Seeing that the young lady had no intention of moving, the gardener, who had been working nearby while keeping a discreet eye on the situation, quietly brought over three small stools. He then silently returned to shaping the greenery.
Good, he knew how to read the room.
Caelan was the first to sit down.
Julian and Sera were somewhat reluctant, even disdainful, but after seeing their respective elders take a seat, they hesitated and eventually sat down as well.
Thus, the number of people with small stools increased from two to five. Surrounded by the fragrance of flowers and earth, the five of them sat in awkward silence, staring at each other.
"Ahem."
Caelan cleared his throat, breaking the silence as he addressed the matter at hand. "I've already discussed the engagement with Eon. Her exact words were that she wishes Sera and Julian happiness."
Julian suddenly turned to look at Eon, visibly surprised.
Sera noticed this and subtly tightened her grip on Julian's hand, her eyes downcast with a hint of sadness.
Eon, for her part, received an unexpected glare from Julian, his eyes filled with disdain. It was as if he was silently sneering, "Ha, I almost fell for your act. Playing the victim is quite the strategy."
Eon couldn't be bothered to engage with the delusional man, but she didn't mind giving her small hoe a little shake.
This proved effective, as Julian immediately backed off, though not without shooting her a fierce glare. With so many people around, he wagered that this uncouth woman wouldn't dare make a move on him.
"Julian, if you don't want those eyes anymore, I'd be happy to help you remove them."
Lucian's icy remark cut through the tension, though he didn't bother to look at his brother's betrayed expression. Instead, he turned to Caelan with a polite inquiry.
"Brother, what does their engagement have to do with Eon?"
Caelan: ...Who are you calling "brother"?
Caelan gave Lucian a strange look but, unsure of the relationship between his sister and this man, decided not to dwell on the odd form of address. He briefly explained the situation regarding the engagement.
After hearing the explanation, Lucian gave Julian a once-over and muttered, "You think you're worthy?"
Julian was seething but didn't dare speak up, silently fuming in his mind: *Is Lucian my brother or Eon's brother?!*
Caelan continued, "The engagement was a verbal agreement between our parents and has nothing to do with Eon. I understand that Julian is now with Sera and doesn't want the engagement to change, but this matter should be discussed between the families, not handled privately by insulting Eon or meddling in our family affairs."
Caelan's words echoed Eon's earlier sentiments, though his tone was more diplomatic compared to her bluntness.
Lucian nodded. "Brother is right."
Caelan: ...Enough. Until he understood the relationship between Eon and this man, he didn't want to hear Lucian call him "brother" again.
"Apologize to Brother Caelan, and then apologize to Eon."
Lucian turned to Julian, adding a threat when he saw his brother about to protest. "You wouldn't want the outside world to think the Drayden family has no manners, would you?"
This statement carried weight, especially coming from Lucian. Despite his resentment, Julian had no choice but to bow his head and apologize.
Caelan, ever the magnanimous one, accepted Julian's apology on behalf of the Ravencroft family.
However, he made it clear that he couldn't speak for Eon. His forgiveness was based on the longstanding relationship between the two families and their business ties. Whether Eon forgave Julian was entirely up to her.
Eon did forgive Julian, but not out of generosity. As a righteous cultivator, she believed in showing tolerance toward mortals, especially those who were clearly not in their right minds.
Of course, her patience had its limits.
If this delusional man ever dared to provoke her again, she wouldn't hesitate to give him a good whack with her hoe to knock some sense into him. Eon was no delicate alchemist; she was more than capable of handling herself. And if necessary, it was her duty as a cultivator to enlighten those whose minds were filled with nothing but nonsense.
Lucian and Julian's visit had been abrupt, and they didn't stay long. Before leaving, Eon had a few words to say to Lucian in private.
In the parking lot, the maple leaves burned a fiery red.
Standing beside the pristine white Rolls-Royce, Eon got straight to the point. "Why are you in this world? Did you possess someone's body?"
Lucian gasped dramatically, raising his hands in mock innocence. "How could you think that? I'm a righteous cultivator! I would never do something as unethical as possession."
Eon raised an eyebrow. "Then?"
Lucian rubbed his chin thoughtfully before answering. "I suppose you could call it... reincarnation?"
"After killing the Demon Lord, I died too. When I regained consciousness, I was in my current mother's womb, and then I was born into this world." He smiled, his peach-blossom eyes crinkling. "Your homeland."
Back in the Eon Sanctum, Eon had once accidentally let slip about modern society. So it wasn't surprising that Lucian knew this world was her home. What was strange was why both of them had ended up here after death.
"By the way, what about you? How did you end up back here?" Lucian's smile faded slightly, replaced by genuine concern.
The concern was real, as was the deep-seated joy he felt. These conflicting emotions didn't bother him; he knew they were both genuine.
Unaware of Lucian's inner turmoil, Eon recalled the forty-nine days of tribulation lightning and the final strike of Voidspark Tribulation that had slammed into her skull. The memory made her grit her teeth in frustration.
"Right after joining forces with the disciples of several sects to kill the Evil God, I faced the Divine Ascension Tribulation. I didn't survive. Got struck dead."
Eon tried to keep her tone calm, though she felt like exploding on the spot.
Lucian: ...
"You came back, you didn't die," Lucian corrected, as if the word "death" was too harsh to bear.
Eon sighed. "Do you know anyone with incurable illnesses? I need to make money. Also..."
At this point, getting angry wouldn't help. Eon briefly explained her current needs and situation, including her discovery that gemstones contained spiritual energy.
As expected, Lucian was aware of the spiritual energy within gemstones. Not just gemstones, but also certain antiques—old objects—contained traces of spiritual energy.
At first glance, it might seem like there was an abundance of spiritual energy in this world. But compared to the Eon Sanctum, the spiritual energy here was negligible.
Eon frowned. "If you knew these things contained spiritual energy, why are you in such a weak state?"
Lucian sighed, looking pitiful and helpless. "You know me, Eon. I'm a swordsman. The medicine here doesn't help much, and they can't even figure out what's wrong with me. They just say I won't live past thirty."
Eon nodded. "Alright."
"I can heal you. In return, you introduce people to buy my medicine. I don't have many connections right now. Also, be my brand ambassador. You can claim you found an old Chinese doctor, and once your health improves, I won't have trouble finding buyers."
Eon's plan was well thought out. Most skilled and reputable alchemists were also savvy businesspeople, and she was no exception.
Lucian's charming eyes curved into crescents as he leaned in, subtly closing the distance between them.
"No need for all that trouble. You can have all my money."
They were now so close that they could feel each other's warm breath. His voice was soft and magnetic, carrying a hint of temptation.