Ryan Clark had made all his preparations by the afternoon, placing the talismans in his chest pocket and the hidden pockets in his sleeves. For some talismans, he prepared several copies; for those unlikely to be used, he only brought one. He sorted them by category to ensure he could access them immediately. After a quick mental check to make sure nothing was forgotten, he nodded to Lucas Brooks and Eric Bennett, and they headed out together.

On the way, Ryan Clark and Lucas Brooks chatted idly, while Eric Bennett spoke very little, appearing rather dull. Perhaps it was for this reason that Lucas Brooks had brought him along.

As they approached the haunted house, they saw five people standing outside from a distance—three men and two women. Lucas Brooks's expression changed, and he stopped in his tracks. "Damn it, why is Emily here too?"

At that moment, the group across the way also noticed them. Among them, a girl dressed in bright red, as red as a chili pepper, jumped up and waved at Lucas Brooks. Seeing there was no way to avoid them, Lucas Brooks signaled to Ryan Clark and then walked over.

Of the five, the most striking was a tall girl of about seventeen or eighteen, dressed in a lotus-colored dress. She had phoenix eyes and a delicate nose, and was extremely beautiful. The other, the "red chili" girl, was more petite, with big eyes, a perky nose, and a small mouth. She looked about fourteen or fifteen, and was exceptionally lively. The three men stood a bit farther away, led by a young man in scholar's robes. Aside from his slightly pale complexion, he was much more handsome than Lucas Brooks. Behind him stood two burly, broad-shouldered middle-aged men, both exuding a fierce aura.

"Well, Lucas Brooks, what a thing to do—such an interesting event, and you didn't invite me and Emily sis to come along," the girl in red shouted as soon as Lucas Brooks approached.

Lucas Brooks hurriedly cupped his hands in apology. "Seventh Sister, it's my fault. I was worried that girls wouldn't like things involving ghosts and monsters."

The girl in the lotus-colored dress saw the red-clad girl was about to continue, so she quickly pulled her back and answered first, "It's thoughtful of you, Senior Brother Brooks. We're just too curious, that's all." She smiled apologetically as she finished.

Standing to the side, Ryan Clark found her smile dazzling, and Lucas Brooks was even more so. "Sister Emily, why do you still call me Shixiong? We've known each other for so long—just call me Lucas. If I'd known you were curious about this, I would have brought you along long ago." As he spoke, he moved closer, looking like he'd never seen a woman before.

Seeing Lucas Brooks approach, Emily frowned slightly and glanced around, spotting Ryan Clark and Eric Bennett standing nearby. She then said to Lucas Brooks, "Lucas brother, who are these two?"

Only then did Lucas Brooks realize he hadn't introduced them. He quickly said, "This is Ryan Clark, the last disciple of an elder from my sect—Junior Brother Clark. And this is Eric Bennett, my father's fifth disciple—Junior Brother Bennett. They're my companions today."

At this moment, the three men who had been standing a bit farther away walked over, having heard Lucas Brooks's introduction. The pale-faced, scholarly-looking young man laughed and said, "Lucas my good brother, so these are the 'experts' you've brought? Truly, heroes emerge from the young! Come, let me introduce you—this is my uncle Jian Cong, and this is uncle Dao Feng. Both are famous figures in the martial world. Let's all get to know each other, haha."

Lucas Brooks's face turned a bit green at the introduction, and after a moment he said, "So these are the legendary Sword and Blade Killers of Ganlong Road. I am humbled."

The girl in red, seeing Lucas Brooks's reaction, scowled and said to the scholarly youth, "William Carter, have you no shame? This is a bet among us juniors—what's the point of bringing your family's elder experts? My fifth brother always plays by the rules!"

"Miss Jinyi, you shouldn't say such things in front of Miss Emily. I don't know when this rule was set. When I made the bet with Lucas, we never said elders couldn't be present," William Carter replied smugly.

"Alright, Seventh Sister, that's enough," the girl in the lotus-colored dress interjected. "Junior Brother Clark, this is Emily Parker, the most outstanding disciple of the current generation of Yuhua Sect. This is our family's seventh sister, Grace Brooks. Their branch moved to Luojing over thirty years ago, so they rarely come back, which is why you haven't met them before."

Ryan Clark cupped his hands in greeting to the two girls and was about to speak when William Carter cut in again. "Hey, Lucas, aren't you going to introduce these two young 'heroes' to me? Or do you think my martial arts aren't good enough to associate with them?" The two fierce-looking middle-aged men behind him glared at Ryan Clark, and Ryan Clark felt a wave of murderous intent—such a strong aura could only come from someone who had killed at least a hundred people.

However, after so long practicing the Zhaoshen meditation, this level of murderous intent had no effect on Ryan Clark at all. He simply smiled and shook his head, ignoring them. He had considered glaring back and using a little magic to make the two thugs suffer a bit, but their looks really didn't appeal to him. He'd rather enjoy watching the beautiful Emily and the cute Grace. Of course, Ryan Clark wasn't some eternal virgin—cultivation was his priority, and beauties were just for admiring.

Seeing that Ryan Clark and Eric Bennett didn't respond, Emily Parker worried that Lucas Brooks would feel awkward, so she quickly smoothed things over with a smile. "Since everyone is here, why don't we go in? To be honest, I've never seen a ghost or monster before. I wonder if I'll get my wish this time."