"Finally, I can justifiably send this little troublemaker down the mountain." Henry Graham let out a sigh of relief—he had fulfilled the wish of his ancestors and could now drive this scourge out the door. Henry Graham felt elated.

　　Then William Graham came running, tears in his eyes, and dropped to his knees before Henry Graham with a thud, kowtowing three times with loud bangs. Even Henry Graham's eyes grew moist, his old heart comforted: after all, they had been master and disciple for twenty years. This parting truly brought a sense of reluctance.

　　"Master, the child in my junior sister's belly is my own flesh and blood. Please, Master, take good care of them. Once I establish a family business down the mountain, I will surely return in glory to marry my junior sister..."

　　Henry Graham flew into a rage. He had thought this rascal was kowtowing three times to thank him for twenty years of teaching and care, but it turned out to be for this!

　　In William Graham's generation, there was only one female disciple, the sect leader Henry Graham's own daughter, Grace Graham. In fact, most disciples in the sect did not originally bear the surname 葛; they adopted it upon joining the sect.

　　The Ge Sect had never forbidden desires; in fact, it even encouraged disciples to practice dual cultivation to advance on the path of the Dragon and Tiger. In Ge Hong's "Baopuzi," there was even a special section on bedroom arts, not to mention that all disciples were required to master the "Ten Stances and Thirty Methods." What angered Henry Graham was that these two little troublemakers had hidden it from him so well. If not for the fact that he was leaving the mountain today and could no longer keep it secret, they probably wouldn't have confessed at all.

　　By the time Henry Graham came to his senses, William Graham had already run far away. Gifted as he was, with alchemical skills not inferior to his master's, Henry Graham had lost the initiative and could no longer catch up.

　　Beside the martial arts field, a narrow winding path led halfway up the mountain, where a sheer cliff split in the middle into two stone walls. The sect gate was set between them. William Graham darted nimbly forward, and before the gate was fully open, he had already slipped through the crack in the stone. As soon as someone exited, the stone walls began to close.

　　Henry Graham gnashed his teeth. When had this little brat managed to sneak around behind his back? He distinctly remembered seeing his daughter still pure, the cinnabar mark on her arm bright red as blood.

　　Henry Graham looked around and saw that most of the disciples around the martial arts field were struggling to suppress their laughter. He immediately realized that these fellows had long known about this, keeping it from him alone. He was thoroughly annoyed: today was truly the height of humiliation. With a wave of his hand, he barked, "All of you, get lost!"

　　After leaving the sect gate, William Graham walked down the mountain path, a blade of grass in his mouth, swaying with every step. His skin was somewhat darkened from years of catching foxes and chasing rabbits on the mountain under the sun. His eyes were bright and clear, his nose straight, his lips well-shaped, and his whole being exuded a masculine vigor, nothing like the hothouse flowers raised in the city. But if you looked closely, the upturned corners of his eyes revealed a hint of cunning, and his handsome features carried a trace of mischief. Thinking back on the bitter years spent on the mountain, William Graham felt a bit of lingering fear—thank goodness he had escaped. Still, he regretted not being able to travel the world with his junior sister.

　　William Graham was indeed the most outstanding disciple of his generation in the Ge Sect. To secretly consummate his relationship with his junior sister without being discovered by his master, he had specially refined a batch of "Solid Sand Pills." Taking one every ten days would keep the cinnabar mark from fading. As a result, his master had been fooled until today, and now even had a grandchild on the way.

　　"Huh, what's that?" Not far ahead of William Graham, a faint golden orb of light was bouncing through the grass and shrubs. With his skills, William Graham felt no fear at all; instead, he eagerly gave chase. The golden orb rolled along, growing larger as it went. By the time William Graham caught up, it was already half as tall as a person.

　　William Graham was secretly delighted. The mountain had been sealed by the Ge Sect ancestors, making the area within three hundred li of the sect gate a forbidden zone—no one could enter or leave. Not only could modern radar find no trace of it, but the spiritual energy within the mountain would not leak out. Over the centuries, the accumulated spiritual energy had become abundant, and it was not uncommon for the essence of plants or the spirits of birds and beasts to take form. Such treasures were rare and invaluable, and capturing one would greatly aid his cultivation.

　　In all his years roaming the mountain, William Graham had never encountered such an opportunity. Now that he had, there was no way he would let it slip by. At once, William Graham placed one hand behind his back, formed a sword-finger with the other, and drew a "Spirit Capturing Talisman" in the air, shouting, "Capture!"

　　A hazy blue light enveloped the golden orb.

　　Unexpectedly, the orb suddenly grew enormous, not only easily swallowing the Spirit Capturing Talisman, but also emitting a powerful suction force. In an instant, the connection between William Graham and the talisman was seized, and he was pulled toward the orb.

　　William Graham was shocked. He tried to struggle, but it was too late. He had been careless, never imagining this thing could be so strange. The force was overwhelming—even if William Graham had been fully on guard, he would not have been a match. Without suspense, he was dragged into the golden light.

　　The golden light swallowed William Graham, quickly shrank, rolled around on the tips of the grass for a moment, and then vanished in a flash. It was as if it had never existed in this world.

　　Inside the Ge Sect.

　　"Bang!" Henry Graham slammed the door shut and hastily cast a talisman, locking his daughter Grace Graham firmly inside the room. Grace Graham pounded on the wooden door, crying, "Father, let me out, let me out..." Henry Graham said angrily, "That little brat better not come back! If he dares, I'll break his legs!" He had no idea that his most outstanding disciple might truly never return.