However, back on the summit of Micang Mountain, listening to the two old men spouting bawdy jokes as they played drinking games, and seeing Mr. Bennett with drunken, hazy eyes, pointing east and boasting loudly, truly left William Carter utterly astonished.

It was said that back in the day, Mr. Bennett had placed third in the imperial examination, and thirty years later, his son also achieved third place. A family with two "Tan Hua" scholars became a celebrated story of the time. The plaque of the Chongzhou Academy was personally inscribed by the current emperor after Mr. Bennett's son earned the title.

From a young age, William Carter was forced by his master to practice calligraphy with Mr. Bennett. Every time before the two drank, they would first teach him to write a few characters. Although he never entered Chongzhou Academy, he could still be considered half a student of Mr. Bennett.

Mr. Bennett had suggested several times that William Carter join the academy, but Qingxuan always refused, saying that reading ten thousand books was not as good as traveling ten thousand miles—and that he could make William Carter travel ten thousand miles and read ten thousand books at the same time.

Mr. Bennett sighed over this for a while, but after seeing the room full of books in the Daoist temple and testing William Carter a few times, he finally stopped insisting.

Still, whenever William Carter returned from traveling with his master, he liked to visit the academy. First, he could borrow a few rare books from Mr. Bennett that were hard to find in bookstores; second, there was a troublesome little imp in the academy. Mr. Bennett's granddaughter was a year younger than William Carter, and over the years, William Carter had often been bullied by her. So every time he learned a new trick while away, he always wanted to come back and regain some ground.

William Carter took a deep breath, rubbed his hands together vigorously as if to give himself courage, and muttered softly, “I’ve learned two new moves this time. It’s a pity I don’t dare wear my sword into the academy, or else I’d definitely let that little girl have a taste of my skills.” With that, he walked toward the academy.

By now, people were already heading into the academy. All the students wore blue and white cross-collared robes, their sashes fluttering, looking quite elegant. In contrast, William Carter’s worn Daoist robe made him look rather out of place, drawing a few extra glances.

With a smile on his lips, William Carter returned every kind of look with a smile, not feeling the least bit embarrassed. After all, in Shuzhou City, if William Carter claimed to have the second thickest skin, probably only his master would dare claim first.

Thick skin comes with age—this was the second truth William Carter had discovered for himself, after “old ginger is spicier.”

William Carter stepped calmly through the academy gates, but his body was slightly tense, his gaze darting around as if searching for something.

“Stupid Mingyuan, watch my sword!” Just then, a girlish shout came from the right.

William Carter’s eyes went wide in an instant. Without even turning his head, he pushed off with his right leg and leapt a full ten feet to the left.

Standing where he had just been was a girl in a loose blue and white academy uniform, holding a three-foot slender bamboo stick as thick as a thumb. If he’d reacted a moment slower, that bamboo would have poked him for sure.

The girl was sixteen or seventeen, with delicate, arched brows and a tall, slender figure—a classic beauty with an oval face. She wore her hair in a man’s style, with a white jade hairpin slanted through it, adding a touch of heroism to her pretty face.

“To be able to leap so far in an instant—Stupid Mingyuan, it seems your lightness skills have improved again since you went down the mountain.” The girl looked at William Carter with a teasing smile, her lovely brows arching, making her beautiful face even more enchanting.

A few academy students passing by stopped in their tracks. Many looked at the girl with admiration, while their glances at William Carter were more amused or unfriendly.

“Emily Bennett, am I especially good-looking or something?” Seeing that the girl wasn’t about to attack again, William Carter straightened up and asked seriously, his legs still tense and ready to retreat at any moment. This girl was Mr. Bennett’s granddaughter, Emily Bennett, who had delighted in bullying William Carter since childhood.

Emily Bennett looked at William Carter just as seriously, and after a long moment, nodded and said, “If you dressed up a bit, there wouldn’t be many in the academy prettier than you.”

Even with his thick skin, William Carter couldn’t help but blush, and the words he’d prepared to say got stuck in his throat.

Emily Bennett grinned triumphantly, lifting the slender bamboo as if it were a sword, and said to William Carter with eager anticipation, “Stupid Mingyuan, I’ve learned three new sword moves lately. Want to try them out?”

“No.” William Carter looked around, but couldn’t find a suitable weapon. Glancing again at the polished bamboo in Emily Bennett’s hand, he answered decisively, with a confidence that left no room for doubt.

“That’s not up to you.” Emily Bennett raised her brows, looking at William Carter like a lamb waiting for slaughter, and started walking toward him.

“A gentleman uses words, not fists. Can’t we just sit down, have a drink, and crack some sunflower seeds to settle things?” William Carter said with a smile, shaking the wine gourd at his waist. The students who had hoped to see a good show all rolled their eyes, and their opinion of William Carter dropped even further.

“I’m no gentleman. This young lady just likes to use her hands,” Emily Bennett said innocently. The academy students all rallied to her side.