“Heh... Want to kill me? You’re overthinking it, aren’t you?” Samuel Bennett sat where he was without moving a muscle. The masked man didn’t even know how he had struck before he was already dead at Samuel Bennett’s hand.

=== Chapter 3: Reunion ===

Although Samuel Bennett looked like a scholar, and was a bit short, not appearing to be a martial artist at first glance, in reality, he was skilled in martial arts—specifically, the top-tier techniques of the Huang family, which were never taught to outsiders.

At least among his peers in today’s martial world, Samuel Bennett could be considered a “gatekeeper-level expert.” If not, his father would never have dared let him handle affairs on his own.

“Heh heh... So that’s how it is.” Just as the masked man spat blood and collapsed, and his companions fell into chaos, a voice came from inside the carriage: “Young brother of the Huang family, thank you for your help. However... let me handle things from here.”

As the words fell, a gust of force swept out.

In a flash, a figure shot out from the carriage. With just a sweep of his wide sleeve, two masked men closest to him fell to the ground.

Samuel Bennett had sharp eyes, but could only barely make out that the man was using “finger technique”—a move that sealed the throat and took a life in an instant.

Of course, being able to see that much was already impressive, since the one making the move was none other than the youngest master-level expert in today’s martial world, the young master of Luoyang’s “Justice Sect,” Ethan Brooks.

Ethan Brooks had just turned thirty, with a dignified and impressive appearance, and his clothing was quite splendid.

Not only was he handsome, but his martial skills were even more outstanding.

Just now, in the cramped space of the carriage, Ethan Brooks had easily “pinched” all the flying arrows aimed at him using only his finger technique. He wasn’t even scratched, not to mention injured—his martial prowess was evident.

Sure enough, in no time, Ethan Brooks had dealt with all the masked thugs surrounding the carriage. Meanwhile, the masked leader who was fighting with Ethan Brooks’s coachman, upon seeing Ethan Brooks appear, chose to disengage and flee.

The coachman, sensing something was off, didn’t give chase, but instead quickly walked over to Ethan Brooks for instructions.

“No need to chase.” Ethan Brooks knew what he wanted to ask and spoke directly, “I already know who sent that man. I have my own plans for this matter—no need to say more for now.” As he spoke, he gave the coachman a meaningful look.

The coachman understood, realizing that with Samuel Bennett present, it wasn’t convenient for master and servant to speak openly, so he simply acknowledged and turned to tend to the horses.

“Heh heh...” At this moment, Ethan Brooks walked up to Samuel Bennett, smiling as he said, “Young hero, thank you for your help just now.”

“No need to mention it, I was just acting in ‘self-defense.’” Though he had crossed over to this world for more than ten years, Samuel Bennett still often used words that didn’t exist in this universe or era. Of course, in this regard... Henry Clark was the same.

Ethan Brooks looked Samuel Bennett up and down as he cupped his hands in greeting, and asked, “Judging by your age, you can’t be more than eighteen, and you use the Huang family’s techniques. If I’m not mistaken... you must be the young master of the Huang family, Samuel Bennett?”

“That’s right.” Samuel Bennett was a bit surprised to be recognized, and replied, “But may I ask who you are, senior?”

“Oh? You don’t know me?” Ethan Brooks was also a bit surprised.

“I’m new to the martial world, perhaps I’ve heard your name, but I don’t recognize your face. Please enlighten me.” If Samuel Bennett wanted to speak in such a refined manner, he could—this was something he did better than Henry Clark. At least he had studied for a few years in this world, and wasn’t illiterate.

To make a long story short, Ethan Brooks revealed his identity to Samuel Bennett and briefly explained his purpose in coming to Hangzhou—it turned out he was also going to visit the Clark residence.

Realizing they shared the same destination and were both men of the righteous path, they decided to travel together.

To avoid unnecessary trouble when entering the city, they unhitched the horses from the carriage and had the coachman lead them, then gave the arrow-riddled carriage to the teahouse owner. As for whether the owner chopped it up for firewood or found another use for it, they didn’t care.

The place was already close to Hangzhou. Ethan Brooks, Samuel Bennett, and the coachman were all skilled martial artists, so even on foot, it wouldn’t take long to get there.

That night, they managed to enter the city before the gates closed. To avoid being abrupt, they didn’t go straight to the Clark residence, but first found an inn to stay at.

Early the next morning, Ethan Brooks’s coachman took a letter of introduction written by his master the previous night and delivered it to the Clark residence, informing them that Master Ethan Brooks and Young Master Samuel Bennett would visit Old Master Clark in the afternoon.

Squire Clark, upon receiving the letter, didn’t think much of it. Since Samuel Bennett was the son of an old friend, he treated him as family. As for Ethan Brooks, he had only heard of him but didn’t know him personally, but since he was coming with Samuel Bennett, he assumed he was a friend of the same circle.

So, Squire Clark instructed the servants to prepare a welcoming banquet and called his son Henry Clark to join in greeting the guests.

In the afternoon, Ethan Brooks sent his coachman out to purchase a new carriage, while he himself went with Samuel Bennett to the Clark residence.