Smack!
With a loud smack, Evan slammed his palm onto the table, making Cathy Li go pale.
Especially when he looked at Evan, Jason’s eyes burned with suppressed anger and frustration from the earlier confrontation.
"Let me warn you—never drag my mom into this. And ‘upbringing’? You think you’re qualified to talk about that?" Evan’s face turned icy. Cathy shrank back in fear.
"Evan, Cathy’s just a girl—she didn’t mean it. What, you’re gonna hit her now?" Lillian Wang mustered her courage to speak up.
Once everyone sat down, the private room felt just the right size—cozy but big enough for the whole group.
The middle-aged man—whose bearing hinted at wealth and authority—glanced at Evan and asked gently, his tone friendly yet measured. (This is Damon Wang, secretly the underworld boss of Imperial Grand KTV.)
“Whitewood County.”
Evan poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and set the cup down.
Wild game and mountain delicacies contain grass and wood essence, so you’re barely hanging on. If you go more than two weeks without a fresh dose, you’ll wither away to bones. Judging by your symptoms, you’re probably suffering from Gu poisoning (a kind of supernatural toxin or curse common in Chinese fantasy, which drains a person's life force and can only be held at bay by consuming rare foods). Evan gave the man a deep, meaningful look.
The middle-aged man nodded slightly, thinking it over. He didn’t really recognize the name—there were too many counties around here, and Whitewood County wasn’t exactly famous.
"Uncle, why do you travel around with a Michelin head chef? Don’t tell me you eat gourmet wherever you go?" Yolanda Fang asked, curiosity all over her face.
Liam Li and the others perked up, listening in.
A Michelin restaurant’s head chef pulls in tens of thousands a month, and bringing one everywhere? Only a real big shot could pull off something like that.
“Indeed, you are quite perceptive. I keep Alan Kuan with me so I can enjoy fine cuisine wherever I travel,” the middle-aged man replied with a faint, composed smile.
“Well, that’s the only way. If you didn’t keep topping up your body’s energy with wild game and mountain delicacies, you’d probably be dead by now,” Evan said, half-smiling at the man.
"Evan! Nobody asked you to curse people!" Lynn Chen couldn’t help but kick Evan under the table. (Lynn Chen, Evan's classmate and reluctant housemate, is quick to defend their host and react emotionally.)
If only he’d refined the Wild Crucian Carp King (a legendary wild fish prized for its natural qi and nutrients, crucial for cultivation) with cultivation methods, it might not taste as good as the chef’s cooking, but the benefits for his body would’ve been way bigger.
But seeing Yolanda Fang and Lynn Chen so happy, Evan couldn’t be bothered to say anything.
“No manners at all! Didn’t your mom teach you how to behave?” Cathy Li shrieked, yelling at Evan.
Only Summer Mu, the discreet young heir of the Summer family, and the middle-aged man kept glancing at Evan as they ate. (Summer Mu is the heir to the powerful Summer family, quietly observing Evan's every move.)
With a loud smack, Evan slammed his palm onto the table, making Cathy Li go pale.
Fang You and Lynn Chen jumped in their seats, shocked. Evan had kept his cool the whole time, even after being grilled by Cathy and her crew—but now, out of nowhere, he snapped.
"What the—were you a starving ghost in your last life?" Yolanda Fang jumped, rolling her eyes at Evan.
"Evan, Cathy’s just a girl—she didn’t mean it. What, you’re gonna hit her now?" Lillian Wang mustered her courage to speak up.
Cough, cough.
Sensing the tension at the table, the middle-aged man cleared his throat, glanced at Evan, and smoothly shifted the topic: "You mentioned I am on the verge of death, young man. Would you care to elaborate?"
Evan looked away from Cathy’s ashen face and turned to the man, speaking seriously: "Your glabella is full and swollen, there’s a lump at your throat, and the veins on the back of your hand are raised. On the surface, your meridians seem normal, but inside, your blood and essence are drained. I can see it in your eyes."
"There’s no spark of life in your pupils—like a dead pool of water. That pool should’ve dried up long ago, but someone told you to eat wild game and mountain delicacies, so you’ve been chasing those everywhere."
"Let them handle it. The gym’s business doesn’t matter for now. Soon, Brightsea City’s powers will be reshuffled. This time, I, Damon Wang, will seize everything for myself." (Damon Wang is the hidden kingpin behind Brightsea City's criminal underworld.)
A strange glint flashed in the middle-aged man’s eyes—he was stunned. He’d only asked out of curiosity, wondering how this kid could see through his condition. He hadn’t expected Evan to lay it all out, detail for detail.
With so many people at the table, the man quickly composed himself, looked at Evan, and gave a low, controlled laugh. "It seems you have some knowledge of medicine, young man. Your analysis is impressively thorough."
"Honestly, this uncle looks perfectly healthy. You’re the one who looks sickly—maybe you should worry about whether you’ve been poisoned." Sisi Shao shot Evan a look.
Liam Li hadn’t said a word the whole time. All he wanted was to finish eating and get out of here.
Being around Evan made Liam feel suffocated, and he really didn’t want to stick around.
Soon, the door opened and the head chef brought out the finished dishes.
The Wild Crucian Carp King was so huge, the chef turned it into several gourmet plates. Every bite was unbelievably delicious—Fang You’s face lit up, piling food into Lynn Chen’s bowl and even snatching a few pieces of fish from Evan’s bowl, making Evan shake his head and sigh.
If only he’d refined the Wild Crucian Carp King with cultivation methods, it might not taste as good as the chef’s cooking, but the benefits for his body would’ve been way bigger.
But seeing Fang You and Lynn Chen so happy, Evan couldn’t be bothered to say anything.
Liam Li’s group forgot all about the earlier drama and grudges as soon as the fish touched their lips—they were too busy eating to care about anything else.
Only Summer Mu, the discreet young heir of the Summer family, and the middle-aged man kept glancing at Evan as they ate.
Evan stayed calm and asked the waiter for a giant bowl of rice.
When the waiter brought out a basin-sized bowl, thinking it was for the whole group, Evan pulled it in front of himself and devoured every last grain.
"What the—were you a starving ghost in your last life?" Yolanda Fang jumped, rolling her eyes at Evan.
"No wonder he’s so strong. Damn, he can really eat!" Jason Zhao was stunned, still nursing his injuries and resentment, and secretly resolved to eat more and train harder so he could win back his pride.
By the time they finished eating, it was already past four in the afternoon. Nobody felt like sightseeing anymore—especially with all the tension around Evan—so the group headed down toward the White Dragon Mountain Resort Hotel.
"Boss Hao, Yu Wei just called. The new guy at Grand Fist Gym, Leon Ling, won another match. We lost fifteen million this time."
"Also, he said he’s found an expert named Evan ‘Nine Mysteries’ Lin for the next fight."
Alan Kuan, Damon Wang’s Michelin head chef and trusted messenger, walked over respectfully and reported to the middle-aged man.
"Let them handle it. The gym’s business doesn’t matter for now. Soon, Brightsea City’s powers will be reshuffled. This time, I, Damon Wang, will seize everything for myself."
Damon Wang—the hidden boss behind Imperial Grand—kept his expression calm as he watched Evan’s retreating figure, his eyes deep and unreadable.