The female swordsman, known as Princess Jean, was also taken aback and inquired of the girl who embraced Eddie, "Rue, do you know him?"
The girl, with her luminous eyes and charming smile, gently patted Eddie's head and beamed with delight.
"Jean, this is Eddie from our family. He's always been a homebody, rarely stepping outside. I'm surprised to see him here at the Heaven-Reaching Tower."
Rue's gentle and mellifluous voice instantly cleared up any confusion Eddie had, relieving him that she wasn't someone he needed to be wary of.
Realizing that Rue called the female swordsman Princess Jean, Eddie understood he did not know this imposing figure.
Feeling relieved that she was not the Miss Xue he feared, he speculated about which of the major kingdoms' royal families she belonged to - Daxia, Tianluo, or Zijin.
"You don't recognize Princess Jean?" Rue asked, surprised that anyone of their generation would be unfamiliar with such a prominent figure. Indeed, Eddie was known for his sheltered life within the Yue family compound.
"So you're that infamous Eddie, the so-called 'useless third young master' of the Yue family?"
Princess Jean, who had been previously baffled by Eddie's unusual demeanor, suddenly felt as if all her questions had been answered with this revelation.
Eddie knew he had to be careful around Rue to avoid revealing any family secrets.
Despite Princess Jean's remarkable ability to discern truth from lies, as long as Eddie kept his responses vague and elusive, he was confident that she wouldn't be able to extract any significant information from him.
Princess Jean, scrutinizing Eddie, mused aloud, "No wonder the world labels him a failure. A man like me who primarily practices combat skills instead of summoning is bound to be seen as a failure. Moreover, his lack of basic knowledge about summon beasts is appalling. He doesn't even know the fundamental taboo that Wisdom Fruits should only be fed to beasts, not humans. It's no surprise his family is disappointed in him, but is he truly a failure? My sixth sense tells me that his concealed strength may be on par with mine. If he pairs with a powerful beast, reaching the pinnacle of martial prowess is within his grasp."
Reflecting further, she added, "His father, Yue Qiu, almost reached the innate realm before forty. How could his son be a mere failure? Eddie must have a supreme expert guiding him, much like my own master's guidance. Perhaps his low profile is deliberate, a strategy to unveil his true potential when the time is right."
Observing the moon blade on Eddie's back and the Ashen Blade at his waist, she became even more convinced of her theory. "I suspect he's hiding more secrets," she thought, "but I won't pry further. I understand the eccentricities of great masters. Perhaps his mentor instructed him to keep a low profile, similar to how my master forbade me from showing my summon beast to anyone, even my father."
Revealing her identity, she said, "I'm Jun Yuan, the eighteenth daughter of Jun Wuyou. I don't like being called 'Princess,' so friends usually call me 'Jean.' You're a special case. Given your slick tongue, I'll consider letting you call me that once you tell me one truth."
Turning to Rue, Princess Jean complained, "Rue, talking to your brother is so frustrating. He hasn't said a single truth!"
Rue quickly consoled her, "Jean, everyone has their own way of protecting themselves. Eddie, who's always been sheltered at home, might be afraid of you, which is why he's not speaking the truth. Eddie, apologize to Princess Jean. "
"She dislikes lies because they give her headaches. Friendship should be built on sincerity, not deception. And don't worry, if you have secrets, Jean won't pry into them. But it's not a good habit to never speak the truth."
"Yes, I assure you, I'll speak nothing but the truth, as genuine as pearls!" Eddie declared with a straight face, secretly rejoicing inside.
Telling the truth to a girl?
That's practically inviting disaster.
Now that he knew Jean couldn't stand lies, this was great news for him.
From now on, he'd feed her nothing but falsehoods to make her head ache. Soon, she'd get a headache just seeing him, ensuring his safety.
Brimming with mischievous thoughts, Eddie felt like he had gained the upper hand by discovering Jean's weakness. The pressure she had been exerting on him evaporated, and he felt a mischievous urge to toy with the formidable swordswoman.
"Now let's test it. How did you get your moon blade?" Jean, sweating at Eddie's obvious lies, decided to give him a chance to speak the truth.
"I found it!" Eddie lied without batting an eye.
"Where did you find it?" Jean pressed on.
"Right outside my house," Eddie responded.
"What combat skills do you practice? Yue Family Spear Technique or some other exotic weapon skill?" Jean was almost floored by his answer. A general's weapon just lying outside his house? She had no way to deal with this shameless man, so she changed the subject.
"I practice the Iron-Slicing Sword Technique!" Eddie's response made both Jean and Rue collapse. The Iron-Slicing Sword Technique was so terrible that even novice fighters wouldn't bother with it.
If there was a contest for the worst combat skill in the world, this technique would be a top contender.
Jean paused briefly before asking another question, "Where did you get your little nine-headed beast?"
Eddie, feigning an earnest expression as if to say "My name is Zhang Laoshi," replied seriously, "I stole it!"
Jean, not giving Eddie time to think, fired off another question, "Whose did you steal?"
Eddie, who needed no time to think to lie, blurted out, "From Boxing Sikon!"
Rue was initially skeptical of Eddie's claim, but upon hearing a specific name, she became genuinely alarmed. "Eddie, how could you steal someone else's property, especially a powerful beast like a nine-headed monster? You must return it immediately!"
Jean, sweating internally, couldn't believe the audacity of such a lie. She wondered if there was really a person named Sikong Bingxing and whether a nine-headed monster was even stealable. Nevertheless, she had to admire Eddie's talent for lying without blinking.
"Do you think you're handsome or ugly?" Jean decided to use facts to expose his lies.
"I'm actually quite ordinary, just slightly handsomer than Qeathon, Porking, and Tunlun," Eddie modestly claimed.
"How much is 'slightly'?" Jean inquired.
"Just about 99,999 times handsomer," Eddie replied, causing Rue to faint from dizziness.
"Why not a hundred thousand times handsomer?" Jean wondered.
"If they were disfigured, then it would be a hundred thousand times," Eddie explained, making even Jean feel a wave of dizziness.
"So, you're saying compared to you, they might as well be disfigured?" Jean sighed deeply at Eddie's earnest expression, realizing she was dealing with someone shamelessly unscrupulous.
"No, no. Qeathon and the others are much better than disfigured people," Eddie disagreed, shaking his head.
Jean was left speechless by his response.
Seeing Eddie's bright and sunny smile, she felt an urge to punch him into the sky.
She had seen shameless people before, but never someone as shamelessly unabashed as him.
How could someone never speak a single truth?
His low profile might have been a requirement from his master, but this shameless personality was undoubtedly innate and had nothing to do with his upbringing.
Rue knew that even a thousand more questions wouldn't elicit a single truth from her mischievous brother, who seemed to be deliberately teasing Jean.
Rue, eager to shift to a more serious topic, asked, "Eddie, do you have a team for training in the Heaven-Reaching Tower? If not, why don't you join our team?"
Eddie was startled by the suggestion.
Teaming up with Rue could lead to awkward questions about the family, and with Jean, who could discern lies, it would be a challenging situation.
He preferred the enjoyable and relaxed atmosphere with Yehken, Porking, and Inan, where he was just starting to enjoy life.
He quickly declined, "Sophia asked me to find Little Frost and bring her back. And now, Princess Jean has forcefully taken the Reviving Branch and the Wisdom Fruit from me, which I intended to gift to Little Frost!"
Jean, upon hearing this, expressed her surprise with a mix of relief and amusement.
"Finally, a somewhat truthful statement, even though it's mixed with half-truths. Quite rare for you!"
She patted Eddie's shoulder. "I didn't expect such a shameless guy to be a good brother."
"A good brother should be holding a box with the Reviving Branch and a Wisdom Fruit," Eddie reminded her, eager to retrieve his treasures.
"The Reviving Branch, I can give to you, as a reward for your honesty," Jean said, handing over the box filled with her warmth and fragrance to Eddie.
"And the Wisdom Fruit?" Eddie stretched out his hand, expecting more.
"The Wisdom Fruit will only be given after you tell another truth," Jean said to Eddie, much to his frustration.
He was on the verge of using his Ashes Blade on her, but Rue's presence held him back.
Rue, feeling guilty, said to Eddie, "Little Frost is using the Wisdom Fruit I had. I didn't know she needed it, or else I wouldn't have wasted such a precious item. "
"I promise, I'll get another Wisdom Fruit for her when we go to the Heaven-Reaching Tower's third floor to do the World Tree mission. Where is Little Frost now? Why isn't she with you?"
Eddie replied, disappointed, "She's training in the Blackstone Maze. If there's no Wisdom Fruit, I'll find another way." Knowing the fruit was already consumed by Rue's creature, he gave up on getting it back.
Spotting Jean's scrutinizing gaze, Eddie quickly thought of escaping. He didn't feel safe around her and decided it was best to leave as soon as possible.
He also wanted to avoid further interaction with Rue to prevent any slip-ups about the family.
Jean, seemingly making a decision, said, "Actually, our team could use a little thief like you for scouting. Bring Little Frost along and join us for the World Tree mission."
Eddie, eager to avoid teaming up with the formidable Jean, excused himself: "Your Highness, though being a royal scout is an honor, may I first visit the restroom?" Before Jean could respond, he dashed away.
Eddie thought about the future, planning to level up Little Frost's War Tree and then take her to the higher levels of the Heaven-Reaching Tower.
He knew that completing the World Tree mission on the third floor could yield a Wisdom Fruit, showing that it was still attainable.
However, teaming up with Jean would limit his ability to use his secret creatures like Little Wenli, the Barbarian Cow Shadow, and the Golden Thorn Flower. With only Grey Wolf, his combat effectiveness would be greatly reduced.