He stared intently, and the more he looked, the more familiar this person’s face seemed. When George Washington saw the slanted scar on the man’s forehead, his heart suddenly skipped a beat, and he blurted out, “Are you William Grant?”

This man’s appearance was almost identical to the portrait posted in the county town.

The man who had fallen from his horse was already half-unconscious, but when he heard George Washington say the name ‘William Grant’, his body suddenly trembled, his eyes snapped open, and two sharp flashes shot straight at George Washington’s face.

Before George Washington could react, he suddenly felt a chill at his neck. He saw that the man’s hand, at some unknown moment, was now holding a dagger gleaming with cold light, pressed tightly against his throat.

“Who are you, and how do you know my name?” The man’s tone was so icy it could freeze an elephant to death.

George Washington remained very calm and said seriously, “The county has already posted a wanted notice for you. I just came back from the county town!”

This man was none other than William Grant, who was being hunted by the court for attempting to assassinate Wang Mang. He stared at George Washington and asked coldly, “Are you going to turn me in to the authorities?”

George Washington waved his hand and said, “Don’t misunderstand, hero. You tried to assassinate the usurper of Han—how could I possibly turn you in?”

Hearing this, William Grant’s eyes clearly flickered, and he subconsciously sized up George Washington again.

After all, Wang Mang was the current emperor. To call him a usurper was a grave crime of disrespect, punishable by the extermination of one’s entire family. This was not something an ordinary person would dare to say!

He frowned deeply and asked, “Who are you?”

“I am George Washington.”

“George Washington…” William Grant had no impression of this name.

George Washington added, “My late father was Liu Qin, magistrate of Jiyang County. My ancestor was Liu Fa, Prince Ding of Changsha.”

Ah, so he was a descendant of the Liu clan, a member of the imperial family—no wonder he dared call Wang Mang a usurper!

Realizing George Washington’s identity, William Grant secretly breathed a sigh of relief. His hand holding the dagger dropped weakly, and he panted, “There are Mang’s soldiers chasing me from behind. Please, brother, give me some water to drink, and I’ll leave right away.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the distant sound of thundering, rapid hoofbeats could already be faintly heard.

William Grant’s heart trembled. He dared not delay any longer. Gritting his teeth, he stood up, sheathed the dagger at his waist, and strode toward his horse.

George Washington’s eyes darted about, and in that brief moment, he had already made up his mind.

As William Grant walked toward the horse, George Washington darted behind him in a flash. Taking advantage of William Grant’s unawareness, he snatched the dagger from William Grant’s waist. William Grant was shocked and blurted out, “You—”

He had only uttered the word “you” when George Washington decisively swung the dagger.

But he didn’t strike at William Grant; instead, he slashed the horse’s rump.

The horse neighed in pain, reared up, and galloped away down the country path at full speed.

Seeing this, William Grant’s face changed dramatically, and he demanded harshly, “Why did you scare my horse away?”

In his current state, without a horse, there was no way he could shake off the pursuers behind him.

Watching the horse disappear in a cloud of dust, George Washington turned back and said seriously, “Given your condition, I doubt you could get far anyway. Let me help you hide!”

William Grant looked at George Washington as if he were a madman. This place was flat and open—where could he possibly hide?

“How can you help me hide? If Mang’s soldiers see you with me, they’ll surely treat us as accomplices to win merit…”

Before he could finish, George Washington had already handed the dagger back to William Grant, tossed his head, and said, “Come help!” Without even glancing at William Grant, he picked up a hoe and strode quickly to a patch of open ground, where he began digging with all his might.

William Grant was stunned for a moment before reacting, and asked in surprise, “You want to bury me in the ground?”

“Is there any better way?” George Washington retorted as he dug rapidly.

William Grant glared at George Washington with a furrowed brow. The sound of hoofbeats behind them was growing clearer and clearer. In the distance, dust billowed as if a hurricane were sweeping in. He had no time to think further—desperate times called for desperate measures.

Staggering over to George Washington, he knelt down and used his dagger to help dig the pit.

The field had already been plowed by George Washington, so the soil was loose and easy to dig, and since it was only for hiding a person, the pit didn’t need to be very deep.

In no time, the two of them had dug a shallow pit just over a person’s length. George Washington had William Grant lie down in it, then quickly covered him with earth.

To prevent William Grant from suffocating, George Washington even left a small hole at his nostrils.

Just as George Washington finished burying William Grant, the soldiers pursuing William Grant were only a few dozen meters away. Leaning on his hoe, George Washington feigned surprise and stared blankly at the squad of galloping cavalry.

This squad of cavalry was unlike any soldiers George Washington had seen before. Each wore black helmets and armor, with black tassels on their heads, long spears in hand, sabers at their sides, and all rode black horses. As they charged, they looked like a moving black cloud.

The cavalry stopped one after another as they reached George Washington.

George Washington instinctively swallowed hard. His reaction was exactly what one would expect from an ordinary villager confronted by a large group of soldiers.