"Young master, it has been thoroughly investigated." Ethan Brooks's coachman was reporting to his master the findings he had gathered from the afternoon until just now. "As you suspected, it really was the people from the Canal Gang. After we left yesterday, the corpses left on the main road were quietly taken away by their people, and there was no sign that the authorities were alerted at all."

"Hmm..." Upon hearing this, Ethan Brooks nodded, then sneered with contempt. "Heh... this Charles Dean really is relentless, coming after me again and again without the slightest sign of fatigue."

"Young master..." At this moment, the coachman showed a hint of confusion. "There are still some things about yesterday that I don't quite understand. May I ask for your guidance?"

"Hey~ Old William, it's just the two of us here, no need to be so formal. Just speak your mind," said Ethan Brooks.

This coachman, Old William, could be considered one of Ethan Brooks's most trusted men; otherwise, Ethan Brooks wouldn't travel with only him.

"Yes." But Old William still respected the master-servant relationship and replied respectfully, "Among the eight people who ambushed us yesterday, only the man I fought with had internal strength on par with mine. His soft-overcoming-hard palm technique nearly broke my Thirteen Forms of Mountain-Cleaving and Water-Splitting Blade... However, the other seven were all mere lackeys, their martial arts skills were bottom-tier even by Canal Gang standards... I don't understand, knowing your identity, why would they send such eight people to ambush us?"

"Oh~ so that's what you're wondering." Ethan Brooks smiled. "It's simple—because that Chief Dean never intended to kill me." He leisurely picked up the tea on the table, took a sip, and continued, "If he really wanted to kill me, he wouldn't have chosen a spot so close to the city, nor would he have sent so few people, and he certainly wouldn't have used ordinary arrows for a sneak attack... at the very least, he would have used poisoned arrows."

Old William was even more puzzled: "Then... what was the point of the ambush?"

"Next year, the 'Four Gates and Three Gangs' will be selecting the Grand Master. That guy surnamed Di was testing my martial arts," Ethan Brooks replied unhurriedly. "Think back and you'll understand...

"When the arrows were shot from afar, you could 'see' them directly, but I was inside the carriage, so I had to 'hear' them. If I couldn't hear them, or heard them too late, I wouldn't have time to react. So, he was testing my hearing.

"When the arrows pierced the carriage, they suddenly changed direction due to the collision, and the space inside was so cramped that I could only catch the arrows by hand. So, he was testing my eyesight and my skill at catching hidden weapons.

"And by having the only expert draw you away, and using seven disposable lackeys to surround me, he wanted to see my current movement skills and killing techniques.

"Once all these were tested, the person responsible for observing naturally withdrew."

Upon hearing this, Old William suddenly understood: "No wonder... I thought the man I fought with acted strangely, as if his mind wasn't fully on me."

"That man is probably even more formidable than you think," said Ethan Brooks. "If I'm not mistaken, he should be the Canal Gang's third-in-command, 'Rhinoceros-Headed Flood Dragon' Frank Ford... He held back some moves against you for fear of being recognized. Otherwise, you probably wouldn't have lasted ten moves against him."

"I see." Old William nodded with a frown. "Young master, your insight is unmatched!"

"Hmph, the Canal Gang really has it tough," Ethan Brooks said indifferently. "Usually, I stay in Luoyang, on my own turf, so they don't dare act rashly. If I travel with many people, they still wouldn't dare make a move. It was rare for Charles Dean to get such an opportunity this time, but even then, he only dared to send his sworn brother to test my skills, not to go for the kill, for fear that if something really happened, the martial world would come after him for revenge."

Old William agreed, "That Charles Dean is a petty villain, truly incomparable to your magnanimity, young master."

"Heh... enough about him. Now that it's confirmed the Canal Gang is behind this, I can rest easy," said Ethan Brooks. "By the way, Old William, what do you think of that Young Master Bennett we ran into earlier?"

Old William thought for a moment. "Young Master Bennett's martial arts are quite good among his peers, but of course, compared to your skills at that age, young master... it's like night and day."

"Hmm..." Ethan Brooks mused, "I actually think this Samuel Bennett has some remarkable qualities, but he also seems a bit odd... Also, today I finally met that Henry Clark. He and his father Squire Clark, as descendants of the Sun family, actually don't know any martial arts... It seems their family really has been out of the martial world for a long time. So, after this 'grand plan' succeeds, I'll have to send someone to The Clark Residence and use a 'more direct method' to get 'the Sun family's item.'"

"Young master..." At this, a ruthless look flashed across Old William's face. "Since we're already here, why not take action tonight..."

"Hey~" Ethan Brooks quickly waved his hand. "How could that work? Besides the Canal Gang, there are plenty of other gangs' spies in Hangzhou. Who knows how many eyes were watching when I visited The Clark Residence today... If their family were slaughtered the very next day, could I really clear myself of suspicion? No matter what, we have to wait until after the Young Heroes Gathering, after I've seized the lifeblood of all the martial sects, then we can act. By then, no one will dare say a word."