It had to be said, the woman was stunningly beautiful.
Even John, for a moment, felt a bit flustered.
Dressed in a black mermaid dress with red embroidery, she reclined gracefully on the daybed, a cigarette holder in hand.
The large embroidered roses dazzled the eyes, almost as if the petals were swaying, emitting a fragrance that was utterly intoxicating.
Upon seeing John, the corners of her mouth curved into a slight smile.
"Long time no see."
Long time no see?
Though John's face showed no reaction, he was internally shaken.
He was certain he had never met this woman before, but why then...
Why would this woman say "long time no see"?
"Why are you standing there? I won't bite; come in," the woman said with a gentle laugh, slowly rising to her feet.
Her fair, long legs emerged from the side of her dress, utterly captivating.
It had to be said, this woman was a temptress, every move as enchanting as a siren's, her gaze fixed firmly on him.
No words were necessary; merely standing there, she was a spectacle.
"He really is heartless, to have already forgotten me," the woman said in a tone full of lament, her voice soft and tender.
It was as if she was genuinely cooing to John...
John regarded the woman across from him impassively, genuinely unsure where he could have met her, but...
His intuition told him that the woman was not lying.
That meant they truly had met, even if he couldn't remember it.
"Do you like the gift I've given you for our meeting?" the woman asked, her eyes twinkling as she put down her cigarette holder and started preparing tea with the set in front of her.
These old-fashioned tea-brewing methods had largely fallen into obscurity, but they seemed exceptionally natural in her hands.
She handled the ritual with a grace that suggested it was second nature to her, her movements fluid and practiced.
"Try it; I've practiced a long time for this."
She placed a cup of tea before John, who did not move closer but continued to watch her quietly.
"You don't need to be so guarded around me. If I had wanted to kill you, you wouldn't have made it here," she said.
She paused slightly, her gaze intensifying as she looked into John's eyes.
"I'd advise you to stop here with this matter; otherwise, you'll face much more trouble later. Victor can't wait for you too long."
John had been pondering, but the mention of Victor's name instantly enraged him.
"How do you know about Victor? What have you done to him?"
He had thought this was merely about dealing with the Dusk Sect, but he hadn't expected it to be linked to Archibald's affairs.
Without any hesitation, John drew the Bloodthirsty Blade! A streak of cold light flashed as the blade aimed straight for the woman's throat!
But...
John felt as if his blade had struck a protective barrier, unable to penetrate it!
How... how is this possible?!
He was acutely aware of the current attack power of the Bloodthirsty Blade.
He also knew very well how much strength he had used in that strike.
Yet now, he couldn't even breach this woman's shield?
John exerted all his strength, but found it utterly futile against the protective barrier before him.
"There's no need to bother; with your current strength, it's impossible to harm me," the woman stated calmly.
The gap between transcendent-tier and gold-tier wasn't a joke.
It was only because she found this young man somewhat to her liking that she had refrained from attacking him all this while.
John felt as if an invisible force in the air had entwined around his hands.
On closer inspection, he noticed a layer of pink smoke that had appeared out of nowhere, emitting a strong Rosie fragrance.
It felt as though he was immersed in a sea of flowers, and soon his mind began to feel dizzy, despite the mental resistance boost from the Heart of Dwarf.
He was struggling to control himself! How could his mind power, even enhanced by 60%, still not withstand the power of this Rosie fragrance?
The pale pink smoke twined around John's hands, gently forcing them open, and then additional wisps of smoke wrapped around his cheeks, creating a strangely intimate appearance.
The woman slowly approached as John realized he could slash her throat with the Bloodthirsty Blade with just a little effort.
But his body was gradually weakening, leaving him without the strength to command the Bloodthirsty Blade any longer.
The woman chuckled softly, reaching out to gently touch John's cheek, her eyes filled with admiration.
"You have really grown more impressively than I had anticipated."