Old Brooks saw that Ryan Bennett was speaking rather aggressively and, fearing that his youthful impulsiveness might cause trouble, sobered up a bit and hurriedly tried to smooth things over:

"Young hero, this is a matter for our Arresting Division. Thank you for lending a hand this time..."

Grace Carter was very displeased with Ryan Bennett's attitude. She raised her hand to stop Old Brooks from speaking and said coldly:

"What do you know, you brat? Before any blade is delivered, I personally inspect it—there's absolutely no problem. You must have missed your mark..."

Slash—

Before Grace Carter could finish, a flash of blade cut through the torrential rain.

The dozen or so constables nearby sensed trouble, but it was too late to intervene.

Ryan Bennett, five paces away, stomped heavily on the street, his figure shooting forward in an instant. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Grace Carter, his single saber darting like a dragon into the sea, slicing through the rain and thrusting straight at Grace Carter's waist and abdomen.

Grace Carter's expression changed dramatically as she stepped back half a pace, her right hand reaching for the hilt at her waist.

Clang—

The longsword was drawn, shattering the curtain of rain.

The force of this sword was astonishing, causing the surrounding constables to retreat several steps in fright.

Unfortunately, Ryan Bennett had already retreated five paces away, completely unharmed, his single saber angled toward the street.

From the gleaming tip of the blade, drops of blood slid down, falling onto the old blue stone pavement...

Chapter Three: Born Beautiful, Hard to Forsake

The strike was swift as lightning.

The surrounding townsfolk, even now, hadn't seen clearly what had happened.

They only noticed that after Grace Carter's intimidating sword strike, a bloody hole had appeared in her own waist and abdomen.

Meanwhile, that young man in blue still stood in his original spot, as if he hadn't even lifted a hand.

Grace Carter's face flushed red as she leapt backward onto the roof of the carriage, blood gushing from her waist. She raised her sword at Ryan Bennett, her voice trembling with shock and anger:

"Who exactly are you?"

The surrounding constables were equally stunned:

"What a fast blade!"

"Young hero, you..."

"This is bad, how could you injure Lord Carter?"

...

Ryan Bennett stood quietly in the rain, ignoring the commotion around him. After waiting a moment, he finally raised his saber and wiped the bloodied blade with his thumb:

"Hey, Carter, are you saying my blade missed its mark again?"

The constables, hearing this, suddenly realized what was going on. They turned to look at Grace Carter, who stood atop the sedan with an imposing presence, and frowned.

The Zhan Gang saber was laced with poison, capable of blocking the flow of qi and blood in the meridians. It was issued by the court to constables specifically to deal with cultivators and dangerous beasts.

Grace Carter had a hole stabbed in her waist, yet she was still full of vigor, showing no signs of blocked qi or blood. This could only mean the blade was indeed a fake.

With this in mind, the constables all looked at the sabers at their waists, suspicion in their eyes—after all, this was a matter of life and death.

The incident had happened so suddenly that Grace Carter was completely unprepared. With nearly a hundred people watching, and officials from the court present, if she pretended to collapse from weakness now, it would only make things more suspicious. She could only glare at Ryan Bennett and grit her teeth:

"This blade is indeed useless. I will ask my superiors for clarification. I am a Lingtai Lang at the Imperial Observatory, an official of the court. To draw a blade against a court official in the street is tantamount to treason! You are bold indeed—seize him!"

Although Lingtai Lang was only a seventh-rank idle post, it was still a genuine official position, and with the backing of Qihuang Valley, her status in the capital was quite high.

Stabbing Grace Carter in the street—there was no way the constables could pretend not to see it. But since Ryan Bennett had just helped them, they were all put in a difficult position.

Old Brooks quickly stepped in to mediate:

"Lord Carter, please calm your anger. This young hero acted on impulse. As a master from Qihuang Valley, your skills are profound—surely this wound is not serious..."

Though Grace Carter had a hole in her waist, and while it hadn't hit any vital organs, a blade in and out was no small matter. She shouted angrily:

"What are you all standing around for? This brat has brazenly committed violence in public. With so many townsfolk present, do you intend to cover up for him?"

Hearing that they were about to arrest him, Ryan Bennett had a sudden thought—this might be a way to avoid the imperial son-in-law selection.

Not only did he show no sign of backing down, he even raised his blade at Grace Carter, striking a rebellious, roguish pose:

"Go ahead, try arresting me!"

"Hey, young hero, you..."

The constables and townsfolk grew anxious.

Grace Carter, blood streaming from her abdomen, was being openly threatened. Veins bulged in her anger as she urged the constables, sword in hand:

"Seize him! Are you going to stand by and watch him kill a court official in the street?"

Though the constables were grateful for Ryan Bennett's earlier help, his current actions were simply too much. They could only turn their blades, signaling to Ryan Bennett not to resist, or things would end badly.

Ryan Bennett didn't intend to resist either. He sheathed his official saber, ready to surrender.

But just at that critical moment, a voice suddenly rang out from the street:

"Stop!"

Everyone turned to look and saw several dozen guards hurrying over from the end of the street, led by a carriage bearing a wooden plaque with the character '左'.

This was the capital, under the emperor's nose, where nobles and officials were everywhere. The constables recognized the carriage as belonging to the Vice Minister of Rites, Ethan Bennett.

The Vice Minister of Rites was a third-rank official—not the very top in the capital, but still a true pillar of the court in the eyes of ordinary constables.

Old Brooks and the ward chief quickly signaled the townsfolk to step back and raised their hands in greeting.

Ryan Bennett could only sigh inwardly, realizing that his plan to hide out in jail for a few days was not going to work.