"It's nothing serious. Are you Evan Yang, the son of this man the villagers mentioned?" the stranger asked.
"Yes, that's me," Evan replied, glancing anxiously at his father as if afraid something might happen to him.
Seeing Evan's reaction, the middle-aged man asked, "When did your father start acting like this? Do you know why?"
Thinking the stranger was angry, Evan quickly explained, "My father is sick, so please forgive him for any offense just now. Please don't hold it against us."
From Evan's expression and the villagers' accounts, the middle-aged man understood the hardship this father and son had endured. He didn't make things difficult for them, but something had surprised him—the moment he touched Liam Yang, he sensed something unusual. Curious, he asked again, "Do you know what illness your father has?"
This question had troubled Evan for a long time. He answered sadly, "Ever since my father and I came here, he's been like this. The village doctors say they don't know what kind of illness it is."
"Do you want to cure your father's illness?" The middle-aged man's words sounded like a lifeline to Evan. Excited, Evan asked, "Uncle, do you know what sickness my father has?"
The middle-aged man nodded slightly. He knew that the man lying in bed wasn't sick, but poisoned. The toxin wouldn't kill him, but its long-term presence had made him increasingly confused and unstable. He explained what he knew to Evan. When Evan heard that his father's confusion was due to poisoning, he was shocked. He remembered how weak his father had seemed when carrying him years ago—maybe it started back then. The more Evan thought, the more worried he became. The middle-aged man gently asked, "What's wrong?"
"I..." Evan was startled and momentarily forgot what he was about to say. The middle-aged man asked thoughtfully, "Did you remember something sad?"
Evan then told the middle-aged man about his past. Hearing Evan's story, the man was deeply moved and thought, "I can't believe someone so young has suffered such a childhood." He was also shocked that someone would use such a poison on ordinary people, but he kept this to himself. He said to Evan, "I'll take care of your father for now, but not here. I may need to take him away for a few days."
Evan, who had never been separated from his father before, looked worried. He also felt uneasy, unsure if the middle-aged man was truly as kind as he seemed.
Noticing Evan's concern, the middle-aged man smiled and said, "Here, take this token." Then, with a single motion, he rolled up the man lying on the bed and vanished from the house in the blink of an eye. Evan, still processing what had happened, rushed outside, only to find the villagers there—but no trace of the middle-aged man or his father. Stunned, he asked, "What... happened?"
"An immortal!" someone shouted, not knowing who was the first to cry out.