The others didn’t perform much better than he did. Including Henry Carter—though he claimed to have seen countless beauties, the singers and dancers he usually dealt with, and the distinguished guests he usually entertained in Chang’an, all valued allure without vulgarity, beauty without wantonness. No one would ever dress like Martha Washington and her two maids, wearing bedroom attire as formal dress, exuding pure, unrestrained seduction without a hint of pretense. Yet, the same clothes looked completely different on Martha Washington compared to the two maids. The two maids merely gave off a sense of charm, temptation, and impulsiveness, making people want to get close, to touch, to hold them in their arms and savor them. But when Martha Washington stepped fully out of the carriage, she seemed like a celestial maiden painted on a temple wall—still tempting, but with a faint aura of sacred dignity.

Edward Bennett was utterly entranced, completely unaware of his surroundings. In a daze, he felt as if flowers were raining from the sky, with eight hundred arhats chanting in unison. Amid the solemn chanting, a barefoot, bare-waisted celestial maiden slowly approached him, gently offering her red lips.

“Greetings, Madam!” The dream was suddenly interrupted. Edward Bennett turned around in surprise to see the two Qin brothers leading the group, all cupping their fists in salute toward the carriage.

“That’s enough!” Martha Washington smiled, gently shaking her head, her face full of kindness. “You two wild boys, you really don’t let your elders rest easy. Next time you fight, remember to stay farther from the main road. Otherwise, if your mother hears about it, she’ll surely punish you with the family rules.”

With that, she let two maids support her as she gracefully walked toward a carriage at the rear. As she walked, she scolded her own guards in a low voice, “Why are you drawing your blades? What if you scare someone? Put them away, all of you! Drag the broken carriage back to the estate—don’t let it get in the way here. Useless lot! If those people hadn’t risked their lives to save me, I’d have been dragged into the water by the startled horses long ago!”

In the turn of a moment, she showed three different faces: one charming, one kind, one cold as frost. Each person saw something different, and each felt a unique emotion rise in their heart. The Martha Washington who had bewitched everyone, now supported by her maids, entered the spare carriage, then slowly poked her head out again, smiling like an elder as she reminded the Qin brothers, “When you’re tired from playing later, remember to come by my villa. I just received a batch of Lingnan sugar frost—take a few jars home, since your mother likes it. My own people brought it specially; it’s much better than what you can buy outside.”

“Thank you, Madam!” The two Qin brothers cupped their hands in thanks.

Martha Washington slowly lowered the carriage curtain. The guards all glared fiercely at Edward Bennett and Seventh Evans, then tied the now-calm horses to the end of the convoy and dragged the carriage away. Only after the convoy disappeared down the main road did everyone finally breathe a sigh of relief. Edward Bennett patted his chest and exclaimed loudly, “I’m dead, I’m really dead. Heavens, am I dead, and is my soul flying around?”

“Like drifting clouds veiling the moon, like swirling snow carried by the wind!” The outsider who had fought Henry Carter to a draw shook his head and recited loudly.

These two lines from the Rhapsody on the Goddess of the Luo River were perfectly apt, and everyone shook their heads and laughed. Only Mr. Harris, who had been knocked out by Edward Bennett’s brick earlier and missed the visual feast, groggily climbed up from the ground in the distance, shouting in confusion, “What are you all doing over there? Is the fight over? Or have you made peace? Hey, who was so wicked as to give me a head full of blood?”

“Hahahaha!” Seeing his dazed look, everyone burst out laughing. After laughing, they looked at each other and all lost the urge to continue the fight.

The burly man surnamed Lei, who had knocked down two startled horses with his fists and had some old acquaintance with Henry Carter, didn’t know the cause of today’s conflict. Seeing everyone looking a bit awkward, he took the initiative to strike up a conversation with the outsider who had fought Henry Carter to a draw: “Brother, have you ever stayed in Luoyang? Those grappling moves of yours look very familiar to me. What’s your relationship with Old Danqiu?”

“Brother Lei, why bother with him? He’s the one who brought people to stir up trouble at Changle Ward today!” Before the other could reply, Edward Bennett rushed forward and threw a punch.

“If you hadn’t deliberately set a trap to deceive me, would I have come looking for trouble with you?” The outsider lightly waved his hand, spinning Edward Bennett away like a top, then straightened his clothes and returned the greeting to the burly man with poise. “Danqiu Sheng is an old friend of mine. Years ago, at the foot of Mount Song, I was fortunate enough to receive some of his instruction.”

Edward Bennett wanted to provoke him again, but Henry Carter placed a hand on his shoulder and pressed down lightly, instantly making him unable to move an inch. The burly man surnamed Lei, hearing that the outsider had studied under his old friend Danqiu Sheng, was even more eager to mediate between the two sides. He cupped his fists and asked with a smile, “Old Danqiu has always kept his skills to himself—I never thought he’d actually teach someone everything! I am William Reed. May I ask your esteemed name, brother?”

“Are you the great hero William Reed, who once saved an orphan girl and chased a villain three thousand miles for the reward of a single egg?” Hearing the man introduce himself, the outsider, whose every gesture exuded an otherworldly air, was visibly moved. “I am Walt Whitman. I have long admired you, Brother Lei.”