That night, many cultivators arrived in Luoxing City. Most of them quietly searched for accommodations, while some spent the night out in the wild fields outside the city.

In the morning, Mr. Parker came with his son to pay their respects, and David Cooper also arrived with his subordinates. No one knew how they had slept, but they were all filthy.

David Cooper was fairly strong, but he needed to sleep at night. William Harris, on the other hand, didn’t need a bed at all—his strength made such things unnecessary.

William Harris was giving instructions to Edward Parker: “More people will be arriving soon. You need to arrange food and lodging for them... Also, be alert. Many cultivators arrived last night, so tell your men to keep a low profile.”

Edward Parker replied respectfully, “Yes, yes!”

William Harris stood up, just about to leave, when a whistling sound was heard. A fierce wind arose, and in an instant, someone landed before them. David Cooper seemed to find his backbone and called out, “Ancestor!”

Edward Parker’s heart skipped a beat. He looked up at his own ancestor, only to see William Harris calmly sitting back down, unruffled.

There were countless experts in the cultivation world, but everyone could count the true top-tier ones on their fingers. This man was one of those few.

He was built like a bear, with a big head and a thick neck—his neck was even thicker than his head. His body was barrel-shaped, huge and fat, with an unusually long torso, short legs, and long arms. His appearance was fierce, with round, copper-bell eyes, slabs of flesh on his face, especially the bulging masseter muscles, a thick, wide mouth, and teeth that were yellowish-black.

He looked like a bear, and his name even included “bear”—he was called Brian Brooks!

David Cooper’s face was full of excitement. Now that his ancestor had arrived, he suddenly felt he had someone to rely on.

William Harris sat upright, unmoving, simply watching Brian Brooks with a calm gaze.

Brian Brooks had followed David Cooper here. When he saw William Harris, he was momentarily stunned, then turned to David Cooper and said, “Damn it, why are you with Lord Jin?”

His voice boomed like thunder, making the four people around Edward Parker dizzy and dazed. Mr. Parker fell to the ground with a thud, as if someone had suddenly struck a giant gong right next to his ear, leaving him clutching his ears and trembling all over.

William Harris said, “Brian Brooks, there are no deaf people here. Why are you shouting so loudly?” His voice was cool, with a hint of mockery and sarcasm.

Brian Brooks replied, “I was born this way... you know that!”

Then Brian Brooks beckoned, “Come here, why are you here?”

David Cooper stepped forward timidly, a bit nervous, and stammered, “Well... I... I...”

“Smack!”

Brian Brooks’s palm was even bigger and stronger than a bear’s. He slapped David Cooper squarely across the face. Everyone was stunned—so this was how their sect did things: if you disagreed, you got slapped.

David Cooper flipped through the air and crashed to the ground. Despite the blood from his nose and mouth, it was just a flesh wound.

Mr. Parker heard the loud smack, then saw David Cooper crash to the ground. At that moment, he felt pain all over his own body and couldn’t help but shiver. Do they really hit their own people this hard? He simply couldn’t understand.

Terrifying!

A faint smile tugged at the corner of William Harris’s mouth as he teased, “Tsk tsk, Brian Brooks, go easy, or you’ll knock his head off.”

Brian Brooks blurted out, “I wasn’t even using any force!”

William Harris burst out laughing.

David Cooper was used to his ancestor’s ways. If the old man hit you, it meant he still cared. He got up, clutching his face, and stood to the side, foolishly watching the two ancestors banter.

Brian Brooks asked, “Hey, David Cooper, you still haven’t answered me. Why are you here?”

William Harris said dryly, “Oh, nothing much. He just came to steal my place to stay.”

Cold sweat broke out on David Cooper’s forehead.

Even someone as formidable as Brian Brooks was stunned by this and said, “What? He tried to steal your room, Lord Jin? Haha, don’t joke—who would dare take your room?”

William Harris replied calmly, “I’m not joking.”

Brian Brooks’s laughter stopped abruptly. He looked at William Harris, then at David Cooper, and roared, “David Cooper! Is that true?!”

David Cooper wanted to deny it, but he really didn’t dare. He wished he could dig a hole and bury himself. Trembling, he said, “Ancestor... yes, yes... I just wanted to find a better place for you to rest... so... so...”

Brian Brooks said, “So you tried to take Lord Jin’s place.”

He was dizzy from all this. Was his disciple out of his mind, trying to take a top expert’s place? He was amazed the guy was still alive—if it had been him, he’d have killed him already.

David Cooper said, “I-I didn’t know... didn’t know the senior was staying here...”

Brian Brooks cupped his hands and said, “Lord Jin, thank you for showing mercy.”

If William Harris had really killed David Cooper, he would have had to fight William Harris, and that would have caused a huge scene. He really didn’t want to fight someone as powerful as William Harris, because he wasn’t confident he could win.

William Harris said, “I’m not one for fighting. Hmm... Old Bear, you’re here to explore the ruins too, right? Want to team up?”

Brian Brooks grinned widely. “Haha, good, good! Let’s go together!”

William Harris said, “There should be plenty of other experts coming. Let’s not rush—let them go first.”

As he spoke, he gestured for Brian Brooks to sit down.

Chapter Four: The Alluring Witch