He was used to secretly practicing martial arts every night, and Rising Dragon Temple was quite large, so he really hadn’t noticed anything unusual last night.

He didn’t think much of it and followed his senior brother to Hall of Clarity.

“Junior Brother Changsheng, you have no idea— that top scholar is incredible. He deduced the time of death, cause of death, and even the victim’s activities before dying just from the corpse…”

“The deceased was an official from the Ministry of Personnel, and apparently held considerable power. Yet someone dared to assassinate an official in the capital— tsk tsk, that’s just outrageous…”

Listening to his senior brother, William Carter almost rolled his eyes.

That’s outrageous?

I was the very first crown prince of Jing Dynasty, for heaven’s sake, and I was swapped out by someone else. The worst part is, no one even noticed. That imposter is now sitting high on the crown prince’s throne, famous throughout the land.

Is my experience not outrageous enough?

William Carter sighed inwardly.

This was a world similar to ancient China. William Carter could hear sounds from outside even while still in the womb, and people here spoke Chinese. When he learned he was born into the royal family, he was thrilled— especially since it was the early days of the new dynasty. When his father told his mother that the unborn child would be made crown prince, he felt his life was destined for greatness.

His mother and father were childhood sweethearts, rising from humble beginnings, enduring hardships, conquering the land, and founding a new dynasty. With such a background, as long as he ascended the throne, he should have had a happy life.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans, and villains were despicable!

The past was already gone, and William Carter didn’t dwell on it. The fact that he named himself Changsheng (Longevity) showed his current aspirations.

After about half a stick of incense, William Carter followed his senior brother to the front of Hall of Clarity. Hall of Clarity wasn’t very large, and the courtyard was crowded with disciples from the temple— over a hundred people packed the place tightly. At the hall’s entrance, there were also servants of the guests, numbering twenty or thirty.

When William Carter arrived, the disciples all looked his way. Although he kept a low profile in Rising Dragon Temple, his handsome appearance made him hard to ignore.

“Junior brother, go on in. Master is looking for you.”

A female disciple spoke. Rising Dragon Temple was not a traditional Daoist temple; it was more like a martial arts sect, with both male and female members.

William Carter nodded and walked into the hall at a leisurely pace.

He immediately saw the corpse lying on the ground, covered with a white cloth. On the right stood Daoist Mason and his three senior disciples; on the left were six guests visiting Rising Dragon Temple. At the very front was a man dressed as a scholar— the top scholar David Brooks whom William Carter had heard about on the way.

As soon as he entered, David Brooks began sizing him up.

William Carter walked up to Daoist Mason, bowed, and said, “Master.”

Daoist Mason was the one who had saved him as a child, and he had always respected him greatly. Despite Mason’s stern appearance, there weren’t many strict rules in the temple. Everyone was his disciple, and there was no hierarchy among them, so they got along harmoniously.

Daoist Mason, holding a horsetail whisk, was white-haired and had an immortal air about him. He nodded slightly and said, “Changsheng, tell Benefactor Brooks where you were last night.”

William Carter turned to David Brooks and said, “Last night I went to practice martial arts. My roommate and master both know I have this habit.”

How could he have hidden it for six years? He had been practicing martial arts since he was six, and at the end of that year, Daoist Mason caught him. He just said he figured it out on his own. Since his moves were uncoordinated at first, Daoist Mason didn’t think much of it and even gave him a few pointers. In the following years, Eldest Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother, and Third Senior Sister also found out, but they didn’t tell the other disciples and just let him practice at night.

To the ordinary disciples, William Carter was just a low-key fellow disciple.

To the three senior disciples, he was a martial arts prodigy, able to create his own techniques at a young age.

Eldest Senior Brother James Thompson had created a style of boxing in his youth, which was now taught to the younger disciples.

David Brooks asked, “May I ask where you practiced, little Daoist?”

William Carter replied, “In front of the bell tower. I usually go up to ring the bell after practicing, and during the day I… listen to Daoist teachings.”

He was very natural, not nervous at all. After all, he hadn’t killed anyone, and he didn’t even know the deceased.

A middle-aged man beside David Brooks spoke up, “I see that this young man has delicate skin and smooth hands without calluses— he doesn’t look like someone who practices martial arts. I wonder what kind of skills he’s practicing?”

His tone was aggressive, and it sounded rather harsh to William Carter.

David Brooks smiled and said, “Please don’t mind, little Daoist. We’ve been investigating for an hour. The people with me have already proven their innocence. They’re all ordinary folks and don’t know martial arts, so we can only look within your temple. Of course, we’re not suspecting your temple— it’s possible a thief disguised themselves as a disciple.”

Disguised?

William Carter had never left the capital since childhood, and after joining the temple, he hadn’t left it at all. So he had no idea how advanced disguise techniques were in the outside world.

He answered, “I practice internal martial arts.”

Any disciple who reached the age of six could choose their own name and learn the internal martial arts techniques of Rising Dragon Temple. William Carter pretended to study them, but in reality, he was cultivating Daoist immortal arts.

If you can cultivate immortality, why bother with martial arts?

The reason he said “internal martial arts” was because all his martial arts were leg techniques. If the deceased had died from such techniques, wouldn’t that be a coincidence?