There isn’t much about this aspect in “The Essential Meaning of the Five Animal Frolics”; to Brian Carter, it feels more like a purely elementary primer for strengthening the body, albeit a rather profound one, but to call it advanced would be a stretch.

“Lord Bennett, I don’t really know what’s going on.” Brian Carter didn’t hide anything in front of David Bennett; his own foundation was transparent to the other party at a glance, and besides, he hoped to get some guidance from him, to find a suitable path for his future cultivation. “What I practice is a family tradition, but perhaps due to ancestral instructions, the family only hoped that the younger generation could use this method to strengthen their bodies and prolong their lives, not to stand out or make a name for themselves, so...”

David Bennett understood in his heart.

This was normal. Throughout history, some aristocratic families were wiped out overnight because they got involved in the deadly struggles for supremacy. The rise of the Great Tang dynasty brought about the emergence of countless families, but just as many prestigious clans became stepping stones. Later generations often only saw the glory of the newly risen families, but not the tragedy of those who chose the wrong side or missed their step.

Perhaps Brian Carter’s ancestors were among those stepping stones, and the family no longer wanted their descendants to repeat the same mistakes. That’s why they made omissions in the essential martial classics that concerned the family’s survival, so that the younger generation could use them to strengthen their bodies but wouldn’t be led to disaster by rising to prominence.

But in David Bennett’s view, this philosophy was too naive and idealistic, forgetting that this world is inherently cruel, where the strong survive and the weak are eliminated, and for the weak, there is no reasoning at all.

You think you can find peace by avoiding trouble, but if fate decides otherwise, your avoidance may only make you even weaker, left at the mercy of others.

In this situation, David Bennett didn’t have much to offer either. Every family’s cultivation methods are vastly different, and even a slight deviation can cause big problems. David Bennett was powerless to help.

Even if he wanted to help now, it wouldn’t be appropriate. First, it would require the other party’s complete cooperation; second, it’s not something that can be accomplished in just a few days—it would take a long period of focused study and exploration, which was clearly impossible at the moment.

“Princess Emily isn’t up yet?” Brian Carter realized this as well, glanced behind David Bennett, and changed the subject.

“Heh, Erlang seems to admire Princess Emily quite a bit, huh?” David Bennett gave Brian Carter a half-smile. “Hmm, Erlang, I see your cultivation method is quite impressive, and your foundation is solid. Now you just lack a further path forward, but that takes time and opportunity. If you’re interested, you can come stay in Chang’an for a while when the chance arises. I’m sure you know, if nothing else, there’s no shortage of talent in this field in Guanzhong. Even if I can’t help, there are others who can help you break through and reach a higher level.”

“Lord Bennett, you’re joking. I was just worried that I might have hurt Princess Emily yesterday when I acted too forcefully during the assassination attempt.” Brian Carter replied with an awkward smile, “If I get the chance, I’ll definitely visit Chang’an and pay my respects to you.”

He did have a good impression of Emily Thompson, but it was just that—nothing more. It wasn’t as if he’d fallen in love at first sight after just one meeting.

Having been in this world for so long, he was well aware of how deep-rooted the importance of family background was here.

David Bennett seemed to value and appreciate him, but that didn’t mean he regarded him as an equal. Perhaps he just saw him as someone useful.

Of course, one had to admit that this man did have a certain personal charm that could easily attract admiration from ordinary people. So he didn’t outright reject David Bennett’s invitation or even his attempt at recruitment, but everything would depend on the circumstances and opportunity.

“Erlang, I shouldn’t really ask why you’ve come to Nanyang, but Nanyang is extremely important to the Li family. If Nanyang falls into the hands of the Zhu clan, as you said, Guanzhong would be in danger. And the Xu family of Guang Prefecture doesn’t seem to have the strength to challenge the Liu clan, not to mention the Ju family of Shenzhou stands between them.” David Bennett seemed to hesitate before speaking.

“Lord Bennett, there’s no need to worry. How could Guang Prefecture have any entanglement with Nanyang? Erlang is merely carrying out orders to investigate the bandit situation along the Ying and Cai lines. Upon learning that the bandits had moved near Ruzhou, I went to check it out. I originally planned to return east via Nanyang, but unexpectedly revealed my presence there and was almost mistaken for an enemy by Nanyang, so I had no choice but to take this last resort.” Brian Carter spoke the truth. The Liu clan of Nanyang and the Xu clan of Guang Prefecture had never had any dealings, and their strengths weren’t even on the same level, so there was no talk of any grudges.

“Oh? What’s the current situation with the bandits?” David Bennett had heard along the way that the Yellow Ant bandit army was rampaging through the four prefectures of Ying, Chen, Bo, and Su, repeatedly defeating the joint forces of the Shi family of Xuzhou and the Yang family of Huainan to the east. Even the Zhu family’s Song and Hui prefectures had once been captured by the bandits. But since the Yellow Ant bandits operated far from Guanzhong, he hadn’t paid much attention to them.

“Extremely dangerous.” Brian Carter’s expression grew somber.