Seeing Eve's unconcerned expression, Ye Ling added, "Remember, hiding things won't work either. Unless the information would count as a crisis for me, you have to answer."
He'd planned to use this to test Eve's attitude, but when he saw she didn't even pause to think, he couldn't be bothered to play the bad guy.
"I understand, Brother. Just ask whatever you want!"
After acknowledging Ye Ling as the God of Contracts of this side, Eve had already decided to get on good terms with him. Unlike before, she no longer spoke with reservations. As long as Ye Ling asked, she intended to answer without holding anything back.
"You really are something…"
Faced with this version of Eve, Ye Ling felt a deep sense of helplessness.
"First question. What do you think 'virgin' means?"
As a warm-up, Ye Ling didn't jump straight into anything too critical. Besides, this was something he genuinely cared about.
"Virgin is a grade of Vital Energy."
There wasn't the slightest hesitation on Eve's cute little face. She explained it seriously to Ye Ling. "But even within the 'virgin' grade, there are differences in quality. Take Brother's Vital Energy, for example. Even among virgins, it's outstanding. Calling you the king of virgins wouldn't be an exaggeration at all!"
Pfft—!
Ye Ling felt like he'd taken a massive critical hit, and the worst part was that he couldn't even talk back.
After steadying his tangled emotions, he clenched his teeth and said, "That's not what I meant… forget it, I'll be blunt. Do you understand what 'virgin' means in the secular sense?"
"Meaning?"
Eve frowned, a rare moment of genuine thought crossing her face. She murmured softly, "Isn't virgin just… virgin?"
Ye Ling glanced at the contract and saw that it hadn't reacted at all. Clearly, Eve wasn't lying. This girl genuinely had no idea what the word really meant.
Seen from that angle, it was no wonder Eve could toss the word "virgin" around so freely, without the slightest sense of embarrassment.
Ye Ling had originally thought this was some kind of racial trait, but now it seemed that conclusion had been premature.
"Forget it. If you don't know, then I won't ask."
Since things were completely different from what he'd imagined, his mood immediately improved.
If the word "virgin" was simply a straightforward compliment to Eve, then he could accept it.
At most, it was just an enormous cultural gap that had caused a misunderstanding.
"Mm…"
Eve nodded, though it was obvious she took the matter seriously.
I'll look it up when I have time… so the word "virgin" has other meanings?
Born into the Succubus clan, Eve was familiar with many sex-related terms, yet she often struggled to match them with their proper meanings.
After all, for humans, sex was a form of release. For the Succubus clan, it was food.
Who would pay that much attention to the terminology used while eating?
"Second question. Why did you appear here?"
Ye Ling's expression grew tense. He really didn't want Eve to give a different answer.
"After I ran away from the Succubus clan, I kept using random teleportation to get rid of their pursuit, until I ended up here."
Eve's expression remained calm, with no sign of awkwardness about having run away.
And broadly speaking, she wasn't lying. She had just left out a lot of details.
"I see."
Ye Ling finally let out a breath of relief. At the very least, he hadn't misjudged her. If Eve had deceived him before, he truly wouldn't have known what choice to make.
"Third question. Why did you run away from the Succubus clan?"
"I wanted to see the outside world."
Eve's first answer was exactly what Ye Ling had expected. In his eyes, she clearly lacked social experience. She looked like a sheltered young lady who had never left home, somewhat similar to Bai Yiyi.
But Eve's second answer was something he hadn't anticipated.
"And I don't agree with their way of living."
"Hm?"
"They're perfectly capable of controlling themselves, feeding without killing members of other races. But they often kill males of other races just for pleasure. That's the one thing I can't accept."
Rare… no, this was probably the first time Ye Ling had ever seen Eve look so serious.
On that young, adorable face appeared an expression of intense disgust.
"You… don't like the Succubus clan?"
Ye Ling's expression turned uncertain. If the Succubus clan truly lived like this, then once he returned to the Heavenly Gate Sect, he would have to tell Ai Yueli about it.
He wouldn't go out of his way to seek out evil. He wasn't some paragon of justice.
But if evil appeared right in front of him, he wouldn't just ignore it. Unless, of course, it was something beyond his ability to handle.
"I like them."
What Ye Ling hadn't expected was that Eve, who had been full of disgust just moments ago, now spoke with absolute certainty. "I like them the most."
"Even though I hate their way of living, I still like them the most."
"And precisely because of that, I have to leave them."
Eve's words struck a deep chord with Ye Ling.
To be honest, he hated the orphanage. It was never a good place.
If you didn't do what the adults thought was right, you wouldn't receive good treatment. At least, that was how it was in the orphanage he grew up in.
And yet, even so, there were still kind people there. People worthy of his respect.
Even the old headmaster, whom the children called the stingy miser, only wanted to concentrate the best resources on children like him, those who were "obedient and sensible."
Strictly speaking, as someone who benefited from it, Ye Ling shouldn't have hated the orphanage at all. He didn't even have the standing to hate it.
But wrong was still wrong. When the unfair distribution of resources was exposed to the public, the old headmaster was naturally persuaded to step down, leaving the orphanage he had devoted nearly his entire life to.
As the one who benefited the most back then, Ye Ling undoubtedly liked the old headmaster. Yet he also understood that what the old man had done was wrong.
Seen this way, Eve's situation really did resemble his own.
"What about your parents?"
Lost in those memories, Ye Ling suddenly asked.
"They passed away."
When Eve spoke of her dead parents, she sounded as if it had nothing to do with her at all.
"My father was a Hero from a small kingdom, and my mother was an elite-level Succubus. The two of them fell in love in a daze, had me in a daze, and in the end, they died in a daze too, killed by that small kingdom's king in a plot."
There wasn't a trace of sadness in her voice, as if she were simply stating a fact.
"You… don't seem to like them?" Ye Ling asked hesitantly.
"No. I liked them very much."
Eve shook her head. "But it's been too long. My feelings have faded. Besides, that small kingdom's king was already dealt with by the Succubus clan, so there's really nothing left for me to grieve over."
Too long?
That phrase caught Ye Ling's attention, but since it was a sensitive topic, he didn't press further.
Still, Eve's experiences struck a chord with him.
"You ran away because you want to change the Succubus clan?" Ye Ling asked.
He paused, and only after confirming that Eve's expression hadn't changed did he continue.
"That's right."
Eve nodded firmly. "I want to use my way of living to prove that what they're doing is wrong."
So similar.
Looking at Eve's youthful yet unwavering gaze, Ye Ling couldn't help but think of himself.
Back then, what he wanted was much the same. He'd wanted to do everything he could to leave the orphanage as soon as possible, then work hard, make money, and give back to the orphanage.
In his mind, if the orphanage had enough funding, the old director would no longer have to resort to those "helpless" choices.
But before Ye Ling could ever make it big, the old director was already gone.
So… what should I do now?
Ye Ling's expression gradually settled into calm.
Now, there were two paths in front of him—
First: Let Eve stay the night, then leave her to fend for herself.
Though chances were she'd end up destroying herself anyway. This girl was so foolish, she could practically compete with Bai Yiyi.
But at least he wouldn't be exposing himself to any danger. And even if Eve went off on her own afterward, she'd still owe him a favor.
If he chose this path, it was a guaranteed profit with no loss.
Second: Help Eve.
If he chose this path, then once Eve grew up a bit more, he could desire her body without any guilt.
And if Eve really did succeed in changing the Succubus clan, it would also make up for a regret he'd carried in his heart.
But the more you gained, the greater the risk.
Eve had far too many secrets, and they were tied to that unspeakable level of hidden truth. Keeping her by his side was like keeping a ticking bomb around. No one could say when it might explode.
After thinking for a while, Ye Ling still didn't have an answer.
But there was one thing he was sure of.
He looked at the contract and said, "I'm done asking."
The contract lying on the table immediately lit up, then turned into a stream of Dao Resonance and dispersed into Heaven and Earth.
A contract was naturally equal. It couldn't only punish Eve without also binding Ye Ling to a promise.
Ye Ling looked at Eve and said, "I'll let you stay for one night. During this time, you can draw Vital Energy from me, but the process can't harm me."
That was the full content of the contract. He didn't know whether Eve had seen it clearly.
"I understand!"
Eve nodded excitedly like a little puppy. Her Succubus tail wagged wildly, perfectly in sync, like a dog's tail.
"Thank you, Brother!"
She jumped up from her seat and threw herself into Ye Ling's arms, sniffing him eagerly.
"…"
Seeing how happy she was, Ye Ling could feel the softness of the girl pressed against him, and he could smell her sweet scent.
After a moment, he said quietly, "To be honest, I'm actually pretty afraid you'll lie and break the contract."
"Hm?"
Eve lifted her head, her expression adorably confused.
"If you did that, you'd end up staying here as my slave."