“Nonsense!” Brian Brooks, filled with pent-up anger, immediately found a target to vent on. He turned his head away coldly and growled in a low voice, “Of course that guy is strange, do you even need to say it?! There are people who lose their way, but who ever heard of someone losing track of the year and month?! He’s clearly testing me, clearly making a fool of Mr. Brooks! That guy, that guy really doesn’t know what’s good for him! William Brooks, go after him for me and teach him a hard lesson first! I don’t care if he’s some master or not, today I’ll risk not apprenticing under him, but I have to vent this anger first!”

“Young master, young master, please calm down! Calm down!” Hearing Brian Brooks getting more and more outrageous, the family retainer William Brooks hurriedly reached out to grab his arm. “When I said he was extraordinary, I didn’t mean he lost track of the years, nor that he was deliberately snubbing you, young master. What I meant was, not only is his clothing and appearance unusual, but his actions are also out of the ordinary.”

“Nonsense, how could a normal person be so rude? Mr. Brooks heard the cries for help and immediately risked himself to come to the rescue, but he kept making a fool of Mr. Brooks again and again?!” Brian Brooks was still flushed with anger, but his shouting had quieted a lot, and he didn’t make any further moves.

“Please let me finish, young master!” Afraid that Brian Brooks would cause trouble, the family retainer William Brooks shook the arm he was holding a bit harder and quickly added, “That thing in his hand isn’t some secret weapon, it’s just a bundle, sewn with straps. There should have originally been a book inside, and the broken stones were stuffed in at the last minute!”

“So what? If he didn’t want to be eaten by wolves, of course he’d have to find something hard to stuff in the bundle!” Not understanding what William Brooks was getting at, Brian Brooks rolled his eyes at him and replied angrily.

“The wolves were killed—two of them. But the bundle’s skin was completely undamaged. The book inside didn’t seem to be ruined either!” The family retainer William Brooks was much more observant than the young master Brian Brooks, and continued to patiently remind him in a low voice, “Just now, when the master was dumping out the stones, I secretly glanced into his bundle. There were many compartments inside, and each compartment’s opening was sealed with rows of golden studs, each one only the size of an ant, perfectly aligned with no deviation!” (metal zippers)

Afraid his young master wouldn’t understand, he used one hand to gesture, pinching his thumb and forefinger together to show the size of the “golden studs.”

However, most of his effort was wasted. The young master Brian Brooks didn’t think there was anything special about rows of golden studs, each the size of an ant and perfectly aligned. Instead, he focused entirely on the first thing William Brooks had said: “That bundle really wasn’t damaged at all? Did you see clearly?”

“Young master, I’ve protected the master all over the country for so many years, and these eyes have never misjudged anything!” Unhappy that Brian Brooks doubted his abilities, William Brooks blushed and reminded him loudly.

The young master Brian Brooks completely ignored his embarrassment, clapped his hands together, and laughed, “I get it now, that bundle is a treasure! On the surface, it’s used to carry things and fool people, but in reality, it’s a rare weapon!”

“Young master!” William Brooks was so exasperated he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but he couldn’t deny that his young master’s words made sense. Gritting his teeth, he took the initiative to express what he really meant: “Even if those golden studs aren’t made of pure gold, to make them so tiny and perfectly aligned is extremely rare. And a bundle sewn with several rows of golden studs, yet the master only uses it to carry books and smash wolf heads—what kind of extravagant life does the master usually lead?! To say he spends gold like dirt is no exaggeration. Also, even if the master doesn’t eat meat, those two wolf pelts, if skinned and tanned, could be exchanged for hundreds of coins. But the master didn’t even look at them, just tossed them in the wild!”

“Nonsense, someone who uses golden studs for bag fasteners wouldn’t care about a couple of wolf pelts!” Brian Brooks’s anger vanished in an instant. He turned to watch Peter Bolton’s figure gradually receding into the distance, quickly calculating in his mind.

If Master Bolton had been spending gold like dirt since childhood, then it’s understandable that he wouldn’t be impressed by Brian Brooks’s “sincerity.” After all, the The Brooks Family near Chang’an could only be considered well-off. Though the family owned estates and ran businesses, they had never produced any famous scholars or high officials.

And those legendary masters rarely associated with ordinary people. The greater their skills, the loftier their standards.

Thinking of this, Master Bolton’s earlier refusal and departure no longer seemed like an insult. As the saying goes, “The phoenix will not perch on a non-phoenix tree.” If Brian Brooks couldn’t invite the master, he could only blame his own lack of sincerity, and that his family’s estate was unworthy in the master’s eyes.

But to miss the chance to become a disciple of such a master—how could Brian Brooks be willing? As he racked his brains for something that might impress “Master Bolton,” the family retainer William Brooks’s nagging voice buzzed in his ear again, “Also, young master. Even for me, to kill two wolves would require a weapon. But that Master Bolton killed them with just a bundle. The strength in his arm—there’s probably no one in the entire Brooks Manor who could match him!”