Charles Thompson muttered, “A sharp awl will show its point even in a bag. For someone to endure for seven years, he’s certainly not a simple character.” He hadn’t paid much attention to Brian Carter before, but after the incident at Qingshou Temple and investigating Brian Carter’s background, he realized that this seemingly ordinary Jinyiwei commander was actually quite mysterious.

　　Emily Harris had been silent, but upon hearing this, said, “With David Sullivan gaining Brian Carter as his henchman, it’s like adding wings to a tiger.” She seemed to have little fondness for the Jinyiwei, which was why she spoke so, but it was clear she also felt that Brian Carter was far more unfathomable than he appeared.

　　Princess Taylor didn’t catch the underlying meaning in Emily Harris’s words, but nodded repeatedly as if she’d found a kindred spirit, saying, “Yes, Brian Carter is helping the tiger do evil. One day, I’ll deal with him myself.”

　　Charles Thompson was silent for a while. After Jacob Miller withdrew, he suddenly said, “Princess, Brian Carter emerging so suddenly isn’t entirely a bad thing.”

　　Princess Taylor’s beautiful eyes were puzzled as she asked in surprise, “Just seeing that deadpan face annoys me. How could anything good come of it?”

　　A strange look appeared on Emily Harris’s cold face as she said from the side, “Is Scholar Thompson suggesting that two tigers cannot share one mountain?”

　　Charles Thompson looked at Emily Harris with a hint of surprise and admiration. He only knew that Emily Harris was the top constable of the eleven prefectures of Zhejiang and got along well with Princess Taylor. He hadn’t expected that this woman, beautiful and wise, was not only skilled in swordsmanship but also keenly perceptive, able to discern his intentions.

　　Princess Taylor thought for a moment before hesitantly saying, “Lord Thompson, are you saying that although David Sullivan uses Brian Carter, he cannot truly tolerate him?”

　　Charles Thompson nodded, “Exactly. David Sullivan is narrow-minded and vindictive. Though he can use people, he cannot truly accommodate them. Now that Brian Carter’s sharpness is showing, I fear it will soon arouse David Sullivan’s suspicion. Infighting within the Jinyiwei is not a bad thing for us.” With that, he smiled meaningfully and said, “So… Princess, you don’t really need to dislike Brian Carter so much. He’s just following orders.”

　　Emily Harris added from the side, “Scholar Thompson, do you mean… if the Princess can make use of Brian Carter, she could even restrain David Sullivan?” She was usually indifferent, but when it came to Jinyiwei matters, she seemed quite interested.

　　Charles Thompson found it a bit odd, but assumed Emily Harris was thinking for Princess Taylor’s sake, and nodded, “That’s right.”

　　Princess Taylor finally understood, pouting, “Scholar Thompson, you want me to be nice to that deadpan?”

　　Charles Thompson said nothing.

　　Seeing this, Princess Taylor sneered, “Hmph, you want me to be nice to him? Maybe in my next life. Not only will I not be nice to him, I’ll make him regret it—regret snatching what I wanted today. Just wait and see.”

　　Her smile suddenly turned triumphant, as if she’d thought of something amusing.

　　At that moment, a bolt of lightning split the clouds, illuminating half the sky.

　　A thunderclap followed, shaking the heart.

　　Charles Thompson frowned to himself, not knowing why Princess Taylor was so pleased, but he felt even more uneasy inside. The deepening dusk, the startling thunder and lightning, and Edward Cooper’s behavior today were all unsettling. Only Emily Harris sat there unmoved, gazing at the lightning in the sky, as if there was a glimmer in her own eyes.

　　The dark clouds dispersed, and the sky was as clear as if washed. The morning breeze rippled, soft as a gentle song.

　　A small boat drifted downstream, accompanied by the murmuring water, like the music of heaven.

　　The oar stirred the water, and as the boat reached the bridge, a man leapt ashore and asked, “Boatman, is the next place Fenshui County?” Two others came ashore with him—one looked shrewd, with short, needle-like whiskers, and the other had large eyes and a somewhat honest appearance.

　　The boatman replied, “You’re right, sir. Up ahead is Fenshui. The Zixi stream ends at Fenshui, and that’s where Hangzhou Prefecture ends.”

　　The first man nodded, tossed a piece of silver, and the boatman thanked him and left. The man looked toward the county town ahead and said, “We’ll need three horses…”

　　The man with the short whiskers rolled his eyes and asked, “Mr. Carter, now that we’ve left Hangzhou Prefecture, where exactly are we going? Can you tell us now?”

　　Mr. Carter smiled, “Mr. Parker, why the rush? You’ll know when we get there. We’ve abandoned the boat and are heading south, so we’ll need horses. The commander always says Mr. Parker is capable, so I’ll trouble you with buying the horses. Adam and I will wait here. Please go and return quickly, Mr. Parker!”

　　Mr. Parker was secretly annoyed, cursing inwardly, Brian Carter, do you really take me for your errand boy?

　　The three who disembarked were none other than Jinyiwei’s Brian Carter, Samuel Parker, and Adam Cooper.

　　It turned out that after Brian Carter was kept at Qingshou Temple by Edward Cooper for five hours, he left the pagoda and reported to David Sullivan for orders to head south. Of course, Brian Carter was acting on Edward Cooper’s instructions.

　　As for what this matter was, Brian Carter did not say.

　　David Sullivan was eager to know, but seeing Brian Carter’s attitude, he didn’t ask. As the Jinyiwei commander, he naturally knew what things he should know, and when it was best to play dumb.

　　David Sullivan let Brian Carter handle the matter freely and allowed him to choose his own men. Unexpectedly, Brian Carter only chose Adam Cooper. David Sullivan was puzzled and assigned Samuel Parker to go along as well, and Brian Carter did not refuse.

　　The three—Brian Carter, Samuel Parker, and Adam Cooper—left Shuntian Prefecture, crossed the Yellow River, the Yangtze, and Lake Tai, and had now entered Zhejiang Province, even passing Hangzhou. But as for their exact destination, even Samuel Parker did not know.