“Inside the” storage pouch, it was filled to the brim with sparkling spirit stones.

A rough estimate—no less than a hundred pieces!

This...

Jason Brooks's pupils trembled, his eyes slowly widening.

“Did I just pick up money?”

Ethan Brooks was also utterly stunned.

A hundred spirit stones wasn’t a huge sum for him, Elder Ethan, but it certainly wasn’t a small amount either!

What surprised him even more was that, at the very moment Jason Brooks picked up the storage pouch, the purple glow on his own forehead suddenly burst apart with a “pop,” dissolving into nothingness.

A thought flashed through his mind, and he understood.

So that’s how it is.

His great-grandson picking up spirit stones was most likely thanks to that wisp of purple energy.

I, Ethan Brooks, have actually become a golden finger.

Chapter 4: Grateful for Nature’s Gift

Emily Martin’s eyes were as wide as copper bells, her face full of disbelief.

So... he just picked up money?

Why was that?

Why wasn’t she, Emily Martin, the one who found the money?

She was clearly here first, so why didn’t she see the storage pouch in the grass?

It was as if she’d been struck by lightning, doubting her very existence.

“Pretty lucky.” Jason Brooks’s brows relaxed, his spirits lifted and his face radiant.

Anyone would be happy to pick up a windfall.

Thank you, nature, for your gift.

He stuffed the storage pouch into his chest, ready to step onto the spirit leaf and leave.

But unexpectedly, someone tugged at his sleeve.

Jason Brooks looked at Emily Martin with a hint of caution: “What? Does Miss Emily want to rob me?”

He wasn’t afraid at all.

This was the back mountain of Jade Cliff; if he just sent out a distress talisman, his elders would arrive quickly and turn any robber to dust.

A flood of grievance surged in Emily Martin’s heart, and she burst into tears with a “wah.”

She cried so bitterly, far more sincerely than when she wailed at Elder Ethan’s funeral.

“These are the spirit stones I found.”

Jason Brooks remained unmoved, coldly prying Emily Martin’s fingers away.

He stepped onto the spirit leaf and flew toward the main residence, leaving Emily Martin behind to continue her crying.

No joke, the The Brooks Family family might be large and wealthy, but their expenses were just as great.

Especially since his fourth great-uncle Eric Brooks tried to break through to Foundation Establishment, the family’s resources had become even tighter.

A hundred spirit stones was no small sum; there’s no way Jason Brooks would invest it recklessly and let the money go to waste.

This scene left Ethan Brooks both gratified and exasperated.

His great-grandson had a clear head and wouldn’t be easily fooled.

But with such a cold and heartless attitude toward a girl, this marriage prospect was probably doomed.

Ethan Brooks shook his head with a smile, hands clasped behind his back, and gracefully flew back to the main residence. He no longer paid attention to Young Jason, instead wandering around.

The main residence covered a large area, but the buildings weren’t densely packed. There was a fair distance between each courtyard, separated by greenery, making them quite independent from one another.

This wasn’t surprising.

The The Brooks Family clan had only been established in Cangyi Guard for a few decades, with just a few dozen people. But when Ethan Brooks built the main residence, he planned for a flourishing lineage, so the estate had to be big enough—otherwise, after several or a dozen generations, there wouldn’t be enough space.

Ethan Brooks wandered aimlessly, with no particular goal, just looking in on the children at home.

After a while, the family meeting in the ancestral hall seemed to have ended, and the men of the second and third generations left the hall one after another, busying themselves with their own affairs.

As a Foundation Establishment family, the Cangyi The Brooks Family had many businesses under their name. The men of the second and third generations were the backbone of the clan, each able to handle things on their own, so they were naturally busy most days.

If not for the major event of his passing, it would be rare to gather everyone together.

Ethan Brooks was wandering about aimlessly.

Suddenly.

A house servant hurrying by caught Ethan Brooks’s attention.

Judging by the direction, he was heading to his own study.

Oh, no, it was now the study of his eldest son, Brian Brooks.

Ethan Brooks instinctively followed.

It turned out the servant was delivering letters.

The letters came from the market, two in total, from the [Zhao Clan of Nanyue] and the [Zheng Clan of Lingbei]. The content was simple: both clan heads invited Brian Brooks to the market for a meeting to discuss the redistribution of market profits.

Ethan Brooks sighed.

He had expected this, but didn’t think it would come so soon.

Brian Brooks’s expression was also very grave.

Fortunately, he had anticipated this situation and made preparations.

Soon, he summoned his second son, Henry Brooks, instructing him to set out for the market the next day to handle the preliminary negotiations.

If a suitable distribution plan could be reached, that would be best; if not, then try to stall for time.

This was the usual process for major negotiations among cultivation families.

As the clan head, Brian Brooks’s appearance would mean a final decision, but if his son went instead, there would be much more room for maneuver.

In the past, when Ethan Brooks was around, such matters were usually handled by Brian Brooks, but now, it was his son’s turn.