Caleb exclaimed in surprise, “You know me?”

Michael burst out laughing again. “Of course I know you. The name Gengsu was given to you by me. But I wonder, how did you become a drunkard at such a young age?”

Adam Carter sighed deeply at these words and said, “This is not something that can be explained in a few words. Why don’t you and your daughter get in the carriage and tell us how you became refugees?”

“It was simply to escape disaster from the war.”

Adam Carter was greatly shocked upon hearing this. “There has been no war between Donghai and Yongning for a long time. How could there be talk of disaster?”

“Alas, Zi’ang can protect Donghai, but he is powerless to move westward. I actually wish he would wage war on Yongning—if the people could endure a moment’s pain, they could exchange it for decades of peace. Isn’t all this trouble caused by the ghost cavalry of Qingzhou?”

Adam Carter was even more surprised. “The Qingzhou troops have always plundered from Yingdu toward Bianyi and Tongxian. When did they ever have the strength to break through Yixing and threaten Baishi City?”

“Well, that depends on how they broke through.” Michael Bolton snorted repeatedly, as if harboring endless resentment in his heart. “Hmph, Yongning has recently gained a great general, Samuel Harris, who is said to be both brave and cunning. It was he who lured the Qingzhou ghost cavalry to Baishi.”

Adam Carter remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

“Samuel Harris did not hesitate to sacrifice the cities of Bianyi and Yixing, opening the gates wide and letting them be plundered, luring the Qingzhou ghost cavalry to the gates of Baishi. Then he led his troops to retake Yixing and Bianyi. Among the three cities, they fortified the defenses and cleared the fields. When the Qingzhou ghost cavalry attacked, they shut the gates and refused to fight. If the enemy tried to retreat by side roads, they would harass them from behind. This way, the enemy could neither retreat nor attack, trapped between the three cities.”

“If this plan succeeded, it would still be a case of mutual destruction. John Bolton has managed Yongning for thirty years, with most of his wealth in Yixing. How could he bear to risk everything on such a dangerous plan?”

“John Bolton’s only son, David Bolton, was killed this summer outside Bianyi by Henry Walker. He was blinded by rage and would destroy all of Yongning for revenge if he could. But it’s a pity for the people living between those three cities, who suffered the most. When Samuel Harris cleared the fields, the three cities were already ravaged. When the Qingzhou ghost cavalry arrived, they burned, killed, and looted without restraint. As the battle dragged on, the Qingzhou ghost cavalry ran out of food and began to eat the people of the three cities. For a thousand miles, the fertile land was almost devoid of human life—it was truly a living hell.” Michael’s chest heaved violently, as if filled with endless hatred. He stared into the distance for a long time before calming down and continued, “I figured the defeated Qingzhou troops would flee along the Ba River toward Bayang, so I led the villagers to escape first. I only hope that once we enter Bayang City, the Qingzhou ghost cavalry will restrain themselves a little—take some valuables and leave us be, and not take my head as a trophy for their military merit.”

Caleb Carter stood up and saw smoke rising in the distance, alerting everyone. Michael Bolton exclaimed in shock, “The Qingzhou ghost cavalry was defeated so quickly.” He immediately stood up, imitating Caleb by shading his eyes with his hand and looking west, but saw only the gray dusk, not a trace of smoke. Adam Carter knew that Caleb practiced the Frightened Spirit Technique; though he was sensitive to the cold, his five senses were far sharper than ordinary people. He urged everyone to hurry on, crossing the Ba River bridge and fleeing toward Bayang City.

Michael Bolton was unwilling to abandon the group and go ahead with the carriage, so Adam Carter and his son stayed with the others. After traveling a mile or two, goose-feather snow finally began to fall thick and fast, and the cold wind blew even harder. The refugees had set out in haste, wearing only thin clothes, and after traveling so far, none had the heart to eat a full meal. In the cold wind and snow, hungry and freezing, every step was a struggle. If not for the fear of the Qingzhou ghost cavalry’s reputation, they would have sat down and refused to go any further. At this rate, they could barely cover ten miles in an hour. Adam Carter gathered four children among the refugees into the carriage with Grace and Caleb, shared Caleb’s strong liquor to ward off the cold among them, and trudged on with Michael Bolton.

“You still haven’t said how Caleb became a drunkard?”

Adam Carter could only smile wryly. As soon as he opened his mouth, the cold wind rushed in, so he hid behind the carriage, walking while telling Michael the most important parts of the story.

Grace vaguely heard the two men talking outside the carriage and gently said to Caleb, “I always wondered why you drank.”

Caleb disliked being pitied by others. Hearing his father talk about him outside the carriage, he was already feeling gloomy. When Grace spoke, he turned his head away and ignored her. Seeing this, Grace moved closer and took his hand. Caleb was greatly embarrassed and quickly shook her hand off.

“Ah!” Grace cried out in surprise.

Michael heard his daughter’s cry and quickly asked, “What’s wrong?”

Grace replied, “It’s nothing.” Adam Carter understood what had happened and told those in the carriage not to touch Caleb. He then explained in detail to Michael about Brian Brooks’s Frightened Spirit Yang Technique and the great circulation of the Yang Technique, and how the true fire of the Yang Technique was stored in Caleb’s body. The true fire of the Yang Technique was distributed throughout Caleb’s body, making his internal and external temperature much higher than ordinary people. When Caleb brushed against Grace’s hand while pushing her away, it startled her, which was why she cried out.

The four children in the carriage had grown up next to Grace and had all learned to read from Michael. Now, thinking that Grace had been bullied by Caleb, they all looked at him coldly. Seeing this, Caleb was even less willing to explain, feeling aggrieved and shrinking into a corner, wishing his father would throw them all out of the carriage. He didn’t know how much time had passed when—bang!—Caleb suddenly became alert. The distant, chaotic sound of hooves seemed to pound directly on his heart. Caleb quickly lifted the curtain and called to his father from the carriage.

“I hear hoofbeats.”

“Where are they coming from?” Adam Carter and Michael Bolton immediately stepped forward, standing at the front of the carriage and anxiously peering into the vast night, but could only vaguely make out the dark snowflakes before them.