Speaking of which, Henry Clark also feels hatred—this body’s original owner was just too useless. Out of 500 points, you only scored 40. If you could have scored 400 and become someone of value, the Eunuch Faction would never have abandoned you; they might even have been willing to go head-to-head with the two great families for your sake. How did you even get 40 points? Even if you picked C for every multiple-choice question, you’d get more than that.

Next, Henry Clark racked his brains trying to figure out how to save himself. He thought for a full two hours, his head aching, but only came up with one result.

Heaven truly leaves no way out—he couldn’t find a single path to survival.

Of course, he wasn’t foolish enough to report the truth; it would be completely useless. Do you think the Eunuch Faction Academy doesn’t know the truth? That they don’t know Henry Clark was framed? Even the Cui and Lin families know Henry Clark was wronged, but for Cui Pingting’s reputation, for the honor of the Beiming Sword Sect, and for the smooth alliance between the two great families, Henry Clark must die.

Of course, there were some unreliable plans.

For example, as soon as he saw the head of the Eunuch Faction Academy tomorrow, he could immediately cry out, “Godfather, save me! I have a secret recipe to offer.” As for whether this recipe was for gunpowder or glass, he’d decide then.

However, this plan was extremely unreliable. First, he might not even get to see the headmaster—after all, the man also served as the Commander of the Eastern Depot in Guangxi Province, a true bigwig of the Eunuch Faction, not someone you could just meet on a whim.

Moreover, in this world, martial arts are highly advanced; people might not care about secret recipes for gunpowder or glass. They’re far less valuable than martial arts manuals or legendary weapons, or even rare ores for forging weapons.

As for Henry Clark’s family, they were even less reliable. They couldn’t wait for him to die, and probably already thought he was dead.

Henry Clark desperately tried to think of a way out, even banging his head against the wall as he thought—though only lightly, hoping to knock some sense into himself, not to actually kill himself.

“Henry Clark, don’t bash your head against the wall and kill yourself, or I’ll be in huge trouble.” The guard outside saw this and immediately took out a pill, melted it in his palm, and sent a wave of energy toward Henry Clark.

A strange fragrance wafted over, and Henry Clark’s vision went black as he instantly fell into a deep sleep.

“Damn it, I wasn’t trying to kill myself…” Henry Clark muttered in utter grief and indignation before passing out.

……

Henry Clark didn’t know how long he’d been unconscious.

Suddenly, the guard outside shouted, “It’s dawn, get up! Eat your last meal before you go.”

When he opened his eyes, the iron door of the cell was opened a crack, and a food box was shoved in. Opening it, he saw rare mushrooms, fine venison, a pot of Beihai Spring wine worth ten taels of silver, and rice steamed from pearl grains in a small bowl.

This meal must have cost at least twenty taels of silver. Even as a last meal, it was extremely lavish. Although the Eunuch Faction had abandoned him, they still wanted to offer some compensation in this way.

But Henry Clark simply couldn’t bring himself to eat. He was about to die—how could he accept this?

While eating his last meal, Henry Clark racked his brains but still couldn’t come up with a way to save himself.

The two quarter-hours passed quickly.

“Time to go.” The guard opened the cell door. Two Eunuch Faction warriors entered, glanced at the barely touched last meal, and said, “Brother, sorry about this.”

Then the two warriors stepped forward, grabbed Henry Clark, and dragged him out. Outside was death.

Henry Clark was finally out of the cell, the morning sunlight so bright he couldn’t open his eyes. He was escorted from the dungeon all the way to the outside of the Eunuch Faction Academy, where he was to be handed over to the warriors of the Cui family.

Along the way, many students of the Eunuch Faction Academy stood outside to see him off. Some looked at him with contempt, some with pity, and some with anger.

After walking for about a mile, they finally reached the main gate of the Academy. Outside, a dense crowd of Cui family warriors stood, fully armed, their expressions cold and eyes cruel, just waiting for Henry Clark to be handed over so they could kill him in the most brutal way.

But Henry Clark quickly noticed a middle-aged couple outside the gate, likely husband and wife, who had set out wine and food on the ground and were kneeling, sobbing uncontrollably. Their eyes, as they looked at Henry Clark, were filled with despair and love, and a hint of determination.

In that instant, Henry Clark felt as if something soft had struck his heart.

He remembered now—this couple were the only family Henry Clark had in this world. The woman, gentle and kind-looking, was Henry Clark’s wet nurse, who had raised him since he was a child. Back then, everyone in the Du family mansion in the capital looked down on the eunuch-born Henry Clark, except for this wet nurse, who treated him as her own. The middle-aged man had been the family’s coachman, nearly ten years older than the wet nurse, and of low status in the household—honest and simple, not a match for her by status. But because he treated Henry Clark well, he became her husband.

Henry Clark now remembered: the wet nurse was beautiful, and had become a widow in her early twenties. The second master of the Du family had liked her and wanted to take her as a concubine. If she had agreed, she could have lived a life of luxury, but she gave up that chance to care for Henry Clark and married the honest coachman instead. After all, the second master’s son was the one who bullied Henry Clark the most among the clan’s younger generation.