"I want to kill you, but it's obvious I'm no match for you. However, you're old and probably won't live much longer, while I still have many years ahead. How about you stand still and don't resist, and let me kill you with one strike?"

　　"Well..."

　　Old Priest thought to himself, Guanyun is even more rigid than I am, so how did he end up with such a sharp-tongued disciple? He snorted and said, "You were too ruthless, but since it was for self-defense, I won't punish you. However, you can't keep this martial arts manual. If you master these skills, that would be a disaster!"

　　Suddenly, a gust of wind swept by, and Henry Carter collapsed to the ground. The pain in his shoulder was so intense he nearly fainted, but after a moment, the pain actually disappeared.

　　Henry Carter moved his shoulder. Although it still hurt, the pain had lessened considerably.

　　He propped himself up and found that all the martial arts manuals in his arms had vanished, leaving only a little over a hundred taels of silver. Henry Carter gave a wry smile—so that Old Priest was after the manuals all along?

　　Old Priest was already gone. He got up from the ground, shook his head with a bitter smile, picked up the unsheathed longsword, and walked toward the temple. He glanced back, saw the ground littered with corpses, then looked at the spot where the bluebird had fallen, sighed, and prepared to leave.

　　Suddenly, Henry Carter froze. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the corner of the robe of the young hero surnamed Zhao was bulging.

　　Normally, it wouldn't be noticeable, but before dying, that young hero had gripped his clothes, making the bulge quite obvious.

　　Earlier, Henry Carter hadn't paid attention, but now, as dusk fell, a faint glow emanated from the bulging spot.

　　"What is this..."

　　Henry Carter stepped forward, used his sword to cut open the robe, and a bead rolled out, faintly glowing, about the size of a goose egg, with a pale golden hue.

　　In addition, there was an extremely thin booklet at the corner of the robe, only a few pages long. Henry Carter picked it up and saw the words: Introduction to Swordsmanship.

　　"That young hero surnamed Zhao hid this manual and bead so carefully—could this Introduction to Swordsmanship be even more precious than the four manuals from before? And is this bead not just an ornament, but a rare treasure?"

　　As Henry Carter pondered, he suddenly realized it was already getting dark.

　　If he waited any longer, once night fully fell, he might not be able to leave this place. With no time to think further, Henry Carter quickly put the thin manual and bead into his robe and hurried away.

　　More and more night birds and fierce beasts began to appear here. By dawn, there would likely be no intact corpses left, only blood and bone fragments scattered everywhere.

　　When Henry Carter returned to the temple, he found three people waiting at the entrance.

　　There was an elderly man dressed as a steward, and two servants.

Chapter 004: The Birthday Approaches

　　Henry Carter tossed the sword onto the grass, freed his hands, and walked toward the temple.

　　"This must be Young Master Carter."

　　The three, who had been waiting impatiently, suddenly saw a young Taoist emerge from the woods. The elderly man in the lead stepped forward with a smile and said, "We are servants of the Shangguan family and have been waiting here for you, Young Master, for quite some time."

　　"Shangguan family?"

　　Henry Carter recalled the Shangguan family with whom he was betrothed. He raised an eyebrow. Ever since the The Carter Family fell into decline, Henry Carter had been gathering herbs at the temple to get by, and the Shangguan family had not visited. Now they had come to the temple to wait for him—could it be to break off the engagement?

　　He sized up the three, noticing that even the servants' clothes were of better quality than his own Taoist robe, the fabric quite fine. Although the Shangguan family was wealthy, compared to the The Carter Family, who had practiced medicine for generations, they weren't much better off, and in terms of reputation, they were even less known than the The Carter Family.

　　According to his father, the Shangguan family had a spacious residence with six or seven servants to clean, which was considered decent back then.

　　But in just a few years, the Shangguan family seemed to have changed dramatically. Who knew what great fortune they had encountered?

　　To visit a down-and-out youth like himself, they had sent a steward and two servants, with a carriage waiting in the distance.

　　Even the servants' fabric was better than his own.

　　Henry Carter gave a bitter smile in his heart.

　　The steward bowed slightly and said respectfully, "Young Master Carter, this old servant comes at the order of the old master..."

　　"To break off the engagement?"

　　Henry Carter had experienced much today. Although the pain in his shoulder had been suppressed by Old Priest, the injury remained, and he was feeling irritable. Normally, he would be polite and never interrupt others, but today he was already at his wit's end, so he cut off the steward and said, "The engagement contract is in the temple. I'll fetch it for you to take back and report."

　　By rights, if the Shangguan family broke off the engagement without cause, Henry Carter could demand compensation. But he had never cared much for the engagement, nor did he intend to ask for anything. Besides, the bluebird was dead, and he was truly grieving.

　　Now that he had obtained the Introduction to Swordsmanship and an obviously extraordinary bead, Henry Carter's mind was far from the matter of the engagement—he just wanted to send them off and examine his finds in peace.

　　"Young Master misunderstands," the steward said, not at all annoyed at being interrupted, still smiling. "We are here to inform Young Master Carter that in two months, the old master of the Shangguan family will celebrate his eightieth birthday, and Young Master Carter is invited to attend the banquet."

　　Henry Carter was taken aback.