If not for the lingering pain in his right fist, he would have even suspected he was still dreaming.

“When did I get so strong? What on earth happened?”

Henry Clark faced the night wind, tilting his head slightly, calmly pondering in his mind.

By now, he already knew that the strange sensation in his body, the leap from the bed, and the feeling of power surging through him were not illusions.

Something must have happened to him, but for the moment, he had no clue.

“I’ll look into this later.”

Henry Clark steadied himself and turned to walk toward Old Butler.

……

“Damn it, we got played by that kid!”

In the darkness, it took the two guards a long walk before they realized what had happened.

“Bastard, we should have at least taught him a lesson just now.”

One of the guards punched the wall in anger.

Neglecting their duty was bad enough, but to be bluffed by Henry Clark into doing nothing and just carrying David Clark away—if word got out, wouldn’t people call them “incompetent”?

“That kid… is just too clever.”

The other guard said bitterly, “Even at a time like that, he was still able to outsmart us.”

“How about… we go back now and give him a real beating?”

The first guard suggested, a fierce glint in his eyes.

The other guard considered it seriously, but in the end shook his head:

“Forget it. If we go back now, sure, we’ll vent our anger, but if we delay Young Master David’s treatment, that’s just adding crime to crime. Who would dare employ us after that?”

“So we’re just going to let this go?”

The first guard said, deeply unwilling.

“Heh, not necessarily.”

The other guard’s eyes darted, as if he’d thought of something, and he let out a cold chuckle, “That kid definitely needs to be taught a lesson, but it doesn’t have to be by us.”

“What do you mean?”

The first guard looked confused.

“Heh, you forgot the clan’s strict rule against private fighting and harming each other? That kid offended Madam, and if Madam finds out he’s given her such a handle, do you think she’ll let it go?”

“Ah!!”

The other guard gasped, suddenly enlightened, then let out a low, sinister laugh, “You’re the smart one. That’s right. We really don’t need to do anything about this, heh heh heh.”

“Heh heh heh, let him be happy for now. He’s offended Madam and broken the clan rules—he’ll get what’s coming to him!!”

The first guard laughed coldly, as if already picturing a much more exciting show.

In the darkness, the two stopped talking, carrying David Clark, their steps uneven but quick, and soon disappeared without a trace.

……

A lamp was lit in the woodshed.

Henry Clark helped Old Butler into the room and gave him a simple bandage. Fortunately, Old Butler’s injuries weren’t serious, just some scrapes and bruises.

“Uncle Harris, how did you run into them?”

Once everything was taken care of, Henry Clark asked.

“It’s a long story.”

Old Butler sighed and recounted what had happened.

It turned out that after Henry Clark had come back absent-minded, he hadn’t said a word, just collapsed into bed without even eating. Old Butler, worried, kept checking in on him every so often, afraid he’d wake up hungry and wanting to make him something to eat. Unexpectedly, that’s when he ran into David Clark and his group, who had just returned.

“Sigh, Young Master David and the others have actually come to me several times, but I never agreed. This time you injured Young Master David, and with his personality, he’ll never let it go easily. Young master, you must be very careful from now on.”

Old Butler was both worried and full of self-blame.

If not for him, Henry Clark wouldn’t have gotten into this mess. Henry Clark’s position in the clan was already precarious, and now that he’d completely fallen out with David Clark, things would only get harder.

“Uncle Harris, don’t think too much. If not for me, David Clark and the others wouldn’t have troubled you. As for David Clark, don’t worry too much—I’ll handle it.”

Henry Clark said.

“Sigh.”

Old Butler let out a deep sigh. “That’s all we can do.”

“Uncle Harris.”

Under the lamplight, Henry Clark hesitated for a long time before finally mustering his courage:

“I’m sorry. You gave me five copper coins, but not only did I fail to make any money, I even lost those five coins.”

He had been feeling guilty about this since dusk.

Uncle Harris had trusted him, giving him five copper coins from his meager savings, but instead of earning anything, he’d messed everything up.

For both of them, it was a real blow.

Fifteen copper coins wouldn’t last long. In a few days, if they still couldn’t make any money, the two of them might run out of food.

In such a cold winter, without enough charcoal, food, cotton, and winter clothes, it was basically certain death. And all of these required money.

“Heh, I actually knew about this long ago.”

Old Butler smiled, completely unconcerned.