At this point, Robert Harper's expression grew solemn. "In the future, Emily will enter a higher realm of martial artists, reaching levels we can never attain! In such circumstances, she may form alliances through marriage with unimaginably powerful forces. But if she has a past engagement, it will be a stain on her record, which could affect her prospects..."

"Third Brother, you're becoming more and more pragmatic." The Harper Family Patriarch shook his head and sighed. "Let me think about this. Sigh, Sarah is such a hardworking and uncomplaining child, gentle by nature. If I ask her to do this, I know she will surely agree, but I really can't bear to be so harsh to her..."

"For the future of the family, and for Emily's future, please consider it seriously, Big Brother," Robert Harper urged.

The Harper Family Patriarch remained silent for a long time. After a while, he finally said, "Let's not talk about this for now. All these years, you've been in charge of the medicine mountain, and I've never interfered much. Today, you insisted on calling me to the medicine mountain—what exactly is going on?"

"You'll know when we get there. I have a vague feeling that this matter might be related to Ryan Carter."

Chapter 2: Medicine Mountain

The medicine mountain of the The Harper Family extends from a branch of the Extreme Cold Mountain Range, belonging to the very outermost area of the range.

Compared to the towering, icy peaks of the Extreme Cold Mountain Range, the medicine mountain is quite unremarkable, and its spiritual energy is not particularly abundant.

Harper Town is located right at the edge of the Extreme Cold Mountain Range, at the foot of the medicine mountain.

Although the medicine mountain's spiritual energy is not outstanding, because it is far enough from the Extreme Cold Mountain Range, it is not too cold, making it suitable for cultivating spiritual herbs.

The spiritual herbs on the medicine mountain are the main source of income for the The Harper Family. Most of the tribute the The Harper Family pays to the Nebula Pavilion each year is in the form of spiritual herbs from the medicine mountain. In recent years, the planting and harvesting of spiritual herbs on the medicine mountain have all been managed by Robert Harper. Linda Foster has tried several times to get involved with the medicine mountain, but her attempts have always been thwarted by the The Harper Family brothers.

On the medicine mountain, the herb fields are laid out like blocks of tofu, and almost all the spiritual herbs grown there are of mortal grade, third rank or below. Although not highly valuable, their worth lies in their quantity.

Among them, Jade Hand Flower, Cold Vein Grass, and Serpent Crown Flower are all third-rank mortal spiritual herbs and are the main crops of the herb fields. These three herbs are the basic ingredients for refining Spirit Recovery Pills, for which the Nebula Pavilion has a huge demand every year.

At this moment, the two brothers, John Harper and Robert Harper, were standing in front of a field of Jade Hand Flowers.

When the Jade Hand Flower blooms, it looks like a young girl's outstretched hand, with five slender leaves resembling five delicate fingers—hence the name. The Jade Hand Flower takes only about half a year from planting to harvest and is not much affected by weather changes, making it one of the easiest spiritual herbs to cultivate.

However, in this field of Jade Hand Flowers, before the flowers even had a chance to bloom, patches of them had already withered, making John Harper's face look extremely grim.

"Is it only the Jade Hand Flowers?" John Harper asked hopefully.

Robert Harper gave a bitter smile. "The Jade Hand Flowers are actually the best off. The Cold Vein Grass and Serpent Crown Flower fields are in even worse shape, with even more severe withering. This year, it will be very difficult to gather enough herbs to pay tribute to the Nebula Pavilion..."

John Harper's expression changed, and he said sternly, "What on earth is going on? Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"

"I don't know what's happening either." Robert Harper looked pained and confused. "Ever since David Carter passed away two years ago, the yield from the herb fields has been dropping season by season. The decline was manageable at first, and we could still supply the Nebula Pavilion, so I didn't pay enough attention because I was busy trying to break through my cultivation."

"When I realized something was wrong, I thought I could still control the situation. I put a lot of effort into cultivating and tending the spiritual herbs, hoping to turn things around. But what I didn't expect was that, starting three months ago, the herbs began to wither gradually. Before I could react, large swathes of the herb fields had already wilted..."

Robert Harper hung his head in frustration, ready to accept any blame or punishment, and did not try to shirk responsibility.

John Harper wore a grim expression and was silent for a long time before suddenly asking, "The withering of the herbs in the fields—what does that have to do with Ryan Carter? He spends all his time in the mine inside the mountain and has never even been to the herb fields. How could he affect those herbs? Third Brother, what makes you suspect Ryan Carter?"

In his view, Ryan Carter was just a fool, living a soulless life, and it was impossible for him to have any impact on the medicine mountain.

"Ever since the grandfather and grandson entered the mine on the medicine mountain five years ago, I've been observing in secret. Over these five years, there have been very few changes on the medicine mountain, but there is one phenomenon that is very strange..." Robert Harper frowned, thinking as he spoke.

"What phenomenon do you find strange?" John Harper asked in surprise.

"It's that every time there's thunder and rain, the lightning over the medicine mountain becomes extremely dense. Each time, bolts of lightning strike the peak of the mountain. Sometimes, when the lightning falls, it even startles me. But before the grandfather and grandson arrived, no matter how bad the weather was, there was never so much lightning gathering over the medicine mountain, let alone lightning striking directly down!" Robert Harper said with certainty.

"This lightning... could it really have something to do with them?" John Harper shook his head, feeling that his brother's suspicion was unfounded.