At this moment, Harold Hong could no longer keep his cool. A flash of murderous intent flickered in his eyes. "You actually believe the words of the dead? What if someone deliberately made them slander me? I may keep a low profile, but I've got plenty of enemies. If someone ordered them to do this, even if I had ten thousand mouths, I couldn't defend myself!"
"So you won't cry until you see the coffin, huh? Those three were placed at your side by the Poison King to protect you. Very few people know who they really are. If I hadn't come here today, I wouldn't have realized Linsha City was hiding such a secretive figure. Tell me, am I right, Poison King's son?" Lillian Zhang said, her smile cold and sharp.
"He's the Poison King's son?" Evan Chu stared at Lillian Zhang, utterly stunned by the revelation.
Lillian Zhang nodded. "That's right. He is the Poison King's son. All these years, he's been hiding in Linsha City. He may not have committed outright atrocities, but those missing women in the city? They're all connected to him."
The more Harold Hong listened, the worse he felt. Cold sweat began to drip down his cheeks. "Enough! If you're going to accuse me, show me the evidence. If you have proof, do what you want. But if you can't, I won't let this go! I trust Lord Evan won't be unreasonable!"
"I'll be watching closely!" Evan Chu said with an awkward smile, just as curious to see what Lillian Zhang would do next.
"You want evidence? That's simple. In your storage ring, you've got Heaven-Severing Toxin and Heart-Gnawing Pills—the Poison King gave them to you! Do you really think a small-time patriarch could get those? Even the dead City Lord couldn't get his hands on such poisons!"
Surprised? Wondering how I know all this? That's not the end of it. I even know your biggest secret: your father, the Poison King, is refining a super poison called Thousand-Li Fragrance. Once it’s done, it’ll spread for a thousand miles—even a Sixth-Layer Venerable would be doomed! Only two people in the world know about this—your father and you. Funny, isn’t it, that I know?" Lillian Zhang smiled.
Hugo Xiong's face kept changing. Evan Chu couldn't hold back: "If the Poison King can do such evil, he can't be allowed to live! Tomorrow, I'll personally cut him down. If we let him finish refining Thousand-Li Fragrance, the whole Netherworld will be a graveyard!"
"You think you can deal with him? You're not qualified! Think you're invincible? Let me tell you—you're already poisoned. Try circulating your Netherforce if you don’t believe me. That’s right, I’m the Poison King’s son, and my real name is Hugo Xiong. If you want to kill me, you’d better worry about saving yourselves first!" Hugo Xiong sneered.
Evan Chu ignored him and shot back, "So you're going to release Heaven-Severing Toxin while we're busy checking for poison, then make a break for it? You think we'd fall for that cheap trick?"
Hugo Xiong stared at Evan Chu in disbelief. How could these two see right through him—especially the secret of Thousand-Li Fragrance, which only he knew? Did they have some kind of mind-reading power that could expose his deepest secrets?
Though Hugo felt uneasy inside, he kept his face calm and even smiled. "You think I'm just bluffing because I'm the Poison King's son? You've got half an incense stick left to live. The poison I released is Thousand-Li Fragrance—my father's creation. It's only a prototype and can't spread for a thousand miles yet, but right now, it can cover several hundred meters."
As soon as Hugo said this, Evan Chu glanced at Lillian Zhang, noticing the confusion on her face too. She couldn't tell if Hugo was telling the truth or just trying to make a run for it. If it was real, they were in danger; if it was a bluff, he was about to escape.
Evan Chu nodded to Lillian Zhang, signaling her to test if Hugo was lying. Evan didn't bother circulating Chaos Dragon Force—his Starforge Body was immune to all poisons, so he had nothing to fear from the Poison King's tricks.
Just then, a cold smile flickered across Hugo Xiong's face—brief, but Evan Chu caught it. In a flash, Hugo produced a red porcelain vial and hurled it at Evan, then darted backward, trying to escape.
Lillian Zhang was about to give chase, but Evan Chu stopped her. "He won't get far. Let me deal with this Heaven-Severing Toxin first. Good thing your mind-reading arts are sharp—if he'd become City Lord, the whole city would be finished."
After speaking, Evan Chu armored his body with Wood element, then used the Star-Siphon Method to gather all the Heaven-Severing Toxin into a porcelain bottle. Once everything was sealed, he said, "Let's go back. Everyone's probably been waiting a while, and they'll be shocked when they hear what happened."
"Can I call you Linfeng?" Lillian Zhang asked suddenly, not bothering to look at Evan Chu, as if it was just a casual question.
"Sure, but most people who call me Linfeng are my women. If you don't mind, then I don't care." Evan Chu grinned.
"I'm way older than you. You really think that's possible?" Lillian Zhang replied, brushing off Evan Chu's words like it was nothing.
"I never said it was possible. I don't go for the auntie type, and I've already got enough women." Evan Chu grinned, then changed the subject: "Looks like picking a City Lord for Linsha City isn't easy. Why don't you take the job? Let someone else fight for the Human King throne."
"Heh, you think I'd agree to that? By the way, why didn't you check if you were poisoned? What if you actually were—are you sure your body can handle Thousand-Li Fragrance?" Lillian Zhang teased.
"Even if it was Ten-Thousand-Li Fragrance, I wouldn't be afraid. Honestly, I've trained a body that's immune to all poisons—nothing can harm me. Besides, Thousand-Li Fragrance is still being refined; how could it show up here? Just think about it." Evan Chu explained.
"If you knew he'd try to run, why didn't you let me chase him? That's like letting a tiger back into the mountains!" Lillian Zhang protested.
"I'm just letting out the line to catch a bigger fish. You'll see soon enough. Tomorrow we're heading to the royal capital—it's where you'll really make your mark, and where you'll fight for the Human King throne. Give it your all; as a woman, making men submit won't be easy." Evan Chu said.
Lillian Zhang frowned. "So you look down on women? Then why do you have so many?"
Evan Chu almost said he sought women to boost his strength, for 'training,' but swallowed the words. "Let's go! We can talk about this later."
Back in the main hall, Evan Chu explained Hugo Xiong's true identity to everyone. The crowd was stunned—especially the man who called Hugo his uncle, who dropped to his knees in terror. But Evan didn't blame him; after all, he hadn't known the truth.
"Tomorrow, Lillian and I will go to the royal capital. Sean Xiao, you, Roxanne Lin, and Faye Knox stay at the City Lord's Mansion. If anyone applies for City Lord, just jot down their names and wait for me to return." Evan Chu instructed.
"You're really leaving me out of all the fun? That's just not fair!" Sean Xiao complained, clearly dissatisfied.
"If you leave, who's going to keep Linsha City safe? We're not out sightseeing. There's plenty of wine and meat here—what more could you want?" Evan Chu retorted, leaving Sean speechless.
"Linfeng, I want to go with you. There are lots of strong people in the capital, but I've just broken through to the Venerable Martial Realm. It's time I tempered myself. You won't say no, right?" Faye Knox said, her eyes full of determination.
"Faye, don't make things harder for me. This trip is dangerous—our enemies aren't ordinary people. The Poison King and other top experts are involved. Sometimes I can't protect you, and if someone uses you as leverage, it'll be a disaster. You get what I mean, right?" Evan Chu said, sighing. He felt guilty toward Faye and Roxanne, since he hadn't given them official status yet.
"Faye, Evan's right. Don't make it hard for him. Let's just wait quietly for him to come back." Roxanne Lin said gently. Though she wanted to go too, she held back, knowing she wasn't as strong as Faye.
Meanwhile, Hugo Xiong fled like a dog with its tail between its legs, rushing home. He quickly warned his wife and children, then left again, terrified that Evan Chu and Lillian Zhang would come after him.
His wife was utterly confused. How had trying to become City Lord turned into a desperate escape? Had he offended that legendary young powerhouse everyone was talking about?
She'd even prepared a table full of wine and food, only to be told to leave Linsha City herself. If she'd known, she never would've let him go. Disaster after disaster!
Once outside Linsha City, Hugo Xiong fled straight for the royal capital. Only the capital could protect him now. He had to tell his father everything he'd learned, so they'd be ready when Evan Chu came for them.
That night, Evan Chu didn't visit any of his three women's rooms. He needed to rest and prepare for tomorrow's royal capital war. Making Lillian Zhang Human King wouldn't be simple—he might have to kill, maybe even destroy part of the city if that's what it took...