Brian Carter happened to fall right on top of Lily Bennett at that moment. The girl's delicate and timid body was pressed beneath him, her elegant brows furrowing slightly, unable to recover for a moment. Brian Carter scrambled to his feet—he wasn't a bad-hearted person—and hurriedly helped Lily Bennett up, repeatedly saying, "I was reckless just now. I have something urgent to attend to, so I'll be off for now. I'll come back later to apologize to you, The Bennett Girl!"

Lily Bennett hadn't even had a chance to speak before she saw Brian Carter dart off and disappear without a trace. Watching Brian Carter's retreating figure, Lily Bennett stomped her lotus-like foot in frustration and called out in a sweet but angry voice, "Brian Carter, just you wait! If you don't come back to apologize, I'll go to your house and ask your parents to judge the matter! Let's see if they don't give you a good beating!"

Baishi Town wasn't very big, with only a few dozen small streets. Because of this delay, Brian Carter didn't make it out of town until he was well outside, and by then, the shabby Taoist was nowhere to be seen. He hesitated for a while, then gloomily turned back toward town. In his heart, he was sure that Taoist was strange, but as for exactly what was strange about him, he still couldn't figure it out.

In his spare time from studying, Brian Carter would read some miscellaneous books and the notes of predecessors. He was quite envious of the legends about Taoists seeking immortality. Today, he had encountered an extraordinary person, but had no chance to get acquainted, which left him feeling rather dejected.

When Brian Carter returned to the spot where he had knocked over Lily Bennett, he saw the girl talking with two women.

Brian Carter had grown up in Baishi Town and had never left it, not even once. Although Baishi Town wasn't exactly remote, it rarely saw any outsiders. These two women weren't very old—the elder was no more than twenty-seven or twenty-eight, and the younger was about twenty-two or twenty-three. Both were tall and graceful, dressed in white silk robes, with no makeup, yet their skin was as fair as jade, and a natural fragrance seemed to emanate from them.

Chapter One: The Shabby Taoist (Part Two)

The older of the two women in white had brows that extended to her temples and phoenix eyes that carried an air of authority. A sheathed short sword hung at her slender waist. Though she spoke to Lily Bennett with a gentle and pleasant demeanor, the aura of power she exuded kept the local ruffians from daring to approach. The younger one had a faint look of laziness and weariness on her face, but when her eyes swept around occasionally, they were astonishingly bright. Brian Carter only glanced at her once and felt his heart tremble, thinking that even the stars in the night sky were no brighter.

Brian Carter originally didn't want to approach these two women, but he remembered that if he didn't apologize to Lily Bennett, the little girl had threatened to tell his parents. Left with no choice, Brian Carter reluctantly walked over to the three, not looking at the two young women, and said to Lily Bennett, "The Bennett Girl, I was chasing after that Taoist just now and accidentally bumped into you. Please don't take it to heart! Are you still in pain anywhere? Do you need me to buy some medicinal wine for bruises and ask Mrs. Bennett to apply it for you?"

Seeing Brian Carter's eyes darting sneakily over her, Lily Bennett suddenly felt flustered, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks. Her mind was no longer on being knocked over by Brian Carter earlier; instead, her thoughts drifted to last night.

The town's famous matchmaker, Aunt Liu, had come to her house last night to discuss her marriage prospects with her mother. The family proposing was none other than Brian Carter's mother. Her mother had readily agreed, and she herself had blushed and hidden in her room, listening intently. Brian Carter was clever and quick-witted, with a good reputation. Lily Bennett herself was somewhat willing. Meeting Brian Carter by chance today, Lily Bennett couldn't help but shyly wonder, "I wonder if Mrs. Carter has mentioned the proposal to him! Did he bump into me on purpose today? Or does he have some other intention? Could it be that he's not satisfied with my looks or needlework?"

Lost in her thoughts, Lily Bennett barely heard what Brian Carter was saying, only responding with a couple of vague murmurs, appearing rather indifferent.

The two young women who had been talking to Lily Bennett looked somewhat strange when they saw Brian Carter approach. When they heard him mention chasing after the shabby Taoist, they both became extremely tense. The older woman couldn't help but say, "Young man! Do you know how dangerous that was just now? That Taoist is—"

Before the older woman could finish, the younger one gently nudged her companion, and the elder immediately realized and fell silent.

Lily Bennett's mind was entirely on Brian Carter, and this usually sharp-tongued girl didn't even notice the two women's odd behavior. But Brian Carter had already sensed that these two women were unusual, and upon hearing this, he secretly grouped them together with the shabby Taoist in his mind, feeling a surge of excitement. He tentatively asked, "I wonder if you two sisters have anything you need to do. If my The Bennett Younger Daughter is not available, perhaps I can help a little. If you're asking for directions, there's no place in Baishi Town I'm not familiar with!"

The younger woman pursed her lips and smiled slightly. "We are Daoist priestesses who practice with our hair unbound. This is my senior sister, Evan Turner, and I am David Clark. My senior sister and I are on our way to Chang'an and are passing through here. May I ask if there is any place to stay in this town?"

Brian Carter quickly replied, "In our Baishi Town, there's only one inn. The guest rooms are empty most of the year. If you like, please come with me—I'll take you there myself. The Bennett Younger Daughter, if you have nothing else to do, you can go ahead with your own business!" Seeing Lily Bennett remain silent for a while, Brian Carter was afraid she would find some excuse to make things difficult for him, so he hurriedly took on the task and led the way.