Young men his age, whether they are exceptionally talented or skilled in martial arts, are for the most part still naive and inexperienced, knowing little about the ways of the world—they are easily deceived, impulsive, reckless, and prone to being used by others.

But Henry Clark only pretends to be naive “when necessary”; in reality, he is shrewd and calculating, always knowing when to advance or retreat, appearing timid yet ruthless, ruthless yet humorous... He’s exactly the type who could sell someone out and still convince them to help him count the money.

Not to mention his peers—even those older than him, many have to call him “big brother.”

Of course, while the knowledge and emotional intelligence of a modern person give him many advantages, his personal abilities in this world are ultimately at the level of “illiterate” and “unskilled in martial arts.” Plus, he cares a lot about saving face, and sometimes gets angry over trivial matters, so he hasn’t reached the level of a “Mary Sue” protagonist.

Over the years, Henry Clark has mainly helped his father, Squire Clark, manage the fish market business. He’s done an excellent job—better even than when his father managed it himself—and has basically monopolized the entire aquatic trade in Hangzhou.

Of course, this process wasn’t easy, and there was no shortage of danger and intrigue, but in the end, Henry Clark pulled it off.

Because of this, he earned a nickname—the “Fish Market Tycoon.”

Everyone in Hangzhou knows that as long as you’re in Hangzhou, even “Ma Half-the-City” has to ask the Sun family’s permission if he wants to eat a fish, or else he won’t get any.

Seeing that his son had some talent for business, Squire Clark was relieved. He planned to gradually hand over the silk shop, pawnshop, restaurant businesses, and the rental farmlands to his son in a few years, so he could enjoy a comfortable life at home ahead of time.

However, that summer, the Sun family received several guests.

One of them had even come all the way from Shu.

And it was this visit that would forever change the fate of Henry Clark—and many others...

===Chapter Two: Professional Commentary===

Early summer, one day.

As the sun set, a carriage and a horse traveled along the main road on the outskirts of Hangzhou.

The carriage was a fine one, with sturdy axles and wheels, broad and elegant.

The horse was a good horse, with bright eyes, a shiny mane, and a strong, healthy build.

Even the coachman was broad-shouldered and muscular, with a piercing gaze—clearly a martial artist.

Needless to say, the person sitting inside the carriage must be either wealthy or noble, or at least a prominent figure in the martial world.

The carriage sped along and soon arrived near a roadside tea stall.

The tea stall was very shabby—the teaware was neither clean nor tidy, the tables and chairs were broken and old, and the thatched roof above was so full of holes it couldn’t even block the light, let alone the rain.

At this hour, as dusk approached and the city gates were about to close, there were few people on the road, so only one customer sat in the tea stall.

He sat there alone, sipping his tea unhurriedly.

The tea stall owner was packing up while glaring at the customer with obvious annoyance, just short of telling him to leave.

“Boss, another bowl, please.” Samuel Bennett, the customer, was unfazed and shamelessly asked for a refill.

This “Samuel Bennett” was none other than the Mr. Bennett who had crossed over with Mr. Clark.

Although he crossed over at the same time as Mr. Clark, he was born in this world a few months apart from Mr. Clark; and in a different place—Mr. Clark was born in Hangzhou, Jiangnan, while he was born in Fushun County, Shu (now Zigong).

Of course, Mr. Bennett was not born into an ordinary family either; he too came from a distinguished lineage.

In the Great Ming, the Huang family of Shu—Samuel Bennett’s current family—had long been a renowned martial arts clan, famous throughout the land for the “Three Huang Family Masteries.”

These “Three Masteries” were lightness skills, hidden weapons, and poison.

At their peak, the Huang family dominated the martial world with these three skills. Whenever people in the martial arts community mentioned the Three Huang Family Masteries, they would turn pale with fear. At that time, the Huang family’s reputation, influence, and wealth were second to none in the Sichuan region.

Unfortunately, by the time of Samuel Bennett’s father’s generation, the family had already declined and was no longer as glorious as before.

Still, as the saying goes, a starved camel is bigger than a horse—at least Samuel Bennett’s childhood was still quite privileged.

As for his name, “Donglai,” it comes from the phrase “purple energy comes from the east.” The reason is that the night before Samuel Bennett was born, both his parents dreamed of a large purple cloud (poisonous mist) drifting from the east and hovering above their home. They took this as a good omen, so after he was born, he was naturally given this name.

A few months ago, Samuel Bennett was ordered by his father to go to Hangzhou to visit a certain Squire Clark and deliver a letter. It was only then that Samuel Bennett learned that the head of the Huang family and Squire Clark had been friends in their youth. However, since Western Shu and Jiangnan were so far apart and both had family businesses to manage, they had only kept in touch by letter.

Originally, there was no need for Samuel Bennett to deliver the letter in person—they could have just asked the local “Flying Dove Gang” branch to send it. But since the Huang family was a martial arts clan and Samuel Bennett had just turned seventeen, the family head wanted to find an excuse for him to leave home and gain some experience in the martial world.