Forcibly regulating his internal breath, William Carter managed to draw out a faint stream of true qi, circulating it from his dantian through the meridians of his body. To his great surprise, he had thought it would take considerable effort just to regain a bit of strength. Unexpectedly, this weak stream of true qi, hesitant and unstable at first, grew stronger after passing through the first meridian, and even more robust after traversing the second. By the time it had traveled through all the acupoints of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, his internal breath had already recovered by thirty or forty percent. Focusing intently on circulating the Wuji Palace Heart Method, in just under half an hour, William Carter had guided his true qi through his body nine times, restoring nearly eighty percent of his internal strength, and his spirits had improved considerably.

With a flip, he sat up, but William Carter suddenly felt a rush of heat to his forehead, as if a thousand needles were stabbing him at once. His vision went black, and he collapsed again.

It was a long while before he recovered. William Carter knew this was the aftereffect of the Divine Spirit Commanding Ghosts Technique, which had absorbed countless vengeful spirits. Although these spirits had nourished his primordial spirit, they had also brought with them a multitude of mixed and foreign essences, disrupting his originally pure spirit.

He sighed inwardly, unsure whether this was a blessing or a curse.

When he faced John Foster again, he no longer had the urge to demand an explanation.

“Thank you, Master, for your guidance today. I must take my leave now.”

Leaving these cold, formal words behind, William Carter turned and walked away. John Foster knew he could no longer stop him, so he said nothing, merely pressed his palms together and nodded in respect.

Since leaving Wuji Palace, William Carter suddenly felt empty and aimless. Yet he also felt a bit more carefree. After bidding farewell to John Foster, William Carter randomly picked a direction and set off, without a trace of hesitation.

Although the land was in chaos, William Carter knew that the nearby towns would still be relatively safe. Besides, he had collected some gold and silver from the disorderly troops earlier, which would be enough to get by for a few days. If he could find a temple to stay at, that would be ideal.

William Carter had always lived in a temple and had no experience traveling outside. He had no idea where he was or which way to go. By coincidence, however, there happened to be a small town nearby, and the direction William Carter chose led him straight there.

Perhaps due to several bouts of warfare, the town’s walls were already in ruins. Even the gate, where the town’s name should have been inscribed, had a collapsed section, and there were no guards in sight.

Such a strangely dressed little Daoist as William Carter entered the town without attracting any attention. Although the town had a few long streets, they were deserted, with hardly anyone about. Occasionally, a few men and women hurried past, paying no mind to others.

William Carter was treated as if he were invisible here.

Though he sighed inwardly at the devastation war had brought to the people, his immediate concern was to find something to eat. William Carter searched a few places and, to his relief, found several shops still open.

He had barely eaten anything the previous day, and after battling vengeful spirits all night, William Carter was already so hungry that his vision blurred. Spotting a shop with a white cloth banner fluttering in the wind, he didn’t look closely but walked straight in, picked the nearest seat, and called out loudly, “Shopkeeper, bring me a few steamed buns and a big bowl of noodles. Hurry up!”

After shouting, William Carter realized something was off. From the outside, the shop had seemed deserted, but inside it was full of people. Yet everyone sat in silence, as if something was amiss.

Before he could get a good look at the other patrons, a burly man in brown spoke up: “Little brother, did you take a wrong turn? This isn’t a place you should be.”

William Carter, driven by hunger, was in no mood for pleasantries! He retorted, “If an inn opens its doors, it’s to serve travelers from all directions. Who’s to say who should or shouldn’t come?”

“Hmph! You don’t know what’s good for you…” the burly man in brown said coldly.

By now, William Carter had surveyed the place. This tavern looked like a century-old establishment, quite spacious, with over ten tables on the first floor alone, yet only seven people were seated. Besides the burly man in brown, the most striking figure was a man in white by the window. Though not handsome and already advanced in years, his bearing and demeanor were elegant and unrestrained, naturally exuding an aura that commanded respect. Even though he wasn’t sitting alone, people’s eyes were inevitably drawn to him.

Sensing William Carter’s gaze, the man gave a slight smile, raised his cup in greeting, but said nothing.

Instead, the burly man in brown got up and strode over to William Carter’s table, saying in a deep voice, “State your name and background. How did you find out about this place?”

Although William Carter was baffled by the man’s hostility, a quick glance told him that everyone here was a martial arts expert. He guessed there was a good chance he had stumbled into a gathering of martial artists.

Though he knew it was just a misunderstanding, William Carter had no idea how to explain in a way that would satisfy them. At times like this, a single wrong word could easily lead to a fight. While it wouldn’t be easy for them to silence him, William Carter still preferred to avoid trouble.