After Cyril Xiao finished giving his orders, Landon Lynn also went back to make his own preparations. As for Evan Yang, he was alone, watching the others bustle about, quietly wondering to himself: if the Star Lord really made a move, could he withstand it?
He thought it over for a long time. If he could unleash fifty-fold strength, and then stack it with the gauntlet's power, that would be a hundred-fold—enough to injure a mid-stage Out-of-Body Star Lord. But the odds of actually reaching fifty-fold were very low.
Just as Evan Yang was zoning out, trouble arrived at the Shaw Family—none other than the Santos Family.
Ronald Santos and Kade Santos entered the main hall, drawn by rumors and intent on probing the situation.
Cyril Xiao was of course hiding in the secret chamber, claiming to be comatose from poisoning. Meanwhile, Tanner Shaw was in the main hall, blocking their way. "What are you here for?"
"The Shaw patriarch was poisoned. As one of the Ten Great Families, of course we should come to check on him—and the Star Lord specifically asked me to bring his regards," Ronald Santos replied.
Tanner cursed inwardly, thinking them hypocrites. He hadn't expected the Santos to show up at this moment to investigate. If they discovered Cyril Xiao was actually fine, not only would the Santos know, but the Star Lord would too—which would mean their time was up. The Star Lord would find any excuse to attack before they could evacuate.
"No way. My father is unconscious—he can't see anyone. As for the Star Lord's kindness, you can thank him on behalf of the Shaw Family," Tanner said, blocking their path.
"Tanner Shaw, what do you mean by this? The Star Lord wants us to see the Shaw patriarch—are you really going to defy him?" Kade Santos snorted coldly.
Tanner absolutely loathed this guy, his face full of disdain. "I told you, my father is unconscious and won't see anyone."
"Oh? So no matter what, you're not letting us in? Are you really going to defy the Star Lord's goodwill?" Ronald Santos sneered.
"Patriarch Santos, I'm not trying to defy anyone. My father is poisoned and unconscious—even if you see him, he won't wake up," Tanner replied.
Ronald Santos obviously knew Cyril Xiao was poisoned, though not the details. Still, he feigned ignorance and said, "Then why block us? We're just here to look, not to do anything to him."
"No means no," Tanner said forcefully.
Seeing this, Ronald Santos snorted, "Move aside!"
"Isn't this the Santos Family? What brings you to the Shaw Family?" Evan Yang walked out from the back of the hall, smiling.
Seeing Evan Yang, Tanner relaxed a little. At least for now, Evan was a Spirit-Wandering Realm cultivator in Tanner's eyes, and he himself couldn't hope to stop these two alone.
Both Ronald and Kade Santos were irritated at the sight of Evan Yang, but Ronald held back and said, "I wondered who it was—turns out it's that Spirit-Wandering Realm expert."
"You're too kind," Evan Yang replied with a smile.
"This has nothing to do with you. You'd best step aside, or the Star Lord will hold you accountable. Outsiders who aren't part of the Ten Great Families don't get special treatment," Ronald Santos shifted from sarcasm to outright threat when he saw Evan Yang ignoring him.
"What if I insist on stopping you?" Evan Yang sneered.
"You—!" Ronald Santos hadn't expected Evan Yang to ignore even the Star Lord's authority. But thinking about it, Evan had already rejected the Star Lord multiple times in public; even Ronald himself found it hard to watch.
"Enough. You're not welcome here. Go back and mind your own business," Evan Yang said.
"Kid, don't think helping the Shaw Family means you'll get the candidate seat. Let me be frank: the Shaw patriarch is poisoned—even if you win, he can't take the office. In the end, the Star Lord will reclaim the seat and hand it to us Santos. So you'd better let go now, admit defeat, and withdraw," Ronald Santos said, knowing his real purpose today was to check on the Shaw patriarch and to persuade Evan Yang to give up.
As for the Shaw patriarch, Ronald was sure he was nearly done for, so this was just for show. Right now, Evan Yang was his real target for verbal attack.
Tanner hadn't expected Ronald Santos to say something like that, but it was true: even if they won the candidate seat, with the Shaw patriarch poisoned, no one in the Shaw Family could actually take on the Star Lord's role.
Evan Yang wasn't concerned about all that. He knew the Shaw Family would eventually clash with both the Santos and the Star Lord, so he just laughed, "That's none of your concern. You'd better worry about your own Santos Family."
"Kid, don't think you're so great!" Ronald Santos snorted.
"Are you leaving or not?" Evan Yang asked again.
Ronald Santos stared at Evan Yang for a long moment, then finally said, "We're leaving." And with that, they left the Shaw Family estate.
"Brother Yang, you're amazing—scared them off so easily," Tanner said with a smile.
"Alright, it's fine now. Go on with your work," Evan Yang replied, smiling.
Tanner nodded and left the hall. Evan Yang glanced around, made sure no one was watching, then crouched beside a chair, pulled out a dagger, smeared it with his own blood, and probed underneath.
If anyone else were here, they'd definitely be curious what Evan Yang was up to.
He left the dagger there, and before long, a blood-red centipede crawled out.
Seeing the Blood Centipede, Evan Yang sneered, "Trying to poison me? Not so easy."
After that, Evan Yang found a box and put the centipede inside. Watching it squirm, he wore a strange smile.
"How did it go?" Ronald Santos asked Santos Xiaokun on the way back.
Santos Xiaokun smiled, "I quietly left it on a chair, and it's locked onto Evan Yang as its target. I bet he'll soon end up just like the Shaw patriarch."
"That's best. Once he's poisoned, let's see how he competes," Ronald Santos laughed.