Removing the lead weights, William Carter didn’t pause; his body turned into a blur, narrowly dodging the black light and appearing behind the man. Without hesitation, he punched Henry Foster squarely in the back, pouring out his vital energy and shattering the opponent’s heart.

With a trace of disbelief, Henry Foster collapsed to the ground. He was unwilling, unable to understand why, as a level two, he was killed by a level one. With this question, Henry Foster lost all signs of life.

“What exactly did this Henry Foster use to achieve such a fast attack speed!” William Carter picked up the piece of black cloth from Henry Foster’s corpse, glanced at it, and tossed it into his storage card. He then searched the body, found his storage card, and sneered inwardly.

Leaving the courtyard, William Carter didn’t see a single guard along the way. It wasn’t until he reached the arched fake gate about a hundred meters from the courtyard that he saw the two guards who were supposed to be stationed outside his yard.

“Do you think Henry Foster might have killed that kid?” one guard said carelessly.

“Henry Foster isn’t stupid. That kid is favored right now—didn’t you see the third young lady gave him a private courtyard? Which servant in the manor gets that kind of treatment? If you ask me, Henry Foster probably just went to warn him,” the other guard analyzed.

“Hmph, a warning is fine. That kid should know his place. We sisters have been guarding outside his courtyard for almost three months now—who does he think he is?”

“Henry Foster is one of the top ten battle slaves, already at level two. I’m just worried that kid is too weak and might get killed by Henry Foster.”

“Now that you mention it, I’m a bit worried too. If Henry Foster goes too far and kills him, and the third young lady blames us, we’ll be in trouble. Let’s go back and check,” the guard hesitated, then said.

“Good idea. And help me deal with the corpse while you’re at it.” William Carter’s sudden voice startled the two guards. When they turned around, they only caught a glimpse of a disappearing figure.

When they hurried to William Carter’s courtyard and saw Henry Foster’s corpse on the ground, the two looked at each other, both seeing shock in the other’s eyes. Henry Foster’s strength was the same as theirs—level two. Alarmed, they quickly lifted the corpse and left in a hurry.

Although killing Henry Foster might expose his strength, William Carter knew that if he didn’t kill him, trouble would keep coming. It was better to kill one to intimidate the rest. Besides, William Carter believed that his months of cultivation had surely been noticed by those with ulterior motives, so he might as well act boldly.

The next day, when Lillian Carter brought food, William Carter looked pale as if he had just recovered from a serious illness. He hesitated, then instructed Lillian Carter to buy another set of the medicinal herbs he had previously purchased for the third young lady. Before he could finish speaking, William Carter’s face suddenly flushed, a sweet taste rose in his mouth, and he quickly raised his arm to cover it with his sleeve.

Startled, Lillian Carter hurried forward. After William Carter lowered his arm and exchanged a few tired words with Lillian Carter, he lay down to rest.

Even though William Carter had tried to hide it, Lillian Carter still caught a glimpse of red on his sleeve.

After Lillian Carter left, William Carter immediately sat up, his expression showing no sign of illness—if anything, it looked a bit odd.

In the northeast corner of the Purple Mansion, inside a loft.

Lillian Carter knelt on the ground, nervously looking at Mrs. Carter, her heart uneasy.

“Little girl, there’s no need to be afraid. Tell me what you noticed when you saw William Carter today,” Mrs. Carter smiled kindly at Lillian Carter and asked gently.

Chapter 11: The Precious Black Cloth

“N-nothing much. When I brought him food this morning, he didn’t look well, um… like he was sick. He also said the herbs for the young lady’s medicine weren’t enough and asked me to buy another set. Oh, and I saw him cough up blood, but he seemed like he didn’t want anyone to know. If I hadn’t been sharp-eyed, I wouldn’t have noticed.”

“Tell me the names of the herbs he asked you to buy,” Mrs. Carter’s eyes flashed with a strange light as she asked.

Lillian Carter quickly repeated the names of the herbs. After listening, Mrs. Carter pondered for a moment, then dismissed her.

The loft fell silent. After a long while, Mrs. Carter muttered to herself in a low voice, “Coughing up blood? Could it really be such a coincidence—he just happened to cough up blood when Lillian Carter was there, and even tried to hide it? You’re faking it, trying to make people think you’re injured. Based on this analysis, you’re actually not hurt.

But are you really uninjured? Heh, if it weren’t for the flaw in the herbs you had Lillian Carter buy, I, this old woman, might have been fooled by you. You’re too clever, boy. Even though you’re smart, I’m not stupid either. Of the seventeen herbs, one is specifically for treating internal injuries. That must be the one you really wanted.

Feigning injury to hide your true state, and then using your uninjured appearance to cover up the real injury—truth and falsehood intertwined. William Carter, you’re clever enough to be shocking, but you’re still too young. With me around, your tricks won’t work at all.

I knew it—Henry Foster had level two vital energy. How could you, William Carter, have won without getting hurt?” Thinking she had uncovered the truth, Mrs. Carter sneered.

But unfortunately, even with all her scheming, Mrs. Carter would find it hard to guess William Carter’s true physical condition.

In this web of truth and lies, William Carter’s tricks were far superior to hers.

After killing Henry Foster, William Carter’s life returned to peace once again.