Brandon Tu could hardly believe his own ears. Staring at the pile of Spirit Crystal Ore not far away, he felt a wave of happiness and, overcome with excitement, threw his arm around Evan Yang’s thin shoulders and laughed, "Kid, you’re amazing!"
Forden Wayne’s expression grew even uglier. He had hoped his Spirit Crystal Ore would ultimately return to him, but instead he’d handed it over to Brandon Tu. Right now, he truly wanted to walk over and slap Evan Yang to death for making him lose face.
Evan Yang naturally noticed Forden Wayne’s hostile gaze, but he wasn’t afraid at all. With Brandon Tu and Rockwell Nance here, he didn’t believe Forden would cause trouble for him right now.
After announcing the result, Rockwell Nance walked over to Evan Yang, sizing him up from head to toe before finally asking, "May I ask, young man, who is your master? Or which sect or family are you from?"
"Trying to get close, huh?" Evan knew the other party valued his alchemy skills—otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone from displeased to suddenly so eager.
To Evan, no matter how strong the person in front of him was or how much they wanted to recruit him, he wouldn’t agree. This man gave him a sense of unease; he didn’t want to associate with someone like that. If one day the guy got annoyed, he could wipe Evan out—so Evan replied tactfully, "I do have a master, but he forbids me from revealing his name."
The reason Evan said this and didn’t mention the old beggar’s identity was simple: it was his life-saving talisman. At least this way, even if Rockwell Nance was unhappy, he wouldn’t dare kill Evan outright, in case he provoked whoever was behind him.
Sure enough, after hearing this, Rockwell Nance’s expression changed, but he finally smiled and said, "Would you be interested in following me, young man?"
Evan naturally rejected the offer, smiling, "I’m used to traveling alone. This time, I just happened to come with City Lord Brandon, so I showed a bit of skill. Hope you understand."
"Turned down?" Everyone revealed looks of disbelief.
Rockwell Nance had never been refused so bluntly before and was naturally unhappy, but he didn’t want anyone to catch him out—if the little beggar’s supposed backer came after him, it’d be trouble. So he forced a smile and said, "Since you’re used to being alone, I won’t insist. But to celebrate the arrival of such a new alchemy genius in our city, I plan to host a banquet tonight at the City Lord’s Manor."
"What’s he really planning?" Evan was suddenly uneasy about being invited to the banquet. The other city lords were curious too, but only Brandon Tu’s face looked a bit grim—though he couldn’t outright refuse.
In the end, everyone could only agree.
After everyone left the main hall, Brynn Bishop complained to Rockwell Nance, "City Lord, you’re treating this kid too well—throwing him a banquet?"
Rockwell Nance chuckled, "What, jealous?"
"Of course." Brynn had always enjoyed high status since coming down from the mountain, but today he’d been outshone by a little beggar. It was hard to take.
Seeing Brynn react this way, Rockwell wasn’t angry but instead laughed, "If you were to compete with him, who would win?"
"Definitely me. He only refined one supreme-grade pill, but I have at least a fifty percent success rate!" Brynn replied, full of pride.
Rockwell clapped his hands, "Good, then tonight you challenge him."
"So the City Lord wants me to compete with him?" Brynn exclaimed in surprise.
"Of course. I don’t care who his master is—if you defeat him fair and square, the glory belongs to you. That way, I can also dampen his momentum. Let him know my City Lord’s Manor isn’t a place where a little beggar can run wild." Rockwell Nance sneered.
Brynn finally understood why Rockwell wanted to host a banquet for the little beggar: first, to let Brynn defeat him in front of everyone and ruin his reputation; second, to boost Brynn’s own fame.
After leaving, Evan had no idea that tonight’s banquet was actually a Hongmen Banquet—a trap.
Only Brandon Tu returned to his room with a grim expression, hardly looking like someone who’d just won big.
"City Lord Brandon, what’s wrong?" Evan asked curiously, noticing Brandon’s sour face along the way.
"You… sigh." Brandon wanted to say something but couldn’t get the words out.
"City Lord Brandon, what’s really bothering you? If there’s something, just say it." Evan sensed Brandon was hiding something from him.
Brandon looked at Evan and finally spoke, "I don’t know whether to call you ‘little beggar’ or ‘little brother.’"
"Just for that?" Evan felt he’d made a splash today, but it shouldn’t have made Brandon this upset.
Evan misunderstood, but Brandon went on, "Forget it, I’ll call you ‘little brother.’ No matter who your master is, let’s leave together now."
"Why?" Evan asked in surprise.
"Even if you have a powerful master who taught you such amazing alchemy, you absolutely must not attend tonight’s banquet," Brandon Tu said, worried.
"What’s wrong? You think City Lord Rockwell will harm me?" Evan didn’t believe Rockwell would do anything to him in front of everyone—especially since he’d already set up a life-saving bluff.
"He won’t, but that doesn’t mean he won’t find some other way to deal with you." Brandon remembered the look Rockwell gave Evan after being refused—he knew all too well that anyone who crossed Rockwell never had it easy.
After hearing Brandon’s words, Evan felt more prepared. He thought to himself, if things really get bad, he’ll just fight his way out.
Seeing Evan’s serious expression, Brandon sighed, "Don’t overthink it. With so many people around, he won’t do anything to you. At most, he’ll try to knock down your momentum or probe who your master is."
"My master?" Evan almost wanted to laugh—he’d just made that up to fool people. As for the old beggar, who knew if Evan would ever see him again.
"By the way, who is your master, anyway?" Brandon was curious. Anyone who could train a Human-Rank alchemist like Evan must be a big deal, which was probably why Rockwell didn’t dare lash out.
Evan thought about it—he didn’t even know his master’s name, so he just said, "My master? He’s probably pretty awesome."
"What’s his name? Maybe I know him?" Brandon said. He knew there were a few famous alchemists on the continent—maybe Evan’s master was one of them.
As for Evan, he had no idea what the old beggar’s name was, so he just chuckled, "My master won’t let me say, so I don’t even know his name."
"I see—he must be some hidden expert," Brandon Tu exclaimed, thinking Evan’s master was a reclusive master.
"Let’s not talk about that. Let’s check how much Spirit Crystal Ore we’ve got!" Evan had never seen so much ore before—he couldn’t help but feel excited.
Brandon was even more excited after hearing this. He’d been distracted by Evan’s situation, but now he perked up, pulling out a storage bag—much like the small cloth bags Evan usually used, only bigger and able to hold more.
The two of them happily counted the Spirit Crystal Ore, their faces full of delight. Finally, Brandon said, "Kid, you really are incredible. This is all thanks to you—no matter what, these Spirit Crystal Ore should belong to you."
"No need, City Lord Brandon, you’re too polite. I couldn’t stand those people, so I just taught them a lesson. These Spirit Crystal Ore should go to building up White Slope City." Evan knew how important the ore was to Brandon.
Brandon was a man of character and wouldn’t accept the ore for nothing, so the two argued for a while. In the end, Evan said he was just a little beggar—if he carried so much ore, people would target him. It’d be better for Brandon to keep it.
Hearing this, Brandon realized Evan was just an alchemist—not the type to pursue cultivation himself.
"In that case, I’ll hold onto it for you. If you ever need Spirit Crystal Ore, just come find me in White Slope City." Brandon said, straightforward as ever.
"Then if I ever have nowhere else to go, I’ll come rely on City Lord Brandon." Evan laughed.
"With an alchemist like you, I’d even fight to get Spirit Crystal Ore for you!" Brandon Tu laughed heartily.
The two chatted and joked, completely forgetting the earlier unpleasantness.
When night fell, Evan and Brandon were summoned to the main hall by the guards. The hall was already filled with tables—clearly, the banquet was about to begin.
Besides Evan and Brandon, the other four city lords had already arrived, looking disgruntled. Forden Wayne in particular was heartbroken—he’d lost so much Spirit Crystal Ore for nothing, and he wished he could kill Evan on the spot.
Seeing everyone’s gaze, Brandon didn’t get angry—instead, he smiled for the first time in a while. "City Lords, you’re all early."
"Brandon Tu, you’re really scheming—found yourself a real treasure," one city lord said sarcastically.
Brandon replied, "Not at all. He’s just my friend, not my subordinate."
Evan was grateful that someone of Brandon’s status treated him as a friend. Even before he’d revealed his alchemist identity, Brandon had acted like a friend, never looking down on him for being a beggar.
After hearing this, Forden Wayne’s mind spun and he smiled, "May I ask how this young man should be addressed?"
"Just call me ‘little beggar.’" Evan didn’t dare reveal his real identity, nor did he want to think up another name, so he stuck with his alias.
The others heard this and felt differently. "Little beggar, do you look down on us city lords?" Forden Wayne complained.
"That’s really my name. If you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do." Evan just wouldn’t tell them, leaving them frustrated.
In the end, Forden Wayne finally compromised, smiling, "Would the young man care to visit my manor sometime?"
"Trying to recruit him?" That’s what everyone thought.
"I didn’t even accept Rockwell Nance’s offer—why would I accept yours?" Evan thought, but he replied politely, "City Lord Wayne, I’m just out here to gain experience, not looking to join any faction. City Lord Brandon said it himself—he’s my friend, and tonight I just helped a friend."
It was obviously a polite refusal. Everyone understood, and seeing their frustrated faces, Brandon was delighted. Evan had finally helped Brandon regain his dignity after so many years.
Just then, two people walked in from outside—Rockwell Nance and Brynn Bishop. Rockwell entered with a smile, "What are you all talking about? Looks like you’re having fun."
"City Lord." Everyone greeted respectfully.
"Don’t be so formal—everyone, take a seat." Rockwell had everyone sit down. As Brynn Bishop passed Evan, he shot him a look of disdain and a sly smile.
Evan noticed it and, unafraid, responded with a sly smile of his own.
"Young man, may I ask your name? And where is your master from?" As soon as Rockwell Nance sat down, he turned his attention to Evan, the star of the day, trying to figure out his identity.
Evan gave the same answer as before, which made Rockwell want to curse but he dared not, so he forced a smile and said, "Since the young man is called ‘little beggar’ and his master is a reclusive expert, I won’t press further."
Seeing Rockwell’s expression, the other four city lords secretly laughed. Anyone who provoked the city lord and could still leave safely—that was something unheard of.
Only Brandon Tu was thinking about how to help Evan escape and leave the City Lord’s Manor safely.
Evan could see what Brandon was worried about, but with so many people present, he didn’t believe Rockwell would lose control.
Unexpectedly, after smiling, Rockwell said, "Young man, Brynn Bishop finds your alchemy skills intriguing and wants to challenge you. Would you do us the honor?"
"So that’s it." As soon as he spoke, everyone guessed the gist.
Forden Wayne was the first to react, "Young man, why don’t you compete with Brynn Bishop? Let us see a showdown between the younger generation’s strongest."
The other three city lords chimed in, flattering Evan and making it hard for him to refuse. Seeing this, Brandon Tu quickly stepped forward, "City Lord, my friend isn’t feeling well—would that be alright?"
Before anyone could speak, Evan said, "I accept!"