The reason for ending up in this place was truly because that former Thomas Brooks had so little in his head—aside from indulging in sensual pleasures, eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling, there was basically nothing else. His mind was a complete mess. Even if Ethan Brooks wanted to sort out any useful information from it, it was simply impossible. So he needed to spend some time straightening out everything in his mind, at the very least to get a clear understanding of everything in Thomas Brooks’s head. Even if there wasn’t much of value, he could at least gain a thorough understanding of everything about the The Brooks Family.

Once Ethan Brooks entered the library pavilion, he didn’t come out for an entire day.

“Master, after the young master left you, he just chatted with Third Master in the courtyard for a while. It looked like Third Master was extremely happy—such joy has been rare for Third Master in recent years.”

In William Brooks’s study, an old man bowed before William Brooks, reporting on Ethan Brooks’s whereabouts.

“?” A look of astonishment flashed across William Brooks’s usually calm face. These two, uncle and nephew, had always been at odds for years, like fire and water. Whenever they met, it was always mutual sarcasm and ridicule; neither could stand the sight of the other. How could they be chatting together today? And even happily? For The Third to actually be happy—this was truly unexpected, almost bizarre!

“What did they talk about?” William Brooks took a sip of tea, asking as if casually.

“In recent years, Third Master has not let his disability defeat him, and his cultivation in profound energy has improved greatly, reaching the early stage of the Earth rank. I didn’t dare get too close, so I didn’t hear what they talked about. I only saw that both Third Master and the young master were genuinely smiling and seemed to be having a very pleasant conversation.” The old man answered respectfully.

“Getting along?” William Brooks blew his beard: “How is that possible?! If those two spend any length of time together without someone getting killed, that’s already a miracle, and now you say they’re getting along?”

“It’s absolutely true, Master! And after the young master parted from Third Master, he went straight to the library pavilion and hasn’t come out since. There’s little to disturb him in the library, so I don’t think there’s any issue. What’s truly unusual is how well he got along with Third Master, so I hurried to report this to you!”

“You did the right thing. But that brat went to the… library pavilion?” William Brooks’s beard trembled, his eyes wide: “Are you sure you didn’t make a mistake? That little bastard Ethan Morris Brooks actually went to the library pavilion?? And not to the likes of the Flower Pavilion or the Fragrant Pavilion… those places?”

The old man nodded vigorously: “It was the library pavilion! No mistake, Master.”

Suddenly, William Brooks stood up and began pacing back and forth in the room. His usual calm and scholarly demeanor vanished in an instant. Tugging at his beard, he frowned in thought: “Mr. Palmer, what do you think that kid is doing in the library pavilion?” Suddenly, he froze: “He’s not planning to set it on fire, is he?”

“The young master has been reading inside, very quietly. I don’t think he’ll leave anytime soon, so I felt at ease coming back.” Mr. Palmer’s mouth twitched, trying not to laugh.

“Reading!” Mr. Brooks cried out in surprise, yanking out a tuft of his own beard without even noticing, and said with his mouth agape: “Really reading?!”

“Yes, Master.”

After pondering for a while, William Brooks waved his hand: “Reading is a good thing, so let’s not disturb him for now. When he leaves, bring me all the books he’s read. I want to see what he’s up to. He’s not looking for erotic art, is he? Hmm… Even if he is, it’s no big deal. The boy’s grown up; looking at that stuff isn’t a big deal. Back in my day… ahem, Mr. Palmer, forbid anyone from disturbing that kid!”

“Yes, Master.”

William Brooks paced a couple of times, then looked up at the sky, twirling his beard in thought, secretly musing: “If it’s not for… could it be that this brat has really suddenly come to his senses and is turning over a new leaf?” He shook his head and sighed deeply: “If that’s really the case, I’ll have to burn incense and worship the ancestors in thanks for their blessing…”

It wasn’t until evening, when the lamps were lit, that the steward Mr. Palmer went to collect the books Ethan Brooks had read, and actually came back carrying dozens of volumes.

William Brooks placed them one by one on the table, frowning. “The ‘Annals of the Mysterious Continent,’ ‘Records of the Continent,’ ‘Atlas of the Continent’s Mountains and Rivers,’ ‘List of Notable Figures,’ ‘Illustrated Guide to Rare Flowers and Exotic Herbs,’ ‘On the Wars of the Continent,’ ‘Mysterious Military Strategies’… Hiss—” Mr. Brooks spent the whole night flipping through the books his grandson had read, his expression shifting between confusion and delight, sighing and exhaling, shaking his head and nodding. It seemed he used up all the expressions of half a lifetime in just one night…

Chapter 7: The Exquisite Hongjun Pagoda

In the days that followed, Ethan Brooks still didn’t leave the house. Every morning, as soon as he got up, he headed straight for the library pavilion and stayed there all day. Without exception, every book he read would be brought over by Mr. Brooks for another round of analysis, followed by more head-shaking, nodding, sighing, exhaling, confusion, and delight. Apparently, he still hadn’t run out of expressions…

Additionally, the servants of the The Brooks Family discovered that the young master had developed another odd habit: it was one thing to hole up in the library pavilion all day, but at night, he liked to sit in the courtyard, always choosing the darkest, least-lit spot to sit… Truly… strange!

However, the servants didn’t really mind. Compared to the young master’s past behavior, this was a huge improvement!