A black-armored cavalryman spurred his horse out of the ranks, first approaching George Washington, then sweeping his gaze around, and finally fixing his eyes on George Washington.

Sizing him up briefly, the black-armored cavalryman asked coldly, “What are you doing here?”

George Washington looked down at the hoe in his hand and stammered, “F-f-farming…”

“Just now, did you see anyone riding a white horse pass by here?”

George Washington stammered, “No! Ah, yes, yes, I did see someone!”

“So did you or didn’t you?” The black-armored cavalryman’s tone grew even colder.

“Yes, yes, yes, he… he ran that way!” As he spoke, George Washington pointed to a small path through the fields.

The black-armored cavalryman looked in the direction he pointed, about to ask more questions, when another black-armored cavalryman called out urgently, “There’s blood on the ground!”

At his words, the other cavalrymen all looked in the direction indicated.

Sure enough, a few bright red drops of blood could be seen on the ground not far away, and it was obvious that it was fresh blood, just dripped there.

The direction of the blood matched the way George Washington had pointed, indicating that William Grant had indeed run that way!

The black-armored cavalryman in front of George Washington suddenly pulled on his reins, and his warhorse stepped forward two paces. George Washington was so close that he was nearly struck by the horse’s head, and instinctively stumbled back several steps. His heel landed right on William Grant, who was buried under the earth, causing him to lose his balance and fall hard onto the ground.

The black-armored cavalrymen had no idea that George Washington had tripped over William Grant hidden beneath the soil; they simply thought he’d been frightened by his companion, and all burst out laughing in unison.

One of the black-armored cavalrymen called out, “He’s just a country boy, why bother scaring him? Let’s go, we don’t have time to waste here!”

The black-armored cavalryman who had nearly run into George Washington sat on his horse, a look of disdain on his face. He looked down at George Washington, snorted, turned his horse, and rode out of the field.

The whole squad of cavalry thundered past George Washington and galloped away.

If they had gone any slower, they might have noticed the earth beside George Washington trembling slightly; if they had looked more carefully, they would surely have seen the corner of a garment peeking out from the cracks in the soil.

But there were no ifs. To them, a country boy like George Washington wasn’t worth a second glance, let alone suspicion that he would dare to shelter a wanted criminal pursued by the court.

Chapter Three: Sworn as Lord

Watching the cavalry ride off into the distance until they disappeared from sight, George Washington shed his earlier look of panic and cowardice, ran back into the field, and used both hands to dig at the earth, pulling William Grant out from underground.

Once out, William Grant began coughing repeatedly, spitting out several mouthfuls of black mud. His face, already pale, now looked even whiter—so bloodless it was almost transparent.

Looking at him, George Washington asked, “A-are you hurt?” He could keenly smell the strong scent of blood on William Grant.

William Grant asked hoarsely, “Do you have any water?”

George Washington hurriedly got up, walked to the side, scooped a ladle of clear water from a wooden bucket, and handed it to William Grant.

The latter took it without even looking and gulped down the entire ladleful in one go. After drinking, he coughed twice more, but finally looked a bit more spirited.

Only now did he have the presence of mind to take a good look at George Washington.

George Washington was seven feet three inches tall, about 1.75 meters, with a well-proportioned, slender build. Looking at his face, he had dragon-like brows and phoenix eyes, a high nose bridge, and a handsome, striking appearance—a very distinguished young man.

After sizing up George Washington for a moment, William Grant nodded to him and said solemnly, “Thank you, benefactor, for your help. I dare not offer mere thanks for saving my life. As long as Grant lives, I will surely repay today’s kindness in the future.”

George Washington didn’t care about being repaid. The reason he was willing to risk his head to save William Grant was entirely because William Grant had done something he wanted to do but didn’t dare, nor had the ability to do—assassinate Wang Mang!

He asked with concern, “Where do you plan to go?”

William Grant took a deep breath and said, “First, I’ll find a remote mountain forest to hide in, and after this blows over, I’ll make further plans.” As he spoke, William Grant gritted his teeth and stood up, but though he managed to get to his feet, one of his legs was trembling uncontrollably.

George Washington stood up as well, reaching out to steady the tottering William Grant, and said, “In your current state, I’m afraid you won’t make it two or three miles. Even if the soldiers don’t catch you, you’ll collapse on your own.”

William Grant fell silent. What George Washington said was true—he was not only exhausted, but also seriously wounded and had lost too much blood. If he couldn’t find a safe place to rest and recover soon, his life would be in danger.

George Washington blinked, pondered for a moment, then took William Grant by the arm and jerked his chin to the side, saying, “Come on, I’ll take you to a place where you can hide!”

William Grant straightened his face and said, “Absolutely not! If you shelter me and word gets out, you and your family will all be executed!”

George Washington said, “Don’t worry, the place I’m taking you is very well hidden. It’s a small cabin left behind by a hunter in the mountains. It’s very safe, and hardly anyone ever goes there!”

William Grant looked at George Washington and asked, “Why are you helping me like this, benefactor?”