"Trying to harm Senior Brother, I'll fight you with everything I have!!" Yvonne Harris's little face turned pale, though it was unclear whether it was because of the moonlight or something else.

Charles Cooper let out a strange laugh, seemingly unconcerned, and glanced at Henry Clark, who had fallen to the ground and knocked over a pile of miscellaneous items.

"Red Pine Sect, truly fallen into decline..." He shook his head, and his figure suddenly darted out through the broken wooden door, like an owl in the night—silent and swift, disappearing into the darkness within moments.

Henry Clark's chest throbbed with a dull pain, but he was surprisingly not seriously injured. Forcing himself up from the ground, he saw Charles Cooper turning to leave. Only after he had completely vanished into the night did Henry Clark wait a while longer, listening carefully to the sounds around him. Once he was sure there was nothing unusual, he finally let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Strangely, the secret manual on the ground hadn't been taken away, but was simply left lying there.

He was about to walk over and pick up the manual when he suddenly noticed something odd about Yvonne Harris.

Turning around, he saw that Yvonne Harris's little face was deathly pale, and at some point, a crimson line of blood had appeared at the corner of her mouth.

"Junior Sister, are you alright?!" Henry Clark was startled and hurried to support Yvonne Harris, immediately feeling that her body was limp and burning hot.

"I'm... I'm fine... just really... dizzy..." Yvonne Harris's eyes began to spin, and her lips took on a faint bluish tinge.

Pfft.

Yvonne Harris collapsed directly to the ground. Henry Clark himself also felt dizzy and weak, unable to hold up Yvonne Harris. He recalled the foul, stinking wind that Charles Cooper had stirred up earlier.

"Poison...!"

A chill ran through his heart. The poison had taken effect so quickly, and just inhaling it had caused such severe symptoms.

This damn world... is just too dangerous...

Henry Clark felt a wave of helplessness. How many days had it been since he arrived? And already so many troubles. He couldn't even guarantee his own safety.

Just before he completely lost consciousness, he vaguely saw a tall, thin figure carrying two people walk through the door.

"If Red Pine Sect is relying on just a few of you, you probably won't even know when you're struck off the rolls!"

He could only faintly hear this sentence before Henry Clark completely blacked out, collapsing onto Yvonne Harris with a thud.

……

In a daze, Henry Clark slowly regained consciousness.

"I'm not dead?"

He relaxed a little. He was still lying on the floor of his own room, with Yvonne Harris lying on the other side, drooling onto the ground, looking as if she was sleeping soundly.

"Get up!"

A familiar voice came from nearby.

Henry Clark instantly broke out in goosebumps at the sound, and jumped up from the floor, looking warily behind him.

The early morning light shone through the wooden window, illuminating a black-robed Daoist sitting on the bed.

This Daoist had a thin face and narrow eyes, giving off a somewhat gloomy impression. It was none other than Charles Cooper, who had attacked them the previous night!

"M-Master Uncle, so it's you." Henry Clark tried to steady his voice, forcing a smile onto his face.

His mind turned quickly, and he immediately realized why he and Yvonne Harris were unharmed—it was clearly this Master Uncle who had saved them.

Seeing that Henry Clark understood, Charles Cooper nodded.

"My useless senior brother left the sect in ruins like this, and then just died so easily, leaving behind this mess."

He looked Henry Clark up and down.

"You have a solid foundation, but no experience in real combat. Even someone as useless as you can become Senior Brother... truly..." He shook his head helplessly. "Who would have thought... one of the Four Great Sects back then... would end up like this."

Henry Clark blushed at his words, but couldn't refute them. He did have the original Emily Clark's skills, but he himself was a modern person who had never fought anyone before. The fact that he could stay calm and not wet himself was already impressive.

But as he listened, he also noticed something off about Charles Cooper. His eyes seemed dull, his face pale and bloodless—he was clearly injured as well.

"I'm going to stay here for a few days. Go buy me some medicinal herbs," Charles Cooper ordered bluntly. "Don't even think about running. Your Lin family is just down the mountain. You might escape, but your family can't."

Henry Clark blinked, finally letting out a heavy sigh of relief. He knew that this Master Uncle still cared about the sect, so they were more or less safe for now.

……

Fifteen days later...

Beneath thick, cotton-like white clouds, atop Red Pine Mountain, inside a square courtyard dojo, two young disciples were practicing the most basic thrusts of swordsmanship, each holding a longsword.

A black-robed Daoist sat under the eaves, slowly sipping a cup of tea, with two youths standing beside him like attendants.

Swish!

In the center of the courtyard, the girl in a bright yellow training outfit made her sword whistle through the air with every thrust.

On the other side, the young man was unremarkable—his sword barely made a sound. His black training clothes were covered in dusty footprints.

Henry Clark felt his wrist had gone completely limp, but glancing at Charles Cooper sitting nearby, he forced himself to keep going.