Yuna Young spoke, but Evan Lin had no intention of responding.
Hearing Evan stay silent, Yuna gradually quieted down as well.
They sat there, waiting for about half an hour.
Time ticked by, minute by minute.
Gavin Ma laughed wildly, then turned his gaze to Yuna and stepped forward, staring at her without restraint: "Yuna, what, you found some random kid to play shield for you?"
Not far away, a white Porsche stopped in the plaza.
"Is Master Daniel Ward's name something a kid like you is worthy to utter?"
Gavin Ma's expression changed sharply, his gaze toward Evan grew even colder: "You must be following Yuna Young, right?"
"What's your name, and what status do you have in the Young Family?"
"Do you know your Young Family has pretty much become our Ma Family's dogs? If you keep running your mouth here, disrespecting your elders, I'll cut your tongue out!"
Gavin Ma laughed wildly, then turned his gaze to Yuna and stepped forward, staring at her without restraint: "Yuna, what, you found some random kid to play shield for you?"
The man stood there, grinning with his head lowered, his gaze at Yuna full of appraisal and disdain, his words dripping with mockery.
"What's wrong, seeing me and not saying anything?"
Your Young Family's little pill-refining tricks are nothing in Master Darren Ward's eyes!
Master Darren Ward.
The man sneered, clearly remembering how he was snubbed when he previously sought Yuna out.
"Gavin Ma, there's nothing for us to talk about."
Yuna replied in a deep voice.
"Nothing to talk about?"
Just as Gavin Ma was about to speak, the rear door of the Porsche behind him opened, and a middle-aged man in a gray long shirt stepped out.
The newcomer looked proud, nose turned up, but when he saw Yuna, his gaze lingered on her for a moment.
"The Young Family?"
He walked over, and as he reached Gavin Ma, Gavin immediately stepped aside, putting on a fawning smile and saying to the middle-aged man, "That's right, the Young Family from Rivercrest."
"I was once recommended to the Young Family to study pill-refining, but they shut me out. Not only that, they relied on their connections with certain people and looked down on my Ma Family."
After Gavin finished speaking, the middle-aged man nodded slightly, but his voice was icy cold: "The Young Family of Rivercrest is just a small clan tucked away in a corner."
"Calling themselves a pill-refining clan is just a monkey playing king when there are no tigers in the mountains."
"Your Young Family's pill-refining skills are nothing but entry-level tricks in my eyes."
Hearing this, Yuna, who had planned to stay silent, immediately frowned and replied coldly, "Our Young Family has a century of pill-refining history. What qualifications do you have to belittle us like this?"
Yuna had barely finished speaking when, before the man could answer, Gavin Ma impatiently cut in.
"Forgot to introduce you, Yuna."
"This is my new master, a disciple of the Pill King invited by our Ancient‑Martial Ma Family—Master Darren Ward!"
"You should know who the Pill King is, right?"
"He travels among Ancient Martial Clans, specializing in supplying pills to all the major families!"
"Your Young Family's little pill-refining tricks are nothing in Master Darren Ward's eyes!"
Darren Ward.
Upon hearing that name, Evan Lin, who had kept his eyes closed, opened them slightly and looked over.
"What is Daniel Ward to you?"
The young man's calm voice rang out.
"He's my senior brother."
Standing there, Darren Ward turned his head at the question, finally looking at Evan and sizing him up: "What, you know him?"
"We've met once."
Evan nodded in reply.
His calm demeanor made Darren Ward frown slightly.
Whether it was Daniel Ward or Darren Ward, disciples of the Pill King almost never had their names spoken so directly by others.
Everyone treated them with utmost respect; it was rare for anyone to mention their names so casually, like the young man before them.
It even felt a bit like a provocation.
"Is Master Daniel Ward's name something a kid like you is worthy to utter?"
Gavin Ma's expression changed sharply, his gaze toward Evan grew even colder: "You must be following Yuna Young, right?"
"What's your name, and what status do you have in the Young Family?"
"Do you know your Young Family has pretty much become our Ma Family's dogs? If you keep running your mouth here, disrespecting your elders, I'll cut your tongue out!"
A fierce glint flashed in Gavin Ma's eyes as he looked at Evan, as if he wanted to devour him then and there.
"Your surname is Ma?"
Evan shifted his gaze toward Gavin Ma.
"Obviously. I'm from the Ancient‑Martial Ma Family—anyone from our clan naturally bears the Ma surname!"
Gavin straightened up, his face full of pride as he spoke about his surname.
His Ancient Martial Clan status gave him all the confidence he needed.
"What a pity."
Evan shook his head.
"Pity?"
Gavin was stunned: "Pity what?"
"Too bad you won't see tomorrow's sun."
Evan spoke indifferently, but he didn't rush to make a move.
Gavin was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing: "You're telling me I won't see tomorrow's sun just because my surname is Ma and I'm from the Ancient‑Martial Ma Family?"
"What a joke, that's the biggest joke I've ever heard!"
Gavin laughed wildly, then turned his gaze to Yuna and stepped forward, staring at her without restraint: "Yuna, what, you found some random kid to play shield for you?"
"Your mother married into the Young Family for wealth and glory—she's no different from a woman who sold herself."
"Now you're being pushed out as a bargaining chip to trade for our Ma Family's support. Once you walk through our doors, I'll make sure you know what it's like to be 'a woman shared by all.'"
"Yuna, might as well tell you—back when you first came to our Ma Family, your pretty little self was already secretly sold to us by your patriarch."
"If not for that, your patriarch had planned to break the deal and sell you to someone else for a better price."
"But there was no choice—Master Lin from Seacrest showed up and messed things up, so your patriarch had to honor the deal."
"Yuna, your future was decided long ago—you were born lowly, just like your mother who went to the Young Family for money!"
Gavin's voice was loud, his words stabbing into Yuna's heart like needles.
"So, the Young patriarch compromised, and you found some kid who looks like a fool to stand up for you?"
"Does this kid even have the Young surname?"
Gavin sneered.
Yuna clenched her teeth, silent, fists tight and face full of anger.
"Sorry."
"My surname isn't Yun."
"My surname is Lin."