Once upon a time, Ryan Clark was a bit withdrawn and didn’t like to talk. Coupled with his frail health, he rarely went out. On the rare occasions he did go out to play, it was only because Chris Clark and his wife forced him. Even then, at most he would go to William Harris’s house and exchange a few words with Matthew Harris.

Now, for him to take the initiative to go out for a walk was undoubtedly a big step forward.

Chris Clark was a simple and straightforward man, not one for scheming, so it never occurred to him that inside Ryan Clark’s body now resided the soul of a thirty-year-old man.

Little did he know, Ryan Clark was complaining in his heart!

This deadbeat Ryan Clark was way too much of a shut-in...

Even worse than the otakus and hikikomori of later generations.

He searched through all the fragments of his memory, but didn’t find much useful.

All he knew was that Ryan Clark had studied the “Cangjie Primer” in his lifetime; apart from that, most of it was useless information. However, Ryan Clark had been a filial son, deeply attached to his sister Ethan Clark and his mother The Bolton Family. Many of his memories were scenes of playing with his sister as a child.

He didn’t even know what this sister was really like.

Ryan Clark walked slowly along the street, taking in the sights of this small town from eighteen hundred years ago.

Zhongyang Town wasn’t big, with only two main streets and a path encircling the town, forming a field-shaped layout. The whole town was divided into four sections: east, south, west, and north. At the very center was a marketplace, the liveliest spot in town. Since anyone heading into Zhongyang Mountain had to pass through Zhongyang Town, the town, though small, had everything one could need.

There were taverns, shops...

The weather had turned cold, but the marketplace was bustling.

When Ryan Clark got tired of walking, he sat by the roadside, watching the passersby, feeling an unusual sense of peace.

“Ah Fu!”

Just as he was enjoying himself, Ryan Clark suddenly heard someone calling his name.

He turned his head and saw Matthew Harris running over from the market, carrying a bamboo basket on his back.

“What are you doing out here?”

Matthew Harris sat down next to Ryan Clark, plopping down and taking the basket off his back, setting it in front of him.

Inside the basket were some hunting tools and a piece of coarse cloth, though it wasn’t clear what it was for. Matthew Harris wore a gray, coarse cloth robe with a slanted collar, a wide belt at his waist, and a black cloth wrapped around his head. His forehead was beaded with fine, glistening sweat...

“Didn’t you go home?”

Matthew Harris said, “Isn’t Uncle going into the mountains tomorrow? My dad and I are going with him, so my dad sent me to buy some things.”

“I see!”

Ryan Clark’s heart was touched, and he felt a warm glow inside.

He knew that Chris Clark was going into the mountains to get talisman water for him, and that William Harris and his son were really going for his sake as well.

It felt so good to be cared for!

Ryan Clark said softly, “Matthew Harris, thank your father for me.”

Would the talisman water be of any use?

Ryan Clark knew very well...

But he couldn’t let down their kindness.

Matthew Harris chuckled, “What’s there to thank? We’re brothers, aren’t we?”

Brothers!

Ryan Clark’s heart suddenly clenched.

He had been betrayed by his best friend, who had also once said, “We’re brothers.” But in the end...

After being reborn, Ryan Clark couldn’t help but be a bit sensitive and suspicious.

Especially the word “brother”—it was like a needle, stabbing his heart and making it bleed. For a moment, he fell silent, not knowing how to respond.

Matthew Harris saw that he didn’t speak for a long time and looked a bit pale, and couldn’t help but feel nervous.

“Ah Fu, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

“Oh, it’s nothing!”

Ryan Clark snapped out of it and forced a smile. “I just suddenly felt a bit tired... I’m going home. You should head back early too, and remember to thank your father for me.”

“How about I walk you home?”

“No need, I can go by myself.”

With that, Ryan Clark stood up.

But just as he turned to leave, a commotion suddenly erupted in the marketplace.

“Shopkeeper Cheng, this thing is clearly mine!”

“You wretch, how could you have such fine jade... This is a family heirloom of mine. I was just playing with it in my hand, how could it suddenly be yours?”

“Shopkeeper Cheng, this is a treasure passed down in my family, how can you...”

Slap!

A loud slap interrupted the pleading voice.

“Do you know who I, Henry Miller, am? You’d better ask around! Would I covet your things? I’m telling you, if you don’t hand it over today, don’t even think about leaving here.”

Ryan Clark shivered and turned to look at the marketplace.

That pleading voice was all too familiar! Though it had only been a dozen days, he immediately recognized it as his mother The Bolton Family’s voice...

Chapter 04: Cheng Ji Trading Firm

Tomorrow they would go to Zhongyang Temple to ask for talisman water—this was a major event in Ryan Clark’s life, so The Bolton Family naturally took it very seriously.

Since they were going to ask for talisman water, they couldn’t go empty-handed. There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. The talisman water at Zhongyang Temple was quite famous, and without an offering, it was impossible to get any. What kind of offering? It certainly wouldn’t be sacrificial animals. Zhongyang Temple didn’t lack those; what they wanted in exchange for talisman water was money. Without a monetary offering, how could you hope to get effective talisman water? Everyone understood this perfectly well.