Before Samuel Carter arrived at Taihu, he was somewhat looking forward to seeing this renowned martial arts master—whose name he had heard but whose face he had never seen—in person, especially after hearing that the only son of the Huashan sect leader, the young hero Jack Morgan, the master of Broken Sword Manor Gavin Scott, and the one-eyed hero Chester King were all at the Zhao residence as well.

He knew all about the identities and backgrounds of these people—just in case anyone tried to use martial arts for mischief, Tianchuang had a separate archive, where the life events, big and small, of anyone who had made a name for themselves in the martial world in the past fifty years were all recorded.

For example, Samuel Carter knew that the chivalrous swordsman of Qiushan, James Clark, had been expelled from his family when he was young, which left him destitute. To earn a bounty, he had done things similar to what the seductive Simon Reed had done. Only after the age of twenty-seven did he revert to his real name, James Clark, married the only daughter of the Feng family of Taihu, rose to prominence through this connection, and had even secretly hunted down those who knew about his past. Only then did the Zhao family accept him back.

For instance, the most famous young hero at present, Jack Morgan, was rumored to have had an affair with a girl from Emei, then abandoned her, leaving the girl to take her own life in her room with a three-month-old fetus—of course, the girl was deeply in love and never revealed who the man was.

Samuel Carter knew all too well what kind of people these were, which made him even more interested. Besides, he couldn’t resist Charles Brooks’s pleading, so he stayed with him at the Zhao residence for a night.

James Clark, regardless of his past deeds, now truly had the bearing of a great hero. He didn’t look down on Samuel Carter at all for his ragged, shabby appearance. After all, he had some experience; just by listening to Charles Brooks’s tearful account, he understood how hard the journey had been, and naturally became suspicious of Samuel Carter’s background.

That day, after arranging for the two to settle in, and after bathing, changing clothes, eating and drinking their fill, James Clark called Charles Brooks to the study to hear in detail what had happened.

Charles Brooks was just a child, and after finally seeing a relative, he naturally said whatever came to mind. He only half-understood many things, but what James Clark heard made his heart pound with fear. After pondering for a long time, he couldn’t help but ask, “So… this Hero Carter, what kind of person is he? Do you know his background?”

Charles Brooks honestly recounted what had happened that day in the deserted temple.

James Clark narrowed his eyes, stroked his beard, comforted him a bit more, and then sent Charles Brooks off to rest.

After spending just over ten days together, Samuel Carter had come to understand Charles Brooks a bit. He knew that although the boy was spoiled growing up and a bit useless, he was still a good kid—kind-hearted, able to endure hardship, just a little slow. He figured that if that old fox James Clark called him in for a talk, a few words would be enough to make him spill everything about himself—and the boy probably wouldn’t even realize it.

He smiled to himself—whether as Susan Carter or Samuel Carter, he had always been invisible all these years. Perhaps those with broad experience and connections vaguely knew there was a group called “Tianchuang,” but no one would ever know who its leader was.

Even “Lord Carter” was only nominally a minor military officer, responsible for the scheduling of the imperial guards. In the eyes of the big shots, he was someone worth currying favor with, but not worth paying real attention to.

Sure enough, starting early the next morning, Samuel Carter suddenly became the hottest new attraction at the Zhao family estate by Taihu. He hadn’t even left his own small courtyard before visitors began arriving in an endless stream.

He had no choice but to play the host, greeting and seeing off guests—

Oh, Hero Clark, I’ve long admired you, it’s a great honor to finally meet you in person, hearing a hundred times is not as good as seeing once… Where did I study? Ah, I’m just a nobody, not worth mentioning.

Oh, Hero Cooper, I’ve long admired you, it’s a great honor to finally meet you in person, hearing a hundred times is not as good as seeing once… My background? I’m just a beggar, what background could I have? No, no, not from the Beggar’s Sect, I wouldn’t dare claim such an honor. Just a nobody…

Oh, Hero Parker, I’ve long admired you, it’s a great honor to finally meet you in person, hearing a hundred times is not as good as seeing once… It’s only natural you haven’t heard of me, I’m just a nobody, not worth mentioning.

Oh, Hero Thompson, I’ve long admired you, it’s a great honor to finally meet you in person, hearing a hundred times is not as good as seeing once… No, no, I have no personal connection with that Hero Thompson, I just drew my sword to help when I saw injustice. Sect? None, I’m just a nobody, not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning.

By evening, Samuel Carter’s face was already stiff from smiling, and it took him a long time to massage it back to normal. He deeply felt that if this went on, he might be at risk of a stroke, so he decided to leave.

When it comes to prying into other people’s private affairs, martial arts heroes are actually very much like gossiping housewives in the marketplace, wishing they could shrink their heads and squeeze them through the cracks in people’s doors, blinking their sharp eyes, determined to see through what kind of monster in human skin you really are.

If one person claimed to be from one of the eight great sects, and so-and-so was his master, another would say, oh, I’ve long admired you, my uncle and your master were good friends in their youth—thus establishing a connection.

Otherwise, if you’re not one of us, your character remains to be observed over the long term.

That night, with the moon in its waning phase, at midnight, Samuel Carter suddenly opened his eyes. He had lain down before nightfall, and now the Seven Apertures Three Autumn Nails were beginning to take effect. It wasn’t too severe, and after so long recuperating, he didn’t pay much attention to the pain.