Overnight, William Reed's injuries had almost completely healed. He couldn't help but feel a bit emotional—most of the credit belonged to the ancient jade pendant on his chest. Every time he was hurt, the pendant would emit energy to heal his wounds. Otherwise, how could William Reed, who used to be a pampered pretty boy unable to endure hardship, have repeatedly escaped with his life from those cunning mercenaries, and even managed to fight back and seek breakthroughs?

Obviously, it was the pendant that had saved him once again. Through his leather armor, William Reed gently touched the jade pendant on his chest, his expression tinged with melancholy. Although this pendant was a rare treasure, it was also the only thing left to him by his biological father, whom he had never met. Back then, his father had returned to the Lei family with him as a baby in swaddling clothes, handed him over to his uncle, and disappeared again the very next day.

As for his mother, William Reed felt even more lost—he didn't even know who she was.

This time, fleeing to the other side of the Hengduan Mountains was certainly to escape pursuit, but at the same time, William Reed also wanted to find an old friend of his father's from his youth, to inquire about his father's whereabouts. Whether his father was dead or alive, he needed some kind of answer.

William Reed knew well that this was not the time to dwell on such thoughts. He opened his eyes and looked at Emily Harris, who was shivering from the cold and warming herself by the fire, and couldn't help but smile a little. It was this little girl who had saved him, and she was completely different from those pampered, delicate, or arrogant girls from the imperial capital.

As if instinctively sensing William Reed's gaze, Emily Harris quickly turned her head in alert, but then broke into a smile. “Big brother, you’ve come out of meditation? That’s great! Huh? Why is your face so dirty and black?” Earlier, when she was treating William Reed's wounds and cooling him down with a snow pouch, she had already seen his face clearly. With his sword-like brows and bright eyes, he was quite handsome. After all his hardships, the childish softness had faded from his face, replaced by a mature ruggedness, which naturally made the young Emily Harris feel even more fond of him.

It had to be admitted, sometimes being good-looking did have its advantages. If William Reed had been ugly and rough, Emily Harris might still have saved him, but she definitely wouldn’t have cared for him so attentively—cooling his fever, making him soup, guarding him without leaving his side, and showing such concern.

William Reed wiped his face, which was indeed dirty and black, but he actually smiled happily. “I’ve advanced a level. After stronger life factors grew in my body, some of the old, decaying ones died and were expelled.” As he spoke, he scooped up some snow and wiped his face clean, revealing a slightly rugged, handsome, and clean face. Now that his injuries were almost healed, his cheeks also had a healthy flush.

Growing up in a remote mountain village, Emily Harris had never seen such a young, handsome, and spirited man before. Moreover, William Reed, having grown up in the imperial capital, naturally carried a unique aura. At her age, Emily Harris was just beginning to experience the stirrings of young love, and her little heart couldn’t help but flutter.

She blushed slightly and lowered her head, saying, “Big brother, you’re amazing! You actually managed to kill the scar-headed wolf in close combat with a sword. By the way, what’s your name, big brother?”

“Oh, how rude of me. My name is William Reed. Thank you, Miss Emily, for saving my life.” William Reed put on a serious and sincere expression and bowed. “I will never forget this kindness, and I will surely repay you.” As he spoke, he took off his worn cotton robe and draped it over Emily Harris.

“Brother Reed, you don’t have to be so polite. You killed the scar-headed wolf, which rid the area of a great menace for hundreds of miles around. Really, we should be thanking you.” Emily Harris became a bit flustered and shy, lowering her head and letting William Reed help her put on the robe.

“Let’s not talk about this now. I have some enemies chasing me.” William Reed looked around solemnly and said, “This isn’t a place we can stay for long. I need to erase all traces here and move to a more secluded spot.” With that, William Reed began to clean up any evidence of their presence.

These were all lessons William Reed had learned as a child, though he had never put them into practice before. Only in the past few months, after suffering so much while being hunted, had his counter-tracking skills improved by leaps and bounds. That troublesome Shadow Wolf, Scott, had been his best teacher.

As William Reed started cleaning up, Emily Harris began to help as well. To William Reed's surprise, this little girl seemed quite skilled at counter-tracking too, erasing traces with practiced ease, as if she was very familiar with it.

“Emily, you know about tracking and counter-tracking too?” William Reed asked curiously as he worked.

“Mm, my grandpa taught me everything.” Emily Harris answered innocently, then added with a hint of pride, “Brother Reed, don’t underestimate Emily. I’m a great hunter, really good at tracking all kinds of prey. I also know archery, ambushes, and traps.”