing important. Evan didn’t bother with them. Soon, the attendant brought their food and wine, saying, “Your room is the third one upstairs. Enjoy your meal.”
Evan poured two cups of wine and said, “Xuan’er, let’s have a drink—see if the wine in this place is any good.”
He took a sip of the wine and almost spat it out—it tasted awful. Selena laughed, “You really thought you’d get good wine in a place like this? Use your head.”
Evan chuckled, “No wonder you didn’t want to eat—you knew the wine would be terrible!”
“The wine’s bad and the food’s even worse. Try it if you don’t believe me—and in a bit, you’ll pass out!” Selena said.
“So this is a black inn? Should we just wreck the place?” Evan asked.
“It’s not time yet. Wait till they make a move. Just have them send the food to our room. If we don’t eat here, they’ll think their plan is working.” Selena said.
Evan didn’t understand how Selena could tell the food was drugged, but he still called out, “Waiter, bring our food up to the room—we’ll eat there!”
Then the two of them headed for their room. The attendant stared after them, muttering, “Let them have their fun for now—they’ll learn soon enough. That girl’s wearing a veil, she must be gorgeous. I’ll enjoy myself later.”
The attendant fantasized to himself, not knowing death was already beckoning. Evan and Selena entered the room, and soon the food and wine were brought in.
They pretended to eat, both sitting with their backs to the window—so even if someone was watching from outside, they couldn’t see whether the food was actually eaten.
The attendant wasn’t stupid—he wouldn’t peek from outside. Instead, he spoke to a middle-aged man: “Boss, when you’re done with that girl, don’t forget about me!”
“Don’t worry, you’ll get your turn. Just hope the drug works—if it doesn’t knock them out, we’ll have trouble,” the middle-aged man said.
“Even two oxen would be knocked out by this stuff. Besides, the boss is a fifth-layer Heaven Martial expert. Do you really think they’ll cause trouble?” the attendant replied.
“Linfeng, what are your plans after you get the Water Spirit Pearl?” Selena asked.
“I’ll stay in the Mermaid Kingdom for a while, then find a way to Canglan Ancient Land,” Evan said after thinking it over.
“You don’t need to look for a way—don’t forget, your Frostbane Sect disciple is here in the Mermaid Kingdom. If she could come, she must know the way. Or do you just not want to leave Claire Ouyang?” Selena said seriously.
Evan stared at the food and wine, frustrated that he couldn’t eat. “Canglan Ancient Land is full of experts. I’m still too weak—I need to reach Divine Martial Realm before I’m qualified to go.
Besides, Frostbane Sect is still fighting over the sect leader position. With my current strength, I can’t convince anyone—I’d just make things worse.”
Selena stood up. “It’s late. Let’s get some sleep and wait for the show to start.”
“Sleep together? I’m not sure I can control myself!” Evan joked.
“If you want to, I won’t refuse. But if someone barges in and sees your woman’s body, how would you feel?” Selena replied, then went to lie down on the bed.
Evan turned off the lamp and lay down too. Both were still fully dressed; nothing could really happen, but it was enough to stir the imagination.
Selena’s scent drifted over to Evan, making him restless. He let his hand fall onto her waist, or at least what felt like her waist in the darkness.
Selena didn’t stop him, and Evan didn’t move further. After a long while, he slid his hand up a bit and felt something incredibly soft.
He knew perfectly well what it was, but just left his hand there. Selena still didn’t stop him, so he thought there might be hope. He couldn’t go all the way, but a little groping wouldn’t hurt.
Feeling bold, he squeezed—and just as Evan was feeling triumphant, a sharp pain shot through his ear…