Everyone fell silent; not a single person spoke. After all, these people were the hardest to deal with—one wrong move and you'd bring trouble to the family. It was a real hot potato.
Seeing everyone so quiet, Dominic Chu glanced at Evan Chu. "Evan, do you have any thoughts?"
Evan Chu had already carefully weighed the pros and cons of dealing with these people. He stood up from his chair and said:
"Dad, elders, I think we should respect their wishes. Those who want to stay can stay, and those who want to leave—we won’t make things difficult for them.
But anyone who stays must go through an assessment to see if they still harbor ulterior motives. Those who pass will have their original treatment restored; those who fail will be expelled from the Chu Family."
"Evan, so how do you propose we assess them?" Merrick Chu immediately asked, thinking this was a pretty good idea.
Merrick’s question was really what everyone present wanted to know. All eyes turned to Evan Chu, hoping he could give them a satisfactory answer.
"Actually, assessing those who choose to stay is very simple. It can be summed up in two words. The first is: watch.
Watch how they perform in the family, see if they can achieve anything, and keep an eye out for any suspicious behavior.
The second word is: wait. Give them one year. If nothing goes wrong in that time and their strength improves—remember, one elite disciple is worth ten ordinary ones—
"Can you please stop scaring me like that? If you keep this up, you'll be the death of me!" Roxanne Lin complained, finally able to relax after seeing Evan was alright.
Evan Chu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, closed the door behind him, walked up to Roxanne Lin, and gently took her small hand in his own. "I promise I won't do that again. Seeing you upset hurts me too. After being apart for so long, we can finally be together again."
Roxanne Lin felt an indescribable emotion as Evan held her hand, as if she had been waiting for this moment for a very long time.
"Evan, I understand what you mean. I..." Roxanne began, her voice trembling slightly.
Before she could finish, Evan Chu pressed a domineering kiss to her lips, his strong hands starting to roam restlessly over her body.
Her veil obediently slipped to the floor, and in that instant, their breathing grew rapid and heavy.
Unconsciously, the two of them moved closer to the bed, everything unfolding naturally as their hurried breaths echoed in each other's ears.
Just as Evan Chu was about to take the next step, Luna's weak voice echoed in his mind, stopping him cold.
"Evan, you mustn't go any further with her. Did you forget what I told you before? Wait until she reaches the Earth Martial Realm—only then will she receive another breakthrough. Doing it now will harm both of you and bring no benefit."
Luna's words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly dousing Evan Chu's burning desire. His hand, which had already crossed into forbidden territory, froze mid-motion.
If you reach the Earth Martial Realm, you'll undergo another transformation like last time. That's why we both have to hold back for now.
"Thank you, Evan. You're so good to me—I promise I'll break through to the Earth Martial Realm as soon as I can, so you can finally get your wish." As she said this, Roxanne Lin felt her heart nearly leap out of her chest.
Suddenly, she seemed to remember something, her face lighting up. "Jenny Sima said we have to arrive at Heavenly Dragon Academy within a month, so that means you've been accepted too! I was so sad about this for a long time."
"You've had it tough! Competition at Heavenly Dragon Academy is brutal—we'll both have to work hard. But there, we'll have a chance to learn even more powerful martial arts."
Evan Chu was deeply moved. He'd known about entering Heavenly Dragon Academy for a while, but hadn't had time to tell Roxanne. He never imagined she'd worry about him for so long.
"Martial arts? My current sword technique is already pretty good, but I can only use the first two moves. I have no memory of the other four at all."
"How did that happen? And where did your sword technique come from?" Evan Chu remembered Luna once saying her sword art was a basic skill of the Vermilion Bird clan.
Roxanne Lin thought for a moment, then walked over to the desk. Evan Chu poured her a cup of tea, and only then did she begin to explain.
"I remember when I broke through to the eighth level of the Mystic Warrior Realm, the Vermilion Bird Mark on my forehead suddenly flashed red.
I felt a stabbing pain in my head, but after a while it faded, and then the complete cultivation method for this sword technique appeared in my mind. Only the first two moves were unlocked, though.
There's no trace of the last four moves at all!"
"How do you know there are four more?" Evan Chu found Roxanne's situation similar to his own Windchaser Sword Codex—higher moves only appear once your cultivation reaches a certain level.
"There's a passage at the beginning of the sword technique that says anyone with the Vermilion Bird Mark can receive this inheritance—it has six moves, and each one is stronger than the last."
"I see. Maybe once you break through to the Earth Martial Realm, you'll unlock the next two moves." Evan Chu was shocked. He'd never heard of a bloodline mark containing such a profound martial inheritance.