“Let it go... Young master, don’t do anything foolish. As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn.” Emily Reed misunderstood, thinking that William Carter was going to risk his life against the Li family, which would be like throwing a meat bun at a dog—never to return.

“Don’t worry, I’m not that foolish. By the way, what did you mean when you said the Xiao family ‘has no one to use’? At the very least, there’s still my father and a whole bunch of Xiao family disciples.” William Carter shook his head and asked.

“It’s no use talking about this. You haven’t even opened your ‘Heaven’s Gate’ yet; hearing about it will only add to your troubles.” Emily Reed shook her head and said, “The master also instructed me not to say anything.”

“Hmph!”

William Carter suddenly exerted force, and with a crisp crack, the blue-and-white porcelain cup on the table beside him was crushed into pieces in his hand.

“You... you’ve opened your source?” Emily Reed was instantly shocked, her mouth agape, looking completely dumbfounded.

After all, a martial artist at the Heaven’s Gate stage already possesses the power of qi and blood within, unlike the Cangyue stage which relies purely on brute strength. Emily Reed herself was a third-level Heaven’s Gate martial artist, so she could naturally sense this change in qi and blood.

“You can talk now.” William Carter looked serious.

“Recently, our Tianyang County has been especially unlucky. No one knows where a perverted madman has come from.

Not only does he steal women’s underwear, but he also rapes and kills.

In the ten or so days you were unconscious, more than a dozen women fell victim. The authorities have been alarmed by this.

But during the pursuit, more than ten of Tianyang County’s constables were killed.

So, Magistrate Zhou Jinchi had no choice but to ask the three great families for help.

After hearing the news, that pervert became even more arrogant, openly challenging the three great families.

He stabbed a letter of challenge into the county office’s main gate with a knife, and a bloodstained pair of women’s underwear was hanging from the handle.

He said he wanted to make a bet with the three great families: each family sends four people, led by the family head’s son.

If he is killed, he will have no regrets. But if any elders from the three families dare to intervene, he will make a thousand women in Tianyang County die with him.

Naturally, this enraged the elders of the three great families, and they immediately mobilized thousands of people to hunt him down.

But in just two days, not only did they fail to catch him, but another dozen women were harmed.

Now the three great families have completely lost face and dare not act rashly.

So, they decided to take the bet.

But this time, our Xiao family is in trouble. The family head’s sons—one is injured, one is unconscious, and one is not at home. What should we do?” Emily Reed said.

“How strong is that pervert?” William Carter asked, but at that moment, he was stunned. He could feel that the ‘Great Freedom Causal Eye’ in his brow center had actually opened on its own, and he could see a thread-like strand of qi emerging from Emily Reed’s body.

But this strand of qi was directed toward him.

What did this mean?

William Carter was a bit confused for a moment, so he looked outside the room.

He was even more shocked, because he saw that everyone had qi on them.

Some strands were big, some small, some long, some short, but when people weren’t interacting, the strands stood upright. When two people talked, the direction of the strand would change.

What was going on?

William Carter deliberately focused his gaze on the two Xiao family coachmen, one named Paul Bolton, the other John Foster.

Recently, the Xiao family’s horse steward had died, and both wanted to become the new ‘Horse Supervisor’, so they were secretly competing.

So, William Carter noticed that the qi above their heads was originally upright, but when they met, the strands actually turned—one to the west, one to the east.

After exchanging cold glances, the two turned and walked away.

Could it be that this strand of qi reflected what they were thinking?

William Carter was overjoyed, thinking that with this, he could judge others’ attitudes toward him by observing the qi strands.

How powerful!

And Emily Reed’s strand was always directed at him, showing her loyalty beyond doubt. After all, she had been brought into the Xiao household by his mother from her own family.

“Take me to see Father.” William Carter said steadily.

“Third young master, you can’t go. Even if you’ve now entered the ‘Heaven’s Gate’ stage, it’s only the first level. The Zhao and Li family disciples are all at the third or fourth level!” Emily Reed frowned, extremely worried.

“Xue’er, punch me.” William Carter took a horse stance.

Chapter 3: Establishing Authority

“All right, if you can withstand three of my punches, I’ll take you right away!” Emily Reed nodded decisively and threw a punch. Though her hands were delicate and her waist slender, Emily Reed was a genuine third-level Heaven’s Gate martial artist.

Moreover, as a maid of high status in the Xiao family, she cultivated a technique personally given by William Carter’s mother, which was definitely superior to that of ordinary third-level freelance martial artists.

Bang!

A wave of energy rippled out, but William Carter didn’t move an inch.

“You only used thirty percent of your strength.” William Carter shook his head expressionlessly.

Boom!

This punch carried a strong gust, fifty percent strength. Still, William Carter stood as steady as a mountain.

“Are you just scratching an itch?” William Carter raised an eyebrow, looking disdainful—obviously provoking her on purpose.