Ethan Brooks's mind raced: This was definitely not a trap set by William Foster.

I really do need that thing.

And besides, if William Foster keeps muttering for a few more sentences, I'm afraid the noise he makes will draw those people right to him...

Ethan Brooks darted forward, quickly slipping into the small alley.

"Ah ha... you..." William Foster saw Ethan Brooks arrive and immediately cheered with excitement, running over in a hurry.

"Quiet." Ethan Brooks quickly covered his mouth. "Did you bring the stuff?"

William Foster's eyes sparkled. Though his mouth was covered and he couldn't speak, he nodded repeatedly and then handed over a bundle from behind his back.

Ethan Brooks didn't even need to open it to know that this was the large piece of Heavenly Crystal Essence!

Looks like this guy is used to being a thief—everything went smoothly, and he actually managed to steal it so easily.

"Here, this is a banknote for fifteen thousand taels of gold. Remember to pay it back on time." Ethan Brooks took the bundle and hugged it to his chest, feeling an immense wave of happiness, and handed over the banknote.

"Thank you, thank you..." William Foster's voice choked with emotion. "Brother, you really are a true brother... From now on, The Brooks Brothers, you are my real brother, I, I..."

He seemed too emotional to speak.

Thinking that he could soon redeem himself, buy back the item, and no longer be used as a punching bag by his grandfather and father at home... William Foster's eyes instantly filled with tears. "...Waaah, you're like a second parent to me..."

Oh, heavens; the title of the number one wastrel in the capital is finally about to be taken off me. Only God knows how much pressure I've been under lately, really, so much pressure...

"Alright, alright, you'd better hurry back. Save the thanks for when I need them in the future." Now that Ethan Brooks had the item in hand, he didn't want to stay here even a second longer.

It was too dangerous.

Fortunately, William Foster was even more eager to leave. "Brother, after the auction is over the day after tomorrow and I turn things around, we have to have a good drink together."

With that, he stuffed the banknote away and dashed off.

Now that he had the means to turn his life around, Young Master Foster couldn't stay even a moment longer, feeling anxious and impatient.

"Damn..." Ethan Brooks was stunned too. "That bastard actually runs faster than me..."

But no matter what, the thing he had dreamed of was finally in his hands. Ethan Brooks stroked the Heavenly Crystal Essence inside the bundle with immense satisfaction, ready to turn and leave this troublesome place as soon as possible.

Unexpectedly, a wave of intense dizziness suddenly swept through his mind, making Ethan Brooks stop in his tracks, clutch his forehead, and sway a little.

The poison dormant in his body now seemed to be getting harder to suppress.

Didn't I already suppress the poison? Why is it suddenly rebounding?

And the dizziness in his mind was growing even stronger, with a faint, urgent craving...

Ethan Brooks felt the dizziness intensify, but didn't notice how strange this was. Still, he dared not delay, gritted his teeth, broke off a corner of the jade-like essence, and took out a dagger from his chest. There was no other way—he had to act quickly. Since the poison could flare up at any moment, he had to cut off a piece to detoxify himself, even if it meant wasting a little. Survival came first.

With two scraping sounds, the sharp dagger instantly cut open the outer layer of the Heavenly Crystal Essence, but the crystal inside was extremely hard. With Ethan Brooks's current strength, even using all his might, he could only barely scrape off a thin layer of powder...

"It's actually this hard!" Ethan Brooks muttered helplessly, then tilted his head back and swallowed the tiny bit of powder.

Ethan Brooks knew about Heavenly Crystal Essence, but he had never handled it, let alone taken it before. This was the first time he realized just how hard it was.

It was practically "hard as hell"!

The moment he swallowed that little bit of powder, a strange fragrance wafted from the Heavenly Crystal Essence in his arms; just smelling it made him feel refreshed and relaxed. Ethan Brooks took a deep breath, feeling his whole body at ease, and then...

A stronger wave of dizziness surged in his mind, as if several golden characters flashed before his eyes. In the next instant... his hand suddenly felt light; the Heavenly Crystal Essence had vanished completely!

The bundle was clearly still in his hand, solid and real!

But how could the Heavenly Crystal Essence inside just disappear? Vanish into thin air!

Ethan Brooks couldn't help but widen his eyes: What was going on? He could clearly feel: this was definitely not stolen by some peerless expert!

Even though Ethan Brooks had lost all his cultivation, there was no way someone could steal his stuff without him knowing!

This thing, maybe it hadn't disappeared, but had entered his body!

But... how could it enter his body?

It was such a big piece! How did it get in? From where?

For a moment, Ethan Brooks was truly dizzy—not physically, but mentally unsettled. Before he could check what was happening, suddenly a surging torrent of energy rushed up from his dantian!