The next morning, bright and early.
A little after five, Evan Lin got up intending to go for a run, but as soon as he stepped outside, he saw Yolanda Fang already waiting for him.
Charles Chen’s Audi A6 was parked not far from the shantytown. In the driver’s seat sat Harvey Xie, who shot Evan a vicious, furious glare as soon as he saw him come out.
In the front passenger seat, Fire Elder just gave Evan a flat look, then leaned back and closed his eyes to rest.
Lynn Chen, in the back seat, hadn’t gotten out. She was clearly still hung up on what Evan said last night, watching him through the rear window with a faintly annoyed look in her eyes.
“You’re here this early?” Evan was a bit surprised.
“Of course! Hurry up and get ready, we’re all leaving soon, come on!” Yolanda urged him.
Evan went back to grab a backpack, thought for a second, then left a note for Joy Zheng before heading out and getting in the car with Yolanda.
The front seats were taken, so only the back was left.
As Evan approached, Lynn decisively slid further inside so she could sit with Yolanda, putting more distance between herself and Evan.
Lynn grumbled, "Eat, eat, eat. There's not that much good food around here."
Harvey didn't hesitate anymore—he stomped on the gas and the car lurched forward.
Zhaoyu Town was sixty kilometers east of Whitewood County. The county road was full of potholes and barely maintained, so the ride was slow and bumpy. It took them a whole hour and a half to get there.
Technically, Zhaoyu Town was part of Whitewood County, but really, it was just a long street with houses and shops lining both sides.
There weren't many people in town, but you’d spot luxury cars every now and then—rich folks coming to see the legendary Old Immortal Sage.
Thanks to the Old Immortal Sage, Zhaoyu Town's economy had gotten a major boost.
"You folks here to see the Old Immortal Sage for a fortune-telling?"
As soon as they rolled into town, a man jogged over, grinning, knocked on the window, and ran alongside the car, asking his question.
Harvey rolled down the window and shot the guy a sideways glance. "Yeah."
"Well, you're in luck. You can't drive up to Fenghua Mountain—the road's too rough. You need a guide. I've got a group heading up and there's still a few spots left. Only 500 yuan a person, how about it?" The man put on his best salesman face, keeping pace as Harvey slowed but didn't stop.
Hearing this, Harvey glanced at Fire Elder in the front seat.
Harvey didn’t know the way up Fenghua Mountain, so a guide would definitely save them a lot of time.
Fire Elder barely reacted, just nodded coolly. Only then did Harvey stop the car.
"Five hundred a person? That’s daylight robbery," Yolanda protested as soon as the car stopped. The man outside, still catching his breath, was already asking for payment.
"Even a 5A scenic spot wouldn’t charge that much. It’s a total ripoff," Lynn chimed in, clearly annoyed.
The man just shook his head, unfazed. "You don’t get it. The Old Immortal Sage is famous all over, and he lives way up in the mountains. It takes most of a day to get there."
"Plus, anyone coming for the Old Immortal Sage isn’t short on cash. His basic fortune-telling costs 100,000 yuan. If you’re fussing over a few hundred or a thousand, you might as well not bother." The man shook his head again.
The 100,000 yuan price tag for a simple reading left both Yolanda and Lynn stunned.
Evan was a little surprised too. He’d heard stories about the Old Immortal Sage before, but never realized he could make that kind of money.
"Alright, there’s five of us. Here’s 2,500."
Before Yolanda or Lynn could say anything, Harvey in the front seat whipped out his wallet and handed over a wad of cash, acting all cool.
Harvey shot Evan a smug look as he paid, like he was showing off for the girls—and making it clear he thought Evan was too poor to pay his share.
In Harvey’s mind, Evan was just a broke loser. He could’ve refused to pay for him and made Evan look bad, but he didn’t want Evan to back out and ruin his shot at revenge.
Besides, once they were up in the mountains, there’d be plenty of chances to teach Evan a lesson—and paying now let him show off in front of Lynn and Yolanda.
Just as Harvey was feeling good about his move, Yolanda muttered to Lynn, "Anyone willing to pay that much is probably an idiot."
The comment hit Harvey right in the chest, leaving him silently fuming.
The tout grinned, "Alright, just follow me with your car. Once we regroup, we’ll head up the mountain!"