William Carter even knew some things that the man before him, Mr. Young, did not. When William Smith participated in the campaign to pacify Huainan, he was literally shocked—his eyeball was blown out—by a young general who charged in and out of the battlefield seven times.

After his eyeball was burst, he endured the excruciating pain in silence, biting through his bedsheet so as not to let his subordinates find out.

In this way, he stabilized the army, defeated the enemy, and in the end, died from the pain.

William Carter truly did not want to face such an opponent.

He always felt that this man was even more terrifying than Benjamin Smith.

At least Benjamin Smith would leave people a way out, but William Smith was the type to eradicate the problem at its root—rational, cold, and decisive in killing.

“Now William Smith has completely taken control of the court. The recent deposition and enthronement is the best proof. His power surpasses even that of Wei Wu in his prime—no one can restrain him.”

“If you had been born twenty years earlier, perhaps there would have been hope.”

“But now…”

Mr. Young shook his head, pointing at those ruffians in the distance, and said:

“These wandering knights aren’t bad at heart. You’d best find an excuse to send them away, lest they be executed along with you!”

It wasn’t until James Lee came over with a wine jug that Mr. Young returned to his previous dejected state, gulping down wine, his eyes dazed, lost in drunken oblivion.

Today, The Carter Estate was as quiet as the whole of Yuancheng. Even the usually lively wandering knights were silent. What had happened today was beyond what they could accept. They were just surplus men in an ordinary county town with no land to farm. The great affairs of the court were so distant, so incomprehensible to them.

……

The next day, William Carter got up early. When he walked out of the inner hall, his face looked a bit haggard.

Ever since he had transmigrated here, William Carter hadn’t had a single good night’s sleep.

He had thought countless times about ways to break the deadlock, but it was simply too difficult—he saw no opportunity at all.

“Lord Xiang!”

James Lee stood before William Carter, panting, still holding a wooden staff.

Without another word, William Carter took the staff from his hand and began to swing it.

The long staff whistled fiercely in his hands, and as he moved, it became sharper and sharper, producing bursts of whooshing sounds as it cut through the air.

James Lee stepped back a few paces, standing with the other wandering knights, watching Carter practice with the staff.

“Sigh, people really can’t be compared… Lord Xiang learns everything so quickly.”

James Lee’s eyes were full of complicated emotions.

He was the one who had taught this staff technique, but who would have thought that now Mr. Carter practiced it even better than he, the teacher.

A tattooed man nearby laughed and said, “What kind of person is Lord Xiang? He’s got a strong physique to begin with, and over the past year, he’s trained hard every day without missing a single day, practicing as if his life depended on it. It’s only natural he’s achieved so much.”

William Carter practiced everything—staff, sword, bow, even horsemanship.

Just as Mr. Young had said, he was so severely lacking in any sense of security that he had reached the point of grasping at straws, using every possible means to increase his own strength, including martial skills.

By the end of his morning training, William Carter was drenched in sweat.

Panting, he tossed the staff aside and took the cloth James Lee handed him, wiping his eyes.

This training was also a kind of catharsis. The gloom in his eyes disappeared, and he felt much lighter.

“Let’s go! Let’s take a walk outside!”

With a grand wave of his hand, William Carter led his dozen or so hangers-on out the door in a mighty procession.

Yuancheng was not a big county town, and there weren’t many pedestrians on the streets. William Carter didn’t take a carriage, but walked on foot, feeling the refreshing autumn breeze blowing in his face.

William Carter was quite famous in the city.

The passersby he met all greeted him with bows, and William Carter smiled and waved in return.

Occasionally, a few children would run up to him, laughing and clinging to his side. William Carter would give them some food and send them off to play.

In this way, he walked all the way to the south of the city, where he came upon a restaurant with two floors and rather impressive decor.

As soon as the servant at the door saw William Carter, he rushed inside.

Soon, a chubby man came out, beaming with smiles—he was the owner of the restaurant.

“I didn’t know Lord Xiang was coming. Please forgive me for not welcoming you sooner.”

The man was extremely polite to William Carter, bowing and scraping as he stood to the side.

William Carter nodded and walked into the restaurant. Inside, many people were sitting and chatting noisily, but as soon as they saw William Carter enter, the place fell silent.

Clearly, these people had already heard some rumors.

The owner led William Carter to his usual seat. William Carter didn’t like private rooms; he preferred the bustling atmosphere of the marketplace.

“Golden fried rice—bring a plate for each of us.”

“Right away!!”

The owner was delighted and hurried to send someone to the kitchen.

The owner was polite to William Carter not just because of his status.

William Carter had helped this restaurant a lot, providing many recipes. The golden fried rice he just ordered was also taught by William Carter.

It was really just egg fried rice.

Even the households of the great lords of Wei had no grain stored. To help make ends meet, William Carter had sought out several local merchants, working with them to acquire wealth.