Sweating profusely, Ryan Carter glared fiercely at Eagle Carter. Seeing that he was breathing steadily and acting as if nothing had happened, Ryan Carter gritted his teeth and said, “From now on, we’ll fight every night.” With that, he turned and went back inside.

Not long after he disappeared, Eagle Carter slowly sat down and began to rub the places on his body where he’d been hit. The moonlight was like water, spilling over him, giving him a somewhat sorrowful air.

The sparring just now—or rather, it was more like hitting a sandbag—Ryan Carter’s fists and kicks couldn’t break through Eagle Carter’s defense; his speed and strength just weren’t enough. Of course, it still hurt a lot. If Eagle Carter knew that Ryan Carter intended to use him as a long-term gauge for testing his own strength, his heart might ache even more.

The brawl in front of the Provisional Residence seemed to have blown over. The prefect of Shangjing didn’t come to demand compensation for the injured soldiers’ medicine, but instead sent an entire battalion to surround the residence.

Eagle Carter simply thought that Qi was afraid of being outnumbered and getting beaten again, but Ryan Carter sensed something unusual. Unfortunately, in recent days William Thompson seemed to be avoiding him, so he had no way to inquire.

Since he couldn’t figure it out, Ryan Carter decided not to dwell on it. He set up a training regimen for himself and focused on regaining his physical strength.

Every day at dawn, he would get up, move around a bit, then strap a homemade bundle to his back and run laps around the small courtyard. The courtyard was tiny, less than thirty meters per lap, but after running lap after lap, even the watching Eagle Carter felt dizzy.

Eagle Carter knew there were five bricks in the bundle. After running like this for half an hour, Ryan Carter would rest briefly, then take off his sweat-soaked shirt, exposing his ribby torso, pick up another bundle—also with five bricks—do twenty front raises, twenty side raises, then hang a bundle from each end of a carrying pole, rest it on his shoulders, and do twenty deep squats. And so on, with all sorts of variations. By the time he finished, the new cook from Qi had only just gotten up.

After breakfast, Ryan Carter would repeat the morning workout several times, and would also do several sets of pull-ups on the pavilion’s eaves, or sit on the railing, hang the bundle from his ankles, and lift and lower his legs dozens of times. Although Eagle Carter didn’t know how effective this was, watching Ryan Carter move with such a strong sense of rhythm, he couldn’t help but secretly admire him. He thought to himself, I couldn’t keep up this kind of exercise for so long—His Highness must have some secret.

After lunch, Ryan Carter would nap for half an hour, then, under the blazing sun, hold the carrying pole out in front of him, with a bundle hanging from one end, and stand motionless for half an hour, then switch hands for another half hour...

Sweat poured out and dried, dried and poured out again. Watching, Eagle Carter felt quite sorry for him and tried to persuade him several times, but each time was met with a murderous glare from Ryan Carter, so he just let him be.

All afternoon, Ryan Carter would keep repeating this routine. Just watching made Eagle Carter ache all over, and he couldn’t figure out how the seemingly frail prince managed to keep going.

At night, after another half hour of weighted running, the day’s training would finally end. Eagle Carter would tell the cook to heat up bathwater and toss the prince, who was too tired to even move a finger, into the tub.

After the bath, Eagle Carter would fish him out, rub him down haphazardly with a big towel, throw him onto the bed, stretch his own arms, and then press down...

Pig-like screams echoed from the small courtyard, ringing through the night sky of Shangjing, startling a flock of night birds and leaving the Qi soldiers outside exchanging glances and letting their imaginations run wild.

Ryan Carter had to admit, although Eagle Carter’s hands were heavy, his so-called authentic internal massage skills were first-rate. After every session of howling like a ghost, he would feel completely relaxed and sleep soundly through the night. The next day, he’d be fully recharged and ready to continue his self-torture.

……

That night, after finishing a day’s training, Ryan Carter lay comfortably on the edge of the bathtub, humming softly, watching Eagle Carter sitting by the door, looking like he wanted to say something but hesitated. Lazily, he said, “Brother Tie, you’re really not straightforward. We’re both far from home, relying on each other—what is there that can’t be said?”

Hearing this, Eagle Carter looked at Ryan Carter. With the steam rising, he couldn’t see his expression clearly, but he knew Ryan Carter meant what he said. After a month together, he could already tell when Ryan Carter was joking and when he was serious.

As a bodyguard, he really shouldn’t meddle in his master’s affairs. But after thinking it over, he felt that since Ryan Carter had treated him with sincerity and respect since waking up, he really shouldn’t hide anything. So he cleared his throat and said, “Your Highness, the alliance was signed today, but not a word was mentioned about you. It’s truly outrageous!”

Upon hearing this, Ryan Carter’s brows made a beautiful arch, but soon relaxed. He straightened up a little and said slowly, “Lord Li already informed me a few days ago. I didn’t have much hope to begin with, so I’m not really disappointed.”

Eagle Carter grew anxious at this, straightening up as well and saying in his deep voice, “These days I’ve seen Your Highness working hard day and night. I thought you’d changed your ways and become ambitious, but it turns out after just a few days you’ve gone back to your old, lukewarm self.” His voice grew louder and his tone more agitated.

Ryan Carter liked his straightforward temper—it reminded him of the soldiers he used to command. He smiled, stopped teasing Eagle Carter, and said seriously, “There has never been a savior, nor do we rely on immortals to survive. Only we can save ourselves.”

Eagle Carter really liked this line. Instantly fired up, he stood and cupped his fists, saying, “I await Your Highness’s orders…”

Ryan Carter grinned and pointed at the towel beside him, then continued, “The homeland suddenly instructed William Thompson to end the negotiations and hastily form an alliance. They must be preparing for a battle to wipe away their humiliation.” In the water, his fist was clenched tightly.