Evan Chu's words were immediately heard by Serena Dream and Lynne Nie. The two girls were startled—they hadn't expected him to notice them. This guy's hearing was really sharp.
"Serena, should we go out there?" Lynne Nie asked.
"Go out? Why not? Are we supposed to be afraid of him? I can't believe he can actually roast fish in his palm—it's really eye-opening," Serena Dream said.
The two of them immediately stepped out from the darkness. Evan Chu, holding the grilled fish, smiled faintly and said, "Two Saintesses, following me in the middle of the night—what could be your purpose? Do you suspect my identity?"
Evan's words hit the nail on the head, leaving the two girls momentarily stunned. Lynne Nie spoke up, "You can't really blame us for being suspicious. You went out alone in the middle of the night—I only saw it by accident. Right now it's a turbulent time, and your words during the day raised a lot of questions, so of course we had to come see for ourselves. Who would've thought we'd find you here grilling fish? It's honestly surprising."
Both girls were dressed in black, faces covered by veils, so Evan couldn't see their expressions. He laughed and said, "A chance encounter is better than an invitation. I'm not what you imagine—come try my grilled fish, it's a rare treat."
Serena Dream looked at the grilled fish in Evan's hand and laughed, "Young Lord Peak, you only have one fish—how are we supposed to share that? If you really want us to eat, you'd better go catch a few more!"
Evan glanced at Serena Dream and said, "Since the beautiful Serena says so, of course I won't let anyone down. Wait here for me."
After speaking, Evan flew out and jumped directly into the river. The two girls exchanged glances, finding him more and more mysterious.
"Young Lord Peak really is spontaneous—he just jumped straight into the river. Do you think when he comes back he'll strip off his soaking wet clothes right in front of us?" Lynne Nie said.
"Are you really that interested in seeing a man's body? This guy—his identity and the way he does things are both out of the ordinary. If he's a friend, he'll be a huge help to us; if he's an enemy, he'll be a real headache," Serena Dream said.
"Heh, he's totally into you—how could he be an enemy? Serena, if I were you, I might actually consider dating him. Too bad you're so stubborn. What's so great about Soaring Feather Young Lord anyway? I don't feel a thing for him," Lynne Nie said.
"If you like him so much, I'll let you have him. When he comes back, I'll play matchmaker for you two," Serena Dream said.
Just then, Evan Chu flew out of the river, holding four big fish in his hands. The fish in this river were truly large and fat—their taste was sure to be amazing.
Evan walked over and said, "They'll be ready to grill soon, but I need to clean out the guts first."
As he spoke, the Frostbane Sword appeared in his hand. Evan skillfully gutted all four fish, then, with a burst of water from his palm, washed them perfectly clean.
The two girls didn't say a word. Right now, behind their veils, their faces were full of shock. If Evan could see through the veils, he'd be amazed—the girls were staring at him like he was some kind of monster.
Finally Lynne Nie couldn't help but ask, "Young Lord Peak, why are your clothes dry? You clearly jumped into the river! What's going on? And where did that water come from? Don't tell me it's because you've mastered the water element. I've also mastered the water element, and it's easy to summon water droplets, but to shoot out water like that—even most Saint Martial Fifth-Layer experts can't do it."
"Oh, you mean that?" Evan Chu placed the cleaned fish on a rock, then spread out his palm and said, "I'm naturally attuned to water. In water, I am water itself. Watch!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Evan performed a trick—an ice block appeared in his palm. The temperature dropped sharply, and a faint mist began to rise around them.
"Mystic Ice? You can instantly manifest Mystic Ice from water element? Who exactly are you?" Lynne Nie was truly shocked now—Mystic Ice could only be created by mastering water element to the extreme.
The fact that this young man could do it in an instant was simply unbelievable.
"Alright, time to grill the fish. Rest assured, I mean you no harm. If you really want to know my identity, I can tell you—but I hope you'll agree to one thing first," Evan Chu said.
"What is it? As long as it's within our power, we won't refuse. But we hope you'll be honest with us—we're treating you as a friend," Lynne Nie said.
Evan glanced at Serena Dream, who nodded and said, "Just don't ask us to do anything indecent. I trust Young Lord Peak is a gentleman."
"Heh, I'm not what you imagine. I just hope you'll keep my secret—I don't want anyone else to know." Evan Chu laughed. He'd originally wanted to ask the girls to take off their veils so he could see their faces, but Serena had blocked that idea with her words.
"That's easy—we can definitely promise you that. I thought you'd ask something tricky or weird," Serena Dream laughed.
"I'm a disciple of Frostbane Sect, and soon I'll be its sect master. I came to the Azure Tide Ruins partly for Serena, and partly for the sect master position," Evan Chu said.
He then summoned a flame in his palm and started grilling the fish, not caring what the two girls thought.
Seeing the flame in Evan's hand, the girls were once again shocked. Not only was his mastery of water element terrifying, even his control of fire element was extraordinary—maybe he really was a true genius.
With the earlier experience, Evan quickly finished grilling a fish. "Alright, try my cooking," he said.
The aroma of grilled fish filled the air. For the two girls, it was their first time eating fish cooked without firewood, and they found it novel. The taste was truly delicious, and they couldn't stop praising it.
Soon the three of them stopped eating. Evan Chu smiled and said, "I wonder if you could take off your veils and let me see the true faces of the saintesses whose beauty is famed throughout the Azure Tide Ruins?"
"If you want to see our faces, that's fine—but you have to take off your mask first. That's only fair," Lynne Nie said.
Serena Dream didn't object; she was genuinely curious about this mysterious young man.
Evan Chu immediately removed his mask, revealing his true face—a face so handsome it could make thousands of girls swoon. Both girls were stunned, especially Lynne Nie, who found herself staring.
"Now it's your turn. Since we're friends, let's be sincere—don't spoil the mood!" Evan Chu laughed.
Lynne Nie immediately took off her veil, revealing a flawless, breathtakingly beautiful face. In the gentle moonlight, she looked like a fairy.
Evan Chu's eyes were filled with genuine admiration—not the lecherous look of a typical womanizer.
Lynne Nie saw this clearly, and her goodwill toward Evan quietly grew.
Serena Dream hesitated. She rarely showed her true face to outsiders—even within Freewind Palace, fewer than five people had ever seen it.
"Serena, do you think I'm not worthy, or is there something else holding you back?" Evan Chu asked.
PS: It's the weekend, so I'm posting an extra chapter tonight. Happy weekend, readers!