Hearing the exclamation, Ethan Clark's expression changed. He immediately went downstairs, grabbed a sharpened sword from the weapon rack, and rushed out.

At this moment, the street racers had already sped away.

He saw a woman who looked to be in her thirties, somewhat disheveled, getting up from the ground, gathering up the scattered vegetables, and picking up the eggs that had broken and spilled everywhere because the bag had split open.

“Mom.”

Ethan Clark strode over to Emily Bolton's side. “Forget about the vegetables, your elbows and knees are bleeding.”

“Don’t worry, I’m fine.”

Emily Bolton said, trying to continue picking up the vegetables and eggs.

But as soon as she moved her foot, she felt a sharp, piercing pain.

Her face turned a bit pale, but she didn’t make a sound. She still reached out to pick up the bag of broken eggs, trying to salvage the ones that were still intact.

That bag of eggs had cost sixteen yuan.

Ethan Clark didn’t say anything, just quickly helped her gather up the vegetables.

Once the vegetables were picked up, Emily Bolton managed a relaxed smile. “Mom’s fine.”

But because of the pain, a fine sheen of cold sweat appeared on her already pale face.

Ethan Clark carried the bag for her with one hand and supported her with the other as they returned to the yard.

Once inside, he immediately put down what he was holding and fetched some medicine for treating bruises and injuries.

“I’ll do it myself, it’s just a minor injury. You still have class today, so go ahead and leave early.”

Emily Bolton took the medicine and at the same time pulled out a twenty-yuan bill from her pocket. “Buy yourself some breakfast on the way. You’re still growing, don’t go hungry.”

“Okay.”

Ethan Clark replied.

“Put the sword down. You’re not a registered martial artist, you can’t carry a sword on the street.”

“Okay.”

Ethan Clark answered again and put the sword back.

“Don’t look so worried. You don’t need to worry about family matters. Your father is gone, but you still have your mother. This family won’t fall apart.”

“Okay.”

Ethan Clark still answered obediently.

“It’s getting late, go to school.”

“Okay.”

Ethan Clark responded for the fourth time.

After a pause, he said, “They’re after our property. Maybe we should just sell the yard to them.”

“Stop it! This is your father’s and your grandfather’s lifelong work. As the eldest son of the Lu family, how can you say such a thing…”

Emily Bolton said sternly.

“I know I was wrong, Mom, don’t be angry.”

Ethan Clark quickly said.

“Just focus on your studies and your martial arts. Do what you’re supposed to do. You don’t need to worry about the family.”

“Okay, I understand.”

Ethan Clark said, “Then Mom, take care. I’m heading to school now.”

After speaking, he turned, went to his room to grab a bag that seemed to be for books, and left the house.

As he was leaving the yard, he stopped and turned back.

On the main gate’s plaque were the words—Heavenly Dao Sword Sect.

There was a couplet on either side.

Man follows the earth, earth follows the heavens.

Heaven follows the Dao, Dao follows nature.

His family ran a martial arts school.

But a month ago, his father, the sect master of the Heavenly Dao Sword Sect, Chris Clark, was killed in a duel with the sect master of Longquan Sect, Brian Foster.

Ethan Clark looked back once, then turned and left.

He didn’t go to No. 1 High School, but instead took the bus to the city’s Martial Arts Association.

To be precise, he went to the largest law enforcement body under the Martial Arts Association—the Adjudication Committee.

……

Martial arts!

The path of struggling against the heavens for one’s fate!

True peak experts often emerge from life-and-death battles.

If a country doesn’t have top martial artists holding the fort, it will inevitably be at a disadvantage in local conflicts and special operations.

So, to prevent the martial arts world from becoming stagnant, and to avoid grudges leading to indiscriminate killing of innocents, martial artists are allowed to seek equal revenge and even settle life-and-death feuds.

Each city has a Martial Arts Association to manage martial artists. Martial artists can fight each other, but if their grudges spill over to ordinary people, the Adjudication Committee will send someone to intervene and punish them.

When Ethan Clark arrived at the Martial Arts Association, before he could enter the Adjudication Committee office building, a middle-aged man stopped him. “Who are you looking for?”

After a moment, he seemed to recognize Ethan Clark. “You again?”

“Yes.”

“The committee members are in a meeting. They don’t have time. You should leave.”

“A meeting.”

Ethan Clark glanced at him. “A meeting at 7:49?”

“Oh, I got it wrong. The committee members haven’t started work yet.”

“I can wait.”

“You…”

The middle-aged man seemed at a loss for what to do with him and pointed outside. “Then go wait outside.”

Upon hearing this, Ethan Clark obediently stood in the small square outside the Adjudication Committee building.

The middle-aged man returned to the information desk.

“Yvonne Smith bro, what’s up?”

“That kid from the Heavenly Dao Sword Sect is here again?”

“Oh, the Heavenly Dao Sword Sect. I heard some rumors that their sect master was poisoned first, then killed by Brian Foster in the arena?”

“Don’t talk nonsense about things you have no proof of. Watch your mouth. The Heavenly Dao Sword Sect’s master is gone, but the Longquan Sect’s master is still around.”

“Cough, just chatting…”

……

The sun rose high in the sky.

Time quickly reached eleven o’clock.

Since they told him to wait, Ethan Clark just waited obediently.

As an ordinary person, he was very law-abiding.

Sitting under a tree, he waited for three hours straight.