They stepped out of the hotel entrance.
"Should we have them send a car?"
Damien You asked.
The front entrance was jammed with reporters, most of them tipped off and waiting here on purpose, hoping to snap photos of Master Lin from Seacrest.
"Or I could go out and clear all those reporters outside?"
Damien You looked at Evan Lin.
He wasn't sure if this Master Lin from Seacrest wanted to become famous right now.
To Damien You, Master Lin from Seacrest didn't seem like the kind of person who liked showing off.
"Go over there and draw them away."
Evan Lin didn't waste words—he pointed at Ian You, who was decked out in all green and wearing a bright green hat.
Ian You froze for a second, then nodded without a word and swaggered right out the door.
He carried himself with an air of confidence, looking like he owned the place.
"Master Lin from Seacrest is here!"
"Ah, is that Master Lin from Seacrest?"
"Master Lin from Seacrest! Do you have any comments on what happened yesterday?"
A bunch of reporters, impressed by Ian You's aura, immediately started firing questions at him.
Ian kept a calm face, eyes straight ahead, and after leaving the entrance, just walked off on his own.
He didn't say a word.
He neither confirmed nor denied anything.
But his vibe was definitely something special.
After all, Ian had spent years learning under Damien You, one of Hong Kong's old-school grandmasters.
When facing Evan Lin, he could be humble—even groveling.
But in front of ordinary people, Ian's pride was on full display.
And for most people, this just fit the image of Master Lin from Seacrest perfectly.
Young, insanely strong.
Teenagers are naturally proud—outstanding and unique.
Instantly, the crowd swarmed after him.
But around Ian, it was like an invisible wall formed, pushing everyone aside.
This trick made the reporters even more excited.
"Master Lin from Seacrest, I'm your biggest fan, I love you! Can I have your baby?"
A two-hundred-plus-pound fangirl lunged at Ian You, absolutely thrilled.
Ian was scared out of his wits.
The crowd was buzzing with excitement.
Evan Lin led Queenie Tong and the others around the side, slipping away.
Evan didn't really dislike these reporters.
Everyone's just out here working, trying to make a living. As long as they're drawn away, there's no need to get physical.
Though honestly, they were pretty annoying.
Seeing the reporters, Evan was reminded of Stella Huang back in Jinnan.
Back then, Stella was working as an intern reporter at a TV station.
She rented an apartment with Irene Xu.
After Evan went to college, he barely kept in touch with them.
Compared to him, they lived ordinary lives, and Evan didn't want his cultivation mess to mess up their routines.
Everyone has their own life.
Leaving the hotel.
Out on the street.
Evan was about to hail a cab, but Queenie Tong stopped him.
According to Queenie, since they finally got to go shopping, walking and window-shopping was way more fun.
Yvette Locke nodded so hard her head looked like it was about to fall off—she was clearly excited too.
This time, since superstar Serena Tong wasn't around, they didn't get mobbed for autographs.
But Queenie and Yvette, both gorgeous and stylish, still drew a lot of attention from passersby.
Some people even came over, hoping to get their contact info.
After Queenie and Yvette politely turned them down, most folks just left.
A few, as they walked away, glanced at Evan Lin with eyes full of envy.
City streets and alleys.
Hong Kong isn't all that different from cities on the mainland.
But right now, everywhere Evan went, he kept hearing people talk about Master Lin from Seacrest.
Some worshipped him, some doubted.
They were walking toward Coldspire Peak.
Evan wasn't in any rush.
What weighed most on his mind was the Woman Statue atop the Great Bronze Sarcophagus.
Besides that, he was also curious whether the crimson iron chain that once dragged the sarcophagus was still there after Coldspire Peak shattered.
His instincts said there was something unexpected at the end of that chain.
But he didn't get his hopes up too much.
If he found something, great; if not, whatever.
Just coming to Hong Kong and getting Lily Zhao's remnant soul was already a huge stroke of luck.
Evan sent his consciousness into the Soul-Sacrifice Beauty Scroll—Lily Zhao was still asleep.
No telling how long she'd stay that way.
Thinking about it, Lily Zhao's remnant soul probably spent most of those centuries behind the little jade door in the sarcophagus just sleeping.
Otherwise, there really wasn't much else to do.
No spiritual qi, couldn't cultivate, couldn't leave—if she did, Heavenly Tribulation would come for her.
Queenie Tong bought a ton of stuff.
She was loaded down with bags, both hands full.
She even dragged Evan Lin into picking out clothes, and helped Yvette Locke put together some outfits too.
It was obvious the girls were having a blast shopping.
Damien You was dressed all in white. Even though Evan had totally outclassed him, as a Hong Kong grandmaster, he still had major presence and looked impressive.
You could tell he had that grandmaster vibe.
People passing by, even if they didn't know who he was, could tell he was somebody.
"Is that guy some big boss?"
"Or maybe a grandmaster? He looks like a pretty cool uncle."
A couple of women passing by whispered about Damien You.
Damien heard them, and even though he didn't show it, he was secretly pretty pleased.
After all, he still wore the Hong Kong grandmaster title.
"Why are you just standing there?"
Evan looked at Damien, who was just standing around: "Standing there like you're all important? Didn't you see the girls loaded down with bags?"
"Go help carry the bags."
With just one line from Evan, Damien opened his mouth, then nodded and hurried over to help.
He ended up carrying bags in his hands and hanging shopping totes around his neck, all while smiling warmly.
All his grandmaster aura was gone.
"I thought he was somebody, turns out he's just a bag carrier."
"Since when did bag carriers get so good at pretending? Look at him, being all attentive—he's probably just the errand guy."
The girls who were just praising Damien You immediately changed their tune, looking super annoyed.
Damien's face twitched, but he couldn't argue back.
These days, lots of girls like older guys, but only the ones who have cars, houses, and real skills—not some middle-aged bag carrier with nothing to his name.
That's just how society works.
Damien wanted to argue, but there was nothing he could do, so he just sulked for a long time.
Evan sat there, ordered a milk tea, and watched people come and go. Even though his power was weaker now, he could really feel the rhythm of normal life.
Birth, aging, sickness, death, eating, drinking, bathroom breaks—that's what life is really about.
Unlike those cultivators in the Xianwu Continent, some don't eat or poop for centuries—how is that even human?
This world just feels so much more real.
Even the prettiest girl still has to eat and use the bathroom after.
Evan realized his thoughts were getting weird, so he shook his head and chuckled to himself.
Maybe seeing Lily Zhao really changed him a bit.
"This is what life is all about."
Evan sighed softly, then noticed a few people with strong auras rushing down the street.
They moved fast, faces serious, and looked like they had some real skills.