Sometimes, when the doctor wouldn’t allow entry, Frank Quinn would stand outside the door in the cold wind, afraid he wouldn’t know when the old man passed away. This made everyone in The Brooks Family develop a deep fondness for Frank Quinn, this loyal and affectionate young fellow.

“Frank, Grandpa probably won’t make it. He doesn’t recognize anyone anymore.”

Samuel Brooks’s eyes were red, clearly from crying just now. Having grown up with the old man, he was deeply attached to his grandfather. He simply couldn’t accept that the once awe-inspiring elder had become like this.

“Samuel, don’t be sad. Maybe Grandpa Liu will get better.”

Frank Quinn patted his friend’s shoulder. As he spoke, he couldn’t help but choke up himself. Ever since the upheaval in his own family, he had only felt that kind of familial warmth from the old man.

Now, with the old man about to pass, the gloom that had lingered in Frank Quinn’s heart for over half a year, despite his newfound cheerfulness, still couldn’t be dispelled.

“Dad, you’re awake? Are you feeling any better?”

Just as Frank Quinn and Samuel Brooks were talking, a sudden urgent shout came from the inner room. Samuel Brooks froze for a moment, then quickly lifted the thick curtain and entered the room, with Frank Quinn following close behind.

“Cough... cough, cough...”

The old man on the sickbed coughed violently for quite a while. After spitting out a mouthful of bloody phlegm, he seemed to regain his clarity. He lifted his head and looked with difficulty at everyone’s faces, then said softly, “The clay pot never leaves the well without breaking; a general can hardly avoid dying on the battlefield. I, Jack Brooks, have lived a life full of ups and downs. To die in bed is already a great blessing!”

Jack Brooks was a disciple of “Divine Spear” Li Shuwen. At a young age, he made a great name for himself in the martial world, and later joined the military, always fighting bravely in every battle. Who knows how many times he crawled out from piles of corpses.

So the old man had long since seen through life and death. Now, with a house full of children and grandchildren, he was truly content. After wandering for thirty or forty years, he could finally return to his roots. He had no other wishes left.

“Dad, please don’t say that. You’ll get better!”

Looking at their father, thin as a stick, the brothers of The Brooks Family were all covered in tears. In their hearts, they knew this was a final burst of clarity before death, and it would be hard for him to make it through the day.

The old man’s face had taken on a grayish-white hue, a sign of impending death. The three brothers of The Brooks Family, all men of the world, felt heavy-hearted, their eyes brimming with tears.

“I won’t get better. I know my own body.”

Jack Brooks took a deep breath. A flush of color appeared on his gray face, and his spirit seemed better than before. Supporting himself on the bed, he actually managed to sit up.

“Dad, what are you doing? Lie down quickly!”

Seeing the old man sit up, everyone was shocked and rushed to the bedside. Samuel Brooks’s tears streamed down his cheeks outside the crowd, but he couldn’t squeeze to the front.

“All of you, step back. Who in this world doesn’t die? What’s there to cry about?”

The old man glared, and there was no trace of a dying elder in him. His former authority seemed to return, and the room instantly quieted down.

“Listen up, all of you. The business in Taiwan will be managed by the eldest. The second and third will get dividends every year. Hmm... the third will get an extra ten percent, that’s for Samuel...”

Seeing his sons and grandsons quiet down, the old man began to arrange his affairs. Although his sons were all filial and obedient, after he was gone, there was no guarantee that disputes over inheritance wouldn’t arise.

Glancing at his sons’ faces, the old man continued, “The Bajimen business will be managed by the second. This isn’t a money-making venture. Each year, one-tenth of the public funds will go into it. Eldest, do you understand?”

Back then, when Jack Brooks followed the defeated soldiers to Taiwan, he took his eldest and third sons, leaving only the second at home. Among the three brothers, the second’s martial arts were the most refined, so he inherited the Bajiquan tradition.

“Dad, I understand. Don’t worry, I’ll do as you say.”

Jack Brooks’s eldest son was already over sixty. With his father’s blessing, he had managed relationships in Taiwan well, long since given up martial arts for business, and was a prominent figure there.

“Good. Don’t let others laugh at you.”

The old man nodded, then turned to his second son and said, “Second, in the future, the Bajiquan lineage will be passed to Samuel, do you hear me? But this boy also needs to study. A mere martial artist won’t do.”

Jack Brooks had three sons, seven grandsons, and several great-grandchildren, but the only one who had endured hardship, trained hard, and achieved something was Samuel Brooks. He was choosing the third-generation successor for his lineage.

“Yes, Father. I will teach Samuel well.” Charles Brooks replied respectfully.

“Grandpa, I don’t want you to die, I don’t want you to die!”

No matter how mature Samuel Brooks was, he was still just a boy of about ten. At this moment, he couldn’t hold back anymore. Pushing through the crowd, he knelt before his grandfather and burst into tears.

“Silly child, who can escape death? Your grandpa has roamed the world all his life—this life was worth it!”