The visitors from the Hall of Esoteric Masters didn't seek out anyone else; they went straight for Grand Instructor Hong Yan.
The five of them spoke behind closed doors in the reception room for about ten minutes.
When Instructor Hong emerged, her expression was dark. She gave a blunt order, "Manna, see our guests out!"
She didn't even bother to keep up basic courtesy.
Clearly, the talk hadn't gone well, but seeing the look on her face, no one dared to ask a thing.
Fortunately, she had a disciple; before long, Manna leaked the details.
The Hall of Esoteric Masters took the position that Red Pine had failed to cooperate during the battle and had departed prematurely, warranting punishment.
Therefore, they demanded to forcibly purchase all Guizu relics harvested by Red Pine within the Guizu domain, stipulating that nothing be concealed.
Of course, the Hall of Esoteric Masters would offer a "fair" price.
Given terms like these, let alone Hong Da, even Manna couldn't help stomping her feet in anger. "I've never seen such blatant bullying!"
"They're just blowing smoke," the middle-aged knight scoffed derisively. "If we keep our mouths shut, how much could they possibly know?"
"At the end of the day, it's just posturing—flaunting that they can boss us around... pure arrogance."
"Then let's get our stories straight." Manna straightened her face. "We didn't bag a single Guizu relic. Does everyone agree?"
"Quit fooling around," rasped the gravelly voice from the room. "You think the Hall of Esoteric Masters doesn't care about saving face? Say five or six. Figure it out amongst yourselves."
"They're really overbearing," Rossi muttered. "Seven or eight years ago, didn't someone from Red Pine join the Hall of Esoteric Masters?"
"They've already severed ties with Red Pine," the middle-aged knight answered calmly. "Did us a small favor back then and considered the slate wiped clean."
Wu Youren had no intention of joining their discussion. For this trip to Mount Xuanling, all harvested Guizu relics were distributed by Instructor Hong.
That included the bone glue they had risked their necks to obtain; although Hong Da hadn't been present at the time, nobody would hide it from her.
While everyone was in the middle of deliberating, another visitor arrived. This time, it was a messenger from the Ministry of Works—and unexpectedly, he was looking for Wu Youren!
Ailin, the daughter of a Ministry of Works clerk, was in critical condition and likely wouldn't survive much longer.
At Fanghua Martial Academy, where Ailin studied, someone had suggested having Wu Youren from Red Pine pay her a visit...
The two had interacted frequently back at the Mount Xuanling military camp, witnessed by well over a hundred people.
Vague rumors were even circulating that it was Wu Youren's sudden whim that had brought this disaster upon Ailin in the first place.
The Ministry clerk hoped the boy would go see his daughter, granting her one final wish.
Facing the messenger, Wu Youren was completely bewildered. What kind of move was this?
If someone from Fanghua Martial Academy had come with such a request, he would have found it understandable.
Dispatching Ministry of Works personnel through official channels just to deliver a message for a student who hadn't even taken up public office?
He had seen plenty of officials abusing public power for private ends, but such a complete lack of distinction between public and private was a first.
Yet, seeing how everyone else took it completely in stride, Wu Youren had an epiphany: Great Liang simply had its own ways.
He brought out the small pouch Ailin had left behind. "I won't be going. These are the belongings she left in my safekeeping."
The messenger was somewhat disgruntled. No matter how you looked at it, he represented the Ministry of Works. A mere martial academy student...
This time, Namuzha was the first to object, stating that the two students were merely acquaintances, and that their squad was on official duty and couldn't spare anyone.
Hearing this, the others voiced their support one after another. Even Manna, who had initially thought rather highly of Ailin, remarked that the request was somewhat inappropriate.
Both were young and unmarried—what was the meaning of staging a scene like this?
In the end, it was the middle-aged knight who suggested that Little Wu give a small token of regard for the messenger to carry back, and leave it at that.
The boy thought it over, fished out a gold coin, placed it in a box, and handed it over.
The messenger looked dumbfounded... Giving money?
In Great Liang, customary gift-giving revolved primarily around physical goods. A gold coin was by no means a small sum, but wasn't this gesture rather odd?
Once he left, Daiqisi was the first to grumble, "Why give her a gold coin? Do you have money burning a hole in your pocket?"
The boy was so skilled with his hands; gifting any of the little trinkets he crafted would have sufficed.
Wu Youren smiled without answering, thinking to himself that gifting such items carried an entirely different connotation.
They were just ordinary acquaintances. Why send get-well gifts? Giving cash was just right.
He had only recently escaped poverty, so parting with a single gold coin pained him deeply, but he had no choice—sending personal items was truly inappropriate.
The night before, that talking black cat had reminded him that the supernatural forces of this world far exceeded his imagination.
Therefore, whatever token he sent needed to have as little connection to him as possible. Not to mention handmade trinkets, even ordinary personal possessions might not be safe!
A gold coin had passed through the hands of countless people, carrying the least karmic entanglement.
That afternoon, more than one group came looking for Wu Youren. Toward dusk, representatives from Fanghua Martial Academy arrived at their doorstep.
The visitors had come to demand answers: Ailin was already in such a state, yet as the originator of the idea, the boy had actually sent a gold coin?
Whom was he trying to insult?
Fortunately, Wu Youren had an organization behind him. He hid away and refused to see them, leaving the instructors to handle the situation.
Regardless of whether Ailin was a swallow, there was bound to be a deeper motive behind all this.
At this moment, he felt a wave of relief—it was fortunate he had proven enough value for the instructors to step forward and intervene on his behalf.
Naturally, staying inside a comfort zone wasn't without its costs. For instance... a lack of freedom!
Yet, recalling that eerie black cat and that middle-aged one-eyed man of unknown intentions...
Losing a bit of freedom didn't seem so unbearable after all.
Ultimately, it came down to being too weak. He needed to seize every moment and grow stronger as quickly as possible.
With the instructors of the two intermediate martial academies gathered together, they discussed far more than just Ailin's situation; that was merely an opening topic.
Fanghua had many female instructors, while Red Pine's party also included three female instructors, and their grand instructor was a woman as well.
After both sides made their stances clear regarding Wu Youren, the conversation naturally shifted to the Mount Xuanling Guizu domain.
Like Red Pine, the martial artists of Fanghua Martial Academy hadn't answered the call of the Hall of Esoteric Masters; the moment the upheaval began, they had gone into hiding.
However, their reaction had been slightly slower, and the male grand instructor leading them had sustained moderate injuries.
After being injured, he had put his foot down, ordering the rest of the martial artists not to venture out and to stay put in their camp.
Fortunately, unlike Red Pine, Fanghua hadn't faced pressure from Suotu Town, and they had had two grand instructors in the Guizu domain at the time.
When their party finally pulled out, they had still suffered substantial losses.
Facing Red Pine's intact squad, they harbored no resentment—through the sustained fighting at Suotu Town, Red Pine had already paid a far heavier toll.
In the Mount Xuanling Guizu domain right now, the disturbance was indeed gradually subsiding, but it wouldn't settle completely without a month or two.
Several female instructors actually began gossiping about why the Hall of Esoteric Masters had mobilized so aggressively and what kind of Guizu relic they were hunting for.
Unfortunately, while Fanghua's female instructors loved gossip, they pried for information in roundabout ways while keeping their own lips tightly sealed.
In places where women gathered in groups, such a culture was hardly surprising.
Female martial artists from other martial academies were typically far more forthright.
Finally, Manna couldn't hold back anymore. "You're only digging for information! Share something yourselves—don't let people look down on women's martial academies!"
Feeling their pride stung, the Fanghua instructors bluntly revealed that the Hall of Esoteric Masters had deployed a legacy weapon to disrupt the Guizu domain's advancement!
Several ability masters had been severely injured, but they were essentially certain that the Guizu relic capable of triggering the domain's advancement had likely been blasted out into the open.
Yet no matter how hard they searched, it was nowhere to be found.
The Hall of Esoteric Masters was practically going mad. Acquiring such a treasure could cultivate at least one grand ability master.
It might even allow a grand ability master to take a step further!
Had there not been so many parties inside the Guizu domain at the time—every faction formidable in its own right and connected to numerous ability masters...
"The Hall of Esoteric Masters wouldn't have hesitated to bathe a few factions in blood!"
This piece of intelligence was exceedingly confidential; nobody from Red Pine had caught wind of it before.
It was only because Fanghua Martial Academy had so many women who naturally loved gossip—not to mention plenty of male ability masters who couldn't keep it in their pants...
"Holy crap," Rossi, listening in, muttered under his breath. "So forcing us to sell our Guizu relics was actually them showing mercy?"
After everyone sighed over this for a bit, steered by certain individuals, the conversation returned to Ailin.
The Fanghua instructors wanted to know what stance Red Pine took regarding the proposal for a "knight tax exemption."
Clearly, these women weren't merely gossiping; they carried hidden probes and other motives...
Only at this moment did some of Red Pine's instructors learn that their student had actually proposed such an idea.
No wonder one of the Eight Tigers of the New Army had been hounding the boy relentlessly.
Recovering from his shock, Ranxue, who oversaw discipline, was the first to state, "That is a matter for the Imperial Court to consider. We at Red Pine have no stance!"
Male martial artists might not be as fond of gossip, but that didn't mean they were blind to the gravity of the situation.
His declaration served as a sharp wake-up call to everyone else: This matter is monumental!
Fanghua dropped another bombshell of gossip: two days ago, someone had already submitted a memorial containing this proposal up to the throne!
The Red Pine crowd fell dead silent. Finally, the middle-aged knight sighed. "If you could be exempt from taxes, who'd want to pay them?"
That was the unvarnished truth, yet precisely because it was the truth, no one could follow up on it.
Then Daiqisi spoke up, asking who had submitted the memorial.
She received no answer, however; the other side claimed it was inconvenient to say.
In the end, Ranxue asked, "What is the reaction in court?"
That question was even bigger; given the extent of their relationship, there was no way they would get an answer.
They talked until dark. Red Pine offered to host dinner, and their guests—three women and one man—readily agreed.
There was a kitchen in Red Pine's liaison post, but the cook was only part-time and lacked skill, so they had to dine out.
Instructor Hong did not join them, as the visitors from Fanghua were merely knights; a grand instructor wouldn't come calling over such a small matter.
She and the boy ate a simple meal. After finishing, she suddenly asked, "How about we head back to Red Pine?"
"You're asking me?" Wu Youren was taken aback, then nodded. "Either way works for me. It's up to you, Hong Da."
The raspy, gravelly voice let out a soft sigh. "I have a feeling that if we stay here any longer, Red Pine might get dragged into this mess!"
She seemed to be asking him, yet also muttering to herself.
Wu Youren fell silent. After a moment, he nodded. "Those folks in the New Army look for trouble even when there is none. They might try to use Red Pine."
He hadn't interacted with Jeff much, but he already had a firm grasp of his modus operandi.
Then he sighed again. "Alas, it's all my fault. Talking carelessly and bringing trouble down on everyone."
Chapter 158