Evan Chu spoke up at this moment: "Everyone, have a seat. I know you’ve all been worried about me, but look, I’m fine now, aren’t I? Why the long faces—are you planning to beat me up or something?"
"We absolutely should! Who told you to be so reckless? You made me cry all night!" Lily Tang was the first to speak up.
"Thank you, Evan. Jenny already told us everything you did in the Monster Beast Forest. I never imagined you’d go through so much for me—I’m truly moved." Roxanne Lin said softly.
Evan noticed that Roxanne was wearing a veil again. He couldn’t help but find it strange—she hadn’t worn one in ages. Could it be that the mark on her face had returned?
"Roxanne, why are you wearing a veil? Is it the mark on your face—" Before Evan could finish, he saw Roxanne nod.
Evan had obtained the Iceflame Crystal, but as for how to actually remove Roxanne’s Vermilion Bird Mark, he still didn’t know the method. The crystal’s ice and flame powers were far beyond what she could withstand, and for the moment, he was at a loss.
"Don’t worry. I’ve already found the Iceflame Crystal that can remove your mark. Once it’s gone, your bloodline power will awaken, and your strength will get a massive boost. You might even break straight through to the Heaven Martial Realm." Evan said confidently.
As soon as Evan finished speaking, everyone stared at him like he was crazy. Breaking straight into the Heaven Martial Realm—how was that possible? They all wondered if they’d misheard.
"Boss, that’s way too much! The Heaven Martial Realm! Sis-in-law’s only at third-layer Earth Martial right now, right? Jumping six whole realms—don’t scare me, I’m a coward!" Gus Bullard exclaimed, his face full of shock.
"I’m not completely sure, but it shouldn’t be too far off. When did the new mark appear?" Evan asked.
“Just yesterday, Roxanne had a match against a Sea Dragon Academy student. That guy was way too strong—she couldn’t even put up a fight. But then, out of nowhere, Roxanne unleashed a massive burst of flame. The aura she gave off was almost exactly like the one you had at your peak—it was terrifying,” Sterling Yates said.
Evan suddenly got it. So Roxanne had also awakened a bit of her bloodline power at her most desperate moment, and the mark on her face was the after-effect. She’d really been through hell.
He knew all too well how painful bloodline awakening could be. He hadn’t expected her to endure it—she must’ve suffered so much.
Evan stood up, walked over to Roxanne, and smiled. “Let me see—what does it look like now?”
“No, I won’t! Evan, don’t push me, okay? I just can’t do it right now,” Roxanne said immediately.
Nobody understood why Evan was doing this, but since he’d made it clear, they could only leave quietly. Jenny Sima, Lily Tang, and Rhea Yang felt especially conflicted.
Once only Evan and Roxanne remained in the room, Evan grinned, “Roxanne, now you can take off the veil, right? It’s just us.”
“You kicked everyone out just to look at the mark on my face?” Roxanne looked at Evan, exasperated.
Everyone had been losing sleep worrying about him for days, and this guy just threw them all out the moment he woke up. He was too much.
Didn’t she want it gone? Did she forget how the mark disappeared the first time? Did she want everyone to watch a live performance here? Even if she agreed, Evan wouldn’t! He shot her a mischievous grin.
Thinking back to their first meeting, it was hard to believe what they’d done. Roxanne wasn’t the kind of girl to give herself away so easily—she was putting her whole trust and future in his hands.
“Evan, after all this time apart, is this really all you have to say to me? If you’re just going to talk like this, then please leave. I want to be alone. I’m really not in the mood,” Roxanne said.
Evan was totally confused. How had Roxanne, once so gentle and compliant, suddenly started refusing him? He couldn’t believe it.
Had living with fiery Lily and sharp-tongued Rhea for so long changed her?
“Roxanne, what do you take me for? Don’t you miss me? I had no other reason—I risked everything to get the Iceflame Crystal just to remove your mark. Don’t you want it gone?” Evan asked, a bit helpless.
Roxanne’s heart was a mess. If she said she didn’t want to, it’d be a lie—she missed him every single day. But Lily and Rhea missed him just as much, worried just as much. She couldn’t be so selfish.
She couldn’t monopolize the man everyone loved. Evan’s actions put her in a tough spot—she was his fiancée and had already been with him, but Lily and Rhea hadn’t.
Sure, Evan always said those two were his women, but who could really say what the future held? Evan was so outstanding—there were bound to be a ton of girls who loved him. What if he was just playing around with them? Roxanne couldn’t be sure.
“I think about you—all the time. But have you considered how Lily and Rhea feel? They worry about you just as much as I do. If you act like this, do you know how much it hurts them?” Roxanne said.
Evan honestly hadn’t thought about this. He was just focused on removing Roxanne’s mark as soon as possible, so she wouldn’t have to hide her face anymore.
“Roxanne, I get it now. I know what I need to do. Sure, I’m a bit wild, but I’m not irresponsible. You know my constitution—I’d never abandon the women who choose to be with me. It’s just that your situation is special, so I had to act this way. I hope you understand,” Evan said seriously.
Hearing those words, Roxanne’s last bit of resistance melted away. She was moved all over again and finally couldn’t hold back her tears.
“Evan, you know, these days you were gone, we all spent them together. We kept encouraging each other, always believing you’d come back. Waiting felt endless—it was torture. I didn’t want to be selfish, so I said what I did. But in my heart, I always wanted you to stay with me.”
“Alright, don’t cry. Removing the Vermilion Bird Mark isn’t as easy as you think—it’s dangerous, and you need to be ready,” Evan said gently.
Roxanne nodded. She knew the storm she’d been waiting for was finally coming. She was scared, but she was also looking forward to it.
Just then, Luna’s voice sounded in Evan’s mind. “Wow, Evan, your sweet talk’s almost enough to move even me! So, how are you going to thank me?” she teased.
Turns out, Luna had just explained the full method for removing the Vermilion Bird Mark to Evan. The sooner they did it after Roxanne’s partial awakening, the stronger her bloodline revival would be.
But removing the mark was tricky. Because of the Iceflame Crystal’s unique properties, Evan had to force his Pure Yang Qi and Roxanne’s Profound Yin Qi out of their bodies at the same time, channeling them into the Iceflame Crystal.
Once the energies mixed and balanced inside the crystal, Roxanne would have to absorb all of it in one go. Only then could her bloodline fully awaken and the mark be erased.
But to do this, they had to use an intimate dual-cultivation ritual. Roxanne would draw Evan’s Pure Yang Qi out through his hand, while Evan helped guide out her Profound Yin Qi. They couldn’t stop for even a second, or both of them could suffer severe backlash and lose control of their Qi.
That’s why Evan had sent Jenny and the others away—there was no way he could let anyone else know about this.
He joked to Luna, “I’ll give you that soul-strengthening medicine the Fire Dragon gave me—let you enjoy yourself!”
Then Evan explained the method to Roxanne. An intense and dangerous ‘battle’ was about to begin…