Another burly man was lying not far away, his neck twisted at a strange angle, a large pool of blood spreading beside him. At the edge of the blood, there was a line of deep, backward-facing footprints. Looking in the opposite direction of these footprints, there were several more corpses—four or five strong men sprawled on the ground in twisted positions. Four corpses dressed in women's clothing also lay scattered around...

　　Aside from these bodies, countless weapons were strewn across the courtyard: broken wooden sticks, shattered swords and knives. Not far from the bodies of the four old women, several pairs of scissors, short knives, daggers, and whips had been discarded... It was a scene of fierce combat.

　　Samuel Green sensed the shifting light and shadow on the ground—that was Henry Brooks's hand trembling. The latter was forcing himself to look fierce, but his feet involuntarily edged toward the wall. The shifting light and shadow on the ground made Samuel Green irritable; he tried to exhale slowly, calming the frustration within.

　　Samuel Green was annoyed, but little did he know that at this moment, Henry Brooks across from him was also trembling inside: So wronged, I’m truly wronged. After making such a commotion outside the wall for so long, why hasn’t the murderer run away...

　　At this moment, Samuel Green still hadn’t found a chance to put on clothes. He stood there completely naked, his whole body as if soaked in a pool of blood, glowing red all over. After some time, the blood had already clotted, making it look as if he wore a coat of blood. He glared fiercely, the muscles on his face twitching constantly, his agitation and rage written all over his face.

　　Pitifully, even the soldiers beside Henry Brooks, who had fought on battlefields before, were forced to retreat step by step by the murderous aura emanating from Samuel Green.

　　Since Henry Brooks entered, Samuel Green hadn’t made a single move or sound, yet those who rushed in kept retreating, unable to utter a word.

　　In the blink of an eye, Grace Harper rushed in. At this moment, Henry Brooks and his companions were still alive, but two of Young Master's attendants were shielding him with their bodies. The three of them had already retreated to the corner of the wall. The long knife in Henry Brooks's hand had long been discarded, and the soldier’s long knife drooped to the ground, its tip scraping against the floor with a constant grating sound.

　　Seeing Grace Harper appear, though terrified, Henry Brooks still shouted desperately, “Don’t come any closer, this man is extremely dangerous.”

　　Grace Harper and Alice Benson instinctively glanced at the murderer again, a flurry of emotions flashing through their minds like lightning.

　　At first, it was fear—their limbs seemed unresponsive. But upon hearing Henry Brooks's shout, Grace Harper wanted to step forward and stand with Henry Brooks. Suddenly, she remembered the other party was stark naked, and a sense of shyness arose. Immediately after, an even stronger feeling crashed over her like a tidal wave, and the two young women couldn’t help but go weak at the knees, collapsing to the ground and vomiting violently.

　　The horrifying carnage at the scene was nauseating and terrifying, but the overwhelming stench of blood was so intense that no one could stand, leaving them dizzy and retching.

　　Amidst the chorus of vomiting, Henry Brooks trembled as he asked Samuel Green, “Who are you? Why did you kill them?... Forget it, hero, we’ve never had any grudges, just go your own way and pretend you never saw us, all right...”

　　Samuel Green curled his lip, feeling disdainful—With that little courage, you dare shout at me? Truly infatuated with evil... Still, such boldness in love and action, I like it.

　　“He’s a good person,” came a delicate little girl’s voice.

　　This voice instantly reminded Henry Brooks of what he’d heard outside the wall. Following the sound, he saw a girl of about twelve or thirteen leaning against the main hall doorway... Upon seeing this girl, Young Master couldn’t help but think: What a little beauty.

　　In the next moment, Young Master suddenly remembered the girl’s youth and was overcome with shame... How could I be attracted to such a young child? I’ve let down Miss Harper, let down my upbringing, let down my parents...

　　The little girl leaning in the doorway was short, her hair styled like a maid’s, her round eyes wide open, her skin as fair and delicate as porcelain—a petite beauty. She held the door with one hand and said softly, “He’s a good person!”

Chapter 4: Is He Really a Fool or Not?

　　Taking the opportunity to observe the little girl, Henry Brooks quickly scanned the courtyard.

　　This courtyard was typically rented out by temples to wealthy families, and its layout resembled that of a traditional courtyard house. Facing the entrance was a large main hall, with two rows of side rooms on either side, likely for servants. Now, all these rooms had their doors wide open—Henry Brooks quickly counted: four side rooms on each side, eight doors in total, and ten people lying on the ground: six men and four women.

　　Samuel Green stood where he was, struggling to restore his chaotic and irritable state of mind. At this moment, he couldn’t explain—because... it was impossible to explain.

　　Faintly, he heard the petite beauty’s soft voice: “He only killed kidnappers—my humble self is the daughter of the county constable of Jiangdu County, Yangzhou, Huainan East Circuit. My name is Helen White, my father is Huang, courtesy name Hechen, who passed the imperial examination in the first year of Chongning. On the fifteenth of the first month, while watching lanterns, I was kidnapped and brought here—what is this place?”

　　An official’s daughter... This statement instantly made Henry Brooks straighten his chest. His hands stopped trembling, his back no longer ached, and his waist felt strong again. He glanced at the burly perpetrator. During this time, the naked Samuel Green had his back to the courtyard gate and to Henry Brooks, showing no embarrassment at all, standing there as if it were perfectly natural, never once turning around.