"Alright, let's take this outside; this place is too cramped for a proper fight!" The Swordswoman canceled her summon and prepared to invite Eddie for a more extended battle outside.
However, Eddie, noticing the expressions of Uncle Yehshan and others, quickly changed his mind.
He couldn't leave; if he did, those two might take advantage of his absence to attack his family.
Plus, if he ended up injured or worse in a battle with the Swordswoman and Snow Greedwolf, he might just hand them an easy victory.
Preservation was key, so he decided to back off from further confrontations.
Despite his curiosity about the Swordswoman's beast, Eddie quickly retreated, dismissing the Manbull Shadow and the Bloodthirsty Queen.
In a flash, he leaped off the stage and ran for it, preferring to avoid the headache-inducing characters. As for the newly realized battle technique, he decided to ponder it later, possibly even testing it in his dreams where the giant loli could help refine it.
It was wise not to reveal all his strengths; having fought enough, it was time to retreat. And he certainly couldn't leave his family, especially his mother and sister, vulnerable.
"You little rascal, don't run!" The Swordswoman and Snow Greedwolf were stunned; why was he running just as the fight started? If they couldn't fight here, they could just move the fight outside!
"Mother, the elders have already spoken; let's go home!" Eddie called out while the persistent Swordswoman and Snow Greedwolf chased after him. But with his clever move of carrying his little sister, they hesitated to attack, fearing they might accidentally harm the child.
"I look forward to the day when we can really battle it out. I have much more powerful snowstorms to summon – next time, we must determine a winner!" Snow Greedwolf grumbled, still eager to prove his superiority.
"In the summer, I'll invite you over for some ice blocks to cool off," Eddie quipped, causing Snow Greedwolf to turn and leave in a huff.
"Hey, don't you dare run off in the middle of a fight! We're not done here," the Swordswoman fumed, despising such unscrupulous behavior. She couldn't believe Eddie had fled just as the fight was getting started. Didn't he have any sense of honor as a man?
Eddie, however, dismissed such notions. Honor was important, but not at the expense of common sense. It made sense to value honor more when wooing a lady, but in a fight? That was just unnecessary.
Holding his little sister, Eddie sighed exaggeratedly, "I admit defeat. I'm just a good-for-nothing who gets bullied all the time. And now, even a royal princess is picking on me. It's just too much. Please, have some mercy and let us go. We can barely survive with all this bullying. Mom, let's head home!"
His mother shook her head gently, "Let's stay a couple more days. I want to meet Miss Feng and inquire about her situation." Taking the little girl from Eddie's arms, she softly stroked his head, "My son has grown so much. You've done well, Eddie. I'm proud of you. We'll talk more later. For now, please entertain Princess Qi. As the host, you can't neglect such an esteemed guest."
Eddie nodded vigorously, playing the role of a dutiful son, "Of course, Mom. Take your time. I'll make sure the princess enjoys her stay and is very happy!" Of course, he didn't dare say the second half of his thoughts out loud.
The Swordswoman furrowed her brows, feeling her keen senses were somehow failing her. Was she getting used to Eddie's nonsense, or was her intuition off?
"You're not making sense. It sounds like you're trying to take advantage of me. Are you harboring unseemly thoughts?" The Swordswoman's intuition was indeed strong.
Eddie inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, thankful his 'Disguise Talent' had leveled up and she could only detect a hint of his true intentions, no longer as certain as before.
He was ready to fool her thoroughly. After all, it's just a princess. With some guidance, she might become a docile servant girl.
Eddie pretended to be righteous, "How could that be? My respect for the princess is as vast as the endless river. I was actually planning to swear a sibling oath with you, the princess. How could I be disrespectful? If I am, may lightning strike the tavern owner in the east of Baishi City!"
"What does the tavern owner in the east of Baishi City have to do with this?" The Swordswoman was utterly confused, feeling her sixth sense was malfunctioning.
Eddie mysteriously replied, "It's a big deal. I wouldn't tell just anyone, but since you're my princess... The tavern owner there is a greedy businessman. Unlike others who dilute their wine with water, he dilutes water with wine! It's like Sanlu adding melamine to milk. If he doesn't deserve a lightning strike, what does?"
"What's Sanlu? Some kind of beast? And what's this melamine and milk?" The Swordswoman was utterly baffled.
"You don't know about Sanlu? It's a nearly divine beast known for causing kidney stones. Haven't you heard, 'Drink Sanlu, petrify a generation'?" Eddie feigned shock, looking at her as if she were an ignorant fool.
"Never heard of it!" The Swordswoman was on the verge of punching his exaggerated face.
"Eddie, I know you're oblivious to the outside world and only focused on chasing girls, but how can you not know about Sanlu? Let me tell you, Sanlu is just like milk powder!" Eddie declared confidently.
"I feel like you're deceiving me on purpose!" The Swordswoman was getting dizzy from his explanations, sensing something was terribly off.
"Me? Deceive you, a royal princess? How dare I, a mere nobody, deceive a princess? Besides, as an honest young man, I've always been sincere to others, always speaking the truth and doing the right thing. How could I possibly lie? I responsibly tell you, I've never lied in my life!" Eddie said, uttering words even he didn't believe.
"Why don't you also claim you faint at the sight of blood, you great philanthropist?" The Swordswoman screamed in frustration.
"Fainting at the sight of blood is my only flaw. I'm inherently kind-hearted!" Eddie, covered in blood, now smiled radiantly as if bathed in spring sunshine.
"You're the most shameless person I've ever met in my life!" The Swordswoman felt a headache coming on.
"When you realize you've completely misunderstood me, you'll feel guilty. But don't worry, I'll forgive you. By the way, being forgiving is also one of my virtues, actually my greatest virtue!" Eddie, who had just sought revenge at the Yew family castle and defeated Yue Tian, Yue Yan, and even the seven-year-old Yue Feng, described himself in such a way.
"Forget it, let's not talk about you. I think even the most shameless person in the world would feel inferior and end up taking their own life if they met you! But I still don't understand what you meant just now."
The Swordswoman was bewildered, deciding not to engage with him anymore, as it would drive her crazy and give her a headache.
"We can figure it out by getting to the bottom of it. Where do you want to start?" Eddie asked earnestly.
"You!" The Swordswoman understood his insinuation and got angry. She grabbed Eddie's collar and scolded, "How dare you harass and disrespect me?"
"Injustice! Even a blind man can see who's harassing whom here!" Eddie protested, pretending to be so wronged that he was ready to drown himself.
Seeing the Swordswoman's glare, he smiled and said, "I did think about disrespecting you, but it was just talk. I never actually did anything. Princess, you're accusing me without evidence. It's really unfair. Why not wait until I actually disrespect you, then you can get angry. Doesn't that make sense?"
"That makes my fist!" The Swordswoman was furious but ended up laughing. Sometimes, Eddie could be quite honest and occasionally spoke the truth.
"Thank you for sparing my life, Princess. I'll take my leave now!" Eddie quickly made his escape.
"Wait a minute, you just said I go to the lake to bathe naked. How do you explain that? If you can't explain, I'll charge you with slander!" The Swordswoman remembered Eddie's previous nonsense vividly.
"Don't you have that hobby?" Eddie blinked innocently, feigning curiosity.
"Of course not! I don't have such a weird hobby!" The Swordswoman was exasperated, wondering who would be so absurd as to bathe at the lake.
"But it's clearly written in novels that princesses rush to bathe at lakes, and whoever picks up their clothes can win their hearts. I was even planning to ambush by the lake to see if any princesses would bathe there," Eddie said, sounding disappointed, as if he was ready to hang himself.
"Fool, those are just novels, and I've never read any that mention such silly things!" The Swordswoman punched him hard in the chest.
"I wish it were true," Eddie looked almost tearful.
"You're beyond help!" The Swordswoman was at a loss for words.
Eddie was then summoned by Emperor Alexander, but he declined with an excuse that made everyone sweat for him. Holding his chest as if he was mortally wounded, he told the palace guard, "It's an honor to be summoned by His Majesty, but I caught a cold a few days ago and haven't fully recovered. I recklessly joined the tournament and got severely injured. Look at me, all covered in blood. I don't think I'll live much longer. I'm planning to go home and write my will, and pay my last party dues, or was it league dues? Oh, I forgot, I was never in the league, just a Young Pioneer. Oh no, I regret it so much, I'm going to end my life, nobody stop me!"
Before he could finish, he had already run off. The Swordswoman watched in disbelief, murmuring, "Is there something wrong with his head? Why is he talking nonsense?"
Emperor Alexander burst into laughter after hearing the report from the guard. "This boy is really disrespectful. It seems I really need to catch him and punish him properly. Without a good spanking, he'll never change his ways!" Old Man Haye Yew also laughed.
"Nowadays, young people are so bold. Back when my old man called me for a scolding, I often wanted to skip it and tell him I was tired of his lectures, but I never dared to say it out loud! Hai, what do you plan to do? Let him be wild for a couple of years, or discipline him now? How about we give him something to do, so he doesn't think we old men are all senile and blind? Why not send him to that place for some experience? I believe this boy won't let us down!" Alexander chuckled.
"Wait a minute, you just said I go to the lake to bathe naked. How do you explain that? If you can't explain, I'll charge you with slander!" The Swordswoman remembered Eddie's previous nonsense vividly.
"Don't you have that hobby?" Eddie blinked innocently, feigning curiosity.
"Of course not! I don't have such a weird hobby!" The Swordswoman was exasperated, wondering who would be so absurd as to bathe at the lake.
"But it's clearly written in novels that princesses rush to bathe at lakes, and whoever picks up their clothes can win their hearts. I was even planning to ambush by the lake to see if any princesses would bathe there," Eddie said, sounding disappointed, as if he was ready to hang himself.
"Fool, those are just novels, and I've never read any that mention such silly things!" The Swordswoman punched him hard in the chest.
"I wish it were true," Eddie looked almost tearful.
"You're beyond help!" The Swordswoman was at a loss for words.
Eddie was then summoned by Emperor Alexander, but he declined with an excuse that made everyone sweat for him.
Holding his chest as if he was mortally wounded, he told the palace guard:
"It's an honor to be summoned by His Majesty, but I caught a cold a few days ago and haven't fully recovered. I recklessly joined the tournament and got severely injured. "
"Look at me, all covered in blood. I don't think I'll live much longer. I'm planning to go home and write my will, and pay my last party dues, or was it league dues? "
"Oh, I forgot, I was never in the league, just a Young Pioneer. Oh no, I regret it so much, I'm going to end my life, nobody stop me!"
Before he could finish, he had already run off.
The Swordswoman watched in disbelief, murmuring, "Is there something wrong with his head? Why is he talking nonsense?"
Emperor Alexander burst into laughter after hearing the report from the guard. "This boy is really disrespectful. It seems I really need to catch him and punish him properly. Without a good spanking, he'll never change his ways!" Old Man Haye Yew also laughed.
"Nowadays, young people are so bold. Back when my old man called me for a scolding, I often wanted to skip it and tell him I was tired of his lectures, but I never dared to say it out loud! Hai, what do you plan to do? Let him be wild for a couple of years, or discipline him now? How about we give him something to do, so he doesn't think we old men are all senile and blind? Why not send him to that place for some experience? I believe this boy won't let us down!" Alexander chuckled.