The Thompson Family glanced at the house across the way and said in a low voice, “When you’re not delivering messages, just stay at home more. Don’t always go looking for those good-for-nothing friends of yours.”

William Thompson burst out laughing at these words. “Oh, my dear sister-in-law, if it weren’t for those good brothers of mine who snatched me from the hands of the scholar, your brother’s bones would have been used as drumsticks by now. No need to say more, sister-in-law, I know what I’m doing!”

The Thompson Family sighed, took a sip of the millet porridge brought by Henry Thompson, and said nothing more.

William Thompson certainly knew why his sister-in-law was saying these things. He had always been a man of the world, a lawless sort, but he did things with a certain method. Seeing that his sister-in-law was still covering for that wretch, he didn’t expose her. When he saw her lie back down, he greeted Henry Thompson and left the house.

By now, the sun had fully risen, but the world did not appear any brighter for it. Instead, because of the dust, everything looked gray and hazy.

From a distance, he saw his wife Julia Harris already up, lighting the stove and cooking in the kitchen. William Thompson smiled, tightened his belt, and turned to head for the relay station.

William Thompson had heard the rumors in the neighborhood about his wife and Brian Carter before, but out of trust for his wife, he always laughed them off. He never expected to catch them in the act today, which left him both embarrassed and angry, a stifling resentment stuck in his chest that he couldn’t shake off.

In no time, he arrived at Brian Carter’s door. He saw The Carter Family, with a blue kerchief on her head, leaning over the pigsty, gently watching the two fat pigs she was raising. Two snot-nosed boys were imitating their mother, leaning over the pigsty and constantly asking when they could slaughter the pigs.

The Carter Family saw William Thompson and greeted him from afar. William Thompson walked over with a smile, patted the two boys’ round heads, and then left Brian Carter’s house.

Every grievance has its source, every debt its debtor. William Thompson never thought that killing women and children was any kind of satisfying revenge. Only those beastly swordsmen from Guanzhong would do such things that provoke the wrath of gods and men.

Brian Carter wasn’t home. After thinking for a moment, William Thompson went to the side of the post road, found a wooden stake, and sat down, gazing at the dull yellow sun in the sky, lost in thought.

Yinchuan Relay Station was never a bustling place. In recent years, with constant troubles on the border and Mongols often raiding the area, merchants had long since stopped coming. As for the local people, most were soldiers from military households. During the busy farming season, who would be interested in strolling the roads at dawn?

He didn’t know how much time had passed when a burly figure came swaggering from the direction of the rising sun.

When William Thompson saw Brian Carter approaching, he greeted him with a smile. Brian Carter was startled for a moment, then forced a big grin and called out loudly, “Brother William, have you already finished your errand to Hengshan? That was quick! I thought you wouldn’t be back until tomorrow.”

William Thompson laughed along. “Yes, I was anxious to get home, so I hurried back as soon as I finished. Brian Carter, have you been drinking?”

“Drinking so early in the morning—could it be you have something to celebrate?

Come, come, take a rest here and tell your brother what’s going on at the relay station. I heard that Samuel Bolton is about to get promoted?”

Brian Carter’s slightly furrowed brow relaxed. He sat down on the tree stump with a swagger, exhaling strong liquor fumes, and said, “Samuel Bolton will probably die of old age here at our Yinchuan Relay. But something big happened in the capital. News just arrived yesterday, and it’s enough to make your hair stand on end.”

William Thompson quickly moved closer to Brian Carter, nudged him with his shoulder, and said, “Tell me, what happened? Did the slave chieftain cross Ningyuan? Wasn’t it said that the slave chieftain was blown up by Marshal Yuan’s cannons?”

Brian Carter shook his head. “The slave chieftain is still holed up in Liaodong and hasn’t come out. But in the capital, a thunderbolt from a clear sky struck. The official report said first there was a huge fireball rolling in the air, then it suddenly exploded. In an instant, the sky went dark, dust and fire flew everywhere, the earth shook and the heavens collapsed, and ten thousand houses were leveled.

Timber, stones, human bodies, and bird carcasses rained down from the sky like hail. Tens of thousands of houses and over twenty thousand people were blown to dust, rubble fell from the sky, and clothing flew as far as Changping. The dead were all naked. The craftsmen working inside the Forbidden City were shaken off the tall scaffolding—two thousand of them fell and became ‘meat sacks.’

The elephants in the imperial procession, prepared for the emperor’s departure from the palace, were startled and ran out of their enclosure, rampaging through the streets and trampling countless people to death...

I even heard that Mr. Parker’s concubine was fully dressed, but after the huge blast, all her clothes, shoes, and socks vanished in an instant, leaving her stark naked, covering herself with her hands... Tell me, why don’t we ever get to witness such a beautiful sight?”

William Thompson frowned. “They say monsters appear in troubled times. Could it be that the Ming dynasty is about to fall?”

Brian Carter roared with laughter. “What does it matter to us brothers if the Ming falls or not? What matters is that tomorrow we urge Samuel Bolton to pay us our overdue wages and rations.”

William Thompson nodded with a smile, put his arm around Brian Carter’s shoulders, and said, “Whether the Ming falls or not really has nothing to do with us. But shouldn’t we have a good talk about you sleeping with my wife?”

Brian Carter was startled, tried to get up, but felt a pain in his chest—a bloodstained blade tip suddenly emerged from his chest.