By now, Faye Knox's injuries had mostly healed. Seeing Evan Chu appear, she was both shocked and delighted, not bothering to argue over what he'd said. Instead, she smiled and asked, "I'm only surprised because you're still alive. That lightning strike was so powerful, and you were hit dead center. How did you survive that ordeal?"
Anyone would question how Evan Chu could possibly survive—it's nothing short of a miracle, a miracle of the highest order. At this moment, Faye Knox wasn't even concerned about her disheveled appearance; if she took a good look at herself, she'd probably scream or freak out.
Her whole body was pitch black, much like when Evan Chu had been struck by lightning before. Her clothes were in tatters, and in several spots her skin was exposed—one area in particular was especially prominent, and Evan Chu's eyes were locked straight onto it.
"You know my speed. That lightning was terrifying, but I dodged at the last split second. I still took a heavy hit, though, and only came looking for you once I'd recovered. I knew you hadn't been teleported away—aren't you touched?" Evan Chu laughed.
Faye Knox didn't notice Evan Chu's gaze. "I remember hearing a dragon's roar not long after I flew off. What was that all about? And is that scorpion dead?"
"You know about dragons? There shouldn't be any dragons in the Netherworld, right? As for that scorpion, it's definitely dead. With lightning that strong, even a Venerable Martial Realm expert couldn't survive, let alone a fire-element Netherbeast." Evan Chu replied, but he couldn't help grinning mischievously as Faye Knox shifted, making that particular spot even more obvious.
Faye Knox glanced at Evan Chu and immediately sensed something was off from his smile and his eyes. She looked down and realized that part of her body was exposed right in front of him. It wasn't much, but it still left her feeling flustered and helpless.
Even more annoyed, she finally noticed her own state and her face flushed red. "Have you stared enough yet? Turn around already, or do you want me to lose my temper?"
"Alright, alright! I won't look. Honestly, it's pure luck we survived. But you really need to clean yourself up—otherwise, a peerless beauty turning into a little beggar is just too much to handle." Evan Chu chuckled.
Surprisingly, Faye Knox didn't explode. Instead, she covered herself up a bit and said, "There's yellow sand everywhere. Let's get out of here and find someplace with water first."
"Water? That's easy—I can get it for you anytime. But you still haven't answered me: how do you even know about dragons? Don't tell me you've actually seen one?" Evan Chu pressed, his tone teasing yet curious.
"Of course there are dragons in the Netherworld. They're a kind of super powerful Netherbeast—we call them Nether Dragons. They almost never show up outside, so not many people know about them. I was lucky enough to see one once with my dad. That Nether Dragon fought him for ages before finally leaving, all beaten up.
Anyway, you said you could get water—how? Don't tell me you can just make it appear out of thin air?" Faye Knox shot back, skeptical.
"Smart girls are just easier to deal with. Of course I can conjure it up—want me to give you a shower right now?" Evan Chu chuckled, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Dream on! Then you'd see everything. Nice try, but I'm not falling for your tricks!" Faye snapped, glaring at Evan. Some things about this guy never changed.
"You can keep your clothes on, you know! What do you take me for? Or do you really want to walk around looking like this? If anyone else sees you, your reputation's finished." Evan grinned, completely unfazed.
Faye paused, realizing Evan kind of had a point. Honestly, she was curious about how this little thief would manage to get water—if he dared trick her, she'd definitely make him pay.
"Swear you won't peek? Or are you just trying to scam me?" Faye stared Evan down, all seriousness, refusing to let her guard down.
"Heh, I've already seen your body—why play shy now? Besides, why would I bother lying to you? In this Land of the Undead, it might just be us two left. We still have to figure out how to escape together. Would I really be stupid enough to piss you off and leave myself to fend for everything?" Evan shrugged, his tone half-serious, half teasing.
"You... you shameless jerk!" Faye fumed, almost bursting with frustration at the thought of him seeing her naked. But there was nothing she could do about it.
On a whim, Evan triggered Water Shift—instantly, a jet of water burst from his palm, drenching Faye from head to toe. She was soaked, totally caught off guard.
Faye's shock was almost as great as when she'd seen his lightning. Evan Chu was just too unreal—he could summon a water column in a heartbeat. Sure, she knew some people were born with water affinity and could gather elements to make droplets, but she'd never imagined someone could instantly turn water molecules into a full-on jet. It was hard to wrap her head around.
"What are you spacing out for? Hurry up and wash! You think conjuring this water is easy? It takes everything I've got to control the water element—it's as draining as fighting a top-tier expert!" Evan called, half boasting, half complaining.
Faye nodded, turned away, and washed quickly. The black grime vanished, but all Evan got was her back—he really wanted to see her drenched from head to toe, but all he could do was imagine.
"Done. Just wait—I need to change into something clean!" Faye called out, then flew off and disappeared in a flash.
Suddenly, Evan got a wicked idea—he wanted to sneak a peek at her. It felt even more thrilling than getting close to a girl. He knew if she caught him, he'd be dead meat... but the urge was impossible to shake.
He immediately activated Instant Shift, zeroing in on Faye. Then he switched to Earth Shift, burying himself in the yellow sand and inching closer, heart pounding.
Just as Evan thought he was about to get lucky, Faye suddenly shouted, "Little thief! I knew you couldn't be trusted. Did you really think I'd change clothes here? Get out here now, or do you want me to blow up?"
Evan froze—how did she spot him? It didn't seem possible. Then again, he didn't know all the Netherkin's tricks; maybe she really had some way to sense him.
Just as Evan was about to reveal himself, Faye muttered, "Maybe that little thief didn't come after all. Guess I'm just too suspicious." With that, she started peeling off her ruined clothes...