“Tongguan?” Jessica Bolton still remembered that in the book, when David Carter rebelled and passed through five gates, he was almost killed by Ethan Brooks with a Fire Dragon Dart at Tongguan. He immediately asked, “Is the current commander of Tongguan Ethan Brooks?”

　　“Exactly! Your Highness is most perceptive!” Ethan Brooks had once made a mistake in the army and was nearly executed by the deputy commander David Carter, and had only recently been transferred to Tongguan. Seeing that he had answered correctly, James Thompson dared not harbor any more doubts, cursing Brian Brooks in his heart for causing trouble, and hurried to defend himself: “Just now, I was careless and mistakenly believed this man’s false accusation, nearly offending Your Highness. I truly deserve to die a thousand times!”

　　Jessica Bolton sighed inwardly: How is this a false accusation? To put it bluntly, it’s still all about power—might makes right. Since Samuel White was present, he didn’t put on any airs, comforted James Thompson with a few words, then shouted at Brian Brooks: “I, for one, have no interest in making things difficult for the likes of you. Go back and tell Doctor Feilian what happened today. Tell him that I am taking these two slaves. If he has any objections, let him come to the Prince Shou’s residence himself.”

　　Brian Brooks was drenched in sweat, not daring to reply, only kowtowing repeatedly like pounding garlic.

　　Jessica Bolton ordered his attendants to fetch an imperial physician to treat the girl at the Prince Shou’s residence, and sincerely invited Samuel White to be his guest. Samuel White did not decline, and was led by Jessica Bolton all the way to the Prince Shou’s residence. The half-naked man followed silently as if in a dream, but in his mind a voice was shouting: My benefactor is actually His Highness Prince Shou! The dignified Prince Shou was injured and bled to save a mere slave like me, and even summoned an imperial physician to treat my little sister! I fear that even if I go through fire and water, shatter my body to pieces, I could never repay this kindness…

　　After returning to the Prince Shou’s residence and settling the siblings, Jessica Bolton invited Samuel White to the study and served him fragrant tea and fruit.

　　It was Samuel White’s first time seeing tea leaves. He took a gentle sip and found it mellow and delicious, refreshing both body and mind. He couldn’t help but praise it and asked, “Your Highness, what is this?”

　　Jessica Bolton knew that tea culture only became popular in the Tang dynasty, and that people in the Shang dynasty were unaware of tea’s benefits, so he explained, “This is an immortal tea I have prepared using an ancient recipe. It is a rare treasure. Since you like it, I will present you with some later, and hope you will accept it.”

　　In fact, these tea leaves were a wild variety Jessica Bolton had found outside Moyi while idle, and had only processed them slightly, but he deliberately made it sound mysterious. Samuel White knew nothing of this, and his opinion of Prince Shou rose even higher. He did not refuse, and smiled, “I am but a humble man from the mountains—how could I deserve such honor from Your Highness? Your righteous act at the market just now was truly admirable. As for me, I nearly acted unnecessarily…”

　　“You are too modest, Daoist. Had I known you were present, I would not have dared to show off!” Jessica Bolton could tell that Samuel White had a good impression of him, and his eyes lit up as he began to chat casually with Samuel White.

　　Samuel White had only intended to exchange a few polite words, but after chatting for a while, he realized that this Prince Shou was extremely learned, knowledgeable in astronomy and geography, and even knew many things that he, an immortal, had never heard of. He became interested. Jessica Bolton catered to his interests while subtly probing about the Investiture of the Gods and matters concerning immortals.

　　What reassured him somewhat was that, judging from Samuel White’s words, the three sects had not yet signed the Investiture of the Gods. Although Jessica Bolton did not dare to hope that his arrival in this world would prevent the Investiture from existing, at least it meant he still had time to develop and change things. As for matters of immortal cultivation, Samuel White’s explanations were too abstruse and mysterious—cultivating immortality, forming the golden core and primordial spirit—he only half understood.

　　After a pleasant conversation, Jessica Bolton felt the time was right and suddenly knelt before Samuel White, his face sincere: “I feel as if we are old friends at first sight, and I greatly admire your knowledge. Please do not mind my dullness and accept me as your disciple, so that I may always listen to your teachings.”

　　This was a decision Jessica Bolton had made after careful consideration. Meeting Samuel White was a rare opportunity that he could not let slip by. Although the Chan Sect was not as powerful as the Jie Sect, and Yuanshi Tianzun might not be stronger than his junior brother Tongtian Jiaozhu, this Yuanshi Tianzun, famous for protecting his own, was no simple figure. His greatest weapon was his thick skin—he often disregarded his status to personally bully the disciples of the Jie Sect, and his senior brother Laozi was clearly his accomplice. In the Yellow River Formation, when the Three Immortal Aunts used the Hunyuan Golden Gourd to capture all twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect, he and Laozi joined forces to destroy the Three Immortal Aunts; in the Immortal-Slaying Formation and the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation, the two even allied with the Western sect’s Zhunti and Jieyin to deal with their junior brother Tongtian Jiaozhu. No matter how many or how strong the Jie Sect members were, there was only one leader, and the rest varied greatly in strength, so they could not compare. Their eventual defeat was not surprising. Therefore, before the Investiture of the Gods is established, clinging to the Chan Sect might be a good way to disrupt the future order and change fate. At that time, he could even sow discord and let the immortals fight among themselves, reaping the benefits as a bystander.