Extortion

Grand Instructor Hong Da was a woman of her word; by the looks of her, she genuinely intended to give him a beating. Aside from the dagger and hand cannon at her waist, she had not even brought a long weapon—she had set it aside while resting and hadn't bothered to retrieve it. The sinister grand knight looked her up and down, paused in surprise, and chuckled. "Why come to blows? The Guizu domain is right next to us... We are all humans." "Watch out for a sneak attack," a voice suddenly drifted in, faint, erratic, and listless. "Hmph," Hong Yan grunted, sounding somewhat annoyed at the interjection, then demanded, "Are you coming out, or not?" The sinister grand knight inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. "Xia'erzi is right there. Would I have to be insane to ambush you?" "Hmm?" Instructor Hong grunted again, her brows arching. "I'll pay compensation!" The sinister grand knight's brow furrowed tightly. "Why must everything come to bloodshed?" At this moment, he had no choice. He was weaker than Xia'erzi, and might not even beat Hong Yan. Most crucially, his master was a count, whereas Xia'erzi was treated like a brother by Marquis Tanyong! To the people of Liang, it was not unusual for the weaker party to offer compensation and show weakness when facing the strong. Even barbarian tribes operated on the same logic, paying ransom for their people after losing a battle. Still, as a grand knight of equivalent cultivation, caving publicly did feel a bit spineless. By now, many people had been alerted and stood watching from nearby. Hearing this, someone muttered, "Count Shengming truly values commerce above all." In the minds of Liang's martial artists, who revered martial prowess, such words were practically an insult. "Compensation?" Hong Yan said expressionlessly. "You nearly robbed Red Pine of bone glue!" Guizu relics came in a bewildering variety of shapes and forms, making them exceptionally hard to identify. Bone glue was usable across all three branches of ability masters; it was relatively well-known, and its price was staggering. Even so, more than half of the martial artists present had never heard of it. "Huh?" The sinister grand knight's brows twitched. "You..." He had wanted to accuse her of extortion, but rumor had it that Hong Yan was not someone who stirred up trouble out of nothing. Otherwise, with her fiery temper, she would long ago have crossed the wrong people. Feeling helpless, he said, "I didn't know that at the time." Hong Yan waved her hand impatiently. "Manna, you tell it!" Manna stepped forward at her call. The sinister grand knight likewise summoned one of his knights to argue the matter—he could not demean himself too far. Before the two had exchanged more than a few words, a student from Tianjing Martial Academy among the onlookers felt his wristwatch vibrate. A line of text flashed across the display: "Mission terminated immediately. Return to the academy, now!" After Manna debated with the knight for a while, the onlookers finally pieced together the truth: the Red Pine party had actually obtained bone glue back then. Only because Hong Yan was a grand knight and currently in the military camp, seeking justice for her subordinates, would she openly admit to it! Having suffered such an injustice, her charging straight to their doorstep in fury became entirely understandable. Manna was far sharper with words than her master. She pointed out that the four of them had originally thought the matter had ended there, only to enter the military camp and find themselves threatened again. The opposing debater held his ground skillfully, arguing that Red Pine was attempting to frame them. Not only had Red Pine impersonated the New Army, but they had also claimed people from Anping Trading were involved in the Guizu incidents in Suotu Town. If their side let this slide, how could they answer to the count? "Holar of Anping Trading did appear," Manna replied calmly. "We deliberately kept our words vague for self-preservation." This was not an official court trial, yet under all these watching eyes, it carried even more weight; no one dared lie lightly. Hearing this, the sinister grand knight chimed in, "Kept it vague? Heh, quite a heavy choice of words!" With New Army members present, he couldn't put it more bluntly. Instructor Hong was unmoved, listening in silence. By this point, the onlookers also understood: Red Pine's accusations had spooked Count Shengming's men. How could one put it? The count's estate had failed in their robbery, and pursuing the grudge afterward was indeed excessive, but it wasn't without reason either. Still, with two grand knights poised for conflict, no one dared rashly interrupt. Just then, from a row of buildings away, a voice spoke casually: "What has my New Army done to earn such a poor reputation?" The corner of the sinister grand knight's mouth twitched, and he spoke hurriedly, "I cannot compensate you with bone glue, but I can offer six resentment crystals." He was gambling that Hong Yan had no desire to get entangled with the New Army either. And he had gambled correctly. Hong Da said indifferently, "Six won't be necessary. Four is enough—one for each of the kids." Such was her stance: she had not come for money, but merely to vent her subordinates' grievances. Immediately following that, she added, "However, if there is a next time, it won't be this cheap." "Naturally," the sinister grand knight agreed without hesitation. "I have long heard of Grand Instructor Hong Da's renown; your handling of matters leaves people thoroughly convinced!" He had braced himself for extortion; who would have thought she would voluntarily shave off two crystals? Perhaps she was curating an image, considering how many factions were looking on. Regardless, the count's estate was spared ten thousand silver dollars, and that was very real. Whoever wanted to spend ten thousand to cultivate an image, he would gladly tell them: welcome, the warmest welcome, throw away your money as you please! Yet the wind would not still even if the tree wished for calm. A figure strode over from a corner in the distance and let out a soft huff. "I really can't bear watching this any longer." "Commander," several knights greeted him one after another. The newcomer was none other than one of the Eight Tigers of the New Army, Grand Knight Jeff. He remarked nonchalantly, "Red Pine's people were not impersonating the New Army. They are currently in their evaluation period. Have you forgotten, Hong Yan?" *Fuck your mother!* The sinister grand knight glared furiously: *Why the hell didn't you say that two days ago?* He knew all too well he had been played again. These bastards from the New Army truly loved watching the world burn! "What are you glaring at me for?" Jeff looked at him coldly. "Think your eyes are too small?" "I never once told you that none of them were New Army reservists!" In truth, he had come specifically to stir up trouble; otherwise, he would have stepped in long ago. Unfortunately for him, he was dealing with Hong Yan, and Instructor Hong did not buy into this nonsense. She replied blankly, "Jeff, this page has already turned. Where were you two days ago?" Hong Da disliked scheming and intrigue because she found them exhausting, not because she was incapable of them! Yet Jeff's skin was thicker than anyone had imagined. He stated with a straight face, "I was observing, waiting to see if anyone would beg for my help." "You..." Even Grand Instructor Hong Da was rendered speechless by those words. She gave him a thumbs-up. "Truly shameless!" "Those words..." Jeff's face hardened as he asked coldly, "Aren't you crossing the line a bit?" "Jeff," a listless voice drifted in, faint and erratic, "who was it from Marquis Tanyong's Estate that you wanted to kill again?" "Just intimidation," Jeff's expression shifted once more, and he offered a dry laugh. "Just intimidation, necessary for work. Don't take it to heart, Instructor." *Cough, cough.* The erratic voice coughed twice. "No need to fear. I am severely unwell right now." "I'm certainly not afraid of you," Jeff said solemnly. "I merely wouldn't want you to misunderstand, Instructor. You are a pillar of Liang." Xia'erzi said nothing more. Hong Yan looked back at the sinister grand knight. "Where were we?" "Four resentment crystals." The man's gaze had cleared considerably, the sinister air about him greatly diminished. "The count's second grandson is nearly fifteen. Are you still accepting disciples, Hong Da?" *Holy crap...* Wu Youren watched in dumbfounded amazement. The people of Liang truly had zero concept of subtlety! For the grandson of an esteemed count, getting into either of the two high-tier martial academies shouldn't have been difficult, right? "Get in line," Hong Yan answered without hesitation. After a pause, she added, "I primarily accept female disciples. Tell him to find another master." "It is you we've set our sights on," the sinister grand knight replied without missing a beat. "The count's sixth daughter is thirteen..." "We'll talk about that later," Hong Yan replied offhandedly. "By the way, which grand instructor from Tianwu is here?" "I have a package here that your people need to claim." Silence fell over the surroundings; for a long time, no one answered. At this moment in the camp, the grand knight from Tianjing Martial Academy was still around, but the package... wasn't his. If anything, he felt rather fortunate that he had been quick-witted enough to send that eye-sore of a fellow away. Instructor Hong waited a while, and seeing no response from anyone from Tianwu, turned and walked away. However, that night's affairs were far from over. Less than ten minutes after the Red Pine party returned, the grand knight from Tianwu arrived. "Hong Yan, it was just some business among youths. Why take it so far?" Instructor Hong's face darkened at his words. "Are you saying... I'm old?" Tianwu's grand instructor wasn't intimidated by her. "I don't think of you as a woman. You've received your compensation; leave it at that." Instructor Hong took a small sip of tea. "The kids originally thought so, too." Tianwu's grand knight fell silent. They said Hong Yan was a woman of few words, yet any random sentence of hers stung so sharply. Feeling there was little point in saying more, he said, "I've already sent him back." A wise man knew when to quit while ahead—enough was enough! Hong Yan lifted her eyelids, looked at him for three seconds, and slowly spoke, "Is this Tianwu's style?" The other man replied dismissively, "He's still just a kid!" Instructor Hong lowered her eyelids and asked casually, "Which grand instructor from Tianwu is so accomplished that he wants to rob kids?" Tianwu's grand knight couldn't keep his composure. "That's enough! Didn't your side get compensation?" Hong Yan didn't take the bait. "Do you really want me to go ask Saixi?" The expression on the other man's face instantly turned peculiar. "You can see him?" That man was the pillar of Tianjing Martial Academy, a half-step Divine Might existence, not someone just any grand knight could contact. Instructor Hong gave him a sidelong glance, then looked back down to sip her tea, asking languidly, "How much do you actually know about me?" Tianwu's grand instructor fell silent. Only after a long while did he speak: "Four resentment crystals." He wasn't merely worried that she might genuinely go to Saixi; he was also wary of Red Pine's conduct and manner. If Hong Yan's attitude had been softer, it would have just been a few knights throwing tantrums, and the fallout wouldn't have been severe. But if this aggressive conduct was taught by Grand Instructor Hong Da herself, that made it far more terrifying. Tianjing Martial Academy was not afraid of trouble, but over something this small... it truly wasn't worth it!