"Damon Wang seems to have gone quiet for a long time now."
Evan Lin tidied up his backpack, spoke calmly, glanced at the direction, and started walking that way.
"Uh, I’m not too sure either. Guys like him are hard to figure out. I think after we grabbed the medicine, he left with that chef, but no one knows where they went."
When Damon Wang was mentioned, Warren Wu couldn’t help looking sullen.
Back then, Warren Wu was swaggering around behind Damon Wang for quite a while. But after Damon left River City, Warren started worrying about Medicine King Valley’s revenge, so he could only live each day cautiously.
Evan didn’t say anything more, and Warren Wu didn’t dare speak up either. Seeing Evan was set on leaving, Warren could only force a bitter smile and hurried to catch up.
Walking through the mountains, Evan’s steps were like the wind. Hands clasped behind his back, every light tap of his foot sent him several meters ahead.
Warren Wu could only watch in envy and admiration.
Warren, though he looked like an old man, was still pretty sturdy. Since Evan deliberately slowed down, Warren managed to keep pace.
After trekking most of the day, they finally reached Little Gully Town.
Although it was called a town, it was really just a slightly bigger village, with a single rutted road leading out and barely a hundred households in total.
"It’s getting late. How about we find a place to stay for the night?"
Warren Wu was visibly tired after the hike. He glanced at the dusk sky and made the suggestion.
"Mm."
Evan didn’t object. Led by Warren, they arrived at a place in town called the Happy Guest Hotel.
Despite being in Little Gully Town, the Happy Guest Hotel was surprisingly well decorated. The prices were sky-high too—over five hundred a night even for a standard room. The real reason was simple: anyone heading to Medicine King Valley was either rich or powerful.
Evan didn’t care about money at all. Warren Wu hurried ahead to pay, swiping his card for two top-floor luxury suites before Evan could react.
Warren winced at the cost, but kept a poker face as if it didn’t bother him.
After a quick rest in their rooms, at six thirty Warren found Evan and they went downstairs to eat in the Happy Guest Hotel’s dining hall.
The dining hall was small, with barely a dozen little tables in sight.
Just after Warren Wu finished ordering food, a group of people arrived at the entrance of the Happy Guest Hotel.
Two men and two women.
Both girls looked young, fresh-faced, and beautiful.
One of the girls had her hair in a ponytail, looked about twenty, and wore a loose, pure white cotton long-sleeve shirt. Even so, her impressive figure was impossible to hide.
Her straight jeans highlighted curves so perfect that even a casual glance was breathtaking.
At the moment, she was holding the arm of the other girl, who was pretty too but had a cold, proud look—though her brows showed she was deeply worried.
"Lucy, I really can’t thank you enough. If it weren’t for you, I’d have no idea what to do." The cold-looking girl turned to Lucy Lu and spoke up.
This Lucy Lu was the same intern doctor Evan had first met at Imperial Grand KTV, and again later at the hospital.
Lucy Lu smiled and shook her head. "Queenie, there’s no need to thank me. Your sister is my sister too. If we can reach Medicine King Valley, I just hope their people can treat her."
Queenie nodded lightly at Lucy’s words, though her eyes were still full of worry.
The guy standing next to them nodded and said, "Don’t worry. I’ve been to Medicine King Valley before—their doctors are top-notch. Plus, your sister’s a superstar. The Valley folks will definitely be happy to treat her."
"After all, it’s a great publicity opportunity."
His name was Harvey Liao, about twenty, a classmate of Lucy Lu. He was surprised Lucy knew a beauty like Queenie Tong.
The first time Harvey saw Queenie, he was stunned by her looks. She seemed familiar, and after asking, he learned Queenie’s older sister was none other than the famous star Serena Tong.
Since her debut, Serena Tong had always appeared as the pure, innocent goddess on screen—becoming the dream girl for countless men. She was unique in the entertainment world, never having any scandals.
Harvey had once gone to Medicine King Valley for pills himself, and he was from a prestigious River City family.
"And with my Uncle Terence with us this time, we’re definitely getting in."
Harvey sounded confident. The other man beside him, looking about forty, was steady-faced and named Terence Liao. He nodded, a bit arrogantly: "That’s right. I served as a Guardian at Medicine King Valley for over ten years. I’m sure the gatekeepers will give me respect."
"A Guardian of Medicine King Valley!"
As soon as Terence finished, before Lucy or Queenie could speak, two men at a nearby table couldn’t help blurting out in surprise.
The two men wore jackets, looked about thirty, and were clearly travel-worn—obviously having rushed to get here.
"I’ve heard that even the lowest-ranked Guardian at Medicine King Valley needs to be late-stage Inner Strength! That’s real top-tier!"
"Wow, I always heard that any Guardian from Medicine King Valley could dominate a whole region. Never thought I’d meet one in person!"
People at other tables turned to look as well.
No one even spared a glance for Lucy Lu or Queenie Tong; everyone’s eyes were glued to Terence Liao.
Terence basked in their admiration.
Queenie looked surprised; she hadn’t expected Terence’s Guardian status to draw so much respect.
After all, Queenie knew little about the martial world. She’d mostly lived around Oceanport, and only came to Seacrest to find Medicine King Valley by chance.
"Really, thank you so much, Mr. Liao. If we can get my sister treated at Medicine King Valley, my family will make sure to reward you handsomely."
Her gaze toward Terence Liao softened noticeably.
Terence Liao squinted at her but said nothing. He’d come along partly for Harvey Liao’s sake—Harvey clearly had his eye on one of the girls—but more importantly, Terence knew Medicine King Valley had been searching for Human Cauldrons lately.
If he could provide a top-quality Human Cauldron, Terence figured he might make a hefty profit.
"Don’t worry, ladies. With me here, no one will dare lay a finger on you." Terence nodded coolly.
They started heading into the dining hall. But after a few steps, Terence’s eyes narrowed, and he let out a cold snort. His gaze landed on Warren Wu, who was nervously keeping his head down. "Well, well, look who it is—the wastrel dog Medicine King Valley kicked out!" he sneered.
Terence glared at Warren Wu and spoke coldly. Hearing this, Harvey Liao, Lucy Lu, and Queenie Tong all looked over.
Warren faced them directly, while Evan Lin had his back turned. At that moment, Evan calmly picked up a piece of vegetable with his chopsticks and brought it to his mouth.