The two bargained for a long time, but the Jin hostage refused to yield a single inch.
He even brought up the Life-and-Death Knot again, stating that he might still be extorted by them.
As for Chief Instructor Hong Yan, he dared not mention her carelessly, lest he face another punitive shakedown.
“The Life-and-Death Knot... hehe,” Sister Hua let out an enigmatic chuckle.
Pausing a moment, she added, “You want to instigate a clash between our two sides? You're not very old, kid, but you've got a vicious heart.”
“Uh, it can be understood like that?” Wu Youren looked thoroughly bewildered. “The adult world is truly so dangerous!”
“Keep playing dumb,” Sister Hua scoffed with disdain.
It was hard to tell whether she genuinely didn't believe him or was merely reminding herself not to fall into his trap.
She left into the night. Half an hour later, Wu Youren also slipped away quietly.
He couldn't completely trust her, and over these past few days, his provisions had dwindled.
He had only set out to gather intel in the first place—how much food could he possibly have packed?
He had indeed prepared a bit extra of things like ghost-destroying mines, hoping he might reap a wave of experience points if the chance arose.
Yet he didn't have many left now, and for such costly supplies, he intended to trade his remaining resentment crystal.
By the time he reached the vicinity of Red Pine, the sky was just beginning to pale with dawn, and martial artists were patrolling back and forth.
Wu Youren's identity medallion was genuine, and he could pass the test of a biguijue, so his journey was completely unobstructed.
Instead of returning directly to the Martial Academy, he contacted Cynthia on his wristwatch and asked her to purchase a large quantity of food and water on his behalf.
“I originally didn't want to rely on my face, but whatever, I'll pay her an errand fee.”
Sometime before noon, Cynthia emerged from the Martial Academy. Surprisingly, Knight Rossi accompanied her, driving that makeshift vehicle he had assembled from spare parts.
She had procured quite a mountain of food this time, filling the vehicle's cargo bed to the brim—no wonder she had borrowed Rossi's truck.
The moment they met, she couldn't help complaining, “Couldn't you have said something before running off?
“Don't you care about your vegetable plot at all? I ended up having to watch over it every day.”
Wu Youren replied with a smile, “I thought I'd be back in a day or two. Who knew... haha.”
Though the food and water were plentiful, they hadn't cost much, even with a fair amount of meat included.
A mere sixty or seventy silver dollars was nothing in his eyes at this point.
Cynthia accepted a gold coin and offered to fetch even more supplies so they could all head into the mountains together.
All in all, she was a thoughtful girl without any pretension, even thinking to look after his vegetable garden while he was away.
*My ambitions don't lie there!* Wu Youren expressed his gratitude and asked if she could keep looking after it.
He couldn't spend his days buried in farming, but for now, it was truly necessary as a cover.
As for Cynthia's desire to join him in slaying Guizu, he flatly turned her down.
Rossi's willingness to drive out was also driven by a wish to team up again and see more of the world.
He had worked with the Jin hostage before and had some understanding of his capabilities.
Though he wasn't entirely sure how much the danger would be reduced, there had to be a reason why Chief Instructor Hong Yan chose Wu Youren.
The youth's current generosity with money was night and day compared to before; he had clearly made a fortune slaying Guizu!
Wu Youren, however, was resolute. “It's not convenient for you two to get involved in what I need to do.”
Rossi compromised and suggested, “With a whole truckload of food and water, I should at least help you drive it out of the mountains, right?”
Yet the Jin hostage refused again, stating that he would carry as much as he could himself and try to take it all.
What a joke. This was his precaution against the Intelligence Bureau tampering with the food and water; it had to be kept strictly under wraps.
Otherwise, if they discovered he was on guard, other complications might arise.
Driving a vehicle like that out of the mountains—did he think everyone along the road was blind?
At this point, Cynthia refused to let it slide, insisting on an explanation: “What on earth are you up to?”
Rossi was even more blunt. “You aren't trying to take this chance to escape back to Jin, are you?”
“If I tried to flee back to Jin, neither country would let me off,” Wu Youren replied somewhat helplessly.
In the end, he could only say, “I took on a mission outside the Martial Academy. Don't ask any more—knowing too much isn't good for you!”
Cynthia stared blankly for a good while before asking, “What about the vegetable plot, then?”
“I definitely still have to farm it,” Wu Youren answered with a rueful grimace. “I'll have to trouble you to look after it.
“With my status, there are things I can't escape... but the income from farming is the safest.”
*If you only farm, you'll starve!* Cynthia couldn't help rolling her eyes. To attempt the breakthrough to knight in the future, he would need considerable resources.
She knew all too well how his recent windfall had come about.
Yet since it touched upon unspeakable matters, she wisely chose silence.
Rossi, on the other hand, asked, “Since you won't be back anytime soon, what will you do if Hong Da looks for you to hunt Guizu?”
Wu Youren was silent for a long while before sighing softly. “When the time comes, if she heads outside the mountains, she can just spend a few extra days trying to reach me.”
Seeing his attitude, the two were rendered speechless. With his lips sealed so tight, the matter was evidently serious.
In the end, Wu Youren packed up nearly all the provisions, consolidating them into three enormous bundles.
Each bundle was roughly as tall as he was.
Together, the three bundles weighed four to five hundred jin. Fortunately, his cultivation had improved significantly; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to carry them far at all.
Along the way, patrolmen asked him what was going on.
Wu Youren explained that he had taken on an external mission to transport food and water... and the specifics were confidential.
Some questioned him, but after a spot check confirmed he was indeed only hauling food and water, they didn't even bother trying to conscript him.
The Guizu crisis was severe right now. The government and the military had committed immense manpower and resources, yet had only barely managed to stabilize the situation.
Under these circumstances, rumors were rampant, and covert missions across different departments were numerous; prying into them carelessly was unwise.
The load was simply too heavy. Wu Youren spent an entire day hauling the supplies up to the mountain ridge.
He was exhausted as a dog, yet dared not rest. Working through the night, he dug several pits and concealed the caches separately.
For some reason, this plot of stashing supplies all over felt oddly familiar to Wu Youren.
*This scene... where have I seen it before?*
Fortunately, he had finished everything overnight. Around noon the next day, Sister Hua hailed him via wristwatch to let him know she had brought the supplies.
In addition to ghost-dispelling powder, ghost-vanquishing bullets, and ghost-destroying mines, she had brought first-aid kits, food, water, and other living supplies.
Wu Youren handed over his final resentment crystal. Once she left, he dug another pit and buried all the food and water!
He didn't even place a marker on this hidden cache. If someone happened to dig it up in the future and suffered for it... well, that would just be Liang folk reaping what they sowed!
He then meditated for two days before stepping into the white fog once more.
Eight days later, Sister Hua arrived on the mountain ridge again. Unsurprisingly, military personnel arrived right on her heels.
It was the same knight from last time. Frowning upon seeing her, he grumbled, “What are you up to now?”
“You're not bad,” Sister Hua snorted softly. “You know where the line is.”
The soldier knew what she meant and replied without hesitation, “Count yourself sensible. Did you really think the military was afraid of the Intelligence Bureau?”
The matter was behind them, yet both felt the need to take a jab at the other to reinforce the point.
“I can't be bothered with you,” Sister Hua remarked indifferently before changing the subject. “Has he shown up recently?”
“How would I know?” the soldier retorted casually. “I'm warning you, don't stir up any more trouble, or I'll report it up the chain!”
With that, their stories aligned, and both sides remained at peace!
Sister Hua said dismissively, “As long as you don't interfere, there won't be any problem.”
The soldier's mouth moved as if to say something, but in the end, he let out a soft sigh and turned to leave.
He was genuinely curious about what had occurred, but as a soldier, it was better to keep things simple.
Sister Hua didn't prolong the squabble either, gazing thoughtfully toward the dense white fog ahead.
She paced back and forth along the surrounding ridge until dusk, when she finally vanished.
The military knight had been watching her from afar the whole time. Even after she disappeared, his expression remained solemn.
“Sir,” an apprentice knight beside him piped up, “how long have you had a crush on her?”
“Fuck off!” The knight lashed out with a kick at the guy upon hearing that. “Is there fucking nothing in that head of yours besides women?”
Three days later, Wu Youren finally emerged from the white fog.
Though exhausted, he took the small shovel from his back and began digging beside a boulder.
He needed to excavate a private hiding burrow where he could rest and meditate.
He was already doing his best to muffle the noise, but it was impossible to be entirely soundless.
The military knight materialized quietly beside him. “It's been so long, and you still haven't returned?”
“I'd like to go back, but I can't,” Wu Youren said, not in the least surprised by his appearance.
“Being targeted by certain people leaves me with few choices.”
“Then carry on,” the soldier said, his figure flickering away into nothingness.
The Liang military had little fondness for Jin folk, but the Intelligence Bureau... wasn't a good crowd either.
Wu Youren didn't mind. His harvest had been quite substantial this time, and he needed to focus on digesting his gains.
Not until dusk the following day did he emerge from the makeshift shelter. Pulling up his wristwatch, he sighed helplessly.
“All right, I received it. What are your instructions?”
About ten minutes later, a figure appeared on the ridge, scanned left and right, and locked onto his position.
Sister Hua walked up to the youth and asked in dissatisfaction, “Why did you only come out now... hungry?”
The food and water she had provided him were only enough for five to six days, with the bulk of the supplies consisting of combat resources like ghost-vanquishing bullets.
Normally, there was nothing wrong with this. Preparing more combat supplies when fighting Guizu—could anyone fault that?
Moreover, such resources were generally scarcer, harder to obtain, and far more valuable.
Yet when supplying daily necessities, she had kept an angle in mind, providing only enough for about seven to eight days.
Factoring in a young person's faster metabolism and the intensity of combat, lasting five to six days was the best one could hope for.
“I can also hunt in there,” Wu Youren replied impassively. “Things like flying foxes are rarely corrupted by Guizu.”
“Flying foxes...” Sister Hua looked dumbfounded upon hearing that. “You actually dare to eat those things?”
Chapter 102