Caleb Carter thought to himself, his father often said that if the world could get along, there would be no more strife, and the customs of the marketplace would be like aged wine, intoxicating all. Now, things were somewhat similar. Mount She was outside, clouds and rosy mists gathered, and rare chrysanthemums vied for attention beneath the window. The teahouse was named Dongli, clearly inspired by the ancient poem, “Plucking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence, I leisurely see the southern mountain.” If his father were here, he would surely seek out the teahouse owner to drink and discuss literature. At this thought, Caleb Carter was overcome with sorrow, grief-stricken and desolate.

　　Henry Walker was used to such scenes and paid no mind, calculating inwardly. Since yesterday, the strict searches in Jiangjin City had ceased, and normal city affairs had resumed. Clearly, John Bolton saw that he had not shown himself, and that continuing the searches would disturb the people for too long and harm the regime, so he had to restore order in the city. If he himself thought John Bolton had relaxed his guard and rashly went to assassinate him, he would surely fall into a trap. At this moment, John Bolton was likely tight inside but loose outside; one could tell from the fact that his daily entourage was still as strict as ever.

　　As he pondered, he caught sight out of the corner of his eye of four bearded men entering the teahouse, swaggering as they found seats by the window and loudly called for the waiter to serve tea.

　　All four had well-proportioned builds and moved with a lightness that belied their strength—clearly all skilled men.

　　One of them acted rudely, propping his right leg on the crossbar of the table and cursing, “That dog Henry Walker has caused no end of harm…”

　　Before he could continue, the pale-faced, long-bearded man on his left sternly stopped him, saying, “Keep your voice down. Do you want to get us all scolded by the master?”

　　The rough man fell silent, embarrassed, and lowered his voice to converse quietly with the other three.

　　Henry Walker saw that the four were talking about him and immediately focused his hearing.

　　“News has come from Zhongliu’s side: Henry Walker wanted to join the E family, but was refused by Suihou E Pu, and has gone southeast. Why does the master still have us pretend to be customers, hanging around in taverns?” the rough man said indignantly.

　　“We’re not on duty, our pay isn’t cut, and we get to enjoy the mountains and rivers every day. What’s there to complain about, second brother?” the scar-faced man opposite replied coolly.

　　“That may be, but now is the time to make a name for ourselves—who has the heart to just idle about? Besides, we’re only lingering in these teahouses and eateries, unlike the Three Evils of Jiangjin…” He stopped himself, realizing he’d misspoken, and quickly shut his mouth, hoping the others hadn’t noticed.

　　However, the sly young man on the right didn’t let it go, picking up his words with a sneer: “Unlike the Three Evils who hang around brothels, right? Haha, so second brother isn’t upset about missing his chance for glory, but because he misses his pleasures.”

　　The rough man knew he’d slipped and couldn’t retort for a moment, his face flushing as he glared angrily at the sly youth, who only grinned and made faces, quite pleased with himself.

　　The pale-faced, long-bearded man couldn’t help but smile and said, “Xiao Ke, stop teasing your second brother.” Then, pausing, he said solemnly, “The master has his reasons for arranging things this way. The current Henry Walker in Zhongliu may well be one of his subordinates in disguise, meant to draw our attention. Henry Walker and his forty-nine followers all wear bronze masks; unless you know them well, you can’t tell them apart. Enough, let’s not talk about Henry Walker anymore. If he never shows up, just take it as the master giving us a holiday.”

　　After that, the four talked of other things. The rough man and the sly youth went on at length about brothel debauchery, laughing lewdly. Hearing this, Henry Walker frowned deeply, and turning, saw that Caleb Carter was also furrowing his brows. Having spent over a month together, he knew Caleb Carter’s senses were sharper than most, so he wasn’t surprised that he could hear the four’s conversation.

　　Caleb Carter looked at the man before him, thinking: Though he is cruel and unpredictable, he is deeply supported by his followers. Now, even with his power lost, there are still those who help him with all their might. Father often said that to win people’s hearts is to gain something. It seems that beneath his cruel and unpredictable exterior, something else is hidden.

　　Having been saved by Henry Walker, Caleb Carter had survived, and after more than a month together, they had gotten along peacefully, no longer as distant as at first.

　　Henry Walker said, “John Bolton is a cautious man—how could he fall so easily for a diversion?”

　　Caleb Carter saw that though he spoke to himself, he meant for him to hear, so he replied, “It’s precisely because John Bolton is cautious that he would fall for such a diversion.”

　　“Oh? Why do you say that?” Henry Walker used his skill to restrain his voice, isolating the sound field between them from the outside, so there was no fear of being overheard.

　　Caleb Carter knew he was being tested and didn’t mind, continuing, “Although John Bolton saw through that the man in Zhongliu wasn’t Henry Walker, with his habit of worrying over every detail, he would surely send skilled men from his clan to investigate. In this way, the strength in Jiangjin City would be somewhat dispersed.”

　　Henry Walker looked approving and said, “You’re not done yet—go on.”

　　“If you could then seek out another great clan to join, and after several rejections appear to be at a dead end, then head north straight for Jiangjin. Even if John Bolton doesn’t fully believe it, he would still send his best men to block the southern bank of the river. At that point, you could act as you see fit.”

　　“As expected of a descendant of the Six Talents. Meng would likely think the same.”

　　Caleb Carter hesitated for a moment, then finally asked, “But I wonder, what deep grudge do you have with John Bolton that you must kill him at all costs?”