For an apprentice knight to dare speak to a grand knight in such a manner could practically be considered madness.
Yet oddly enough, the other side fell silent for three or four seconds before a cold voice asked, "Whose subordinate are you?"
"None of your damn business!" Wu Youren replied without the slightest hesitation, not caring in the least that his interlocutor was a grand knight.
"My boss Jeff is waiting right outside the Guizu domain. Don't you dare step outside if you've got the guts!"
"What the hell... a mere apprentice knight..." Infuriated, the grand knight opposite let out a scornful laugh.
Outside the Guizu domain, an apprentice knight who dared speak to him like that wouldn't have even required him to lift a finger; the insolent brat would have been chopped to pieces in the blink of an eye.
Yet the New Army was truly troublesome. Jeff hadn't dared to challenge Xia'erzi without reason.
Tearing this apprentice knight to shreds would be effortless, but Jeff was indeed among those sent by the New Army this time!
Now that they turned out to be from the New Army, all their previous reckless actions had a plausible explanation.
They really were a bunch of green recruits, but their courage was commendable, and in their scramble for merit, they were liable to pull all sorts of stunts.
"Get lost. I can't be bothered with you. Keep your mouth shut in the future—don't think everyone will cater to you."
"How strange," Manna chimed in, refusing to let the matter go. "Who provoked who first?"
"If we weren't Lord Jeff's subordinates, would we... have been murdered for our treasures?"
"What are you complaining about?" The grand knight opposite flared up as well. "A squad this weak deserves to be killed, doesn't it?"
Two knights plus an apprentice knight—what else did they expect?
Manna was at a loss for words. She had only seized the opportunity to borrow authority and act tough; how could she have thought that far ahead?
Wu Youren, however, kept up effortlessly—chiefly because failing to do so might arouse the other side's suspicion.
He had no choice but to speak. "Thank you for showing mercy, my lord. Could you favor us with your name so that we may report it to Commander Jeff?"
This was a blatant provocation, though not quite an outright insult.
"A mere ant dares make such noise?" The grand knight snorted coldly. "I won't waste my breath on you... We hail from Count Shengming's estate!"
Wu Youren had originally intended to leave things at that—dissuade the other party from any unrealistic notions and avoid future trouble.
There was a grand knight on the other side; did they really want to fight?
Yet hearing the words "Count Shengming's estate," he froze slightly... Could it really be such a coincidence? That angel investor?
Meanwhile, the grand knight was also watching their reactions closely—they claimed to be Jeff's subordinates, but what if they weren't?
He truly could not afford that humiliation!
He scoffed, "I wonder if Commander Jeff has the guts to go to the count's estate and verify whether I'm an impostor?"
It was a move to seize the initiative... The kid's reaction had seemed off, so he had to test the waters.
Yet at this critical moment, Rossi stepped up as well.
He finally remembered the deal with Count Shengming's estate. "Anping Trading?"
"Hah!" The grand knight sneered. "Everyone knows that. What are you trying to say?"
Rossi collected himself. "When the incident in Suotu occurred, people from Anping Trading were on the scene."
As he spoke, he glanced at the Jin youth: *You haven't forgotten about that supply depot, have you?*
The grand knight paused slightly. In his memory, there seemed to have been such an incident.
Among the people who went that time, some had even perished. But how did this squad know about it?
If they were just any random nobodies, how could they have noticed such a minor affair?
Fortunately, he was shrouded in the white fog and they couldn't see his expression. He grunted again and repeated his question. "What are you getting at?"
*I'm already pissed off. Cut the nonsense.*
Wu Youren, however, assumed Rossi's glance was meant for him to take over.
*Wasn't acting as a guide enough? Now I have to come up with ideas too? Why is keeping a low profile so damn hard?*
Still, Rossi's relationship with Instructor Hong didn't seem as close as his own, so Rossi's caution was understandable.
Wu Youren said in a deep voice, "The origin of the Guizu anomaly in Suotu remains unclear. The count's estate would do well to exercise restraint."
"Well, I'll be," the grand knight nearly laughed. "A mere ant dares speak like that?"
*Who the hell do you think you are? That's not how you pin a label on someone!*
"I have said my piece," Wu Youren replied impassively, long accustomed to avoiding useless arguments. "Consider it as you see fit, my lord."
The grand knight fell silent. This subtle, unreadable demeanor...
A mere apprentice knight wouldn't cause a ripple in his mind, but the New Army... that demanded wariness.
Among the knights beside him was a clever sort. Seeing his boss in a tough spot, he interjected decisively, "Who gave you permission to attack a Guizu aura cluster?"
Wu Youren held his tongue this time, and Rossi remained silent as well, but Manna couldn't stomach it.
Her brow arched. "Which of your eyes saw us attack a Guizu aura cluster?"
Wu Youren asked aloud, "Still recording?"
"Yes," Manna nodded, offering nothing more.
The sharp knight reacted quickly. "So what if you're recording? Don't you know attacking a Guizu aura cluster is taboo?"
"Slander all you want; I have the footage to prove it," Manna sneered. "I'd like to ask instead..."
"Why did you chase us all this way?"
"Unsavory behavior like this," Rossi snorted, "will be reported to Commander Jeff. It needs to be cleaned up!"
The grand knight could take no more. He swept his perception carefully across the three, then let out a soft exclamation of surprise.
"Huh? An apprentice ability master undergoing a trial? Oh, no need for your flapping gums—I will speak to Jeff myself!"
He had shared Jeff's original confusion: why had an apprentice knight slipped into the Guizu domain, and why was he acting so eccentric and sharp-tongued?
Before, he hadn't deigned to ponder it, but now he understood.
Strictly speaking, an apprentice ability master was merely on par with a knight, so he didn't need to show excessive deference.
A promising seed nurtured by the New Army, however, was a different story. He couldn't bring disaster upon the count.
Hearing this, the sharp knight knew what to say. "We were merely worried you might break the rules."
"Let's hope so," Manna scoffed, glancing at the youth. "Let's go."
Wu Youren took off immediately, and the next moment, released his perception to detect dangers ahead.
He hadn't wanted to reveal his cultivation, but since the other party had already leaped to conclusions, he couldn't offer any explanations now.
In that case, displaying his capability a little would only make them more wary.
In an environment like this, if someone claimed they'd let you off, would they truly let you off?
Without Rossi's line about "rejoining the main force," even waving the banner of the New Army might not have worked.
Once human malice took hold, it knew no bottom.
As Wu Youren led the way, Manna and Rossi followed closely behind, and before long, vanished into the white fog.
The grand knight sensed their departure in silence, finally letting out a soft sigh. "Heh, I told you all: don't harbor crooked ideas."
One knight asked in bewilderment, "A trial for an apprentice ability master? They're willing to risk that?"
"That's the army," the grand knight said. Given the military's ruthless style, this was nothing extraordinary. "The key is... the mental branch."
"Holy crap," a knight gasped. "Mental branch? In a place like this, even an apprentice is useful!"
"Let's go," the grand knight said gloomily. "Stop looking for trouble."
The others were just small fry; the problem was that the vortex of the New Army ran far too deep!
Wu Youren and the other two hurried on with heads down. After more than an hour of rapid marching, Rossi finally spoke. "Are they still following?"
"No," Wu Youren replied. "Though I suspect they might not actually belong to Count Shengming's estate."
Rossi nodded, expressing regret. "The problem is we couldn't see their faces."
Manna understood what he meant and remarked impassively, "The recording captured their voices... We're still too weak, after all."
"Voices can be faked," Rossi said, shaking his head. "Never mind, drop it."
If the other party was still shadowing them in secret, this exchange would signal that they posed little threat for the future.
After walking a while longer, Manna asked, "Little Wu, what were you thinking?"
She asked rather cautiously, but Wu Youren answered casually, "Didn't the New Army want to recruit me?"
Rossi shook his head wryly. "That's a huge pitfall, don't you know?"
Wu Youren replied as he walked, "The two of you know my situation better than anyone. How would I know that?"
Manna asked again, "Then how were you so sure you could intimidate them?"
"Jeff dared to threaten Marquis Tanyong's men in public," Wu Youren answered offhandedly. "There must be some weight behind that, right?"
"More than just some weight," Rossi said, shaking his head. "They... Forget it. No need to dwell on matters involving the imperial court."
"Don't get curious, Little Wu," Manna advised the youth kindly.
"With that frail frame of yours, you can't withstand it. Learn from my master and stay far away from such disputes."
"Yeah," Wu Youren nodded obediently, thinking to himself that he already had enough troubles of his own—why would he ever seek out such messes?
Before evening fell, the three returned to the main camp.
Namuzha hadn't expected them back so soon; he was still examining Wu Youren's contraptions.
Caught in the act, he wasn't embarrassed in the least. "Skills don't weigh a man down. The more I learn, the better—what if you're indisposed one day?"
Wu Youren indicated he didn't mind; as long as Namuzha liked it, it was fine.
Manna, on the other hand, took the initiative to recount what had happened and produced the lump of white substance.
The three had agreed on the road that since they were a team, they shouldn't keep secrets from one another, but present a united front against outsiders.
As for how the spoils would be divided, that would be left to Hong Da to decide.
"Bone glue?" Namuzha turned it over and over, examining it. He had heard of this item long ago, but this was the first time he had laid eyes on the fabled treasure.
Full of envy, he said, "You three will definitely get the lion's share. When we go out the day after tomorrow, it'll finally be my turn!"
"It was dangerous too," Rossi couldn't help saying. "We took a gamble, and we even ran into a life-and-death crisis on the way!"
The knights took turns guarding the camp by prior agreement. Going out brought gains but also risks; there was no question of unfairness.
The hard work fell on Wu Youren, who was indispensable for every trip. There was no helping it; no one could replace his perception.
After resting for the night, Rossi took the watch the next day—it would be his turn to stay behind and guard the camp the day after.
Namuzha and Manna paired up, displaying even better synergy—living up to their background as Hong Da's followers.
This time, the three were gone for three days before returning.
Scouting ahead, Wu Youren halted in the distance before reaching the camp, his expression grim.
Chapter 127