Driven by such circumstances, William, with merely his face, was already elevated to the shrine by the crowd. On the other hand, he possessed a unique advantage that others lacked, which was William’s understanding of Charles and the people under Charles. For instance, this person loved wine, another had a weakness for women, this one liked gambling, and another was obsessed with plants. In short, when he worked to turn Charles’s trusted aides, a large portion of those originally with Charles was swayed by him. Charles, at the end of his rope, found his situation even worse. When he learned that William was alive, only heaven knew how shocked he was. He originally thought that since Miao Qing had already used the Gu poison, William would surely die. Little did he know, not only was William alive and well, but all his wounds were healed. The lame leg, the previously fractured arm, the disfigured scarred face—all gone, without leaving a trace on him. In contrast, Charles himself had become as skinny as a skeleton, unable to eat all day and could only maintain his life by drinking some soup. Yet, his condition kept deteriorating. He began to suspect, did Miao Qing not use the Gu poison on William back then? Or perhaps, did Miao Qing never truly intend to take William’s life? Anyway, because of his suspicions, he hated Miao Qing even more. The full-blown outbreak of events began on one rainy evening when Charles decided he must step forward and salvage the landslide-like collapse. Despite feeling very unwell, he widely issued invitations and hosted a banquet. But Fengya Pavilion was no longer what it used to be—once upon a time, as long as Fengya Pavilion called, guests would flock, and the place would be full of guests. However, now, perhaps, it was a case of rats abandoning a falling ship; when the wall crumbles, everyone pushes. Until after dark, as the rain poured harder, only a few people accepted the invitation and came to the banquet. Even those few were only there to watch the spectacle. Anyone who saw the current situation would surely understand that Charles’s decline was inevitable, his collapse so severe that he could no longer stir any waves. Charles was extremely anxious about this situation. Supported by his trusted aide, he made an appearance, his emaciated, poison-ravaged form was quite terrifying and shocked everyone. He forced himself to engage in small talk with the crowd, but midway through the banquet, a group of people arrived uninvited. William donned a white robe, lacking in exaggerated jewelry, but a crowd of people surrounded him from behind—all were originally loyal to Charles but later persuaded by him. As he entered the Fengya Pavilion, none of the previous visit’s despondency and frustration were visible, nor was there any hint of arrogance. He was very calm at heart, walking steadily with unwavering eyes, his gaze unshaken, his spine upright, and his steps solid. "Charles, my dear brother, we meet again." Charles wore a grim expression. Just by looking at William’s demeanor, he could tell this man was here to cause trouble. "Who allowed you in? Get out!" In truth, he wanted nothing more than to order his men to skin his younger brother alive. But times had changed. Now, William was the rising star of South City, and he was quite close to that young man Chris. They called each other brothers, while here, Charles had lost too much already. Now, even a single soldier or pawn was an important asset that he couldn’t easily use.