“Absurd!” David Clark rebuked. Talk of ghosts and spirits might fool the common folk, but he was, after all, a man educated in the classics—how could he believe such things? In his view, this was nothing more than a coincidence.

“It’s true. When Officer Carter sent me back, he was leading people to dig the second well. He said that for this second well, he guarantees there will be water. Next, he has three more well sites, and he dares to guarantee that all three will be good wells.” Andrew Thompson, repeating what William Carter had taught him, assured David Clark.

David Clark showed some interest: “Is what William Carter said true?”

“Officer Carter said that if the next three wells don’t produce water, he’s willing to accept punishment.” Andrew Thompson replied.

“Good, then I’ll wait and see. Go back and tell him, if he really can dig three good wells in a row, this county will reward him handsomely.” David Clark said, and with that, casually pulled out a piece of broken silver and tossed it in front of Andrew Thompson, saying, “You’ve worked hard to bring the news. This is your reward—go and rest.”

“Thank you, Magistrate!” Andrew Thompson picked up the piece of silver, weighed it in his hand—about seven or eight tenths of a tael—and was overjoyed. After running all the way back, getting a reward made it all worthwhile.

After Andrew Thompson withdrew, David Clark turned to the advisor Philip Foster sitting to the side and asked, “Advisor, do you think what William Carter said is credible?”

Philip Foster frowned and said, “This William Carter is mediocre in his abilities, and sometimes even harasses the villagers. I’ve never really trusted him to handle things. This time, he’s dug fifteen dry wells in Zheguishe Township, and I was just about to suggest removing him. Now that he’s managed to dig one good well, that’s already not easy. As for boasting that the next few wells will all be good, that’s a bit too far-fetched.”

David Clark nodded: “I also find this matter odd. In every township, it usually takes digging three dry wells to find one good one—no one dares claim that every well will be good. Since this William Carter has already dug one good well, even if he only manages one good well for every three dry ones from now on, that would be enough to satisfy the requirements. But instead, he claims that none of the next wells will be dry—isn’t he setting a trap for himself?”

“When something is out of the ordinary, there must be something strange about it,” Philip Foster said. “Could it be that he led the villagers to worship the Dragon King and really moved the spirits?”

David Clark said, “Matters of ghosts and spirits should not be believed lightly. I think it’s more likely that William Carter is afraid I’ll punish him, so he made a rash promise, perhaps gambling on his luck.”

“Let’s just wait and see,” Philip Foster replied.

David Clark and Philip Foster didn’t have to wait long. Just after noon the next day, while David Clark was still resting in his private quarters, a yamen runner came to report that Andrew Thompson had arrived again and was requesting an audience in the main hall.

“Magistrate, great news!”

When David Clark entered the main hall, Andrew Thompson greeted him with the same words as the day before, but his smile was even brighter—a genuine excitement radiated from within.

Yesterday, after digging a good well, everyone still felt a bit uneasy. But today, with water flowing from the new well, everyone was reassured, knowing that the scholar named Brian Cooper truly possessed extraordinary abilities. Even a minor yamen runner like Andrew Thompson was thrilled, because the better their well-digging results, the more rewards they could expect in the future—this was directly tied to personal benefit.

“What, another good well?” David Clark asked.

“That’s right,” Andrew Thompson replied.

David Clark said, “William Carter didn’t just dig another hole next to yesterday’s well and call it two wells, did he?”

This kind of trickery was something David Clark had encountered before. If a good well was found, digging another nearby would usually also yield water. But digging two wells in the same area was pointless, since the underground water was limited, and the total output from two wells would be the same as from one.

Andrew Thompson shook his head vigorously: “No, no, Officer Carter wouldn’t dare deceive the magistrate like that. The well dug today is three li away from yesterday’s, and in one hour it produced 250 dan of water.”

“So William Carter really got it right?” A trace of doubt flashed in David Clark’s eyes. Suddenly, he slapped the table and shouted, “Insolent Andrew Thompson, how dare you try to deceive me with flowery words!”

Andrew Thompson was startled by David Clark’s outburst and didn’t react for a long moment, not knowing what he’d said wrong to anger the magistrate so much. He kowtowed repeatedly, saying, “Magistrate, every word I said is true!”

David Clark said, “Tell me honestly, how did William Carter find these well sites?”

“Well…” Andrew Thompson was at a loss for words. According to William Carter, he didn’t want to mention Brian Cooper’s role in the well-digging, so that William Carter’s own credit would stand out. If Brian Cooper’s involvement was revealed to David Clark, then William Carter’s achievements would be overshadowed.

However, David Clark was not so easily fooled. William Carter had previously dug fifteen dry wells in a row, and then suddenly started hitting good wells—there had to be another reason behind this. For William Carter to confidently claim in advance that the wells would be good, it meant he had found a capable geomancer. How could David Clark not get to the bottom of such a matter?