So this one was just as cautious! Wu Youren nodded slightly. "I was thinking of going to Tianjing to look for you, but unfortunately someone stopped me."
"There are people stopping you from returning home too," the horned owl replied dismissively. "Do you listen to them?"
"One step at a time," the youth answered noncommittally; he had grown accustomed to the other's criticisms.
He even dared to offer a defense or two, though he would never do such a thing before Instructor Hong. "I'm still very weak."
"And what counts as strong? Becoming a realm-stabilizing knight?" The horned owl was thoroughly unimpressed by his words. "You act according to the position you're in. The abnormal stir in Guizu aura here yesterday—was that your doing?"
Wu Youren was astonished. "Senior, whatever made you think that?"
"Looks like it really was you," Chen Quanxu said. He too had grown familiar with the youth's habits; everything about him was fine, except he was far too cautious.
The boy hadn't denied it, nor had he even asked what the disturbance was. That left nothing more to be said.
"How did you cause it? Feels like you obtained quite an extraordinary Guizu relic."
Wu Youren didn't answer directly, asking instead, "Senior, do you need Guizu relics?"
"Isn't that obvious?" Chen Quanxu replied without hesitation. "Torturing that fellow last time even used your crystal."
"I mean Guizu relics, not crystals. They're more commonly found by fighting Guizu-transformed creatures."
"Of course I need those too. I'm an ability master. Still, not every relic is useful to me, which you know full well."
"Then what do you need?" Wu Youren asked solemnly. "I can specifically hunt for them."
"Have I... really fallen this low?" the horned owl muttered, sounding somewhat aggrieved.
Pausing for a moment, he spoke again. "Have you ever killed a Guizu-transformed burst spider?"
"Uh," Wu Youren was rendered speechless. "Senior, is that a kind of spider?"
"Forget it," the horned owl said. His round eyes seemed to narrow, appearing thoroughly disappointed. "Did you get your hands on some special Guizu relic, or is there something you want?"
"I wanted to ask about a certain kind..." Wu Youren recalled the iron piece Instructor Keli had taken, and described it.
Keli had taken it without batting an eye, so Wu Youren naturally had no hesitation bringing it up.
"It's likely an enhancement type," Chen Quanxu understood as soon as he heard. "It boosts weapons or the capacity for ability forging."
"So it's guesswork for you as well," Wu Youren smiled. "Senior, it can't be easy for you either."
"You think I have lots of resources?" The horned owl's eyes widened by a full ring. "The moment they decided to send me to Liang, all my information sources were cut off!"
Chen Quanxu truly had it rough. According to him, no more than five people in Hostage Manor even knew of his identity as an apprentice ability master.
He was a hidden card arranged by Jin, shouldering the grave responsibility of saving the Seventeenth Prince at a critical juncture.
The awful part, however, was that few advancement resources had been prepared for him, and more crucially, materials regarding the ability master knowledge system were shockingly scarce.
Jin was indeed ahead of Liang in much of its ability master knowledge, so this practice was likely meant to prevent leaks.
He stated it all calmly, but as for how it felt to undergo such an experience, only the heavens knew.
Instead, he grew a bit curious. "How could you tell I was guessing?"
"I managed to get hold of some ability master records," Wu Youren said without hiding anything, recounting how Hong Da had lent him the materials.
The horned owl's large round eyes dimmed slightly. Only after quite a while did he remark, "Treatment like that... why don't you just defect?"
"What kind of talk is that!" Wu Youren shook his head, caught between tears and laughter. "I earned it through my own ability! It was a trade, merely a trade!"
"My heart's feeling thoroughly out of balance," Chen Quanxu muttered under his breath. "Your sheer luck... If I ever clash with Hong Yan in the future, I'll spare her life."
"No need. If you must strike, strike without hesitation!" Wu Youren replied solemnly. "Your safety comes first!
"Also, there's no need to keep probing me, all right?"
"You overthink far too much!" The horned owl actually managed to roll its eyes. "So, what did those records say?"
As the two compared notes, most of the day slipped away.
The records Instructor Hong had given were indeed extremely basic, practically all things Chen Quanxu looked down on.
"To not even know these things... well, it really hasn't been easy for you."
*With my background, could I really expect anyone to give me top-tier goods?* Wu Youren was speechless.
Fortunately, he had also carefully studied a volume of ability master cultivation reflections and made some related deductions.
"Now there's some real thought in this," Chen Quanxu remarked. His senses were keen, allowing him to perceive subtle distinctions. "Though it's a bit unorthodox, it does offer some inspiration."
When he learned that the youth had obtained it only after killing an apprentice ability master, he fell speechless for a full half-minute.
And when he asked about how the battle had played out... well now, the ability master himself had been a knight, backed by two other knights.
Wu Youren hadn't mentioned it to show off; he simply wanted to know what that dark shadow emerging from Er Shan's body in the end had been.
"Your jumps in topic..." In this exchange, their roles had reversed, with Chen Quanxu repeatedly rendered speechless by the youth. "Everything you bring up is either utterly basic or extraordinarily rare...
"The dark shadow definitely relates to the fallen system. Beyond that, I don't know much either."
Lamentations aside, it was undeniable that his understanding of the ability system was leagues ahead of Wu Youren's.
Regarding certain points, he stressed they were merely his personal views rather than authoritative doctrine, yet they were still remarkably insightful.
Though they called it comparing notes, in reality, it was primarily him explaining and answering questions.
Gradually, Wu Youren asked more and more about Guizu relics, to which Chen Quanxu admitted he didn't possess extensive knowledge either.
"The most comprehensive compilations are held by the Hall of Esoteric Masters. It's that way in Jin, and Liang followed suit to do the same... unified management."
"I see," the youth nodded, then grumbled, "The others are so secretive about it, refusing to tell me where to find any."
"Liang really does keep a tight grip on it," Chen Quanxu remarked. It wasn't surprising.
His assessment was that while Jin merely kept secrets, Liang took it a step further, forming an information monopoly.
"It has become the exclusive preserve of Liang's upper echelon. Do you think that with that tax exemption you proposed, knights were the only ones whose hearts yearned for change?"
Holy shit... Wu Youren was completely at a loss for words. No wonder the experience points had kept coming wave after wave.
The two chatted until afternoon before Chen Quanxu finally remembered the events of the previous night and pressed him again.
Wu Youren hesitated briefly before explaining that it was an item capable of attracting Guizu aura.
The horned owl already understood him well. "If it's inconvenient to say, forget it. You kept asking me about Guizu relics because you wanted to find out its origin, right?
"I've also stashed away a few Guizu relics. Once you awaken later on, we'll see which ones suit you."
Hearing this, the youth suddenly recalled something. "There's a Guizu relic—pale green, honeycomb-shaped, capable of storing and releasing objects..."
"I truly don't have a spare one of those!" the horned owl stated bluntly. "A marching stone. It allows for the portable transport of supplies—a vital military asset."
Wu Youren probed, "So that means... you had one before?"
"Never had one before either," Chen Quanxu replied glumly. "I don't even know what kind of Guizu-transformed creature drops such a thing."
Wu Youren thought for a moment and replied, "I do. Pouch eagles!"
This time he truly didn't beat around the bush. The man had done him a great favor; just looking at the ambush on Salim, how drastically had it improved his circumstances?
Pouch eagles were uncommon in Liang, and revealing this news meant having one more competitor.
Yet so what? Each would rely on his own ability.
It made no sense that Liang's monopolistic class knew while he kept secrets from his own benefactor, right?
"Holy crap?" The horned owl was dumbfounded once more. *You're actually willing to share information like this?*
Immediately following that, however, he remarked with no small amount of regret, "This news came a bit too late... Don't go sharing it around with others in the future."
*Just how terminally ill are you?* Wu Youren couldn't pry too deeply. Could such vital news really be of no use to him anymore?
Yet Chen Quanxu paused in thought, then asked, "You have one?"
"Instructor Hong needs one," Wu Youren answered casually. "She told me to keep an eye out!"
"You didn't deny it, which means you do!" Chen Quanxu was far too good at grasping the key point. "Don't worry, I won't force a buy or sell on you. I have too much pride for that."
"I have it hidden at Red Pine," the youth conceded candidly, not denying it. "You can't get in anyway. Oh right, that..."
"Don't ask!" The horned owl's eyes snapped wide and round. "Don't even mention it!"
"This..." Wu Youren was slightly taken aback. "You know what I was going to ask?"
"Of course," Chen Quanxu answered without hesitation. "That's not something the two of us can discuss... Wait, don't tell me you provoked it too?"
"I just... wasn't I trying to study it a bit?" The youth gave a sheepish cough. "Ahem, I scaled the wall an extra couple of times!"
"You!" The horned owl spread its wings, covering its own eyes, and only after quite a while did he sigh, "What a... waste!"
Wu Youren felt a bit wronged. "Well, you could have told me in advance."
"I didn't even dare mention it," the horned owl lowered its wings, his eyes looking even bigger. "Who would have thought you could court disaster like this!"
Wu Youren pondered for a moment and nodded thoughtfully. "I think I have a rough guess as to what it might be."
"Let's talk about something else," Chen Quanxu said, truly cautious. "I know a place where pouch eagles are relatively common."
"Senior, you can just go yourself; no need to tell me," the youth shook his head, seeing the favor through to the end. "I can't leave anyway."
"Mm," the horned owl grunted softly. "Is there anything else you need my help with?"
"Nothing!" The youth thought for a moment before finally adding, "I only hope that one day, I can fight side by side with Senior to slay Guizu!"
"Isn't that simple?" The horned owl flapped its wings. "We can do it tonight. You can attract Guizu aura, so let's head into the mountains to hunt!
"All the Guizu relics will be yours, and I'll help you spot high-value targets!"
One had to admit, a fellow countryman was truly a fellow countryman. Even if he wouldn't fight himself, that single line—"All the Guizu relics will be yours"—was genuinely heartwarming!
"Wait a moment, Senior," Wu Youren said, feeling he couldn't put one of his own people in jeopardy. "This Guizu relic of mine is a bit peculiar.
"Its ability to attract Guizu might be rather powerful."
"How strong could it possibly..." Chen Quanxu paused halfway through his sentence, remembering that this boy could not be judged by conventional standards.
So he changed his tune. "Bring it out for me to see, and I'll assess it for you."
Chapter 190