Several minutes later, Dyon found himself sitting across from the golden-haired Evangeline. They lounged by a quiet spring as she arranged some tea.
Seeing that Dyon only watched her silently, she couldn't help but speak first. "Are you not angry?"
"Why would I be angry?"
"I made things very difficult for you, shouldn't you be angry?"
"Not exactly. Your words may have seemed to make things difficult, but the reality is that I didn't have to do any more or less than I would have had to already."
"But if you lost…" Evangeline's delicate hands trembled slightly as she handled the tea leaves.
The truth was the Evangeline wouldn't know what to do with herself if she was the reason for anyone's death. To say that she was a kind-hearted individual was a definite understatement. She quite literally couldn't handle watching others suffer. It felt like it was her own pain.
As for why she was purposefully make it seem like she was against Dyon, that was obvious.
The first was to protect Dyon from the anger of Soul Rending Peak. Although Dyon was in the right to begin with, the powerful didn't care about such bland things as right and wrong, they only cared about what they could get away with.
The second reason was to show that she was favoring Dyon, but rather, venting her feelings instead. After that, no one would bother to punish Dyon again because she had technically already done the punishing.
Of course, Dyon guessed this. He was quite good at reading the character of others, especially with his still growing Perception. Although he wasn't entirely certain of the levels of progression attached to Perception, he was sure that his wasn't exactly low. It would take an expert beyond his imagining to pull the wool over Dyon's eyes.
"I'm sure you had a certain degree of certainty that I wouldn't lose." Dyon smiled, appreciating the innocence of this mature beauty. "If anything, I'm the one who's sorry for sullying your reputation."
Evangeline blushed slightly. It had nothing to do with her feelings for Dyon, but rather, she wasn't used to the idea of any man living together with her. But, unfortunately, even if they both wanted to renege on their deal, it wasn't possible due to their contract. As long as Dyon was living in Soul Rending Peak, this would be his home.
Composing herself, Evangeline just sighed. "My reputation will be slandered whether you existed or not. There isn't a small number of individuals who believe that I am the mistress of the Master of the sect."
Dyon frowned when he heard this. For obvious reasons, he didn't know about the political landscape of Soul Rending Peak. For it to have such turmoil even around the Vice Master position… It could be said that there weren't good things in store for the future.
"At the very least, being rumored to be my woman is far better than being a mistress of a small-time sect like this one." Dyon lightly teased, trying to lighten the mood.
Evangeline giggled lightly, causing waves to bounce across her soft ravine. "Little boy, I'm thousands of years old, you shouldn't be so eager to tease an old lady like me."
Dyon smiled. "You pretend as though your age makes you any less alluring."
Hearing these words, Evangeline's opal eyes glistened with happiness. She had heard many compliments in her life, but it was often accompanied with a thick and disgusting lust that prevented her from appreciating them. However, although she could tell that Dyon had a desire to warm her bed, she also saw a purity in his eyes that told her that he would never cross such a line without her permission. There were very few things a woman wanted more than a man who took her words and feelings seriously.
"You're quite free with your words." Evangeline said knowingly. "Didn't you say that your wives would be unhappy?"
Dyon lightly coughed, averting his eyes. It seemed that it was much more difficult to trick a seasoned woman than the younger ones he was used to.
The shame of the matter was that he walked right into the trap too. After all, didn't he scold Asyna just earlier for asking for the same treatment he gave his wives? His voice wasn't exactly concealed back then.
Evangeline's smile deepened, seemingly enjoying Dyon's awkward situations. She had a feeling that this sort of thing didn't happen to him often, so she felt quite good being one of the few to witness this scene.
Of course, she also knew that Dyon was playing a game of retreating and advancing with her. Allowing her to win a few exchanges of words would help their relationship deepen. Despite knowing this, though, Evangeline only appreciated Dyon more. How many youths in his position would be willing to take such a loss? If anything, they'd be scrambling to prove their wittiness.
Dyon accepted the cup of tea Evangeline passed to him. He knew next to nothing about such things, but what he did know a lot about was alchemy. He immediately recognized the herbs Evangeline used based on their leaves and smell.
"To use thousand-year-old Calming Wisp Petals for a small guest like me," Dyon lightly breathed in the scent of the tea, enjoying the relaxing effect it had on his muscles. "I'm flattered."
Evangeline was shocked to hear Dyon's words. "You understand the dao of tea?" There was a faint excitement in her voice, for good reason too. Those who understood tea making were rarer than even cultivation geniuses were.
Dyon shook his head. "I only know a few things about herbs. But, I'm more interested in knowing how you procured such a rare spiritual herb in this quadrant."
Evangeline smiled. "Is that your subtle way of asking about my origins? This old lady has some secrets to keep. If you want to know about them, shouldn't you share some of your own first?"
"What would you like to know?"
This kind of response surprised Evangeline. She didn't expect Dyon to be so straight forward.
"Okay. I'll see how sincere you are then. What are you doing here?"
Dyon shrugged. "I'm not here for anything in particular. I just had some free time and came for some experience."
"Oh? I'm surprised… It doesn't seem like you're lying."
"Of course, I'm telling the truth. I wouldn't dare to lie to you."
"You must know how dangerous it is for someone surnamed Jafari to come here. Yet, you really have no other purpose? It's either you're a very good liar, or you gave up your intelligence for that handsome face."
Dyon burst into a fit of laughter. "I guess I'm not very intelligent. However, this is the perfect environment for me to train in. I could slowly consolidate my cultivation in a safe space like everyone else, or I can give myself a bit of pressure. It's pretty clear what will help me out more in the long run."
"I see…"
"Does this mean you'll tell me why you're here now?"
"What if this is just my home quadrant? Why can't I be here?" Evangeline responded with a bit of a teasing tone. If this really was her home, Dyon's question would be silly. Of course someone with her talent would come here if that was the case.
"Something is telling me your origins aren't so simple. Call it intuition."
"A little mystery would do you good."
Evangeline's smile truly had a way of lighting up the room. Coupled with her almost blinding golden hair and she looked as though she was a goddess that just descended from the heavens. Dyon felt lucky to be able to speak with her so casually, but he didn't understand why this lofty beauty was so familiar with him. Could it really just be because she was a good natured person?
"I'll let the Soul Rending Peak goddess keep her secrets then." Dyon graciously took a step back, but he still took the opportunity to do a little give and take. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"
"Depends on what the question is."
"Why did you stop me from killing her? I'm not that magnanimous."
Evangeline was startled. She could sense that Dyon wasn't messing around, had she not stopped him, he would have killed Lilith without any qualms.
