David Carter looked at his expression and recalled all those most infuriating quirks the boy usually had. He knew that without offering some visible benefits, it would be hard to persuade him to take a risk. Sighing, he lowered his voice and said, “There’s an old man in His Highness’s group. His surname is Lü, and I’ve heard he practices the Southern Sect of the Haotian Dao.”

Hearing this, Adam Spencer suddenly looked up, his usually calm and lazy eyes instantly becoming exceptionally bright.

David Carter looked at him and said with emotion, “You came to Weicheng when you were just a little brat. Relying on your sweet talk and skills, you won over all the young and old in the city. The camp soldiers have changed batch after batch, even the meat pie shop in the east city has changed owners twice, but you’ve always remained the most favored little brat in this bandit den of Weicheng.”

He rubbed Adam Spencer’s head, as if looking at a spoiled child, and said, “That year, before the former general passed away, he pulled some strings to get you registered in the army. Then, in the autumn, everyone went to the grasslands to gather firewood and almost got surrounded and killed by those barbarians. It was all thanks to you that we escaped. At that time, everyone in Weicheng unanimously decided to reward you well. We even thought, even if your request was to have the most popular courtesan in the capital take your virginity, we’d all chip in to make it happen for you in style.”

The general, his hair already graying, changed his tone and said bitterly, “But no one expected you’d actually want to learn those reclusive arts. We were helpless—no one in all of Weicheng, not even in all seven fortress towns, could find you a teacher. We could only watch as you wore out that copy of the Taishang Ganying Pian, but had no idea what to do.”

“But now is your chance!”

David Carter’s gaze suddenly turned sharp. “Whether it’s the Academy or that old man surnamed Lü, you must seize the opportunity, you absolutely must.”

Adam Spencer was silent for a long time, lowered his head and sighed softly, saying, “Actually… I still feel a bit reluctant.”

Outside the window, the starlight was clear and faint. David Carter looked at the boy and said, “Weicheng… is ultimately too small. You should go to the capital, Chang’an, and see those truly vast worlds. Maybe there are many fierce dragons and tigers in those places, but have you, this newborn calf, ever been afraid of anyone?”

“At the very least… those places won’t only have a single tattered copy of the Taishang Ganying Pian.”

Chapter Five: Gazing at the Moonless Sky, Thoughts Arise

To the south of Weicheng, there was a little ditch that didn’t even count as a creek. Beside the ditch was a small mound that didn’t even count as a hill. At the foot of the mound was a thatched hut with a stone yard and a fence, which didn’t even count as a proper courtyard. The rain clouds had long since dispersed that night, and the exceptionally bright starlight poured over the ditch, the mound, and the hut, instantly coating everything in a beautiful silvery glow.

Adam Spencer shuffled along in his slippers, walking slowly under the starlight. Looking at the thatched hut where he had lived with Lily Spencer for so long, his pace unconsciously slowed even more. But as long as you keep walking, no matter how slow, you’ll eventually reach your destination. He pushed open the fence gate, which could keep out dogs but not people, walked up to the door where lamplight leaked through the crack, raised his hand to cover his mouth, coughed twice, and said, “What do you think about going to the capital?”

The door of the hut was pushed open, and the sharp creak pierced the quiet night of the border town.

The little maid Lily Spencer squatted at the doorway, her thin figure stretched long by the lamplight. She pressed her finger against the edge of the wooden door and replied, “Haven’t you always wanted to go to Chang’an? By the way, Adam Spencer, when are you going to steal some oil from the firearms camp? This door has been creaking for months, the sound is really awful.”

“Who even uses those boring fire lances anymore? If it’s just oil you want, I’ll ask at the supply camp tomorrow…” Adam Spencer replied absentmindedly, then suddenly realized something. “Hey! That’s not what I wanted to talk to you about. If we’re really leaving, who cares about this broken door?”

Lily Spencer stood up, supporting herself on her knees. Her thin figure looked especially frail in the cool spring night breeze. She looked at Adam Spencer and said softly, in a serious voice without any other emotion, “Even if we leave, someone else will live in this house. They’ll still open the door.”

After the two of them left, would anyone really be willing to live in this remote, rundown hut far from the market? Adam Spencer thought silently, and for some reason, a sudden feeling of reluctance welled up in him. He sighed lightly, squeezed past Lily Spencer, and said in a low voice, “Pack up our things tonight.”

Lily Spencer casually gathered the slightly yellow hair at her temples, looked at his back, and asked, “Adam Spencer, I’ve never understood why you’re so interested in that matter.”

“No one can resist the temptation to become stronger. Besides, those things are just too interesting to me.”

Adam Spencer knew the little maid had guessed his thoughts. He looked up at Lily Spencer’s dark little face, raised his eyebrows, and said, “Besides, the two of us can’t stay in Weicheng forever. The world is so big—besides the Empire, there are so many other countries. We have to go see them. Even if we put it simply, just to earn more money and get promoted faster, going to Chang’an is way better than staying in Weicheng. So this time, I have to get into the Academy.”