After reaching the main road, Evan Yang looked around, realizing he was near White Slope City. He couldn't help but recall the events in the Foundation-Building trial space that day. "Whew, I wonder how Miss Chu is doing now."
With a sense of guilt, Evan Yang helplessly stepped into White Slope City to see what was going on. Unexpectedly, as soon as he reached the city outskirts, a group of unknown cultivators stopped him and called out, "Hey, little beggar, come here!"
"Are you talking to me?" Evan Yang asked, surprised and suspicious.
"Of course. Who else would I be talking to, a ghost?" one of the cultivators snapped impatiently.
Evan Yang walked over helplessly. After sizing up Evan's ragged appearance, the cultivator said, "This beggar really looks like him."
"Looks like who?" Evan sensed something was off.
"That's none of your business. Just come with me." The cultivator beckoned Evan to follow, then headed into the city. Curious, Evan followed him inside, only to find a crowd of cultivators trailing behind, all staring at him.
"What's going on here?" Evan wondered, noticing the greedy looks in their eyes.
Curious and wary, Evan was escorted by the crowd to the City Lord's Manor.
As soon as he entered the City Lord's Manor, a fat man burst out angrily, shouting, "Who is it?"
"City Lord, I've brought you the person you wanted." The cultivator who had escorted Evan spoke respectfully to the fat man who had just flown out.
"Is it really this little beggar?" The fat man glanced over and saw Evan Yang standing behind the cultivator, looking surprised.
"That's right."
"Alright, you can go now." The fat man dismissed the cultivator, leaving Evan Yang staring curiously at him.
"Kid, do you know that for the past half year, I've barely been able to sleep because of you?" the fat man complained resentfully.
"Uh, City Lord, I don't know why a little beggar like me would weigh on your mind." Evan Yang realized the fat man was the City Lord of White Slope City—almost all city guards and cultivators trained at the City Lord's Manor followed his orders.
"Kid, you've got some nerve—hiding for half a year! If the Chu and Bai families hadn't finally stopped pestering me, I'd have given you a real lesson by now." The fat man grinned, clearly amused.
His smile eased Evan's tension a bit, so Evan asked curiously, "What did the Chu and Bai families want?"
"Still pretending, huh? Half a year ago, those people entered the Foundation-Building trial. The Chu family's girl lost her memory, the Bai family's heir vanished, and the last person seen was you, carrying the Chu girl out. They all wanted to question you, but you disappeared for half a year and their patience wore thin." The fat man chuckled, seeming to appreciate Evan's behavior.
"City Lord, I just happened to follow Miss Chu, and when I saw her unconscious, I carried her out. As for the Bai family, I never even met their heir." Evan protested, feeling wronged.
"Looking at you, I know you're innocent!" Brandon Tu teased, his tone playful.
"City Lord, what do you plan to do with me now?" Evan Yang was eager to know Brandon Tu's intentions. If he wanted to arrest Evan, he'd escape immediately; but if it was just to talk, there was no need to run—revealing his identity as a cultivator would only cause trouble.
"Relax. If it were a few months ago, I'd have handed you over to them. But now, you're not involved—just a beggar, after all. Still, I need to put on a show, so just cooperate with me later." Brandon Tu scratched his big head and laughed.
"Thank you, City Lord. What do you need me to do?" Evan Yang quickly responded, eager to cooperate.
Seeing Evan's response, Brandon Tu grunted—meaning Evan was safe for now. He then began to explain his thoughts: his name was Brandon Tu, a hot‑blooded cultivator who had long despised the powerful clans but lacked the strength to oppose them. This time, he didn't want to work for them, but still had to put on a show. So, a fake death was staged: the next day, word spread that the little beggar had tried to escape and was killed by City Lord's Manor cultivators.
Meanwhile, Evan Yang hid in a lounge inside the City Lord's Manor, eating fruit with Brandon Tu. After a day, Evan finally realized that cultivators like Brandon Tu could be passionate and upright—not all were greedy or domineering.
"Thank you, City Lord Tu, for helping me out." Evan Yang was grateful that a cultivator of city lord status would lend a hand to an ordinary beggar.
"Don't mention it. I've had enough of those people—just playing a little trick on them." Brandon Tu laughed.
Just as Evan was about to speak, another cultivator arrived outside, prompting Evan to want to hide. But Brandon Tu signaled, "Don't worry, he's my loyal subordinate. It's fine."
"City Lord, the Grand Alchemy Contest is about to begin again this year." The cultivator stopped near Brandon Tu and spoke respectfully.