James Carter seemed very happy. After speaking at length, he went on to praise every civil and military official present one by one. He truly understood the art of leadership; if he could lavish such praise on a newcomer, how could he possibly neglect those who had followed him for years and achieved so many military merits? Thus, with this round of generous compliments, everyone in the hall was filled with pride, as if they themselves were the main contributors to the defeat of Henry Foster.

Benjamin Reed also understood these things well, so while James Carter was speaking, he simply sat quietly to the side without saying a word. Only after James Carter finished did Benjamin Reed say, “This time we defeated Henry Foster thanks to everyone’s united effort. However, although we have repelled Henry Foster, Charles Miller will surely lead a large army to attack us himself. We must prepare in advance!”

When James Carter heard Benjamin Reed's words, his earlier excitement instantly vanished. He asked, “If Charles Miller comes, how should we respond?”

Benjamin Reed waved the fan in his hand and smiled, “I have a plan to resist Charles Miller's army!” Upon hearing there was a way to deal with Charles Miller, James Carter hurriedly asked for advice, “What plan?” Benjamin Reed still replied unhurriedly, “Xinye is a small city and not a place for long-term residence. Recently, I heard that Richard Carter is gravely ill. We can take this opportunity to seize Jingzhou under his rule as a safe haven, and use it to resist Charles Miller.” After hearing this, James Carter looked a bit disappointed and said, “Your plan is excellent, but I have received great kindness from Richard. How can I plot to take his territory?” Benjamin Reed replied, “If you do not take it today, you may regret it in the future!” James Carter just shook his head and said, “Even if I die, I will not become an ungrateful person!” Benjamin Reed could only sigh inwardly and said, “If that is the case, we will discuss it further!”

They discussed for a long time but could not come up with a satisfactory solution. James Carter then ordered everyone to disperse, and he and Benjamin Reed moved to the back room to continue discussing future plans.

Ethan Brooks left the hall and stood at the door waiting for David Clark. After a while, he saw David Clark coming out together with Michael Bolton and Robert Evans. He was just about to speak when Michael Bolton interrupted him. “Haha, it’s you, kid! I heard you’re working under William. Are you waiting for William?” Ethan Brooks was about to answer, but before he could open his mouth, he was interrupted again. “Come on, come on, William agreed to go drinking with me, and I like the look of you, so you should come along too!” Without waiting for Ethan Brooks to reply, he grabbed his hand and started walking out of the residence. Along the way, Ethan Brooks didn’t get a word in, only hearing Michael Bolton laughing and talking the whole time. Ethan Brooks found it unbearably noisy, but there was nothing he could do. Glancing over, he saw that David Clark and Robert Evans looked as calm as ever, as if they were already used to it.

“Haha! We’re here! Andrew, you made a great contribution today, so later I’m going to have a good drink with you!” With that, he dragged Ethan Brooks inside. Ethan Brooks could only sigh inwardly, “What a pain!”

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Chapter Six: Sparring

Ethan Brooks held his still-dizzy head, struggling for a long time before he managed to open his eyes. Sitting up, Ethan Brooks found himself in an unfamiliar environment, with furnishings he did not recognize. Lying quietly on the bed for a while, Ethan Brooks recalled the events of the previous day. Gradually, the memory of being dragged back to the residence by Michael Bolton to drink flashed through his mind bit by bit.

As soon as the drinking started, Michael Bolton kept pulling Ethan Brooks to drink nonstop. In the end, after drinking too much, Ethan Brooks was emboldened by the alcohol and boldly said to Michael Bolton, “Switch to big bowls!” Michael Bolton was stunned for a moment, but soon laughed, “Haha! Andrew, you really are bold! Forget the bowls, let’s each take a jar!” With that, he took out two jars of wine from behind him, handed one to Ethan Brooks, and slapped open the mud seal on his own jar. Raising it to Ethan Brooks, he said, “Drink!” Then he lifted the jar and started gulping it down. Ethan Brooks was startled when he first saw the jar, but by now he had drunk a lot, and seeing Michael Bolton drink like that, he felt a surge of competitiveness and also said, “Drink!” and lifted the wine jar to his mouth.

Each of those jars held at least ten jin of wine; even if it were just water, finishing it would be too much. Ethan Brooks managed to drink about half before he couldn’t take any more and had to put the jar down. By then, he had already drunk a lot, and his head felt increasingly dizzy. Then, as his head grew heavy, he remembered nothing more.

Thinking of this, Ethan Brooks couldn’t help but smile wryly. “Competing in drinking with Michael Bolton, I really must have been out of my mind!” Sitting up from the bed, Ethan Brooks saw that washing supplies had already been prepared beside him. After a quick wash, he left the room.

Yesterday, David Clark and Robert Evans had left one after another as it was getting late, leaving only Ethan Brooks, who had drunk the most, to stay behind. The room Michael Bolton arranged for him was right next to Michael Bolton's main residence. As soon as he stepped outside, he found himself in the courtyard, where he saw Michael Bolton practicing martial arts. Ethan Brooks stood at the door, quietly watching Michael Bolton wielding his serpent spear. In the courtyard, the spear danced up and down, occasionally flashing with cold light, truly resembling a venomous snake.