The tray was a crudely made piece of coarse pottery, shoddily crafted, neither square nor round in shape, with even the bottom left uneven. Scattered on top were a few rusty old copper coins, and together, they gave off an inexplicable sense of ancient gloom.

Henry Carter's steps involuntarily paused. For a moment, as he looked at his master staring at the coins, he felt a weighty and imposing aura emanating from him.

Off to the side, Alice Foster laughed and said, "What fate did the sect leader glimpse in today's divination?"

Upon hearing this, the sect leader solemnly put away the coins, tucked his hands into his sleeves, and said leisurely, "Heaven has its mandate—today's meal should include an extra dish of chicken stewed with mushrooms."

As he spoke, his beard curled up slightly, his small eyes darted left and right, and the tip of his nose twitched, revealing a genuine longing.

Henry Carter found his expression familiar at once. Then, all of a sudden, he connected the dots and, in a flash of insight, remembered—the beast head on the wooden plaque at the entrance of Buzhitang was a weasel!

Rural folk had no idea what sages were, nor could they read Buddhist or Daoist scriptures. Their worship of gods and Buddhas was all a muddle, and wild "immortals" like "Yellow Immortal" and "Green Immortal" were mixed in, known far and wide.

"Yellow Immortal" referred to a weasel spirit, while "Green Immortal" meant a snake spirit, also called "house-guarding snake." It was said that worshipping these two immortals could protect the home and bring peace to the area.

When Henry Carter was a child, he had seen a shrine to the Yellow Immortal in his village, and it bore just such a beast head.

Thinking of this, he looked again at Ethan Clark himself, and saw that he had a long waist and short legs, a bony, skinny frame, and a small, chicken-like face... No matter how you looked at him, he resembled a weasel that had gained a human form!

With this indescribable suspicion, Henry Carter stepped forward, his feelings complicated, and, in his mortal body and with ordinary eyes, saluted his master, who seemed suspiciously like a weasel.

His master waved his hand cheerfully and said, "No need for all that formality—so sour! In our Fuyao Sect, we don't go in for such things."

Henry Carter thought bitterly to himself, "Then what do you go in for? Chicken stewed with mushrooms?"

Just then, Samuel Foster arrived as well, calling out from afar, "Master! Senior brother!"

He truly embodied the idea of "not standing on ceremony." As soon as he entered, he exclaimed, "Oh wow, Master, how can you live in such a rundown place!"

After shouting, the little beggar made himself at home, wandering around the courtyard of Buzhitang, finally stopping in front of Henry Carter.

This shortsighted little beggar had already been completely won over by a bag of pine nut candy. He was convinced that Henry Carter was good to him, and no longer called him "senior brother" in a sarcastic tone. Instead, he affectionately grabbed Henry Carter's sleeve and said, "Xiao Qian, why didn't you come play with me yesterday?"

Henry Carter found him annoying and immediately, without a change in expression, took half a step back, pulling his sleeve free from the other's hand, and said primly, "Fourth junior brother."

Alice Foster had dressed him in adult clothes, revealing a smooth forehead and elegant brows, making him look refined and handsome, like a jade figure. If someone truly were made of jade, perhaps a bit of aloofness could be forgiven.

Samuel Foster himself was a beggar with no parents and no upbringing. If he disliked someone, he disliked them completely; if he liked someone, he liked them wholeheartedly—right now, Henry Carter was firmly in the "like" camp, so he didn't mind the other's coldness at all. He even thought happily, "Kids raised at home are different from us wanderers—so shy. I'll have to look after him more in the future."

Although Mr. Ethan Clark's eyes were small, the gaze that shot from them was piercing. After watching for a moment, he interrupted Samuel Foster's overenthusiastic antics: "Xiao Yuan, come here."

Samuel Foster trotted over to his rickety little table. "Master, what is it?"

Mr. Ethan Clark looked him over and said seriously, "Though you entered the sect later, you are a bit older than your third senior brother. As your master, I must give you a few words of advice first."

A weasel-like master was still a master. For once, Samuel Foster straightened up involuntarily.

Ethan Clark said, "You are naturally lively, but tend toward frivolity. Therefore, I give you the words 'rock' as a warning—to remind you that the Way of Heaven abhors opportunism, abhors arrogance and self-satisfaction, abhors a lack of focus【Note】. In the future, you must always restrain yourself and keep your mind steady, never slacking off for even a day. Do you understand?"

Samuel Foster wiped his nose with his hand. He hadn't understood a word of this admonition, and muddled through with an "Ah."

Fortunately, Ethan Clark did not press him on his lack of manners, and after speaking, turned to Henry Carter.

Only then did Henry Carter realize that his master was not naturally cross-eyed; his eyelids were just a bit double-folded, and he usually kept his eyes half-closed, making his gaze seem shifty and his appearance a bit sleazy. But this time, as he opened his eyes, they appeared clear and bright, with a hint of sternness as he looked at Henry Carter.

Author's note: 【Note】: "The Way of Heaven abhors opportunism, abhors arrogance and self-satisfaction, abhors a lack of focus" is adapted from a letter in Zeng Guofan's family correspondence, which mentions "Heaven abhors cunning," "Heaven abhors excess," and "Heaven abhors duplicity." Here, I have taken some creative liberties.

☆, Chapter 6

"Henry Carter."

For some reason, when the master called Samuel Foster, it was always "Xiao Yuan," but when he called Henry Carter, he always used his full name. It was impossible to tell whether this meant he favored him or not, but there was always a certain formality and gravity in his tone.