Just as he was thinking, he suddenly heard a commotion of running outside in the courtyard, mixed with a few cries and wails.

Carter Foster frowned. Such chaos was almost unimaginable within the Fang residence.

“Go see what’s happened!”

He gave an order, and the maid who was helping him put on his shoes hurriedly agreed and rushed out.

After putting on his robe, Carter Foster got up, pondering where he should spend his time tonight. Just then, the maid who had gone to investigate came running back in a panic, nearly tripping over the threshold, her face stricken as if her soul had left her body, crying out, “Young master... young master... something terrible has happened, the master has fainted, and the madam too... please, come quickly and see...”

Carter Foster’s expression darkened slightly as he strode outside. “What happened?”

The maid, her voice choked with sobs, cried, “It’s the eldest young master... news from Chao Ge, the eldest young master... has died!”

“What?”

Carter Foster suddenly turned around, his steps coming to a halt.

A long, long silence passed before he finally let out a low sigh. “He held on for so long... it must have been hard for him...”

Chapter 3: This Elder Brother

His own genius elder brother had actually died?

Carter Foster thought to himself silently. Probably anyone who heard this news would find it hard to believe!

How could a peerless genius like him possibly die?

……

……

Liuhu’s Charles Foster, a peerless prodigy!

He was reading at three, enlightened at five, admitted exceptionally to the Baixiang Academy at seven, entered the Jiuxian Sect in Duyan City at ten to cultivate, and by fifteen had already achieved the first-grade immortal Dharma Body in the world. He entered Tianyue Palace in Qingjiang County, and after only seven years of cultivation there, at the age of twenty-two, he was again admitted as a companion scholar to the Seven Kings Immortal Hall. Now, at just twenty-nine, he was already one of the candidates selected for the All-Saints Heaven!

Twenty-nine years old, and already possibly entering the All-Saints Heaven—what did that mean?

Many cultivators spent hundreds, even thousands of years on a path that he, at twenty-nine, had already completed.

Once admitted to the All-Saints Heaven, he would become a true immortal in every sense.

By then, the Fang family of Liuhu City would become one of the most distinguished noble families in the Great Xia Dynasty!

But who could have imagined that he would die at this moment?

Who knows how many people across the land were left dumbfounded, but as Charles Foster’s younger brother...

Carter Foster was not surprised at all!

The world only knew of Liuhu’s Charles Foster, a dazzling genius, as brilliant as the sun and moon, but Carter Foster had always known that his elder brother had a problem!

He was a good person!

From a very young age, if he saw an evil beggar abducting children on the road, he would shout to stop them, and as a result, he himself was nearly kidnapped. Before the Fang family rose to prominence, if he saw the poor begging, he would give away his own rations, even if it meant going hungry all day.

He could not stand injustice in the world. If he encountered bullies oppressing others, he would speak out against them. If he saw the poor suffering, he would give them money to help.

Clearly, he could have lived a peaceful life cultivating, enjoying the admiration and envy of the world as a carefree genius, but because he loved to meddle in others’ affairs, who knows how many disasters he brought upon himself. The world only knew that he entered Baixiang Academy at seven, a prodigy spoken of by all, but they did not know that at nine, because of the incident of releasing tigers in the southern village, he incurred the wrath of many, and the former head of Baixiang Academy was forced to retire.

The world only knew he entered Jiuxian Sect in Duyan City at ten, but did not know that at fourteen, because he exposed the Chen Prefecture’s Putian Moonlight Array for stealing the life force of the people within three thousand li of Lingzhou, he was hunted for a long time by assassins from the Path of Heaven...

There were far too many such incidents!

And precisely because this elder brother was such a good person, Carter Foster had always felt that he would not live long.

“You can’t tolerate even a grain of sand in your eyes—how can this world tolerate you?”

Carter Foster thought to himself, slowly walking out of the side room.

……

……

Throughout the entire Fang residence, cries could be heard everywhere.

Maids, servants, laborers—even the horses in the distant stables seemed to be affected by the sorrow, neighing mournfully.

Perhaps they had not seen Charles Foster many times, or even at all, but everyone in the Fang residence had heard countless tales of that prodigy of the Great Xia Dynasty, and had grown used to taking pride in the Fang family’s eldest young master, accustomed to the shelter of his reputation.

To be a servant in the Fang family of Liuhu, to serve in the household of an immortal master of Great Xia, was an honor in itself.

The most famous example was the Huang steward of the Fang residence, who traveled three thousand li away to visit relatives. There, his own clan nephew was framed and had his family property seized, and even he was implicated and nearly lost his life. But when he mentioned he was a servant of the Fang family of Liuhu, the governor of that prefecture personally intervened. Later, an imperial decree was issued, the nephew’s property was returned, and there were even additional rewards...

Such stories were too numerous to count!

But precisely because of this, when news of Charles Foster’s death suddenly arrived, the entire Fang residence felt as if it had lost its pillar.