Edward Clark saw everything and had to admit that Arthur Reed did have some skill. To be able to win William Harris's respect was no small feat. Throughout history, the greatest villains have always been highly capable—weren't they all Oscar-worthy actors? This old fox must be trying to seize the merit of supporting the new emperor; there's no way he actually cares about the people!

William Harris thanked Arthur Reed, then finally looked at Edward Clark and Mark Brooks.

Compared to the frail Edward Clark, Mark Brooks was solid and strong, making him more likable.

William Harris patted his shoulder and asked with a smile, “Have you practiced martial arts?”

“Yes, I learned from my master.”

“And who is your master?”

Not only was William Harris curious about this, even Edward Clark was interested. He had heard Mark Brooks mention having a master, but since Mark Brooks didn’t want to talk about it, Edward Clark never pressed.

“My master is Paul Brooks!”

“Oh!” William Harris's mouth dropped open in surprise. “The sage Paul Brooks?”

Mark Brooks nodded proudly. “That’s right, it’s him. But two years ago, the court wanted him to enter the palace to divine the fate of the nation for His Majesty. My master feared revealing the secrets of heaven, so he hurriedly left the capital.” Speaking of his master, Mark Brooks looked a bit downcast. “After he left, I became a beggar. If it weren’t for the madam’s frequent help, we wouldn’t have survived. I never expected the madam would be killed by them... Sir Harris, you must avenge her!”

William Harris was delighted. The madam’s years of kindness and charity had truly won genuine gratitude. Even a mere beggar was willing to risk his life in return for a meal—what a fine young man!

William Harris looked at Edward Clark again and smiled. “Are you also a beggar?”

“No!” Edward Clark answered crisply.

“Then who are you? Why did you step in to help?”

Finally, he’s asking about me, Edward Clark thought, feeling a bit emotional.

Elder Harris, I risked my life here—you can’t just judge by appearances!

“Nothing else, just duty.”

Edward Clark coolly replied with those four words, leaving William Harris confused.

What duty?

You’re just a child—what do you have to do with the Harris family? You’re not my subordinate, so where does this sense of duty come from?

William Harris's expression darkened. “You say it’s your duty—what do you mean by that?”

Edward Clark lifted his head and stared at William Harris without fear.

“My surname is Ye, my name is Edward Clark!”

“Ye! Edward Clark!”

William Harris lowered his head and pondered for a long time, making Edward Clark feel awkward. After all, they were distant relatives, but the man had forgotten. Did he really want me to say it out loud? That would be so embarrassing!

Just as Edward Clark was struggling with whether to keep pretending, William Harris suddenly looked up in disbelief. “You’re from the Ye family?”

He finally remembered!

Edward Clark was so moved that tears streamed down his face, but the next second, William Harris's words made his expression change.

“Impossible. I had people look into it—the Ye family is dead. My brother, he was killed by the Khitan dogs! His wife is dead too! Their graves are still back home!”

William Harris's reaction was beyond Edward Clark's expectations. He had really taken it to heart and must have sent people to the Ye family, otherwise how would he know all this?

Edward Clark said in a low voice, “My parents are dead. My grandmother had no one to rely on, so she took me to my uncle’s house.”

“Ah!”

William Harris cried out in surprise.

“Could it be that Aunt is still alive? Where is she?” Having lost so many loved ones, William Harris was overwhelmed to suddenly meet an old acquaintance. He grabbed Edward Clark's hand, asking all sorts of questions with deep concern.

Edward Clark recounted how his grandmother brought him to the city to seek refuge, mentioning how Madam Chai gave them money but deliberately sent them away, fearing they’d be implicated.

William Harris listened with tears streaming down his face. This was his wife—kind and generous. How lucky he was to have such a virtuous partner!

Looking at Edward Clark again, William Harris found him even more pleasing.

Shouyu had chosen the right people to help the Ye family, and they truly repaid the kindness by helping collect the bodies. Back then, Uncle Ye had saved him and recommended him for promotion—a great favor. Now Edward Clark had helped his family collect the bodies; the bond between the Guo and Ye families ran deep!

William Harris smiled. “Very good. Quickly, take me to pay respects to Aunt!”

Edward Clark nodded and was about to head to the Earth God Temple when suddenly a squad of cavalry galloped over. Leading them was a great general in shining armor, looking very imposing.

When William Harris saw him, he went up to greet him.

“It’s Brother Grant!”

It turned out this was the great general Thomas Thompson, courtesy name Grant, the Director of the Imperial Secretariat. His power in the army was no less than William Harris's. The Wang family had also lost someone in this incident, and likewise, Edward Clark had helped collect the bodies for their family.

But Thomas Thompson was not grateful to Edward Clark at all. He strode over to William Harris with a dark expression, gave a perfunctory salute, and then said harshly, “These unruly commoners are holding our family members’ bodies hostage, trying to use this to gain wealth and status. Their hearts are wicked and deserve death. I say we should execute them on the spot as a warning to others!”

This guy wanted to kill people as soon as he arrived, with no sense of humanity at all. Edward Clark felt like he’d helped a thankless wolf.

William Harris frowned. “Brother Grant, this child is Uncle Ye’s grandson—we’re relatives!”

“Is that so?”

Thomas Thompson circled around Edward Clark, sneering, “This is a Ye family member? Looks more like a beggar to me! Now that you’ve entered Kaifeng, some people want to curry favor and pretend to be relatives—it happens!” As he spoke, Thomas Thompson glanced at Arthur Reed with a look full of contempt and mockery, who knows what he was thinking.