Chapter 688: Temptation

"Luo Luode"

Lily stiffened her mature, beautiful face and repeated the name again.

She kept staring at Luo De, her body trembling unconsciously.

Luo De could clearly see her excitement quickly swallowed by anger.

Seeing Lily again, she still carried her unmatched air of maturity and beauty.

Eve resembled her mother, but she was more immature; a slight reserve and shame kept her from performing boldly in bed, always leaving Luo De to take the lead.

Though it wasn’t bad.

But it never matched Lily’s devotion, treating you like a treasure.

Back then, her gaze toward Luo De was overflowing with tenderness—she refused to let him lift even a single heavy object, even when drenched in sweat, she insisted on doing it herself.

She constantly urged him not to come, to rest a while, fearing he’d tire.

Then, when Luo De whispered pleadingly in her ear, she’d shudder violently, saying countless times, “This is the last time,” before continuing to indulge him until dawn.

In this scene, a certain Forest Warden might say he saw it coming.

But coming this early was still a bit premature.

Before arriving at Mirror Desert, Luo De had already planned to either stay in Eve’s room or find an excuse to meet Lily again, then hide in her quarters—no need for the two to meet, perfect.

Later, after the Tomb of a Thousand Throats, and with Lily dispatched to inspect her territory, he’d relaxed.

But men—when it comes to this, there’s no avoiding it.

Don’t say it—you’re both my wings.

Luo De nodded: “Lily—”

But Lily cut him off first; the stiffness on her face had already vanished.

Her elegant, mature smile seemed dimmed by the tent’s shadows.

“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Luo De. You’re truly outstanding. Thank you for securing this region—I knew Eve didn’t misjudge you. When are you two getting married?”

“Mother!”

Eve snorted, her cheeks flushing pink. “We’re not like that! There’s nothing between us!”

“Still denying it? Look at how red your face is! Oh dear, what bad timing—I forgot I still have inspection duties. I must leave now.”

Eve was stunned by her mother’s sudden shift—just moments ago, she’d been excited about the newly conquered land and her boyfriend; why the abrupt change?

“Huh? But it’s so late—why not stay the night?”

“No trouble, no trouble—urgent business. I really must go. Goodbye, Eve. Goodbye, Mr. Luo De.”

Lily came and went in a flash, fleeing the tent as if escaping.

Her final words were gritted with hatred and fury, yet false.

Eve was confused, then turned a suspicious gaze on him: “You didn’t flirt with my mother just now, did you, you dirty dog?”

“How could I? I didn’t do anything.”

“Hmph. Maybe Mother really had something to attend to. Anyway—wasn’t my mother beautiful?”

Luo De gave a thumbs-up: “You two look alike, but your mother isn’t as sharp and commanding as you. She’s gentler, yet more dignified.”

“Finally, your dog mouth says something decent.”

Luo De smiled: “It’s late. Princess, rest now.”

Eve’s eyes were sultry, faintly longing—but then she seemed to remember something, glaring at him.

“Not tonight. My stomach’s still bloated. Sleep outside. Don’t touch me!”

“Alright, alright.”

Luo De didn’t care—he lay down comfortably on the soft mat outside the tent.

Tally stepped out from the shadows with a smile, sitting demurely beside him like a duck, tapping his thigh with her tiny pink fists.

Eve snorted, slithering her serpent body, hips swaying seductively as she pulled back the curtain and entered the inner chamber.

Still uneasy, she poked her head out and glared at Luo De.

A flash of magical light—she activated the inner chamber’s alert and sealing ritual.

Now, the tent fell utterly silent.

Only Tally’s rhythmic thumping remained.

“That sneaky snake’s hiding something, Master.”

“I know. But I rarely interfere in your affairs.”

Luo De shifted his hips, leaning back against the soft pillow—comfortable.

The enslavement spell’s core command forbids direct or indirect harm to the master’s life—no need to meddle.

“But that’s not good enough. That sneaky snake’s cunning and greedy—what if she harms you?”

“Says you, who’s never been cunning or greedy? How many times have you gone wild? Yet I still keep you close.”

Tally’s pouting face froze.

Afraid her master would bring up old grievances and distance himself again.

She quickly forced a sweet smile, leaning in to peck his lips—peck, peck, peck.

“Tally’s a good girl now, a proper succubus—won’t do that kind of thing again.”

Tally pressed her chest against her master’s, soft and fragrant, lifting her face earnestly.

Luo De smiled but said nothing.

The succubus girl’s mischief was one of his favorite things—but saying so outright was unwise; she’d take it as permission to push further.

“Um… it’s dinner time, Master.”

“What about the task I gave you?”

“I’ve placed [Shadow Trace] on that sneaky snake’s mother—she’s heading straight for the Naga Royal Palace~”

“Good. Tell me once it stabilizes.”

“Yesss, Master~~ Tally wants to use the back entrance tonight~~ Is that okay?”

“Why are you imitating that bitch, Chris?”

That bitch Chris didn’t just prefer the dark path in personality—she even acted out her mischief that way. Though she never said it, she clearly favored the forbidden arts.

“What do you mean imitating her?! When Tally and Master take the dry path, I didn’t even know that dead thing yet~~ Come on, you used to love it~~”

Inside the inner chamber, separated by a single curtain.

After struggling for a long while, Eve finally pulled a palm-sized sphere from her spell satchel.

It looked like compacted sand, yet the yellow grains kept writhing.

The sand sphere seemed sentient—it rolled off her palm and onto the red-brown soft mat.

It stopped rolling, then floated five to six centimeters into the air.

Hovering, it spun in place—then a gaping mouth full of sharp teeth emerged.

“Eve, have you decided yet?”

Its voice was childish, high-pitched, like a five-year-old girl.

Eve remained silent.

The sand sphere sighed.

“You’ve seen the changes in the Gules Clan. I can grant you equal power—then dominating Mirror Desert won’t require anyone’s help.”

“The wealth, strength, eternity you crave—even that Luo De—they were meant to be yours alone, unjustly taken. Partner with me, and they’ll be yours for the taking.”

“Greed isn’t a sin—it’s an excuse for the weak. True strength dares to claim everything.”

Her words carried a faint vibration—an energy fluctuation alien to any known system.

“Wealth… strength… eternity… and Luo De… mine alone…”

Eve’s conflicted expression slowly faded; her usual greed solidified into pupils faintly tinged red.

The sand sphere smiled.

The greed of land Naga… was so easy to exploit.

“Eve, your task: enter the Tomb of a Thousand Throats, erase those runes, then sacrifice ten bodies every seven days—alive or dead. When Am returns to this world, all of it—everything—will be under your control. You, Eve, shall become Queen, second only to the heavens!”

And I.

Will journey to the remote western frontier town, to claim the first victory of our destined mission.

(End of Chapter)