"Joseph, are you alright?"
Zoe's eyes were filled with joy.
Joseph only felt that his eyes were burning. He was in no mood to answer Zoe. He did not know what
had happened to him just now. His eyes indeed hurt terribly.
"Where's Daddy?"
Joseph still couldn't open's his eyes. But he thought of something.
Zoe hurriedly said, "Daddy is still confessing, like possessed by evil. Joseph, you were just the same.
This ancestral hall is evil. Hurry up and save Daddy."
"Do what you did to me to save Daddy."
Joseph could not open his eyes at all.
Although Zoe's method was rather ruthless, it was very effective.
However, Zoe smiled bitterly and said, "I don't dare. That's Daddy."
She could do that to Joseph, but not to Samuel.
Joseph hurriedly said, "Be bold and do it. If we delay any longer, something else might happen. Hurry
up!"
Zoe nodded.
Zoe didn't hesitate anymore. She sprayed the chili water on Samuel's face.
Samuel let out a cry.
Samuel became stunned for a while. He groaned due to the burning sensation. Zoe said timidly,
"Daddy, don't blame me. I'm trying to save you. I'm not a doctor. Daddy, are you awake?"
Samuel's heart suddenly beat fast.
He frowned when remembering his reaction just now. His solemn expression frightened Zoe. She hid
behind Joseph.
"Joseph, will Daddy hit me?"
"I won't!"
Samuel answered her.
"Zoe, ask the people outside to fetch a tub of water."
"Got it."
Zoe sighed in relief after seeing Samuel back to normal.
She intended to fetch the water by herself. But this place scared her. She followed Samuel's order.
"Someone, go fetch a tub of water. Hurry up."
Zoe could be serious and dominating.
The bodyguard quickly followed her order.
Samuel and Joseph washed their face and left the ancestral hall.
Joseph applied some ointment around his eyes and Samuel's. The burning sensation was relieved.
Samuel stared at the ancestral hall and pondered.
He knew what he had done just now. It was like a nightmare. He could do nothing to prevent himself
from acting crazy.
That was perhaps the deepest guilt in his heart.
He blamed himself.
He blamed himself for neglecting the changes in Vincent. He thought that under his protection, Vincent
would be able to live a carefree life. He assumed Vincent could do anything he wanted with his life.
He didn't know whether Vincent blamed him or not, nor did he have the chance to know. However, his
past choice became some kind of trauma he could never recover from.
Samuel was held by a pair of soft hands.
Samuel was slightly stunned. He lowered his head and saw Joseph.
Joseph looked in the direction of the ancestral hall and frowned, "Daddy, this ancestral hall is too
strange. Are we still staying here?"
"Some clues can only be found here, so we can't leave now. Joseph, thank you."
Samuel did not forget what Joseph said after losing his mind. Was that the real thought of Joseph?
However good he and Nicole were to Joseph, they couldn't replace his biological parents, right?
He actually hated them, didn't he?
Samuel was filled with mixed feelings, not knowing what to say. He pretended that he didn't hear
anything. He didn't want things to be too difficult between them.
However, Joseph did not understand Samuel's feelings. He whispered, "I was in a nightmare just now. I
knew those words would hurt you, but I still said them. Daddy, I don't know if that's what I really think in
my mind. I love you and mom, but just now...."
"That's ok. I understand, Joseph. I don't blame you, really."
Samuel felt sorry for Joseph.
When he found out five years ago that Joseph was the only son of Vincent, he wanted to give him
everything of the Green family.
But Joseph shook his head and said, "I love you, Daddy, and I love Mommy, too. But the words
seemed to be my true feelings. I don't know how to face you and myself. Put the issue aside. Time will
prove everything. Perhaps I'll change my mind after ten years."
He looked at Samuel with a smile, resembling Vincent.
Samuel's heart ached slightly.
He regretted.
It was wrong for him to bring Joseph here.
Everything would be the same if they didn't come here. They would still be beloved families. However,
what happened couldn't be changed. They had to admit the nightmare revealed their truest feelings.
Joseph said that he deserved a happy family of his own. He said that no matter how good they were to
him, he felt like an orphan.
An orphan.
How could Joseph have such a feeling?
He and Nicole loved Joseph the way they love their own children. Why did he still feel like he was an
orphan?
Samuel was glad that Nicole was not here.
If Nicole heard this, how sad would she be?
Joseph also thought of what he said just now. Although he was bewitched, he knew that it was the
deepest thought buried in his mind.
He whispered, "Daddy, after it's over, I want to go abroad."
Samuel was slightly stunned.
He knew that Joseph wanted to leave.
He wanted leave the Green family.
Samuel didn't know if Joseph would come back.
His heart ached.
Eight years ago, he sent Vincent away. Now, did he have to send Joseph away?
"I don't agree."
Samuel’s attitude was firm.
"I sent your father away eight years ago. Since then, I have lost my brother. I don't want to send you
away again and lose a son. I know that you may still resent us and miss your parents. It doesn't matter.
I can wait. Even if you hate me or blame me, I will be with you. Joseph, the future of the Green family
relies on you."
"No, Daddy. I don't want to be the patriarch. I just want to study medicine."
He stopped Samuel from replying and whispered, "People will have hallucination when they smell the
incense. We were influenced when closing doors and window. When we kindled the second incense
stick, the doors and windows were open. So the incense reacted with the moist air and produced a
catalyst. Under the hallucinogenic effect, we became extremely nostalgic, sensitive and grieved. If Zoe
hadn't woken us up with chili water, we might have fought and even killed each other."
Hearing Joseph's words, Samuel frowned.
"The last time I came to this ancestral hall, there weren't any of these gadgets."
"Someone may purposely arranged all this to protect outsiders from entering the ancestral hall."
Samuel was slightly stunned by Joseph's words. He remembered something.
When he and Nicole first arrived here, this place was deserted. Later, Samuel bought this place and
had the ancestral hall reconstructed. Trevin was the supervisor then.
Trevin was a member of the Harper Town. If he knew any tricks, there was nothing wrong with that.
Moreover, Trevin came back to search for the ancient book. Was Trevin behind all this?
When Samuel got puzzled, Joseph let go of his hand and walked into the ancestral hall.
Joseph rubbed a lot of ointment to keep himself conscious.
"Joseph."
"Joseph."
Samuel and Zoe called out his name at the same time, but Joseph stopped them.
"I'm fine. Don't say anything now."
Then Joseph checked around the ancestral hall.
Samuel kept an eye on Joseph all the time, afraid that he would be in danger.
He wondered how Nicole was. She disappeared in the ancestral hall. He would enter it anyway.
Joseph watched for a long time. He walked around the hall for several times before coming out.
He looked at Samuel and whispered, "It was made by Master. The incense and the maze formation
were set up by Master."
"What?"
Samuel frowned slightly.
He believed that Trevin had the motive. He never thought that Morgan did this.
Joseph handed a stuff he picked up from the ground to Samuel and whispered, "Master has a habit of
leaving a mark. Besides her, only I can notice it. It only appears after being mixed with the burning
incense. This is the habit of people from the Harper Town, right?"
Samuel did not say anything. He pondered.
Zoe felt awkward when sensing their silence. She hurriedly said, "Daddy, where are we going to spend
the night? I'm a little hungry."
Samuel was slightly stunned. He smiled and said, "Then we'll go to the hotel."
He took out his phone to book a hotel, but Joseph stopped him.
"There are a few houses over the field. It looks like they are specially cleaned. Why don't we stay up
there?"
Samuel looked at Joseph and whispered, "There are too many dangers here. I can't put you in risk."
"Daddy, we've been in danger since we arrived at this place. We are being watched. I know that you
didn't come here purely for traveling. Every time Master talks about the Harper Town, her eyes are
always filled with tears. She must have some grievances. We're safe here on our own territory with our
bodyguards. Outsiders cannot enter. But it's a different thing at the hotel. We'll be vulnerable to attack
there. "
Joseph's words stunned Samuel for a moment.
Samuel was surprised that Joseph was so meticulous.
Joseph was an introverted boy. He was always reading books. Samuel and Nicole were afraid that he
would be a bookworm. But now, Samuel felt it was wrong to see him in that way. Joseph had
eloquence and an excellent ability to handle emergencies.
Joseph would have a bright future.
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