"Big brother, let me finish." Robert Harper's expression gradually became serious. "This phenomenon has become even more obvious since David Carter passed away! In the past two years, every time there's thunder and rain, the lightning gathering over Medicine Mountain has increased, and the strikes on the mountain have become more and more frequent! Sometimes, I can vaguely sense that the powerful lightning seems to seep into the mountain's core along the rocks..."

Upon hearing this, John Harper finally paid full attention, solemnly saying, "Go on!"

"All these years, I've been stationed at Medicine Mountain. After every lightning storm, I secretly checked the mine's caves. Several times, I saw Ryan Carter coming out of the caves with his hair and skin slightly scorched. I can guarantee one hundred percent that it was caused by lightning strikes!" Robert Harper said in a low voice. "Connecting this with the strange occurrences on Medicine Mountain over the years, I have reason to suspect that this is related to Ryan Carter! Big brother, the herbs wouldn't wither for no reason. I believe there must be some unusual changes inside Medicine Mountain that are causing the herbs to die!"

John Harper frowned deeply and, after a long silence, suddenly said, "I promised David Carter not to enter the mine without good reason."

"Big brother, if this really is related to Ryan Carter and you don't get to the bottom of it, it will be very hard to save the herbs in the gardens. Medicine Mountain is crucial to our The Harper Family's development. If things keep going like this and our The Harper Family can never gather enough spirit herbs to pay, then Nebula Pavilion..." Robert Harper said worriedly.

John Harper fell silent again. After a while, he took a deep breath, pulled out a pale evil ghost mask and silently put it on, then changed into a white long robe. He said in a low voice, "I'll go investigate the mine quietly. This matter must not be mentioned to anyone!"

"Don't worry, big brother, I know what to do."

...

John Harper, like a white ghost, carefully descended from a remote corner of Medicine Mountain toward the mountainside where the caves were. Stepping on protruding rocks and grabbing hanging vines, his figure was as silent as a falling willow leaf. He quickly arrived at the entrance of one of the caves.

Since he had made up his mind, John Harper didn't hesitate at all. He went straight into the cave and swiftly moved deeper inside.

On the back side of Medicine Mountain, there were many caves of various sizes, all excavated by the The Harper Family from different angles and directions over the years. The tunnels of these caves were interconnected, so once you entered one, it was easy to find a way deeper into the mountain.

However, not long after entering the cave, John Harper suddenly felt a violent shock throughout his body and gradually froze in place.

In his memory, there were at most twenty mine tunnels inside Medicine Mountain. Although he hadn't been here for years, his memory of the mines was still very clear.

When he was young, he had been one of the miners himself and was extremely familiar with this place.

But now, he felt as if he had gone to the wrong place, because the number of mine tunnels inside the mountain had increased tenfold or more!

Looking at the intricate, crisscrossing tunnels before him, as complex as a spider web, John Harper was shocked and bewildered, feeling no sense of familiarity at all.

"Heavens! How did they do this?" John Harper gasped.

He still remembered that back then, it took dozens of The Harper Family members three years to dig just over a dozen tunnels into the mountain's core.

But this grandfather and grandson, in five years, had somehow opened up hundreds of new tunnels. John Harper could hardly believe his eyes.

Hundreds of tunnels intertwined with the original ones, forming a labyrinth as complex and unfathomable as the meridians of the human body.

John Harper forced himself to stay calm and began searching through the hundreds of tunnels, trying to reach the deepest part of the mountain and find Ryan Carter.

Half an hour later, the head of the The Harper Family gradually became disoriented and, in a daze, found himself back at the entrance of the cave he had first entered.

When he came to, his face looked terrible. Unwilling to give up, he ventured into the mines again to search...

Seven times in a row, each time he ended up back at the original entrance. John Harper began to feel exhausted, his face a bit pale. Glancing at the sky, he somewhat awkwardly made his way back up Medicine Mountain the way he had come.

"Big brother, you look terrible. What happened? Did you find anything inside?" Robert Harper asked anxiously as soon as he took off his mask.

Waving his hand, the head of the The Harper Family signaled him not to ask for now. He sat down in silence, then reluctantly took a spirit recovery pill and began to regulate his breathing.

Robert Harper hesitated, staring at him in shock and confusion.

As night gradually fell, after a period of recovery, the head of the The Harper Family regained some of his vigor. He opened his eyes and, before Robert Harper could ask, said in a low voice, "Don't ask yet! Right now, Ryan Carter should be coming out of the cave and heading back to Harper Town. I want to intercept him on his way back and see what's really going on with him!"

With that, not waiting for Robert Harper to say more, the head of the The Harper Family put on the white evil ghost mask again, his eyes grave as he slipped away along the mountain path between Medicine Mountain and Harper Town.

Chapter 3: Testing

"Hey, little sister, honestly! I told you to wait until after dinner to talk to father about your engagement to Ryan Carter, but you just wouldn't listen. Second aunt's whole family was still at the table—how could father say anything in front of them?"