Each with Their Own Hidden Motives

Sister Hua had a fairly good grasp of Wu Youren's financial situation, but she had no intention of correcting the military knight's misconception. She added with a solemn air, “You also need a high-grade biguijue!” “Can't copy that,” the military knight mumbled dejectedly, shaking his head. It was like someone saying that this area couldn't trap a grand knight—it truly couldn't, but first you had to be a grand knight! “All right, the two of you get into the stone crevice,” Wu Youren said, keeping his tone impassive. “Scatter a little ghost-dispelling powder outside the opening.” Sister Hua said without the slightest hesitation, “I want to go into your cave... I have a severe lack of mutual trust with the military!” The two of them had just joined hands to kill the motorcycle rider, which nominally tied their fates together. Yet the seed of distrust had already been sown; neither dared completely turn their back on the other. The Jin youth's earlier words had made it crystal clear: leading three people away was hard, but leading two would be far easier. In that case, wouldn't taking only one person make the chances of escaping safely even higher? “Impossible!” Wu Youren shook his head and answered bluntly, “Make up your minds right now. The surge of Guizu aura is about to spread here!” Sister Hua gaped in astonishment. “You won't even give a reason?” Wu Youren looked equally astonished. “Is a reason needed?” “Is it not?” “Is it?” “Is it not?” Wu Youren finally let out a soft sigh. “When you shot at me just now, did you give a reason?” “But you're a Jin hostage. It's completely natural for us to treat you like that... In the Liang-Jin War, who was the loser?” The Jin youth's face darkened at her words. “Then find your own way out by your own strength. There are two shelters here; each of you can take one, and I'll leave!” Both of them were counting on him to get out, yet they still had the gall to demand a reason... Who had indulged them to develop such an attitude? “I can stay here with you too!” Sister Hua was truly tenacious. Working in the intelligence trade, she wouldn't casually give up on any opportunity to probe. “Let him go over there... Neither of us trusts the other!” Wu Youren shook his head and said coldly, “I won't say it a third time!” “Fine, let's leave it at that,” the soldier said impatiently. “Things have already come to this—who has the mind to scheme against whom? You people from the Intelligence Bureau... heh!” *You don't trust me? I don't trust you either!* Now that it was settled, a moment later, the three entered their respective shelters. Leaving Wu Youren's situation aside, the military knight and Sister Hua were genuinely on guard against each other; building mutual trust between them was an uphill battle. The stone crevice was neither wide nor deep, measuring less than two meters. Hiding inside, merely avoiding physical contact was already extraordinarily difficult. They had just collaborated to kill a Liang knight. Not only was the identity sensitive, but the act itself was reprehensible. It was a pledge of allegiance offered to a Jin hostage. Wouldn't it be better if fewer people knew about something like this? And yet, infuriatingly, both had to maintain an attitude of “I trust you”... Needless to say, the awkwardness was so thick that tension hung in the air like a fog. Sister Hua sensed something was off and took the initiative to say, “Don't fall for it. “That little brat has a wicked mind. Stashing the two of us together right here is just waiting for us to slaughter each other. “Once only one of us is left, he'll have a much easier time dealing with them.” “I won't have any strange ideas,” the soldier said calmly as he sprinkled ghost-dispelling powder. “My mission is to prevent the Guizu outbreak from spilling outward. Whatever happens between you two has nothing to do with me... Just don't drag me down as a scapegoat.” Sister Hua blinked and asked in confusion, “But he's a Jin hostage!” “How to defeat Jin is the military's business,” the military knight said blandly. “A Jin hostage is the civil government's business!” “All right,” Sister Hua said, raising her voice slightly. “Little Wu, did you hear that clearly?” “I don't understand anything,” Wu Youren replied evenly. “All I know is that only through cooperation can we escape.” “I think so too,” the soldier said in a steady voice. “Once we're out, we go our separate ways and pretend we don't know each other!” “Then it seems a consensus has been reached,” Wu Youren said softly. “Next is... waiting quietly.” He felt a faint trace of regret; expecting those two to wipe each other out no longer seemed likely. The youth truly had a knack for dealing with the Guizu. Over the following day and night, the three were barely affected. Yet a piece of information lingered incessantly in Sister Hua's mind. After mulling it over, she finally decided to ask, “The Guizu grand knight you mentioned... the one underground, does it really exist?” Wu Youren gave an ambiguous answer. “Maybe I was just saying that. Whether you believe it is up to you.” At a time like this, he couldn't say more, lest he invite further trouble upon himself. Even the soldier realized this. Looking at Sister Hua, he stifled a laugh and said, “Looks like you've met your match.” His tone carried a distinct trace of schadenfreude. The next night, the white fog surged heavily once more, but the three had already agreed it was time to withdraw. By this point, the violent Guizu activity had subsided considerably, though the retreat route remained far from easy. The white fog was too dense, and it was night, forcing them to tread cautiously, never straying more than two meters apart. Wu Youren appeared very relaxed, but the other two were quite the opposite. The military knight, in particular, kept casting his eyes in all directions, muscles taut all over, hands dangling beside his short sword and handgun. His posture virtually screamed, *Don't mess with me!* Indeed, his conspicuously guarded stance was intended to deter the other two from harboring inappropriate thoughts. It couldn't be helped. What had originally been one potential threat was now two. As a soldier, he chose to intimidate. Sister Hua was slightly more natural, but from time to time, she quietly sent out sensory pulses, proving she was not as relaxed as she seemed. At a certain moment, Wu Youren flicked his wrist. She halted instantly and drew the short sword at her waist. “Hm?” “Three knight-level Guizu,” the Jin youth muttered helplessly. “Need to lure them away.” “I saw you flick something out,” the soldier said, releasing his grip on his hilt. “What was that?” “A resentment crystal,” Wu Youren answered calmly. It was the trophy he had obtained from the burly man with the crutches. The crucial part was that the throwing motion couldn't be too large, or it would easily attract the Guizu aura's attention. “Holy crap,” Sister Hua cursed. Even with her background in the Intelligence Bureau and broad experience, she couldn't help baring her teeth at those words. “You really aren't just ordinarily rich!” If this didn't count as a pay-to-win player, what did? Even a grand knight might not be willing to squander such things, right? The soldier remained silent in agreement, walking a few steps before speaking up. “A resentment crystal might not work.” That thing was indeed attractive to some Guizu, but plenty of them remained unaffected. Certain Guizu relics could attract all Guizu, but a resentment crystal was not one of them. “Mm,” Wu Youren grunted softly, not bothering to elaborate. Even if the effect was limited, it was better than nothing. The soldier thought of this as well and couldn't help letting out a soft sigh. “As expected of a hostage, so wealthy!” “There is no hostage here,” Sister Hua said, shooting him a cold glare. “Nor is there an Intelligence Bureau.” “I understand,” the soldier muttered. “Once we're out, I definitely won't say a word... There's no reason for me to invite such massive trouble.” An agency like the Intelligence Bureau, though indispensable to state apparatus and wielding immense authority, was something ordinary people actively avoided. This was especially true for the military. Soldiers were supposed to be pure; contact with local authorities was already taboo, let alone with a secret service agency. “The trouble will be bigger than you imagine,” Sister Hua scoffed softly. He marveled at how rich the hostage was, but could she not know whether Wu Youren had money? When she first crossed paths with the Jin youth, he had been so poor he didn't even own a long weapon, and she had casually investigated him afterward. His sudden overnight wealth could only be explained in one way—through multiple battles with the Guizu, the youth had made a massive fortune! Otherwise, would she have so easily believed that he could lead them out? It was just that it was enough for her to know this herself; there was no need to speak it aloud. Without further mishap, the three finally reached the mountain ridge and broke free of the white fog. It was still nighttime. The two knights looked back at the white fog cloaking the mountains, their hearts filled with mixed feelings. After a long silence, the military knight let out a soft sigh. “I'm going to report in. You two... are forbidden from entering the mountains again without authorization!” Neither paid him any attention. After a while, Sister Hua spoke up to ask, “The one who died?” She wasn't referring to the motorcycle rider, but to the fact that the military had originally had two men, yet an apprentice knight had perished. Because Wu Youren had set out late, he hadn't witnessed that scene. “Perished in the Guizu calamity,” the military knight answered placidly. “Life and death—are such things so rare?” “Do you two have anything else to say?” Both remained silent. Seeing this, he turned and strode away, decisive and resolute. “Farewell... No, better if we never meet again!” Watching him vanish into the night, Sister Hua finally spoke again. “Er Shan—that apprentice ability master—how did he die?” “Perished in the Guizu calamity,” Wu Youren replied calmly. The soldier's words from moments ago provided a ready-made answer. “I... really feel like seizing you and interrogating you in detail,” Sister Hua sighed faintly. “However, I'm worried about escalating things further.” Putting aside whether she could overpower him, if he turned around and plunged back into the white fog, history might repeat itself, and trouble would descend once again. Wu Youren fell silent for a long moment before answering, “I really only wanted to exterminate Guizu. Otherwise, I wouldn't have spent so much money buying supplies.” Sister Hua actually believed this. The quantities of ghost-destroying mines, ghost-dispelling powder, and the like that he had prepared far exceeded what they carried. The youth was merely an apprentice knight; even if he had made some war profits, without such an intention, he couldn't possibly have prepared so much. “He was the one who wanted to look for you,” Sister Hua said softly. “I don't know why either.” “Are you trying to placate me?” Wu Youren countered very calmly. The current him had the standing to speak like that. In the end, however, he added, “That apprentice ability master was very off.” Sister Hua's spirits lifted. “Off in what way?” Wu Youren pondered for a moment, then shook his head. “Knowing too much about some things isn't good.” Pausing, he added another sentence: “I don't know what's really up with ability masters either. I just felt like he was somewhat turning into a Guizu.” That ghostly phantom was truly impossible to explain clearly.