The butler set down the three porcelain vases. John Johnson shouted loudly and hurled the stone ball with a sudden force, much faster than before.

Adam Thompson stood as still as a mountain. As the stone ball approached, his cue swung out like lightning. There was a crisp crack of the strike, followed by a ‘bang!’ The ball was so fast that before anyone could see it, the leftmost porcelain vase had already been smashed to pieces.

“Bravo!” Benjamin Johnson clapped his hands in excitement. He was the only one in the courtyard cheering; the other polo players looked uncomfortable—this shot was simply too perfect, flawless.

“Here comes the second one!”

John Johnson threw the stone ball, but immediately thought, ‘Oh no!’ He had thrown it off target; the ball was heading toward Adam Thompson’s body. It should have been thrown a bit further forward so Adam Thompson could swing. Now that it was coming at his body, how could he swing at it?

John Johnson was about to say this throw didn’t count, but unexpectedly, Adam Thompson spun his body 180 degrees and, with a backhanded swing, struck the stone ball precisely. The ball shot out powerfully—‘bang!’—and the second porcelain vase was shattered.

“Beautiful!” Everyone couldn’t help but cheer. That spinning backhand shot was truly masterful—no one present could have pulled it off.

Andrew Warren’s face burned with embarrassment. This guy really was better than him.

Benjamin Johnson was so excited he raised both arms in triumph. “Two for two, Big Brother Thompson wins!”

John Johnson was stunned. He hadn’t expected that even after his own mistake in throwing, the other party could still hit the target. This was the first time he’d ever seen such a thing. His son was right—this young man was truly skilled!

His eyes gradually lit up, and he laughed loudly: “Little Brother Thompson, how about we try a double jump for the third shot?”

Everyone around was in an uproar!

Adam Thompson bowed slightly and said, “Uncle, could you explain what a double jump means?”

“Oh?”

John Johnson was even more surprised. “Is this your first time playing?”

“It’s my first time, I don’t know the rules!”

John Johnson gave a thumbs up. “To be this good on your first try, it’s as if you’ve been tempered a thousand times—what a natural talent!”

Actually, he misunderstood. It was Adam Thompson’s first time hitting porcelain vases, but he’d been striking stone balls since he was four years old—truly tempered a thousand times. Of course, talent was another matter.

Adam Thompson didn’t bother to explain, and listened quietly to the rules.

“A double jump means both the stone ball and the porcelain vase are moving. Understand?”

Adam Thompson nodded. It was just hitting a moving target. He didn’t know if he’d practiced this before, but he had already completely mastered that marvelous sense of control—he could hit anything.

He once again took his stance, held his breath, and calmed his mind, but the corner of his eye was tracking the movement of the porcelain vase. The third vase was now in the butler’s hand.

“Begin!”

John Johnson suddenly tossed the stone ball, right on target this time. At the same moment, the butler threw the porcelain vase high into the air.

To strike a moving stone ball and smash a moving porcelain vase was at least ten times harder than hitting a stationary one. Of course, there were experts who could do it, but among the hundreds of retainers in the Prince of Ning’s household, not a single one could manage it.

Adam Thompson narrowed his eyes. In that instant, a marvelous sense of control welled up from his heart. He swung—‘crack!’—the stone ball flashed a gray streak through the air—‘bang!’—the porcelain vase shattered in midair.

The courtyard erupted in cheers. It was simply spectacular.

John Johnson’s eyes shone as he stroked his beard and laughed, “This kid is a rare treasure indeed!”

……

Adam Thompson was invited into the study. John Johnson waved his hand and smiled, “Please, have a seat!”

But there were only a few sitting mats, which gave Adam Thompson a headache. He hated visiting wealthy households—unlike poor families who sat on stools or benches, the rich sat on mats, which meant kneeling. How could his knees take it?

John Johnson noticed Adam Thompson’s discomfort and chuckled, sitting cross-legged. “Young Master Thompson, make yourself comfortable!”

Adam Thompson also sat cross-legged. That was much better.

“Here’s the situation!”

John Johnson explained the reason for the polo match. “The chief steward of the Prince of Ning’s household, Steward Tian, has retired to his hometown. I am the second steward, so normally I should be promoted to chief steward.

But! There’s also a third steward in the household, surnamed Hu. His wife used to be the princess’s personal maid, so he’s taken the lady’s route, and the princess wants this Steward Hu to become chief steward.

The prince doesn’t want to break the rules, but he also doesn’t want to upset the princess. So he came up with an idea. The prince loves polo, so he asked me and Steward Hu to each organize a polo team. In ten days, we’ll compete, and the winner becomes chief steward. The princess agreed as well.

There’s a tricky part, though. There are hundreds of retainers in the household, and the prince wants the polo players to be chosen from among them—no outside help allowed. Little Brother Thompson, do you understand?”

Adam Thompson said gloomily, “Uncle, you mean that even though I just won, I still can’t play for you in the match?”

“No! No! Young Master Thompson, you misunderstand. I think the prince means no professional polo players from outside, but you’re not one of those, so there’s still a glimmer of hope. I’d like to ask you to be a substitute. Even if you don’t get a chance to play, I’ll still give you twenty strings of cash. If you do get to play, it’ll be fifty strings, win or lose. How about it?”

What else could he do? He still owed Benjamin Johnson thirty taels of silver!

Adam Thompson nodded. “Then it’s a deal!”

Chapter 8: A New Level of Respect

Adam Thompson took his leave. Benjamin Johnson anxiously asked his father, “Father, does Big Brother Thompson really have no chance to play?”