Gary Liu's face was deathly pale, drained of all color. At this moment, there was nowhere left to run. Thinking of Evan Lin's words, his heart was filled with both fear and hatred.
"Four."
Evan Lin glanced at Gary Liu.
The others were silent as if facing death; Leo Liu and Ivy Liang couldn't say a single word.
"Three."
Evan Lin's lips curled up slightly as he squinted his eyes.
Countless thoughts flashed through Gary Liu's mind. Clearly, the guards outside wouldn't make it in time to save him. The two choices before him would both cost him all his dignity, but compared to being beaten until he defecated and then forced to eat it in public, crawling through someone's legs seemed much easier to accept.
Didn't Han Xin also endure the humiliation of crawling under someone's crotch back in the day?
"Two."
Evan Lin spoke again.
"Master!" Brian Liu called out, unable to contain his excitement.
At this moment, Brian Liu stepped up, his face brimming with excitement. "That was insane! How did you make those ten guys freeze like statues?"
As soon as Brian Liu asked, several people who'd been about to leave stopped in their tracks, pricked up their ears, and turned to listen.
Even some martial artists in the crowd couldn't figure out why, in just a few seconds, those ten outer-strength peak fighters had turned into stone statues.
"Acupoint sealing," Evan Lin replied.
Evan Lin didn't hold back. When he passed by those men earlier, he simply used his powerful spiritual energy to seal their acupuncture points, locking up their bodies so they couldn't move at all.
When Evan finished speaking, some people finally understood and their faces lit up with sudden realization.
"I thought it was some secret technique, but it's just acupoint sealing! That kind of little trick only works on guys who haven't cultivated inner strength. If you face an inner-strength master, they can break free just by circulating their qi."
A tall man in the crowd gave a cold sneer as he said this.
His words instantly made many people look at Evan Lin with less awe and more calmness.
"Master!"
At this moment, Brian Liu stepped forward, looking excited. "That was incredible! How did you make those ten people unable to move?"
When Brian Liu asked this, several people who had been about to leave stopped in their tracks, pricked up their ears, and listened quietly.
Even some martial artists in the crowd couldn't understand why, in just a few seconds, those ten outer-strength peak experts had turned into statues.
"Acupoint sealing."
Evan Lin didn't bother to hide it. As he passed by those men just now, he simply used powerful spiritual energy to block the acupuncture points inside their bodies, rendering them immobile.
Hearing Evan Lin's explanation, some people finally showed a look of sudden realization.
"I thought it was some special technique, but it was just acupoint sealing! That kind of minor trick only works on people who haven't cultivated inner strength. If you run into an inner-strength master, they can break free just by circulating their qi."
A tall man in the crowd sneered coldly as he spoke.
His words immediately made many people look at Evan Lin with less shock and more calm.
"No wonder you could take away their fighting strength in such a short time. Impressive move—but you’ve completely offended that Miracle Hand Little Doctor Gary Liu. If I were you, I’d get out of here fast. You know, the outer area is full of outer-strength peak experts, but deeper inside, there are inner-strength masters holding the fort!"
After the spectacle, the onlookers quickly lost interest and turned to leave. Most just thought Evan Lin was way too reckless—even if he humiliated Gary Liu with a little trick, so what?
This was still Miracle Hand’s turf!
The crowd quickly dispersed.
Brian Liu’s face was full of worry. "Should we just leave now?"
"They’re right—this is Miracle Hand territory. Even though you made Gary Liu lose face, if he comes for revenge tomorrow..."
Brian Liu trailed off, not finishing his sentence.
"It’s just Miracle Hand. No need to worry," Evan Lin said, shaking his head.
Byron Liu and the others had already walked off into the distance.
Byron Liu heard this, walked over, and looked at Evan Lin warily. "Let me tell you, you brought this on yourself. If Gary Liu comes looking for trouble tomorrow, you’re dealing with it yourself!"
Don't expect to drag the Liu clan into this mess with you!
As Byron Liu spoke, he kept a wary eye on Evan Lin, ready in case Evan suddenly made a move.
That night, Brian Liu found a few farmhouses for them to stay in. All the villagers in Hillview Gully made their living by renting rooms to visitors.
At dawn the next day, many people had already gathered at the entrance to the village.
Dr. Wen Jr., the short guy, walked over with his hands behind his back. As he saw the gathered crowd, he nodded slightly.
Most people in the crowd instinctively kept their distance from Evan Lin, shooting him complicated looks.
Byron Liu had been worried bringing Evan would drag trouble onto himself, but this time, with Brian Liu so dead set, he had no choice but to tag along.
"What's up with you guys? Why does everyone look so weird?"
Dr. Wen Jr. scanned the crowd, eyebrows scrunched.
Yesterday, after dropping them off, he’d just left on his own. Even as a low-ranked one-pill Little Doctor in Miracle Hand, he had his own place to stay—no way he’d crash in some farmhouse.
As for what happened yesterday with Gary Liu crawling under Evan's legs, no one dared breathe a word of it. Besides, these folks hardly ever had contact with Miracle Hand people anyway. That’s why Dr. Wen Jr. was totally in the dark about what went down.
He asked a couple of questions, but when nobody answered, he just figured they were all nervous. So he kept talking: "Once we're inside, that's the Market Ward. You can buy whatever pills or gear you want in there."
"But let me make this clear: if you wander into places you're not supposed to go, you're on your own if things go south!"
With that, Dr. Wen Jr. snorted coldly, spun around, and strode off ahead.
The others quickly fell in line behind him.
But around Evan, there was still a half-meter bubble—nobody dared get close.
As they walked forward, Evan also noticed that not far away, other groups were being led by different guides, each taking their own team along mountain paths deeper into the range. All the leaders were one-pill Little Doctors—no higher-ups in sight.
Clearly, these one-pill Little Doctors were nobodies in Miracle Hand, stuck with the grunt work of escorting guests.
"Wonder if there’s actually anything good in this so-called Market Ward," Evan thought to himself.