Kelvin

Instructor Hong drew the short blade at her waist and leveled it at the figure. In her husky, rasping voice, she spoke very calmly. "Now, I'm giving you a chance to explain yourself." "From the Far West," the black-masked figure replied faintly. "Don't point your blade at me. Your opponent isn't me." "The Far West... Then you've been in Great Liang for quite some time." Hong Da remained expressionless, her blade still aimed forward. "State your business." "Looking for you," the other party answered briskly. "I heard you proposed the knight tax exemption. Is it true?" Seeing that he no longer insisted on her sheathing her weapon, Instructor Hong instead slowly lowered and put away her short blade, her raspy voice still steady. "It's not true." "Kelvin," the stranger said, continuing along his own train of thought. "How can a knight acquire fixed assets?" Oddly enough, Hong Da managed to keep up with his rhythm. "You should ask whoever submitted the memorial. I am an instructor at a martial academy." Kelvin fell silent for a few seconds before speaking again. "A very good proposal. It can attract wandering martial artists like me." "That damn well has nothing to do with me!" The raspy voice finally broke its composure. "You've found the wrong person." "I haven't." Kelvin took off his mask, revealing a high nose bridge and deep-set eyes—one glance at his features made it obvious he was from foreign lands. He stated in a low voice, "The person who submitted the memorial, and the New Army... The turmoil around them is too great. I don't like it." *This really isn't my idea, damn it!* Instructor Hong felt an urge to curse. Still, by revealing his face, the other party had demonstrated a measure of goodwill. She could only curse inward: *That bastard Jeff!* After a moment of thought, she said, "Your concealment art is rather interesting. Care to explain?" The question was somewhat presumptuous, but Kelvin did not mind. "Just a few exclusive little tricks used to steer clear of trouble." "Fine, relax then," Instructor Hong remarked placidly. "There will come a time to take your measure, just not now!" She was not one to trust others easily, but this man's face was far too distinctive. If he dared to fool her, so long as anyone here left the scene, he would find it impossible to take a single step in Great Liang going forward. Instructor Hong pondered for a moment, then looked toward the youth. "Go up and check if there's any Guizu aura." To an outsider's eyes, among the five of them, only Wu Youren was an apprentice knight. Doing errand work and odd jobs made this order completely reasonable. The youth showed no reluctance either. He walked up to thirty meters from the man, paused for five or six seconds, then turned and walked back. "No problem!" A deeply concealed trace of astonishment flitted through Kelvin's eyes. *Turning his back on me... Whose naive child is this?* "Come closer to talk," Instructor Hong extended an invitation. At the same time, however, she maintained an appropriate aloofness. "Talk more with them. Your information is wrong!" Evidently, this move had been orchestrated by Jeff. The motive was likely... wanting to withhold the promised Guizu relic? "Them?" Kelvin swept a glance across the other four, a clear look of distaste in his eyes. "Perhaps you have misjudged my strength." Instructor Hong's expression darkened. "Then... shall we take your measure right now?" "Never mind." Kelvin chose to yield on his own initiative. He did not believe that if hands were laid, the other side would necessarily fight one-on-one. He walked over unhurriedly and stopped fifty meters away. "Which of you can answer my question?" The gazes of the three knights fell, consciously or otherwise, onto the youth. *I really didn't want to stand out like this!* Wu Youren sighed inward, then asked casually, "Do wandering knights care so much about this?" Kelvin glanced at Xiao Ha perched on the boy's shoulder. "That snow harrier is well-raised. Your family must be quite well-off." Aside from that possibility, he could not fathom why they would insist on having an apprentice knight provide the answers. The youth remained silent. Since the other party refused to answer properly, he had nothing to say. Kelvin waited a full half-minute. Seeing that the boy would not reply, he spoke calmly. "I'm not the only one paying attention to this. As I said earlier, it is a good proposal." Kenpa could not hold back; he had considered this matter before. "As long as you're tempted, the turmoil cannot be avoided. Looking for anyone will yield the same result." "I am very strong, but I dislike fighting," Kelvin stated placidly. "Perhaps another path can be found." "Taste my blade!" Instructor Hong had reached her limit of patience. Drawing her short blade, she slashed casually, sending a streak of blade qi straight toward him. "Putting on airs... Huh? Interesting." Kelvin's body vanished in an instant. The next moment, he appeared in another direction, still more than fifty meters away from them. Wu Youren's expression grew serious. "Watch out, he's also an ability master!" He had sensed that when the man's form flickered, battle qi was not the only power at work. Hearing this, Kelvin glanced at him and nodded slightly. "Sharp eyes. No wonder you get to travel with them." "An ability master knight." Instructor Hong sheathed her short blade. She truly had only intended to test his measure and deflate his posturing. Having verified his capabilities, she gave a slight nod. "I've heard that in the Far West, there are martial artists of this kind." "Only at the apprentice rank," Kelvin replied, his expression turning unusually solemn. "Don't speak carelessly. I have no wish to be targeted by Liang's authorities." If a grand knight were also an ability master, their combat power would certainly be off the charts. But who could say whether the Liang government would covet the secrets behind it? Instructor Hong did not pick up on that topic. "I heard the Far West was swallowed by a Guizu surge and turned into a massive Guizu domain?" Kelvin thought for a moment before answering, "Large areas are still held by humanity, but it is indeed not safe enough." "Scattered pockets, more likely?" the female archer chimed in. "Otherwise, why would you flee all the way here?" "You people certainly speak..." Kelvin could not help shaking his head. Did everyone from Red Pine speak so bluntly? "Pestering us is useless," Manna said even more directly. "Someone wants you to drag us into the mud, understand?" She was more than familiar with the feud between her master and Jeff. Hong Da had thought that by refusing to accept the Guizu relic, she could wash her hands of the New Army. Yet how could that fellow let Red Pine off so easily? "I figured as much," Kelvin actually nodded, though he was looking at it from another angle. "Since someone doesn't want you getting away, doesn't that mean... you truly have value?" His expression then straightened. "I don't want to be dragged into the mud either. Count me in. I really am quite capable." "Why won't this guy listen to reason?" Kenpa shook his head between laughter and tears, then looked at the youth. "Your turn?" "There's nothing for me to do," Wu Youren waved his hands hastily. "I'm heading back to the martial academy tomorrow." This had not been part of his plan, and he had accomplished only a fraction of his goals for this trip. However, he hated unexpected variables. The current situation gave him a premonition that things were slipping out of control, so returning was the wiser choice. In any case, the martial academy was nearby, and he could deploy at any time. That was far better than having eyes constantly fixed on him. Yet the next moment, Instructor Hong shot a sidelong glance at him. "Since you're already here, what's the rush to leave?" "Hong Da," Wu Youren said in surprise, "my... my greenhouse is almost finished." "You think this has nothing to do with you?" Hong Da countered placidly, before adding, "I still need to investigate the matter of the corpse Guizu. "Going forward, discuss with this Kelvin how to coordinate with one another." With those words, she swung her leg over the motorcycle and sped off, vanishing in a trail of dust. The remaining five looked at one another, completely at a loss for words. After a while, Kelvin raised a hand and put his mask back on. "Instructor Hong Da is truly a person of genuine character!" "The question is... how are we supposed to deal with you?" Manna looked at him. The turn of events was rather absurd—could this fellow hiding his face really be trusted? "She certainly is clever!" Kelvin was somewhat dissatisfied as well, muttering under his breath, "Treating me as a free bodyguard? Impressive!" "We haven't even complained about your shady identity yet," the female archer said bluntly. "Why don't you just leave?" If the man were a grand knight of Liang, she would never dare say such a thing openly. Against martial artists from outside Liang, however, she genuinely did not care much. Liang's national fortunes were flourishing, and its martial artists possessed their own pride. "Take this token." The black-masked man raised a hand, revealing a palm-sized plaque. Without seeing him make any forceful movement, the plaque left his hand and drifted steadily down onto the hood of the off-road vehicle. "If you need my help, crush the plaque, and I will naturally appear... It is valid within ten days." The four looked at one another. In the end, Manna stepped forward and picked up the plaque. Caution was warranted around strangers in the wilderness, but she reasoned that with her master having just departed, this man was unlikely to harbor ill intentions. To offend a grand knight over a few ordinary knights—just how short-sighted would one have to be? She examined the plaque for a couple of moments and asked casually, "What if we clash with the barbarians?" Kelvin's body, which had been slowly fading, began to solidify once more. "I dislike fighting. Grand Knight Hong Da accompanied you for two days—wasn't that precisely to prove that you weren't the ones who raided the barbarians by night?" Manna froze upon hearing that. Her master had actually harbored such an intention? She shook her head, then glanced at Kenpa. "You handle him. Why is communicating with him such an ordeal?" Seeing the situation, Kenpa could only force a bitter smile. "Can't we just speak plainly?" Kelvin, however, had no intention of indulging these knights' whims. When facing a grand knight earlier, he had spoken the exact same way. "I'm used to it." The female archer spoke up, pointing at her eyes, which were still prominently bloodshot. "Can you treat this? I'll pay!" Kelvin remained silent for a few seconds, evidently somewhat speechless. "That is beyond my capabilities." Kenpa asked another question. "Why did you suspect that we were the ones who raided the barbarians by night?" "Anyone with half a brain could figure it out." True to form, the reply was distinctly Kelvin. Fortunately, he added another line. "It doesn't matter to me. Barbarians don't count as human!" Seeing how lively the questions were, Manna chimed in with one of her own. "What if we stage a night raid on the barbarians and invite you to join?" The youth suddenly interjected, "You'll need to do something to win... Hong Da's trust, after all." He had grown quite practiced in the concept of a blood pledge to prove loyalty. In the past, he had constantly been manipulated by the Life-and-Death Knot crowd; now, the dragon-slaying youth had finally grown into a dragon himself. Kelvin actually cast a deep look at him before answering, "If the opponents aren't too strong... fine. Only once, for free!"