Although he was only a distant branch of the Tianhe Song family, when William Carter followed Emily Brooks to the place, he realized that this so-called Shanglin City, which was claimed to be just a town, actually had a population of no less than a hundred thousand. One could imagine how enormous the real Tianhe Song family must be.

Very soon, Emily Brooks's experience proved just how foresighted William Carter had been in collecting those spoils of war earlier.

"Miss Yan, this isn't appropriate." A butler-like, middle-aged man put on airs in front of Emily Brooks, lifting his chin and looking at the two of them down his nose as he said, "It's not that our Song family can't take in an outsider, but he's a barbarian. There has to be some kind of title, right?"

William Carter's identity as a barbarian had probably already been confirmed by everyone. With his face painted so flamboyantly and his clothes so bizarre, what else could he be but a barbarian?

"He's my fiancé." Emily Brooks replied to the butler without blushing or skipping a beat.

The butler's eyes widened on the spot, and his previous attitude vanished. He looked at Emily Brooks, then at William Carter with his face full of tattoos, wearing an expression of disbelief. However, surprise was one thing, but he clearly had no intention of agreeing just like that, and had already started shaking his head.

"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Butler. This is a little specialty from my hometown, just a small token of appreciation!" William Carter grinned, showing a mouthful of white teeth, and casually took one of the dozen or so swords stuck in his bundle, handing it directly to the butler. Then, with another casual motion, he pulled out a jade pendant from inside and stuffed it over as well.

The sword was definitely a good one—how could the sword of Dai Huan's bodyguard disgrace Young Master Huan? The jade pendant was even more exquisite, made of top-quality jade. Just this pendant alone was worth several years' income for an ordinary person.

The look of astonishment on the old butler's face disappeared instantly, replaced by a beaming smile: "So it's the cousin-in-law! Say no more, say no more!"

A single-family courtyard with three rooms was allocated to William Carter, and the butler was even generous enough to give William Carter a clan member's allowance, at the same standard as Emily Brooks.

"You're quite clever!" Emily Brooks looked at William Carter speechlessly. She really hadn't expected that even pulling out the title of her own fiancé wouldn't work, but this guy managed to solve everything with just a sword and a jade pendant.

After helping William Carter find his courtyard and settle his belongings, Emily Brooks urged William Carter to wash his face, wipe off all the paint, and change out of those strange clothes. Only then did Emily Brooks nod in satisfaction: "A very handsome young man, but it's a pity your hair is too short."

"Young man?" William Carter was a bit stunned. He had joined the army at eighteen, entered the special forces at twenty-one, completed training at twenty-four, and had fought for his country for over a decade. Now in his thirties, how could he be called a young man?

But when William Carter glanced at the bronze mirror beside him, he realized something was off. His face had actually become so young, as tender as when he had joined the army at eighteen. What was going on? Could this be another gift she had given him?

As a sniper, being able to stay calm no matter the situation was a must, and William Carter quickly accepted this fact. No matter what, becoming younger was always a good thing, wasn't it?

Next, when William Carter mentioned wanting to learn more systematically about soul essence and cultivation, Emily Brooks, unwilling to explain so much to someone with almost no foundation, brought William Carter to a primary school specifically for children under ten to learn about soul essence and the path of cultivation.

Upon entering the school, the first step was, of course, to test the soul essence's star level. A mirror with handles on both sides was handed to William Carter, who gripped the handles, and the mirror revealed the type and star level of William Carter's soul essence. As Emily Brooks had previously guessed, it was no different: a subpar, unranked remnant soul—a carp.

"Get out!" A teacher, dressed in martial attire but with the air of a scholar, pointed fiercely at the school gate and shouted, "A useless, unranked waste, and at such an age—how dare you come for enlightenment?"

The teacher's loud voice startled many in the school. Some curiously poked their heads out the windows, while others quickly ran over to see what the commotion was about. There were adults, but even more children. This was a primary school for teaching children under ten about soul essence and cultivation, so naturally, children were the majority.

When they heard that it was an unranked, remnant soul waste wanting enlightenment, everyone present—adults and children alike—burst into uproarious laughter. Even those who knew nothing about soul essence understood that being unranked meant you could only be an ordinary person at the lowest level, let alone being a remnant soul. That was truly the lowest of the low, the worst of the worst.

Amid the laughter of adults and children, Emily Brooks's face turned as red as if covered with a cloth, while the main character, William Carter, remained completely unfazed, curiously looking around, his gaze occasionally and unintentionally sweeping over a few people.

As an ace sniper, if he couldn't even handle this much psychological pressure, that would be the real joke.

Almost as if being "sent off" by everyone at the school, William Carter and Emily Brooks left the school in embarrassment. Even on the street, many people heard the commotion and came to watch. As the story spread, more and more people learned of this ridiculous incident, and the two could only hurry back to William Carter's temporary residence.