Evan Chu headed straight for Princess Ivy’s room. Since becoming the Prince Consort of Nine‑Shade City, he’d only spent a single night in the City Lord’s Mansion—and that was on his wedding night. Now, after several months in seclusion, the place felt strangely unfamiliar.
Before he even reached the door, he heard Princess Ivy and Roxy chatting and laughing inside. The sound of their laughter eased Evan’s worries—after all, he’d been in seclusion for so long, and felt especially guilty toward Ivy.
But Evan couldn’t figure out why Roxy was here. When he’d gone into seclusion, he’d specifically told her to do the same. Did she come out before him, or never go at all? He made a mental note to ask her about it.
Instead of barging in, Evan grinned and used Earthshift to sneak beneath the room. At that moment, Roxy and Princess Ivy were sitting at the table, enjoying delicate pastries together—making Evan itch to stir things up and a little jealous to be left out of their fun.
He decided to play a prank on them. Since Roxy already knew about his Earthshift, the perfect target was Princess Ivy. Evan crept under Ivy’s chair, waited for the right moment, and sent a tiny spark of lightning zapping her foot—just enough to make her yelp, but not actually hurt.
Of course, Princess Ivy never imagined someone could be hiding in the ground. A sudden jolt of pain shot through her foot, making her cry out and leap up, staring at the floor in shock.
"Ivy, what’s wrong? Why are you yelling all of a sudden?" Roxy asked, puzzled by Princess Ivy’s reaction.
"N‑Nothing, I’m fine!" Princess Ivy replied quickly, though she felt very strange inside. She sat back down and kept talking with Roxy, but couldn’t help glancing at the floor now and then—though she didn’t see anything unusual.
Hidden in the earth, Evan was quietly cracking up. Pranking Ivy felt way too satisfying. After a moment, he zapped her other foot with another playful jolt of lightning, making her shriek again.
She jumped up and shouted, "Who? Who’s messing with me? Show yourself—I swear I won’t beat you to death, but if I catch you I’ll skin you alive!"
Roxy also sensed something odd and asked, "Ivy, what's going on? There's only the two of us in this room—who exactly are you talking to?"
"Roxy, my foot suddenly started hurting just now—sharp and numb, but I didn't think much of it. But then the other foot got zapped too! Someone's definitely messing with me on purpose. There's no way this could happen otherwise," Princess Ivy said.
But as she said this, something seemed to click. Ivy's face lit up with joy, while Roxy also looked shocked as she stared at Princess Ivy. The two women blurted out in perfect unison, "It's Linfeng! Linfeng's out of seclusion!"
Evan, still hidden under the floor, was left speechless. These two were way too sharp—how did they figure him out so quickly? Well, that killed the fun. He quietly slipped away from the room.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door. The two women lit up with delight and rushed to open it, finding Evan standing there with a broad grin. "Missed me, wives?" he teased.
His greeting made both women blush instantly. Ivy asked, "Were you just in the room a moment ago?"
"Nope, I just got here. What's up?" Evan replied, feigning innocence.
"Forget it. Now that you're out, nothing else matters. How did your retreat go? Any breakthroughs?" Ivy asked.
"My realm isn't so easy to break through. Every advance means a huge boost in power. Unless I absorb Faye Knox's Nether Yin Qi—so, Ivy, planning to help me go absorb it?" Evan joked.
"If you've got the guts, go ahead and try! Saying stuff like that the moment we meet—I'm not talking to you anymore!" Ivy shot him a glare and turned away, sitting down on the bed.
Evan didn't mind Ivy's reaction. Instead, he turned to Roxy and asked, "Roxy, did you finish your retreat?"
"Yeah, I came out a month before you did. I managed to break through one minor level, but now I’ve hit a bottleneck—no amount of seclusion will help. Still, it was a great harvest: I gained a heaven-defying new martial art, but I can’t cultivate it yet. I’ll need the right opportunity—and the right materials—to unlock it," Roxy said, her eyes shining with excitement.
"What martial art? Maybe I can help!" Evan said. Roxy has the Vermilion Bird Bloodline, and the Vermilion Bird Clan is closely tied to the divine phoenix. She might even evolve into a phoenix herself.
"After I broke through to Seventh-Layer Saint Martial, something incredible happened—a mysterious knowledge of 'Phoenix Nirvana Rebirth' filled my mind. But to actually cultivate it, I need Divine Parasol Tree Wood, and I have no idea where to find it. Phoenix Nirvana Rebirth lets me undergo three nirvanas, each one boosting my realm by three minor levels and granting me an undying body. If I complete all three, I’ll be truly immortal—even if someone destroys my body and soul, I can resurrect. But the requirements are insane: first I need Divine Parasol Tree Wood, then a Solarflame Crystal, and for the third nirvana, I still don’t know what’s required," Roxy explained, her voice full of awe and frustration.
"If I manage all three nirvanas, I’ll truly become undying—even if a powerhouse wipes out my body and soul, I’ll come back to life! But it’s ridiculously hard: the first stage needs Divine Parasol Tree Wood, the second needs a Solarflame Crystal, and I haven’t figured out what the third requires yet," Roxy said, shaking her head at the challenge.
"Divine Parasol Tree Wood? I've never heard of it either. But if it's mentioned, it must exist somewhere. Don't worry, Roxy—I swear I'll help you get it," Evan said, his tone serious.
"Evan, now that you're out of seclusion, what's your plan? If you count the time, we've been in the Netherworld almost a year, but we've found very few Netherghost Violet Orchids. I think it's time we went out searching again," Roxy said.
"Netherghost Violet Orchids? There used to be plenty, but now they're rare. I still have a few, and I'm sure my father, the Shade Lord, has more. I can ask him for some. But you both broke through to the Saint Martial Realm—why do you still need Netherghost Violet Orchids?" Princess Ivy asked.
"Ha! Weren’t you just giving me the silent treatment? Couldn’t resist joining in, huh? But I really do need your help—I’m not joking. Netherghost Violet Orchids are crucial for my sect back in the human realm. Lots of my people are stuck below the Saint Martial Realm, and these orchids are the key. Roxy and I aren’t Netherworld natives, which you know. Our real reason for coming here was to get the Netherghost Violet Orchids," Evan explained, half teasing and half serious.
"So that's it. If you ever go back, you have to take me with you—that's my only condition. You have to promise me," Princess Ivy said, afraid Evan might leave and never return, leaving her behind in Nine-Shade City.
"Of course I promise. Go ahead and get some wine and dishes—let’s enjoy a proper drink together while we can. Days this peaceful won’t last long," Evan said, his voice gentle but determined.
"I’ll go tell the servants. But what do you mean, ‘peaceful days won’t last’? Are you planning something big again?" Ivy asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion and curiosity.