Favors

Wu Youren's brow furrowed, and he answered with a wry smile, "The problem is, I can't afford to raise it." The Guizu-luring agent Instructor Hong had brought out earlier had merely been for a test, and she had already taken it back. He knew Hong Da was not necessarily being stingy. Guizu-luring agent was an inherently dangerous substance, capable of inciting civil unrest in the wrong hands. How could a foreign hostage be allowed to possess such materials? The middle-aged knight sighed and shook his head. "What a pity. A beastling that has already bonded with a master... at this price..." "What are you talking about?" Daiqisi glanced at him with dissatisfaction. "Isn't this wonderful? He's not selling!" "That's true enough," the middle-aged knight acknowledged with a slight nod, yet disapproval was written all over his face. A bonded chick with the potential to develop into a spirit was certainly a stroke of fortune for its master, but... at what cost? The boy's face was conspicuously youthful, his cultivation was only that of an apprentice knight, and he was carrying several hundred gold coins perched on his shoulder. What would other people think? Forget an adolescent—even for a middle-aged knight like him, walking outside with this little creature on his shoulder would be a nerve-racking ordeal. Attracting Guizu-transformed creatures was secondary; the primary threat was the malice in human hearts! Whatever the knight could think of, the Ancient Divine Lamp naturally thought of as well. The youth gave a helpless chuckle. "Let's pool our resources to raise it. Whoever feeds it ten times gets at least one free mission out of it once it's grown!" "That works! Spirits learn to recognize people, too," Daiqisi agreed briskly. "Just the ten of us in the know—no more." Spirits indeed possessed intelligence. Right now the little creature only acknowledged the youth, but after a few more feedings, wouldn't it become familiar with the others as well? Wu Youren gave her an inward thumbs-up. Giving up the reward tonight had not been in vain! Expecting everyone to keep a secret was unrealistic. Let alone if he asked them, even an explicit order from Hong Da herself might not achieve much. He had invited everyone to take part in feeding it ostensibly out of poverty, but his real purpose was to bind their interests together. As the old saying went, make as many friends as possible. Daiqisi's two remarks could be called a divine assist. This had been a line he had prepared, intending to deliver it at an opportune moment. Having someone else bring it up proactively made the outcome all the better. "I support it," Rossi was the first to nod. "Ten feedings... one resentment crystal will be plenty. It's worth the gamble." "Count me in too," the middle-aged knight chuckled. "Don't underestimate this little creature—they grow very fast." "Once it reaches that awkward half-grown stage, its appetite will be astonishing." "At least by then we'll be able to tell whether it truly has the makings of a spirit," the female archer remarked casually, giving the impression that she, too, was not short on coin. "Get some rest," the raspy, cigarette-worn voice sounded. "Recharge your energy. The City Guard Bureau might still have business for us." Hearing this, the group dispersed to their rooms, while Wu Youren lingered, leaning against the second-floor railing and staring blankly at Tianjing cloaked in the night. Perched on his left shoulder, Aviator's head nodded up and down, as though it were dozing off. "Head inside!" Rossi walked over and patted his right shoulder. "With this little guy around, you'll have to sleep with one eye open." "I really do want to sell it," Wu Youren murmured with a soft sigh. "Two hundred gold coins would be enough." He had never liked drawing attention to himself. The creature's potential was undeniably promising, but right now, he could not afford such scrutiny. Just then, a faint voice brushed past his ear: *Fool. Having this is the very foundation for making your way in the world.* That familiar raspy voice... Hong Da knew how to use sound transmission as well? *I know!* The youth was well aware that if he actually raised a spirit capable of detecting Guizu aura, his circumstances would improve considerably. But the problem was... With an inward sigh, he nodded. "Alright, let's head in!" Inside the other rooms, things were not entirely calm either. The middle-aged knight washed up and got into bed, only to find his roommate, Namuzha, tapping away at his comm-watch. "Not sleeping yet?" "Soon," Namuzha replied offhandedly. "Since we're in the city, I'm checking if I can pick up anything for the others." "Get some rest early," the middle-aged knight said without suspicion, letting out a lazy yawn. "A knight needs to know discipline." "Mm," Namuzha grunted softly, staring blankly at the line of text that had appeared on his watch screen. *A Guizu relic cannot be a living organism—at least, nothing like that has ever appeared in known records.* He sat stunned for quite some time, unwilling to let it go, and typed another line: *What about an exceptionally powerful Guizu relic?* *Still impossible,* came the definitive reply from the other side. *Powerful Guizu relics can carry a touch of spiritual sentience, which grand ability masters are very fond of.* "¥#&() *¥@~" A line of garbled characters flashed across the watch face, followed by a small pop-up window. *Classified content detected... Locking identity of comm-watch holder.* *Assistant Instructor of an intermediate martial academy. Unlocking in progress. Classified topics may not be referenced more than three times per day.* "Tch." Namuzha lay back on the bed and sighed quietly. He had entertained the thought that the chick the boy brought out of the Guizu domain might very well be the Guizu relic the Hall of Esoteric Masters was searching for. Now that hope was thoroughly dashed, and a massive reward that had seemed within easy reach had vanished into thin air... *** The night passed without incident. Early the next morning, the bearded man appeared. His eyes were bloodshot, yet his spirits were remarkably high. "Little Hong, it was a massive haul! This senior brother thanks you!" "Putting on a sweet face only when you need something?" Instructor Hong sneered. "Good to know. Don't bother coming back in the future!" "Haha, Yan, I'm just joking," the bearded man burst out laughing. "Where are we eating for lunch today? My treat!" "I don't need your meal," Instructor Hong said with a flick of her hand. "Hurry up and roll back home to sleep." "The interrogations have already been arranged," the man continued with a grin. "My mission today is to keep you company... my lucky star!" "Say what you came to say," Hong Yan said, refusing to indulge him. "If there's nothing, beat it!" "I've already submitted Daiqisi's name," the bearded man replied offhandedly. "And yours as well, for on-site assistance... You can name a few others as you like; the rewards won't slip away." Pausing for a moment, he added, "By the way, is the Hall of Esoteric Masters looking for your group?" "I'm not under their command!" Hong Yan said coldly. "If they have a problem, they can come find me at Red Pine. I'll be waiting." The Hall of Esoteric Masters enjoyed an exalted status in Great Liang, but their conduct was notoriously erratic, which naturally provoked widespread murmuring and resentment. It was much like how the commander of the New Army dared to openly recruit a foreign hostage—could Jeff have failed to realize that this involved high affairs of state between two nations? Once tangible interests were involved, absolute superiority ceased to exist. The bearded man also knew Instructor Hong's sore spots and spoke with a sober expression. "The Hall of Esoteric Masters sent people to Suotu as well." "Don't tell me things of such high classification," Hong Yan said, waving her hand again. Yet in the end, she could not resist a cold scoff. "They went there for Guizu relics. Did you think they went to slay Guizu?" "Well, they don't have to neglect one for the other," the bearded man gave a dry laugh. Then his expression turned resolute. "Don't worry, just stay put. If they dare cause trouble inside Tianjing, I'll shoulder it for you!" There was a touch of boasting in his words—could a mere City Guard Bureau really stand against the Hall of Esoteric Masters? Even so, it was not entirely empty bluster. The capital of Great Liang was the paramount heart of the realm; could its City Guard Bureau be compared to those elsewhere? Even if they could not overpower the Hall of Esoteric Masters, they were still the local authority in charge, and the other party had to weigh whether offending the capital's City Guard Bureau might provoke some towering figure to intervene. "I can shoulder it myself," Hong Yan said with genuine resolve, primarily because she had no desire to incur a favor for no good reason. "Fine, I know you're formidable, but the offer stands," the bearded man said, well aware of the kind of person he was talking to. His face straightened. "Nonsense aside, how did you notice something was off?" This was the true purpose of his visit. Expressing gratitude was necessary, and he had no intention of withholding credit from Instructor Hong. Yet being given a fish rather than taught how to fish left an itch he could not scratch. Earning merit was good, but he wanted to earn it regularly. "It's because Red Pine instructors possess superior skill," Hong Yan replied matter-of-factly. "You hail from Red Pine yourself—don't you know that?" "Come on, stop pulling my leg," the bearded man waved his hand. "Be serious. I have to write an official report." "It's not my report to write," Instructor Hong said casually. "Isn't sheer coincidence good enough?" "Don't joke," the bearded man said solemnly. "Consider it a favor to your senior brother. Yan, the entire city of Tianjing is under strict scrutiny right now." "What does that have to do with me?" Instructor Hong's face tightened. "Have the Hall of Esoteric Masters assist you!" "When it comes to searching for Guizu relics, they know full well how to send ability masters to sense things, but when it comes to tracking Guizu aura... every single one of the bastards is suddenly busy?" "Alright, alright, I won't press it," the bearded man could only manage a wry smile. "I had no idea you held such a grudge against them." "It was just a favor in passing," Instructor Hong countered nonchalantly. "Has the Guizu situation gotten that severe in the urban area lately?" The bearded man replied in kind, "With Mount Xuanling and Suotu in such turmoil, how could the city remain untouched?" After a brief pause, he added, "However, official assessments suggest that fallen ones seizing the opportunity to stir up trouble are an equally significant factor." Instructor Hong asked again, "Has the Hall of Esoteric Masters mentioned how long it will take for the Mount Xuanling Guizu domain to roughly settle down?" The bearded man chuckled at the question. "How could I possibly know what those people estimate?" "You can find out," Instructor Hong said with certainty. "Don't play dumb with me." Yet the bearded man truly had no wish to delve into that subject. He merely smiled and asked, "Are you that reluctant to return to Red Pine?" "Then stay in the city for a few days. The City Guard Bureau just needs to issue an assistance invitation to the Martial Academy—ten days to half a month won't be a problem at all." Yesterday, the Hall of Esoteric Masters had indeed brought up the various units leaving the military camp, including the eleven from Red Pine. However, the actual execution lay with the military; the former had only made an offhand mention, while the latter had little incentive to pursue it. Under these circumstances, a gentle intervention by the City Guard Bureau would carry no significant consequences. The bearded man was quite willing to look out for them. "We won't force you to do anything, but if you want the allowance, you'll have to put in some effort." "We're not strapped for that little bit of coin," Instructor Hong nodded. "Go ahead and issue one, then. It'll make coming and going much more convenient." The City Guard Bureau was an institution of real power in Tianjing, and issuing such an open-ended invitation was far from common. Only because both parties held sufficient standing and the man wished to show goodwill was such a favor granted so effortlessly. Anyone else might not have secured it even if they were willing to spend a fortune.