On the mountain path between Harper Town and Hillcrest, Sarah Harper, dressed in a long emerald-green dress, furrowed her brows. Her delicate and refined face was full of reproach as she gently scolded the young girl beside her.

Emily Harper, clad in fiery red leather armor, seemed like a powder keg ignited, venting her anger by kicking the gravel at her feet, sending stones flying in all directions. Her long, slender legs swung with a fierce wind as she grumbled, “If it weren’t for that bastard Kevin Foster provoking me, how would I have suddenly lost my temper? Second aunt? That wretched woman is not our aunt at all!”

“Keep your voice down! Don’t say such things carelessly!” Sarah Harper quickly rebuked her.

“Carelessly? You all think I don’t know?” Emily Harper narrowed her eyes, her face full of hatred, and said coldly, “That wretched woman married second uncle and came to our Harper Town for only seven months before giving birth to Brian Foster. Two years later, she went back to Starcloud Hall for a visit, and not long after, she gave birth to that bastard Kevin Foster. Those two with the surname Du are clearly the illegitimate children of her cousin Matthew Foster from Starcloud Hall!”

“Who did you hear this from?” Sarah Harper grew nervous.

“I overheard the clan’s martial artists talking in private. You, father, and third uncle have been hiding it from me because you’re afraid I’ll lose my temper and cause trouble, right?” Emily Harper’s eyes suddenly reddened, tears welling up uncontrollably. She wiped them away fiercely, gritting her teeth, “Second uncle didn’t die from some qi deviation! He was angered to death by that wretched woman and her family! Second uncle doted on me the most when I was little. Sooner or later, I’ll avenge him!”

“Sigh, so even the clan’s martial artists already know about this. It seems that great changes are bound to come to the The Harper Family sooner or later.” Sarah Harper’s expression also darkened, and she let out a faint sigh, patting Emily Harper’s shoulder and speaking earnestly, “Matthew Foster holds a high position in Starcloud Hall, and his cultivation is also very advanced. It’s said he’s about to break through to the late stage of the Kaiyuan Realm. For now, our The Harper Family can’t afford to provoke him…”

“I know you and father are enduring it, and I’ll endure it too. When we break through to the Kaiyuan Realm and enter Starcloud Hall, we’ll settle accounts with them then!” Emily Harper said firmly.

“It’s good that you think this way. As long as we sisters work hard and secure a place in Starcloud Hall in the future, we’ll definitely be able to avenge second uncle’s death with blood!” Sarah Harper nodded and continued walking toward Hillcrest, though her heart felt somewhat bitter.

Although both she and Emily Harper were at the seventh level of Body Refinement, she… was already seventeen this year. If she wanted to gain the favor of Starcloud Hall, she had to reach the Kaiyuan Realm before the age of twenty.

Three years to go from the seventh level of Body Refinement straight to the Kaiyuan Realm—how could that be easy?

Sarah Harper’s eyes brimmed with bitterness, and she sighed softly in her heart, forcing a smile as she said, “Father and third uncle are both at Hillcrest. It wasn’t convenient to talk in the dining hall today, so I’ll go with you to find father and ask him clearly about your engagement to Ryan Carter.”

“I absolutely will not get engaged to that fool!” At the mention of Ryan Carter, Emily Harper’s face turned cold again. “Who knows what father is thinking? That guy can’t even speak, he’s like a soulless shell. I can’t stand being alone with him for even a moment, there’s no way I could ever accept him!”

“I know, I know. Of course I don’t want to see you with him either. Don’t worry, I’m definitely on your side.” Sarah Harper smiled gently, comforting her in a soft voice.

The two sisters, like a pair of beautiful wild foxes, chatted softly as they walked toward Hillcrest.

After a while, just as they were about to climb the mountain, the two sisters suddenly stopped in their tracks, both looking toward Ryan Carter, who was walking out of a cave in Hillcrest.

As dusk gradually fell, just like usual, Ryan Carter left the cave.

Separated by some distance, he walked straight toward the two sisters, his expression still vacant and wooden, his gaze always unfocused and wandering, as if he hadn’t even noticed the sisters approaching.

“For five years, day after day, he runs to the Hillcrest mine. Is this fool part rat or something?”

Normally, Emily Harper would ignore him, treating him like air, not even feeling any dislike. But today, the moment she saw Ryan Carter, she felt a surge of anger, and her tone was anything but friendly.

“Why are you angry at him? He doesn’t know anything. Sigh, he’s actually quite pitiful. Now that even his grandfather has passed away, he’s left all alone, muddling through life. Our The Harper Family only provides him with two meals a day, and doesn’t care about anything else…”

Looking at Ryan Carter from afar, Sarah Harper gently shook her head and spoke sympathetically.

“I—I know it’s not his fault, it’s just… just seeing him makes me angry…” Emily Harper was at a loss for words. At only fifteen, she wasn’t truly vicious or cruel—she just couldn’t accept the reality.

At that moment, a white figure suddenly darted out from the woods at the side!

The The Harper Family Patriarch, wearing a pale ghost mask, despite seeing his two daughters there, decided to probe Ryan Carter because the discovery in the mine was too shocking.

“Ah!”

Amid the startled cries of Sarah Harper and Emily Harper, John Harper—like a vengeful ghost—lunged fiercely at the still woodenly walking Ryan Carter.

Seeing the white-clad figure charge at him, Ryan Carter’s expression remained blank. Even as John Harper’s large hand reached out toward his chest, he kept walking mechanically.

His body didn’t stop, his face showed no change, and he made no move to defend or fight back.