No one knew how much time had passed before Eric Bennett finally drifted into sleep.

Moonlight, like water, shone upon Eric Bennett, as if draping him in a layer of light gauze. Suddenly, a patch of blue-green light glowed on his chest, strangely enchanting.

Chapter Eight: A Strange Reunion

Eric Bennett suddenly sat up, gasping for breath. He had just had a nightmare—he dreamt that his identity was exposed and that he was killed with a single palm strike by the abbot who had attained the Arhat Golden Body.

Although he had never seen the abbot, the dream was so vivid that even after waking, he was trembling all over.

“Where is this…” Suddenly, a crisp female voice, tinged with wariness, entered Eric Bennett’s ears.

Who? How could there be a woman in the meditation room? Eric Bennett was startled. Looking around, he was instantly stunned—this was no longer his own meditation room!

He was on a plaza paved with stones resembling white jade. The center was empty, and around it stood statues of divine beasts and birds such as dragons, phoenixes, kui oxen, and pixiu. Nearby, the sword-washing pavilion maiden Emily Carter, the Zhenwu Sect disciple Jason Bolton, and the Xuantian Sect successor Lucas—all whom he had seen yesterday—were looking around with puzzled expressions.

Eric Bennett struggled to his feet, equally confused as he looked at everything, unable to understand what had happened. He had been sleeping peacefully in the meditation room—how did he end up here, and why were these exceptionally talented disciples from various sects here too? Was he still dreaming?

Suddenly, Lucas’s angry face appeared before Eric Bennett. His brows shot up as he shouted, “What are you Shaolin people trying to do? Do you want to become the enemy of all the sects?”

Eric Bennett had no idea what he was talking about and looked at him, even more bewildered.

“Lucas, don’t jump to conclusions. Check behind the statues again and see how things develop,” Jason Bolton maintained a calm demeanor.

Emily Carter frowned slightly and said, “The little monk is just a menial. Even if this is related to Shaolin, he wouldn’t know anything. Why make things difficult for him? Besides, I don’t think there’s anything about us worth Shaolin scheming for.”

Lucas waved his right hand angrily. “Isn’t it obvious? Shaolin has Kongwen, who has attained the ‘Dragon-Subduing Arhat Golden Body’ and is a living immortal. Who could possibly hide from his clairvoyance and clairaudience, and silently take us from within Shaolin Temple, right under our elders’ noses? Unless he did it himself, I can’t think of any other possibility!”

“I—I wasn’t at Shaolin…” At this moment, a timid man in his thirties, sturdy and sporting a rough beard, walked out from behind a statue.

“Anyone else? Friends, please come out. I am Zhenwu’s Jason Bolton.” Jason Bolton was momentarily surprised, then called out in a loud voice.

“Senior Brother Zhang, so you’re here too.” Two more people emerged from behind different statues. One was a tall girl with her hair tied with a white handkerchief and wheat-colored skin; the other was an ordinary-looking young man with a serious, solemn expression.

Jason Bolton fell silent for a moment, his expression growing more solemn. “So it’s Junior Sister Olivia Parker from the Great River Gang. Did you also wake up here after falling asleep?”

Emily Carter paced to Eric Bennett’s side and said thoughtfully, “She’s the youngest daughter of Deputy Leader Jacob Parker of the Great River Gang, and she came to Shaolin this time as well.”

“I don’t know her…” Eric Bennett could only answer honestly, his mind swirling with countless thoughts as he tried to guess what had happened to them.

“Yes, but we woke up behind the statues. Hearing voices over here, we didn’t dare come out at first.” Olivia Parker’s brows were tightly knit as she pointed at the timid man. “Lucas’s guess is probably wrong. This is Logan Reed, an incense master of my Great River Gang and a member of the Yan family’s ‘Wu’ generation from Jiangzuo. He didn’t come to Shaolin with us—he should still be in Maoling, Jiangdong.”

“Yes, yes! Third Miss, I—I just won a big sum at the Tianzi No. 1 Casino in Maoling, hired a few popular courtesans to sing, and then, after waking up, I found myself in this inexplicable place!” Logan Reed looked terrified and panicked.

Emily Carter chuckled softly, not sure if she was introducing him to Eric Bennett or just talking to herself. “The ‘Wu’ generation—he’s a cousin of Yan Wuwu, the head of the ‘Zombie Fist’ school. With such a high status, yet only an incense master in the Great River Gang—there must be a reason for that…”

Lucas frowned, took a few steps to stand before Logan Reed, and demanded, “You gambling, womanizing scoundrel, you must be a habitual liar. How can you prove you’re telling the truth?”

He still insisted on his own view.

Logan Reed’s lips moved a few times. “You—you can go ask at the Tianzi No. 1 Casino in Maoling and see if I just won two thousand one hundred taels of silver!”

With the third miss present, he gradually calmed down a bit.

“And who is this?” Jason Bolton frowned and turned to the unsmiling, ordinary-looking young man.

Emily Carter suddenly stepped forward, her beautiful brows slightly furrowed. “Brother, I think I’ve seen you before? Hmm, among the accompanying disciples of the Huanhua Sword Sect?”

The man wore a blue robe and a small cap, looking just over twenty, but he lacked the youthful vigor and eagerness typical of his age. His face was like an iron mask, showing no expression other than heaviness. He nodded slightly. “It is an honor to be remembered by Miss Jiang. I am an ordinary disciple of the Huanhua Sword Sect, Benjamin Cooper, and I came to Shaolin as part of the entourage this time.”