“Mm, Eric, go get some rest. We still have a whole day tomorrow to talk. Just relax and rest assured—now that you’re on the The Thompson Family’s boat, whether it’s the The Smith Family or the The Harris Family, they’ll all have to show some respect to the The Thompson Family.”

　　After Brian Carter left, David Bennett’s expression finally darkened, and he remained silent for a long time. The young girl watched in confusion and asked softly, “Uncle Bennett, is there something troubling you?”

　　“Xiao Jin, I don’t think he’s pretending. This young man has great talent, both scholarly and martial, yet he humbles himself as a mere clerk under the The Foster Family. It’s truly hard to believe. If we could recruit him to our side, he would be a tremendous asset.” David Bennett mused, “But what he said does make sense, so I can’t force him to stay.”

　　“Uncle, didn’t you already give him the name tablet so he could serve the The Foster Family?” The girl raised her eyebrows in surprise, not understanding what her usually respected uncle was planning.

　　“That was just a convenient move. My real intention is to recruit him for our own use. Peter Foster has an empty reputation, is arrogant and ambitious, yet narrow-minded. If he hands the name tablet to the The Foster Family, I’m afraid the The Foster Family will immediately become suspicious. Let alone putting him in an important position, it might even be hard for him to stay in Guangzhou.” David Bennett said calmly.

　　“Huh? Uncle, by doing this, aren’t you…” Emily Thompson was greatly surprised, staring at David Bennett in disbelief.

　　“Xiao Jin, Guangzhou is a tiny place, with no one who recognizes talent, nor any place for him to show his abilities, and it’s constantly under threat from bandits. If he could join our The Thompson Family, that would be a stroke of fortune.” David Bennett smiled calmly, “Xiao Jin, some things require a longer view.”

　　A red sun leapt up in the east. When he woke, the sky was already turning pale, and the gentle rocking of the cabin reminded Brian Carter that the boat was still drifting downstream.

　　Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Brian Carter gathered his breath and meditated—this was almost a daily routine for Eric Carter.

　　The “Essence of the Five Animal Frolics” and the “Essentials of the Green Satchel Book” were the only relics Brian Carter’s mother had left him. As for his mother in this life, Brian Carter didn’t have many memories—he only knew that Madam Hua was probably somehow connected to the Hua family of Qiao County, Peiguo.

　　Tiger Squat and Bear Sit—these were two static postures from the Five Animal Frolics. Tiger Squat meant lowering the arms and half-squatting, facing east, inhaling and exhaling, circulating energy through the body; Bear Sit meant sitting cross-legged, raising the shoulders and expanding the chest, facing east, circulating energy through the body.

　　After a round of breathing exercises, he felt refreshed and clear-headed. Brian Carter didn’t know if this method really originated from Hua Tuo’s Five Animal Frolics of the Three Kingdoms era, but the Tiger Squat and Bear Sit postures did help him eliminate fatigue and boost his spirit, while the other three postures were purely martial techniques for combat.

　　“Eric, are you awake?”

　　Brian Carter leapt up. He had already changed into a plain white robe prepared for him by Mark Clark’s cousin—namely, the armored soldier Adam Clark who had slapped him.

　　Now that the misunderstanding was cleared up, Brian Carter naturally wouldn’t hold a grudge over that incident. On the contrary, he rather admired these subordinates of the The Thompson Family of Guanzhong. To be able to guard the The Thompson Family so loyally—such devotion was not something just anyone could maintain.

　　“Lord Bennett, you’re up early.”

　　“Not as early as you young people. The rocking of this boat makes it hard to sleep.” David Bennett stood with his hands behind his back, basking in the morning sunlight, feeling quite good. “Mastery comes from diligence and is lost to play. Young people should work hard at this. Eric, I see your cultivation method is not bad. Your foundation in internal energy is solid, and you’ve already reached the level of ‘sitting in the Dao and gazing at the realm.’ But why do I feel you’re always missing something… hmm, missing the momentum to break through this barrier…”

　　David Bennett didn’t finish his sentence. This puzzled him greatly. Although he had only seen a few of Brian Carter’s training postures, his sharp eyes could tell a lot.

　　Currently, the only people who could be said to have reached the threshold of entering a new realm in internal energy cultivation, apart from the great aristocratic families, were some major sects either hidden in the mountains or standing tall in the martial world. But overall, martial sects still lagged behind the aristocratic families and renowned clans.

　　Brian Carter’s training postures showed he had grasped the basics, but David Bennett didn’t see any sign of further progress in his realm, which he found quite odd.

Chapter 11: The Yellow Ant Bandits

　　From the chaos of the Five Barbarians to the rise of the Tang Dynasty, and now to the current era of warlords, countless noble families have been wiped out. Many descendants who survived could rely on the lingering influence of their ancestors to glimpse the path to higher realms, and David Bennett guessed that Brian Carter probably belonged to this category.

　　Although he had never heard of a prominent Jiang family in the past few centuries, it was possible that some maternal family had left behind certain blessings. But whether it was family legacy or sect training, there should be a way to enter the Dao and advance in cultivation. Yet from Brian Carter’s training today, he couldn’t see this at all.

　　Brian Carter also felt somewhat helpless about David Bennett’s words.

　　To be honest, he still hadn’t fully integrated into this time and space. He was just passively accepting everything about this Brian Carter, this Eric Carter, including his martial cultivation. But he vaguely sensed that his progress in martial arts had plateaued, and he couldn’t even find a path to break through.