Edward Parker hurriedly pulled out a grand armchair, and only then did Brian Brooks plop down, the chair creaking under his weight.

David Cooper finally felt relieved when he saw Brian Brooks express his thanks—this meant the ancestor wouldn’t punish him.

Mr. Parker finally approached his son. He had nearly been scared to death by this group of cultivators, but things had finally calmed down. Now, he had his own thoughts about these lofty cultivators: once you stripped away their outer trappings, they didn’t seem much different from ordinary people—they too experienced joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness.

Edward Parker whispered, “Dad, go arrange for breakfast to be served…”

Mr. Parker nodded repeatedly, whispering, “Alright, alright, I’ll go arrange it right away.”

He turned and left, hurrying to arrange breakfast for these people. He hadn’t even made it out the door when he heard Brian Brooks say, “Hey, make sure to prepare some meat for me! Roasted or braised, either is fine, just don’t give me any vegetarian stuff!”

William Harris said, “You really have a heavy taste! Eating meat first thing in the morning.”

Actually, both William Harris and Brian Brooks could survive without food, but Brian Brooks had loved eating meat since childhood. Even after reaching a high level of cultivation, he still enjoyed eating meat and drinking wine.

Mr. Parker quickly responded, “We have some fine wine stored in the manor. Would the honored immortal like some?”

Brian Brooks looked at Mr. Parker in surprise and said, “Not bad, not bad, then bring out two jars for me to try.”

Qingchuan baijiu!

This was a liquor monopolized by the Tusi manor; no one else was allowed to sell it.

Mr. Parker hurried off to make arrangements. He’d never heard of anyone wanting to eat meat so early in the morning, so the only way to get it ready quickly was to roast it.

David Cooper quietly followed along—he knew the ancestor’s habits well.

Mr. Parker was worried—how much meat would be enough? Luckily, David Cooper caught up and said, “At least one sheep, five chickens, and also get some beef or something.”

Mr. Parker was overjoyed. His household had plenty of food, but not knowing how much to prepare was a real headache—too much or too little would both be inappropriate.

William Harris asked, “Edward Parker, when will our people arrive?”

Edward Parker gave a wry smile and said, “Well… when we left, they said they’d set out in a couple of days.”

William Harris felt a bit dissatisfied, but didn’t say anything.

Brian Brooks said, “Soon there’ll be more and more people. How about the two of us go check things out first?”

He also wanted to bring along another expert—the benefits of that were obvious.

William Harris shook his head and said, “No rush, no rush. I figure even if the other sects send people to investigate, it’ll be the juniors who go first. The real experts will definitely be waiting behind.”

Brian Brooks actually wasn’t in a hurry either. He said, “Alright then, let’s eat some meat first! I’m hungry again!”

After chatting idly for a while, two guards came in carrying a large pot. Inside were big chunks of boiled mutton and whole skinned chickens—even the sheep’s head was in the pot. The meat was only seasoned with salt, nothing else, and it was half-cooked, still streaked with blood.

Brian Brooks, however, was extremely satisfied. He reached in and grabbed a huge chunk of mutton, taking a big bite and crunching away noisily. The strange sound was because he was chewing the bones to pieces along with the meat.

William Harris couldn’t help but complain, “You really are a bear… Forget it, I’ll go to the inner room and wait until you’re done eating to talk.”

Mr. Parker stood outside the door, eyes wide in shock. Such hard bones, yet this man bit through them effortlessly. The sound of his chewing made Mr. Parker’s own teeth ache. Just as the ancestor had said—he really was a bear!

This guy ate like a whirlwind. A whole chicken was gone in less than three bites, and he didn’t spit out a single bone—he ate everything.

He downed a whole jar of wine in one gulp, eating and drinking like a ravenous wolf.

In just fifteen minutes, he didn’t even leave a drop of soup, gulping it all down before patting his belly in satisfaction.

Brian Brooks said, “Not bad, I’m full… David Cooper, the reward!”

David Cooper took out a piece of gold and tossed it on the table, saying, “This is your reward!”

Mr. Parker wasn’t short on gold, but since it was a reward from the honored immortal, he had to express his gratitude. He knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying, “Thank you, honored immortal, for your reward!”

Edward Parker watched, his eyelids twitching, but he didn’t dare say anything.

One of David Cooper’s subordinates rushed in and said, “Someone has broken in outside! A very scary woman!”

Brian Brooks stood up and asked, “Who is it?”

His voice boomed like thunder—after eating his fill, he was loud again.

“Brian Brooks, you’re really putting on a show!”

A sweet, delicate voice rang out. Edward Parker, not far away, suddenly noticed that Brian Brooks had straightened his back, and his previously relaxed “bear paws” were now tightly clenched.

Edward Parker felt a chill—anyone who could make an expert like Brian Brooks tense up must be truly terrifying.

In a blur, William Harris appeared before his eyes. Edward Parker was shocked—his own ancestor had appeared so silently and suddenly. It was incredible, terrifying even. If this happened in battle, he was sure he’d be dead.

The reason David Cooper called her scary was because all his subordinates had collapsed to the ground, and the woman hadn’t even lifted a finger.

Just a single smile!