Leonard Brooks saw that Edward York had woken up, turned around and said, “You fell off a cliff, and as it happened, I needed to return to the sect, so I brought you back for treatment!”

Leonard Brooks looked to be about forty, in his prime, with a lean face and eyes sharp as lightning, exuding a resolute aura. It was as if no matter how many storms raged, his unwavering will would tear them all to shreds.

Seeing this face, even Henry Brooks couldn’t help but feel a sense of reliance, but he knew this feeling was born from Edward York’s memories...

Xing’er?

Could it really be that his own soul and consciousness had entered someone else’s body, and the original owner of this body, Edward York, had actually died after falling off the cliff?

Is this Edward York’s residence in Taiwei Sect?

More precisely, this is Leonard Brooks’s cave dwelling at Jianyun Cliff in Taiwei Sect. No wonder the feeling upon opening his eyes was both familiar and strange.

The sect that Leonard Brooks mentioned was Taiwei Sect, where he had his own cave dwelling on Qingxi Peak.

After Edward York was exiled to the Hexi counties, Leonard Brooks settled him in Taiwei Sect, where he usually served as an attendant at Jianyun Cliff, guarding the gate with other family retainers.

As for Leonard Brooks’s daughter, Evelyn Brooks, she was exceptionally talented. As a fourth-generation inner disciple of Taiwei Sect, she had already reached the initial stage of Spirit Severance cultivation at a young age and usually stayed at Jianyun Cliff to cultivate. But after Edward York arrived, Evelyn Brooks disliked Edward York’s frivolous nature and rarely came by.

Besides Leonard Brooks and his daughter, as well as many members of the Chen clan cultivating in Taiwei Sect, the Chen family also had an elder who was a law enforcement elder in Taiwei Sect—a major figure, and also a patron of the Wuwei Army, wielding deep-rooted power and influence in both Taiwei Sect and the Wuwei Army...

It was precisely because of this that, although Edward York was just a lowly attendant, even when he engaged in promiscuous relationships in Taiwei Sect, others could only endure it. However, after Edward York’s cultivation was crippled, he could never formally enter the inner sect, let alone become a true disciple.

...

Henry Brooks lay there dumbfounded, staring at the canopy embroidered with auspicious beasts and spirit birds above the bed, enduring the intense headache as he struggled to lift his hand, only to find that the Azure Dragon mark on his arm had disappeared again. It was truly baffling.

Was it the Black Cauldron of the Azure Dragon that brought his soul and consciousness into this unfamiliar world called Yanzhou, into someone else’s body?

Though these thoughts were utterly absurd, they were the only reasonable explanation he could come up with at the moment.

“Do you have any hidden injuries elsewhere on your body?” Seeing how much pain Henry Brooks was in, Leonard Brooks asked with concern. He had already used the best spiritual medicine he had, but still wasn’t completely confident that there would be no lingering ailments.

Henry Brooks’s mind was filled with too many questions and shocks to sort out, and for a moment he didn’t know how to respond to Leonard Brooks’s concerned inquiry.

Seeing Edward York lying stiffly on the bed, Leonard Brooks felt a bit of helpless frustration, sighing, “Xing’er, from now on I’ll have Lily serve you in your room. Don’t cause any more trouble. If something really happens to you, how could I explain it to your parents?”

“No! How can Lily marry this shameless scoundrel?”

As soon as Leonard Brooks finished speaking, a girl in a blue dress rushed in, her expression stern as she tried to persuade her father to change his mind. She absolutely refused to see her close friend Lily Sutton ruined by Edward York, this shameless scoundrel.

Leonard Brooks’s brows furrowed like mountains as he said unhappily, “Lily will have to marry and bear children eventually. Even if Xing’er can’t cultivate in the future, he’s still a member of the Yao clan. If Lily can bear him a child, she can enter the Yao clan’s ancestral hall and won’t be disgraced.”

“Father, you also said Lily has excellent talent. Why can’t she continue to cultivate with me in Taiwei Sect?” the girl argued anxiously.

“Lily is, after all, a servant of the Chen clan. No matter how talented she is, she can never be accepted as an inner disciple or cultivate on the upper seven peaks of Taiwei Sect. I’ve already decided on this matter, Little Evelyn, don’t meddle any further.” Although Leonard Brooks was a loving father, once he made up his mind, he wouldn’t let his daughter argue endlessly.

The girl’s face flushed with anger. She glared hatefully at Henry Brooks, then flung her sleeves and ran out.

“Little Evelyn!” Leonard Brooks called out several times, but his daughter didn’t stop. He could only sigh helplessly and follow her out of the bedroom.

...

After a while, with no sign of Leonard Brooks and his daughter returning, night had already fallen. Henry Brooks struggled to get up from the bed. He didn’t know what spiritual medicine Leonard Brooks had used on him, but his body no longer felt uncomfortable, though his head still throbbed painfully. He wondered if this was a side effect of transmigration.

The bedroom was simply furnished: a bed and a desk, a large bookshelf against the wall with only a few scattered books, and between the bookshelf and the long desk stood a lamp stand shaped like a kneeling bronze palace maid.

The firelight shone from the hollow bronze pillar held in the palace maid’s hands, surprisingly bright and gentle, with a faint fragrance wafting out.

At this moment, Henry Brooks’s head was still splitting with pain, but the fragrance was soothing, providing some relief. He thought to himself that the scent from the palace maid’s bronze lamp was unexpectedly effective.

The desk showed no signs of being joined together, looking as if it had been carved from a single massive piece of wood. It was hard to imagine such giant trees existed in the world. The wood was dark and dull, appearing rough, yet exuding an ancient and simple aura.

Having spent years immersed in antiques and curios, Henry Brooks could tell at a glance that the furnishings in the room, though seemingly rustic, were anything but ordinary.