The Legendary Man

Chapter 788
“Let go of me! Only one of us can live. Let me kill her!”
Broderick kept struggling in an attempt to escape. He glared at Josephine with deep hatred as though she was a vicious person
who had murdered and destroyed his family.
Baffled, Mason furrowed his brows.
Although he did not know each member of the Osborne family personally, he knew enough to know that there had never been
any interaction between Broderick and Josephine.
If I had to make some connections between them, I could only think of one thing. Josephine's husband, Jonathan, was the one
who crippled Broderick's arm. But then again, Broderick would never dare to attack Josephine at this juncture, no matter how
much the former wanted revenge. After all, she's the only pawn who could affect Jonathan's actions. If anything untoward
happens, the Osborne family will surely lose Asura's Office as an ally. By then, it's not hard to predict that Jonathan will definitely
retaliate like crazy. The Salladays, along with the other six families, will also seize the opportunity to add fuel to the fire, resulting
in a series of apparent knock-on effects. This is also why Josephine is completely unharmed even though she is currently being
held captive—it's to prevent all that. Broderick should understand the delicate balance at play here.
Mason approached them with an icy look on his face. He reached out and pinched Broderick's neck. A stream of pure spiritual
energy flowed through Broderick's body.
In a flash, every inch of Broderick's body appeared in Mason's mind.
“There are no parasites or other strange matters. What exactly is going on?” Mason asked in a cold voice, looking directly at
Broderick.
Looking at Broderick's state earlier, he had thought that the Mallory family had poisoned Broderick. However, upon closer
inspection, he became even more confused.

Broderick was usually very respectful and well-behaved and would salute Mason the moment he caught sight of him from afar.
Yet, at that moment, there was nothing else in Broderick's mind save for Josephine.
“It seems that Broderick has gone insane!” Everett exclaimed with a frown. Then, he turned to Mason as he suddenly recalled
something. “Mason, if it isn't a parasite, could it be that Broderick has been hypnotized?”
Hypnosis?
Mason's expression turned solemn upon hearing Everett's suggestion.
Theoretically speaking, cultivators who had entered the Superior Realm have extremely strong mental energy. Even if their
cultivation skills were terrible, such cultivators were still better than ordinary people.
Thus, it should be impossible for a cultivator to fall under hypnosis.
Nevertheless, there were exceptions to everything. If the hypnotist were a cultivator as well, then there may be deceptive spells
that could act as hypnosis.
Mason shook Broderick gently, causing Broderick to let out a muffled groan and fall unconscious.
“Investigate this matter. Look into everyone who has come into contact with Broderick since he returned. I want to know who
dares to start trouble with the Osborne family.” While issuing the order, Mason turned to look at Josephine. “Alicia, take
Josephine for a full medical examination. Make sure that both she and her baby are okay.”
“Yes, Grandpa.”
Alicia left while supporting Josephine with an arm. Even though Mason had not said anything, Alicia knew that saving Josephine
was tantamount.
In Oak Tree Village located in Quakersville, Huxville, which was the ancestral home of the Salladay family, Eva was happily
licking an ice cream cone.

Next to her, Gregory Salladay was sitting on a low bench, holding a fishing rod in his hand and watching the fish swimming in the
lake.
“Eva, how's that matter with Josephine going on?”
Eva took a big bite out of her ice cream cone.
“Five days ago, Broderick of the Osborne family went up to the Grand Forest Mountain on a work trip. I found him at the bar that
he frequents. His willpower is weak, so he was easy to hypnotize.”
“Do you think you succeeded?”
Gregory reeled in his fishing line while speaking, but there was no fish on the hook.
However, he was in no hurry. He simply attached another bait to the hook and threw the line back into the lake.
Eva looked out at the lake and frowned.
“The success rate is about half. The Osborne residence is difficult to locate, and there's no way to sneak in. There are many
things outside our control.”
Eva looked at the fish swimming about. Her spiritual sense spread out across the lake. She smiled and turned to Gregory.
“Grandpa, there are no big fishes in this area. You won't catch anything even if you sit here all day.”
Gregory chuckled when he heard his granddaughter's remark.
“Ah, you're still young. You don't understand the art of fishing,” Gregory replied, looking over at Eva. “People say that you will
come to know your destiny as you age. I am almost eighty years old. I already know what my future holds.”
“But fishing is different!”

“But fishing is different!”
Gregory began reeling in his fishing line. A large herring had taken his bait and was being slowly pulled ashore by him.
Eva was surprised. She sent her spiritual sense into the waters again, but she did not know where the herring had come from.
“Grandpa, how did this happen? There were no big fishes around just now!”
“A fisherman knows that the trick is in keeping the mind still and calm. Below the surface, one cannot know what will happen
next.”
Gregory unhooked the herring from the fishing hook and placed it in his basket.
“The joy of fishing is that you'll never know when, what, and how big of a fish you'll catch. The secret of fishing is by responding
to all change without any change. It is the same with the Broderick situation. He is the bait that you have sent out, but you must
understand that even if the bait disappears, the fish may not always be hooked.”
As Gregory spoke, he sent the fishing rod floating into Eva's hand using his spiritual energy.
“Eva, you still have a lot to learn. Try fishing. Learn to still your mind.”
Gregory reached out and patted Eva's shoulder encouragingly.
After that, he took a single step and disappeared.
Eva stared down at the fishing rod in her hand. She was tempted to use her spiritual sense to explore the lake, but this time, she
stopped herself just as her spiritual energy touched the lake's surface.
A fallen leaf drifted onto the lake, causing a cascade of ripples across its surface.
Eva's spiritual sense retreated back into her.

She strolled over to the bench and sat down. Drawing in a deep breath, she stared out contemplatively over the lake.
Standing on a small building in the distance, Gregory watched Eva with a small smile on his face.
Next to Gregory, an old man sat, eating quietly.
“Gregory, are you sure that Eva is the one to lead the family?”
“I'm not sure,” Gregory replied quietly. “However, with the current situation, I must choose a successor to helm the Salladay
family. Even if Eva proves to be unable to lead, she can still be a seed.”