"What do you mean, 'it's here'? The Daoist hasn't even spoken yet—who gave you the right to butt in?" Sam Su's voice turned sour the moment he heard Evan Lin.
But before he could finish, a deep clang of the clock suddenly rang out, making him jump in fright.
A clock chime?
Hearing the clock ring, Sam Su and the others all looked up at the wall ahead.
There, hanging on the wall, was an old-fashioned pendulum clock. At that moment, both the hour and minute hands were perfectly aligned.
Midnight—twelve o'clock sharp!
Clang!
Another chime echoed through the villa, the sound reverberating endlessly inside the room.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the pendulum clock, the tolling ringing in their ears. In that tense moment, not a single person dared speak.
Sam Su swallowed nervously. "Grizzly, did you install that clock?"
"No... Second Brother, there's nothing in this house..." Grizzly sounded uneasy.
The clock kept ringing: dong, dong, dong.
Each chime seemed to fall heavy on everyone's heart.
Just then, Grizzly's phone rang. He jolted and pulled it out.
"Who the hell is calling at a time like this?!" Sam Su jumped in fright, cursing.
"It's my guy—I left one outside to keep watch!" Grizzly hurried to explain, then answered the call and put it on speaker, asking calmly, "Liuzi, what's going on?"
"B-Boss Grizzly! The triangle... the Triangular House!"
On the other end, the underling sounded panicked.
"Triangular House? What Triangular House?!"
Everyone's heart sank at those words; Sam Su's eyelid twitched.
"The house—it's turned into a triangle! It's the Triangular House! The Triangular House is here!"
The underling shouted in terror, and before Grizzly could ask anything more, all that was left was the sound of a dead line.
At that moment, Stella Huang glanced out the window and gasped, "The moon outside is gone!"
As soon as Stella spoke, everyone turned to look out the window.
Just moments ago, you could see the bright moon from this angle, but now, outside the house, it's pitch black—nothing at all.
"This is freakin' weird! What the hell is going on?" Sam Su forced himself to sound tough, cursing under his breath.
"Didn't you notice? The house now only has three corners." Evan Lin said calmly.
Sam Su whipped his head around and glared at Evan Lin, cursing: "Damn it, Grizzly, where'd you find this little punk? Is he here just to scare us? How could a house not have four corners?!"
"Second Brother... up front, by the clock, there's a corner missing!" Grizzly stammered. The hundred-plus tough guys all stood up, faces wary.
Sam Su snapped his head around. Somehow, the room really only had three corners now!
It was supposed to be a four-sided room, but now it had become a triangle!
And the pendulum clock on the wall kept chiming nonstop.
"Master! Master!" Sam Su, now truly alarmed, turned to look at the Daoist, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor, facing the porcelain bowl with the peachwood sword stuck in it.
"No need to worry, Second Young Master Su. Everything is proceeding as expected."
The Daoist spoke slowly, and Sam Su finally felt a little calmer. "I'll leave it to you then, Master."
Stella Huang, just a girl, had never seen anything like this before. Terrified, she instinctively edged closer to Evan Lin. She looked up and saw the calm, handsome profile of the boy beside her—he seemed utterly relaxed, with not even a trace of panic in his eyes.
"It's alright. Don't worry."
Just those four words from Evan Lin instantly calmed Stella Huang.
"By order of the law! Watch as I seal this yin-yang gate and lock the Nine Suns Facing Heaven momentum!" The Daoist chanted, shaking his head and waving his hands.
The peachwood sword before him trembled slightly, and with a crack, its tip pierced a tiny hole in the bottom of the porcelain bowl. The essence blood that had gathered inside slowly flowed through the gap toward the Taiji diagram.
Red blood poured onto the Taiji diagram, staining it a vivid crimson. The whole floor began to tremble slightly.
The essence blood of over a hundred strong men was powerful and full of masculine energy. Once it had fully merged with the Taiji diagram, the pendulum clock on the wall finally fell silent—the sound vanished completely.
"That's it?" Sam Su's face lit up. "The Master really lives up to his name!"
"I've traveled the world relying on my arts. This is a trivial matter, not worth mentioning." The Daoist stood up, smiling smugly. "Just wait a bit longer—once the essence blood in my formation dries up, the Yin-Yang Mixed Element Array here will be complete!"
"I wouldn't be so sure." As soon as the Daoist finished speaking, a calm voice rang out.
He turned to look at Evan Lin standing behind him, his face suddenly darkening. "You brash little punk, why do you keep opposing me?"
"If you weren't here as Second Young Master Su's guest, just your constant questioning would be a grave insult to Mount Wutai! In the past, you'd have been slapped for that!"
The Daoist barked sharply.
Sam Su quickly spoke up, "Master, please calm down!"
He whipped around and glared coldly at Evan Lin. "If you don't want to stay here, then get out! Dammit, Grizzly! Where did you find this useless tagalong? If you make the Master angry and he gets sick, can you take responsibility?"
"Second Brother, this kid really has skills—I've seen it myself!" Grizzly tried to argue.
Sam Su waved his hand dismissively. "Enough, enough. What skills could he possibly have?"
"Even if he's skilled, could he be stronger than the one who cured my father, Victor Su, so easily and gave him years more life?"
"Even if he's skilled, could he be better than this Daoist, who set up the Nine Suns Facing Heaven formation right in front of us?"
"If he's really that good, then tell me—who is he? Don't tell me he's just some nobody!"
Sam Su grumbled, looking thoroughly impatient.
"He's just a kid—probably tricked you. He was bragging, and you actually believed him? Pig brain, pig brain!"
Grizzly's face turned pale, uneasy and frustrated, but he couldn't say anything.
The Daoist looked arrogant as he stood up, hands behind his back, ready to lecture the boy again as a superior.
Clang!
The clock, which had just gone quiet, rang out again!