The Liu Family believes Evan Yang never resolved the poison, and that his report against them was forced. Now that Evan is acting alone, no one knows if he's still in contact with the Liu Family—exactly what the Liu Family wants.
Evan quickly figured this out as well.
Still, Evan played along and asked, "So what do you want me to do?"
"Now that's more like it. It's simple—Elder Liu wants you to take down that woman. As for what happens after, the Liu Family will handle it," the man said with a smile.
"How am I supposed to take her down?" Evan frowned.
"This—it's another dose of Ten-Day Scourge Powder. You know how it works, right?" The man sneered.
Evan took the pill and laughed, "You people are ruthless."
"As long as you get it done, the Liu Family won't shortchange you. We'll even give you the antidote," the man promised with a smile.
Evan nodded, then turned and left.
Watching Evan's back as he left, the man sneered, "Give you the antidote? Dream on. Once that woman is captured, that's when you'll die."
Evan returned to the winery, keeping it open as usual. Privately, he explained everything to Faye Gale about what had just happened. When Faye heard it was the Liu Family again, she was shocked. "Them?" she exclaimed.
"Don't get so worked up. Let me explain a bit more," Evan said, then told Faye about the Liu Family's plan.
"They want me to take poison? Ridiculous," Faye sneered, knowing Evan would never actually make her take it.
Evan explained so Faye would understand all the reasons, then sent her a voice transmission: "Do you want to catch the Liu Family members?"
"Of course," Faye replied.
"There's a way now, but whether it works depends on how you play it," Evan said.
"How do I play it?" Faye asked curiously.
"Pretend you took Ten-Day Scourge Powder, then I'll hand you over to the Liu Family. Meanwhile, I'll use the chance to track their location. But it's very dangerous—I'm just suggesting it, not recommending you actually do it," Evan replied.
Evan's suggestion was a huge temptation for Faye. She immediately replied, "Absolutely, that's a great idea! When do we act?"
"For safety, I think you should contact the Palace Lord first," Evan said.
"Contact the Palace Lord? That might be too late. If we go back and forth, the Liu Family could get suspicious," Faye replied.
Evan had never fought Elder Liu, but he knew the man was powerful. If they clashed, he might not win, so he didn't want Faye to take risks.
Seeing Evan's stubborn refusal, Faye took out a bracelet. "If I get captured by the Liu Family and can't escape, take this to Fiend Palace and find the Palace Lord. Tell him about my situation, and they'll have a chance to take down the Liu Family in one sweep."
"This..." Evan looked at the bracelet, worried.
"Don't worry, it'll be fine," Faye said, handing him the bracelet.
Seeing Faye so determined, Evan realized he couldn't stop her even if he wanted to. He sighed, "Alright, just cooperate with me later and keep in touch at all times."
"Got it," Faye nodded.
Evan then took Faye out of the winery and headed to the old Liu Family winehouse.
There they saw the same man who had given Evan the pill earlier. Seeing Evan really bring someone, the man was initially nervous and asked, "She really took the drug?"
"I trusted you, and you actually..." Faye glared at Evan.
"Miss, I had no choice. They gave me Ten-Day Scourge Powder," Evan sighed.
Hearing their exchange, the man was convinced Evan had really made Faye take the drug.
The man then smiled at Faye, "Come with me."
"What about me?" Evan asked curiously.
"You stay here. If anything comes up, we'll find you," the man replied.
"What? Aren't you supposed to give me the antidote?" Evan protested angrily.
"That depends on what Elder Liu decides," the man snorted, then led Faye away.
Evan refused to back down and tried to block them.
"Aren't you afraid of the poison acting up?" the man snapped.
"If you won't give me the antidote, what's the difference?" Evan snorted.
Knowing Evan wouldn't let him leave without the antidote, the man reluctantly brought Evan along. "Be careful. Don't fall behind," he warned.
Seeing the agent finally agree, Evan said, "When I see Elder Liu later, I want the antidote."
The man secretly laughed to himself, "You're just rushing to your death. I originally wanted you to stay here and do some work, but if you're so eager to die, that's not my problem."
The three arrived at a corner of the winehouse, opened a room, and found a teleportation array inside. The array had a switch; the man took out a Transmission Stone, got authorization, and only then did the formation activate.
They stepped in, and in the blink of an eye, appeared in a secret tunnel—a maze of passages.
Evan carefully memorized the route. Soon, they stopped at what looked like a wall.
"Alright, you wait here. You, come with me inside," the man said.
"I want the antidote," Evan demanded, making a scene.
"Keep it up and you'll get nothing," the man snapped.
"What did you say?" Evan retorted angrily.
"Go ahead, I'm not afraid of you here. If I shout, experts will swarm from everywhere," the man snorted.
Sure enough, powerful auras appeared all around, hidden in the shadows. Evan suppressed his anger—for now, catching Elder Liu was more important than escaping.
"Fine, I'll wait here. Don't forget my pill," Evan said.
"That's more like it," the man said, then opened the wall and shoved Faye inside. The wall sealed up again.
"Damn, this is getting troublesome," Evan muttered, keeping his Transmission Stone link with Faye open.
Faye followed the man for a while before arriving at a secret chamber where a group awaited her.
At the head stood Elder Liu and several of his subordinates.
"Welcome, Miss," Elder Liu said with a smile. The others also laughed, and Mason Liu in the back gave a strange grin. "Miss, how are you?"
"What do you want?" Faye asked.
"It's simple. The Liu Family is being hunted by Fiend Palace, so for our safety, we have to capture you. Who would've thought the person you trusted would betray you?" Elder Liu sneered.
"That's all your doing," Faye snorted coldly.
"Don't say that. We're about to be family," Elder Liu smiled.
"Family?" Faye frowned.
"Here's the deal. I don't want the Liu Family to be hunted forever. My grandson, Mason Liu, plans to marry you. If you agree, Fiend Palace and the Liu Family will be united. Isn't that great? I can keep working in Fiend Palace, and the Tracking Hall won't be left unattended," Elder Liu said with a smile.
"Dream on!" Faye snapped at Mason Liu.
Her cold rejection didn't anger anyone—instead, everyone burst into laughter. Elder Liu laughed, "You think you have a choice?"
Faye knew she hadn't really taken the poison and could strike at any moment, but capturing Elder Liu was tricky. Even if she succeeded, she couldn't escape—the place was crawling with experts, and the formation was one-way.
Seeing Faye's frustrated look, everyone laughed again. Elder Liu said, "Don't worry. The Liu Family is a big clan. Political marriages aren't new. This time, we'll do it right and let the Palace Lord know."
"You—" Faye growled, but inwardly she stayed calm and thoughtful.
"Just stay here and behave. I'll handle the Palace Lord," Elder Liu laughed, then left. Mason Liu remained behind. "Welcome to our home," he said.
"Shameless," Faye snorted coldly.
"The Liu Family has done so much for Fiend Palace, so why should that guy get your affection?" Mason Liu sneered at Faye.
"Because you're shameless," Faye retorted.
"Enough, I'm not going to argue. Soon, you'll be mine," Mason Liu laughed.
"Keep dreaming!" Faye snapped.
"If you don't want to die, stick with me. If you do, well, you know what happens," Mason Liu said with a sinister smile.
"I'd rather die than be with you," Faye snorted.
"You—!" Mason Liu exclaimed in shock.
"Well?" Faye grabbed Mason Liu by the arm.
"Let go of me!" Mason Liu hadn't expected Faye to be so reckless.
"If you push me, I could kill you right now," Faye threatened coldly.
"Then you'll die too," Mason Liu replied, refusing to back down.
If not for wanting to catch Elder Liu, Faye would have killed Mason Liu on the spot. Instead, she threw him aside. "Where's a quiet place? I need to think."
"That's better," Faye said.
Struggling to his feet, Mason Liu said, "Go out, turn left, there's a room prepared for you."
Faye snorted and left, turning left to find a cave room with a door.
She entered, closed the door, and immediately sent Evan a message about what just happened.
Evan was shocked, but now that he was also inside and unable to get out, he didn't know what to do.
Faye said, "Don't worry. I'll contact the Palace Lord now and tell him everything."
"What if he can't receive it?" Evan asked worriedly.
Faye sighed, "We can only try."
Faye tried to contact the Palace Lord, but there was no response. It seemed this place was cut off from the outside world.
Evan waited anxiously until the wall opened and Elder Liu appeared with the man who brought him.
Elder Liu saw Evan and smiled. "Well done, kid. You did great this time."
"Elder Liu, I did everything you asked. Will you give me the antidote now?" Evan asked with a smile.
"Antidote? Keep dreaming. But I hear you're a skilled alchemist. I need one here, so stay and work for me. You'll have a good life," Elder Liu said with a grin.
Evan was stunned, while the man who brought him thought Elder Liu was going to kill Evan. "What are you spacing out for? Hurry and thank Elder Liu," he said.
"Thank you, Elder Liu," Evan said with a smile.