After dinner, Evan Lin was about to help clear the table, but Lucy Lu shooed him off to his room to study.
Back in his room, Evan glanced at the clock—it was 7:30 in the evening.
"Seven thirty. Mom should be done with work by now."
Evan muttered to himself, thinking of his mother. Even after becoming the Nine Mysteries Immortal Lord, he still couldn't suppress the excitement in his heart.
He took out an old Nokia from his bedside drawer. The phone was ancient—a gift from his mother, Joy Zheng, when he first came to Brightsea City.
Usually, Evan didn’t even use the phone, afraid he’d lose it, so he rarely carried it around. Now, picking it up, he quickly dialed Joy Zheng’s number.
Beep...
After a few seconds, someone finally picked up.
"Hello, Evan? What’s wrong? Are you doing okay over there?"
The voice on the other end was gentle—a woman’s voice. Hearing that familiar sound again, Evan felt a bittersweet ache in his heart.
Evan remembered back in first grade, when the teacher assigned a hundred-word essay about his mother. He had no idea what to write and started bawling. That day, Joy Zheng put down her work, patiently wiped his tears, and pointed to her own hands: "What’s so hard about it? Look at Mom’s hands—aren’t they skinny? You can write that your mom’s hands are skinny, just skin and bones. See, that’s already a bunch of words."
Skin and bones.
Those three words stuck with Evan. Countless times on the Immortal Martial Continent, he dreamed of Whitewood County, especially after becoming the Nine Mysteries Immortal Lord. The urge to go back and change his mother’s life only grew stronger.
A flood of emotions surged through Evan’s heart. Overwhelmed, he felt a lump in his throat, opened his mouth, and called out, "Mom."
"Hey, what’s wrong, kid? Are you being bullied? Who’s picking on you? Tell Mom!"
Hearing Evan’s odd tone, Joy Zheng grew anxious on the other end, clearly flustered.
"It’s nothing, Mom. I’m fine, really. I just missed you a little."
Evan adjusted his tone, afraid of worrying his mom.
"Silly kid, you can come home when summer break starts. Just focus on your studies over there, don’t worry about anything else."
"Mm, I know."
"Alright, alright, that's enough talking. I have to start class now. By the way, do you still have money? I’ll send you some tomorrow."
"No need, Mom. I’ve still got enough."
"Okay, but if you ever run out, just tell me. Take care of yourself out there—don’t go hungry or catch a cold."
After hanging up, Evan took a deep breath, feeling a rush of emotions.
"Mom’s still teaching this late—she must’ve taken on another tutoring class."
Joy Zheng was just an elementary school teacher in Whitewood County. Tutoring a student for a whole month only earned her 300 yuan. And since she couldn’t afford to rent a place or buy furniture, she had to partner up with someone else.
Evan remembered her partner was called Flora Huang, also a teacher at Whitewood Elementary. But her family was much better off, so every time a student came, she’d take 150 yuan out of the fee.
"Last life, I never managed to honor her. This time, I won’t let anyone hurt you again."
Evan clenched his fists, then calmed himself down.
"First things first, I need to catch up on my classes. Mom’s always wanted me to do well in school—if I get good grades, she’ll be so happy."
Making money isn’t hard for Evan now, and cultivation isn’t something that can be rushed.
Evan knew better than anyone that things had to be done step by step.
He sat down at his desk, turned on the light, took a deep breath to steady himself, and pulled out his tenth-grade textbooks.
"I’ve fallen behind too much. Time to start from scratch."
Evan’s eyes were sharp. If he set his mind to something, he always succeeded. And now, with his photographic memory, reading was practically superhuman.
In just an hour and a half, Evan scanned all the textbooks for tenth and eleventh grade. Without taking a break, he grabbed his supplementary study materials and finished those in another two hours.
"If I want to improve my grades, I need to do more exercises and deepen my understanding. Easy enough for me now."
Thinking this, Evan pulled out his exercise books.
Starting with the tenth-grade exercise book.
Evan picked up his pen, just about to start when a knock came at the door.
"Evan, are you asleep yet?"
Lucy Lu’s voice came through from outside the door.
Evan opened the door and saw Lucy Lu standing outside.
Lucy had changed into a new outfit, a black long-sleeved shirt draped over her shoulders, her face full of worry.
"Not yet, Aunt Lucy. What’s up?"
"Your Uncle Charles and I have to go out for a bit, but it’s so late and Lynn still isn’t home. I’ve tried calling her but she’s not picking up. I wanted to ask if you have time—could you go look for Lynn and bring her back? I’m worried it’s not safe for her out there."
Lucy looked apologetic, probably worried she was disturbing Evan’s rest.
Lynn had never stayed out this late before. Lucy had planned to go find her herself, but something urgent came up, so she had no choice but to ask Evan for help.
Outside, Charles Chen had changed into a suit and was fixing his tie as he walked over, urging, "Let’s go, let’s go, hurry up! Evan, Lynn should be at the Imperial Grand Karaoke Club right now. You go pick her up for us."
Charles spoke to Evan in a tone that brooked no argument.
Lucy was irritated—she really didn’t like how Charles treated Evan. She was about to speak up when Evan said, "It’s fine, Aunt Lucy. You guys go ahead, I’ll bring Lynn home."
"Sorry to trouble you. Oh, here’s a hundred yuan for your taxi fare."
Lucy handed Evan the hundred yuan, then said gently, "If anything happens, call me. It’s cold out tonight, so wear something warm—don’t catch a cold."
"Got it, Aunt Lucy."
"Let’s go, we’re going to be late!"
Charles hurried Lucy along, rushing toward the garage.
Once Lucy and Charles had left, Evan turned back to his room, changed into a jacket, and stepped outside.
The Imperial Grand Karaoke Club was one of the top entertainment spots in Brightsea City. Spending a night there cost at least ten thousand yuan.
Evan had heard people talk about the place before, but he’d never actually been.
To Evan back then, a place like this was somewhere you could only look up to from afar—never a spot you’d actually set foot in.
Evan stepped outside. The streetlights in Brightsea Garden Court shone brightly.
The Imperial Grand Karaoke Club was about eight kilometers away.
Evan didn’t take a taxi. Instead, he started jogging slowly.
He practiced the Breath Refining Technique as he jogged—the night air was crisp and quiet, lending a sense of peace to the moment. With the streets nearly deserted, Evan didn’t bother to hide his actions.
"Anchor the source, draw breath from below, pass through the center, and up to the crown."
As he ran, Evan guided the breath energy through his body.
If anyone had been nearby, they’d have seen wisps of white mist drifting from Evan’s nose and mouth, almost tangible in the air.
It was a sign of incomplete Qi Refinement. On the Immortal Martial Continent, ordinary people needed at least half a year to get started with Qi Refinement. Only when the breath could be released from the body and remain condensed would one reach the first level of Qi Refinement.
"I thought it would take at least half a month to reach the first level, but with the dragon’s help and the Breath Refining Technique, I’ll break through in twenty minutes at most."
Evan glanced at his left hand. The thread-like energy in his body had grown much stronger, and he could feel more power in his limbs.
He ran out of the residential area, heading for the city center.
Evan didn’t notice that, not far away at the foot of Thousand-Saints Mountain, on the rooftop of a three-story villa, an elderly man in a traditional Chinese suit stood with his hands behind his back, glancing in Evan’s direction.
"Was I seeing things just now? I must’ve been. Someone projecting true Qi… Most masters who reach that level live in seclusion. You’d never meet one so easily."
From a distance, the old man watched Evan’s figure fade into the night and sighed softly.
Behind him came the sound of a door opening. A young girl in a light jacket walked in.
She looked no older than eighteen, with creamy skin, a slender waist, and long, bright eyes that held both gentleness and determination.
Her eyes carried a hint of exhaustion and worry. She stepped forward, stood beside the old man, and said softly, "Grandpa, it’s cold outside. Come in and rest—it’s getting late."
The old man turned to look at the girl, his eyes full of tenderness and helplessness. "Molly, why are you up? Didn’t you drink your ginseng soup before bed?"
"I did. It’s my fault for worrying you, Grandpa."
A shadow of sadness flickered across Molly’s face. She bit her lip, seeming to make up her mind. "Grandpa, if I marry into the Lin family, our Su family business will be saved. Besides, I don’t have much time left."
"Nonsense!"
Victor Su’s face grew stern at Molly’s words, his tone sharp.
But then he sighed, looking at his beloved granddaughter and said gently, "Your parents passed away early. You’re the most important person in my life, Molly. I promised them I’d take care of you. I’ll find a way to cure your illness. As for the Su family business, it’s nice if we can keep it, but if we lose it, so be it."
He gazed into the dark night outside and sneered, "The business I built with my own hands—I have the right to destroy it myself. That’s still better than letting it fall into the hands of your two useless uncles."
"But the person the Lin family found..."
"That person from the Lin family..."
Thinking of this, Victor Su couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. "All we can do is hope to find a true master. Then the Su family business will be saved—and so will you."
"Grandpa..."
Molly still wanted to say more.
Victor Su shook his head. "It’s late—get some sleep."
After Molly left, Victor Su glanced outside, his eyes falling on the now-empty street.
The streetlights flickered, but no one remained.
"If that person really has reached the level of projecting true Qi..."
Thinking this, Victor Su gave a self-mocking laugh, sighed, and turned back inside.