The setup left behind by the other party sent a crystal-clear message.
Had Wu Youren and his two companions triggered the trap, it went without saying that they would have received a dose of their own medicine—an eye for an eye.
What made it truly vicious was that alongside the ghost-destroying mines lay Guizu-luring agent.
Had they tried to duck into the cave, that scent would have been impossible to wash away anytime soon.
Even if they hadn't taken shelter inside, the moment the agent sprayed outward... one could easily guess what horrors would unfold in the surrounding area.
Now that they had dismantled the trap, all of these items became their spoils of war.
Remarkably, the other party had even left behind a Guizu relic as an apology.
Had they fallen for the trap, the relic would have been destroyed along with everything else.
"Damn... they're really generous," Rossi muttered, inspecting the Guizu relic before hastily pocketing it. "To think it's not just a resentment crystal."
He then glanced toward Namuzha. "Still chasing them?"
"My anger's appeased." Namuzha shook his head, turned around, and began walking back.
He didn't even bother asking Wu Youren's opinion—asking would be pointless anyway, as the kid was probably dying to head back as soon as possible.
"Little Wu, take point and lead the way," Rossi called as he followed. "Thank heavens we didn't fall into that trap!"
Wu Youren flickered forward into the lead, though a twinge of regret lingered in his heart.
After the three trekked silently for over a dozen kilometers, Rossi finally spoke up again. "Was that Saixi?"
"No," Namuzha replied without hesitation. "A pillar of Tianwu like him—even if you haven't met him in person, you'd know what he looks like."
"They might not even be from Tianjing Martial Academy!"
"Well, the Guizu relic isn't fake, at least." Rossi yawned again. "Let's just hurry back."
He was genuinely exhausted; expelling invading Guizu aura from one's body took a heavy toll on vitality.
Two days later, the three made it back. Regardless of anything else, Rossi collapsed onto his bed and fell fast asleep.
Two hours later, he was shaken awake because the other three had reached a decision: relocate!
This was Wu Youren's suggestion. In his view, although the other side had conceded defeat this time, they were hardly upright, law-abiding folks.
Having already secured compensation through their own strength, moving camps was well worth the effort to nip trouble in the bud.
Manna supported his call, while Namuzha, yawning endlessly, simply waved a hand—you two decide, fine by me.
The relocation didn't take long.
During their absence, Manna hadn't been idling either; she had scoped out several candidate sites nearby and tested them with biguijue.
The martial women of Liang truly were no pushovers; at least this one hadn't just sat around waiting, knowing full well how to prepare for a rainy day.
In the end, Wu Youren chose a spot three kilometers away. They roughly threw together a camp that evening, and he slept like a log.
Fortunately, youth was on his side, and he was back at full strength the next day.
The days slipped by. On the eighth day, while out and about, Wu Youren and the other two ran into another team.
This team hailed from the Tianjing City Defense Division. They openly displayed their insignia and gave their names.
Different types of factions operated with vastly different styles. Though the division was essentially a reserve-force organization, they had no qualms about revealing their identities.
Six days later, they crossed paths with yet another group. This one was guarded, covering their faces and highly alert.
Normally in such situations, both sides would simply disengage. But as luck would have it, Manna recognized someone among them.
"Is that Instructor Siya from Fanghua? It's Manna!"
Contact among the eight intermediate martial academies was fairly frequent.
As a female instructor, Manna dealt with Fanghua even more often; she and Siya were virtually from the same neighborhood and had formed a friendship back during their student days.
Encountering an old acquaintance inside a Guizu domain didn't warrant blind trust, but their reliability was at least a notch higher than a stranger's.
The two groups made contact. The opposing side consisted of two men and three women, while Manna's party had only herself, Wu Youren, and Rossi.
Siya took the initiative to introduce Manna to her companions, mentioning that Manna's master was Grand Instructor Hong Yan—plainly signaling that she didn't want any trouble.
Yet amusingly enough, the star of this brief meeting turned out to be Wu Youren.
All three female knights took down his contact number, and one named Peiqi even openly invited him to transfer academies.
Slightly plump and around forty years old, Peiqi claimed to have several female disciples who were not only wealthy but also drop-dead gorgeous.
The boldness of Liang's martial women took Wu Youren completely by surprise, leaving him to respond only with awkward silence.
Manna turned her down on his behalf. "He's the crown jewel of our Red Pine. You can look, but don't touch."
Rossi's response was far more pragmatic. "The Guizu crisis in Suotu is severe right now. Red Pine would never let him go."
Yet Peiqi refused to drop it. "As long as Little Wu agrees, leave dealing with Red Pine to us."
Rossi shook his head again. "Commander Jeff took a liking to him as well and invited him to join the New Army, but he didn't accept."
Teasing and banter aside, as wild as this bunch of women were, would they dare compete with the New Army for talent?
Hearing that, Peiqi pushed no further on the transfer, but offered a new proposal: "How about our two teams join forces?"
However, Manna shut this down directly: "My master is also here in Mount Xuanling. If we partner with you, how would the shares be divided?"
Hearing that Hong Da was also here, the other group finally stopped insisting.
Another five days passed, and they finally completed their preliminary reconnaissance.
It was time to head back; all four of them had constantly been wondering how Hong Da was faring.
They filled in their camp, and two days later, they emerged from the Guizu domain. Rossi went out of his way to put on a ski mask and change his clothes.
He was being cautious against that squad claiming to be from Tianwu; after all, they genuinely had a grand knight with them.
On their way out of the Guizu domain, they encountered two other teams, some members of which were also wearing masks or hoods.
They brushed past each other without even making eye contact.
They were all adults—who didn't understand the score? Those wearing hoods weren't necessarily wicked; those showing their faces might be far more vicious!
Like everyone else, by the time they exited the Guizu domain, dusk was approaching.
This was the hour when various teams were returning, so their small party of four drew little attention.
The four climbed into Rossi's assembled vehicle, noticing that Hong Da's vehicle was still parked there.
However, making inquiries or drawing attention at this moment was ill-advised, so they could only drive back to the military barracks first.
Since this was a return, the registration formalities were straightforward, though there was an added inspection for Guizu aura, which went smoothly without incident.
The three male martial artists went straight to bed upon entering their quarters, while Manna headed out alone to inquire about Hong Da.
By the time they awoke, night had fully fallen. Manna was outside having tea with two individuals—people from Marquis Tanyong's entourage.
These two belonged to a wave that had recently returned from the Marquis's camp, bringing back the latest news.
Grand Instructor Hong Da was currently doing fine, but Instructor Xia'erzi had severely overdrawn his combat strength, so she was helping to stabilize the situation.
The pair didn't disclose anything beyond that.
Even this much was only revealed because Manna had shown her Red Pine identification badge; otherwise, they wouldn't have given her the time of day.
Knowing Hong Da was safe, everyone relaxed, spending their time eating well, drinking well, sleeping well, and waiting patiently.
Going back in to offer backup? Out of the question. Their strength simply wasn't up to par, and jumping in would only cause more trouble.
They had reaped plenty from this excursion into the Guizu domain; holding on to their gains was enough.
Regrettably, the tree craves calm, but the wind refuses to cease.
The next evening, Rossi strolled out for a walk, bumped into an acquaintance, and started chatting.
He had let his guard down; the military barracks were relatively safe, unlike the desolate wilderness where no rules applied.
As ill luck would have it, a knight student from Tianjing Martial Academy spotted him—someone who had also returned just a few days prior.
The student recognized Rossi and immediately ran back to muster backup.
The chief instructor who had pretended to be Saixi was still inside the Guizu domain, but Tianwu's people had been extorted, and this matter couldn't simply be brushed aside.
At this moment, another grand knight from Tianjing Martial Academy was stationed in the barracks.
Valuing his dignity, he felt embarrassed to step forward directly and merely watched from afar.
Rossi was chatting away when, to his surprise, seven or eight knights stormed over aggressively.
Rossi's acquaintance wasn't particularly close with him; sensing trouble brewing, the friend didn't stick his neck out and simply stood by silently, watching.
The leading knight marched up and barked with hostility, "I thought you were going to hide inside the Guizu domain forever!"
Rossi was genuinely baffled. He truly didn't remember this guy; back when they were tracking the group, they had trailed at a distance where even silhouettes were hard to discern.
Still, in this setting, he had nothing to fear. He knitted his brows in confusion. "Do I know you?"
Once the young man revealed his Tianjing Martial Academy identity, Rossi's suspicion was confirmed. He asked calmly, "Wasn't that already settled?"
"I was infected by Guizu aura!" The opposing knight pointed at his own chest, his eyes blazing with fury. "And it's all your fault!"
"Tch," Rossi scoffed dismissively. "I was infected too. Once you step into a Guizu domain, life and death are on your own head!"
The two sides began arguing back and forth, and before long, the onlookers pieced together what had happened.
"Another mess like this..." More than one bystander muttered a similar sigh.
Incidents like this were all too common in a Guizu domain; far more heinous atrocities were hardly rare.
Others muttered disdainfully under their breath, "What happens in the Guizu domain stays in the Guizu domain. Once you're out, let it go. Seriously..."
Most martial artists were straightforward by nature and felt that certain people were just being sore losers.
Yet with Tianjing Martial Academy's prominent reputation, nobody dared voice their disapproval too openly.
Noticing public opinion wasn't in his favor—and that even a few alumni from Tianwu stood by silently—the knight student grew flustered.
He yelled at the top of his lungs, "You set off a mass of ghost-destroying mines at night to attack our makeshift camp! That's the only reason I got infected by Guizu aura!"
"I'll ask you just one question: do you admit to blatantly wrecking the order of the Guizu domain?"
"Holy crap..." The moment those words fell, someone in the crowd couldn't help blurt out. "Damn, that's pretty savage."
The Mount Xuanling Guizu domain was relatively stable and yielded plenty of Guizu relics. Maintaining stability here was a tacit understanding among court and commoners alike.
Such matters weren't suitable for open discussion; everyone simply understood it in their hearts.
The knight student's accusation verged on crossing a red line, but his point did carry weight.
Yet the spectators in the crowd didn't judge who was right or wrong; instead, they buzzed with excitement, eager to hear more!
Daring to pull such a suicidal, crazy stunt in the dead of night within a Guizu domain—drama like this was impossible to pass up!
"We still have that little parcel," Rossi remarked unhurriedly. "Don't tell me you forgot what was written on it?"
As he spoke, a blatant smirk of mockery appeared on his face.
The knight student naturally knew what had been written; the chief instructor hadn't hidden it from them when penning the message.
Yet he had his own twisted logic. "Settled is settled, but what I'm talking about right now is... a personal grudge!"
The mockery on Rossi's face grew even more pronounced. "Oh, so now that you've got more people on your side, is that it?"
Chapter 133