Brian Bolton's heart skipped a beat. He hunched over, slowly moving toward the direction of the sound, then, using the cover of the bushes and undergrowth, peered over in that direction.

Very soon, he saw in the shadows of the forest, Helen Shaw and David Green were locked in a fierce fight with two men dressed in black.

There was another man in black lying on the ground.

Emily Shaw stood to the side, her expression terrified, tear stains still visible on her delicate face.

She was clearly badly frightened.

Seeing that she was unharmed, Brian Bolton let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Only then did he have the mind to watch the fight between Helen Shaw and David Green.

Looking closely, he realized that as they fought, whenever they struck a tree nearby, it would leave a dent, and bark would be stripped away with every blow.

Within a few seconds, one of the men in black was struck on the bridge of his nose, his eyes dazed, and then received a palm strike to the chest, collapsing to the ground, unable to get up.

The other man in black, seeing things were going badly, turned and ran, disappearing into the forest after a few steps.

At this moment, Brian Bolton noticed that all the men in black on the ground were coughing up blood, their eyes unfocused, clearly not going to survive.

Such ruthless moves, his heart skipped a beat, and his breathing quickened slightly.

In his previous life, he was just an ordinary person—he had never seen someone beaten to death before.

Forcing himself to suppress his discomfort, Brian Bolton shifted his gaze to his master and senior brother.

Helen Shaw and David Green had already finished and were resting.

Beads of sweat glistened on Helen Shaw's forehead, his whole body steaming with heat, clearly greatly exhausted.

David Green, on the other hand, seemed fine, looking quite relaxed.

"Where is Ethan Brooks?"

Helen Shaw asked in a deep voice.

"He was knocked out, over there in the bushes."

David Green pointed to the shrubs on the other side.

"He and Little Emily were attacked together. Luckily, we arrived in time, otherwise things could have turned out very badly."

"Check them—find out who these people are."

Helen Shaw sounded a bit weary.

"Yes."

At this moment, Brian Bolton also stepped out, cupping his fists in salute to the two.

"Master, Senior Sister."

"This time you went out with Little Emily—did you notice anything unusual?"

Helen Shaw asked in a low voice.

He had already noticed Brian Bolton hiding in the bushes, so he wasn't surprised.

"Master, when our group reached a patch of forest, Senior Brother Ethan Brooks left midway to catch a squirrel, leaving just the three of us.

Also, I found Senior Brother Brooks's voice somewhat familiar.

And this outing was also suggested by Senior Brother Brooks."

Brian Bolton stepped closer and spoke in a low voice.

"You suspect him?"

Helen Shaw's gaze was calm.

Brian Bolton didn't reply, just nodded.

Wasn't it obvious?

This outing was orchestrated by Ethan Brooks, and he was the first to run off. Plus, the voice he heard earlier sounded a lot like Ethan Brooks.

These reasons together were more than enough.

"I understand."

Helen Shaw nodded heavily. "Fortunately, nothing happened to Little Emily."

A flash of anger crossed his eyes.

"Let's wait for the others from the sect to arrive and thoroughly search the area.

I want to see who has the guts to commit murder so close to our Qinghe Palace!"

After that, there was nothing more for Brian Bolton to do. Soon, another message tube shot up into the sky.

A dozen or so martial disciples from Qinghe Palace arrived, led by a middle-aged Daoist, and began searching in all directions.

Meanwhile, Brian Bolton returned to Qinghe Palace with Emily Shaw and Ethan Brooks.

Back at the palace, Brian Bolton was utterly exhausted. He collapsed onto his bed and fell into a deep sleep.

It wasn't until the morning bell rang the next day that he was awakened from his slumber.

In his previous life, he was just an ordinary person. No matter how well prepared he was, if he really encountered those men in black, he probably wouldn't last a single round—one punch and he'd be down.

Judging from how Helen Shaw and David Green fought those men in black, their palms and fists could strip bark from a tree with a single blow.

If that landed on him, it would be like a rasp or a sledgehammer—one hit and a chunk of flesh would be gone.

'But, Master Helen Shaw is said to be a third-rank expert. So why was it so hard for him to deal with those random men in black?

And he even let one escape?'

Brian Bolton was puzzled.

Knock, knock, knock.

Just then, the door was gently knocked.

"Senior Brother Bolton, are you awake?"

It was Yvonne Sun's voice from outside.

Yvonne Sun was Helen Shaw's personal attendant disciple. Although he was a menial disciple, his coming here meant that Helen Shaw had something for him.

"Coming!"

Brian Bolton quickly got up, knowing that the matter of the attack was likely about to be resolved.

He dressed quickly, fetched water from the vat to wash his hands and face, then opened the door and followed Yvonne Sun toward the small loft where Helen Shaw lived.

On the way, Brian Bolton couldn't hold back and asked,

"Junior Brother Sun, I have a question I'd like to ask you."

Yvonne Sun smiled.

"Go ahead, Senior Brother Bolton. If it's something I can answer, I won't hold anything back."

"Alright."

Brian Bolton didn't hide anything and directly asked about his confusion regarding the difference in strength between the martial ranks.

"The difference in strength between martial ranks?"

Yvonne Sun smiled, "That I actually know."

He often served by Helen Shaw's side, so his understanding of martial cultivation was far greater than Brian Bolton's at this time.