Reinforcements

When Wu Youren showed up, it was evening once again, and Sister Hua was waiting beside his cave. Seeing him emerge, the female warrior gave a soft laugh. "Quite fast this time. Two crystals?" "Yeah." Wu Youren nodded. "Didn't want to wait around any longer. I came out to hear news about the big battle." "No news. Those up top are still squabbling," Sister Hua replied calmly. "Though some barbarians have begun trickling in to join the fight." "Oh." Wu Youren didn't press further, staying true to his taciturn persona. Regardless, handing over the crystals was the real business. He bypassed meaningless pleasantries—at its core, their relationship was transactional. Right then, a figure flashed by, and the military knight predictably arrived. Having watched the two finish appraising the value of the crystals, he spoke up, "How many days will you rest this time?" "I'm not resting," Wu Youren stated straightforwardly. "Since the barbarians are entering the mountains, I'm heading back to Red Pine!" "Now you're... taking it too far," the soldier said, his face darkening. "I've already bragged to everyone, and now you're telling me you're quitting?" "Those are barbarians," Wu Youren said, spreading his hands helplessly. "They don't reason with people!" "Huh?" A flicker of surprise crossed the soldier's eyes. "Did you run into them?" "Do I really need to run into them first?" Wu Youren shook his head in amusement. "'Barbarians'... aren't those two words enough?" "The little guy is indeed very cautious." For once, the female knight from the Intelligence Bureau actually spoke up on his behalf. Of course, it could also be taken as mocking Jin people for being cowardly; it all depended on how one heard it. The soldier, however, refused to drop the matter. "I can assign two soldiers to protect him!" Sister Hua didn't even bother to respond: *Did you forget how fiercely the kid resisted that last time?* However, those words reminded Wu Youren. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, "Sister Hua, where is that subordinate of yours?" He didn't genuinely care about the man's whereabouts; he merely wanted to subtly remind the soldier. Sister Hua's response, however, was unexpected. Raising her chin with a faint smile, she said, "He went into the mountains too..." "Not long after you went in, he followed you inside—alone!" "Alone?" Wu Youren's expression shifted slightly. "Such nerve... I'm impressed!" "Hm?" Sister Hua shot him a sidelong glance. "Why do I feel like you're praising yourself?" Judging from these words alone, one might assume their relationship was close, but that was hardly the case. At least Wu Youren didn't think so—after spending enough time together, even a prisoner and a prison guard could share a laugh or two! He shook his head. "He's different from me. I had no other choice... Sister Hua, I don't want supplies this time. I want money." "Money is impossible," Sister Hua shook her head flatly. "You haven't finished your quota yet. Dream on!" "Then you can owe me," Wu Youren said, truly having no intention of indulging her anymore. "And I'll acknowledge that I still owe you a task!" "Don't be so quick to refuse," Sister Hua said, her expression shifting slightly. "I can trade at a ten percent discount." "We agreed on twenty percent off before," the youth said with a chuckle, shaking his head. "Sister, raising your price like this gives me the creeps." "If you don't want to stay here, we can switch places," the soldier said, far less fussy. "How about I find you another Guizu domain?" "Is that appropriate?" Wu Youren didn't flatly refuse, though he wore a hesitant look. "I am, after all, a... you know, from Jin." "..." The soldier fell silent for a long moment before turning to the female knight. "If you're willing to help, it would be easy." Transferring another country's hostage out of Tianjing was a violation of protocol. It was not that the military could not do it—if rules were never broken, why bother establishing them in the first place? However, the cost of bending the rules was rather steep for them. If the Intelligence Bureau handled it, they could probably gloss over it with any flimsy excuse. "Why on earth should I help?" Sister Hua snapped upon hearing that. "Because he's good-looking?" "Forget it then," Wu Youren said, hastily waving his hands. *As long as we don't bring looks into this, we can still be friends.* "Tianjing is fine. I'm used to being pampered, so I probably couldn't endure the hardships of the provinces." "Save your breath," Sister Hua said indifferently. "In any case, your point is that you don't intend to enter the mountains again?" Wu Youren did not answer directly. "A debt is a debt. I acknowledge what I owe." "Then you decide," Sister Hua said, turning to the soldier. "Judging by the way the higher-ups are carrying on, this won't be settled anytime soon." The court debates surrounding this Guizu domain near Tianjing seemed quite fierce. The soldier pondered for a while before finally gritting his teeth. "Tianjing really is too perilous. Going to another region could be considered." To outsiders, it merely looked like a Guizu domain was on the verge of forming and the imperial court held differing opinions on how to handle it. Yet hailing from the metropolitan garrison, he had heard enough to know that court struggles were never so simple. No matter how straightforward an affair seemed, once disputes arose, personal vendettas, factional alignments... and even ideological clashes would inevitably come into play. And of course, self-interest. Sister Hua chuckled coldly without speaking, only voicing her thoughts after a long silence. "For a mere few resentment crystals... it's hardly worth the trouble." The Intelligence Bureau possessed immense power; whenever they set their minds to something, hardly anyone could stand in their way. Yet even an entity as formidable as the Intelligence Bureau had to weigh costs against benefits, and in her eyes, it was not worth it. A flash of disappointment crossed the soldier's eyes, but he nodded nonetheless. "If it's not worth it, we'll wait for a suitable opportunity." Sister Hua remained silent, nodding faintly after a moment without a word. Seeing that neither of them spoke, Wu Youren asked, "Is there anything else?" The soldier glanced at him silently, while Sister Hua asked offhandedly, "Heading back already?" "Resting for a night works too," Wu Youren said, taking out a waterskin and gulping down two mouthfuls. "I'm exhausted." Though he might have seemed carefree in the mountains, Guizu aura had surrounded him everywhere. While mishaps were rare, a single slip meant utter destruction. His nerves had been taut the entire time, and holding out for over a dozen days took a heavy toll. "Stay a couple more days," Sister Hua remarked casually. "What if things change?" Wu Youren did not object. Rushing back would look too deliberate. Even without waiting for the matter of the two from the Teli Tribe to come to light, merely arousing Sister Hua's suspicion would cause unnecessary trouble. He nodded casually. "That works too. What kind of changes could happen?" "Watch it, and know your place," Sister Hua said, glancing at him. "What, are you addicted to prying for information?" Wu Youren scoffed softly and muttered, "Then don't start the topic in the first place just to whet people's appetites." "The little guy is getting full of himself," Sister Hua smiled, looking at the soldier. "Growing a temper, are we?" *You're the one in debt, yet you're completely shameless!* Unable to say it outright, Wu Youren could only chug two more mouthfuls of water. Swallowing it down, he said, "These next few days will give you time to cash me out." Seeing this, the military knight shook his head slightly. *The kid really refuses to get the short end of the stick!* Yet after two days of waiting, during which Sister Hua came and went without ever mentioning cashing him out, Wu Youren did not press her either. Near noon on the fourth day, faint gunshots suddenly drifted in from outside the mountains. Sporadic gunfire had been audible from time to time over the past few days, but this volley was comparatively dense. Wu Youren stepped out of his cave and peered into the distance. Visibility was poor, so he could not make out what was happening. Still, he did not care much. Most of the gunfire came from ordinary bullets, not ghost-vanquishing bullets. It was not Guizu aura bursting from the mountains, but an internal dispute among warriors. Since it had nothing to do with Guizu and he was currently situated within the military's zone of effective control, what trouble could possibly arise? Even if a barbarian chieftain charged up the ridge with his tribesmen, he would still have to consider the military's reaction. Even as the thought crossed his mind, rumbling explosions sounded. "Tsk, they're even using grenades." Just then, the intercom on his wristwatch crackled to life. "Is everything alright on the mountain?" It was Sister Hua speaking, though he didn't know where she was at the moment. Immediately following, the military knight responded, "All clear for now. We're investigating. No idea which lunatic went crazy." "Understood," Sister Hua said crisply. "I'm heading over now, will be there shortly." Five or six minutes later, the gunfire gradually died down. Any longer, and it truly would have been a full-blown riot. However, though Sister Hua had said "shortly," it took her twenty minutes to reach the mountain ridge. The moment she appeared, the military knight showed up from another direction. This was not unspoken coordination between them, but rather the knight's reluctance to spend too much time alone with Wu Youren—it was too easy to invite suspicion. Upon showing himself, he stated, "Just infighting among the barbarians. No need to mind them." "Damn it," Sister Hua snorted. "No wonder I caught a rank stench. It's ruining the air quality!" Many elites in Liang harbored deep-seated prejudices against the barbarians. The soldier did not pick up on that remark. Instead, he looked at the youth. "Find some time to draw up a diagram of the traps you set in the mountains." Wu Youren went quiet, taking a long time before replying, "The materials for those traps cost me good money." It was not that he was obsessed with money; rather, why should others take over and freely use the traps he had painstakingly set? "It's so people can avoid them," the soldier explained, then countered, "If someone gets hurt, will you take responsibility?" "No need to rush him," Sister Hua chimed in. "If he really draws that diagram for you, wouldn't he have an excuse to go back to Red Pine?" "And why can't he go back to Red Pine?" A raspy, smoky voice rang out. With a flicker of movement, Grand Knight Hong Yan appeared. "Sister Hong!" Sister Hua greeted her with a smile. She had previously claimed to know Instructor Hong, and it turned out she genuinely did. "Greetings, Grand Knight Hong," Wu Youren hurried to greet her as well. "It's not that I didn't want to return..." Instructor Hong had informed him earlier to get ready to enter the mountains before long. Yet after stepping out of the Martial Academy to gather intel, he had never gone back. Counting the days, it had already been over two months. "I know," Hong Yan said, glancing at Sister Hua. Seeing that they were acquaintances, it wasn't quite appropriate to make a scene with her. She turned to the soldier, asking expressionlessly, "Are you the one keeping him from going back?" The military knight could have cited military duties and refused to bow to a grand knight. Yet he felt there was no reason to needlessly make an enemy. Although she was not in the military, as an instructor at the Martial Academy, her disciples were scattered across the land. "It's mainly that a lot has happened with the barbarians recently, so it's not very safe for him to head back... He can be of greater use here."