Angie's Seduction

Chek dismissed everyone, sealing off the main hall for Du Chen to recuperate and cultivate in seclusion.

Only three wounded individuals remained in the hall. Du Chen summoned the Precious Lotus Scripture, which slowly emitted a sacred radiance. Though this light couldn't compare to the miraculous healing properties of the Water Veil Shield, it still offered some assistance.

Steve and Xue Ji were still unconscious. Du Chen sat on the Lotus Pedestal, secretly circulating his inner strength to regulate his breathing, but his gaze fell upon Xue Ji's pale yet stunning face...

“Oh, this silly girl!”

Du Chen shook his head with a bitter smile. “Was it worth it? To fight to the death for someone she’d known for less than two months, someone who was, in fact, an enemy? To end up draining her life force and falling unconscious? Xue Ji truly is too foolish.” He let out a deep sigh. Suddenly, he heard Steve muttering, “A pretty sight to sigh over, indeed, not good at all!”

“Eldest Brother, you’re awake? How are you feeling?”

Steve struggled to sit up, a playful grin on his face. “Still holding up! Third Brother, honestly, have you taken a liking to this girl?”

Du Chen chuckled. “Impossible! She’s Margaret’s disciple. Sooner or later, we’re bound to clash!”

“Must Margaret’s disciple necessarily be evil?” Steve retorted. “Aunt Sherine is also Margaret’s disciple, but is she evil?”

Du Chen was speechless. After a moment, he said, “She’s just a foolish girl who fought to the death for an enemy...”

“A foolish girl?” Steve cackled with a strange laugh. “Then who was it that endured a direct hit from a Shooting Star Storm for an enemy, and is now spitting blood while healing? Hm? Silly boy?”

Steve burst into laughter, making Du Chen inexplicably annoyed. “Alright, Eldest Brother, Xue Ji is different from Sherine. Aunt Sherine has a serene nature and has never had ill intentions; she broke ties with Margaret long ago. But Xue Ji...” He glanced at Xue Ji’s haggard face, not finishing his sentence. In many ways, Xue Ji truly resembled the reclusive administrator in the Battle God Isle library.

Steve’s gaze shifted between his brother and Xue Ji, then he suddenly shrugged. “Some things are already arranged by that woman, the Goddess of Fate. You can’t avoid them, no matter how hard you try...” The more he spoke, the more indecent he became, his lewd chuckle growing wider as he raised an eyebrow. “Eighteen years ago, you two shared a bed, you know. Are you thinking of being irresponsible and kicking her out now?”

Du Chen’s handsome face flushed slightly. “Eldest Brother, what nonsense are you spouting?”

Steve became serious. “I’m not spouting nonsense. This is what the Water’s Embrace Divine Beast told me back when he saved me and the Blade of Heaven. He saw with his own eyes a newborn you and a baby girl placed in the same bed. Baby Arthur, born next door, was wailing, and you, boy, clutched that baby girl tight, refusing to let go... Heh, that scene, tsk tsk, it was truly hilarious!”

Du Chen’s expression grew worse, but Steve’s story became wilder and wilder. Just as he was getting into the swing of things, Xue Ji slowly awoke, catching Steve’s vulgar family remarks and instantly blushing crimson. But then Steve’s expression suddenly changed, and he glared fiercely at Xue Ji.

Xue Ji and Du Chen were both bewildered by Steve’s reaction. Then they heard the playboy say, with a sudden seriousness, “Younger Sister-in-law, please don’t be so careless with yourself. Look at the blood on your dress; my brother nearly lost his life for you!”

The bloodstains on Xue Ji’s long dress were from Du Chen’s own blood, spat out after enduring Thirteen’s killing move. The crimson stains covered more than half her dress, and Xue Ji was stunned upon seeing them.

Du Chen was awkwardly flustered, but at that moment, Steve irresponsibly jumped off the Lotus Pedestal and casually strolled out, leaving the two bewildered and at a loss.

They exchanged glances, both blushing, unsure of what to say, but their eyes remained locked...

With Steve’s meddling, a strange feeling arose in both their hearts... Some emotions, having taken root, and with Steve’s ‘watering,’ were gradually beginning to sprout.

...

Days passed, and the battle between the Huhuhu Beasts and the Violet-Bloods gradually escalated from brutal to barbaric. At the Sacred Artifact Assembly, most of the leaders from the City of Penance were devoured by the Huhuhu Beasts. However, only the Family Heads had attended that day; the remaining Violet-Blood armies and family members were still intact. Nearly all these people were gathered by the Brockman family. In just over ten days, the Brockman family had amassed nearly a hundred thousand Violet-Bloods, but this number included the old, the weak, women, and children. Fewer than half were truly capable of combat.

Moreover, compared to the sheer numbers generated by the Huhuhu Beasts’ fission reproduction, the Violet-Bloods were still too few. Du Chen knew that with these numbers, it would be impossible to block the Huhuhu Beasts. So he acted decisively, abandoning other strongholds and focusing solely on the Brockman Bunker as a central point, constructing layers of defenses. His goal was not victory, but merely to stall until the refinement of the fine earth was complete.

On this day, thirty li outside the Brockman Bunker, the sounds of battle and guttural chewing mingled together. A chaotic clash between Huhuhu Beasts and Violet-Bloods was underway, but the battlefield situation was quite peculiar: the Huhuhu Beasts clearly had an overwhelming advantage in both numbers and strength, yet the tide of battle was turning against them.

Often, two dozen Huhuhu Beasts would surround a single Violet-Blood Soldier. The Violet-Blood Soldiers would fight relentlessly, striving to kill the enemy, but the Huhuhu Beasts were constantly held back, willing to suffer injuries or even death rather than kill their opponents, instead striving for live capture. It was this restrictive combat style that caused the Huhuhu Beasts immense suffering. Ultimately, Violet-Blood Soldiers would often kill too many Huhuhu Beasts, exhausting themselves, before finally being captured alive.

The Huhuhu Beast King Pieres watched from afar. A giant Huhuhu Beast complained, “My King, Heh-gakka, too many of our brethren have died these past few days. Just give the order to let them kill without restraint!”

“Absolutely not!” Pieres stated firmly. “How many times have I told you? It’s better to lose ten brethren than to fail to capture a single living captive! There are less than a hundred thousand Violet-Bloods left. If one dies today, tomorrow a hundred of our brethren will starve to death!”

“Our brethren understand this principle, and they are all executing your Heh-gakka’s order – capture living captives at all costs! But, but...” the giant Huhuhu Beast pleaded, “Our brethren risk their lives to capture them alive! Yet, the Heh-gakka’s Violet-Bloods presume we wouldn’t dare kill them, so they fight with abandon... This, this battle is unbearably frustrating!”

Pieres said coldly, “For the future, tell our brethren to endure. Issue the command: whoever captures a living captive today will be rewarded with a Violet-Blood arm. Whoever kills a Violet-Blood will get no food!”

The giant Huhuhu Beast sighed and turned to relay the order. This command sparked widespread discontent among the Huhuhu Beasts, drawing many resentful glares. Pieres was well aware of this but had no choice but to make such a decision!

He was afraid!

The Huhuhu Beasts multiplied daily, their numbers now exceeding two million. Yet, only a hundred thousand Violet-Bloods remained. At this rate, even if all the Violet-Bloods in the bunker surrendered, it wouldn’t be enough to feed them! These past few days, many brethren were already too weak from hunger to move...

Was it going to come to... *this*? Pieres had not only grown stronger physically after his evolution but also much smarter. Yet, smarter individuals thought more deeply and saw further – if there weren’t enough Violet-Bloods to eat, what would the Huhuhu Beasts eat in the future besides themselves?

Right now, the Violet-Bloods served as a diversion, and the beasts hadn’t yet realized they could eat their own kind to fill their bellies. But what if the Violet-Bloods all died out? The extinction of the Violet-Bloods would mark the beginning of Huhuhu Beast cannibalism!

The thought of Huhuhu Beasts cannibalizing each other, eating their own kind, made Pieres genuinely afraid... He could only stall, stall, and stall again. He absolutely could not allow the Violet-Bloods to go extinct!

“Heh-gakka! You truly Heh-gakka!” Seeing several Huhuhu Beasts, overcome by gluttony, couldn’t resist eating a few living captives, Pieres immediately flew into a rage. He strode forward, ruthlessly stomping several of those Huhuhu Beasts to death with a sickening squelch, yelling furiously, “Listen up, all of you! We want living Violet-Bloods, not dead ones! Anyone who dares to eat a captive, I’ll Heh-gakka stomp them to death! Send all the captives to the breeding grounds for mating!”

“My King, Heh-gakka... We won’t dare again, but, but we’re hungry!” The Huhuhu Beasts watched the captives being carted away, on the verge of tears. Among them, many Huhuhu Beasts’ gazes towards Pieres were no longer friendly...

Making their own brethren starve to death, yet meticulously providing for the Violet-Bloods, even using the corpses of their fallen brethren to feed the captives – was *this* how a king should act?!

For the first time, the low-ranking Huhuhu Beasts, who were the most numerous and dominant, realized that perhaps this King was chosen wrongly, perhaps they needed a “smarter” King!

...

From the observation post across the bunker, Alex saw this scene and let out a wry chuckle, remarking to Chek beside him, “It’s a good thing Pieres still has some sense and has been trying to avoid large-scale slaughter of the Violet-Bloods these past few days. Otherwise, we’d have been overrun long ago, and there’s no way we could have stalled until today!”

Chek’s expression was peculiar. “Indeed. Now our brethren are all scrambling to get to the battlefield – if we lose, we don’t have to worry about being killed, and if we win, we get rewarded. This battle is so comfortable, I even want to join in!”

Alex, however, sighed as he watched the Huhuhu Beasts. “Flawed evolution. The Huhuhu Beasts are doomed to have no future; they are destined to be eliminated by the laws of nature... Never mind them, Chek, how are the preparations coming along?”

Chek brightened. “Just now, my cousin led his men to the inner wall of the Life Tree. All the alchemical goods you requested are almost ready, just a few items missing, and Angie and her team are looking for them! Mr. Alex, what’s wrong?”

Alex’s face suddenly turned very grim, his eyes staring blankly at the Huhuhu Beasts. “Flawed evolution...”

Chek, confused, softly asked a few questions, but Alex merely waved his hand. Chek dared not disturb Alex’s thoughts, so he quietly took his leave and departed.

“Flawed evolution...” Alex rubbed his nose. After casually uttering that phrase, it felt as if something within him had been stirred. This sudden stirring wasn’t particularly strange, but at that very moment, the Fourth Trigram lotus on his body suddenly moved!

The Fourth Trigram lotus had returned to his body, but he couldn’t use it. What was he missing?

Was that feeling about flawed evolution earlier... the answer to Master Grape’s question? Was it the key to using the Fourth Trigram?

Alex felt a little dizzy.

“Mr. Alex!” A sweet, cloying call interrupted Alex’s thoughts. He turned to see the Third Young Lady, Angie, walking towards him with a cheerful smile, carrying a large bag. “I’ve found a few more alchemical goods.”

Angie placed the bag down, but then pressed herself against Alex, refusing to leave. She even waved her hand, using her status as Third Young Lady to dismiss everyone else in the observation post. Only she and Alex remained in the room!

“What else do you want?”

Angie giggled, pressing closer to Alex’s side. Her sweet-scented breath even brushed against his face. “Mr. Alex, I just wanted to ask, with the Huhuhu Beast army bearing down, what do you need these alchemical goods for?”

Alex frowned tightly. “You should ask your father that question!”

Angie giggled again, pressing even closer to Alex, her two prominent mounds pressing firmly against his shoulder. “But my father won’t tell me. Can you tell me?”

Alex pushed her away abruptly. “If your father won’t tell you, then there’s no need for me to tell you either! Miss Angie, this is a frontline observation post, not a place for you to linger. Go continue your mission!” His voice was cold. The only reason he spoke politely was out of consideration for Chek; otherwise, Alex would have been too lazy to even acknowledge Angie.

Angie, however, showed no intention of leaving. She suddenly leaned even more intimately against Alex, her prominent chest pressing tightly against his shoulder. “What do you want?” Alex scoffed coldly, “Keep your distance!”

“Alright!” Angie retreated a few steps, looking dismayed. But then she reached the door, and with a “click,” locked it, staring at Alex with an unabashed gaze.

“I daresay any man would know what I intend to do. Don’t you understand? Hm?”

With that, Angie suddenly pulled at her belt with both hands, and her robe slid down her smooth, graceful curves. Good heavens, she was wearing absolutely nothing underneath! Alex quickly closed his eyes and turned away.

Angie spoke softly to Alex’s back, “Alex, I don’t like being wishy-washy. One word: From today onwards, I am your woman!”

Impulse, excitement, secret delight... Alex felt none of the emotions a man should typically feel in this situation!

He was utterly astonished!

*I saw it! In that instant the robe fell, even though I closed my eyes, Angie came at me so suddenly that I clearly saw everything for a split second, yet the Precious Lotus Scripture showed no reaction! Does ‘seeing’ not count as lustful interaction with women!?* He cursed inwardly, wondering if Master Grape was truly toying with him, but his face remained utterly cold. “I’m not interested in you!”

“But I’m interested in you!”