Edward Brooks was reborn, only to discover, to his surprise, that he was already a married man. He was only twenty-two, yet already had a family. And his wife was none other than the daughter of the Coach Johnson who had adopted him back then, her full name being Nancy Johnson.

However, the ‘Zhou’ in Coach Johnson has absolutely no relation to the ‘Zhou’ in Louis Johnson.

Nancy was just sixteen, delicate and gentle, looking so pitiful that one couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.

But it seemed there was some conflict between Nancy and Edward Brooks; their relationship was not particularly harmonious. Since Edward Brooks’s rebirth, apart from the first two days when Nancy cared for him at his side, once his health improved, she became distant again, as if they were strangers. They slept in separate rooms and barely spoke to each other. For example, today, when Edward Brooks left the house, he clearly crossed paths with Nancy, but she acted as if she hadn’t seen him at all.

There was definitely something wrong here.

Yet in Edward Brooks’s mind, there were no fragments of memory related to this.

The reason Nancy married Edward Brooks was entirely because Nancy’s father, Coach Johnson, and Edward Brooks’s father, Frank Brooks, were sworn brothers, as close as real siblings. The two had made a pact in their youth: if both had sons, they’d be brothers; if both had daughters, they’d be sisters; if one had a son and the other a daughter, then their children would be married for generations.

A classic arranged marriage.

It seemed Nancy’s cold attitude toward Edward Brooks was precisely because of this.

One cannot go against the will of one’s parents...

With his rebirth, Edward Brooks also inherited everything left behind by the original Edward Brooks.

No matter how coldly Nancy treated him, she was still his wife—how could he just stand by and do nothing?

Hurrying home, he saw from afar a crowd gathered at the door.

From the courtyard came the sounds of a heated argument. Edward Brooks quickly quickened his pace and arrived at the gate.

He saw a loafer reaching out to shove Nancy.

Edward Brooks was furious. He didn’t know where the strength came from, but he roared, “You scoundrel, how dare you... take this!”

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Volume One, Sixth Year of Xuanhe, Chapter 003 Nancy (Part One)

Nancy Johnson was petite and exquisite, with a delicate figure.

Judging by appearance alone, she was a frail girl incapable of even trussing a chicken. The loafer was tall and burly, his chest bare, revealing a palm-sized patch of chest hair. His face was brutish, looking like a fiend.

Edward Brooks himself had little affection for Nancy Johnson.

But now that he occupied Edward Brooks’s body, he had also inherited some of Edward Brooks’s feelings for Nancy Johnson. He could sense that Edward Brooks loved Nancy Johnson deeply, even with a hint of fear. Though he didn’t know what conflict existed between the couple, Edward Brooks had to take on the responsibility of caring for Nancy Johnson.

Seeing Nancy Johnson being bullied, the fragments of memory lingering in Edward Brooks’s body suddenly erupted.

A surge of strength rose within him. Edward Brooks took three steps in two, and in the blink of an eye, rushed to the gate. Two loafers stepped forward to block him. One of them, in a harsh tone, said, “Little Edward, stop right there.”

“Get out of my way!”

Without another word, Edward Brooks strode forward, reached under the loafer’s armpit, then bent his elbow to lock the man’s arm. With a sudden spin, he lifted the loafer off the ground with a loud smack. As he spun, he twisted his waist and slammed his hip into the loafer.

The loafer flew out like a kite with a broken string.

Bang!

The burly man crashed into the courtyard wall.

The wall wasn’t very sturdy, and after the impact, a hole immediately appeared. The loafer was left limp, as if all his bones were broken, screaming miserably as he lay on the ground, unable to move. Dust billowed, obscuring the view. Taking advantage of the other loafer’s moment of shock, Edward Brooks hooked his foot around the man’s ankle, then lunged forward to tackle him.

This move is known in sumo as the Jade Ring Step.

In Water Margin, when Wu Song drunkenly beat Jiang Menshen, he used this very move. However, this wasn’t Edward Brooks’s own skill, but rather a technique left behind by the original, now-deceased Edward Brooks. Edward Brooks came from a family of martial artists; his father, Frank Brooks, was a top-ranked inner attendant, known as the strongest man in Kaifeng Prefecture and a sumo master.

And the Coach Johnson who adopted him was no ordinary man either.

He had once served as a drill instructor for the 800,000-strong Imperial Army in the capital, and had been the chief instructor at the Kaifeng Prefecture Imperial Boxing Hall.

So, Edward Brooks’s skills were not lacking to begin with.

Although the body had a new owner, once pushed to the limit, he could still instinctively unleash the martial arts of the past.

The two loafers lay sprawled on the ground, drawing cheers from the onlookers.

At the same time, a shocking turn of events occurred in the courtyard. The loafer tried to shove Nancy Johnson, but unexpectedly, Nancy Johnson suddenly struck, her five fingers forming a swallow’s claw, lightly resting on the loafer’s arm. She retreated swiftly, as quick as a startled rabbit, and with a flick of her arm, there was a ripping sound as the loafer’s sleeve was torn into strips. It was spring, and people had just changed out of their winter clothes into thin spring shirts.

On the loafer’s arm, blood streamed from three clearly visible gashes.

With that claw, Nancy had torn off at least a couple of ounces of flesh.

The loafer clutched his arm, howling in pain. At that moment, Edward Brooks also rushed into the courtyard, and without a word, grabbed the loafer. With a burst of strength, he lifted the hundred-pound man as easily as a chick, raising him high above his head.

“Brother Xiao Yi, stop!”