The human trafficker was introducing the girl to him. She was short, looked about eleven or twelve years old, her figure and features not yet fully developed, but she was clearly a beauty in the making. Standing there, she looked pitiful and delicate, like an orchid touched by morning dew. David Brooks took a liking to her at first glance.

“…This girl is also a filial daughter, willingly selling herself to help her brother…” The trafficker hadn’t finished introducing her when David Brooks already gave the order: “I’ll take her.” The trafficker was instantly delighted: “Young Master Brooks, you really are decisive. Shall we look at some others?”

“Alright.” David Brooks felt a special connection to that maid and couldn’t help but glance back at her. This little girl was different from the others; under David Brooks’s gaze, she shyly lowered her head, her face flushing red.

“Hahaha.” David Brooks laughed heartily as he left.

Having narrowly escaped losing his chastity today, Young Master Brooks picked eight maids in one go to calm his nerves. After returning home, he handed these maids over to the butler and promptly forgot all about the matter.

“Father!” He went to the study to pay respects to his father. Normally, he wasn’t so well-mannered, but today he had something to ask his old man.

David Brooks’s father, James Brooks, was just over forty, with tiger-like eyes and an imposing presence. In recent years, under his leadership, the Brooks family had begun to surpass the other two major powers, showing signs of becoming the foremost among the three.

Seeing his only son, even the formidable James Brooks felt somewhat helpless. He put down the account book in his hand, originally intending to scold him, but remembering that his son had been ambushed and kidnapped today, he instead asked kindly, “So, did Mrs. Harris give you any trouble?”

David Brooks wasn’t surprised that his father already knew who was behind it—in fact, there were only a handful of people in the entire Qidong City who dared to target him.

What he didn’t know was that after he was ambushed, the usually composed James Brooks was so furious and anxious that he lost his composure, sparing no expense to mobilize all his secret agents in Qidong County to search for his son’s whereabouts. He even considered deploying all his cultivator subordinates to attack each of his main rivals in turn. He himself had prepared all his magical treasures, donned his armor, and was ready to go into battle personally!

Fortunately, David Brooks managed to escape quickly, so this mad plan was never carried out.

At this moment, David Brooks was filled with shame and anger. Under his father’s intense gaze, he stammered out the story. James Brooks’s expression turned a bit odd, and after a while he said, “You know our Brooks family carries the imperial Ying bloodline. Mrs. Harris… most likely wanted to borrow your seed.”

The imperial Ying bloodline was extremely famous in the mortal world, one of the top bloodlines. If not for a minor flaw, it would certainly be classified as a transcendent bloodline.

But the power of this bloodline only manifested in alternate generations. It had appeared in James Brooks, allowing him to reach the Xuanrong stage by the age of forty, making him a top-tier expert in Qidong County. This bloodline was the classic “slow to start, but explosive later” type—the further one progressed in cultivation, the stronger its effects. Moreover, the imperial Ying bloodline in James Brooks had only half manifested.

Unfortunately for David Brooks, the imperial Ying bloodline lay dormant in him. But this also meant that his descendants would definitely manifest the bloodline.

Because the bloodline didn’t show in him, David Brooks’s aptitude was average. In today’s mortal world, everyone aspired to immortality; personal strength and cultivation level were directly tied to status, wealth, and position. Both James Brooks and his wife felt guilty toward their son, so they had indulged him since childhood, to the point where he now ran wild and was beyond their control.

His father’s words made David Brooks feel a deep sense of crisis: “So you mean, this kind of thing might happen again in the future?”

James Brooks nodded and said, “Mrs. Harris is the only woman among the three major powers, and her own aptitude isn’t great. She lacks neither resources nor techniques, but even so, she’s only reached the Yuanzhao stage in cultivation.

She’s ruled her subordinates through strategy rather than personal strength all these years. But in this situation, she’s quite constrained, and her power can’t expand further.

Plus, she’s not young anymore, so she’s come up with this idea. If she has a descendant who manifests the imperial Ying bloodline, her entire faction will be stabilized.

She can focus on grooming an heir, and in the future, she’ll have a cultivator powerhouse on her side, which is a huge advantage for her.”

This minor flaw of the imperial Ying bloodline was, in some cases, actually an advantage. For example, now, David Brooks’s descendants were guaranteed to manifest the bloodline’s power—no matter to what extent.

Even with transcendent bloodlines, not every heir was guaranteed to manifest them.

David Brooks’s face instantly turned pale, because he realized a possibility: today it was Mrs. Harris, tomorrow it could be Mrs. White! The day after, maybe Mrs. Black! Mrs. Green, Mrs. Clark… it would never end…

He didn’t mind being a stud, and might even enjoy it. But it had to be on his own terms! Being drugged and mounted by women every day—what was that supposed to be?

James Brooks swept his gaze over him, secretly delighted. This rascal had never liked cultivating since childhood, and because he and his wife felt guilty and lacked discipline, the boy still hadn’t started any foundation-building cultivation.

Meanwhile, other families’ children at this age had already polished their foundations to perfection.

Now, it seemed, was an opportunity.