After Eric informed his family that Evelyn had an S-Rank Talent, their attitude toward him changed completely.
The entire family began supporting Eric in his pursuit of Evelyn. Whatever he wanted to get, all he had to do was ask. In fact, they had just given him a sponsorship of one million Federal Currency.
Naturally, Eric was almost over the moon. He brought a few of his lackeys to the Baldy Otherworldly Beast Meat Barbecue Shop to celebrate.
Unfortunately, he never expected to run into Lucian and Evelyn again.
The moment he saw them, Eric’s already good mood plummeted.
Eric couldn’t take it anymore. He really couldn’t.
He had decided, the moment he returned home, he would have his family deal with this bastard.
He had to get rid of Lucian as soon as possible. Otherwise, he would never have a chance with Evelyn.
"Lucian, are you even a man? All you know how to do is hide behind Evelyn. If you have the guts, then let’s have a competition!"
With the support of his family’s Medicinal Pills, Eric had finally completed his first Heavenly Cycle that afternoon. His confidence had skyrocketed.
Now, he wanted to show off his strength in front of Evelyn, to prove that Lucian was nothing but a loser and that he, Eric, was the better choice.
He was going to beat Lucian, this little bastard, into the ground.
Before Lucian could even respond, Evelyn looked at Eric with a strange expression.
"Do you think I’m stupid? I have a D-Rank Talent, while you have a B-Rank Talent. If I fought you, wouldn’t I just be asking to get beaten up? My Talent may be poor, but that doesn’t mean I’m stupid!"
Lucian couldn’t help but stir the pot.
"He’s right. You’re just not a man. If you don’t even dare to fight, then stay away from Evelyn and stop embarrassing yourself here."
The moment he said that, Eric’s expression darkened.
"We’ve only been Awakened for less than three days, and neither of us is a Martial Artist yet. What difference does Talent make right now?"
Eric stared directly at Lucian.
"If you don’t dare to fight, then just admit it. Say it loud and clear that you’re a coward!"
Completely unaware that he was walking straight into a trap, Eric resorted to provocation, desperately trying to force Lucian into a fight.
Lucian played along, holding his breath and pretending to be furious at Eric’s words before standing up.
"Bullshit! Who’s afraid of you? Evelyn and I came here to eat barbecue, not to fight!"
Seeing Lucian’s apparent cowardice, Eric became even more excited.
This kid really is scared.
Eric knew Lucian was poor. Since he wanted to eat barbecue so badly, then...
"Heh heh... How about this? I’ll pay for your barbecue. As long as you’re willing to spar with me, we’ll stop at the point of injury."
When provocation failed, Eric immediately switched to bribery.
Lucian played along without hesitation.
"Eric, who are you trying to fool? If you really have the guts, order two whole roasted lambs and have them served at my table. Pay for them yourself, and then I’ll believe you."
Seeing that Lucian had finally relented, Eric didn’t hesitate.
"Boss, I’ll pay for the two whole roasted lambs at this table. I’ll transfer the money right now."
As he spoke, Eric showed the owner the payment record for 30,000 Federal Currency.
"Alright."
A short while later, the waiter brought two whole roasted lambs to Lucian and Evelyn’s table.
"Lucian, you can’t go back on your word now, can you?"
Eric’s triumphant laughter rang out.
"This... this is fine. But we’re only sparring, and we’ll stop before anyone gets seriously hurt, okay?"
Lucian reluctantly agreed, deliberately putting on a nervous expression as though he were afraid Eric might beat him badly.
Evelyn sat quietly to the side, watching Lucian with a strange look in her eyes.
This guy is such a schemer... but I like it.
"That’s fine. Let’s find somewhere empty and have our spar. We can treat it as a warm-up, then come back and enjoy the barbecue."
Eric could barely contain his excitement. He couldn’t wait to drag Lucian somewhere and beat him up.
"Okay, okay. Then we should find a place with fewer people. I’d be too embarrassed if too many people saw me get beaten..."
Lucian agreed with a stammer, deliberately making himself look nervous.
Eric wanted to beat Lucian up, but why wouldn’t Lucian want to beat Eric up too?
A secluded place was exactly what Lucian wanted. It would be much more convenient for him to deal with this idiot without anyone around to interfere.
Evelyn is my future wife, yet this kid actually dares to covet her.
"Alright. I was thinking the same thing."
Eric readily agreed. A secluded corner would make it easier for him to vent all his frustration.
The two soon arrived at a quiet corner of the night market snack street.
Few minutes later.
"Ouch! Lucian, you bastard! How dare you hit me?! I’ll have my family kill you!"
"Ouch! Stop hitting me! I was wrong! Lucian, please, have mercy and let me go!"
Lucian thoroughly enjoyed the beating. Eric’s lackeys, seeing how ruthless he was, didn’t dare to step forward and help.
After a while, Lucian finally stopped and dusted off his hands.
"Phew, that feels much better."
He looked down at the battered Eric.
"Eric, if you dare to have designs on Evelyn again, I’ll beat you until even your own mother won’t recognize you."
Lucian grinned.
"Oh, and thanks for the whole roasted lamb."
With that, he turned around and walked away swaggeringly, leaving behind a bruised and trembling Eric, who could only lie there and beg for help.
"You bunch of useless idiots! You just stood there while I was getting beaten! What use are you?!"
"Ouch... Hurry up and help me up!"
The dim night-market lights illuminated the corner, casting a pale glow over Eric’s swollen, bruised face.
"Lucian, you think you’re so capable? Just wait until my family deals with you. Hiss... my mouth hurts so much."
Eric still tried to throw out a few harsh words, but his swollen mouth made it difficult to speak. His lackeys had to carry him away while he continued hissing in pain.
Back at the barbecue restaurant, Evelyn was happily digging into the roasted lamb. She had been completely confident in Lucian’s strength from the beginning.
"Thanks to our dear classmate Eric for the gift. Evelyn, make sure you eat your fill today."
Lucian returned looking as though he had just won a glorious battle.
Evelyn looked at him speechlessly.
"Lucian, you’re really too mischievous. Don’t bully Eric to death."
"He’s not a good person. He actually dared to have designs on my wife, so of course I had to beat him until he had to crawl around looking for his teeth."
Lucian grinned shamelessly.
Lucian looked as though he was ready to start another fight.
"You’re talking nonsense again! Who’s your wife?"
Evelyn waved her little fist and lightly punched Lucian, her ears turning bright red.
"Hehe. Whoever hits me is my wife. After all, hitting is affection, and scolding is love. If you don’t hit me, it means you don’t love me."
"You... you..."
Evelyn was at a complete loss for words. Her charming face flushed even deeper, making her look even more captivating.
"Hahaha! Wife, hurry up and eat the whole roasted lamb. Don’t waste your time thinking about outsiders."
Evelyn gave Lucian a helpless, slightly coquettish look.
Lucian stared at her adorable expression and found himself completely captivated.
"Wifey, you’re so beautiful."
As he said that, Lucian slowly leaned closer to Evelyn.
Evelyn became even more flustered. Her face flushed, and she instinctively closed her eyes as though she had resigned herself to whatever Lucian was about to do.
"There’s a little crumb at the corner of your mouth. Let me clean it for you."
With that, Lucian used the tissue in his hand to gently wipe the corner of Evelyn’s mouth.
Evelyn froze.
A moment later—
"Lucian, you bastard! Get away from me~!"
Of the two whole roasted lambs, Lucian alone ate one and a half.
It was mainly because his Shadow Soldiers were Cultivating at an astonishing pace, and his body simply couldn’t keep up with the nutritional demands.
Even after finishing that much, Lucian left the barbecue restaurant feeling unsatisfied.
Beside him, Evelyn glared at him angrily, her eyes practically spitting fire.
"I’m still not full. I definitely need to become a Martial Artist soon and start hunting Otherworldly Beasts myself. Evelyn, are you full?"
"I’m full. Full of anger."
Evelyn tossed her pretty head and quickened her pace, walking ahead of him.
Lucian chuckled and followed after her.
In the darkness, a pair of eyes silently watched the two of them leave.
In a certain corner of Silverwood City.
"Don’t be in a hurry. Wait for the right opportunity."
"Why, my lord?"
"Evelyn has bodyguards hidden in the shadows. We need to wait for reinforcements before we can deal with them."
"Then what should we do for now, my lord?"
"Continue watching them. Whatever you do, don’t let yourself be discovered."
"If anything happens, report it immediately."
"Yes, my lord."