The two continued to chat idly as the sun in the sky gradually set.

At dusk, they stopped to rest by a mountain path near the river. The disciples of the Fang family began gathering firewood and starting a fire. William Harper found a place to sit down; he didn’t need to bother with these chores—his only responsibility was to protect his clansmen.

Including William Harper and Grace Bennett, there were nine people in total. Among them was Charles Harper, who had become a top-tier expert at a young age. The three of them didn’t need to gather firewood or start the fire; the other six handled those tasks.

Charles Harper sat not far away, his gaze occasionally drifting toward William Harper, as if hesitating about something.

After struggling for a while, Charles Harper gritted his teeth, stood up, and walked over to William Harper.

William Harper opened his eyes to look at him and asked with a smile, “Hanyu, is something the matter?”

Although Charles Harper was two years older than him, William Harper had the mind of an adult from birth, so he had always addressed his peers by name since childhood, and Charles Harper was used to it.

Since that night, the two hadn’t had a chance to talk. Even after leaving Nanqiu City for three days, Charles Harper and William Harper had only nodded in greeting and hadn’t chatted.

“William Harper, Grace Bennett has taught us the basics of the Qi-gathering method. After half a month of practice, I’ve barely managed to cultivate some spiritual power. Could you teach me sword control? I don’t want to bother Grace Bennett...” Charles Harper said awkwardly, his eyes avoiding William Harper, not daring to look at him.

William Harper couldn’t help but laugh. He stood up and said with a smile, “Sure, Hanyu. I’ve been waiting for you to come to me for a long time. I thought you’d forgotten about me. When we were kids, if I told you to lie down, you’d lie down. Now that you’ve grown up, you’re all aloof.”

Aloof?

Charles Harper couldn’t help but smile. He’d been used to William Harper saying all sorts of strange words since childhood and more or less understood what he meant. His face flushed slightly, and he said, a bit embarrassed, “Well, it’s been years since we last saw each other. Don’t bring up when we were kids. You made me crawl around like a dog looking for meat buns—I still remember that!”

The two brothers grew more familiar and began reminiscing about their childhood.

After chatting for a while, William Harper saw that Charles Harper had completely relaxed, so he began teaching him sword control.

It’s worth mentioning that ever since they set out, every night Grace Bennett would stay alone in the woods, seeing no one. William Harper knew she was a reincarnator, so he wasn’t worried about her safety.

Because of this, Grace Bennett kept her distance from the other Fang family disciples, which was also one of the reasons Charles Harper sought out William Harper to learn sword control.

From that night on, William Harper would instruct Charles Harper in sword control every evening. It had to be said, this kid was truly a genius—after just three days, he could already make the wooden sword float.

This wooden sword was no ordinary sword; it was a specially crafted peachwood sword made by the Daoist in green robes, able to be activated by spiritual power. All of the green-robed Daoist’s belongings had been taken by Grace Bennett. When she heard that William Harper was teaching Charles Harper sword control, she lent the wooden sword to Charles Harper.

“Hanyu, you’re amazing!”

“I haven’t even managed to cultivate any spiritual power yet. Sigh, the gap is huge.”

“Hahaha, Hanyu was always a genius. Didn’t Grace Bennett say that if you can cultivate even a trace of spiritual power within half a year, you’re qualified to become an immortal?”

“The stronger Hanyu is, the more confidence we’ll have when we reach Taiyuan Sect. We’ll be able to look out for each other in the future.”

Charles Harper was surrounded by his clansmen, and his usually stern face finally showed a rare smile. He wasn’t feeling proud, but rather excited about his progress. He looked over at William Harper, who was standing by the lake not far away.

At dawn, William Harper and Grace Bennett stood by the lake, watching them from afar. Mist swirled over the lake’s surface, making it look like a fairyland. The two of them standing together looked like a perfect pair, as if they might ascend to immortality at any moment.

“Charles Harper’s talent is indeed impressive. I’m pleasantly surprised,” Grace Bennett praised. In her eyes, these Fang family disciples weren’t her peers—she saw them more like her descendants. After all, having met them in both her past and present lives, her age far surpassed even the oldest noble families in Great Qi.

From the sound of it, in the original timeline, Charles Harper would have died on the night the Fang family was wiped out.

William Harper looked at Charles Harper, thinking this to himself, and smiled, happy for Charles Harper.

“How many days’ journey is it to Taiyuan Sect?” William Harper asked.

He could already fly on his sword, but there were still seven clansmen traveling with him, including two young girls who found even half a day’s walk exhausting, so they could only travel by carriage.

Grace Bennett looked at the inexperienced clansmen and answered softly, “We’ll arrive in three more days.”

She paused, then continued, “You’ve probably noticed these past two days that the villages are getting fewer and farther between. From here on, we’re more likely to encounter evil spirits and monsters. Be careful on the road.”

Evil spirits?

Monsters?

William Harper didn’t feel nervous; instead, he grew excited.

It was the perfect chance to test his Xuanyang Divine Nerves!

As the sun rose, the Fang family disciples, after a brief moment of excitement, began packing up their belongings and continued on their way.

The mountain roads in this area were rugged, the trees tall, and the flowers and grass thick. The swirling mist made the forest seem magical. As the journey grew bumpier, even the Fang family disciples who wanted to sleep woke up.

By noon, Grace Bennett reined in her horse, then stood up and called to those behind, “Everyone, pack up your things and get off the carriage. We’ll be traveling on foot from here.”

There were three people in each carriage. Usually, they took turns sleeping—one led the horse, one kept watch, and the last slept inside the carriage.

Soon, all the Fang family disciples dismounted. Except for William Harper, Grace Bennett, and Charles Harper, the other six all carried their luggage, even the two young girls.