Evan Yang knew the other party had seen that he wasn't afraid of the Mind-Veil Pill, which was why he was invited to the Alchemy Sacred Mountain in the Human World.
Evan had always been curious about the Alchemy Sacred Mountain. He never had the chance to go before, but now he did—even under the name of Fiend Palace. Even if something happened, those people would shoulder it, so of course he was happy and laughed, 'Then I'll make sure to memorize it carefully when I get back.'
'Good. Remember to come find me here exactly one year from today,' Elder Shaw said with a smile.
Evan nodded, then left Hundred Remedies Hall. In his heart, he chuckled, 'It's been a long time since I've gone to the Human World. I'll check out the current situation, and see the Alchemy Saint Hand at the Alchemy Sacred Mountain, plus that mysterious master behind him.'
On the other side, Mason Liu had just thrown two men aside. They had been forcibly awakened earlier, so their heads were still a bit fuzzy.
'He managed to slip away again.' Mason Liu snorted coldly.
Captain Ling and Captain Lee exchanged glances, neither daring to speak. They knew they'd definitely said something they shouldn't have, which was why Mason Liu beat them like this.
It wasn't until Mason Liu said, 'Why aren't you supervising that kid for me already?'
'We'll go,' Captain Lee quickly answered, then left with Captain Ling.
Mason Liu watched their backs as they left, then angrily walked away himself, heading to Tracking Hall, where he met Elder Liu.
"Mason, what's wrong?" Elder Liu asked suspiciously, noticing Mason Liu's poor complexion.
"It's nothing." Mason Liu knew saying anything wouldn't help, and besides, for someone so insignificant, there was no need for his grandfather to get involved.
"Really nothing?" Elder Liu asked, unconvinced.
"Grandfather, stop guessing and just treat me already. I feel uncomfortable." Mason Liu sighed.
Elder Liu led Mason Liu to his secret chamber. There, Mason Liu lay down, and Elder Liu performed several techniques on him before finally stopping. "It's done," he said.
Mason Liu got up, frustrated. "Grandfather, how long is this going to last?"
"Ten years—once a month. After that, once a year for a century. Then, once every ten years. Only after a thousand years will you be completely fine," Elder Liu replied.
"Damn it! If it weren't for that guy, I wouldn't have to suffer like this!" Mason Liu grumbled, thinking about the monthly treatments.
"Don't worry. I've mobilized everyone to track him down. As soon as we get word, we'll take him down," Elder Liu assured.
"Grandfather, where do you think that kid is hiding?" Mason Liu asked, frustrated.
"No idea. He even dared to kidnap the second young master. There's nothing he wouldn't do. I bet he's hiding somewhere, afraid to come out," Elder Liu said, confused.
"This kid's got guts. I doubt he'll ever show himself again," Mason Liu said angrily, knowing that if Evan stayed hidden, there was nothing he could do.
"If he dares to show himself, he's dead for sure," Elder Liu snorted coldly.
"Grandfather, that's all. I'll head out now," Mason Liu said, rising to leave.
"Alright, go on. And remember—don't use excessive force. Even if someone tries to kill you, don't fight back. Only use the method I taught you, or you'll really lose your soul," Elder Liu warned.
"Got it," Mason Liu replied helplessly, leaving Tracking Hall.
As he walked out of Tracking Hall, Mason Liu cursed, "Damn it, is that kid a rat or something? How is there still no news?"
Just as Mason Liu was complaining about not finding Evan, Captain Lee sent word that Evan had gone to the winery.
"If I can't deal with that kid, at least I can handle you, Fourth-Rank General," Mason Liu muttered, his mood worsening as his hatred toward Evan deepened.
Evan arrived at the winery and found Faye Gale. The two began chatting idly again.
"Forgive me for asking, but what exactly do you do in Fiend Palace?" Evan asked with a smile.
"I thought you'd never ask," Faye Gale replied with a smile.
"We've worked together for so long, yet I still don't know your name. That's pretty rude of me," Evan said, smiling.
"It's not a big deal. If you really want to know, just call me Feng Wu," she laughed.
"Is that your real name?" Evan asked curiously.
"What do you think?" Feng Wu replied with a smile.
"Dancing in the wind—even if it's not your real name, it's a good one," Evan said, smiling.
"Even if I told you, you wouldn't believe me," Feng Wu shook her head helplessly.
"So, what do you actually do in Fiend Palace? Why is everyone afraid of you?" Evan smiled.
"That's a secret. I'll tell you someday," Feng Wu replied mysteriously.
"Is that really a secret? If I wanted to know, I could just ask the elders," Evan joked.
"Really? Then go ask them," Feng Wu replied confidently with a smile.
"Is your identity in Fiend Palace actually a secret?" Evan asked, amused by her confidence.
"Pretty much," Feng Wu said, a strange smile on her face.
"Then I won't ask. No point in getting turned away," Evan laughed.
"Don't worry, you'll find out someday," Feng Wu said with a smile.
"I'll look forward to that day," Evan replied, smiling.
"Heh," Feng Wu chuckled softly.
"Do you know about the alchemy duels between the Human World and Fiend Realm?" Evan asked, remembering the upcoming event.
"That? Yeah, it happens. Why?" Feng Wu replied, unsure why Evan was asking.
"There's one in a year. Elder Shaw wants me to go with him, so I thought I'd ask and learn more," Evan said, smiling.
"I bet we'll lose again. What good will you do there?" Feng Wu laughed.
"What do you mean?" Evan asked, confused.
"Don't you know Fiend Realm's alchemy is way behind the Human World's? Every time we go loaded with treasures, we come back empty-handed, losing everything," Feng Wu said sarcastically.
"Really?" Evan was surprised.
"Yeah. For example, in the last era, the Human World had a King of Alchemy. He fought all the Fiend Realm's alchemy experts alone, and none could beat him. Now, it's even worse—the King of Alchemy was defeated by someone from Alchemy Sacred Mountain, who made him swear never to refine pills or take disciples again. If even the King of Alchemy lost, what hope do Fiend Realm alchemists have?" Feng Wu laughed.
Evan finally understood—Fiend Realm's alchemy was no match for the Human World's. No wonder Elder Shaw wanted him involved, regardless of his background, even offering half the rewards.
"So the Human World's alchemy scene is really strong," Evan said, smiling.
"Exactly. Compared to us, their spirit herbs grow much better, so their pills are naturally superior. Even when we use the same materials, the results are different. Many of our herbs are imported from the Human World anyway," Feng Wu replied.
Evan knew that Fiend Realm was full of baleful qi, suitable only for certain herbs. Most herbs couldn't thrive here, so it was normal that Fiend Realm's alchemy lagged behind.
"Still, I'm interested. In a year, I'll go with Elder Shaw to take a look," Evan said, smiling.
"Oh? You're going to the Human World?" Feng Wu was shocked.
"Yeah, what's wrong?" Evan asked, seeing her reaction and thinking something big had happened.
"Nothing. It's just that Fiend Palace has two people in the Human World—one was captured, one is still there. So I advise you not to go. It's not safe," Feng Wu said.
Evan, of course, knew who the captured one was—he was inside the tower. But he wouldn't say that, or it would be a big deal. He just smiled, "I see. But I still want to go, and I'm going with Elder Shaw and the others. There shouldn't be any problems."
"Are you sure you want to go?" Feng Wu asked again.
"Yeah," Evan nodded.
"Then what about here?" Feng Wu pointed at the winery.
"Aren't you still here?" Evan smiled.
"Come on, I only take the money. I don't actually manage the place," Feng Wu said awkwardly.
"You don't need to manage much. Just make sure no one causes trouble. That's enough," Evan smiled.
"We'll see then," Feng Wu said, clearly reluctant to stay.
"What's wrong? Not happy?" Evan asked, confused, rubbing his nose.
"Honestly, I'm not. Why should you get to go play while I stay here and watch the winery?" Feng Wu glared.
"I'm not going to play, I'm going to spar," Evan said, helplessly smiling.
"Spar? You? Don't tell me you know alchemy," Feng Wu said, not believing him.
"Uh, not now, but that doesn't mean I won't in the future," Evan chuckled.
"What do you mean?" Feng Wu asked suspiciously.
"Elder Shaw said I'll be specializing in refining a certain pill. That's where I'll come in," Evan smiled.
"What pill?" Feng Wu was even more shocked. It seemed too reckless for someone with no experience to be put on stage in just a year.
"The Mind-Veil Pill—the one I took," Evan said, smiling.
"You're going to refine that? Do you even know how dangerous it is?" Feng Wu was even more shocked.
"Isn't it just a brief blackout during the process?" Evan replied.
"You know that and you're still going?" Feng Wu couldn't tell if Evan was pretending or really didn't understand.
"It's fine. Even if I fail, it's not a big deal," Evan smiled.
"I really don't know what to say to you. If you go, I'm going too," Feng Wu replied.
"What? Why would you go?" Evan was startled by her decision.
"It's boring here. I want to go out and have some fun, alright?" Feng Wu replied.
"I'm not going to play," Evan protested. He didn't want a powerful woman watching him everywhere he went, especially since he had things to do in the Human World.
"You're not, but I am. Deal with it," Feng Wu laughed.
Evan was speechless. No matter how he tried to persuade her, Feng Wu wouldn't agree, even threatening to show up with Elder Shaw's group on the day of departure.
At that moment, Evan really regretted speaking too freely. Why had he told her?
As for Feng Wu, she was already thinking about how to persuade 'that person' to let her join the group.