Ordinary soldiers had always kept the Intelligence Bureau at arm's length—the Military Intelligence Division handled dealings with them.
Yet when resentment crystals were involved, it was well worth making an exception.
The military knight had harbored suspicions earlier as to why the Intelligence Bureau clung so stubbornly to an apprentice knight.
When it came to hostages from enemy nations, Great Liang had plenty. Did they really need this one?
Now that he understood, he was ready to state his position. "I said before, the military isn't short on ability masters!"
Sister Hua waved a dismissive hand, replying coolly, "I'm not interested in military intelligence!"
The soldier ignored her entirely, looking instead at Wu Youren. "However, we do lack cultivation resources for ability masters."
The Jin youth looked at him, his eyes filled with bewilderment: *What does that have to do with me?*
"You can stop thinking about it," Sister Hua remarked indifferently. "Colluding with a hostage from an enemy state... what does the military intend to do?"
"It's merely a transaction," the military knight answered casually. "If the two of you weren't making a deal, I certainly wouldn't meddle."
It was only natural for the Intelligence Bureau to have contact with foreign hostages; why would he interfere with that?
"Since it's a transaction, everyone present deserves a cut!"
Earlier, his attitude toward the Jin youth had been far from friendly. Liang's military had suffered catastrophic losses in the war twelve years ago.
Now, however, this was a contest over resources, an entirely different matter. In the army, when an opportunity arose, one had to seize it without hesitation.
"Everyone deserves a cut?" Sister Hua sneered disdainfully. "Save your bandit habits.
"I'd like to see who dares reach their hand out to take from our Intelligence Bureau!"
"You're doing this on personal business, and so am I," the military knight replied unhurriedly.
He drove straight to the crux of the matter: "Who would dare openly acknowledge this moonlighting of yours?"
Without question, while the Intelligence Bureau did not strictly forbid side gigs and turning a blind eye was routine, it could never be brought out into the open.
Sister Hua tipped her chin toward the youth. "Ask him yourself. See if he dares accept!"
The military could not control a hostage, but if the Intelligence Bureau wanted to make his life miserable, they could conjure up a hundred pretexts at will.
Furthermore, she knew the boy's father had died in the closing stages of that war; in terms of family vendettas, it was immense.
The military knight paid her no heed, keeping his gaze fixed on Wu Youren. "I advise you to think this over carefully.
"She can't stand guard here every single day, but I'm always around!"
It truly was military style: coercion and inducement laid completely bare.
"It makes no difference to me whom I give them to," Wu Youren said after a moment's contemplation. "In any case, the agreement is already set for eight crystals in total."
"Eight crystals." The military knight glanced at Sister Hua. "You really dared open your mouth so wide. Aren't you afraid this little fellow will die in the Guizu aura?"
Crystals were hardly easy to come by. When Er Shan, the deceased apprentice ability master, had died earlier, he had only been carrying two resentment crystals on him.
"It saves him a great deal of trouble. It's well worth it," Sister Hua answered impassively, utterly unconcerned about the boy's survival.
She declared firmly, "Not one less than the eight crystals promised to me!"
The soldier continued to disregard her, merely staring at the Jin youth. "Then you'll need to consider your own safety."
Wu Youren pondered for a long while before speaking. "I sincerely hope Jin and Liang can enjoy long-term friendly relations!"
*The little fellow... certainly knows how to endure!* The corner of Sister Hua's mouth twitched. *If your father hadn't died, why would you ever have been sent here as a hostage?*
To be the descendant of a 'soon-to-awaken builder'—just how unwanted and unloved by all must he have been back home to be dispatched to Liang?
Wu Youren paused, then continued, "I don't wish to cause any misunderstandings. How about I push myself harder and trade... three more with you, my lord?"
"Three?" The soldier's face darkened at once. "We are both knights, kid. Just how much are you looking down on me?"
"I was originally going to say two," the youth replied helplessly. "The drop rate for crystals is really low."
Sister Hua became even more displeased upon hearing this. "Two knights from my Intelligence Bureau also perished in the Guizu calamity!"
Yet the soldier refused to relent. In the end, they settled on four, making twelve crystals in total between both parties.
Wu Youren took the initiative to offer the military a twenty-percent discount as well, expressing his heartfelt hope that the two nations would maintain enduring goodwill.
"At least you have some sense," the military knight grunted. "I originally intended to buy them at half price!"
Fifty percent off was practically daylight robbery, wasn't it? Wu Youren smiled and nodded. "Then I'll be counting on your lordship to look after my safety."
Seeing things had reached this point, Sister Hua had no way to stop it. She could only snort coldly. "You're going to have your hands full from now on."
The youth did not look at her, turning his gaze toward the soldier instead. "And if I manage to bring out other spoils of war?"
"Half price," the military knight answered without a second thought. "As for cold weapons... ten percent, twenty percent at most!
"I'm not bullying you. Spoils of war from the battlefield are entirely different from market prices!"
From a soldier's perspective, there was nothing wrong with that statement.
In truth, surviving continuous fierce battles was already a massive gain for any soldier; scavenging a few spoils was all too easy.
Cold weapons went without saying: they sold at high prices among the common populace, but would the military ever lack such things?
"I can take them too, ten percent higher," Sister Hua countered decisively, driving up the price. "Consider whom you'd rather sell to."
Wu Youren was rendered somewhat speechless. "What I meant was... am I allowed to take them with me?"
"Depends on the situation," the soldier replied evenly. "By the way, she's already taken two. The next one is mine."
"You!" Sister Hua glared at him fiercely, but ultimately said nothing more.
Wu Youren watched the two squabble without offering any further opinion.
As meat on another's chopping block, he had already done well to secure a few concessions for himself; overreaching would only backfire.
Before the two could finish working things out, he set to work modifying his temporary shelter.
Sister Hua had expanded it previously, but he wanted to make it more comfortable and install a few trap mechanisms.
Remarkably, once the two reached an understanding, the military knight took the initiative to ask, "Do you need me to send some soldiers over to help you dig the cave?"
Wu Youren was genuinely surprised this time. He had heard that Liang military officers frequently assigned soldiers to do personal chores without paying them a copper.
Being given a good meal was considered generous—did the barracks not have food?
Could he, a hostage from an enemy nation, actually receive such treatment?
He hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. "That... thank you, my lord, but there's no need. I don't even know how many days I'll be staying here."
He would be spending the vast majority of his time deep in the mountains. More importantly, he didn't want outsiders to learn the layout of his dwelling.
*He'd have to be out of his mind to accept your help!* Sister Hua knew this all too well.
Even so, she didn't point it out to the military knight, instead returning to her earlier topic. "Why do I get the feeling that you're close to awakening?"
Wu Youren blinked, his face blank with confusion. "Does Sister Hua mean you can provide me with some materials on awakening?"
Beneath his outward bewilderment, he was cursing frantically inside: *Do your eyes have to be so damn sharp?*
Bringing it up again and again—if you've got the guts, why not hand over some materials?
He had indeed hit a bottleneck, not in the path of a knight, but in the Daoist system.
His qi nurturing had reached capacity. The twelve standard meridians and eight extraordinary vessels were completely unblocked, so brimming that the energy threatened to overflow.
When he had come out this time, his plan had been to prepare a large stockpile of provisions, head straight into the mountains for two to three months, and only emerge after advancing to the next realm.
Who would have guessed Sister Hua possessed such terrifyingly keen eyesight that she could spot even this?
"Materials on awakening? What are you dreaming about?" The female knight looked at him with a faint smile. "Have you forgotten my warning?
"Besides, even if I dared give them to you, would you dare practice them?"
"Of course I would!" Wu Youren answered without hesitation. "I've had enough of living hand-to-mouth, never knowing if I'll see tomorrow!
"If there's a way to increase my strength, I'll attempt it without a second thought. At the very least, it would give me more ability to protect myself."
This was the mindset a youth ought to have. It didn't align with Liang's political correctness, but it was honest to the core.
"For a hostage... that is indeed the case." The military knight nodded. Setting aside personal preferences, the boy spoke the truth.
He didn't miss the chance to put Sister Hua on the spot either. "Then why don't you procure a set of awakening materials for him?"
"Why don't you go get one!" The female knight's eyes flashed with anger.
"Don't I lack the means?" The military knight spread his hands, remarking nonchalantly, "Your department... isn't short on them!"
Sister Hua couldn't help shaking her head. "You soldiers have nothing but muscle between your ears!"
Privately helping an enemy hostage awaken versus quietly pocketing a little side money—the severity of the two differed by at least three orders of magnitude!
With matters having come to this, she had nothing more to say. She turned and departed directly.
The next resentment crystal wouldn't belong to her anyway, so what was the point of lingering?
Wu Youren rested in the cave for three days before quietly departing in the middle of the night.
More than twenty days had passed since he had last procured food and water from the Martial Academy, and his reserves were running low. He intended to secure another batch.
He sought out Cynthia once again; there was no need to trouble a second party when one was already familiar.
This time, however, the female martial artist did not come with Rossi; she brought Liu Jingming along instead.
When Rossi had come out last time, he had wanted to accompany Wu Youren into the mountains. After being refused, he likely disliked pointless socializing and decided not to show up.
Cynthia explained that Rossi had just accepted a mission in Tianjing and needed to make preparations before departing in a couple of days.
Wu Youren couldn't be bothered with any of that. He was simply curious how Liu Jingming had managed to leave the Martial Academy.
Upon asking, he learned it wasn't surprising at all: Liu Jingming had been assigned a mandatory mission.
The deceased hostage He Wenhao had lost his life during precisely this kind of assignment.
Liu Jingming was thoroughly indignant about it. "How long have I even been here, and they're already assigning me a mandatory mission? Someone's messing with me!"
Wu Youren chuckled. "Then your ability to draw aggro is far greater than mine. Nobody hates me to that degree."
"Isn't it because of... that?" Liu Jingming shot him a meaningful wink, his implication obvious.
"Stop beating around the bush. Isn't it just a bit of honey?" Cynthia said impatiently. "Do you think I'd covet your little stash?"
"Oh, what honey?" Wu Youren asked, looking astonished.
The female martial artist rolled her eyes, too lazy to engage him, though she said nothing harsh.
"This really is... comparing people makes you want to die, and comparing goods makes you want to throw them away!" Liu Jingming gritted his teeth in frustration. "Back in the day, I was handsome too!"
Chapter 104