Behind them.
Two people.
The mocking and cold smiles on their faces were frozen in place.
Their expressions didn't even have time to change.
But at this moment, the two of them had completely lost all signs of life.
They died from that speck of dust that entered their eyes.
So clean and decisive, that even in their eyes, there was no hint of shock or fear.
Because they didn't have time.
More than that, they probably didn't even know how they died.
"Now there's only you left."
The boy's indifferent words fell into the man's ear.
He felt as if he'd fallen into an ice cellar, his whole body cold, as if even the blood in his veins had lost all warmth.
He held a long staff, and the barrier of inner force around him showed no sign of relaxing.
Hearing the boy's words, he turned his head and looked at that calm, indifferent face in front of him, swallowing hard: "Um... uh..."
He managed two sentences, and seeing Evan Lin watching him, hurriedly threw the long staff to the ground.
"Open the gate and lead the way."
Evan Lin uttered four words.
Yuna Young, sitting quietly to the side, hadn't spoken a word from start to finish.
Her gaze stayed fixed on Evan Lin, watching that not-so-tall but incredibly reassuring figure.
She didn't try to stop Evan Lin's actions either.
"I can't do that..."
The man listened to Evan Lin and pulled a miserable face: "The Ma Family's main gate only opens at certain times."
"I can only go in during those times too, so if you want to enter, you'll have to wait."
As the man spoke, he glanced sideways at Yuna Young.
"We really didn't recognize greatness when we saw it. If we've offended you before, please forgive us!"
The man's words were sincere, his legs trembling, and he quietly shuffled his feet a little closer to Yuna Young.
"I have elderly parents and young kids—please, please spare my life!"
The man shouted, and though he considered himself strong among the Ma Family's gatekeepers, facing this boy, he had no confidence at all.
That speck of dust earlier really chilled him to the core.
"Want to live?"
Evan Lin looked at him with interest: "If you leave now, I'll spare you."
"Thank you, thank you!"
The man's face lit up with joy, looking utterly grateful, bowing repeatedly to Evan Lin: "Thank you, big bro, for not killing me! I'll remember this forever!"
"Thank you... thank you!"
He kept saying thanks, and just as Evan Lin was about to turn away, his expression suddenly hardened, and the inner force under his feet exploded, sending his body shooting forward at extreme speed.
Like an arrow breaking through the air, he charged straight toward Yuna Young.
"Once I grab her and hold her life in my hands, I don't believe you'll dare lay a finger on me!"
The man's face was crazed, his eyes burning with greed, staring at Yuna Young as if she were some priceless treasure: "You killed two Ma Family gatekeepers, that's already a huge mistake!"
"If I capture her and hand her over to the Ma Family, that'll be a massive achievement!"
"That way, those two unlucky dead guys won't have died for nothing!"
He laughed out loud, his body flashing by like lightning.
As a Vajra Realm expert, all his inner force gathered under his feet, erupting in a burst of speed that filled him with confidence.
He simply couldn't believe it—he didn't believe that boy over there could react in such a short time.
He reached out, aiming straight for Yuna Young's neck.
But right then, the man realized that the woman sitting there was already enveloped in his inner force, his killing intent completely locking her down.
Yet she remained utterly calm, not even shifting her gaze to him, still just looking at the boy over there as always.
"Is she already resigned to being captured, or does she just not take me seriously?"
His heart skipped a beat, but there was no way out now.
He didn't even have time to think or make a judgment.
"Is this your will to live?"
His hand hadn't even touched Yuna Young's neck yet.
But the boy's teasing voice landed clearly in his ear.
The voice came out of nowhere, faster than his own speed.
"Impossible!"
Suddenly, the man realized that the woman sitting there had, at some point, shifted her gaze just a little.
As her gaze changed, the boy appeared right in front of the man.
The boy, who should have been caught off guard, now calmly stood between them, completely blocking the man from her.
"How can you be so fast!"
The man cried out in alarm.
Then his voice abruptly stopped.
Evan Lin didn't even lift a finger—his nearby surge of inner force instantly wiped out the man before him.
The wind blew by.
It was as if nothing had ever happened.
"You didn't dodge?"
Evan Lin glanced at Yuna Young, who was still sitting there.
The calm steadiness Yuna Young just showed made Evan Lin look at her in a new light.
"Didn't react."
Yuna Young hesitated for a moment, then spoke honestly: "He moved too fast, and I was spacing out."
"So I didn't react."
Evan Lin had expected to hear Yuna Young say something like, 'With you here, I knew nothing would happen,' but he was momentarily stunned instead.
"Also, since my mom and your mom know each other, I figured you wouldn't let anything happen to me."
Yuna Young added.
That actually made some sense.
Evan Lin had even thought, when he had time, maybe he should have Yuna Young's mom go to Whitewood and apologize to Joy Zheng in person.
It sounded pretty childish, and it was just a small thing, but honestly, a mortal's whole life is made up of little, ordinary things like that.
Rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, tea.
The warmth and coldness of human relationships, the ups and downs of the world.
That's pretty much it.
What Evan Lin really wanted was for Joy Zheng to vent a bit, ideally to let out all the frustration she'd bottled up over the years.
As for that Lin family man who abandoned Joy Zheng and Evan Lin back then, Evan already had his own plans.
"You weren't wrong about that."
Evan Lin nodded, sat down beside Yuna Young, and closed his eyes to rest.
He didn't explain any further.
"Someone like you must be pretty lonely."
Yuna Young suddenly spoke: "Loneliness is the norm in life. I don't know if anyone will ever understand everything you've done."
"The world isn't fair. Some people are born with everything, others with nothing, so they have to run, work hard, and fight for themselves and their future."
"You get battered along the way, and you keep maturing. Supposedly, maturity is when a boy's passion quiets down, becomes cold and numb, loses the sense of pain, and finally can face the world's knives alone without fear."
"And you, Evan Lin, you once had nothing too, right?"
"No matter how dazzling your title as Master Lin from Seacrest is now, I can feel your desire to control your destiny, and I can feel your loneliness too."
"No one understands you—strong and gentle, glorious yet alone."
"Sometimes, you're kind of like a stubborn kid facing the world alone."