This whole situation left William Foster completely baffled. Just as he was about to speak, the old man suddenly rushed forward and, in a flash, was standing right in front of William Foster. Before he could even react, the old man had already grabbed both his arms.

“What the heck! What are you trying to do? Listen, I may be poor, but I’d never do that kind of thing!” He thought this old man was one of those people who specialized in scouting out “good prospects.”

He struggled with all his might, trying to break free, but no matter how hard William Foster fought, no matter how much strength he used, the old man’s hands gripped him like iron shackles, not loosening in the slightest. The old, wrinkled face was now so close it seemed about to touch his own. This made William Foster’s hair stand on end in fright.

“If you don’t let go, I... I... I’m going to start yelling!”

But the old man paid him no mind, simply staring intently at William Foster. After a long moment, he finally stammered out a question: “Are you surnamed Jiang, given name Yu? And is your mother’s surname Shangguan?”

William Foster blinked, puzzled as to how this man knew his cheap mother’s surname. Could it be that things weren’t as he’d imagined? He relaxed a little and nodded, considering that an answer.

When the old man saw William Foster nod, he released his grip and stepped back three paces, actually looking as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

Before William Foster could ask anything else, the old man suddenly dropped to one knee, cupped his fists respectfully, and said, “This old servant, Matthew Reed, pays his respects to the young master!”

Now William Foster was even more confused, staring blankly at the old man kneeling before him. “Young master? Wha... what young master?”

The old man still didn’t raise his head, remaining respectfully on one knee, but then said something that left William Foster utterly dumbfounded: “Perhaps the young master does not know, but your mother, Shangguan Yun’er, is the only daughter of the former Holy Sect leader, Shangguan Tu. In other words, you are the Holy Sect leader’s only grandson!”

William Foster was stunned for a moment, his mouth—still with some cornbread crumbs—hanging open: “You’re saying I’m the Holy Sect leader’s grandson?” No matter how he thought about it, it seemed too far-fetched. Could it be that he’d just randomly possessed someone with such a big background? “Old man, are you sure you haven’t got the wrong person?”

He figured it was either a mistake, or this old man was crazy! Besides, as someone who’d been bombarded by all kinds of “literary works,” he vaguely felt that this so-called Holy Sect wasn’t anything good, and it was probably best not to get involved.

But unexpectedly, the old man reached into his robe and took out a pitch-black, palm-sized iron token of unknown material, then respectfully presented it to William Foster: “This iron token is a sacred relic passed down from the first generation leader of our sect, a token of authority for successive leaders. After being passed down, it was split in two—half remained with the old leader, and the other half was given to his only daughter...”

As he spoke, Matthew Reed suddenly pointed to William Foster’s waist: “Now, it’s being worn by the young master. Just now, I saw this half of the iron token on you, and together with your appearance, I was able to confirm your identity!”

Already dizzy from the shocking news, when he saw the iron token in the old man’s hands, William Foster felt as if he’d been struck by ninety-nine bolts of lightning. In a daze, not knowing what to do, he felt as if he were floating, his feet treading on clouds.

“This... this... what’s going on? Am I really the Holy Sect leader’s grandson?”

He reached for his waist and took off the half palm-sized iron token he’d always worn as an ornament, staring blankly at the two nearly identical tokens.

Both tokens had patterns and designs on both sides, with the other side smooth as a mirror. Who knew if they’d been split by some divine weapon.

Holding his own token in his left hand and the one the old man handed him in his right, William Foster didn’t know why, but suddenly felt the urge to fit the two pieces together.

But just as he smacked his lips, he felt the gritty cornbread in his mouth and suddenly remembered something: “Um... old man, did you come this time because my grandfather wants to take me back?”

At these words, Matthew Reed’s face twisted in pain, his expression full of emotion, eyes brimming with tears, which scared William Foster—he had no idea what to do, nor even how to ask. Fortunately, Matthew Reed quickly composed himself and revealed the “truth.”

“Young master... the old leader... was betrayed by the villain Edward Grant, gravely wounded, and died...” At this point, his voice choked up; it was clear the old man held deep respect for the former leader.

When William Foster heard this, he wasn’t surprised at all. In fact, he even felt: Of course! That’s how it should be! He thought this kind of development fit the “normal plot.”

While he was lost in thought, Matthew Reed calmed down a bit and continued: “And that Edward Grant is cruel and bloodthirsty—not only did he kill the old leader, but he also slaughtered all the old leader’s trusted followers in the sect. If I hadn’t been too lowly to attract attention, I probably wouldn’t have escaped either!”

Listening to Matthew Reed’s account, William Foster began to piece together the whole series of events in his mind.

First of all, it seemed he’d possessed someone pretty remarkable—someone with a grandfather who was the leader of the Holy Sect.