Sister Hua looked grave. After a few breaths of silence, she gave a soft snort. “Hmph, his awakening was rather bizarre to begin with.
“Awakening only at the knight stage is one thing, but the key point is that it happened after he turned thirty.”
Er Shan's awakening process had always been a mystery throughout the Intelligence Bureau.
Even so, the status of an apprentice ability master was already exceedingly noble, and the Intelligence Bureau understood the importance of intelligence better than anyone.
When someone once dropped a few veiled inquiries, he had flown into a furious rage. After that, nobody asked again, and it became a taboo topic within the bureau.
“You don't need to tell me this,” Wu Youren remarked, signaling that he had no interest in listening.
“I'm merely telling you that I don't care much about his death,” Sister Hua stated calmly.
Er Shan had already begun showing signs of becoming an uncontrollable factor. Had any other apprentice ability master died, she would never have let the matter drop so easily.
Since she was willing to make an overture of goodwill, Wu Youren naturally wouldn't reject it. “He heard from you that I have the potential to awaken?”
“That's completely normal,” Sister Hua answered bluntly. “For a foreign hostage, awakening is not a good thing—at least not something Great Liang wants to see.”
“It's nothing more than unfounded rumors,” Wu Youren said dismissively.
Yet he had no desire to argue with her, asking instead, “Did he want to dissect me and study my potential awakening mechanism?”
There was no need to wait for her to bring up worries about being sliced open on a lab table; he chose to lay it bare himself.
Such a thing—if Liang was willing to do it—would only be done in a colder and more ruthless fashion. Before the state apparatus, how could there be any mercy?
“That's very possible,” Sister Hua nodded without hesitation. Evidently, she had long anticipated that possibility.
The Intelligence Bureau wasn't in the least surprised by such methods, which showed plainly how they operated day to day.
It also spoke volumes about what kind of image that Er Shan had in the eyes of his colleagues.
Wu Youren gave a derisive snort. “This is your Great Liang Intelligence Bureau? Heh.”
“You don't need to probe me,” Sister Hua replied impassively. She was thoroughly versed in such conversational tactics.
She stated briskly, “In the short term, the Intelligence Bureau won't bother you again... because you keep your distance from Jin as well.”
This was the true reason she was treating this Jin youth with such courtesy.
Her earlier threats and intimidation were merely her personal modus operandi; she knew full well that he harbored no intention of stirring up trouble in Great Liang.
Furthermore, past facts proved that using threats or inducements on this person was exceedingly difficult.
He had likely resolved to keep his distance from every faction and look out only for himself.
For the Jin hostages, this was the hardest path to walk, but from a certain perspective, it was also the wisest choice.
In short, the target showed no allegiance and had no exploitable value, so there was no need for her to waste too much effort on him.
Sister Hua knew all too well how unscrupulous and insidious the subversives over at the Foreign Affairs Office could be.
Things even those people couldn't pull off... well, if the Intelligence Bureau got serious, they might not necessarily fail.
Yet a high investment with poor returns simply wasn't cost-effective.
The Intelligence Bureau had plenty on its plate; why poach business from the Foreign Affairs Office?
If he were softer or had obvious vulnerabilities that made him easy to manipulate, she naturally wouldn't mind taking the credit.
Still, when probing was called for, probe she would. “What do you plan to do next?”
“Fight the Guizu,” Wu Youren answered blankly. This trip into the mountains had yielded him another large haul of experience points.
Whether from the deaths of the ability master and the motorcycle rider, or from the Guizu he eliminated, the returns had been substantial.
Moreover, he could sense that Sister Hua's attitude toward him had shifted somewhat.
He couldn't be certain whether it was just a smokescreen with ulterior motives.
Although the reason she offered seemed plausible enough, could words coming from an agency like that truly be trusted?
Thus, his current choice was to linger at the edge of the mountains—if trouble struck again, he could just plunge straight into the mountains!
To Wu Youren's understanding, while he might be slightly stronger than before, he definitely couldn't withstand the Intelligence Bureau's machinations.
If he wanted them to leave him alone, the best option was to drive up their marginal costs.
If something is discretionary, and you insist on doing it, please consider the price first!
People will risk their necks for profit, but no one runs a losing venture; even in war, one must weigh cost against return!
If he could throw up a few more obstacles on the cost side, the odds of them backing off in the face of difficulty would be much higher.
“For now, I'll be staying nearby, waiting for Hong Da to arrive... If you in the Intelligence Bureau aren't satisfied with that, feel free to do as you please.”
“I've got no interest in dealing with you anymore,” Sister Hua said in a faint, distant tone. “However, the people of the Intelligence Bureau cannot have died in vain.”
“What does that have to do with me?” Wu Youren replied casually. “One died at the hands of the Guizu, and the other was killed by you.
“Worst comes to worst, I'll just head back into the mountains. Dying to the Guizu beats dying in human infighting any day!”
“Heh,” Sister Hua returned with a sneer. “How long do you think the Guizu domain here can last?”
“Every extra day alive is a bonus,” Wu Youren answered unhurriedly.
Chatting with someone whose every pore bristled with scheming minds meant that more words only invited more mistakes; he chose to keep his answers as simple as possible.
He could even be a little blunt: “You don't understand hostages, so drop it.”
Sister Hua fell silent. “You don't understand hostages” was only a few words, but why did it feel... so heavy?
“Fine then, let's drop the subject... Did your resentment crystal come from Er Shan?”
“Does that matter?” Wu Youren didn't deny it, nor did he intend to admit it. “You only get them by killing Guizu.”
The look on Sister Hua's face was somewhat peculiar. “I heard he had more than a dozen crystals.”
“He was carrying over ten thousand,” Wu Youren replied, deadpan. “If you go in to pick them up right now, you might still make it in time!”
“Why so agitated?” Sister Hua chuckled at his words—a thoroughly coquettish, showy laugh.
Her tight-fitting knight's attire could barely contain the undulating waves.
“What I meant to ask is, don't you need to replenish your ghost-destroying mines, ghost-dispelling powder, and the like?”
“Of course I need to replenish them,” Wu Youren nodded briskly, before adding with an embarrassed look, “but I'm afraid of the Intelligence Bureau, so I don't dare return to Red Pine.”
This was the unvarnished truth, and what was rarer still, he had stated it so directly.
“You don't need to test me,” Sister Hua smiled dismissively, showing she was immune to such talk. “If I urged you to go back to Red Pine right now, it would look like I'm setting a trap for you. So just stay here... What resources do you want?”
“For free?” Wu Youren's face was practically plastered with the words *flattered and overwhelmed*.
“For free... works too. But if I dare give it, do you dare take it?”
“Then let's trade instead. But I... as you know, I'm very poor.”
“You definitely still have resentment crystals on you!”
Wu Youren sighed. “I might not have any, but we could trade. Still, for a mere Martial Academy student like me, am I worthy?”
“Drop the act,” Sister Hua said, making it clear she wasn't buying it. “Whether you got them from Er Shan or you have to go back in to kill more Guizu, I'll supply the provisions in exchange for your resentment crystals.
“If I'm keeping your secret, I ought to get something out of it, don't you think?”
Wu Youren cut her a sidelong glance. “Why isn't it me keeping your secret?”
*Please get one thing straight: the one who delivered the death blow to a colleague was you, not me!*
Sister Hua remained entirely unruffled, asking with a half-smile instead, “How come I never noticed before that you could haggle over every penny like this?
“If this matter were brought out into the open, which of us do you think would be in a worse spot?”
Wu Youren fell silent. Only after a pause did he speak up: “Does the Intelligence Bureau have death quotas?”
“Oh? You even know about that?” Sister Hua arched a brow and gave him an astonished look—such precocious wisdom at such a tender age?
A moment later, she shook her head. “It's more than that... How do you think the military will suppress this scandal?”
She wasn't the only one who had struck to offer a pledge of loyalty.
“Hmm...” Wu Youren pondered for a moment, then shook his head blankly. “I don't know. What relationship do they have with the Intelligence Bureau?”
“Don't go poking your nose into that,” Sister Hua warned sternly, highly sensitive to such topics.
Then, turning the conversation, she added meaningfully, “The military prefers things simple and crude. Understood?”
Seeing him still looking clueless, she snorted coldly. “Don't play dumb in front of me!
“I don't believe for a second you haven't realized you'd be silenced.”
“Sil... enced?” Wu Youren looked dumbfounded. Only after quite some time did he mutter under his breath, “The adult world is so dangerous!”
“Tsk,” Sister Hua gave a contemptuous grunt, seemingly convinced that he was putting on an act.
In truth, she was also reminding herself not to be fooled by his youthful face.
“So, do you still intend to refuse this trade?”
Wu Youren fell silent. Only after a good while did he ask, “Can resentment crystals... truly help someone awaken?”
Resentment crystals were virtually useless to him, but he had to raise this question. It served to demonstrate his greed, which was equivalent to placing a weakness in her hands.
“I'd advise you to stop coveting that,” Sister Hua said languidly. “For you, remaining unawakened is better than awakening. You'd best believe me.”
The Jin youth sank into contemplation once more, then inquired cautiously, “Can I ask for any supplies I want?”
“What are you dreaming of?” Sister Hua scoffed with a chuckle. “Mainly supplies for battling the Guizu, and nothing of excessive power either.
“Aside from that, I can provide some daily necessities.”
Wu Youren thought it over once more before answering, “We trade at market price.”
“Out of the question. Seventy percent of market value,” Sister Hua answered without hesitation.
“This is practically doorstep delivery, and many of these items are easy for the Intelligence Bureau to procure, while you couldn't buy them anywhere.”
*There's no way I can trust your supplies unconditionally!* Wu Youren saw through it clearly.
To say nothing else, with food and water alone, he didn't dare bet on her integrity.
If they were spiked with something addictive, the moment he ingested it, he would be firmly in their grip.
He himself had tricked others with food; with the way the Intelligence Bureau operated, they would have even less of a bottom line.
After a long pause, he shook his head slowly. “Eighty percent, or the deal is off... I'm very poor.”
Chapter 101