When the two came down from Quiant Monastery, Charlie kept holding the agarwood bracelet in his hand. He really wanted to know what the other person intended by leaving this bracelet for him, but after thinking about it, he still couldn't figure it out.For now, he simply decided to go along with what Vera said. The twenty-eight beads on this bracelet represented his current age. The other person had threaded twenty-eight beads into a bracelet, knowing full well that Vera would notice something unusual and return to Quiant Monastery to investigate. Yet, they had deliberately left this bracelet for him. What message were they trying to convey to him?While feeling puzzled, the two descended the mountain and started climbing back on the return path.As they ascended the mountain again, they coincidentally met several local elderly ladies. They were walking together, slowly descending from the mountain, each carrying a basket woven from vines. The baskets contained a lot of incense, pa
At that moment, the abbess turned to the middle-aged woman respectfully and asked, “Madam, what shall we do next?”The woman was gazing out of the window absentmindedly. Upon hearing the question, she replied, “Let's head to Aurous Hill. I'll stay at Qi Temple temporarily like before, and both of you should come with me. Don’t reveal yourselves once we arrive at Aurous Hill.”The nun nodded gently and said, “Okay. I'll inform the abbess at Qi Temple.”She then asked, “Madam, is there any particular girl you'd like to meet next? I'll see if I can make the necessary arrangements.”The woman raised an eyebrow, smiling as she said, “Who would I like to meet? I'd quite like to meet Ito Nanako. Among these girls, she has the most potential to join us.”The abbess smiled faintly and said, “I'll see what I can do to arrange that.”The woman nodded and chuckled, “She seems to be studying martial arts at Champs Elys Resort, right?”The abbess replied, “That’s right. She's with Rosalie and
When Charlie and Vera arrived at Entrell Airport, a private jet was just taking off, heading to Eastcliff.Many private jets and charter jets from provincial capitals flew to Eastcliff every day, so this plane didn't attract any special attention. The Wades’ Gulfstream jet had been waiting there for a while. After Charlie and Vera passed the security check and boarded the plane smoothly, the pilot immediately requested takeoff clearance from the control tower and headed directly for Aurous Hill.As the plane took off, Charlie was still twirling the agarwood bracelet around. After a period of silence during the ascent, Charlie suddenly asked Vera, “Vera, besides advising me to turn back, did the abbess you met today mention when I could return to Mount Tason?”Vera shook her head, saying, “The abbess only said that Mount Tason is too dangerous for you to venture into, but she didn't mention when you could go back. Perhaps, for safety's sake, you should never go there again.”Charl
Vera asked in surprise, “The Apocalyptic Book is so powerful yet there isn't a single mental cultivation method in it?”Charlie sighed and said, “That’s right. The Apocalyptic Book is more like a beginner's guidebook to the world of cultivation. It contains so much information, but a large part of it isn't directly related to cultivation. Instead, it's deeply connected to martial arts. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of complete martial arts mental cultivation methods listed, but there isn't a complete mental cultivation method in it…”Upon hearing this, Vera couldn't help but say, “It's like cramming all the knowledge from elementary school, middle school, and even some college-level content into one book. For elementary and middle school students, this book is unparalleled, but for college students, its usefulness isn't significant at all.”Charlie nodded and continued, “Exactly. The thing is, I only know about freshman year of college, and my perspective only extends to the en
To Charlie, activating his pineal gland was his top priority at the moment.Not to mention what fierce beasts lurked within Mount Tason, just dealing with Fleur alone made him feel inadequate. Now, even though Fleur had temporarily retreated, it didn't mean she wouldn't come back in the future.Moreover, she was his mortal enemy, and even if she never returned to Oskia in the future, he still had to seek revenge. Therefore, he had to quickly find opportunities and activate his pineal gland.So, he spoke to Vera, who was beside him, saying, “Once I settle all my affairs in Aurous Hill, I will take the opportunity to go out and explore more.”Vera asked, “Do you have a general direction in mind, Young Master?”Charlie shook his head, “Since it's about finding opportunities, it should be spontaneous. I will go wherever I feel like going.”After saying that, Charlie couldn't help but sigh as he said, “But the more random it is, the less I know where to begin. After all, I have family
Stephen said respectfully, “Young Master, I see that this is the satellite phone from the Wades' private jet. Are you on the plane?”Charlie replied, “Yes. I'm on my way to Eastcliff, and I will land in about two hours. Please arrange for a vehicle to pick me up at the airport.”Stephen hurriedly said, “Okay, Young Master. I'll arrange for the convoy and go to the airport to pick you up personally. I'll also inform Lord Wade and the others.”Charlie said, “There’s no need to make a fuss. You're the Wades’ butler, so it's too ostentatious for you to come pick me up in person. Just arrange for a car to be parked at the airport for my convenience. You may inform my grandfather about it, but there’s no need to notify others.”Stephen said without hesitation, “Okay, Young Master. I'll inform Lord Wade right away. Will you be staying at the old mansion tonight or will you be returning to the manor?”Charlie hummed and said, “I’ll stay at the old mansion. Prepare two guest rooms. I have
The fake abbess wasn't surprised by Stephen's words and said, “Mr. Thompson, Madam has already guessed what you're talking about, and that’s why she asked to meet you at Harmony Temple. Can you make it in time?”Stephen replied hurriedly, “Yes, I can. Young Master is used to keeping a low profile. Since he doesn’t want me to pick him up at the airport, I just need to wait for him at the old mansion. The old mansion is very close to Harmony Temple, so I will have plenty of time.”The fake abbess said, “That’s good. Let's meet at Harmony Temple in an hour.”Stephen said respectfully, “Understood!”The fake abbess then hung up the phone and reported to the woman, “Madam, Mr. Thompson said that Young Master will go to the old mansion tonight.”The beautiful middle-aged woman was slightly startled, and her beautiful eyes with fine signs of wrinkles at the corners were moist. She suppressed the tears and smiled with relief as she said, “Charlie has been away for so many years. It's time
At this moment, he was waiting in the main hall of the courtyard. When Ashley and the fake abbess came in together, he hurriedly greeted them at the door, respectfully saying, “Hello, Madam! Hello, Madam Sun!”Ashley nodded slightly, pointed to the chairs in the hall, and said to him, “Please have a seat, Stephen.”Stephen bowed and said, “Thank you, Madam.”Ashley waved her hand and sat in the main seat in the hall while the fake abbess, who was wearing a hat, stood beside her.Although the fake abbess was still wearing a hat, Stephen could still tell that she had shaved her head. He asked in shock, “Madam Sun, why… why did you…”The fake abbess smiled faintly, took off her hat, and said, “I played the role of an abbess on Mount Tason today.”Stephen asked anxiously, “Madam Sun, did you see Young Master?! Does he still remember you? Please don't make Young Master suspicious!”The fake abbess shook her head and said, “Don't worry, I didn't meet him directly.”“That's good!” Ste
If Matilda still had feelings for Jacob, his nostalgic strategy would definitely have a strong impact. However, Matilda had already decided to move on, so Jacob's suggestion did not stir any emotions in her at all. With an apologetic smile, she said, "Sorry, Jacob, Yolden is downstairs waiting for me. We have something to discuss. How about another day? We can have dinner together, and I'll treat you." Jacob didn't expect the nostalgia strategy to fall flat. His original plan was to use nostalgia to get Matilda to go with him to eat near the school, then take the opportunity to revisit old places and subtly reignite their past memories. After all, revisiting old places was the best way to rekindle old feelings, no exceptions. It was like drinking the pasta water after cooking the pasta. However, he never imagined that Matilda's expression wouldn't change in the slightest. There was no shyness, no hesitation, no nervousness, and certainly no fluttering heart. She simply and
Matilda had been listening attentively before, but now, she was lowering her head, fiddling with her phone, and her expression even carried a hint of shyness and happiness, like that of a young girl. Jacob felt a pang of jealousy. While doing the presentation, he couldn't help but resentfully think to himself, "What has Matilda been chatting about with that Yolden guy? She's so happy..." At that moment, Matilda had just received a message from Yolden. In the message, Yolden informed her of the outcome of his conversation with Charlie and expressed his desire to have the wedding as soon as possible. Seeing how eager her beloved was to marry her, Matilda naturally felt very touched. At that moment, she had completely fallen into Yolden's love. For this man, who had a similar background, education, values, and even lifestyle to her own, she could find no fault with him. She felt that he was perfectly tailor-made for her by heaven itself, almost as if everything about him perfectly m
Charlie's worries were not unfounded. He had long known that Jacob had not completely given up on Matilda despite her relationship with Yolden. After returning from the cultural exchange in Korea, Jacob had been more dejected than ever before—something he hadn't even displayed when his family had gone bankrupt. If there was still a chance to salvage the relationship when one's beloved was merely dating someone else, their marriage was tantamount to a death sentence. Furthermore, considering the high intellectual backgrounds of Matilda and Yolden as well as their age and life experience, their decision to marry at this stage of life undoubtedly signaled their intention to build a long-term future together. This left Jacob with absolutely no chance at all. At this moment, Jacob was blissfully unaware of the devastating news and was busy conducting a calligraphy and painting workshop at Senior University. The so-called workshop was essentially a few slides showcasing classic
After that, Charlie asked with a bit of curiosity, "When did you and Matilda decide to get married?" Yolden smiled sheepishly and explained, "Remember when the city organized our cultural exchange trip to South Korea? I confessed to Matilda during that trip, and she accepted. After spending some time together, we both felt we were a great match. Considering our age, we didn't want to delay such an important decision any longer, so we decided to take the next step and build a family together." He continued, "Last month, we went to Lambonear for a few days. I bought a ring and proposed to her by the seaside, and she said yes. We also sought the opinion of our respective children—Autumn and Paul—and they were both very supportive. Both kids are exceptional and independent, so they urged us to have the wedding as soon as possible. I wanted to wait until you returned so I could check your schedule. For our wedding, we'd like to ask you to be our officiant." "What? Me as the officiant?
Charlie said without hesitation, "Sure. When is it convenient for you? Send me the address, and I'll go meet you." Charlie had always respected Yolden not only because he was a nice and talented man but also because he and his mother went way back and went to the same school. Yolden said hastily, "I've just come from Senior University. It's the weekend, and I don't have classes today. Why don't you send me the address and I'll meet you?" Charlie gave it some thought. It was a little past 3 p.m., so Yolden had likely already had lunch, and there were still a few hours until dinner. Inviting him to The Heaven Springs didn't seem ideal for a discussion. Considering that he had lived in the United States for many years and probably had a habit of having coffee in the afternoon, Charlie said, "How about this? There's a Starbucks not far south of the university. Let's meet there for a cup of coffee." "Perfect!" Yolden said with a smile. "I was just thinking you could give me an addre
On the way back to The Heaven Springs, Julien was in a much better mood than when he had arrived. Initially, he was filled with anxiety, unsure of what Charlie had planned. But now, everything had become clear. The troublesome matter of Salem and Edmund was no longer his concern. All he had to do was wait for the video from the ship to be released and then head back home. Charlie noticed his improved mood and smiled as he asked, "Julien, you've resolved the most critical matter right after landing in Aurous Hill. You must be feeling pretty happy, right?" Julien chuckled and said, "To be honest, before coming here, I was worried that I'd end up going back empty-handed and being secretly mocked by others. But now, it's different. Once your video is released, no one can blame me for not doing my job. If anything, they can only blame their family for missing their chance. After all, so much time has passed, and it's their fault Salem and Edmund were moved to the Middle East." As he
"Good." With a light nod, Charlie turned to Jiro and spoke up, "Jiro, I'll give you a chance to prove yourself." "Okay, Mr. Wade!" Jiro beamed excitedly. "Please tell me what to do! I promise I will do my best to serve you." Charlie smiled and said, "Once the ship is ready, you'll board it together with them. Your only task is to keep a close watch on them the entire time. Don't let them pull any tricks. If you succeed, you'll be a free man here. You'll get a basic monthly salary and can ask for anything you like within reason—so long as it's not contraband, it will be yours." Hearing this, Jiro was so thrilled that he trembled all over. His current treatment was already decent, but he was still only a semi-free man. He didn't dare casually set foot on the ground outside. If he could become a truly free man, he would be able to enjoy the sunlight outdoors freely. More importantly, from then on, he would have a salary. Although he couldn't personally go out shopping, having a sa
Julien had uncovered Charlie's true identity quite some time ago and investigated Charlie's background. He was well aware that Charlie had become the head of the Wade family and that the Acker family fully supported him. Although the outside world believed that Ten Thousand Armies had subdued the Wade family, Julien had witnessed Charlie's methods firsthand. Even the top two figures of the Rothschild family had been toyed with by Charlie, so how could Ten Thousand Armies possibly make him surrender? Thus, Julien deduced that Ten Thousand Armies was undoubtedly Charlie's covert tool. Considering the combined strength of the Wade family, the Acker family, and Charlie's personally cultivated forces, it was evident that Charlie even had the power to contend with the entire Rothschild family. Moreover, with the life-extending pill in his possession and the life of the Rothschild family head in his hands, Charlie's chances of prevailing in a confrontation against the Rothschilds were e
Enraged, Julien cursed while angrily raising his leg, "Damn it! How dare you negotiate your terms now?!" Charlie stopped him and said, "Calm down. 1 billion dollars is quite a good amount. You offer 100 million, he offers 1 billion—doesn't that mean I'll make 1.1 billion?" Dumbfounded, Julien said, "Mr. Wade, how can you even take that money? Wouldn't taking the money expose you?" Charlie smiled and said, "That's simple. I'll give you a plan that not only makes your task impossible to complete but also gives me a chance to collect the money. What do you think?" "What's the idea?" Julien asked in surprise. Charlie replied, "Here's the plan, I'll have someone put these two on a cargo ship bound for the Middle East. Once the ship passes Sri Lanka and enters the Arabian Sea, I'll have them record a video with the endless ocean as the backdrop. In the video, they'll inform their family to prepare 1 billion dollars. The money will be transferred directly in cryptocurrency." "Once