Everyone looked curiously toward the main gate of the courtyard. As the last-ranked among the Hundred Peaks, usually not even a ghost would come knocking here, let alone a person.

"Come in," Brian Carter called out. Andrew Morris hopped over to unlatch the door and let the visitor in.

The newcomer was young, wearing a blue Daoist robe embroidered with the scenery of the Hundred Peaks. Upon seeing Brian Carter, he hurriedly saluted and said, "Peak Master, Elder Tongdie requests your presence."

Brian Carter saw the Daoist robe and immediately knew this person was a steward of the Hundred Peaks—equivalent to a civil servant in his previous world. Only the Hundred Peaks' civil servants were qualified to wear robes embroidered with the peaks' scenery.

As for Elder Tongdie? Brian Carter knew this was a friend of his predecessor's late master. The last time they met was at his master's funeral, after which the old man went into seclusion.

"Emily, watch Little Andrew while he eats, and don't let him be picky. Also, keep an eye on my seven-colored phoenix-tail fish. I'll be back soon." Brian Carter stood up, gave these instructions to Second Senior Sister Emily Morris, and strode out the door, saying to the steward, "Since the elder has invited me, let us go quickly."

The steward led Brian Carter onto the department's special Immortal Cloud Car sent by the Ministry of Works, heading straight for Elder Tongdie's cave residence in the Hundred Peaks Sect.

Andrew Morris was initially delighted to see his master leave—finally, he wouldn't have to eat those disliked greens. But when he saw the cold and frosty Second Senior Sister Emily Morris, he chickened out! Compared to First Senior Sister, both he and his master found the cold and sharp-tongued Second Senior Sister even more troublesome.

Chapter 5: Child, Did You Forget Your Medicine?

The Immortal Cloud Car flew for an hour before arriving at Elder Tongdie's cave residence.

Brian Carter got off the car and entered the cave. Carved into the mountainside, the cave was only about two hundred square meters, with no luxurious decorations. Two fist-sized pearls were embedded in the walls, illuminating the entire cave brightly.

Lighting pearls from East Sea ice clams! Brian Carter secretly marveled at the wealth! Pearls of this size must have taken at least three hundred years to form, and each would cost several hundred taels of spirit stones at least.

"Child, come here, come to me."

In the living room of the cave, a plump old man with a kindly face greeted Brian Carter warmly upon seeing him.

Brian Carter, recalling his memories, knew this was Elder Tongdie. He hurried forward, clasped his fists, bowed, and said, "Greetings, Martial Uncle."

"Sit," Elder Tongdie pointed to the cushion across the table. "I've just come out of seclusion and heard you made a bet for a duel with Xingyao Peak? And your opponent is their chief disciple, Samuel Turner?"

Brian Carter sat cross-legged and nodded, pouring a cup of tea for the elder.

Elder Tongdie was very pleased with Brian Carter's polite manners, but then showed a look of reproach and said, "You're a peak master now, how can you still be so impulsive? What cultivation is Samuel Turner at? If I recall, Foundation Establishment Stage Eight? By now, he must be close to the peak of Stage Nine, right? And you? What stage are you at?"

Brian Carter poured himself a cup of tea and smiled, "Martial Uncle, I'm at Foundation Establishment Stage Three."

"Nonsense!" Elder Tongdie's face darkened, and he slammed his teacup heavily on the table, splashing tea everywhere. "Even a genius can at most fight one stage above their own! And you're not even a genius... Are you trying to lose the last Grade Three spiritual field of Sibao Peak?"

Looking at the genuinely caring, chubby old man before him, Brian Carter felt a warmth in his heart. He definitely had to show this elder a way to get rich.

"Ah, it's just that your master and I were old friends!" Elder Tongdie sighed when he saw Brian Carter still not realizing the seriousness of the situation. "I've served as the Ministry of Works' Immortal Official Elder in the sect for many years; others will give me some face. If you come with me to Xingyao Peak and admit your mistake, canceling the duel shouldn't be too hard..."

"I don't want to." Brian Carter shook his head like a rattle drum. He had just heard from Lingxi about a way to make money—how could he cancel the duel? Besides, Xingyao Peak had even offered a three-hundred-year-old Grade Three Magma Ganoderma as a wager.

"You're still worried about saving face at a time like this?" Elder Tongdie was anxious. "Without that Grade Three spiritual field, Sibao Peak won't even have a last chance to turn things around! Don't worry, even if it were the seventy-ranked Poyue Peak, let alone the ninety-fifth-ranked Xingyao Peak, they'd still give me face."

"Martial Uncle..." Brian Carter wiped the teacup for Elder Tongdie and poured him another cup. "I don't want to cancel because I can win. Have you heard the odds at the gambling houses? None of them think I can do it..."

Elder Tongdie suddenly felt dizzy. He'd heard upon coming out of seclusion that this child had suffered qi deviation and burned his brain, spending the last two months fishing instead of training or preparing for the duel. Now it seemed he'd developed hysteria—actually thinking he could win!

Elder Tongdie remembered his late junior's request to look after Brian Carter, this slow-witted child. But after just one period of seclusion, not only had the boy burned his brain with training, he was about to lose Sibao Peak's last assets!

"Child, listen to your martial uncle's advice," Elder Tongdie said earnestly. "Those who survive qi deviation often develop inexplicable confidence—it's actually the work of inner demons."