At that moment, a little fellow hugged him—it was Edward Clark!

　　“Thank you.”

　　William Bolton and Edward Clark slowly emerged, briefly orienting themselves. William Bolton then walked down the road. Not far ahead, the corpse of a woman lay across the path.

　　It was Mother Zhang!

　　William Bolton's body trembled, tears streaming down his face. After a while, he turned and walked south. Three times farther away, his father's corpse was there too!

　　William Bolton could no longer hold back and burst into tears.

　　William Bolton desperately wanted to bury his parents together... but he didn't even have the strength to drag their bodies, let alone dig a grave. William Bolton was consumed by hatred—if he ever had the chance, he would destroy the Yuan court a hundred times over!

　　Helpless, William Bolton and Edward Clark could only each use branches, stones, clumps of earth, and other debris to cover the bodies of his parents. William Bolton solemnly kowtowed before them.

　　By the time they finished, dawn had arrived.

　　Getting up from the ground, William Bolton and Edward Clark set out for Haozhou. They weren't sure how far it was, only moving forward step by step... But William Bolton was already frail, struggling to walk, and after such immense grief, he could barely keep going.

　　He was moving forward purely on the will to survive, step by step... His empty stomach cramped with hunger, the cold wind was biting, and William Bolton's steps faltered.

　　From morning to noon, and then into the afternoon, William Bolton couldn't remember how many times he had fallen, but each time he got back up and kept moving forward.

　　But a person has their limits. William Bolton finally collapsed to the ground, completely spent.

　　After sending Edward Clark away, William Bolton lost consciousness, waiting only for death to come.

　　He didn't know how much time had passed when suddenly a carriage appeared on the road, rushing toward him.

　　A burly man sat at the reins, driving the carriage while anxiously searching the roadside. Suddenly, he noticed something by the road and slowed the carriage.

　　At that moment, a small head poked out from the carriage.

　　It was Edward Clark!

　　He had actually come back!

　　The little fellow recognized William Bolton, threw himself onto him, shook him vigorously, and wailed loudly.

　　Just then, a woman got down from the carriage and hurried over. When she saw William Bolton's sallow face, looking almost dead, her heart leapt into her throat.

　　“Chongba, is he still alive?”

　　The man grabbed William Bolton's wrist, and after a moment said, “He still has a pulse, but I don't know if he can be saved!”

　　Edward Clark immediately stopped crying and looked at the couple pleadingly.

　　The woman reached out and pulled Edward Clark into her arms, then said to her husband, “Chongba, today is the Winter Solstice. We came out to pay respects to our ancestors, and I think encountering this must be the blessing of our elders' spirits, guiding us to help. No matter what, we can't just ignore this.”

　　The man nodded, “You're right, we have to save him!”

　　He bent down and picked up William Bolton, while the woman carried Edward Clark. They all got into the carriage and sped eastward. By dusk, they had reached the outskirts of Haozhou.

　　“Master Zhu and Miss have returned, open the city gates quickly!”

　　The gate guards shouted excitedly.

　　It turned out the man's name was Chongba, surname Zhu...

Chapter Three: Books and Paintings

　　William Bolton didn't know how much time had passed. When he opened his eyes again, he found a little fellow lying beside his pillow—it was Edward Clark, fast asleep, though his little fists were clenched tight, his sleep uneasy.

　　William Bolton looked around in confusion. This was a clean and tidy room, with no luxurious furnishings, but it felt warm and comfortable.

　　He couldn't help but close his eyes again. Had he been saved?

　　It seemed Edward Clark had found someone to rescue him.

　　The person Edward Clark found... William Bolton suddenly didn't dare to think further. Could it really be that man?

　　Just then, the door opened and a woman entered, carrying a bowl of medicine.

　　Thank goodness it wasn't... William Bolton subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, but the next second his heart tensed again. If it wasn't Old Zhu, could it be his wife?

　　William Bolton glanced at her. She wore a simple black jacket and a pleated skirt that perfectly covered her feet. She wasn't very old, but she was neat and dignified, with clear eyes. Maybe it was just his imagination, but William Bolton felt she had an air of nobility. After just one look, he quickly lowered his head, afraid of offending her.

　　The woman, however, was much more composed. Seeing William Bolton awake, she immediately smiled and said, “Are you feeling better?”

　　Her voice was pleasant, gentle yet warm.

　　“Th-thank you for saving my life.” William Bolton's voice was hoarse. The woman gestured for him not to speak, brought the bowl of medicine to his lips, and waited for him to finish drinking. Once his throat was soothed, she calmly asked, “I still don't know your name. Is this child your younger brother?”

　　William Bolton shook his head and said, “My name is William Bolton, and he is Edward Clark. We met by chance and just supported each other for a while.”

　　The woman set the bowl aside and casually said, “Is that so? But I heard you helped him bury his mother?”

　　William Bolton was taken aback, then said softly, “That was my father. He couldn't bear to see others suffer, but unfortunately...” William Bolton didn't try to sound sad, but just mentioning his father still filled him with unquenchable hatred.