Chapter 167: In Trouble

Standing there, Rod stared at the token in his hand, secretly smiling bitterly. The strangeness of the situation far exceeded his imagination; he hadn’t expected it to be resolved so easily.
“It seems I should find time to visit the Scorpion King’s clan!” Faced with repeated reminders, Rod naturally didn’t ignore them. He knew what was important, and the other party surely wouldn’t have said such things casually.
It definitely wouldn’t harm him either. If they had wanted to do anything to him, they could have easily done so earlier—there was no need to worry about what might happen once he reached the Scorpion King’s clan.
“Half a year?” Thinking of their last words, Rod raised his eyebrows slightly. Half a year should be fine.
Looking back in the direction of Dark Moon City, he really didn’t want to go back yet. He had planned to hide his identity to avoid being discovered by the two princesses, but now, the appearance of two bald men from the Scorpion King’s clan had exposed his identity and whereabouts!
Not returning wasn’t an option either. The people who had brought him out must be worried and concerned about him. If he delayed returning, who knew what trouble might arise—perhaps the Dragon Clan or the Black Phoenix Clan would send someone to demand him back from the Scorpion King’s clan. If things escalated, it would be truly troublesome.
With reluctance, Rod set off on his way back, entering Dark Moon City and heading straight to the Dragon Clan’s residence. He had no mood to admire the city’s night views or pay attention to the melodious sounds around him; he just headed straight for the residence.
It wasn’t long before he arrived at the residence. Taking a deep breath, he stepped inside with a pained expression.
At that moment, in the hall, sensing Rod’s approaching presence, the three groups present all smiled.
“That kid is back!” Sognar spoke first, his expression relaxing as he showed his first smile of the night.
As soon as those words were spoken, everyone seemed to sigh in relief and looked toward the door.
Rod’s voice gradually became audible as he walked toward them.
“Brother Rod!” Lucy couldn’t hide her excitement. With a soft cry, she quickly stood up and ran toward Rod, then threw herself into his arms under everyone’s helpless gazes.
Feeling the faint scent of a woman from the beauty in his arms, Rod’s face turned red. The soft sensation spread throughout his body like an electric shock. He thought to himself that this little girl was becoming more and more alluring, more and more feminine.

“Brother, I’m glad you’re fine!” Lucy said with a smile, looking up at Rod and blinking.

“I’m fine. What could possibly happen to me?” Rod smiled slightly and poked the tip of her nose to comfort her. Seeing her pitiful appearance and the tears in her eyes warmed his heart. They had only known each other for a few days, yet she had already shown such deep affection for him, which was quite embarrassing.

“Kid, are you okay?” At that moment, Sognar and Lilith also came up to Rod, asking worriedly. In their eyes, it was impossible for Rod to resolve this matter so easily. Who didn’t know the temper and dark nature of those two old men? How could this matter be settled so simply?

“Mm, I’m fine!”

“What happened?” The Dragon Clan’s Grand Elder also came up to Rod, asking with a sharp gaze.

“I’m not sure. Anyway, I asked them a few questions, and then they left. Hehe, it’s no big deal!” With a smile, Rod didn’t intend to reveal everything. On one hand, there were many people present, especially several members of the Demon Clan, so he felt some caution. On the other hand, there were some things he really didn’t want to tell everyone.

“That’s good. Come on in first!” The elders of the various clans were all experienced and astute. They knew Rod was hiding something. Since he refused to talk, they couldn’t press him further and had to let it go.

At that time, Lucy stood beside Rod with a red face, acting coyly, which was quite amusing. It seemed this little girl had learned to be shy after all.

Entering the hall, it seemed that the matters between the clans had already been settled today, and no problems seemed to have arisen. After Rod returned, the conversation shifted to everyday life and events over the years, appearing very relaxed. This made Rod breathe a sigh of relief—everything seemed to be resolved as expected.

Yet Rod felt extremely uneasy, as if sitting on needles. The two princesses of the Demon Clan kept their eyes fixed on him, making him feel terrified and sweating profusely. He turned to Sognar and Lilith for help, but they simply ignored him, leaving him helpless.

Especially Lilith, who whispered something to Lucy. Even Lucy’s gaze toward him became unnatural, her face turning red. Rod cursed inwardly—Lilith must have told Lucy about him.

The atmosphere was extremely strange. Rod felt each second drag on like years. Amidst his torment, he finally heard the elders of several families finish discussing matters. As expected, the three families had, in a sense, united to face together the ambitions of the alliance led by the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles.

It was getting late, so everyone prepared to leave. Rod felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders; he took deep breaths, relieved that the difficult times were finally over.

But in less than a second, his expression stiffened. His eyes were filled with shock, and his face with bitterness. The reason was simple—only the elders of a few families left. Lucy and the two demon princesses were left behind in the dragon clan’s residence under the pretext of staying in touch, intending to reside there.

Seeing the teasing looks from Lilith and Sognar, Rod truly felt like crying without tears. Seeking help from those two was hopeless. He could only pray secretly that the two princesses would overlook the offense and let this matter go.

“Well, you young people, spend more time getting to know each other. Hehe, an old guy like me won’t join you!” After everyone left, the dragon clan’s eldest elder said slowly, with a half-smile, his teasing gaze evident. Rod inwardly cursed him as an old witch—he surely knew what had happened. Likely, Lilith and Sognar had already told him. Everyone understood the meaning behind his words.

Only Lucy and the two princesses remained in the hall. Sognar and Lilith also stayed, seemingly enjoying the spectacle. The atmosphere instantly became gloomy. Rod felt as if it was the end of the world, as if he were standing trial.

“Cough, cough… Um, um… You guys go on chatting. Hehe, continue. I have things to do, so I’ll be leaving first!” After hesitating for a moment and feeling everyone’s gazes, Rod said with a bitter smile, deliberately avoiding eye contact with the two princesses. Then he turned to head outside.

“What’s the rush, kid? Let’s chat together. It’s still early, and there’s nothing to do. It’s better to spend time getting to know each other!” But before Rod could take a step outside, a arm grabbed his shoulder. Turning around, he saw Sognar’s lecherous expression.

Glaring fiercely at Sognar, Rod showed a toothy smile. “Cough, cough… Um… I think it’s not necessary. I have things to do. You guys go on. I won’t disturb you. I’m not good at talking. It would be bad if I ruined the atmosphere here!”

Rod was now grinding his teeth in anger. Sognar was clearly trying to make things difficult for him, to embarrass him. If he could, he really wanted to beat that guy up badly.
“Hmm, why the rush, Rod? It’s okay. I see you’re quite good at talking. Weren’t you having fun chatting with us? Why do you want to leave so quickly now? Is it because of the two princesses here that you feel embarrassed?” Hehe, but they’re both beautiful women. How many people would want such an opportunity? You really don’t cherish it when you get the chance, do you, Lucy?” Lilith also took the chance to interfere, leaving Rod feeling helpless.
“Hehe, yes, Brother Rod, stay behind. Lucy hasn’t talked to you in a long time!” Under Lilith’s influence, Lucy had changed greatly, showing her witch-like demeanor. She stepped forward, grabbed his arm, and spoke coquettishly, making it hard for Rod to refuse.
Deeply distressed, Rod swore to himself that he must not let this pure girl, Lucy, be with a devil like Lilith. After just a few words, she had already changed so much. What would happen if they continued to spend time together? He absolutely couldn’t let them keep talking.
“Yeah! It’s true—we haven’t talked in a while. Come on, brother, let me take you to see the night view, how about that?” Saying this, Rod took Lucy’s hand and prepared to leave.
“What’s the matter with you, kid? Lucy is supposed to stay with us. Is there something between you and the two princesses that we don’t know about? Why do you want to leave so urgently?” Sognar grabbed Rod, speaking indignantly, though the teasing look in his eyes didn’t escape Rod’s notice.
Rod glared fiercely at Sognar. Just as he was about to speak, the two princesses, who had remained silent until then, finally spoke up.
“Hehe, Brother Rod, are you afraid we’ll eat you? We haven’t seen Sister Lucy in a while. How about we go out together? We really don’t like the atmosphere in the hall either!”
It was hard to tell which one it was—their appearances were too similar for anyone to distinguish. All they knew was that it was the princess on the left who spoke.
With a big smile on her face, she grabbed Lucy’s hand and suggested that they all go out together. Her smile was terrifying, and what made Rod even more frustrated was that Lucy, along with Sognar and Lilith, seemed to be cooperating, pulling him along to go outside.