Gathering III

After they read the details of their party members, the young cultivators hurriedly gathered at the same table with their team members, discussing their teamwork for tomorrow's expedition.

Eddie led his lover and best friends to meet their last two members, Richard Tanjung and Dea Ardilla.

Like the male attendees, Richard was wearing a black suit. Based on the blue screen above his head, Eddie knew that he was still young at 25 years old, and his cultivation had reached the perfection stage of the tempering realm with earth affinity.

Meanwhile, Dea was still 20 years old, but her cultivation had reached the early stage of the tempering realm, and she had an affinity with light. Her face was quite pretty with glassy eyes and black pupils, and some of her black hair was dyed red, but her body was quite short at 5'1" (1.55 m). Nevertheless, her figure was attractive in a tight white shirt paired with long blue jeans, especially her bosoms, which were neither big nor small, and her tanned skin looked exotic.

"Richard and Dea, right?" Natasha greeted them. "I am Natasha, and they usually call me Nath. The man beside me is my boyfriend, Eddie. The other two are Jordan and his girlfriend, Leah."

Dea immediately shook Natasha's hand. "Nice to meet you all. I am Dea, and this man is my partner, Richard."

"So, who will lead our group?" Richard immediately asked.

"He is our leader." Natasha, Jordan, and Leah pointed at Eddie.

Richard and Dea were taken aback by this, as Eddie, with his cultivation still in the early stages of the foundation realm, was the weakest among them. They believed that Natasha would be a more suitable leader for their team.

Natasha smiled knowing their thoughts. "Eddie's cultivation level is indeed the lowest among us, but you two don't need to doubt his abilities. He has high observation and insight, and his cultivation used to be the fastest among us before he hit the final hurdle. In addition, he mastered many things that no one else mastered, and you two can witness his abilities for yourself after we enter the ruin."

"Hey, Nath! That guy comes here." Leah glanced at Jamie, who was approaching them.

A woman suddenly ran ahead of Jamie, and she grabbed Natasha's hand when she arrived in front of them. "You are Natasha, right? I've heard a lot about you, and I finally got to meet you today."

The woman was one of the most beautiful women in the place, especially with her wide eyes and blue pupils, combined with her thick lips covered in pink. Her hair was long, straight, and blonde, with a feathered cut. She wore a beige knee-length slip dress, paired with thigh-high black boots. She was the same height as Eddie, at 6'2" (1.88 m), and her body was curvy rather than slim. Her bosoms were large with an E cup, and her dress emphasized her curvy figure.

===

Name: Aleena Mitchell

Race: Human

Gender: Female

Age: 22

Stage: [Perfection] Tempering Realm

Body: None

Affinity: Lightning

Spirit: Skybreaker Falcon

Skill: Lightning Blast Codex

Innate: Flash Step

Interest: Natasha Tan

Lover: None

Loyalty: Unknown

===

'Why is she interested in Nath? Is she a lesbian?' Eddie pulled Natasha behind him, confusing her. "She is my girlfriend; you shouldn't get too close to her."

Aleena was not offended by that, and she put on a sensual smile instead. "Are you afraid of competing with a woman like me, Ed?"

"Don't act familiar with me." Eddie pulled Natasha away. "Let's discuss our plans elsewhere."

Jordan, Leah, Richard, and Dea exchanged confused glances. They followed Eddie and Natasha after they said goodbye to Aleena.

Aleena crossed her arms and stared at them, or rather at Eddie. "That man was possessive and protective of Natasha, but his attitude piqued my interest."

"Are you interested in that guy, Miss Aleena?" A young man with messy blond hair questioned her. He had blue eyes, and his body was quite muscular, but his face was more like a playboy's.

"Hehe." Aleena softly chuckled. "I've never met a man who could ignore me like him, Nicholas Grant. Those who see me usually want to possess me, and they will do anything to attract my attention. Initially, I wanted to be close to Natasha, but I found her lover more interesting."

Nicholas shook his head before telling her. "Eddie is Kevin Chen's grandson, and his cultivation is stuck at the perfection stage of the elementary realm, but my information seems to be a little wrong because he has already broken through to the early stage of the foundation realm. He and Natasha have been lovers since they were in senior high school, and I heard they will get married."

"Do you have any information about the other four?" Nicholas immediately told Aleena about Jordan, Leah, Richard, and Dea. "I want you to use your abilities to monitor Eddie, and you must report to me his every move." Do you understand?"

"Yes, Miss Aleena."

===

"Hey! Ed! Why were you acting like that to Aleena earlier?" Jordan inquired.

"She was a lesbian, and she was attracted to Nath, so I had to keep her away from her." Eddie's answer left Jordan and the others dumbfounded. Unlike them, Natasha knows the existence of the system, and her lover can read people's status. "Nath, you have to stay away from her, okay?"

Natasha smiled and showed the ring on her finger. "I'm your fiancée, remember? Aleena is beautiful, but I'm not a lesbian, so your worries are superfluous."

"I don't care; you should stay away from her." Eddie emphasized his words.

'This man is too possessive.' Richard and Dea thought to themselves.

"If that's your wish, I will stay away from Aleena." Natasha then asked the others. "Shall we go to Ed's villa? We can have a relaxed discussion while resting there, and we will be fresher to face tomorrow's exploration."

"Our personal belongings are at the hotel, so we have to get them first." Dea answered.

"Let's go then; we'll go to your hotel, and we'll go to Ed's villa after." Eddie immediately sent a message to his family that they were leaving.

Sometime later, they arrived at Eddie's villa, and its luxury amazed Richard and Dea. "Have you ever been to a luxurious villa like this?"

"No." Richard and Dea shook their heads at Natasha.

"My parents are private employees with a minimum wage, so our life is far from luxurious. That's why I signed up for this expedition, and I will sell the results of our expedition to support my family, especially my brothers' school." Dea pointed to Richard. "His family is much better than mine because his parents own a factory, but this kind of luxury is still out of reach."

Richard didn't deny her words. "Like Dea, this is my first expedition, and I joined it because I wanted to hone my skills."

"Among us, only Jordan and I have participated in several expeditions, and Leah has only participated in two. As for Eddie, the trip will be his first experience, but he will not be a burden for us, and he will bring us the best results." Natasha then took Eddie's hand and led them into the villa, where they discussed their plans for tomorrow's expedition.

===

At the event venue, Vivian repeatedly looked for Eddie, but she was disappointed after Lilian informed her that her son had gone home with someone else.

Jamie and several other men were disappointed with Natasha's departure. They wanted to approach her even though she is Eddie's girlfriend, but she has disappeared.

Several hours later, the event ended, and they rushed back to their respective places.

In the car, Vivian was lost in thought while looking out the window. "Husband, how do you think Jason and Liliana will react if they find out that Eddie is my son?"

"Eh? Is he really my brother, Mom?" Nathalie asked from the back seat.

Vivian looked back and nodded to her daughter. "Jessica gave us the results of mine and Eddie's DNA test, and the results proved that he is your brother."

"My brother didn't seem to like us, and he left when we approach him. He didn't greet us at all throughout the event, and he chose to go home early with Sister Natasha." Nathalie spoke disappointedly.

Liem looked at his daughter through the rearview mirror. "Nath, you can't blame Eddie. He never knew us, and your mother left him at the Chen family house after he was born."

"I know, Dad." Nathalie is still saddened by Eddie's dislike for them. "He is a grown man, so he should be able to understand our mother's situation. She was wrong to leave him, but she had no other choice at that time. If she hadn't left him there, he would have lived in misery."

Vivian released a soft sigh and took her daughter's hand. "I'm happy to have a daughter like you, Nath. As for your brother, I'm sad that he doesn't like me, but the fault lies with me. I don't know how, but I'll try my best to earn his forgiveness, and I hope he'll be willing to accept me someday."

"Um." Nathalie nodded slightly. 'My brother will join the expedition tomorrow, so I can meet him there, and I will help my mother by persuading him to forgive her.'

===

Eddie and Natasha were lying on their bed, hugging each other. "Ed, did you notice Sister Jessica's expression when you told them about your proposal to me?"

>>> Next