“Oh? Isn’t it all just idling away one’s life, waiting for death? Is there really a difference?!” Ethan Brooks raised his eyebrows, his words laced with barbs. Seeing the lightning-flash in Samuel Brooks’s eyes, Ethan Brooks felt all the more that for such an iron-blooded man to sink into despair was truly a great loss for the world!

A trace of bitterness and unwillingness flashed through Samuel Brooks’s eyes, then quickly faded. His clean right hand rested on his crippled leg; he looked up and said, “That’s a huge mistake—how could there be no difference? The difference is as vast as heaven and earth! A ‘second-generation heir’ is someone whose father has already conquered the world, so the son can just enjoy the fruits of that labor. There’s no real difficulty—so long as you know how to eat, you’ll never starve, and at the very least, you’ll live a life of luxury and honor! But a so-called ‘third-generation heir’ is different.”

He looked into Ethan Brooks’s eyes, gave a sly chuckle, and retorted, “A so-called ‘third-generation heir’ doesn’t necessarily mean the literal third generation, but rather the inheritor of the third era; that is, the grandfather’s generation conquered the world, but there was a break in the father’s generation—that’s what makes a ‘third-generation heir’! If your father were still alive, then both you and I would be ‘second-generation heirs’—it’s just that I’d be counted from your grandfather’s generation, and you from your father’s. That’s the only difference.”

“But now your grandfather is already old, so even if you wanted to be a ‘third-generation heir,’ I’m afraid you wouldn’t be able to for long; and above you, aside from your grandfather, there’s no other big tree to shelter under. So, as a ‘third-generation heir,’ your life ahead will likely be extremely difficult! To be a competent ‘third-generation heir,’ if you don’t have some real ability and cunning, it’s absolutely impossible. So, as a ‘second-generation heir,’ I’m a bit luckier than you.”

As Samuel Brooks spoke, he had originally meant to counter Ethan Brooks’s “idling away one’s life,” but as he went on, a sense of desolation welled up in his heart. Was the great Jun family really finished? Once so powerful that no nation dared look them in the eye, had the Jun family really fallen to this point? Both his elder brothers had died in battle, he himself was crippled; the only two nephews with any promise had also died on the battlefield, their bodies lost; the Jun bloodline was now left with only this useless good-for-nothing, Ethan Morris Brooks!

Suddenly, Samuel Brooks lost all interest, feeling utterly bored, not even wanting to speak anymore.

Ethan Brooks was silent, then suddenly broke into a smile and said, “Actually, I could be a ‘second-generation heir’ too.” Samuel Brooks’s words, of course Ethan Brooks understood; the reason he had prompted Samuel Brooks to say all this was for what he was about to say next!

Samuel Brooks coughed twice, asking with interest but also a hint of laziness, “Oh?”

“If you, Third Uncle, would be my big tree and give me shelter, couldn’t I still be a ‘second-generation heir’?” Ethan Brooks said with a grin.

A flash of anger crossed Samuel Brooks’s eyes, and he said in a low voice, “Morris, are you mocking your third uncle again?”

Ethan Brooks looked him over, then suddenly asked, “Do you still have any feeling in your leg?”

“None!” Samuel Brooks turned his head away, growing more and more annoyed with this nephew. He knew full well that his greatest sore spot was his disability, yet he kept bringing it up—before, at least, he’d been subtle, but now he was asking outright. Such a disrespectful descendant was truly better off not existing!

“Was your spine ever fractured before?”

“No!” Samuel Brooks was furious. “You little brat, if my spine had been shattered, would I still be alive today?!”

“So, in other words, Third Uncle, at most your meridians were damaged? Someone used a dirty trick on you?” Ethan Brooks’s eyes lit up. It seemed the meridians had been severed or corroded by some sinister martial art, causing them to wither. If that was the case, as long as the vital energy and blood weren’t depleted, there was still some hope. With his own medical skills, he might have a chance to heal him. After all, they were close blood relatives in this life, and what truly moved Ethan Brooks was that indomitable, iron-blooded spirit!

Ethan Brooks felt that, since he had the ability, he ought to help such an iron-blooded man stand again! Whether or not he was his third uncle!

Ethan Brooks looked at him and slowly said, “I heard you were injured on the battlefield, but to use such a sinister trick there is much harder than just killing you outright. Why would that be? Was it an old enemy of yours who deliberately wanted to ruin you, leaving you in this half-dead state?!”

The words struck a nerve. Samuel Brooks clenched his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, breathing heavily for a few moments before barely regaining his composure. He said coldly, “What does that have to do with you?”

Knowing he’d guessed right, Ethan Brooks grinned triumphantly, reached out to steady the wheelchair, leaned in, and said mysteriously, “Third Uncle, do you want revenge?”

“Look at me—what revenge could I possibly talk about?” A flush appeared on Samuel Brooks’s thin face, his eyes flickering with emotion, a look of deep hatred flashing through them; after a long while, he sighed in defeat and said, “As I am now, I’m just a cripple!”

Ethan Brooks smiled and said softly, “What if I had the ability to help you stand again, Third Uncle?”

These words exploded like a thunderclap!

Chapter Five: A Ray of Hope

Ethan Brooks’s words were spoken softly, but to Samuel Brooks’s ears, they were like thunder from a clear sky!