But seeing Henry Thompson's serious expression, the middle-aged scholar hesitated, wiped his tears, and casually replied, "Maybe there is... or maybe not. The Azure Wing Pavilion specializes in using monsters as assassins, so having eight arms wouldn't be surprising. If it's just a nickname... that's possible too."

That was basically a non-answer...

Henry Thompson pressed further, "Anything else?"

"I've only heard that he's a bronze-ranked killer of the Azure Wing Pavilion, best at hunting and pursuing targets. If the target doesn't struggle much, he'll give them a quick death. But if the target tries to escape and is caught by him, they'll suffer cruel torture, and he might even refine their soul, making it impossible for them to reincarnate for eternity."

The scholar answered carefully. After Henry Thompson's interruption, he felt the atmosphere had changed, and he couldn't cry anymore even if he wanted to, so he simply told everything he knew.

After he finished, he turned back to look at his daughter, trying to gather his emotions again, preparing to say something more.

Then he heard Henry Thompson say, "That Eight-Armed Asura might already be dead."

"Hmm?" The scholar was stunned again.

"On my way back from Yuhang Town just now, I encountered a monster blocking the road, and I was forced to kill him," Henry Thompson said calmly. "Now that I think about it, he was probably the Eight-Armed Asura who was supposed to intercept you."

The scholar was stunned once more.

But the young woman widened her eyes. "Little Daoist, are you telling the truth?"

"Of course," Henry Thompson's face remained calm and unruffled.

But in their eyes, this expression seemed to say, "It's just a monster. I killed it in passing. Nothing remarkable."

Which, in fact, was the truth.

"Little Daoist, are you a cultivator?" The scholar looked at Henry Thompson in disbelief.

"Yes." Henry Thompson nodded, then added, "I think it would be best for you two to stay here tonight. Tomorrow morning, I'll escort you to Yuhang Town. If any monsters come, there's nothing to fear. Even if my cultivation isn't enough to protect you... my master is here as well."

Henry Thompson pointed to the bedroom on the side. "My master's cultivation is earth-shattering!"

The father and daughter both widened their eyes, not expecting that in such a small mountain temple, there would be two experts in hiding.

Especially the middle-aged scholar, who recalled the act he had just put on in front of the young Daoist, and felt a mix of emotions.

Although this young Daoist had saved his life, he still wanted to say...

Next time, just say something like that earlier.

Otherwise, it's really embarrassing.

...

The next morning, Henry Thompson prepared some extra porridge and side dishes, and called the father and daughter to have breakfast together.

Brian Sullivan, as usual, walked out with an immortal-like air. When he saw the graceful young lady, his eyes lit up and a kindly smile instantly appeared on his face.

At the breakfast table, Brian Sullivan put his skills to use. With just a few words, he managed to find out both of their backgrounds.

It turned out the scholar's name was Samuel Clark, and his daughter's name was Emily Clark, both from the city of Chao Ge.

Samuel Clark had once been the top scholar in the imperial exams, served in the court for over a decade, and rose to the position of Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. He couldn't be called extremely successful, but he was highly valued.

Unfortunately, he was a disciple of the former Prime Minister Charles Foster. When the powerful official Matthew Harris defeated Charles Foster and took power, all officials associated with Charles Foster were demoted and exiled.

Samuel Clark was directly demoted to Jiangnan Province, becoming the minor magistrate of Yuhang County.

However, he had always been favored by the emperor, so Matthew Harris worried he might return to court and secretly hired assassins from the Azure Wing Pavilion to kill him.

All the guards who accompanied him had already been bribed by Matthew Harris and deserted halfway. Only one guard, whose conscience hadn't completely died, told Samuel Clark about the assassins lying in wait ahead.

Even after learning this, he still insisted on going to Yuhang Town to take up his post.

Hearing that the unlucky-looking middle-aged scholar before him was the soon-to-be magistrate of Yuhang, Brian Sullivan's eyelids couldn't help but twitch.

The mountains are high and the emperor is far away. No matter how turbulent things get in Chao Ge in the northwest, nothing stirs in Yuhang Town.

But a minor magistrate, though looked down upon by officials in the capital, is like a local emperor here.

Thinking about how he had just been ogling the magistrate's daughter, Brian Sullivan's eyelids twitched twice more, and his appetite dropped by eighty percent.

However, what puzzled him was that both father and daughter were especially respectful when speaking to him, and their gazes were rather strange.

Their eyes seemed to be filled with...

Awe.

Chapter 10: Learning Iron Shirt in Thirty Days

After breakfast and some small talk, Henry Thompson personally drove the carriage to take Samuel Clark and his daughter to town.

On the way, they passed a wide open space where a large crowd had gathered, making quite a commotion. Judging by their shouts, it seemed they had found the corpse of a giant spider, its size terrifying.

Some said it was a spider demon who failed its tribulation, while others insisted the wounds were from a sword, so it must have been slain by an immortal.

Henry Thompson didn't stop, and even flicked his whip to speed up.

The Clark father and daughter were both clever. Just by passing by, they guessed what had happened and figured it must have been the Eight-Armed Asura that Henry Thompson killed last night, now revealed in its true form.

Samuel Clark asked, "Little Daoist, why not get out and tell them it was you who slew the monster? Wouldn't that spread the fame of your Deyun Temple?"

"My master always taught me: eliminate evil and defend the Dao, not for empty fame," said Henry Thompson.