Even with all the insane events taking place prior to this moment, Stella managed to surprise me. No! Astonishment is the right word to describe my current emotional state!

It's not that I expected some kind of obstacles against pursuing my interest of Eve, but considering both the social norm of this world and the fact that I knew her for only three days at this point, shouldn't she at least attempt to discourage me from pushing this relationship forward?

With the Sect Master's rather cold attitude towards Eve just a moment before and the friendly, relaxed atmosphere when I first saw them together, it was obvious how much did she dote on her. Referring to Stella as "Master" indicated that my cute friend was in fact a Sect Master's direct disciple!

How is it possible that with such bonds tying both the women together, would this important person actually proposed such a solution!

"Ah, forgive me my manners, Master. I just didn't think of such a great way to solve this problem! That will in fact a great help for me!"

Even with such an acknowledgement, I need to put my guard up. What if Stella just wants to trick me? Maybe she expects some sort of reaction that she could punish me for later? Maybe she wants me to overreact so that she would both remove me from Eve's life while keeping up a front of taking preemptive measures?

There is no way that I will risk such a bright future by acting relaxed! I don't care if I'm overthinking things, answering in a courtly manner doesn't cost me anything but can prevent a disaster!

"That's great then, I was worried I didn't know about something. Since that's all, let's stop dawdling and get moving! We shouldn't waste our precious time wasting away in the forest."

With everything settled, there is no point in staying here any longer. Not to speak about the master, but even the core disciples treasured their time. Reaching their level of cultivation required vast amounts of resources, great talent and even more time to absorb and use it up!

That might also be a reason for the entire party packing up in just a few seconds! A single moment later, they just turned their mounts away and dived back to the forest in the direction of the sect!

I can't be sure of the reasons, but I think I understand why we just got left alone in the forest by everyone. If I was able to fend off against a tyrannical poetic penguin, there was no point in leaving any guards with us. At the same time, if I dared to ignore my first order and go on with my hunt, the sect master would gain great leverage over me in the latter days.

"We should go as well."

With Eve hanging on my arm, It was hard for me to get moving. While I don't mean to imply that she is heavy or something, but that some heavy parts of her are currently squashed against my arm muscles! How I'm supposed to start moving when I can enjoy such a heavenly feeling?

"Un."

With her eyes slightly clouded and her head hanged low, Eve appeared just like a small, shy cat, unwilling to leave its owner. For a moment I even considered pushing her down and feasting on her right away, but the remaining bits of my rationality helped me to hold my urges. There is not a single reason for bearing with the uncomfortable bedding consisting of branches, broken bits of bark and other rather poky stuff.

I can't even remember the point when we started walking or any of the time that passed as we travelled back to the sect. Focusing my full attention on the softness pressed against my arm, I awaited those rare moments when a slightly harder thing brushed past my muscles.

Looking at the girl from time to time I could see her constantly melting face, turning from a slightly excited one back in the forest, all the way to one of absolute lack of focus and barely keeping one's consciousness. It looks like I wasn't the only one getting excited by this slow, romantic walk!

This time, crossing the sect gates didn't bother us with any problems. Probably informed by the master's entourage earlier, the guards didn't ask us any questions and just silently let us through. The obstacle appeared only when we finally set foot inside the sect compound.

"What the hell is the meaning of this!"

Looking up, I see the same irritating face of this cuck that tried to conquer Eve by force before my arrival in this world. With his eyes twisted in a grimace of fury, I can recognise sparks of self-control still keeping up with the welling emotions inside his heart. No matter how much he hates me for holding his targeted girl so close, if he dares to act right after I got brought back to the sect, he is bound to face a sect master's wrath.

While his cultivation might not be bad, he is no better than an ant in the eyes of the real upper echelons. Even if inner sect sounds like an honourable place to be after achieving something, in fact, only core members mattered when it came to real problems. With the difrent cultivation realms creating a great gap of strength between people, only the upper tiers of mortal realm cultivators could enjoy preferential treatment in this kind of organisations!

"Let her go in that instant!"

Taking his spear out of his storage ring, this brazen kid dares to actually point it at me! With how great the ruckus must've appeared when such powerful rescue party got mounted, it's should be impossible to find a single person here who was ignorant about the events that transpired!

In this kind of small societies, rumours and information spread out at lightning speed! Who do he think he is by daring to threaten me with the tip of his weapon?

"I don't care who do you think you are or what quirky deeds you are capable of. I won't let such a trashy embracing energy stage cultivator touch Eve!"

Ugh, can we stop with the cliches already? How conceited you have to be to follow the "how to be a one-dimensional villain" guidebook? Maybe at least try to be a bit original! Do you know what will happen if you dare to touch or even insult me? Do you not fear the master's retribution?

"Get lost from here! I don't want to see your ugly face ever again in my life!"

At this point even Eve got furious! Lashing at her devotee with all the bad words that she knew, she almost tripped when shouting!

"Well, you heard the lady. Begone bad spirit!"

Making a sign of the cross with my free hand, I smile deviously at this kid. While he might be older than me by a small margin, I have combined experience of twice his age! There is no way I will let such a small fry bully me! But I can't overstep my bounds or I will have to explain my actions later on! I have a lot more important stuff on my mind right now than pointlessly duking things out with a stupid kid!

Looking at his face with ridicule plastered on my expression, I see his eyes starting to burn while his cheeks take on bloody colour. Looking at him with an objective perspective, I think he might seriously and literally explode!

"I hate this all talk kind of people like you! I challenge you to a duel! Two days from now in the training arena of the inner sect! If I win, you will never lay your hands on MY WOMAN!"

Heh, this kid is still going! It seems like he really wants a dose of insults straight from the earth!

"Go fuck' your father in his eye or I will slap you so low to the ground that You will reach enlightenment by comprehending how intricate a root system of that flower is!"