"That Evan Lin, still hasn't come out yet. Is he planning to spend New Year's in there or what!"
At the milk tea shop in Zhaoyu Town, Lynn Chen bit her straw, staring at the road toward Fenghua Mountain and complaining, "He refused to leave the spectacle—what's so great about watching that anyway?"
"That Harvey Xie, his master, and that Old Immortal Sage—they're just three total lunatics, always talking about killing people like they're acting in a movie."
Lynn Chen fumed with indignation.
Beside her, Yolanda Fang sat with one leg crossed, the one missing a shoe bouncing up and down. She sipped her milk tea and listened to Lynn's complaints, shaking her head: "Lynn, honestly, I think we should've stayed to watch the show too."
"Leaving so early, we missed everything. Feels like a total loss."
Yolanda propped her chin with one hand, looking all moody: "I actually wanted to see that Old Immortal Sage do his magic tricks, and watch Harvey Xie and his master eat their words. If they really tried to kill someone, I'd call the cops in a heartbeat, let the police drag them off to jail, and watch them sing prison songs—just thinking about it is hilarious."
Yolanda smacked her lips, still not satisfied.
Lynn rolled her eyes decisively: "If we'd stayed in there, we'd all be drenched by now. Look at your outfit—one rain shower and you'd be totally exposed."
Lynn grumbled. Yolanda just giggled, "Are you worried Lin would see me like that and get all hot and bothered, start having special thoughts about me?"
Yolanda raised her eyebrows at Lynn, her eyes full of mischief.
"Get lost." Lynn turned away, her face suddenly blank.
"He's out!"
Yolanda spotted Evan Lin walking out and her face twisted oddly. "No way, already? Evan Lin's walking with that city girl now?"
Both girls saw Evan Lin and his group coming out.
Evan walked in front, Melissa Mu followed quietly at his side, head slightly lowered, looking timid. Uncle Victor Li, on the other hand, looked much more disheveled—though his clothes had dried in the sun, he was still visibly uncomfortable.
Seeing Evan Lin coming out, Yolanda and Lynn both stood up from their seats.
"Oh, Evan Lin, look at you! How come you're walking with a city girl now? She didn't look down on you, did she?" Yolanda grabbed Lynn's arm, hopping over and eyeing Melissa Mu with a hint of wariness.
She was half afraid Melissa Mu would try to get even with her for the shoe incident while she was hobbled—if that happened, Yolanda's reputation would be ruined for life.
But before Yolanda could finish, Melissa Mu had already stepped forward, bowed her head, and said, "I'm sorry for offending you earlier."
"Uh, are you actually apologizing to me?" Yolanda and Lynn were both stunned. Melissa Mu had been so stuck-up before, and now she was suddenly coming over to apologize?
The sudden shift left Yolanda and Lynn totally baffled.
"Please forgive me!" Melissa Mu, not hearing Yolanda's reply, bowed even lower.
Uncle Victor Li watched but didn't dare say a word, just shook his head and sighed. With Evan "Nine-Mysteries" Lin around, who would dare act up?
Melissa Mu's extreme humility made Yolanda and Lynn feel a bit awkward.
Honestly, Yolanda preferred people who'd argue with her face-to-face. At least then she could shout back and feel justified.
But Melissa Mu, for some reason, was acting so humble that Yolanda couldn't even bring herself to snap back.
"Alright, alright, it's fine. I was partly at fault too, so let's drop it." Yolanda waved her hand. Only then did Melissa Mu lift her head and thank her.
"Why does this all feel so weird? I was the one who threw a shoe at your face." Yolanda muttered, then suddenly remembered something and stepped up to Evan Lin, giving him a suspicious look.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" Evan Lin felt uneasy under Yolanda and Lynn's combined gaze.
"Spill it! What drama did you see in there?" Yolanda demanded, playing the curious kid. Then she threatened, "If you don't tell me, I'll go straight to your mom and rat you out for all the stuff you've done to me and Lynn at school!"
"What exactly have I done to you two?" Evan Lin was totally confused.
"Doesn't matter! Who do you think your mom would believe?" Yolanda shamelessly doubled down, pulling out her best troublemaker moves.
Lynn finally noticed something off. "Where did Harvey Xie and his master go?"
"They took another path," Evan replied calmly. "The rain came down hard, so we all got separated."
"And what about the Old Immortal Sage? Didn't he fight those two?" Yolanda pressed, eyes wide.
"Nope. He's just an old fraud, couldn't fight anyone if he tried." Evan shook his head.
Yolanda didn't doubt it—after all, the Old Immortal Sage really did look like a scam artist, and he wasn't even big or tough. He probably couldn't take a single punch before getting knocked flat.
"What a shame. I was hoping for some big breaking news." Yolanda sighed, suddenly bored.
"Knew it. They're all just full of hot air." Lynn snorted from the side.
Hearing that, Melissa Mu and Uncle Victor Li exchanged a complicated look.
The Old Immortal Sage and Medicine King Valley's Fire Elder might seem like braggarts to Evan "Nine-Mysteries" Lin, but to ordinary people, they were still genuine powerhouses.
But Melissa and Uncle Victor were smart enough to keep quiet.
"Alright, whatever, let's just go. This place is creepy—better to leave early," Yolanda said, not liking Zhaoyu Town at all. Lynn chimed in with agreement.
Soon, the group reached the parking area. But as they stood in front of Charles Chen's Audi, both Yolanda and Lynn turned to look at Evan Lin.
"Hm?" Evan Lin paused, noticing their stares.
"When Harvey Xie and his master ran off, did they give you the keys?" Lynn asked Evan.
"Nope."
Seeing Evan shake his head, Lynn's face darkened with anger. "Dead liars! I knew those two were just scammers here to steal my dad's car!"
That car was worth at least several hundred thousand, and in a place like this, it would be hard to find a tow truck anytime soon. Lynn was convinced those two were just waiting for a chance to steal it!
"You can tell they're up to no good!" Yolanda chimed in, waving her fist and looking smug.
Evan Lin was left speechless by their wild train of thought.
Uncle Victor Li, overhearing Medicine King Valley's Elder being mistaken for a car thief, thought that if the old man knew, he'd probably burst out of his grave in fury!
"Lin... Brother Lin, you can use my car. I can tow this one for you too."
Hm?
Hearing this, Lynn and Yolanda instantly turned to look.