Sarah Harper did not explain. She turned her head to look at the young man lying on her fragrant shoulder, and as she gazed at his tightly closed eyes, that face, which appeared even more strikingly handsome with his eyes shut, she was momentarily dazed for quite a while.

Strange, this guy actually looks so good with his eyes closed...

“Father once said that only those who have tempered their bodies to the extreme—martial artists who have refined their skin, flesh, tendons, fibers, bones, and organs to perfection—can weigh many times more than ordinary people, even if their bodies appear thin and weak.” Emily Harper, seeing she didn’t answer, spoke disdainfully to herself: “Him? Hmph! There isn’t even a trace of spiritual energy fluctuation in his body. Even if he really is a bit heavier, it’s just because the food he ate hasn’t digested, or he’s carrying something heavy on him.”

Sarah Harper, still in a daze, hadn’t thought much about it, but after hearing this, she suddenly snapped out of it. Looking at the young man on her shoulder, a look of astonished confusion gradually appeared in her bright eyes.

Chapter 4: No Law, No Thought

On Medicine Mountain.

After removing his mask, The Harper Family Patriarch recounted with a grim face what he had discovered in the cave, as well as his two probing attacks on Ryan Carter, in detail.

“Big brother, are you sure you didn’t see wrong? Ten times more stone tunnels suddenly appeared? How is that possible?” Robert Harper shook his head in disbelief and exclaimed, “Just the two of them, grandfather and grandson? Even if they worked day and night, there’s no way they could have carved out so many stone tunnels!”

“If, if David Carter was a powerful martial artist, with a true realm around the Shattered Mirror, do you think it’s possible?” The Harper Family Patriarch said solemnly.

“Ah!” Robert Harper cried out in shock, his lips suddenly dry. His eyes bulged as he rasped, “Big brother, how could he possibly reach such a high level? If he really was someone of that caliber, what would he be doing in our Ling Family Town?”

“I can’t think of any other possibility.” John Harper’s voice was trembling as well. “Only a master who has reached such a transcendent realm could have the ability to carve out so many stone tunnels in such a short time! Actually, I’ve long suspected David Carter... Many of the younger generation in the clan think that repairing spirit artifacts is much easier than forging them, but you should know that someone who can successfully repair a spirit artifact refined by another is definitely far more skilled than the original forger!”

“You mean...?” Robert Harper was secretly shocked.

“David Carter is definitely not simple! Perhaps, even his death was just a cover...”

The Harper Family Patriarch’s thoughts gradually became clearer. “Now that I think about it, there were many suspicious points about David Carter’s death from illness. The cause was unknown, he wouldn’t let us get a doctor, and he died very quickly. Before dying, he even insisted we give him a water burial. After we threw his body into the river, we naturally couldn’t investigate further...”

“You suspect he faked his death?” Robert Harper exclaimed.

“It’s possible.” The Harper Family Patriarch nodded. “The grandfather was not simple, and the grandson is strange too. We can’t be sure about the rest for now, but Ryan Carter’s seemingly weak body is actually extremely strong! I think even the brothers Brian Foster and Kevin Foster might not be stronger than him!”

“How is that possible? Kevin Foster is at the fifth level of Body Refinement, and Brian Foster is at the eighth level. How could they not be as strong as him?” Robert Harper said in surprise.

“Looks like we’ll have to pay more attention to Ryan Carter from now on. Your guess is probably right—the withering of the medicinal herbs on Medicine Mountain is very likely related to Ryan Carter.” The Harper Family Patriarch said with a complicated expression.

...

“Big sis, what do you think that man in white was? Why would he attack a fool? That guy is really shameless!”

“Who knows? I just hope father and third uncle can catch him. Our Ling Family Town is so remote, it’s rare for any skilled martial artists to come by. It really is strange.” Sarah Harper frowned slightly, her slender brows knitting together. She clasped Ryan Carter’s legs on her back with both hands, her gaze odd.

The tall and graceful Sarah Harper was two years older than Ryan Carter, a bit taller than him at this moment, and was at the seventh level of Body Refinement. By rights, carrying a skinny Ryan Carter on her back should have been effortless, but only she knew that she was actually struggling a bit...

This made her inner doubts grow stronger, but she didn’t say more here. Instead, she teased her little sister in a casual tone, “You didn’t let me down, though. When that man in white attacked Ryan Carter, you joined me in chasing after him right away. Heh, I thought you’d stand by and watch, hoping that man in white would kill Ryan Carter and solve your troubles for you.”

“Oh, come on. I’m unhappy with father’s decision, but I know it’s not this fool’s fault. He’s actually pretty pitiful. I’m not that vicious or shameless.” Emily Harper said coquettishly.

The two sisters chatted in clear, crisp voices as they drew closer to Ling Family Town. Emily Harper never once paid attention to Ryan Carter, and after Sarah Harper glanced at him at the start, she didn’t look back again, focusing only on her conversation with her little sister and the rugged mountain path beneath her feet.

Neither of the two girls knew that Ryan Carter, whom they had ignored, had already opened his eyes at some point. Those eyes were as bright as cold stars, clear and sharp, with not a trace of emptiness or confusion!

After two years, Ryan Carter had awakened from deep cultivation once again!

The last time, it was David Carter who woke him up before leaving. This time, it was the shock from Robert Harper’s attack that roused him.