Samuel Harper remained motionless, so all the elders and youngsters of the The Harper Family could only wait there together. Those The Harper Family youths who had just exhausted themselves during the trial were now so hungry that their stomachs let out strange growls, but since Samuel Harper said nothing, they could only endure their hunger and keep waiting, each cursing William Harper in their hearts, watching him with cold eyes as he struggled forward at a snail’s pace.

“Brother William...

Will he fall down?”

Little Lily Harper rubbed her little belly and said worriedly in a low voice.

“It’s fine, with the City Lord here, even if William falls, nothing will happen to him.”

Grace Harper smiled sweetly, pinched Little Lily Harper’s little cheek, and said with a laugh.

Although Grace Harper didn’t like Henry Harper’s family, she made an exception for Little Lily Harper. At only fifteen, Little Lily Harper was kind-hearted, innocent, and pure, making her very endearing.

“Oh, I almost forgot if you hadn’t mentioned it.”

Richard Clark patted his head, as if suddenly remembering something. He took out a bead from the brocade pouch at his waist, which glowed with a gentle red light. The bead was crystal clear, with what looked like a flickering flame inside. As soon as the bead left Richard Clark’s pouch, the surrounding temperature rose.

Standing beside Henry Harper, Sullivan, who had been looking impatient, suddenly widened her almond-shaped eyes when she saw Richard Clark take out the fiery red bead, as if sensing something. Her eyes lit up, and she stared fixedly at the red bead in his hand.

“This Flame Elemental Pearl was specially exchanged for by my girl, who asked her aunt to get it from the Spirit Treasure Pavilion in Tianshui City, as a thank you for teaching her embroidery and sewing.

Heh, that girl has been without a mother since she was little, and she’s always gotten along well with you. In the future, please visit Qingyan City more often to help me guide her—she only listens to you.

You haven’t come for a few days, and she’s been nagging in my ear all day. I’m about to be driven crazy by her.”

Richard Clark spoke with a smile as he tried to force the Flame Elemental Pearl into Grace Harper’s hand.

“Heavens, a Flame Elemental Pearl!

That’s a treasure that can enhance communication with the sacred beast Vermilion Bird!”

A knowledgeable The Harper Family collateral disciple couldn’t help but exclaim.

Samuel Harper, Thomas Harper, and the others all looked on with strange expressions, staring blankly as Richard Clark forced the Flame Elemental Pearl into Grace Harper’s hand.

Henry Harper’s wife, Sullivan, saw Richard Clark force the Flame Elemental Pearl into Grace Harper’s hand, and her eyes seemed to blaze with fire, unable to hide her greedy gaze.

“This is too valuable, I can’t accept it!”

Grace Harper stepped back, hurriedly avoiding it.

Richard Clark’s face darkened as he said, “This isn’t from me. That girl Emily pestered her aunt for days to get someone to exchange it from the Spirit Treasure Pavilion in Tianshui City!

If you don’t accept it, when you get back, Emily will turn the house upside down!”

“But...

But...” Grace Harper waved her hands repeatedly, not knowing what to say.

“Stop with the buts!

You’re currently in the Four Symbols Heaven Realm, and you’re communicating with the sacred beast Vermilion Bird. With the help of this Flame Elemental Pearl, you’ll save a lot of effort.”

Richard Clark forced the Flame Elemental Pearl into Grace Harper’s hand and muttered to himself, “That child Emily, these past few years have been hard on you. It’s just a Flame Elemental Pearl, it’s nothing.”

Over there, Sullivan was staring at the Flame Elemental Pearl, her eyes nearly popping out.

—Like Grace Harper, she was also in the Four Symbols Heaven Realm and planned to specialize in communicating with the sacred beast Vermilion Bird. So, more than anyone, she knew how much the Flame Elemental Pearl could help both her and Grace Harper.

Henry Harper tugged at his wife Sullivan and shot her a fierce glare. Under Henry Harper’s stern gaze, Sullivan finally suppressed her greed and stopped looking at the Flame Elemental Pearl in Grace Harper’s hand.

Seeing Grace Harper accept the item, Richard Clark said no more and, like Franklin Cooper, turned his gaze to William Harper.

Richard Clark didn’t move, and neither did Samuel Harper.

With Samuel Harper unmoving, everyone in the The Harper Family except Thomas Harper dared not move.

As William Harper’s paternal grandfather, Thomas Harper would hardly act rashly at such a critical moment.

Thus, all the elders and youngsters of the The Harper Family, whether direct or collateral, dozens of people, waited anxiously at the foot of the mountain, keeping Richard Clark company in this standoff.

...

This standoff lasted all the way until the sky was filled with evening glow.

Dragging his heavy body, William Harper was drenched in sweat. Beneath the fiery clouds of the sunset, relying on his frail body and a stubborn will in his heart, he climbed Qingyan Mountain step by arduous step!

Clusters of fiery clouds dyed the sky, and in the afterglow of the sunset, William Harper’s figure on the summit of Qingyan Mountain blended with the evening colors.

William Harper was about to let out a long howl to the sky when he suddenly noticed the foot of the mountain was crowded with people. Exhausted to the point of near collapse, William Harper’s face was full of surprise. His clear eyes looked down seriously at the foot of the mountain, and only then did he spot the tall and imposing City Lord of Qingyan City, Richard Clark, among the crowd.

At that moment, Richard Clark actually gave him a thumbs-up from afar!

So it was because he was still here. I thought the elders and youngsters of the The Harper Family had suddenly changed their ways.

William Harper gave a self-mocking smile.

Looking down at the now tiny figures at the foot of the mountain, William Harper suddenly had a wonderful illusion of having the whole world under his feet. Seeing Richard Clark’s raised thumb, a sense of pride and satisfaction at being recognized welled up inside him.