Roaring madly, Samuel Price's face twisted, appearing deranged, yet his eyes were filled with terror. In that moment, he seemed to see, eight years ago, a young child reaching the ninth level of Martial Disciple, defeating over a dozen Qin family outer guards—and he, Samuel Price, was one of them at the time.

　　Thud!

　　Suddenly, Samuel Price's arms trembled, and with all his strength, he shattered the sleeves binding his hands, leapt up, broke through the crowd, and fled deep into the woods.

　　"You Qin family traitor! After committing such a heinous act, you still want to escape!?"

　　At that moment, a figure in the crowd swept up like a hawk, striking out twice in midair. Two palm prints blasted forth through the air, overtaking their target, flashing and vanishing in the darkness.

　　Immediately after, the fleeing Samuel Price let out a miserable scream, his body flying forward more than ten meters before crashing to the ground, lifeless and silent.

　　Moments later, the Qin family guards brought Samuel Price back. There were two bloody palm prints on his back, his body cold, all signs of life gone.

　　"Steward Franklin, this man ambushed Young Master Edward with malicious intent. There may be other conspirators in the clan. Why did you kill them all with such force?" Examining the wounds on the corpse, Uncle George looked at Steward Franklin and said coldly.

　　"Ah, just thinking of this traitor's actions—almost burying Young Master Edward beneath Mount Wanren—I lost my head in a moment of anger and failed to control my strength. I ask Young Master Edward for punishment." Steward Franklin bowed repeatedly, his kindly face full of regret.

　　Uncle George only sneered, remaining silent.

　　Gazing at Samuel Price's corpse, Edward Carter recalled that when he was eighteen in his previous life, Samuel Price, after getting drunk, took out the gray treasure pouch, revealing the whereabouts of the jade pendant. Only then did Edward Carter realize who the real culprit behind the ambush was, and that Samuel Price's betrayal was part of a vicious plot by the elders' faction against his grandfather, Richard Carter. Unfortunately, by then his grandfather had already passed away, and it was all too late.

　　"Uncle George, Steward Franklin has always been loyal to our Qin family. In his anger, he failed to control his strength—how can we blame him?"

　　Edward Carter smiled and said, "Since I have returned safely, recovered my mother's keepsake, and broken through my long-stagnant bottleneck, there's no need to pursue anything else."

　　"Yes, Young Master Edward."

　　"Young Master Edward is truly magnanimous."

　　Uncle George and Steward Franklin responded in unison, both bowing respectfully.

　　Crackle, crackle, crackle...

　　Torches flickered, sparks occasionally flying. The mood of the Qin family guards was now completely different from when they arrived. Looking at the youth in the brown robe, they knew that the Qin family's prodigy from eight years ago had returned.

　　But after an eight-year gap, could Edward Carter still catch up to the other geniuses of his generation?

　　"Let's go, no more delays."

　　Taking the treasure pouch from Steward George, Edward Carter hung the jade pendant back around his neck and said, "After three days in the wilderness, I just want to get home, take a hot bath, and change into some clean clothes."

　　Watching Edward Carter tuck the treasure pouch into his chest, Steward Franklin's eyes flashed with a barely noticeable pang of pain.

　　At that moment, Edward Carter suddenly turned, giving Steward Franklin a deep look, and said, "Steward Franklin, could you go ahead and let Grandfather know I'm safe, so he won't worry?"

　　"Of course, of course." Steward Franklin replied quickly, turning and leaving first.

　　Darting into the woods, running along the mountain path, the cold mountain wind blew against him. Suddenly, Steward Franklin shivered, stopped in his tracks, and realized his back was drenched in cold sweat.

　　Thinking of the look that youth gave him as he left, Steward Franklin felt an inexplicable sense of oppression—even stronger than facing the clan's Grand Elder.

　　"It must be the all-night search making me hallucinate. I need to report all this to the Grand Elder and the Vice Patriarch as soon as possible."

　　With that thought, Steward Franklin didn't pause for a moment, using all his skill to speed toward Fen Town.

Chapter Five: Deep Affection Between Grandfather and Grandson

　　Late at night, the sky over Fen Town was filled with stars. The whole town was warm and cozy, a world apart from the cold of Mount Wanren.

　　In Fen Town, there was never really a winter. Even in the coldest months, the town was as warm as spring.

　　Legend has it that a thousand years ago, two peerless masters skilled in fire techniques dueled here for seven days and nights. Since then, the area has never known cold, and thus the name Fen Town was born.

　　...

　　On the west side of Fen Town lay the Qin family estate.

　　The residence of the Qin family patriarch was at the center of the compound.

　　Standing before the door, gazing at the familiar yet unfamiliar entrance, memories surfaced in Edward Carter's mind. His grandfather, Richard Carter, was a seventh-level Martial Master, and had cultivated the Qin family's unique art, the "Po Jun Fist," to the seventh level, making him one of Fen Town's top experts.

　　His great strength and high prestige in the Qin family made Richard Carter's position as patriarch extremely secure. For nearly twenty years, the patriarch's faction and the elders' faction had maintained a delicate balance.

　　In his previous life, after being gravely injured and crippled, his grandfather tried everything to help him recover. He even infused him with true energy multiple times, causing his own cultivation to drop drastically within a year, falling to the third level of Martial Master.