Evan's gaze locked onto Tim Xu, making Tim shiver—was he hoping they weren't total trash?
Come on, they're the Rowe clan's official alchemists—ancient martial family, big deal! Even Junior Sister Wang just stood there, already numb to Renee Chen's drama.
Do you even know what an alchemist is? You're hoping they're not trash, but you wouldn't even recognize one if you saw them.
Hearing Evan talk, Lily Liang couldn't help but roast him in her mind. Meanwhile, Renee Chen's gaze shifted and landed on Evan, eyes lighting up.
She believed Evan was strong—ridiculously strong—but honestly, looking at him, it was impossible to picture him as someone who knew alchemy. Renee's face lit up with delight and he hurried over, twirling his fingers in a dramatic orchid pose.
At least those two guys they just met—Tim Xu and Ray Zhao—had that aloof, 'too cool for school' aura you expect from alchemists. Renee gushed, "Man, I just love this type—young and fresh, especially that vibe between a grown man and a naive kid. Seriously charming!"
Sure, that vibe was kind of off-putting, but you had to admit, at first glance, those guys really fit the alchemist image. Renee Chen bounced forward like he was about to claim his prize.
But then, look at Evan. Lily Liang felt a wave of disgust and instinctively shuffled away, worried Renee would try to touch her.
Lily Liang shot Evan a glance. Chloe Cheng sneered, face full of mockery, "Oh, so this is the gift Junior Sister Sun prepared for Junior Brother Chen? Not bad at all."
Evan had sharp brows and clear eyes, but his face was usually blank. If you wanted to be generous, you'd call him 'detached from the world, never moved by material things.' If not, you'd say he looked totally poker-faced. Chloe snickered, "To be chosen by Junior Brother Chen, to become his guest under the covers, that's a real blessing."
Besides, Lily really couldn't connect Evan with the whole 'alchemist' thing no matter how hard she tried.
Hearing Evan talk, she just figured he was putting on a show.
Lily couldn't help feeling a little discouraged.
Evan, on the other hand, wasn't worried at all—he still looked totally chill.
Whether a clan is strong or not, aside from its top fighters, the most important thing is its pills.
Like, if they had a super alchemist sitting here who could make pills even higher-grade than my Nourishing Spirit Pill, this clan would be unstoppable.
Because if the clan wasn’t powerful, they’d never attract such a strong alchemist in the first place.
Alchemists and clans are basically two sides of the same coin.
Evan actually hoped to see some high-grade pills or top-tier alchemists show up. That would at least prove there really are some heavy hitters on Earth.
Maybe there are even real immortals out there?
They hadn’t walked much farther.
The four people ahead stopped.
It was a plaza, and off in the distance stood a tall building that looked just like a giant furnace.
The plaza’s floor was paved with gray-brown marble, and right in the center sat a huge incense burner, smoke curling up from it in thin wisps.
Lucy Sun and the others up ahead had already stopped.
Beside them stood another pair—a guy and a girl.
Except, even though it was a guy and a girl, the guy looked even more feminine than the girl—honestly, you could've called them two girls.
They walked over.
"Senior sisters, senior brothers, did you find any good pills?"
The guy spoke, smiling as he did, and his smile was downright seductive.
Watching this scene, Tim Xu and Ray Zhao both felt a bit disgusted deep down. Even after all this time, they still couldn't handle this junior brother.
Aside from the fact he likes guys, he's also a hardcore cross-dresser.
The real kicker is, don't let his harmless look fool you—he's actually a total beast.
With his pill-refining skills, he's made a ton of Bewitching Pills. Plenty of young talents in the Rowe clan have fallen victim to him.
No, more like fallen victim to his, uh, 'chicken poison.'
Any guy he takes a fancy to gets knocked out with a pill, then dragged off for a night under the covers.
"Found it. I assume you two—Junior Brother Chen, Junior Sister Wang—are ready as well?"
Tim Xu replied.
"Found it. But the pill we found is seriously miraculous. If you're interested, Senior Brother, come to my room tonight and we'll really dig in deep."
The cross-dressing Renee Chen—his real name—covered his mouth and laughed.
His gaze fixed on Tim Xu, making the latter shiver with fear.
As for Junior Sister Wang, she couldn't be bothered to speak—she just stood there, already used to Renee Chen's antics.
"Oh, who's this handsome little guy? Haven't seen him before!"
Renee Chen shifted his gaze and spotted Evan Lin standing there.
His eyes lit up with delight as he hurried over, fingers pinched in a delicate orchid pose.
"I just love this type—young, boyish guys, especially those with that vibe right between mature man and innocent youth. Wow, that's seriously irresistible!"
Renee Chen bounced forward.
Lily Liang felt sick to her stomach and instinctively shuffled away, afraid Renee might touch her.
"Oh, so Lucy Sun brought Renee Chen a present? Nice gift!" Chloe Cheng sneered, her face full of mockery.
"To be chosen by Renee Chen and become his bed partner—that's a blessing for him."
Lucy Sun kept a cold face, secretly full of contempt for Evan Lin.
"Exactly. Renee Chen's status is way above his, so what's he compared to that?"
Ray Zhao nodded with a smile: "If Renee Chen takes a liking to him, he'll definitely make it big."
"As long as he serves Renee well and doesn't get dumped, Renee will give him a pill every month. He can sell it for cash and live the high life."
Ray Zhao burst out laughing.
Tim Xu chimed in, glancing at the group: "Enjoying the high life is fine, but spicy food? Forget it. If things get spicy where they shouldn't, it'll ruin Renee's mood."
The group chatted openly, not caring who overheard.
They all looked Evan Lin's way, eyes full of disdain, as if he were some worthless weed.
Lucy Sun couldn't help feeling a bit regretful. She'd brought Evan and Lily in just to torment them, but if Renee Chen really took a fancy to Evan, she wouldn't dare touch him until Renee lost interest.
"You're good-looking. How about we find a quiet spot and have a deep talk about life?"
Renee Chen stood in front of Evan, grinning from ear to ear.
His left hand held an orchid pose, while his right hand, inside his sleeve, quietly crushed a pale-white pill.
Then, with a flick of his wrist, he pointed lightly at Evan.
The crushed pill powder floated through the air toward Evan.
It was a Slumber Pill, something Renee had picked up on this trip.
Unlike pills that boost martial strength, the Slumber Pill is special—it works just by inhaling the powder, making you drowsy without needing to swallow it.
That's just how Renee Chen rolls—if he wants a guy, he'll use a pill to knock him out, and it has to be a mind-altering knockout.
Seeing the white pill powder reach Evan, Renee's smile grew even wider, feeling a sense of accomplishment.
Out of everyone present, only Junior Sister Wang knew what he was up to, but she couldn't be bothered to say anything.
"Let's go, let's go, I can't wait anymore!"
Just as Renee finished speaking, the pill powder entered Evan's body, and Renee reached out to grab his arm.
But then—
In a flash, lightning-fast—
Evan whipped out his leg.
The kick was so fast, it was like a bolt of electricity.
"Ah!"
Lucy Sun and the others, who'd expected a joke at Evan's expense, all froze.
They heard a scream, then saw Renee Chen get kicked to the ground, clutching his crotch and howling.
"Renee Chen!"
Everyone was shocked. No one expected Evan to dare attack Renee Chen inside the Rowe estate!
Junior Sister Wang looked on in shock. She'd seen the pill powder enter Evan, so by rights, he should've been totally out of strength.
"What did you do to him?!"
Lucy Sun snapped angrily.
"Killed one bird, smashed two eggs."
"Chicken flies, eggs break."
"That's all."