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Not only was the discipline inspector irritated, but even Daiqisi found it hard to stomach. What did they mean by "someone you can't afford to provoke"? Red Pine was indeed merely an intermediate martial academy, but what was the Court of State Ceremonial to act so high and mighty? She gave a cold scoff. "A knight of the Court of State Ceremonial went missing—aren't the barbarians the prime suspects? "Instructor Namuzha, who traveled with them, was also done in by the barbarians... Coming after our Red Pine is completely baffling!" The Court of State Ceremonial held high prestige and represented Liang's external will, but it was largely titular without much substantive authority. Against foreign hostages, they held overwhelming sway, but their actual power stopped there. If instructors of Red Pine Martial Academy refused to buy into it, there was truly nothing they could do, just as Ranxue had driven Salim off without hesitation earlier. Hearing this, the four from the Court of State Ceremonial exchanged glances and could only slink off in frustration. Daiqisi had drunk a bit much, feeling the alcohol go to her head, and her treatment had improved significantly of late, making the youth look especially pleasing to her eyes. Besides, the boy was good-looking, wasn't he? "What grudge did you have with that Sa-whatever-his-name-was... the dead guy?" "Hey now," Kenpa groaned, unable to take it. "The man is only missing. How did you go and pronounce him dead in a single sentence?" "It'd be a ghost of a miracle if he came back alive!" Daiqisi gave a scornful sneer. "You people don't know, but the barbarians dispatched an ability master!" Compared to the four-person team that had gone out hunting in the wilds, she and Ranxue hadn't left, but the incident had happened right next door, so they were privy to more news. "Then it really might have been his doing," Manna said with a solemn expression, speaking in all seriousness. "He's on the verge of awakening." "Stop messing around!" The female archer couldn't stand it. "Do you think he hasn't got enough trouble on his plate?" Truth be told, while she was usually a woman of few words, deep down she was still willing to stand up for the Jin youth. "The two of you... don't you dare fight me for Xiao Wu!" Daiqisi pointed at the two of them and declared imperiously. Then she looked back at the youth. "Between the two of you, what was the feud really about?" "There really wasn't any feud," Wu Youren said with a look of utter bewilderment. "It was just some protection fee they were collecting. Later, Hong Da took me under her wing, so they couldn't collect anymore." He spread his hands. "If there was any grudge, shouldn't they be the ones hating me?" There wasn't a thing wrong with those words. Later, it was the Life-and-Death Knot that had refused to let go; he had only struck back because he was driven to it. "Yeah, I saw that with my own eyes," Ranxue nodded, recounting what had happened that day. "...That fellow was indeed pretty upset, but would Xiao Wu have gone looking for him unless he was out of his mind?" Kenpa let out a contemptuous snort. "All they think about is the court's big picture. Unlike us, who are just rough-and-ready martial men!" He was a bit older and looked composed, but precisely because he had seen too much, he harbored the most resentment toward the imperial court. "No time to investigate Namuzha's death, yet they have the leisure to come strut their stuff in front of us. Fucking hell... talk about considering the big picture!" "There's nothing wrong with considering the big picture, is there?" someone chimed in from the distance. This was the outer perimeter of the quarantine station; there were at least dozens of groups enjoying privileges similar to theirs. And yet, this was Red Pine's turf. Daiqisi shot back bluntly, "Speak if you know how to talk, and shut up if you don't... Huh, a grand knight?" A young man and woman walked over side by side, trailed by three or four people, among whom was remarkably a grand knight. The young man spoke up solemnly, "This instructor you spoke of—did he truly die at the hands of barbarians?" From the voice, it was obvious he was the one who had spoken up about the big picture. "It's classified, so keep your nose out of it," Manna replied unceremoniously. "If you don't know, go ask your elders." "Hm?" The grand knight behind the young pair bristled with displeasure. Releasing his aura, he said coolly, "What kind of attitude is that?" Manna pulled a straight face. "Milord, if you have the means, an inquiry or two will tell you everything... Why make things difficult for a young girl like me?" "Allow me to translate," Daiqisi slurred, her tongue thick from drink. "If you can't even get your hands on basic info like that, don't talk about the big picture!" "Young Master..." The grand knight looked toward the young man. "Let's go," the young man shook his head and led his group away. "You're something else!" Once the other party was well out of earshot, Kenpa gave Daiqisi a thumbs-up. He whispered, "That grand knight, if I remember correctly, should be from the Duke of Heng's estate." "Uh, the Duke of Heng?" Daiqisi's eyes cleared up noticeably in an instant. Even so, she didn't believe she had done anything wrong. "I just said they were poorly informed, right?" After the group had walked a good distance away, the young man finally scoffed softly. "That youth is the one Ailin took a liking to?" "Took a liking to? You flatter him too much," the young woman shook her head. "Meek, subservient, with a weak, fluttering aura—where does he look anything like a man?" "That youth's aura... isn't normal," the grand knight behind them spoke up. "He's no ability master either," the woman stated indifferently. "I've seen more than three or five ability masters in my time." The following day, a clash broke out not far outside the quarantine station: a barbarian squad had locked horns with a Liang squad. This spot was very close to Red Pine's area, so ordinarily the Liang people wouldn't have been on the losing end. However, among the onlookers were three other barbarian teams, two of which had grand knights. Wu Youren and his companions weren't confined by the quarantine restrictions, so they walked over to watch as well, just in time to see both squads send out warriors to duel. With so many spectators present, under the crowd's intervention, neither side used weapons. Even so, one barbarian lost an eye, while a Liang warrior's shin was violently snapped by a kick. The female archer didn't find it gory, but she remarked with feeling, "The barbarians are growing more arrogant by the day." Wu Youren had little interest in watching the spectacle, but since the other three had come, he simply went with the flow. Suddenly, he felt someone watching him. Following his instincts, he looked over, only to discover that it was actually Shi Linyuan and Lei Lixing. One had vanished without a trace from Red Pine, while the other was at Haicheng Martial Academy—yet here they were, gathered together! Wu Youren casually withdrew his gaze. Those who had once looked down on him from on high and put immense pressure on him were no longer worth paying heed to. "See that? Look how smug he is," Shi Linyuan muttered, eyeing the several knights around Wu Youren, unable to conceal the jealousy in his eyes. Lei Lixing now bore two scars on his face, giving him a colder, harsher look, though he also seemed somewhat steadier. He remarked calmly, "He has his strengths. While the Court of State Ceremonial is in disarray, let's reach out to him. In the end, we need to huddle together for warmth." The once overbearing young man, after taking a beating from the harsh realities of the world, had finally begun to change. "The son of that matrilocal husband said so," Shi Linyuan sighed. "He doesn't want anything to do with us." Lei Lixing glanced sideways at him, his brow furrowing slightly. "That's Jingming. Stop calling him 'the matrilocal husband's son' all the time." At midnight that day, the little earth snake gave a twist of its body and quietly slipped away from Wu Youren's bracer. "Quarantine ends tomorrow. In any case, you're not strapped for this mouthful of food, right?" The youth merely nodded. He knew full well that Red Pine likely possessed something that made the other party wary. Since Chen Quanxu didn't explain, he didn't press the matter either. "Until our next collaboration." Watching the little snake vanish into the night, ripples stirred in his heart. Without Chen Quanxu providing intel, it would be difficult for him to pull off such a smooth, exhilarating sneak attack again. Their cooperative strike to discipline Salim had not only cleared his grievances and granted peace of mind, but had also shown him a glimpse of what an ability master could do. Their partnership had indeed been pleasant, but... alas, complete mutual trust was still out of reach. Affected by these thoughts, he was somewhat listless when he returned to Red Pine the next day. The others assumed his qi stitch hadn't fully healed and didn't pry further. Wu Youren hadn't been away for very long this time, but the greenhouse was already completed, and even the soil inside had been loosened. Shaking off his gloom, he contacted the construction workers, settled the final payment, and hired them to plant some seedlings in the greenhouse. These people truly didn't know how to farm, but he could teach them; the main issue was that the initial prep was too labor-intensive, and he couldn't spare enough time. They were indeed clumsy at farm work, but fortunately it was manual labor that required little finesse, so two days were enough to get most of it done. As for the remaining details, he could carve out a bit of time here and there to perfect them at his leisure. However, Wu Youren realized something: after his encounter with Chen Quanxu, his entire mindset had shifted considerably. At the very least, he no longer cared as deeply about farming. Maintaining the persona was still necessary, but both his circumstances and state of mind had changed. On his fifth day back, Liu Jingming came to find him, still pretending to limp. "What you said before about helping you grow vegetables—does that still stand?" "Of course it does," Wu Youren said, having worried about having no one to keep an eye on things. "Come by during the day every other day to check on it. It doesn't matter whether I'm around or not." "You're heading out again?" Liu Jingming asked in astonishment. "I heard it's very dangerous out there. Even people from the Life-and-Death Knot have died." "The more of them die, the better," Wu Youren replied nonchalantly. "It saves our ears some peace and quiet." "True," Liu Jingming nodded. "They don't even have time to harass me right now." Some things truly couldn't be spoken of without summoning them. The following afternoon, while Wu Youren was strolling around inside the greenhouse, a man and two women arrived outside. The female knight leading them stood outside the greenhouse and beckoned to him. "You. Come out for a moment." Wu Youren assumed they were academy staff who didn't know what a greenhouse was. Opening the door, he stepped outside. "Is there something, Instructor?" "Allow me to introduce myself. Talisi of the Protocol Office," the female knight said formally. "From now on, I will be stationed near Red Pine." "Oh. Understood," Wu Youren nodded expressionlessly, turning right back toward the greenhouse. "I'm busy. Make yourselves at home." Seeing this, the male apprentice knight raised an eyebrow. "Are all Jin people this impudent?" Wu Youren stopped in his tracks, glanced back at him, and asked calmly, "Is Salim dead?" Hearing those words, the male warrior's face changed instantly. Just as he was about to speak, Talisi waved a hand. "Shut your mouth!" The female knight fixed her eyes on the youth's and asked slowly, "What do you mean by that?" She wasn't furious, but her expression was intensely grave. Clearly, if he couldn't give a proper explanation, this matter wouldn't simply blow over!