The youth was dumbfounded once again upon hearing this. "How else can it be used, then? Does it need topping up?"
"Top... up?" Chen Quanxu froze for a moment, then tasted the meaning of the words. "Who taught you that term?"
"Or should I say recharging?" Wu Youren did not quite understand why the man was so hung up on a single word.
"It has nothing to do with recharging," the horned owl said, no longer dwelling on the previous question. "The transformation in such things is usually irreversible.
"The aura it contains can be called 'hidden Guizu.' An object capable of storing this kind of aura won't have a low residual value."
"Mm." The youth nodded slightly. Indeed, this world's understanding of the Guizu was far too lacking; many terms still had to be coined from scratch.
"Even if it's valuable, it doesn't matter. I can afford to gift you one. Xiao Ha won't just poop once, right?"
"Heh heh, that's hard to say," the horned owl chuckled, its eyes still perfectly round without the slightest hint of anthropomorphism.
Seeing that the youth was so generous, he could not be bothered to overthink it either. "It's useless to me. I'll just hold on to it for you for now... It might really never drop another."
"Fair enough. I'm in no rush to head back either," Wu Youren indicated that he had plans. "Once its aura weakens a bit, how about making a trip into the mountains?"
"It's better to play it safe on this," Chen Quanxu said. He did not lack prudence in his actions; he just indulged an impetuous streak on occasion. "It's basically certain that this thing can draw grand knight Guizu. I'm afraid it might summon a Shenwei-tier one for you!"
A grand knight Guizu... No need for that right now! Wu Youren shook his head. "I just feel Guizu relics are dropping too rarely. Isn't picking on the weak great?"
"You want more? That's not hard," the horned owl nodded. "Tonight, we'll finish clearing this sector first."
In the early hours of the following morning, another battle took place in the Rust Belt, yielding three Guizu relics.
Chen Quanxu believed that in the short term, it was virtually impossible to harvest anything else from this area.
"Guizu need time to accumulate as well. Otherwise, why would the Mount Xuanling Guizu domain only be entered periodically?"
The words were callous, but the truth was just that harsh.
Wu Youren did not care much for the topic. "It seems people in the surrounding area have taken notice of us."
"It's been two consecutive nights; that's entirely normal," Chen Quanxu answered calmly. "Just some stray martial artists. There are even more over on the wasteland."
After thinking for a moment, the youth replied, "Then how about I head back to the quarantine station for a couple of days?"
Plans could never keep up with changes. Since Guizu relics were dropping sparingly lately, taking a few days to rest and regroup made sense.
The horned owl fell silent. Only after a while did it say, "That works too. Lend me that orange seed of yours; I'll see how else it can be used to lure Guizu."
"Sure thing," Wu Youren nodded. "Then I'll head back once day breaks."
He knew very well that, according to Chen Quanxu, the orange seed was an extraordinary treasure, perhaps even more precious than a marching stone.
Yet solely on account of their tacit cooperation these past days, he felt that even if he lent it out and never got it back, he could completely accept it.
His true confidence stemmed from having a cheat on his side. With the other able to help him grow at high speed, a gamble of this scale amounted to nothing.
This time, Wu Youren slept in. When he woke up, it was close to noon, and the horned owl was already nowhere to be seen.
By the time he hurried back to the quarantine station, dusk was approaching. After passing inspection, he entered the quarantine zone.
Many people had rotated out at the quarantine station; almost none of the faces were ones he had seen last time.
Instructor Ran Xue had once mentioned that he had acquaintances at the quarantine station, but the youth had not gone looking for them.
Not long after he entered the quarantine zone, a vehicle arrived from the direction of Red Pine, driven by Rossi.
Manna and Daiqisi got out of the car. The former spoke up, "You haven't had enough fun yet?"
"I've been slaying Guizu," the youth answered helplessly, then handed over a resentment crystal. "This is the tax for Hong Da. The tax is three thousand coins. For whatever exceeds that, exchange it for supplies for me."
Manna looked at the crystal in her hand and asked thoughtfully, "Is it really that profitable?"
Upon receiving the message he had sent, she had originally intended to bring him back to the Martial Academy, but at this moment, her resolve wavered.
"I'm still operating at a loss," Wu Youren replied petulantly. "Otherwise, why would I want to keep working?"
"I don't believe a word of that!" Manna shook her head. "You just want to hoard the profits for yourself, don't you?"
Daiqisi teased the little snow harrier for a while, looking a bit dissatisfied. "Why is Xiao Ha not clinging to people anymore?"
"It's grown a size larger," Wu Youren answered offhandedly. "We ran into quite a few Guizu these past few days, so its vigilance has sharpened a lot."
Rossi also stepped down from the vehicle, unloading a large backpack as well, and asked seemingly in passing, "Where have you been slaying Guizu?"
"All over the place," the youth answered just as casually. "I'm on my own, and there are too many barbarians... There's no way to stick to one spot."
Manna snorted peevishly. "Hoarding the spoils naturally comes at a cost."
"All right, it's been a while," Daiqisi remarked casually. "We brought food along... Let's have a get-together!"
"This meal is on me!" The youth waved a hand and declared grandly, "Once I hunt down another crystal next time, everything will be covered!"
His words caused several people not far away to turn their heads, but seeing the bearing and manner of this group, they kept their mouths shut.
Daiqisi had brought wine again, though in front of outsiders, she remained mindful of her image.
As the four were eating and drinking, two more people drifted over—a man and a woman, both instructors from Red Pine who were helping out at the quarantine station.
To them, Rossi and Wu Youren were insignificant, but Manna was Hong Da's prized disciple, and Daiqisi had recently been promoted.
Since they were all colleagues and had run into each other outside the academy, there was no harm in cadging some food and drinks.
Bringing up the matter of slaying Guizu, the newly arrived female instructor felt a bit gossipy. Lowering her voice, she asked, "Have you heard? Lately, a 'Midnight Guizu Demon' has appeared, someone who loves going out alone in the dead of night, slaughtering Guizu and barbarians."
Hearing this, Wu Youren knew she was most likely talking about him, and he was just about to quietly bask in the satisfaction.
However, her final words—"and barbarians"—left him completely dumbfounded... Wait, what the fuck? What?
"Sensationalist nonsense," a voice chimed in. Ran Xue had arrived as well.
He sat down and reached out to grab a piece of roasted meat. "Just in time—I haven't eaten yet. Those who kill barbarians all harbor ulterior motives."
Chewing voraciously, he continued, "Many barbarians were killed by other tribes, yet every death gets blamed on Liang natives!"
As a discipline inspector, his information on such matters was bound to be more accurate than anyone else's.
"Mm." The unfamiliar male instructor could not help but nod. Having helped out at the quarantine station from time to time, he shared that sentiment deeply. "The barbarians are really... hard to describe. A lot of the time, I feel understanding the Guizu is easier than understanding barbarians."
Wu Youren did not join in the conversation, merely eating unhurriedly. This meal was not going to end quickly, so there was no need to rush. He had to keep his mouth occupied so others would not press him to take a stance.
Still, he could not help pondering a question: Could some of his recent experience points have come from barbarian frame-ups?
For a moment, he was caught between tears and laughter. Sitting at home while pies drop from the heavens? Could my luck finally be turning lately?
Right at that moment, his wristwatch vibrated again. It was a message from Liu Jingming: "Are you coming back to the academy this time?"
One truly had to marvel at some people's extraordinary social dexterity; this fellow actually already knew he had reached the quarantine station!
Keeping his composure, he replied, "Keep a good eye on my greenhouse."
Liu Jingming responded swiftly: "Don't come back! The Guard Captain came looking for you!"
Outsiders could never imagine just how bizarre a group the hostage mission was, or what bizarre antics they were capable of pulling.
The Guard Captain was the illegitimate son of the Duke of Wei, and the sole grand knight in the mission.
Before Chen Quanxu broke through to become an ability master, he had been the undisputed number one expert in Hostage Manor. Whether in terms of status or cultivation base, he was the kind of figure Wu Youren could not even dream of reaching.
That this man had actually tracked him all the way to Red Pine was truly exasperating.
What was even more intriguing was Liu Jingming—that he could actually pass along this kind of intelligence.
It was also fortunate that both their wristwatches operated on Liang's communication network. If they were back in Hostage Manor, were a son of a matrilocal husband to dare speak such words, there was a ninety-nine percent chance he would not survive the night.
Wu Youren could not help feeling a wave of emotion. After leaving Hostage Manor, everyone had changed quite a bit.
He replied with only a single word: "Understood."
As for why the Guard Captain had come, he could not be bothered to ponder it. It could only be one of a few matters; so long as he avoided contact, that would be the end of it.
What he did not expect was that not long after, in a courtyard in Red Pine, the wristwatch on the Guard Captain's wrist vibrated.
He tapped it open and looked; it was a screenshot. He could not help but freeze.
Maintaining his composure, he enlarged the screenshot and examined it again. He then tapped delete, but in the end... he did not confirm the deletion.
Then he stood up. "Let's go. Take a walk outside Red Pine."
His entourage was sizable—a good ten or so people, including both Jin natives and Liang natives.
Someone nearby stepped forward. "My Lord, it's so late. Should arrangements be made?"
"No need," the Guard Captain stated calmly. "Just a casual stroll."
His pretext for coming to Red Pine was official business, but had it not been for a certain someone, Hostage Manor could just as easily have sent anyone else to handle it. After all, his primary duty was guarding the Seventeenth Prince.
Yet if anyone else were to make contact with that fellow... who was already a wild horse nearly off its reins, the consequences would be hard to predict.
In truth, was it only Wu Youren? Even that Liu Jingming... Sigh, one by one, their hearts had all run completely wild.
A screenshot of their communication watch exchange had actually been forwarded right to him like this—what kind of mess was this?
The Guard Captain had originally intended to wait in Red Pine and, once that fellow returned, summon him to meet. Now, however, that was clearly no longer feasible. He had no choice but to go out himself.
Wu Youren sat beside the six knights, still eating at his own leisurely pace.
The six of them were already pleasantly tipsy. Although the Guizu situation was severe and precluded heavy drinking, their spirits remained high.
Among the seven, the youth was the only one who had not touched a drop of alcohol. He rarely spoke unprompted, yet someone would toss a question or two his way from time to time.
Right then, three vehicles approached, their bright headlights piercingly conspicuous in the night.
People began alighting from the cars. Daiqisi let out a cold snort and barked sharply, "Turn off the lights!"
The beams were not aimed directly at the seven, but the close distance was already enough to irritate her.
The three vehicles extinguished their lights one by one, and over a dozen figures walked toward them.
"Halt!" Rossi stood up and called out. "Whoever has business, step forward!"
Chapter 193