The pill dissolved instantly in the mouth, a cool sensation spreading into the mind and seeping into the limbs. The head, which had been muddled by poison, became instantly clear, and strength returned to the hands.

Turning to look, it was William Foster's smiling face.

"This is a true antidote pill. I offered it to your brother before, but he didn't take it."

Olivia Thompson pursed her lips, about to say something, when William Foster suddenly wrapped his arm around her waist again and swiftly retreated three feet back.

The spider demon lunged again, roaring as it charged on all fours.

William Foster, holding Olivia Thompson, retreated to the doorway. The spider demon had just caught up when it suddenly stopped moving.

It seemed to have stepped on something, as if glued to the ground, unable to lift its feet no matter how hard it tried. It reached out, trying to attack William Foster and Olivia Thompson, but was a foot short, unable to reach them.

Looking up, William Foster grinned, revealing his wolf-tooth club.

"Think I'm an easy target? Let my club show you the way to immortality."

……

"Thank you, benefactor, for saving us." The freed martial artists expressed their endless gratitude. "When I return, I will definitely go to the Changsheng Temple to offer incense and pray for your blessing."

"Hey!" Olivia Thompson said discontentedly, "We're the ones who saved you, why are you offering incense at the Changsheng Temple?"

"Although I must thank my benefactor, after seeing a real demon today, I should be even more respectful to the immortals and gods…"

Olivia Thompson didn't even know how to refute that, and silently watched them leave, showering thanks as they went.

The three of them didn't stay in the temple any longer, but went to a pavilion outside the mountain. The rain-washed pavilion was fresh and clean, and after leaving the stench of the temple, the three felt much more refreshed.

Olivia Thompson's gloomy mood quickly improved as well. Stretching her arms, she said, "We actually killed a man-eating monster. Does that make me a fairy now?"

William Foster found her quite amusing. In fact, he really wanted to ask, after holding it in for so long, don't you need to relieve yourself?

He looked at Olivia Thompson with great interest, while Ethan Thompson looked at him with equal curiosity. "I really must thank you for your help just now, Mr. Foster."

Olivia Thompson pouted and turned to look at the distant mountains, saying nothing.

William Foster said, "It was nothing, just a spur-of-the-moment reaction. Thinking about it, even if I hadn't stepped in, Mr. Thompson wouldn't have let anything happen to your sister. That monster was no match for you."

"Regardless, you helped us, Mr. Foster." Ethan Thompson smiled. "And you were able to sense the presence of a demon here before anyone else. That's quite a skill."

William Foster felt a bit embarrassed.

Ethan Thompson glanced at William Foster's wolf-tooth club and smiled. "But I really couldn't tell—your club looks unremarkable, yet it could smash that monster's head."

"Ahahaha, its head was human, not tough enough." William Foster didn't want them to investigate the club, so he changed the subject directly: "Earlier, I heard you say, Mr. Thompson, that you don't believe in immortals. A tiger growing wings could be called a mutation, but with a demon like this right in front of you, aren't you surprised?"

Ethan Thompson explained, "Mr. Foster, you've misunderstood. I only disbelieve in the exaggerated tales of immortality. As for demons, monsters, or the Daoist arts of exorcism, I don't doubt them. The former has no evidence, but the latter has many facts. Actually, it's not like I've never killed a monster myself."

"I see…" So, in Ethan Thompson's eyes, "immortals" are different from what others imagine. In the eyes of ordinary people, anyone with some Daoist skills is an immortal, but to Ethan Thompson, they're just people with special abilities—maybe not even his match.

If you can't live forever, you're still essentially human.

No wonder he has no interest in his sister's "search for immortals." Maybe there are plenty of "immortal traces" and "demons," but none of it is enough to surprise him.

Ethan Thompson added, "Actually, dealing with demons is easy. Dealing with people is much harder."

William Foster was taken aback. "Why is that?"

"Because demons aren't that impressive. You can just stab a hole in them, and there's no burden in killing them. Even if you kill a demon that hasn't done evil, people will still praise you. But if you kill a person, all sorts of trouble follow, and no matter your status, it's hard to do as you please."

William Foster fell silent.

Chapter 11: Responsibility

Last night, Ethan Thompson stayed up all night on Immortal Trace Mountain. To ensure he had energy for the journey, he didn't chat for long. Soon, he sat on the pavilion's railing, leaned against a pillar, hugged his spear, and fell asleep.

Olivia Thompson didn't sleep. She stared intently at William Foster.

William Foster had also stayed up all night, and was feeling sleepy now. Seeing Olivia Thompson's strange expression, he asked, "Aren't you going to sleep? Why are you staring at me?"

Olivia Thompson said, "If I sleep too, what if you have bad intentions toward us?"

"You're crazy." William Foster couldn't be bothered with her and sat on the railing, leaning against a pillar, lost in thought.

The ease with which the Li siblings dealt with these demons surprised him. He felt that even low-level cultivators using basic spells might not handle the winged tiger or this spider demon as smoothly as the Li siblings did.

He himself quite enjoyed the feeling of smashing down with his club…

But unfortunately, martial arts clearly have their limitations and can't handle some strange spells. Otherwise, Ethan Thompson wouldn't have needed to invite him out of seclusion, and Olivia Thompson wouldn't keep falling into low-level traps and poisons… So, pure martial arts really aren't enough.