Adam Brooks was startled and quickly asked, “What is the reason for this?”

Henry Clark composed himself, called for the household servants to bring tea, and led Adam Brooks to the main reception hall of his home. Only then did he speak unhurriedly, “Seventh brother, you have no idea about the ins and outs of this matter. Fortunately, I went out to gather information today and happened to run into the third gang leader, who took me to attend this evening’s banquet. That’s how I learned some of the truth.”

Henry Clark recounted the story in detail to Adam Brooks, and only then did Adam Brooks grasp the gist of the matter.

It turned out that William Reed was a disciple of the highly secretive Immortal sect Beast Taming Hall, which was a sworn enemy of Heshan Dao. The two factions each had their strengths and had been at odds for decades, with both suffering losses but unable to overcome the other. The current head of Beast Taming Hall came up with a plan: he secretly trained a disciple and had him infiltrate Heshan Dao, aiming to steal a certain Daoist scripture from them.

Unexpectedly, although William Reed succeeded in obtaining the scripture, his whereabouts were exposed during his escape. Not long after, news spread that the scripture from Heshan Dao actually contained a heavenly tome left by the Old Ancestor of the Heavenly River, which immediately alarmed many reclusive Immortal sects. Heshan Dao, being the owner, had not even realized that such an important item was hidden within their own sect’s treasured scripture. They quickly took action, notifying a Supreme Elder who served in the imperial court to come and hunt down William Reed before any rival sect could get to him first.

As for who ambushed William Reed, leaving him gravely injured and ultimately dying in front of Adam Brooks, the details were unknown—not only to Henry Clark, but even to that Supreme Elder of Heshan Dao.

Hearing these stories, Adam Brooks couldn’t help but marvel inwardly, thinking to himself, “That William Reed truly was remarkable, managing to steal such an important item from a rival sect. But… what Second-in-command Henry Clark said is probably not entirely accurate. At the very least, I know that William Reed had no idea that the Heshan scripture contained those three pages of the golden tome. If he had known this secret, he would have taken the scripture apart long ago—how would it have ended up in my hands?”

Adam Brooks pondered the matter from beginning to end and felt that there were still flaws in Henry Clark’s account; many details didn’t quite add up. But then he thought it over and let it go, thinking to himself, “He heard all this from others, and after being passed around so many times, the story has probably become distorted. Besides, even that Supreme Elder of Heshan Dao may not know the whole truth—at the very least, he doesn’t know that William Reed was gravely injured and already died at my hands.”

Henry Clark was usually of a gloomy disposition, but today he was somewhat excited, even a bit talkative, not bothering to watch Adam Brooks’s expression as he continued, “That Supreme Leader of Heshan Dao thinks highly of me, and I’ve already decided to do whatever it takes to become his disciple. As long as I can learn even a tenth of his skills, wouldn’t the world be mine to roam?”

Henry Clark straightened his chest, gazed toward the horizon, and declared with lofty ambition, “By then, as long as Second Brother gives you a little support, not to mention the meager foundation at Tianma Mountain—even the three major gangs of this county would be nothing!”

Adam Brooks still didn’t quite understand why Henry Clark cared so much, but Henry Clark himself was well aware—he hadn’t let excitement cloud his judgment. In his heart, he thought, “My own aptitude is lacking, which is why I never learned any advanced martial arts at Yinshan Sect back then. This Supreme Elder of Heshan Dao probably won’t think much of me either, but Adam Brooks’s talent is extraordinary. To have cultivated Iron Bone Technique, an external skill, to the point of generating true qi at such a young age—the Supreme Elder will surely notice him at a glance. By relying on Adam Brooks’s strength, I’ll have a seventy or eighty percent chance of becoming a disciple. But I can’t let this kid know; I must get him to do me this favor. It’s really my good fortune—if I hadn’t seen through his background and tested him repeatedly, how could I have created such a great opportunity for myself?”

Henry Clark felt that his own cunning had brought about this wonderful result. He kept flattering Adam Brooks, which made the chief feel uneasy, sensing that something was off.

Adam Brooks had no desire to meet that old Daoist again, nor was he the least bit interested in Henry Clark’s proposal. The techniques of Heshan Dao might be powerful, but with the complete Heshan scripture in his possession, he had no need to seek a master. Moreover, those three pages of the golden tome were of great consequence—Adam Brooks didn’t believe that simply returning the item would be the end of it; more likely, it would spell disaster.

But Henry Clark had no confidence in his own abilities, and all his talk was just to coax Adam Brooks into meeting the Supreme Elder of Heshan Dao with him. No matter how Adam Brooks tried to decline, Henry Clark was determined that it had to be this way. Both had their own concerns and neither dared to speak plainly. They chatted idly all morning, but nothing was resolved. No matter what Henry Clark said, Adam Brooks refused to agree to accompany his “Second Brother” to the magistrate’s residence in Poyang.

Henry Clark tried to persuade him for a long time and was a bit puzzled. By rights, being able to join an Immortal sect should be far better than being a bandit on Tianma Mountain—anyone should agree readily. Yet Adam Brooks kept making excuses and was extremely unwilling, which made Henry Clark a little suspicious. He stopped trying to persuade him, simply ordered the servants to prepare breakfast quickly, and after eating with Adam Brooks, went off to rest.