Suddenly, Henry Clark felt that this Adam Brooks had become a “rare commodity,” and thought to himself, “The chief must have had this idea too. Since our Tianma Mountain lacks a true expert, we might as well cultivate one ourselves. I wonder how he discovered that Adam Brooks is a martial arts prodigy. It’s a pity I didn’t notice earlier—otherwise, Adam Brooks would be my disciple now.”

Henry Clark pondered over and over, but found nothing suspicious about the chief, Black Whirlwind’s, martial arts. So it couldn’t be that the chief had obtained some secret martial arts manual; he could only attribute it to Adam Brooks’s extraordinary talent. He felt quite regretful in his heart that he hadn’t paid more attention to this youngster, allowing the chief to seize the opportunity.

The two chiefs of Tianma Mountain were both shrewd people. After having lunch at Henry Clark’s mansion, the two were chatting idly when suddenly, a clear, melodious laugh like an oriole rang out from outside the courtyard: “So it’s Mr. Clark who’s here. Why didn’t you come see me first, and instead waited for me to come to you?”

Adam Brooks was slightly startled and instinctively reached for the Burmese knife at his waist. But Henry Clark waved his hand and smiled, “Third Chief, you’re joking. I’ve brought a sworn brother this time, and was just about to tell him about the people of the Bamboo Branch Gang before taking him out, so as not to be rude.”

A woman of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, dressed in a bright red dress, with a voluptuous figure, lively eyes, and a beaming smile, walked in. She laughed before she spoke, her laughter as charming as swaying flowers. In his heart, Adam Brooks secretly gave her an eight-character evaluation: “smoky eyes and seductive walk, flirtatious to the bone,” but on his face, he feigned shock, his gaze darting back and forth between the Third Chief and Henry Clark.

Adam Brooks’s behavior made the Third Chief laugh, and she said gently, “Is Mr. Clark talking about you? He’s not a good person at heart, don’t let him fool you. I’ve suffered at his hands, and even now he still bullies me.”

This beautiful Third Chief spoke in a most ambiguous manner. Although Henry Clark was openly teased, he could only give an awkward smile and explain, “This is our seventh brother of Tianma Mountain, the chief’s personal disciple. Third Chief, please don’t joke.”

The Bamboo Branch Gang’s Third Chief, Emily Thompson, had heard from her subordinates that they’d seen Henry Clark in Poyang Prefecture. She happened to have something to ask, so she hurried over. Although she saw that Adam Brooks was rather young and wanted to tease him a bit, the matter at hand was quite serious. After a few jokes, she changed the subject and asked, “Mr. Clark, have you seen someone named William Reed at Tianma Mountain recently?”

Henry Clark looked a bit confused and replied, “I haven’t heard of this person! Who is this William Reed, and why are you so concerned about him, Third Chief?”

The Bamboo Branch Gang’s Third Chief, Emily Thompson, sighed and said, “It’s not just me who’s concerned about him—there are countless others, all with more power than the Bamboo Branch Gang. This William Reed is a descendant of an Immortal Dao sect, different from us martial artists of the jianghu. Somehow, he had a stroke of incredible luck and obtained a legendary heavenly book from the Old Ancestor of the Heavenly River. But word got out, and now he’s being hunted by countless people. These people are not ones we can afford to offend. Someone even came to the Bamboo Branch Gang to ask about this. I heard he’s been seen in the area recently and might pass by your Tianma Mountain, so I came to ask.”

Henry Clark gave a wry smile and said, “Even if he passes by our Tianma Mountain, he’s just a lone traveler who seems to know some martial arts—no one would rob him. Besides, how would we know who is called William Reed? Even if we met him face to face, we might not recognize him.”

Emily Thompson chuckled and said, “I have a portrait of him here. Mr. Clark, keep it for now and help our Bamboo Branch Gang keep an eye out. I hear someone is offering a magical artifact as a reward for information on this person’s whereabouts!”

Henry Clark couldn’t help but be tempted and was about to say something when Emily Thompson took a scroll with the portrait out of her sleeve.

Chapter Six: A Familiar Face

There are many people in the world who practice martial arts, but so-called “Immortal Dao sects” are extremely rare.

Adam Brooks had also heard that those who know strange magical arts rarely appear before ordinary people—they are like legendary dragons, mysterious and elusive. These people are skilled in magic, can summon spirits and ghosts, and possess all sorts of incredible abilities. Ordinary people are utterly helpless against such figures. Even those with the highest martial skills are like ants in their eyes—if they want to crush them, they crush them; if they want to toy with them, they toy with them.

Curious, he leaned over for a glance. When he saw the portrait Emily Thompson took out, his heart immediately pounded like a drum, and he thought to himself, “This is really bad, something terrible has happened.”

The portrait looked very much like the man who, during his first robbery down the mountain, had died suddenly, leaving him with the Heshan Sutra and three pages of the heavenly book. Coupled with what Emily Thompson had just said, Adam Brooks was almost certain that this William Reed was that very person.

“Damn! The so-called heavenly book passed down from the Old Ancestor of the Heavenly River—does that refer to those three golden pages, or the Heshan Sutra, or perhaps both together? So many people are already after this stuff. If anyone finds out that I once handled William Reed’s belongings, who knows what methods they’ll use to torture me and force me to reveal the whereabouts. If I still had them, I could just hand them over, but those three golden pages are already gone. If I only hand over the Heshan Sutra, I’m afraid it won’t be enough.”

Emily Thompson didn’t even glance at Adam Brooks, and since he hid his feelings well, this Third Chief of the Bamboo Branch Gang didn’t notice anything amiss. She just joked a bit with Henry Clark, then took her leave in a hurry.