The commotion in the inn was loud, but Evan Chu sat quietly at his table, pouring himself a cup of tea and sipping it slowly. He let the others make a ruckus in the inn—now that he had returned to his human appearance, no one would ever recognize him.
Faye Knox, meanwhile, was extremely anxious. She desperately wanted to rush into Evan’s room and check on him—if his identity was exposed, it would surely trigger another earth-shaking disaster.
She paced back and forth in her room, more agitated than she’d ever been before. Ever since meeting this troublemaker, she couldn’t tell if she was lucky or cursed—there hadn’t been a single day she didn’t live on edge.
Soon, the patrol arrived. The first room they opened was Faye’s. Five Ghost Clan soldiers entered, all clad in golden armor—the kind with real status and strength in Rakshasa City.
"Have you seen this person?" One of the guards showed Faye an image of Evan’s Ghost Clan disguise and questioned her.
"No, I haven’t. What’s this guy to you anyway, officer?" Faye played dumb, her face innocent but her tone sharp.
"This man is a top-priority criminal in our Ghost Clan—he’s the one who wiped out Grimchart City. Anyone who covers for him is an accomplice. But if you’ve got real intel, the reward is huge," the soldier said, voice full of menace.
"If I hear anything, I’ll report it right away, officer. Since you’re here, why not search the place top to bottom? If he’s really hiding in my room, I’d be in huge trouble!" Faye said, her words half sincere, half mocking.
"No need. The room’s small enough—one sweep with divine sense is all it takes. Remember what I said: if you spot this man, report it at once!" With that, the guard turned and led the others toward Evan’s room.
Watching the five leave, Faye muttered under her breath, "Tch, what a bunch of fake tough guys. You only dare boss me around because you’re in Rakshasa City! Anywhere else, this young miss would’ve slapped you silly—who do you think you’re talking to?"
Faye expanded her spiritual sense to check Evan’s room—she absolutely didn’t want his disguise to be pierced by these guys.
Evan Chu's door wasn't even closed; the five Ghost Clan soldiers marched right in. When they saw Evan was actually a human, one of them asked, "Kid, you're the only one in here? Have you seen this person before?"
Evan glanced at the wanted poster—the image showed his Ghost disguise, face hidden by swirling ghost-qi and a hood. With a portrait that vague, they could search for a lifetime and never find him.
"I'm the only one here. If you don't believe me, you officers can look for yourselves. Is this the guy who leveled Grimchart City? With all that ghost-qi and a covered face, who could recognize him? Has he really come to Rakshasa City?" Evan replied, calm and unhurried.
"This man is a rare Ghost Clan genius, but also a vicious criminal. The Ghost Clan has its ways to see through disguises—you needn't worry about that. If you spot him, report at once, and you'll be handsomely rewarded," the guard said.
"Of course. If I see anything, I'll report right away. You officers are working hard—hope you catch him soon!" Evan smiled, but inwardly he thought, "Catch me? You don't even know what you're up against. Even if you turn Rakshasa City upside down, you'll come up empty."
The five Ghost soldiers moved on to search other rooms. Evan stepped out and headed for Faye Knox's room. Now that she knew his true identity and wanted to be his woman, her status still kept her from giving him Nether Yin Qi. That meant he had to go find Roxanne Lin next.
Although Roxanne Lin wasn't untouched, her Profound Yin Constitution was still incredibly potent. They hadn't been together in a long time, so her Profound Yin Qi had built up—absorbing it might let him break through a realm. Even if not, a few tries would do the trick. He also wanted to see how she was doing among the Shade Clan.
Evan pushed open Faye’s door and walked right in. Dressed in flowing white, he looked so elegant that Faye was momentarily stunned. She hadn’t expected him to be so handsome and couldn’t help stealing a few more glances.
"Are you mesmerized by me? If you are, hand over your Nether Yin Qi!" Evan closed the door with a grin.
"You’re such a pervert! How can you talk about stuff like that all the time? Just spit it out if you’ve got something to say—I’m listening, but don’t think I’ll let you off easy!" Faye shot Evan a fierce glare.
"When are we leaving? And what kind of city is Rakshasa, anyway? Why do all five Netherworld races show up here?" Evan asked.
"Rakshasa City is the most special place in the Netherworld. It’s where all five races come to trade. I don’t know who the city lord is—almost nobody’s ever seen him. But his strength is equal to the strongest of any race. He never joins any battles, just wants to live quietly here.
There are five Executive Officers here, one from each race, and all of them are at least at the Venerable Martial Realm. That’s why nobody dares cause trouble. Since Rakshasa is in Ghost Clan territory, Ghosts are the most numerous," Faye explained.
After hearing this, Evan realized the city lord definitely wasn’t simple. No one this low-key could be normal; maybe he was waiting for a chance to rise, like if the five races went to war, or secretly cultivating his own power. But Evan had more urgent things to deal with right now.
"Faye, you coming with me to Shade Clan territory, or heading back to your Netherkin folks? I’m basically invisible now, but your face is still a hot target. Better think it through," Evan said, his tone suddenly serious.
After thinking it over, Faye decided to return to the Netherkin for a while. She wanted to tell her father about Evan—so if anything happened, her clan wouldn’t be caught off guard. Still, parting like this, she felt reluctant, not knowing when she’d see him again.
"You little thief, I’m heading back to the Netherkin for now—gotta keep my head down. In six months, Rakshasa City’s hosting the Decennial Grand Auction. It’ll be wild, and with enough Netherstones, you can buy anything, even Netherghost Violet Orchids. Meet me here at this inn in half a year—don’t you dare stand me up!" Faye declared, chin lifted in challenge.
She said this because she worried Evan wouldn’t come looking for her in Netherkin territory—if they didn’t set a meeting place, it might be impossible to find him later. Having a plan gave her peace of mind.
"Sounds good. Since we’re about to part, shouldn’t you give me a little something?" Evan grinned mischievously.
"Give you what? I have no idea what you mean." Faye replied, but from Evan’s look, she knew it definitely wasn’t anything proper.
Evan stepped up, pulled her into his arms, and said, "Half a year apart—won’t you miss me? Don’t forget you lost our bet; you know what that means."
"No, stop—I'm not ready, let go of me, okay?" Faye immediately struggled, but Evan’s embrace was far too strong for her to break free.