A Knight at the Door

What the administrator was most curious about was not actually Wu Youren's combat strength. He wanted to know even more how this youth from Jin had managed to get involved with Hong Yan. However, gossip about a grand knight wasn't easy to pry into, not to mention that Instructor Hong was exceptionally difficult to deal with. The two of them chatted for quite a while, mainly about the finer points of battling the Guizu. The administrator wasn't even an apprentice knight—poverty in his youth had cost him his prime training window—but having spent decades at Red Pine, his experience and knowledge were nothing to scoff at. Wu Youren, on the other hand, was indeed an apprentice knight, yet his relevant knowledge was pitifully meager. Surprisingly, the two hit it off and had a lively conversation. They talked right up until dinnertime, when the Jin youth needed to head to the dining hall for a meal. The administrator waved a hand. "No need for you to go. I'll head over to the staff dining hall and grab some food. We can eat and drink together." His rank was a cut above that of an odd-job laborer, so eating at the staff dining hall was free, and the quality of the meals was even better than at the students' free dining hall. Wu Youren, however, was thoroughly spooked by the words "eat and drink together," claiming he had already arranged to meet a friend at the dining hall. Only then did the administrator ask in a seemingly casual tone, "How did you get to know Instructor Hong?" "I have no idea why she'd remember me either," the Jin youth replied, looking utterly bewildered. "To be honest, I wouldn't dare approach her." "Oh? Why is that?" The spark of gossip flared in the administrator's eyes. "Doesn't she..." Wu Youren looked at him speechlessly. "Doesn't she dislike people from Jin?" "Bah," the administrator rolled his eyes at that. "You mean what happened to her family? It wasn't like that at all!" This time, it was the Jin youth's turn to be intrigued by gossip. "Care to elaborate?" "I suppose I could," the administrator said, stroking his chin. "Have a drink with me. I'll tell you over a few drinks." The corner of Wu Youren's mouth twitched. "Actually, I'm not that curious. My mother said I'm not allowed to drink alcohol before advancing to knight." With that, he turned and walked toward the dining hall. "You should head over to eat soon too, sir." "So..." Watching his departing back, the administrator murmured thoughtfully, "He doesn't really care all that much about a grand knight?" Although Wu Youren didn't keep him company for drinks, he still spent money to buy a meat dish and brought it back for the administrator to enjoy with his liquor. "Thank you for your guidance this afternoon. Eat more and drink less—you'll live a healthier life." He had indeed learned a lot from their chat, and that offhand remark the man made was exceptionally crucial. Before this, he had constantly been guessing why Instructor Hong treated him this way, wondering whether there was some deeper motive behind her actions. It couldn't be helped; being a hostage in an enemy nation meant having to remain on high alert about everything. If he were in Jin, even if he couldn't become lovers with Cynthia, being ordinary friends wouldn't have been an issue. Yet now, to avoid potential hidden troubles, he could only find an excuse to cut off contact. Strictly speaking, those were his predecessor's feelings; as a transmigrator, there was no need to go out of his way to adopt them. And yet, he had no choice. His identity was too sensitive; switching sides was out of the question. Traitors never met a good end. Even in the eyes of the Great Liang people, a defected Wu Youren would only be a tool and a clown. It wasn't as if he could explain to others: Hey, hey, I'm a soul from another world! At the same time, he did not reject his predecessor's feelings toward his family and Great Jin. Now that he didn't need to rack his brain guessing Instructor Hong's motives, things were... genuinely so much simpler. That was why he sincerely hoped the administrator would eat more meat and drink less alcohol. Early the next morning, Wu Youren set about preparing certain methods needed to deal with the Guizu. Having spent rather lavishly lately, the forty silver dollars left of his seed money had shrunk severely, falling to less than twenty-five. Still, what had to be spent had to be spent. His top priority right now was to improve his chances of survival as much as possible! In the afternoon, a knight in his mid-twenties came by to deliver Instructor Hong's written authorization. In reality, it was just a special travel permit bearing Grand Knight Hong Yan's personal seal. The knight was named Rossi, not particularly tall, nor especially burly. Still, to have advanced to knight at such an age meant his potential was not to be underestimated. He was remarkably genial and didn't treat Wu Youren like an outsider at all. The moment they met, he smiled and said, "So you've got yourself a private room, young friend." He even toured the vegetable patch with great interest, remarking that adding some greenery really was refreshing to the soul. Wu Youren understood that this friendly attitude probably stemmed from a misunderstanding, but would he have to be out of his mind to burst that bubble? Sure enough, before they had exchanged more than a few sentences, Rossi offered of his own accord that the authorization was supposed to have been delivered by a senior female student. Red Pine really wasn't a collegiate academy, just a martial academy, but it still used terms like senior and junior schoolmates. Banding together for warmth was human nature; it was hardly surprising. Rossi had happened to run into the senior, so he had taken over the errand on her behalf. He offered that casual explanation so Instructor Hong wouldn't mistake the senior for slacking off. Wu Youren naturally matched his sincerity, and the two chatted about everything under the sun. In Rossi's eyes, calling this a "private room" was ridiculous. Not only was it drafty, it was also right next to the latrine. Then again, for a martial artist who had just arrived to not have to stay in the shared dormitories—how liberating was that? And more importantly... having such a huge plot of land to grow vegetables? Rossi had entered Red Pine Martial Academy seven or eight years ago. Having completed his studies, he was currently applying to stay at the academy as an assistant instructor. Never had he heard of such a precedent in the academy. A few people in the academy did grow vegetables, but they were all decrepit old instructors with nothing better to do in their retirement, passing the time. The people of Great Liang were accustomed to using blades and spears to harvest supplies, or otherwise living where the pasture took them. It was just as Wu Youren had said earlier: "Great Jin stockpiles grain, while Great Liang stockpiles guns." It wasn't that no one knew how to grow vegetables, but rather that no one treated it as second nature, planting whenever they had spare time. And now, out of nowhere, an oddball like this had appeared! Rossi didn't wonder why the Jin youth had such tastes; what he thought was that the guy had the status to pull it off! Strictly speaking, it was just as Wu Youren had surmised: a wonderful misunderstanding. Yet Rossi had a pressing need: he yearned to prove himself, yearned to become an assistant instructor at Red Pine! That was why he was running errands, delivering the authorization on the senior's behalf! Then again, could someone who could get Grand Knight Hong Yan to issue a special authorization be ordinary? When Wu Youren began explaining to him that wolf peaches were a vegetable that favored drought over rain, Rossi could hold back no longer. "Speaking of rain, Tianjing has had quite a lot of acid rain in recent years... The weather patterns have been a bit unusual." 'I know this one!' Wu Youren thought. He had just learned a bit about this from the administrator. He nodded. "Mm, it's likely caused by the Guizu. Sigh, that's why I can only plant more wolf peaches." "The Guizu truly are a great scourge to humanity," Rossi nodded in hearty agreement, his nod exaggeratedly deep. "So focusing only on farming makes you a bit too relaxed, young friend... You really ought to get out more, take a look around." In truth, he didn't believe the other party only enjoyed growing vegetables. Otherwise, why bother getting this special travel permit? "Nothing would please me more than slaying Guizu," Wu Youren replied with a wry smile. "Unfortunately, plenty of people don't want me taking risks." 'Just as I thought—he has powerful backing.' Rossi nodded silently, not chiming in. Immediately following that, the Jin youth sighed softly. "It is precisely because of this that I asked Instructor Hong to issue this order!" By heaven and earth, though his words were arguably misleading, was there a single lie among them? Rossi's eyes lit up upon hearing that. "You have a lead on finding Guizu?" "Impossible. I'm only an apprentice knight," Wu Youren shook his head flatly. "I just want to give it a try." "Then... could you count me in?" Rossi asked cautiously. He didn't entirely believe the youth's denial. If you didn't have any leads at all, would a grand knight have gone through the trouble of issuing an order for you? Still, some things were better seen through than spoken; showing off petty cleverness was a terrible idea! "Count... you in?" Wu Youren was somewhat dumbfounded. What sort of insane turn of events was this? He had a vague inkling of what was happening, but on the whole, he was still rather baffled. The crux of the matter was that if he truly went to the Rust Belt all by himself, the danger level would be quite high. He had been planning to use his existing funds to prepare more measures to ensure his safety. Many of the steps involved weren't easy to arrange, but he simply hadn't had anyone to team up with. Earlier, his mindset had been to take a gamble—he was already a hostage, and you couldn't survive without a bit of madness. In life, if you don't push yourself to the limit, how will you ever know what you're incapable of? Yet now, a knight had actively shoved himself forward to serve as muscle... Taking a deep breath, he said slowly, "Fighting the Guizu is quite dangerous, and there's no guarantee we'll even find one." "Of course there's no guarantee," Rossi said. During the time Wu Youren had hesitated, Rossi had already prepared himself mentally. "But it doesn't matter. Think of it as going out to unwind. You don't consider me dead weight, do you?" 'Dangerous? If I hadn't asked to come along, weren't you going anyway?' 'To say that to me about a place an apprentice knight dares to go... just how much do you look down on full knights?' From these words, Wu Youren had already guessed the man's mindset. This was truly a royal pain in the neck! Then again, could this be yet another ploy by the Life-and-Death Knot? He hated this brain-burning sensation. He wasn't afraid of using his head, but having his brain burning every waking second—he might as well just give up resisting! "Then it will just be the two of us. I'd suggest you mention this to Instructor Hong first, so no one can say I dragged you into a pit." 'This is absolutely a test!' Rossi replied without a second thought, "Then just the two of us it is! I'll keep you safe!" 'Seventy percent chance he's with the Life-and-Death Knot!' Wu Youren simply couldn't help thinking this way. Could there really be such a coincidence in the world? Yet one word had led to another, and having reached this point, there was no room for him to back out. He nodded slightly. "All right then. If we end up returning empty-handed and disappointed, just don't blame me, Instructor Rossi." "It's just hunting Guizu, why would I blame you?" At this moment, Rossi's commitment was sky-high. "And I'm not an instructor yet!" Then the two exchanged smartwatch numbers to ensure they could contact each other at any time. After that, Wu Youren continued preparing for the trip outside. Although he now had a knight teammate, who knew whether this teammate was a friend or a foe? Keeping the reins in his own hands was still the safest bet.