Henry Clark watched as Julia Foster went in to boil water and didn’t continue to press her with questions. He understood what Julia Foster meant. With his abilities, the more he knew, the faster he would die. Even if he knew nothing at all, in this place, whether he could survive was another matter entirely.

He didn’t know whether Julia Foster had added something to that cup of water, but after drinking it, Henry Clark felt a bit of strength return to his body.

Henry Clark sat on the old wooden couch, his mind drifting between his current predicament and thoughts of his younger sister Evelyn Clark. At the same time, he really couldn’t understand why Grace Harper would treat him that way. According to what he knew of Grace Harper, she was definitely not the kind of girl who cared about status.

Chapter 0002: An Uncertain Future

“The water’s ready. I’ll help you take a bath.” By the time Henry Clark had more or less sorted out his thoughts, Julia Foster had already come out again and said this.

Although Henry Clark had been in a relationship with Grace Harper for two or three years, at most they had only held hands. Other than that, he had never made any further moves. Now that Julia Foster wanted to help him bathe, Henry Clark immediately felt awkward. He was sure that the previous Henry Clark had never let Julia Foster help him bathe—not because he thought the same way, but because of Julia Foster’s appearance.

“I can do it myself…” Henry Clark said hurriedly.

Sensing Julia Foster’s puzzled gaze, Henry Clark quickly got up from the couch, supporting himself on the bed’s edge and said, “See, I can already walk on my own now.”

Although he had been tortured in prison for a while, after coming back and drinking some water, Henry Clark could barely move around.

Seeing that Henry Clark could really stagger in to bathe, Julia Foster became even more confused. In her impression, Henry Clark would never refuse to be waited on by others. For Henry Clark, if the service was poor, there would be a beating, but he would never say he could do it himself. Could it be that Henry Clark understood the destruction of his family and had become more sensible than before?

But these doubts were soon set aside by Julia Foster, and she no longer concerned herself with Henry Clark bathing, instead going to cook some rice porridge. Henry Clark had cultivated for so many years without being able to gather qi. This was certainly because he was unwilling to endure hardship in cultivation, but it was also related to his extremely poor aptitude. Now that the Ning family was ruined, even if Henry Clark hadn’t died in prison, Julia Foster could still foresee his miserable fate.

Although she was Henry Clark’s wife in name, they had not actually married, and she had already reached the third level of qi gathering. Once she advanced to the fourth level, she would be given special training by the academy. Even if she didn’t give up on Henry Clark, the academy would not allow her to stay with him. As a cultivator at the fourth level of qi gathering, if she continued to stay with Henry Clark given his current situation, it wouldn’t be helping him—it would only make him die faster.

Julia Foster didn’t feel any resistance to not being with Henry Clark. Henry Clark had always treated her terribly, either hitting or scolding her, never once looking at her properly. The reason she saved Henry Clark and took care of him was because she owed the Ning family.

In Julia Foster’s view, since Henry Clark couldn’t cultivate and was so down and out, if she didn’t save him, he would only be waiting for death. She knew she wouldn’t continue to marry Henry Clark, but she also wouldn’t marry anyone else. The reason she offered to help Henry Clark bathe was because she was his fiancée, and also because she was the only one who could help him now. Since Henry Clark could move on his own, of course she wouldn’t insist on helping.

What she could do for Henry Clark now was to help him establish a comfortable living environment before she advanced to the fourth level of qi gathering. With her cultivation talent, even if her looks were ruined, she would eventually leave the Cang Qin Kingdom. Henry Clark would ultimately be just a passerby in her life.

……

After bathing, Henry Clark felt somewhat exhausted, but actually better than before. When he came out, Julia Foster had already brought out the cooked rice porridge. After eating some, Henry Clark finally regained a bit of color and strength.

“These are for you. I’m going to the academy now. Since you can move around, you can take care of your own meals.” Seeing that Henry Clark had eaten something and, aside from being a bit weak, was basically fine, Julia Foster took out a pouch of silver coins and handed it to Henry Clark.

Henry Clark didn’t take the silver coins from Julia Foster; he understood what she meant. Julia Foster had always cultivated at the Cang Qin Two-Star Academy and was a good student there. But he remembered that he was also a student at that academy, so he immediately said, “You’re going to the academy, so of course I have to go too.”

Julia Foster stared at Henry Clark in surprise. In the past, Henry Clark only went to the academy under his grandfather’s pressure. Now that the Ning family was gone and he had no more restraints, why would he still want to go to the academy? Besides, with his aptitude, even if he went, he probably wouldn’t learn much.

Seeing Julia Foster’s expression, Henry Clark realized he had spoken too hastily. He was just thinking that in this place, without strength, he probably wouldn’t survive for long. So when Julia Foster said she was going to the academy, he immediately wanted to go too. He forgot that before, he had never wanted to go to the academy, and with his lack of talent, there was no point in going anyway.