“You guys go ahead, I still need to visit the dean, so I’ll just have lunch there.” William Carter said cheerfully, waving his hand as he turned and walked out of the pavilion. As he walked, he muttered softly to himself, “Earning three strings of Tongbao just for cursing once—this is like opening the door to making money! If I’d known about this, I would have come to the academy at seven. Master really misled me, truly misled me…”

Chapter 7: She Has One Sword That Defeats Ten Thousand

Brian Cooper and White House exchanged glances, both with rather odd expressions. Usually, because of Emily Bennett, the academy students would never go to the Tong Courtyard. And the dean had no interest at all in banquets held by the powerful families of Shuzhou City, let alone hosting anyone in the Tong Courtyard.

So for William Carter to casually say he’d be having lunch at the Tong Courtyard, and to look like a regular guest, made the two of them even more curious about his relationship with the dean.

Suddenly, Brian Cooper thought of something and called out to William Carter, “Yuan-ge, what was so funny just now that you dared to laugh out loud in Mr. Wang’s class?”

White House also looked at William Carter with some curiosity.

William Carter stopped, turned to look at Brian Cooper, stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and then said with a smile, “Back then, when Emily Bennett used to hit you, didn’t she mutter something while doing it?”

“Well…” Brian Cooper frowned and thought hard, then his eyes suddenly lit up and he slapped his forehead, saying, “She seemed to be muttering something like ‘stupid Mingyuan, dead Mingyuan, why aren’t you coming back…’”

Even the usually serious White House couldn’t help but laugh out loud at this. If any other students saw it, their jaws would surely drop.

“So the she-devil was actually taking out her anger on me because she couldn’t see you!” Brian Cooper finally realized, looking aggrieved. But by now William Carter had already walked far away, and hearing Brian Cooper’s words, he quickened his pace even more.

“William Carter, I think you and the she-devil are a perfect match!” Brian Cooper shouted angrily.

William Carter had just walked out of the bamboo grove when a resentful roar came from behind, nearly making him stumble. Thinking carefully about Brian Cooper’s dreadful curse, he couldn’t help but shiver all over.

He instinctively touched his back, where Emily Bennett had whipped him that morning. It should have scabbed over by now, and surprisingly, it didn’t hurt much anymore. Remembering what he’d said to Brian Cooper earlier, he couldn’t help but think a little sadly, “Has my body really gotten used to that little demon’s torment? Has habit become second nature? That’s terrifying.”

William Carter was a bit troubled, thinking about how to minimize the pain when he saw Emily Bennett the little demon later. If he entered the Tong Courtyard, even Master Zeng’s words wouldn’t help—there, it was entirely the little demon’s territory.

He was holding a bamboo branch with a green bamboo leaf still attached to the end, which he had just broken off in the bamboo grove. Although it was even flimsier than Emily Bennett’s thin bamboo stick, it was better than nothing.

The Tong Courtyard wasn’t far from the bamboo grove; after passing two study halls, he could already see the tall phoenix tree stretching its branches over the courtyard wall, lush and casting a cool shade.

William Carter walked up to the courtyard gate and was just about to push it open when a crisp shout came from behind: “Stupid Mingyuan, catch the sword!”

Instinctively, William Carter leapt half a zhang to the left, but this time he didn’t turn and run. Instead, he gripped the bamboo branch in his hand, and seeing Emily Bennett thrusting straight at him with her thin bamboo as a sword, he raised his hand and struck back with his own.

Emily Bennett’s sword was straight and nimble. It seemed unchanged, but in fact, it contained endless variations. That was why, at the academy gate, she could switch from a thrust to a whip at the last moment—something not easily done.

After more than ten years of being tempered by Emily Bennett, William Carter knew this better than anyone. He also knew that Emily Bennett practiced only one sword move—one that could become ten thousand, and ten thousand that returned to one.

William Carter had always been curious about who the little demon’s master was, to be able to teach such an endlessly changing sword technique. In the martial world, that would be a top-tier figure.

Compared to the master who taught Emily Bennett swordsmanship, William Carter felt his own master’s teachings were a bit lacking. Over the years, wandering the world, his master had dragged him up mountains to learn from old men with white hair and questionable morals, trading half a jug of wine for a move or two. William Carter never believed those could be all that powerful.

But, forced by his master’s tyranny, he still practiced every move. Over the years, he’d learned at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, techniques.

So when it came to sword practice, the two of them were complete opposites: one practiced only one move, the other practiced thousands.

Every time before he left, his master would say that as long as he practiced this move, he’d definitely be able to beat Miss Zeng when he came back. But every time, William Carter would run to the academy full of confidence, only to be knocked down by Emily Bennett’s single strike.

Earlier, at the academy gate, William Carter had avoided fighting for two reasons: first, he didn’t have a suitable weapon; second, he was embarrassed to fight Emily Bennett in front of everyone. If he ended up being chased all over the academy by her, it would be even more humiliating. Now, things were different—he could finally try out the moves he’d secretly learned, and maybe he could last a bit longer.

At this moment, William Carter held the bamboo branch as if it were a soft sword, though the bamboo leaf at the tip, trembling in the wind, looked a bit ridiculous.