After Evan Chu finished speaking, someone immediately led the young servant away. As for the City Lord’s Mansion’s wealth, Evan hadn’t bothered to ask about it, though he knew it must be extremely abundant—at least, their daily expenses weren’t something he needed to worry about for now.
Even if someone were to take away all the City Lord’s Mansion’s wealth right now, he wouldn’t care—he had tens of millions of Netherstones on him, more than he could ever spend. He then returned to the main hall with the others, ready to make plans regarding the three men who’d just broken through, since someone had already set their sights on him.
Although Evan wasn’t afraid of these people, he still had Roxanne Lin and the others by his side. If he wasn’t around to protect them, things could get dangerous. He had to eliminate this threat completely—only then could he feel at ease.
Inside the main hall, Evan Chu sat at the head seat, with the three women beside him. Sean Xiao and Lillian Zhang flanked him on either side, while a dozen or so original City Lord’s Mansion personnel sat below.
“Everyone did well today—I’m very satisfied! Since you’re all members of the City Lord’s Mansion, you should work together to keep it safe. As for the three men Rubin, the Poison King, sent today, I already have a plan: since he wants to target me and Shadowlin City, I’ll go to the royal capital and wipe him out myself.
Also, what’s the real story with Harold Hong? If anyone knows, let me know so everyone’s clear on the situation. We need to see if Shadowlin City can really be handed over to him; only then can I feel safe heading to the royal capital.” Evan said.
At that moment, a guard stood up respectfully and said to Evan Chu, “Young Master, Harold Hong is my uncle. I know him better than most. My uncle is a Third-Layer Venerable Martial Realm expert, and he’s always been very kind. Once, when the late City Lord’s son bullied a young girl and my uncle happened to catch him, he almost killed him—he only let him go because the City Lord personally begged for mercy and said a lot of good things.
My uncle hates evil like it’s the plague. I’m sure if he became City Lord of Shadowlin City, he’d be the best possible choice. If you don’t believe me, you can ask around—no one has a bad word to say about him.”
“Alright, got it. Since you speak so highly of him, I’ll go see for myself. You all stay here—I’ll personally go welcome this distinguished guest. Lillian, you can come with me.” Evan Chu said, stepping down from the head of the main hall.
No one understood why Evan Chu would go out personally, especially since they’d only just entered the main hall. Even if Harold Hong was summoned by the Mansion’s people, he couldn’t have arrived so quickly. Was Evan really going to visit the Hong Clan residence himself?
While everyone was still puzzled, Sean Xiao said, “Harold Hong is already at the City Lord’s Mansion. Your cultivation realms are too low, so you wouldn’t notice. Even I, a Fourth-Layer Venerable, only just sensed him now. That should tell you just how powerful he really is. With someone like him among the Humans, our faction will only grow stronger than before.”
Sean’s words made everyone reevaluate Evan Chu’s strength. For someone so young to have such power—it was beyond monstrous. Even Roxanne Lin and the other two women were shocked, but also a bit proud; having a man like this was something to brag about.
Young Master Fenn couldn’t help feeling a bit helpless. He used to be able to spar with Evan, but in just two short years, Evan had left him far behind. Now, Evan could probably kill him with a single finger.
Just then, Evan Chu and Lillian Zhang stood outside the main hall and saw a guard bringing a middle-aged man toward them. “Young Master, I’ve brought the man you asked for!” the guard said respectfully to Evan.
The middle-aged man had a square, dignified face, thick brows, and bright eyes. He was tall and imposing. After glancing at Evan Chu, he said, “Harold Hong greets Young Master. May I ask why you’ve summoned me?”
At that moment, Lillian Zhang was staring straight at him. Evan knew she was using her mind-reading arts. Even though everyone spoke highly of this man, Evan still needed Lillian to confirm if he could really be trusted—that was exactly why he’d brought her along.
“I’ve heard your reputation in Shadowlin City is excellent. Someone recommended you for City Lord, so I wanted to see if you’re really up for the job. You’re not feeling any pressure, are you?” Evan Chu asked with a smile.
“Young Master, you’re too kind. I’m just a rough merchant—there’s no way I could handle being City Lord of Shadowlin City. Please, choose someone else.” Harold Hong refused directly.
At that moment, Lillian Zhang suddenly laughed. “Since you don’t want to be City Lord of Shadowlin City, we won’t force you. But before you leave, could you answer one question for us?”
Evan Chu was startled by Lillian’s words—her mind-reading arts had clearly detected something wrong with this man. Maybe he was just a hypocrite, constantly pretending to be virtuous while secretly committing all sorts of evil.
Harold Hong’s face showed not the slightest hint of abnormality. After glancing at Evan Chu and Lillian Zhang, he smiled lightly, “I wonder what the young lady wishes to ask me. If it’s something I know, I’ll answer honestly.”
Lillian Zhang smiled, “What exactly is your relationship with Rubin, the Poison King? We want the truth.”
Lillian’s question made Harold Hong freeze for a moment. “I don’t understand what you mean. The Poison King is a truly formidable figure among the Humans—someone like me could never be connected to him. Even if I wanted to, Rubin would never pay attention to a small fry like me.”
Lillian Zhang’s lips curled into a cold smile. “You’re good at hiding—so good that all of Shadowlin City is fooled. But I know who you really are. Before you arrived, three men came to the City Lord’s Mansion. If I’m not mistaken, those three were sent by you. Care to explain?”
A flash of viciousness crossed Harold Hong’s face, and his tone abruptly hardened. “I’ve never wronged any of you—why frame me? What do those three men from the City Lord’s Mansion have to do with me? I’m just an honest businessman, the Hong Clan patriarch in Shadowlin City, always charitable and never excessive. If you think you can kill whoever you want just because you’re strong, well, I’m not afraid of death!”
Evan Chu knew Lillian Zhang had discovered something wrong with his identity, but he still didn’t know exactly what. He couldn’t speak up rashly, so he left it to her to handle—besides, her strength was more than enough to deal with this guy.
“Still playing dumb, even now? You really think no one knows your secret? The three men you sent are all dead—you know that, right? Even though they all had the strongest poison in their mouths and would kill themselves if exposed, we saw through it. Before they could bite the poison sacs, we subdued them.
Think about it—even iron-willed men break under torture. Do you really think your secret is still safe?” Lillian Zhang said.