As for Tara Chu, she naturally sided with Evan Yang and Jax Jia, so her face quickly darkened and she said, "Chu Chief Steward, they're my friends. They would never steal anything."
Then, under the gaze of the crowd, she led Evan Yang and Jax Jia away. Only after they were a fair distance from the Chu estate did she stop and say, "You two should leave quickly!"
"Sister Lan, I heard you were seriously ill, is that true?" Jax Jia boldly asked Tara Chu as soon as they left the Chu estate. Evan Yang, standing nearby, wondered, "Since when did this guy get so close to Tara Chu, even calling her Sister Lan?"
"I was indeed sick, but thankfully Brother Yang saved me," Tara Chu said, smiling at Evan Yang as she spoke.
Jax Jia, still puzzled, blurted out, "Evan, I never thought you had such skills! Even the Chu Family couldn't cure her, but you managed it. Come on, tell us how you did it!"
"How did I do it? You think I can just tell you?" Evan Yang cursed inwardly, but outwardly he just grinned and said, "It was pure luck, really."
"Alright, enough joking around. Hurry up and leave. If my uncle finds out you went near the library, he'll definitely cause trouble for you," Tara Chu urged, anxious to get Evan Yang and Jax Jia away before her father returned and things turned dangerous for them.
"I was hoping to chat with you a bit more," Jax Jia said, half acting spoiled. Evan Yang shot him a glare and said, "Let's go!"
Jax Jia, startled by Evan Yang's glare, realized his own behavior had been a bit odd. He quickly dropped the act and smiled, "We'll take our leave, then."
"Hope to see you at the Hundred-Year Pact," Tara Chu said as she bid farewell to Evan Yang and Jax Jia.
Evan Yang, confused after Tara Chu left, asked, "Hey, why did Miss Chu say 'see you in a hundred years'?"
"You don't get it, do you? Don't forget, the Hundred-Year Pact is almost here. The higher-ups have poured a lot of effort into winning this time—they're recruiting pill-refining, formation, and smithing experts, as well as cultivation geniuses. Every family wants to use this event to make a name for themselves, and the Chu Family is no exception. In the end, they chose Sister Lan to participate in the cultivation preliminaries. As for you, it's a given—everyone assumes you'll be in the pill-refining contest," Jax Jia explained, looking at Evan Yang.
Evan Yang first understood, then asked in surprise, "Why is everyone so sure I'll go? And how did you get so familiar with Miss Chu?"
"What, are you jealous?" Jax Jia didn't bother answering the first question and instead teased Evan Yang.
Trying to cover up his awkwardness, Evan Yang quickly retorted, "Who's jealous? That's nonsense!"
"Even if you're not jealous, you don't have to be so quick to deny it, right? Got something to hide? Be honest—how did you cure Sister Lan?" Jax Jia was genuinely curious about how Evan Yang saved Tara Chu.
"Come on, I told you—it was just a lucky accident. Do I really need to explain it?" Evan Yang rolled his eyes.
"A lucky accident, huh? Did you take the chance to do anything else?" Jax Jia looked at Evan Yang expectantly, which annoyed Evan so much he turned and walked ahead, muttering, "Of course not."
Jax Jia didn't believe him and chased after, pressing for answers. Evan Yang hurried ahead, and the two ran down the road, arguing as they went. Finally, Jax blurted out, "It's because your last pill-refining feat was so famous. Among the younger generation, aside from a few genius alchemists who rely on extra tools, no one else can refine so many supreme-grade cultivation pills with just their bare hands like you."
"That's it?" Evan Yang said skeptically.
"That's part of it. But what's even more important is that, apparently, your master has spread the word that you'll be competing in the pill-refining contest," Jax Jia continued.
"My master?" Evan Yang's expression turned ugly the moment he heard someone dared to impersonate his master.
"Isn't it your master? Then who else would it be—some random beggar with nothing better to do!" Jax Jia suddenly said something that shocked Evan Yang, because only he knew that his pill-refining skills were taught by an old beggar.
Seeing Evan Yang's stunned expression, Jax Jia waved his hand in front of him and said, "Hey, you haven't gone stupid, have you?"
Snapped back to reality by Jax Jia, Evan Yang asked, "Where did you hear this news?"
"Everyone's talking about it. Seriously, go to any city and you'll hear the same thing. That's why everyone is sure you'll compete. As for why your master is spreading the news, I have no clue," Jax Jia said, curious about who could train someone like Evan Yang.
Truth be told, even Evan Yang wanted to know what that old beggar was up to. Was it really just to get him to enter the pill-refining competition?
"Why, though?" Evan Yang muttered as he walked, with Jax Jia tagging along beside him.
Walking along, they soon arrived at a city—a second-tier city, to be exact. It was here that Evan Yang had once helped Brandon Tu reclaim his honor, the city ruled by Nangong Yan.
Looking at the city from the past, Evan Yang didn't dwell on it—he just went with the flow. That's why he had to join the contest: first, to see if the old beggar would show up in person, and second, to check out the so-called pill-refining experts from Central Province, especially the sect that Tara's clan belonged to.
"Why is it here!" Before Evan Yang could say anything, Jax Jia exclaimed in surprise.
"What's wrong?" Seeing Jax Jia looking around nervously as if he might run into someone he knew, Evan Yang asked curiously.
"It's nothing. Let's just find somewhere to sit, then head for a first-tier city." Jax Jia shook his head.
"You're going too?" Evan Yang didn't realize Jax Jia was also planning to attend the Hundred-Year Pact, so he asked in surprise when Jax mentioned it.
"Of course! How could I miss such a fun event?" Jax Jia glanced at Evan Yang as if he were a monster, then left Evan muttering to himself, "What kind of person is he, anyway?"
With no choice, Evan Yang followed behind Jax Jia. Watching his back, Evan thought to himself that with such a know-it-all, he wouldn't need to search for people in the big city.
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Jax Jia had no idea that Evan Yang had secretly given him a nickname because of his encyclopedic knowledge.
"Waiter, bring us some good food and wine!" As soon as Jax Jia entered the inn, he called out to the waiter, who quickly brought out dishes. Evan Yang also liked gathering information in such places. While they were eating and drinking happily, an unpleasant voice suddenly rang out.
"Stinking beggar!" The speaker was very familiar. Evan Yang turned and saw an old acquaintance: Walter Wang, who had lost a lot of Spirit Crystal Ore to him. Walter had come to the city to procure goods, saw Evan slip into the inn, and secretly ordered people to deal with him. When no news came, Walter decided not to rely on the mysterious organization and barged in himself, shouting the insult.
At this point, Evan Yang's cultivation was more than enough to destroy the arrogant man before him, but he didn't act. Instead, he sneered, "Well, isn't this City Lord Wang? How come you have time to be here today? Are you here to gamble on pills again?"
"Kid, don't think you're invincible just because you have a powerful master. Hmph, watch your back or you might get killed without even knowing it!" Walter Wang wanted Evan dead, but not here, especially since everyone knew a mysterious figure had announced Evan would join the pill-refining contest. Killing him now would mean opposing that person.
Evan Yang understood the hidden threat and laughed, "No need for City Lord Wang to worry—I'm doing just fine!" He ignored Walter Wang and toasted with Jax Jia, infuriating Walter, who left but arranged for someone to monitor Evan's movements nearby.
Naturally, this news soon reached Nangong Yan, who was cultivating in the city lord's manor.
"Really?" Nangong Yan was surprised to hear that Evan Yang had appeared in his city and even traded barbs with Walter Wang.
The guard nodded and was then sent out by Nangong Yan, who meant for him to keep monitoring Evan Yang and his companions.
Once the guard left, Nangong Yan thought for a moment and summoned Left and Right, two masked figures in black.
"Left, find a chance to deal with that kid. Right, prepare to capture Walter Wang and make everyone think he killed the stinking beggar." Nangong Yan gave concise instructions to both.
Left and Right responded in unison and left the manor, leaving Nangong Yan behind, his face twisted with hatred. "Stinking beggar, you think having a master makes you special? You think you can compete without consequence? Dream on. Anyone who provokes me will suffer."
Evan Yang had no idea his sudden appearance had provoked Nangong Yan's hatred. Even more tragic was Walter Wang, who, after running into his hated enemy and unable to act, could only leave spies and vent his anger in the city's most luxurious entertainment district.
Completely unaware that his fate had already been decided by Nangong Yan, Walter Wang was in a room, embracing a naked woman and calling out, "Baby, will you serve me well tonight?"
The woman replied shyly, "It's been so long since I've seen you."
Walter Wang grinned lewdly and said, "Lately, so many cultivators are passing through our city—it's a great chance to earn Spirit Crystal Ore!"
"See, all you think about is making money, leaving me out in the cold," the woman pouted.
"Oh, don't be mad. When I have plenty of Spirit Crystal Ore, I'll take you away for secluded cultivation," Walter Wang comforted her.
"Really?" the woman asked excitedly.
"Of course! So tonight, let's have some fun—you'd better serve me well." Walter Wang chuckled, and the woman immediately began to please him with every trick she knew.
After enjoying himself, Walter Wang left the room feeling refreshed and received a letter from a stranger.
"That kid really left the city?" Walter Wang was excited to see Evan Yang's movements written in the letter and immediately rushed to the location without a second thought.
In reality, Evan Yang hadn't left the city at all, and was chatting with Jax Jia about the Hundred-Year Pact.
"Jax Jia, how do you know so much at your age?" The more Evan Yang talked with Jax Jia, the more he felt he was a know-it-all.
Jax Jia answered proudly, "Of course! You know who I am, right?"