William Foster squinted at the spiked club, considering whether to toss it into the stinky ditch behind the house and let it roll around for a bit.

Alice Carter immediately sensed his ill intent and hurriedly said, “Alright, alright, even if it’s just to avenge the original owner of your body and bring closure, you still have to take out your enemy. Otherwise, if you try to cultivate immortality, you’ll probably end up with inner demons.”

“Enemy? I think he probably wants to kill you even more.” William Foster shot it a glare.

Alice Carter gave a dry laugh. “He was going to die anyway at that time, so it doesn’t count as me killing him. But you ruined my plans—what right do you have to glare at me?”

And you still wanted to eat me? William Foster couldn’t be bothered to respond and turned to continue packing.

There were all sorts of miscellaneous medicines he’d refined recently to gain experience. He probably wouldn’t be making them again, but even if they seemed useless, he had to take them along—who knows when they might come in handy...

He turned and opened the hidden compartment by the bed, where some silver lay quietly, along with a blue-covered secret manual. The manual had no title; it was something the original owner of this body had brought. William Foster called it the “Nameless Manual.”

At first, William Foster thought that since the original owner had practiced for over a decade without much result, it must be a low-level manual. But he discovered the book’s material was very unusual—just like in many martial arts novels, it was impervious to water and fire, and couldn’t be cut by a knife. With such material, it shouldn’t be a low-level technique. It could only be as Alice Carter judged: the original owner hadn’t practiced it correctly, or perhaps the foundation of this technique was just extremely difficult.

Martial arts had prospects in this world too. Look at Ethan Thompson—even ordinary cultivators might not be able to beat him, and with some luck, there could be other paths to develop. Now that William Foster didn’t dare to learn cultivation from Alice Carter for the time being, practicing martial arts was the best way to protect himself. Besides, wielding a spiked club while practicing martial arts actually felt kind of like a good combo...

Alice Carter didn’t try to persuade him not to practice, nor did it look down on martial arts. Instead, it taught him how to prepare the herbs needed for body training and taught him staff techniques—maybe it had the same idea.

One man and one club, sharing a room for over two months, each with secrets that couldn’t be revealed to outsiders. No matter what reservations or wariness they had toward each other, in this world, they could be considered the closest people to one another, even if that closeness was a bit unconventional.

……

When they left, the Thompson brothers led their horses on foot, while William Foster had no horse and walked beside them.

“As soon as we get out, I’ll buy Brother Foster a horse,” Ethan Thompson said apologetically. “I didn’t think it through before we came.”

William Foster asked curiously, “You two must be from a wealthy family, and you’re not ordinary people if you can go against the Imperial Preceptor. Just the two of you traveling without even a single guard—aren’t you afraid something might happen?”

Ethan Thompson smiled. “My family is a bit different. We’ve always encouraged our children to train themselves and face adversity.”

William Foster glanced at Olivia Thompson. “What if your younger brother had caused me trouble last night and ended up falling into my trap?”

Olivia Thompson was furious and wanted to retort, but then remembered that if William Foster had really wanted to kill, she might not have survived. If she’d tried anything else, it could have been even worse... So all the words stuck in her throat, her pretty face turning red with frustration.

Ethan Thompson was quite surprised by his sister’s expression. He’d originally assumed William Foster had been taught a lesson by his sister, but now, seeing her like this, did she actually suffer a loss last night? William Foster didn’t seem to have cultivated beyond body training—how did he manage it?

Maybe these “Fangshi” really did have some tricks up their sleeves.

As these thoughts passed through his mind, Ethan Thompson just smiled and said, “Even if Olivia Carter had been harmed by Brother Foster last night, it would only mean her skills weren’t up to par. Of course, I would have killed Brother Foster to avenge my sister.” He paused, then added, “Also, Olivia Carter is a girl. There’s no need to hide it from Brother Foster anymore... Maybe you already figured it out.”

Olivia Thompson snorted and turned her head away.

William Foster shook his head. “Your family is really... quite odd.”

As they spoke, some villagers saw William Foster heading out and greeted him, “Little William, are you going out for fun? When will you be back?”

William Foster pointed to the bundle on the horse’s back. “I’m planning to go out and see the world.”

As soon as he said this, a group of villagers put down what they were doing and crowded around.

“You’re really leaving the village?”

“That’s a shame, I was planning to marry my daughter Xiaotaohua to you...”

“What’s so good out there...”

“Leaving the village is good, leaving is good. Does that mean I don’t have to pay back the four wen I owe you for medicine?”

William Foster broke out in a cold sweat.

“Move aside, move aside!” An old man squeezed into the crowd, tapping his pipe around. “What nonsense are you all spouting?”

He looked The Thompson siblings up and down with distrust. “Are you sure about this? City folks are real bad—don’t end up getting sold and still help them count the money.”

Ethan Thompson just smiled and didn’t argue. William Foster could only say, “Don’t worry, Uncle Clark, I know what I’m doing.”

The old man took a few puffs on his pipe and let out a sigh. “As long as you’ve thought it through. You’re so young and educated, and at home... well, there’s no one left who needs you to take care of them. What’s the point of hiding in the mountains all day? You should have gone out to see the world long ago.”

Then everyone started talking at once: “Exactly, I’ve always said Little William shouldn’t be cooped up in the mountains...”

“If you get tired of being out there, come back anytime. My daughter Xiaotaohua will wait for you for a few years...”

“We’ll keep your yard for you. If anyone dares to take it, we’ll break their legs!”