The so-called “using four ounces to move a thousand pounds” is exactly this kind of situation. In terms of physique, Brian Cooper was nothing more than a frail scholar, while William Carter was at least twice as strong as him. However, William Carter was kicking forward, while Brian Cooper applied force from the side, causing William Carter to lose his balance and go flying off to the side.

Chapter 002: Fighting the Conman

  “Brother Brian!”

  “Brian Cooper!”

  “How dare you, you unruly commoner!”

  “……”

  Everyone at the scene cried out in shock. They were not only stunned that the sacred and inviolable government official had been struck, but even more amazed that the one who did it was the frail and timid scholar Brian Cooper, who had always been weak both in body and character!

  No one knew that the Brian Cooper standing before them now was no longer the same pedantic scholar as before. He merely possessed the body of the former scholar, but his soul came from more than 400 years in the future. This soul belonged to a chief engineer in a geological department of the Republic, whose name in his previous life was also Brian Cooper.

  Geology expert Brian Cooper had been a legendary figure in his previous life, his footprints covering mountains and rivers all over the country. The mineral reserves he had discovered amounted to tens of billions of tons. His theoretical foundation in geology was extremely solid, and his practical experience even richer. Within the industry, he was renowned as a “genius” and a “master.” This time, he led an exploration team deep into the mountains in search of a certain mineral deposit, only to encounter a once-in-a-century catastrophic flash flood. In that critical moment, he gave his chance of survival to his teammates, sacrificing himself, and his soul crossed over into the body of the scholar Brian Cooper, who had fainted from worshipping the gods.

  Just now, amidst the chaos, Brian Cooper had been absorbing the residual memories of the body he had possessed, so he was indifferent to everything people said or did. In the eyes of the crowd, he was either scared silly, overheated, or his naturally dazed and adorable side was acting up again. However, at the very instant when William Carter, in a fit of rage, was about to kick Grace Parker, Brian Cooper returned to reality.

  From the memories he received, he knew that Grace Parker was the younger sister who had grown up with him—in fact, she was a girl adopted by his family as a child bride. As a geology expert, Brian Cooper had no romantic feelings for this little girl whose body had not yet matured, but seeing a burly man try to beat a girl, he couldn’t help but intervene.

  In his previous life, Brian Cooper had spent years trekking through the mountains, so he was in excellent physical condition. For self-defense, he had specifically learned some combat skills from several colleagues in the geological team who were former soldiers. His intelligence was above average, and he learned things faster than most. After a few years, according to those colleagues, his skills were more than enough to handle a wild boar in the mountains. After crossing over, although the body he inherited was not very strong, it was still more than enough to use some clever force to kick away a petty official.

  “How dare you assault a government official!” William Carter, having taken a nasty fall, jumped up in a rage. The yamen runners he brought with him also surrounded them, shouting and clamoring. Some said they should beat up the scholar, while others said a scholar should not be treated lightly, and it would be better to arrest him and take him back to the county office to await the magistrate’s decision.

  “Don’t touch my brother!” Only now did Grace Parker realize what had happened. She quickly turned around, spread her arms, and shielded Brian Cooper behind her. “It was my fault. If you want to arrest someone, arrest me!”

  “Xiuer, don’t be afraid of them.” Brian Cooper pressed down Grace Parker’s hand, then walked over to William Carter with a stern face, sizing him up from head to toe, not in any hurry to speak.

  William Carter had been furious, thinking about how to deal with this audacious scholar. But now, seeing that Brian Cooper showed not a trace of panic and was instead staring him down, he couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy, wondering if the scholar had some dirt on him. After all, a scholar was a person of status, and as a mere petty official, William Carter had no psychological advantage over him.

  “Scholar, what are you looking at me for?” William Carter asked, putting on a fierce front but feeling weak inside.

  Hearing William Carter speak first, Brian Cooper knew his psychological tactics had worked. He snorted coldly and said, “You’re the official in charge of digging wells. Instead of finding a way to get water, you’re making trouble here and harassing the villagers. If the magistrate finds out about this, do you think he’ll punish me or you?”

  If it were the old scholar Brian Cooper, he would never have dared to question an official like this. But the current Brian Cooper was different. In his previous life, he had entered the Great Hall and been received and commended by the nation’s top leader—how could he be intimidated by a petty official like this? From the residual memories, he knew that William Carter had been ordered to dig wells, but after digging more than a dozen, all had failed, which is why he questioned him so.

  “You… It’s because someone in your village disrespected the spirits and angered the Dragon King. I told you to make offerings to seek the Dragon King’s forgiveness. Mr. Brooks said this girl offended the Dragon God, and from now on, no one within ten miles will be able to get water from a well. With such a grave offense, what’s wrong with me punishing her?” William Carter hurriedly defended himself. He truly respected the scholar’s status, and in his mind, scholars were always a bit eccentric—he absolutely couldn’t afford to say the wrong thing.