At the beginning of May, the caravan finally arrived at Xiangyang. This was William Thompson’s hometown in his previous life. Gazing at his homeland from a thousand years ago, William Thompson was filled with surging emotions, unable to calm his heart for a long time.

“You can still return to your homeland, but mine has long since ceased to exist.” At some point, Edward Grant had come up behind William Thompson.

“Where is your hometown, Brother Grant?”

Edward Grant shook his head without answering. He glanced at William Thompson and said, “Come with me! The master is looking for you.”

Charles Brooks was looking for William Thompson to take him to inspect the goods, but the goods were not in the Xiangyang market; instead, they were in a large mansion outside the city. Charles Brooks handed a token to the gatekeeper, and soon someone came to blindfold the four of them and lead them inside. After walking several hundred steps, they stopped, removed the blindfolds, and before them stood a middle-aged man with a long black scar on his forehead.

“I am the steward here. This transaction has been entrusted to me with full authority. Please follow me to inspect the goods.”

William Thompson entered a spacious hall, only to see it piled high with iron bars—there must have been tens of thousands of them.

Charles Brooks looked at William Thompson and said, “William Thompson, go check the quality of those iron bars.”

William Thompson suddenly understood—they had taken a liking to his expertise.

He casually picked up an iron bar and discovered it was refined steel used for forging weapons, extremely hard. This kind of refined steel could only be smelted in the Song Dynasty, with very few impurities and a dense structure. Some of the fine weapons he had forged himself were made from this very steel. This was military material strictly forbidden by the Song Dynasty to be sold to the Jin Dynasty. William Thompson suddenly realized Charles Brooks’s purpose for this trip—it was to smuggle military goods to the Jin Dynasty.

William Thompson couldn’t help but feel secretly alarmed. He turned and said, “With these iron bars, you can forge a blade just like mine.”

Charles Brooks turned to the young lady and asked, “Miss Pearl, what do you think?”

The young lady did not answer. She gently lifted her veil and, after carefully comparing several iron bars, finally nodded.

Seeing her nod, Charles Brooks said to the steward, “I’ll take this batch. The price will be as previously agreed, paid in gold. Your side will first deliver the goods to the designated border location, and we’ll take over there. At the same time, payment and goods will be exchanged and settled.”

He then said to Edward Grant, “Tomorrow, you’ll accompany Miss Pearl to escort the goods to Nanjing.”

“But master, I want to go with you to Lin’an.”

“I know you’re worried about me, but this batch of goods is extremely important. Besides, if anything happens to Miss Pearl, it would mean the extermination of my Brooks family. I’ll handle things in Lin’an myself, so just go without worry!”

Seeing how much Charles Brooks valued the young lady, William Thompson couldn’t help but glance at her in surprise. Just then, she looked back at him. As their eyes met, William Thompson noticed something he hadn’t before—her eyebrows were especially long and arched powerfully above her eyes. He felt her pupils sparkled with a brilliant light, a beauty that was also dignified. Dignified wasn’t quite the right word; suddenly, he thought of a better one—nobility. Yes, her entire being exuded an aura unique to noblewomen.

For a moment, William Thompson was lost in thought. The young lady’s face turned cold, and she glared at him fiercely.

The next day, everyone parted reluctantly. Old Escort Chief Ford gripped William Thompson’s hand tightly, unwilling to let go, his eyes falling on the blade. William Thompson understood and took off the sword to give to him. Old Escort Chief Ford was overjoyed, and after fumbling for a while, finally found a hidden emerald ring laced with deadly poison to give to William Thompson in return.

“Take care!”

Edward Grant rode over and patted William Thompson on the shoulder, then led the large group away in a whirlwind. William Thompson watched the cloud of yellow dust recede into the distance, feeling a faint sense of loss in his heart.

Charles Brooks’s next destination was the Song capital, Lin’an. Accompanying him, besides William Thompson, were ten merchant attendants.

“Brother Thompson, up ahead is Lin’an, the capital of the Song. This is the famous Song tea, Linjiang Yujin.”

At a roadside teahouse, Ethan Foster brought William Thompson a cup of tea and said to him attentively. Ever since he’d been beaten, Ethan Foster had become much more well-behaved, especially after William Thompson became Charles Brooks’s personal attendant. His companions now spoke to him with more respect, something especially evident in Ethan Foster.

Chapter Five: Regaining Freedom

Ci Poem:

In the southeast, a land of beauty, the capital of the Three Wu,

Qiantang has been prosperous since ancient times.

Willows in the mist, painted bridges, wind-blown curtains of green,

Tens of thousands of households, scattered and uneven.

Cloud-wreathed trees encircle the sandy embankment.

Angry waves roll like frost and snow, the natural moat stretches without end.

Markets lined with pearls and jade, homes filled with silks and brocades,

All competing in luxury and extravagance.

Clear and lovely are the layered lakes and overlapping peaks.

In autumn, osmanthus blooms, and for ten miles, lotus flowers.

Qiang pipes play in the clear weather, water songs float at night,

Fishermen and lotus girls laugh and play.

A thousand riders surround the high command tent.

Drunk, they listen to flutes and drums, reciting poetry and admiring the misty scenery.

Someday, I’ll paint this beautiful scene,

And boast of it when I return to the Phoenix Pool.