William Foster also fell silent. The current situation was a bit awkward... Olivia Thompson was hanging upside down facing the courtyard, directly opposite his bath barrel. He felt awkward whether he stood up or stayed seated.

The two stared at each other for a long while, big eyes glaring at small eyes, before Olivia Thompson finally gritted her teeth and said, "Let me go!"

William Foster had no choice but to say, "Close your eyes first."

Olivia Thompson was on guard: "What are you trying to do!"

"..." William Foster slowly picked up the mace leaning against the edge of the barrel.

Olivia Thompson, both embarrassed and angry, actually started to cry this time—tears welled up in her eyes and fell as soon as she closed them, even though she hadn't cried when she was first hung up.

In William Foster's sea of consciousness came Alice Carter's laughter: "This girl is quite amusing."

William Foster ignored it; he still couldn't communicate soul-to-soul.

There was the sound of splashing water, and after a while, footsteps approached, as if someone was standing in front of her. Olivia Thompson kept her eyes tightly shut, waiting for a long time but William Foster still didn't let her down. Her mind conjured up the chilling image of his gaze roaming over her. She couldn't help but panic: "D-don't you dare do anything! My brother will be here soon—he'll kill you!"

William Foster tilted his head and admired the beauty hanging upside down for a moment. The way she gripped her spear tightly showed just how flustered she was.

Olivia Thompson suddenly opened her eyes wide in anger.

Upon opening her eyes, she saw that William Foster was fully dressed and standing two feet away from her. She felt a bit more at ease and snapped, "Let me down!"

William Foster suddenly reached out and pressed a point on Olivia Thompson's body.

Olivia Thompson was shocked: "You!"

But William Foster leisurely began untying the vines: "If I don't take some precautions, what if you stab me as soon as you're down? I can't afford that. No offense."

Olivia Thompson swallowed back what she was about to say and asked coldly, "You already put muscle-weakening powder in the water, and you still need to seal my meridians?"

"Better safe than sorry." William Foster pushed her shoulder with one hand and supported her ankle with the other, turning her upright with ease—without any inappropriate contact.

Olivia Thompson had braced herself to be taken advantage of, so William Foster's behavior surprised her. For someone who seemed so glib, he was actually quite proper? Her anger and embarrassment faded a little because of this.

As soon as she landed, the vines wrapped around her disappeared with a "whoosh," making the scene feel a bit surreal. Olivia Thompson silently watched, rubbed her wrists, and said nothing.

At the very least, this man was definitely not an ordinary villager. Ordinary villagers wouldn't set traps at their own doors, nor could they create traps that incorporated some kind of formation.

William Foster casually pulled over a chair for her and said lazily, "Miss, you broke into my courtyard. Now, can you tell me why?"

Chapter Five: The Fangshi

The evening breeze swept by. Soaked to the bone and unable to muster any inner energy, Olivia Thompson shivered slightly, but William Foster acted as if he didn't notice, showing no intention of offering any comfort.

Olivia Thompson gritted her teeth and endured the cold, picking up the rabbit on the ground. "I fed it my own poison. Your so-called universal antidote pill can't cure it at all. Give me an explanation!"

William Foster laughed: "I sell medicine at the foot of the mountain, only for this mountain. What do poisons brought from outside have to do with me? If someone brought African swine fever here, would that be my fault too?"

Olivia Thompson automatically filtered out the "African" part she didn't understand and said angrily, "I knew you'd say that. So, are you capable of curing its poison or not? If you can't, then you're just a quack with no real skill."

William Foster took the rabbit and found it stiff as iron.

"It's not poisoned at all, but rather under a technique that makes the muscles as hard as metal and stone. If a person took it during battle, it would actually be beneficial, though there are some side effects." William Foster casually tossed the rabbit aside. "The effect will wear off in half an hour. What do you need me to cure? Want me to loosen its muscles and eliminate the side effects? I think it's fine as is—being tough isn't so bad..."

Olivia Thompson stared at him blankly, not knowing what to say.

To put it bluntly, she was just being willful. She was angry that her brother, under the pretense of accompanying her to seek immortals, actually had other plans, making her much-anticipated journey seem like a joke. Unable to accept it, she wanted to prove her brother wrong.

But it seemed... her brother was right.

This "metal-stone powder" was concocted by the imperial preceptor Dong Huazi, not something an ordinary apothecary could recognize. Yet William Foster identified it at a glance—he really was a reclusive fangshi.

Her anger dissipated, and Olivia Thompson suddenly felt the cold seep in. Hugging her arms, she shrank into the chair and shivered. White liquid still dripped from her hair, blotches covered her face, and her hair was a mess—she looked utterly helpless.

Just as William Foster thought the girl was about to burst into tears, he saw her slowly stand up and say softly, "Sorry, I misunderstood Mr. Foster."

With that, she turned sharply, picked up her spear, and strode out, her slender back straight as a spear.

"Such a strong-willed girl," Alice Carter commented in the sea of consciousness. "Her muscles are weak, she has no inner energy, and she still won't ask you to help her recover. Isn't she afraid of being snatched by wolves out there? Hey, are you a eunuch or something? You're not even going to do anything?"

This reminded William Foster, and he called out, "Miss, please wait."

Olivia Thompson paused and said coolly, "Does sir wish to offer compensation?"

"My humble abode offers lodging, warm beds and tea, herbal baths, muscle relaxation, and blood circulation—all for just three coins a night."