More than an hour had passed before he finally opened his eyes, only to see that William Walker was leaning against the wall, one leg drawn up, still tilting his head to scrutinize him. He couldn’t help but say, “Is there something on my face that’s made this Brother Walker study me for so long?”

William Walker replied expressionlessly, “Have you ever disguised your appearance?”

Samuel Carter tensed inwardly, but on the surface remained unconcerned as he retorted, “What?”

William Walker ignored him, muttering to himself, “Strange... truly strange. I actually can’t tell if you’ve altered your looks. But if you haven’t done anything, hmm...”

He reached out to rub his chin, looking quite puzzled. “All these years, I’ve never misjudged anyone. At a glance at your butterfly bones, you should clearly be a beauty.”

Samuel Carter was left speechless.

William Walker nodded to himself and said, “I’ve never been wrong about people. You must have disguised yourself.”

Samuel Carter remained speechless.

William Walker persisted, staring intently at his face for a long time, then finally gave up and leaned his head back. “But I just can’t spot any flaws. For these little tricks of the martial world, how skilled would someone have to be for me not to see through them? I doubt such a person even exists yet. Impossible, impossible...”

Grace Miller said coolly, “Master, last time you pointed at the back of a pig butcher and insisted he was a beauty.”

William Walker replied softly, “Even if that man was a butcher, just those sparkling, lively eyes were enough to call him a beauty. Heroes aren’t judged by their origins, so what if he’s a butcher? What do you know, you’re just a child who doesn’t understand beauty.”

Grace Miller sighed, “Sparkling, lively eyes? Wasn’t it just that he yawned and didn’t wipe his tears? Not to mention that broad nose, wide mouth, fat head, and big ears...”

William Walker said firmly, “Alice, your eyesight is poor.”

Samuel Carter had already slowly gotten up and gone to check on the young Charles Brooks.

Author’s note: Brother Walker has appeared = =

7

7. Chapter Seven: On the Road ...

Samuel Carter had tapped the sleep acupoint of the young Charles Brooks, just to keep him calm for a while, fearing he wouldn’t be able to process things. He hadn’t used much force, so after that odd William Walker came in, it wasn’t long before Charles Brooks woke up.

He opened his eyes and stared blankly at the ruined temple’s roof for a while, as if his soul had left his body. Before yesterday, he was still the pampered young master of the The Brooks Family—even though his tutor shook his head and said the boy was incorrigible, a wall of dung that couldn’t be plastered, and even though his martial arts teacher would nod in front of him but secretly thought he was hopeless—he had still lived a very happy life.

Clothes were handed to him, food was brought to his mouth, a house full of maids and servants waited on him, he didn’t study much but never lacked a beauty to keep him company at night, and all day long there were attendants flattering him. Charles Brooks knew what he was like, but that didn’t stop him from occasionally enjoying the feeling of being on cloud nine. He’d grown up in a honey jar until he was fourteen or fifteen.

But overnight, everything was gone.

His home was gone, his parents were gone, all his relatives and friends were gone. His world had suddenly turned upside down, leaving him utterly lost and helpless.

Samuel Carter was good at banter but not at comforting people, so he just sat silently to the side. After a while, Charles Brooks’s eyes silently filled with tears.

Then William Walker asked Grace Miller, “Who is that little one?”

Grace Miller replied, “I heard he’s the son of Jason Brooks.”

William Walker nodded, his expression very calm, as if the name Jason Brooks meant nothing to him. After a while, he asked, “I heard the The Brooks Family was so poor they had nothing left but money. How did Jason Brooks’s son end up like this? Did he run away from home without enough silver, or did he get lost and can’t find his way back?”

Grace Miller said quietly, “I heard the The Brooks Family was ambushed the night before last and wiped out. The whole city is probably in an uproar right now. Master, you were out carousing last night and must not have heard.”

William Walker thought for a moment and found it reasonable, so he nodded. “No wonder there were so many dead bodies.”

He then turned to study Samuel Carter again and asked Grace Miller, “And what does he do?”

Grace Miller sneered, “That beggar claims his name is Susan Carter. Yesterday he took two taels of silver from them and sold himself to the boy, promising to take him to Tai Lake.”

William Walker widened his eyes slightly, pondering seriously for a moment, then said to Grace Miller, “Then he must be a beauty, no doubt about it. Only beauties can be this stupid.”

Grace Miller was used to it and pretended not to hear. On the side, Samuel Carter, unable to figure out this man’s intentions, decided to follow suit.