Nothing Is Trivial

“It’s that fellow Hong Yan again,” Talisi thought with irritation upon hearing this. After receiving word from the gatehouse, she had specifically checked, and indeed found no record of the youth reporting an outing. Yet just as certain missions could be handled among acquaintances without going through the Martial Academy's official system, reporting travel was much the same. Let alone a grand instructor like Hong Yan, as long as an ordinary instructor approved, a student's departure was considered fully authorized. For a Jin hostage to leave on his own, an ordinary instructor might not suffice, but a grand knight could certainly cover it. When Talisi set out in pursuit this time, her group consisted of two knights and two apprentices. She was confident that taking him down by force wouldn't be difficult. However, she was disinclined toward that option. That idiot Salim had already proven the consequences of coming down hard on the youth. The current situation also demonstrated that the youth was stubborn as a mule. “Can’t we have a proper talk? In diplomacy, nothing is trivial!” “You can choose to talk back in Red Pine,” Wu Youren replied in a deep voice. “There are barbarians all around. Surely you don’t want to expose your identity?” The barbarians’ attitude toward the Court of State Ceremonial was tolerable, but when facing the night execution squad... detaining someone wouldn't be a big deal at all. As for whether Salim’s fate would repeat itself, that was also hard to say. The other male knight walked over and asked calmly, “Are you sure you have the ability to send word out?” The youth fell silent, offering no answer for a long while, as if to say: *Take a guess.* “Enough, don’t say another word,” Talisi waved a hand. “Show our guest some respect.” Playing good cop and bad cop... Wu Youren felt somewhat helpless. “If you don’t leave, I’m firing a signal flare!” A signal flare wouldn’t affect the barbarians much, but it would draw the military. If he hadn’t crossed paths with the New Army, such words would have been an empty threat. Even now, the military certainly wouldn’t favor a foreigner, but doing so would drag the entire matter out into the open. Why was the night execution squad relentlessly hounding him, pursuing him all the way out of Red Pine? Was there some hidden motive behind it? Wu Youren had witnessed the aura of the New Army’s commander; he was confident that they were well aware of it too. Talisi understood full well. After a brief pause, she spoke. “What did you come out alone for?” “To kill Guizu!” the youth answered bluntly. Pausing briefly, he added, “I hope to gain experience so I can serve Great Jin in the future.” Could a hostage return home? Theoretically, of course he could! Once a new king took the throne in Jin, Liang could easily release the Seventeenth Prince back home to stir up trouble. Or they could support the Seventeenth Prince as the new king... in short, there were plenty of ways to play it. For Wu Youren to say this now, however, was practically a pipe dream. Yet since they claimed they wanted to protect him as a “distinguished guest,” meeting absurdity with absurdity was hardly wrong, was it? It was nothing more than spouting high-sounding rhetoric and putting on a display of political correctness—as if he didn't know how to play that game. “This kid...” the male knight couldn’t help muttering under his breath, “why is he so uncanny?” Talisi pondered for a moment before nodding. “Very well. Thank you for your support of Great Liang!” Then she glanced at her subordinates. “Fall back!” Knowing when to yield and when to stand tall! Wu Youren nodded inwardly; this was how the Court of State Ceremonial ought to operate. He didn’t bother dwelling on whatever they might be scheming. Seeing the motorcycles retreat, he hoisted his backpack and continued on his way. However, the two motorcycles didn’t leave. Like clinging ghosts, they trailed far behind him, keeping a distance of over two kilometers! Without a grand knight or a sniper present, such a distance was considered safe enough. He had no grounds to contest it, as the other side could offer any number of excuses. If they wanted to shadow him, let them. He headed straight for the grand mountains. Truth be told, having two motorcycles behind him brought quite a few conveniences—he didn’t need to pay much attention to the barbarians’ reactions. Some barbarians who spotted him initially gave him calculating looks, but upon noticing the motorcycles trailing him, their gazes cleared instantly. A lone boy followed by motorcycles... and behind those motorcycles, couldn’t there be a whole convoy? As dusk approached and Wu Youren was still striding briskly toward the mountains, the people trailing behind couldn’t take it anymore. “Are we still following him? We’ve already spotted three traces of Guizu aura along the way!” “Follow him until dark to see if he really dares enter the mountains.” “Whether he enters or not is hard to say, but if we follow until dark, how do we get back?” Ever since Salim disappeared and rumors spread that an ability master might have intervened, the night execution squad had lost much of its nerve. Chen Quanxu’s disdain for them was truly not unfounded—fierce when bullying their own, but completely useless against outsiders! Then, miraculously, they actually halted and gave up the chase! The youth quickly noticed this. He deliberately stopped, turned around, and waved back at them. The next moment, Talisi’s wristwatch began vibrating. “Why stop? I’m feeling... a bit in need of protection right now.” “Holy shit!” The male knight lost his composure. “That little bastard dares taunt us like this?” Talisi’s face darkened upon hearing that. “Why don’t you chase after him then?” “I-I didn’t mean that,” the male knight panicked slightly. “My mission coming out this time is to support you.” “Good to know you’re here to support me!” Talisi waved a hand impatiently. “You’re only a second-in-command. Stop babbling and throwing off our morale!” She fell silent for a full half-minute before sighing and sending a voice message. “Be careful on the road. The barbarians in the rear are acting up again. Looking forward to your good news.” “So their guts only amount to this much after all.” Wu Youren realized more and more how sharp Chen Quanxu’s judgment was. Still, having scared them off, he had no intention of forcing his way near the mountains either. A few months ago, he had hunted in the wild here many times, but nothing in this world stayed constant forever! At the very least, that corpse Guizu was something he had never seen before. All those rotting human heads—setting aside whether it was easy to fight, or what else lurked behind the scenes—it was thoroughly repulsive at the very least! One step at a time. First, he searched around to find a place to camp. To his slight disappointment, the two spots he picked in succession were both unsuitable. One had buried bones, while the other had loose, crumbly soil that could easily collapse—it had clearly undergone fierce combat. In other words, many of the suitable campsites nearby had caught the eye of others before. Talking about the brutality of war from the sidelines was merely lip service; only those who had lived through it knew the blood soaked into every pinch of soil. When Wu Youren found a third spot, it was finally an untouched place. He swung his shovel swiftly to dig out a hollow. By the time total darkness fell, he had barely managed to set up the camp and rig his tripwires. After nightfall, people generally didn't move about, let alone this close to the foot of the mountains. The next day, as dawn was just breaking, the ground shifted two hundred meters away from the camp. A cloth was pulled back, revealing the youth’s face. Surviving alone in the wild, he lacked none of the necessary caution. That day, he pushed forward another ten-odd kilometers, reaching the mountain foot, and cached some of his supplies in scattered locations. The ravenous hunger from his last breakthrough had left a deep psychological scar; he felt it was entirely necessary to learn from squirrels. Anyone who had heard of the Anti-Japanese United Army naturally understood the importance of secret camps. By the third day, Wu Youren had lightened his load significantly, carrying mostly combat supplies. Around noon, he looked up at the mountain ridge, shook his head, and turned to leave. The timing was not yet ripe. On his way back to Red Pine, he crossed paths with several parties. Without a bulky backpack, and fully equipped with blades and firearms, even a lone apprentice knight wouldn’t invite much greed. Halfway back, three motorcycles rode up from his rear flank, and someone shouted loudly, “Hey, you with the bird! Hold up!” Wu Youren looked back and actually spotted an acquaintance. He offered a faint smile. “Sister Hua, is this... chasing me down to repay your debt?” Among the five riders was actually Sister Hua from the Intelligence Bureau! Back when he had left the mountain ridge, she still owed him the value of two crystals—strictly speaking, an equivalent amount in supplies. Seeing that it was him, Sister Hua was also taken aback. She stared blankly for a good seven or eight seconds before glancing at her companions. “Let’s go!” She knew that he had established ties with the New Army, and she didn't want to get dragged into that vortex voluntarily. The reason she had hesitated for seven or eight seconds was that she was calculating whether the five of them could finish off the fellow. Furthermore, if they did kill him, what fallout might they face, and how would they clean it up? After weighing it back and forth, she felt there was no need to take the risk. If they were going to make a move, they had to consider the cost-benefit ratio. The kid had strange tricks up his sleeve as well. If their side suffered casualties, even disregarding any subsequent trouble, it might not be worth it. Hearing her command, the other four couldn’t help feeling baffled: *Are you kidding? He’s just an apprentice knight, and there are five of us!* Still, they all made their living in the Intelligence Bureau; they weren’t as reckless as barbarians. Even if confused, they kept their doubts to themselves for now, planning to listen to Sister Hua’s explanation later. However, just as the three motorcycles turned around, a gunshot cracked behind them. The bullet struck right next to Sister Hua’s motorcycle, kicking up a plume of dust. The five riders were stunned once more. Turning back, they saw the youth holding a gun, speaking with a calm expression: “Did I say you could leave?” “Well, well!” Sister Hua let out an angry laugh. *I was going to let you walk, and you pull this?* “Am I giving you too much face?” Wu Youren spoke expressionlessly, “You owe me money... for quite some time now!” Hearing this, the other four fell silent together. Not one of them spoke up. There was indeed something fishy going on. Out in the deserted wasteland, one against five, and he dared to shoot first! How the hell could this be something an apprentice knight would do? Sister Hua narrowed her eyes, killing intent surging once more. *Brat, you really are tired of living!* Under the pressure of circumstances back then, she had been forced to kill a colleague as a pledge of loyalty, leaving a hold over herself. However, that chapter was long closed; the casualty report was set in stone and could not be altered. Even the military knight who had acted alongside them had been discharged due to injury! She was genuinely bewildered: What on earth made this fellow think she would keep tolerating him? A cold sneer curved Sister Hua’s lips. “Yeah, I owe you. What are you going to do about it?” “You have more people right now,” the youth stated calmly. “We’ll talk about it later, then.”