This young man was a witness, and the matter of them hunting down Charles Clark must never be leaked. If word got out, that vicious one-eyed man at the Mirror Terrace would tear them to pieces.

The man’s eyes held a hint of coldness, a smile at the corner of his lips, as if he were watching an innocent lamb walk straight toward him.

Henry Clark sniffed and stepped closer, reaching out to support him.

The man’s right foot lifted slightly—just a small movement, and he could guarantee that the boy’s internal organs would be turned to mush, leaving no trace on the outside.

He smiled faintly, as calm as a god about to crush an ant.

Suddenly, he felt a slight sting in his right arm. He frowned, “Don’t hold me there… huh!”

He was just about to move his foot when suddenly his whole body went numb, a chill spreading rapidly from the stinging spot on his right arm.

He opened his mouth…

“You…”

Henry Clark let go, stepped back a few paces, gripped his hatchet, and looked at the man as if he were prey, saying in a low voice, “This is the venom of the most poisonous snake in the mountains, mixed with seven other toxins. One drop is fatal. Beasts killed by this poison look as if they’ve frozen to death, but their pelts remain perfectly intact.”

“There was only a little poison left,” he said regretfully. “If it hits a bear, it dies instantly, but you can still talk—truly impressive. Too bad your pelt isn’t worth anything.”

The man’s expression changed dramatically. He was highly skilled, but never dreamed he would fall into the hands of a village boy.

The boy turned and left.

How did this boy know I wanted to kill him? And a boy barely in his teens—shouldn’t he be dreaming of the world under his parents’ protection? How could he be playing with poison, let alone the most venomous snakes? That’s so dangerous… The man opened his mouth, making a hoarse sound, “You are…”

The boy didn’t look back, but held his head high. He felt he had eliminated a great enemy for Charles Clark, and said proudly:

“My name is Henry Clark! Oh, and don’t even think about carving my name into the ground. If you don’t believe me, try it.”

The man’s finger moved on the ground; he swore he wrote the characters Henry Clark.

But his finger only trembled imperceptibly, leaving nothing on the ground.

Only a tiny ant stood upright, waving its limbs at the sky…

The boy, growing more distant, leapt up and punched the air toward the sky.

“I’m off to Chang’an!”

…

Two days later, Henry Clark had a huge argument with the couple Edward Clark and then disappeared with his bundle.

David Bolton came to the house with others and scolded the couple Edward Clark.

“Sanlang earned money for the The Clark Family for five years, and you’re still not satisfied? You actually drove him away—have you fed your kindness to the dogs?”

The couple Edward Clark naturally dared not admit that Henry Clark was not their own son. Their third child had died at age three, and just then Charles Clark appeared with Henry Clark. Two thousand coins, plus five hundred coins a year, helped the couple recover from the pain of losing their son.

The people of the Tang dynasty were tough, and the villagers had long disliked how the family mistreated Henry Clark. Now that the truth was out, the family could forget about staying in Dingnan County!

“When did the Mirror Terrace’s experts become so fragile, killed by a single punch from me?” In the mountains, Charles Clark, worried about Henry Clark’s safety, had returned from gathering news and sat dazed by the fire for a long time. He knew those people would silence witnesses, and figured that since Henry Clark was a hunter, he would slip away while the man was paralyzed. But that expert was actually dead, and someone saw the two burning the corpse in the wild.

“Go, go to Chang’an. The most dangerous place is also the safest. But those old acquaintances…” Charles Clark looked toward Chang’an, raised his head and took a swig of wine, as if seeing Henry Clark off. Suddenly, he laughed and said softly, “Chang’an, it’s been a long time!”

But then a look of worry creased his brow. “That boy has gone to Chang’an. Chang’an… may not be peaceful.”

After years without drinking, Charles Clark raised his head and drank deeply, then put down the wine pouch, exhaled, reached out, and gazed at the starlight on his fingertips, murmuring, “He’s finally grown up.”

…

At night, The Thompson Family lay on the bear skin, cursing, “Just wait till he comes back and see how I deal with him… Huh! I remember he had a box that he wouldn’t let anyone touch. I’ll go take a look.”

“Don’t go.” Edward Clark lay on the bear skin, grumbling, “He must have taken all the valuables with him.”

…

While the couple Edward Clark ground their teeth in hatred, Henry Clark was already on the road to Chang’an.

The sun was shining, and patches of green could be seen on the ground, brightening Henry Clark’s mood as well. Thinking of his journey to the bustling Chang’an, he couldn’t help but beam with excitement.

“I’ll just walk all the way to Chang’an like this!”

On his first trip far from home, the boy felt as if the whole world was smiling at him.

The official road was wide, enough for the caravan behind him to travel side by side.

But then came the sound of hooves and an arrogant shout from behind.

“Out of the way!”

The sound of a horsewhip slicing through the air was sharp.

Just like facing danger in the mountains, Henry Clark ducked his head to avoid it, instinctively stepping aside.

The steed, with its rider, neighed loudly and flew forward.

Chapter Four: The Toad and the Swan

More than ten carriages were moving slowly along the official road, with dozens of mounted guards escorting them front and back.