"Uh..." Ryan Carter fell silent. When he was little and read "Red Crag," he always thought that the little "Radish Head" who was captured at the age of one must be the youngest prisoner in the world. He never expected that he would break that record today.

Fortunately, he was naturally optimistic. Damn it, at worst, I'll just escape. Didn't "Radish Head" escape too? he comforted himself. Of course, Ryan Carter, who never studied hard, didn't know that "Radish Head" was actually executed.

The man watched Ryan Carter's face shift from gloom to brightness and then break into a silly grin, and couldn't help but worry for His Highness.

Ryan Carter was silent for a long time, then looked up and gave the man a brilliant smile, asking kindly, "One last question—may I ask your surname?"

Sweat broke out on the man's forehead, and all his concern vanished...

"I am called Eagle Carter, 'iron' as in steel, 'eagle' as in the bird of prey. I am your chief bodyguard," Commander Carter replied in a gruff voice.

Ryan Carter smiled apologetically at Eagle Carter, reached out to pat his shoulder, and said awkwardly, "Big Brother Carter, don't be angry. I really did hurt my head—I don't even remember my own name, let alone yours. Please forgive me."

Eagle Carter was silent. This young master can't even remember who he is, so it's no surprise he can't recall the name of a subordinate.

"Big Brother Carter, what did you want to ask yesterday? Go ahead and ask now!" The two of them happened to be walking back to the doorway. Ryan Carter stepped up onto a stair, turned around, and said to Eagle Carter with heroic flair. That bold expression on such a delicate face was truly odd.

Eagle Carter didn't care about such things. He cupped his hands and said, "Last night, after Your Highness awoke, you displayed great power. What technique did you use? I've never seen it before."

"Well... haha..." Ryan Carter would die before admitting he used a women's self-defense technique. "Ah! The Dreaming Arhat Fist, yes, the Arhat Fist. When I fainted, an old monk taught it to me in a dream."

"Oh!" Eagle Carter frowned and said, "Your Highness, this Dreaming Arhat Fist is rather sinister. That old monk must not have been a good person. You'd best use it as little as possible. I can teach you the authentic Tiger-Subduing Arhat Fist." In his mind, he replayed the terrifying scene from last night where Ryan Carter's every move targeted a man's vital parts, and he shivered despite the spring chill.

Ryan Carter chuckled and changed the subject: "Speaking of martial arts, Big Brother Carter, can you fly?"

Eagle Carter grinned widely and said, "Your Highness, you must be joking. This isn't one of those chivalrous tales—how could anyone fly through the sky or burrow into the earth? They say the very best masters can leap twelve feet in a single bound, and that's the limit." Talking about martial arts, Eagle Carter became more talkative.

"What about splitting stones, being impervious to blades and spears, or taking the head of a general from among a million troops?" Ryan Carter pressed on, looking a bit ignorant.

Eagle Carter's smile faded. He clasped his hands toward the west and said loudly, "I was taught by the greatest master of Great Qin, the Purple Cloud Swordsman, Xia Suiyang. My master could fight dozens at once and escape unscathed from a siege of a hundred. In the world, there are only a handful who could match him. But if one were to fall into the ranks of the Tiger Guards, with their strong bows and hard crossbows and strict formations, not a single person could escape alive."

As soon as he finished speaking, a rumbling sound came from Eagle Carter's stomach...

Ryan Carter winked at Eagle Carter and said sympathetically, "Let's eat! I'm hungry too..."

An embarrassed look flashed across Eagle Carter's face, but he quickly put on a stern expression and said helplessly, "Your Highness, the cook in the residence was injured last night..."

Ryan Carter pushed open the door, saw the mess inside, then backed out and closed the door, saying indifferently, "Just find someone to throw something together!"

"Everyone else is dead..." Eagle Carter said, utterly helpless.

Ryan Carter, who was just stepping down the stairs, stumbled and nearly fell. He scratched his head and asked even more helplessly, "So it's just the three of us?"

Eagle Carter nodded, held out his big hand, and began to count: "One cook, one maid, one gatekeeper, me, and Your Highness." With each person he counted, he curled in a finger.

Finally, holding up his fist the size of a vinegar bowl, Eagle Carter concluded, "There's no one else."

Ryan Carter gave Eagle Carter a perfect view of the back of his head and walked straight toward the front hall: "Then let's go out to eat—your treat!"

He hadn't gone more than a few steps when Eagle Carter's deep, rough voice drifted over: "The gates of the residence have already been sealed by Qi soldiers. No one is allowed in or out."

Ryan Carter still didn't look back. He just turned into a nearby room and nearly roared, "Tell them to send food, or send a cook!!"

...

Half an hour later, in the small study.

Ryan Carter smiled as he watched the gloomy-faced Eagle Carter clumsily take food out of the lunchbox: a few small pickled vegetables, a jar of millet porridge, and three baskets of soup dumplings. Despite his rough appearance, Eagle Carter insisted on personally going to the restaurant to buy breakfast, only to be hassled by the soldiers of Qi.

Ryan Carter picked up a porcelain spoon and bowl, served a bowl of millet porridge, and set it in front of Eagle Carter, smiling: "Calm down—getting angry before a meal ruins your appetite! Come on, eat, have a seat..."

Eagle Carter stared blankly for a moment before, under Ryan Carter's repeated urging, slowly sitting down halfway.

Ryan Carter didn't realize that his gesture had touched Eagle Carter a little. Seeing Eagle Carter sit, he picked up his own bowl of millet porridge, blew on it, tasted a spoonful—fragrant and thick—then added some crisp pickles. Ryan Carter's appetite opened up, and his mood improved. He reached for the crystal-clear soup dumplings, only then noticing that Eagle Carter hadn't touched his chopsticks.