So earlier, John Bennett had Thomas Brooks make a trip to Shangmang Mountain. If his second mother could spend money to hire bandits to kill him, then John Bennett could just as well pay bandits to protect him—it was all just a matter of business.

However, John Bennett didn’t have much silver on him, so he promised those bandits some refined ore instead. These were specialties from the Chu family’s Nanshan mining area, and the only pitiful bit of power John Bennett still held.

George Foster looked a bit suspicious and said, “Are you really not lying to me? As far as I know, the refined ore your Chu family mines is strictly accounted for. Are you really willing to give it to me?”

Being a bandit naturally required equipment. His men weren’t lacking in weapons, but they were all just ordinary blades and swords forged by common blacksmiths. The refined ore from the Chu family’s Nanshan mines was the real treasure, perfect for forging sharp weapons.

The reason he agreed to act this time, aside from the fact that the one coming to kill John Bennett was his old enemy, was also because John Bennett’s offer was truly tempting.

John Bennett said calmly, “Mr. Foster, you should know why these people came to kill me today. Even people in the Chu family want me dead out here—do you think I’d still care about the family’s resources?”

As he spoke, John Bennett directly handed a piece of paper to George Foster and said, “This is my personal order, with my seal on it. If you send someone with this to the Nanshan mining area, they can get a batch of refined ore at a low price. Of course, you’ll have to act fast. I’m still in charge of Nanshan for now, but who knows how long that will last.”

Only after receiving the document did George Foster nod in satisfaction and mutter, “You big family types really have a lot of messy business, but you, kid, are pretty straightforward. If you have more deals like this in the future, you can come to me. Killing is killing anyway, and my men under Qilian… under me, George Foster, are all quick and efficient.”

After saying this, George Foster dragged his giant sword, called back all those still chasing the bandits, and left directly.

Behind them, John Bennett watched George Foster’s departing figure, a thoughtful look in his eyes. Qilian? Bandits? Bandits with martial arts heritage?

After a moment, John Bennett suddenly thought of something. It seemed he had figured out the other party’s identity. Thomas Brooks’s luck was pretty good—he’d just randomly invited some bandits, but ended up bringing in someone with quite a background.

Once George Foster and his men had left, John Bennett finally turned his gaze to the carriage, a chilling smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

Chapter 6: Ruthless

Inside the carriage, Emily was trembling all over. She just couldn’t understand it—everything had been arranged perfectly by the second madam, so how could things have taken such an unexpected turn?

John Bennett’s reputation as a good-for-nothing was well known within the Chu family. His martial talent wasn’t considered strong, yet now he could easily injure that fierce-looking bandit leader.

And then there was that later group—why would they come to help John Bennett? No matter how Emily thought about it, she couldn’t figure it out.

At that moment, the carriage was suddenly opened. Seeing John Bennett climb in, Emily immediately put on a pitiful expression.

“Master, have all the bandits been driven off?”

John Bennett placed his hand on Emily’s face, stroking her smooth, delicate cheek, and said, “Of course, they’ve all been driven off.”

Just as Emily breathed a sigh of relief, John Bennett’s hand slid down from her face to her neck, tightening slowly.

John Bennett leaned his face close to Emily’s and said coolly, “The bandits have been driven off, and I’m not dead. You’re very disappointed, aren’t you?”

Looking at that familiar yet now utterly strange face so close to hers, Emily forced out a weak smile and said, “Master, you must be joking. It’s a good thing the bandits were driven off—how could I possibly be disappointed?”

John Bennett let out a cold laugh, his grip on Emily’s neck tightening until her face turned red and she struggled to utter a word. Only then did John Bennett let go, saying coldly, “Did you really think I was an idiot? Tell me, how much silver did my dear second mother spend to hire these bandits?”

A look of terror appeared on Emily’s face as she stammered, “M-master, you know everything?”

Sensing John Bennett’s hand tightening again, Emily hurriedly said, “I’ll talk! Master, I’ll tell you everything! The second madam spent ten thousand taels of silver to hire these bandits!”

John Bennett sneered, “Ten thousand taels of silver—what a grand gesture! My second mother hates me that much? Just to keep me from returning to the Chu family, she’d rather spend ten thousand taels to have me killed?”

Emily said cautiously, “The second madam said that you, master, have always stubbornly sided with the eldest young master, and sooner or later you’d ruin things. Plus, she’s recently won over the fourth young master, so it’s the perfect time to get rid of you and eliminate future trouble.”

Hearing this, John Bennett was a bit speechless. This body’s previous owner, the former John Bennett, really had done a lot of foolish things.

The Chu family head, Chu Zongguang, had four sons. Even if John Bennett was a concubine’s child and had little chance of inheriting the family head position, there was still a possibility. Why take sides so early?

It was precisely because he’d chosen sides too soon that the eldest, Chu Kai, and his mother never took him seriously. When he was framed by the third brother, Chu Sheng, they didn’t bother to intervene.