A large plaque hung at the entrance, inscribed with three bold characters: 武林楼. The building had three stories, with flying eaves and upturned corners; below was the main hall, while upstairs were private booths and rooms. Beside the entrance hung a couplet: “Draw from the Eastern Sea as a cup, the clouds and mountains of the Three Chu float upon the sea; brew the Yangtze into sweet wine, heroes from all directions gather at the tower.”

Could this be the gathering place for martial artists? By stepping through this door, had he entered the world of the jianghu? Edward Harris stood outside, pondering to himself.

“What are you daydreaming about? Hurry up and come in.” William Harris suddenly realized there was no one beside him. Turning around, he saw that he was standing motionless outside the restaurant.

Edward Harris followed his elder brother upstairs and found a seat by the window. Only after going up did Edward Harris realize how mistaken he had been—武林楼 was not a place for martial artists. There were neither burly men nor heroes brandishing swords and spears; most of the patrons were ordinary townsfolk and a few scholars in their robes.

William Harris skillfully ordered a pot of tea, a few plates of sunflower seeds, peanuts, and pastries. It seemed he intended to spend the morning here. But as he gazed out the window, his expression suddenly changed, and he muttered, “Misery, misery.”

“Big brother, are the pastries bitter?” Edward Harris heard his voice and asked in confusion.

“No, third brother, let’s leave and go somewhere else.” William Harris tossed the half-eaten sweet cake onto the table.

Leave before even warming the seat? Edward Harris couldn’t understand, but soon he knew the reason. Two young men quickly came up from downstairs, dressed much like William Harris, except one wore a blue robe and the other a white one.

At that moment, the two downstairs also spotted the brothers. The one in white smiled and said, “Brother Han, we didn’t see you at the academy and thought you didn’t dare come out today. Who would have thought we’d find you here.”

“Brother Liu, Brother Zhang, what a coincidence.” William Harris hadn’t expected them to come up so quickly; there was no way to avoid them now.

“A coincidence? We’ve been looking for you all morning, almost went to your residence to inquire. Brother Han, you’re not trying to back out of a bet, are you?” said Brother Liu in white.

“Why would I back out? Didn’t we agree to settle it at dusk? Besides, it’s only ten strings of cash—do you think I can’t afford it?” William Harris replied, a bit annoyed.

“A mere ten strings is nothing for you, Brother Han. I just worry you can’t afford to lose face, haha,” laughed Brother Zhang in blue.

“Fine, we’ll meet again at the hour of the dog!” William Harris said, though he was reluctant to face the two.

“Don’t go, Brother Han. You say we’ll meet at the hour of the dog, but where are we supposed to find you then? Why not just wait here? We’ve brought the money—if you can do it, we’ll pay up immediately, no delay!” said Brother Liu.

“Isn’t it just standing on water without sinking? I… I can definitely do it!” William Harris said.

“Alright, we’ll wait and see. I hope Brother Han is not one to break his word,” said Brother Zhang.

“Wait, standing on water? What’s this about?” Edward Harris had been listening but didn’t understand; he only knew there was some kind of bet, with ten strings of cash as the stake.

“Third brother, this has nothing to do with you. I’ll explain everything when we get home,” said William Harris.

“This is your third brother? Brother Han, that’s not right. We’re at least your classmates and friends—your brother is here and you don’t introduce us?” said Brother Liu.

“Third brother, these are Brother Brian Clark and Brother John Bolton, both my classmates. This is my third brother, Edward Harris,” said William Harris.

“Brother Liu, Brother Zhang,” Edward Harris quickly greeted them with a cupped fist.

“Brother Zhongwei,” Brian Clark and John Bolton returned the gesture in unison.

“Brother Zhongwei, do you know why your big brother wanted to slip away as soon as he saw us? Let me explain,” Brian Clark pulled Edward Harris over to their table.

Seeing Edward Harris being pulled away, William Harris could only return to his seat. After all, it wasn’t time to settle the bet yet, and there was no need to hide. At worst, he’d be looked down on once, but he could still afford the ten strings of cash.

It turned out that yesterday at the academy, John Bolton had been boasting to everyone about how heroes in chivalric tales could leap through the air and stand on water without sinking. Whether William Harris was drunk or just caught up in the moment, he actually claimed he could do it too.

As soon as he said it, everyone doubted him. But William Harris was always one to save face and couldn’t take back his words, so Brian Clark and John Bolton goaded him into making a bet.

After the bet, William Harris realized it was an impossible task. He wasn’t a feather—how could he stand on water without sinking? So he went home in low spirits and didn’t even go to the academy today, coming here to hide, only to be found anyway.

Now Edward Harris understood why his big brother had brought him out today—it was to escape reality. Standing on water was only possible for those who had mastered lightness skill to the highest level, but his brother needed to climb just to get over a wall—how could he possibly do it? If he didn’t have the skill to walk on water, he shouldn’t have bragged so much.