Several people who rushed forward were stunned by her resolute gaze and involuntarily stopped in their tracks. The crowd stood there in a standoff, the atmosphere extremely quiet, with only the sound of the person who had just been struck on the shoulder squatting on the ground and wailing in pain.

Just then, a cold laugh came from behind. Everyone turned to look and saw a man striding over. His gaze was sharp, his lips set in a firm line, his skin dark and lustrous. Some recognized him—it was none other than the eighteenth young master Henry Bolton whom Grace Carter was looking for.

The disciples of the Zhang family quickly made way for him, silently watching as he walked past. Some looked on with schadenfreude, but more wore worried expressions; some were even preparing to slip away quietly—the situation was getting out of hand.

As soon as Grace Carter saw Henry Bolton, her tense heart instantly relaxed. She hurried to his side, her eyes reddening, and pointed at the group of Zhang family disciples, saying, “Samuel Bolton, they’re bullying me!”

Henry Bolton nodded, casually pulling her behind him. He raised his eyebrows and looked straight at David Bolton, saying, “The world is vast, and there are countless great families. For the Zhang clan to rank among the top five, is this achieved by oppressing the good and honest? You are the legitimate son of the Zhang family, the heir apparent, looked up to by all. You should have a broad mind and seek to make your name known throughout the world. But with your words and actions today, don’t you feel you’ve disgraced your status?”

At this moment, Frank Harris and Charles Bennett also hurried over after hearing the commotion. They stood on either side of Henry Bolton, guarding him. Frank Harris even threw off his hat and struck a pose like a hero lifting a cauldron, clearly ready to fight to the end.

David Bolton stared at him intently, the corners of his mouth twitching violently, his gaze growing increasingly vicious. “Well said! I, David Bolton, have never been scolded like this since I was a child. That’s right, I do enjoy making things difficult for the good and honest, especially for women.”

He glanced back at Grace Carter, sneering coldly, “Second Miss Lin, please go back and tell your father that the Zhang family is reclaiming the land at Lin Zhitang. Within three days, your Lin family had better get out!”

“And you!”

He turned back, his gaze at Henry Bolton instantly becoming sinister. “You are a concubine’s son. The clan rules clearly state: concubines must not insult the legitimate heir. Anyone who violates this will be caned a hundred times. If you don’t come and kowtow to me and admit your guilt within three days, I will personally wield the cane and break your spine!”

“If you think I’ve insulted you, then just wait for me to come and kowtow and admit my guilt!” Henry Bolton replied with a faint smile. He turned and pulled Grace Carter along. “Let’s go!”

But he had only taken a few steps when suddenly a sycophantic voice called out, “Young master, who knows which Taoist’s bastard he is? Hitting him would dirty your hands—let me do it for you!”

Henry Bolton whipped around, his eyes taking in a pair of small mustaches, a pair of crafty, darting eyes, and David Bolton’s smug smile. Henry Bolton’s pupils narrowed to slits, a murderous intent slowly flickering across his gaze!

He said nothing, just pulled Grace Carter and strode away.

The entrance to the academy gradually quieted down as everyone slowly dispersed. No one noticed that, in the nearby pine grove, there stood an old man with white hair but a youthful face. The breeze rustled his snow-white, crystal-like hair. His back was straight, his gaze deep as he watched Henry Bolton’s figure recede into the distance, gently stroking his equally white long beard and slowly nodding his head.

……

“Splash!” A large bucket of water poured down from above, like a bright white silk ribbon, drenching Henry Bolton from head to toe. “All right! Uncle George.”

Henry Bolton made a gesture, and a hunched old man slowly withdrew the wooden bucket, a look of surprise flashing in his cloudy old eyes. It was still daytime—was he really going swimming now? He couldn’t speak, so he silently turned and went back inside, bringing out several iron sandbags and tying them to Henry Bolton’s arms and legs.

Henry Bolton’s gaze was calm as he slowly walked out of the courtyard and headed to the riverbank. With a leap, he plunged into the river. The icy water instantly enveloped his whole body, and he began to sink rapidly. The patch of green before his eyes disappeared, and his thoughts, along with his body, fell into a world of darkness. He liked water; only in the water could his body and mind fully relax, and his thoughts become perfectly clear.

‘Who knows which Taoist’s bastard he is!’

The cruel servant’s words had deeply wounded him. His mother’s origins had always been a mystery, and when he was ten, she suddenly became a Taoist nun. In the Zhang clan, this was a somewhat mysterious matter.

But if a ‘mystery’ has no answer, it breeds all sorts of unspeakable rumors in the minds of the idle. Though he could not stop their wild imaginings, he would never allow anyone to publicly insult his mother because of it.

His feet touched the riverbed, and then his body rebounded, like a gray water dragon shooting upward through the blue-green water. In the instant he broke the surface, a poisonous scheme of using another’s hand to kill had already flashed into his mind.

……

Dusk is the beginning of night, and the darkness is the best cover for ambiguity. At dusk, the Zhang family mansion was unusually busy, the air filled with restlessness and anticipation for the night.

Henry Bolton sidestepped two maids delivering food and stepped through the inner courtyard gate. “Does Sammy have business here?” Several guards politely stopped him. Although the clan rules did not forbid concubine’s sons from entering the inner courtyard, it was full of young women, so they had to ask.