Late

Rossi's attitude wasn't great, which was entirely normal. A group had gathered to eat, drink, and chat; having more than a dozen people suddenly swarm over—what was that supposed to mean? The people opposite actually listened to reason; in the end, only four walked over. Walking in the middle was a middle-aged man bearing an extraordinary presence. Aside from Rossi, who had stood up, the other five instructors had remained seated. Seeing a Red Pine colleague among the group, Manna stood up as well. "What's going on?" That colleague waved a hand, motioning that the middle-aged man was the key figure. Someone beside the Guard Captain spoke up, pointing at the youth who had just stood up. "We're looking for him." Wu Youren still held a bone in his hand; seeing this, he set it down without a word. Daiqisi was still annoyed over the matter with the lantern light. Hearing this, she snapped, "What do you think you're doing?" "Don't bother asking," Ran Xue said, waving a hand. Still lounging casually in his seat, he pointed toward the youth. "It's his boss!" Previously, he hadn't handled this area, but when the Jin hostages' Guard Captain came to Red Pine, Ran Xue—being responsible for inspections—had been notified. Of course, a gag order had been issued at the same time, but everyone already knew Wu Youren's identity anyway, didn't they? Daiqisi looked at the middle-aged man, then glanced at the youth. She paused for a moment, let out a disdainful scoff, and refrained from saying more. It was true he was a grand knight, but a Jin native... what airs was he trying to put on before her? The Guard Captain understood what she was sneering at, but he acted as if he hadn't heard. Once outside Hostage Manor, he retained at best a superficial veneer of respectability; some people didn't even bother keeping up appearances. Looking at the youth sitting among a crowd of Liang knights, his feelings were anything but simple. Just now, his attendant had spoken up only to get rebuffed. If he kept putting on airs now, it would be inappropriate. The Guard Captain nodded slightly to the youth. "Find somewhere to talk for a few minutes?" Wu Youren lowered his eyelids, took off the comm watch from his wrist, and handed it to Daiqisi beside him. "Hold this for me, please." The female instructor rolled her eyes at him with a cold grunt, but took it anyway. *He gets around!* The Guard Captain realized immediately. The female knight who wouldn't give him the time of day was actually willing to accommodate a student. Most importantly, Wu Youren had taken off his watch on his own initiative—that in itself was a display of attitude. The Duke of Wei's illegitimate son walked toward a dimmer spot, and the youth followed unhurriedly behind him, keeping a distance of about a meter. He tried slowing his pace a bit, and as a result... the other party slowed down as well. He stopped in his tracks, turned to look at the youth, and said in a heavy voice, "You should be half a step behind. Were you never taught etiquette?" The youth stopped one meter away from him. Hearing this, he lowered his eyelids and gave no answer. *I've never even stood this close to you before, and you're lecturing me on etiquette?* But now that the man had sought him out, he would just endure it for now. At worst, he wouldn't utter a single sound from start to finish. The Guard Captain waited a moment. Seeing that the youth didn't speak, he sighed softly. "Think your wings are fully fledged now, do you..." His tone was unkind, but Wu Youren didn't care in the slightest. Still looking meek with downcast eyes, he was determined not to make a peep. Seeing this impervious, stubborn demeanor, the Guard Captain was truly angry and exasperated, yet at the same time felt utterly helpless. Pondering for a moment, he suppressed his anger before asking, "You've heard the news of your grandfather's passing?" "Mm," Wu Youren hummed softly, his expression still devoid of grief or joy. Seeing that the youth had finally spoken, the Guard Captain let out a breath. "Are you willing to return to Hostage Manor?" Unsurprisingly, the youth responded with silence once more. "It seems everyone misjudged you," the Duke of Wei's illegitimate son sighed softly. "Still, I am also quite gratified." *Keep going...* Wu Youren still kept his eyelids lowered, remaining silent. "Of the thirty people sent out, someone has finally grown. But... it is still not enough!" *Bluff. Keep bluffing.* The youth remained completely impassive, not even lifting his eyelids. "Look at this." The Duke of Wei's illegitimate son held out his comm watch, which displayed the screenshot he hadn't deleted. "Given Liu Jingming's actions, I have ample reason to purge him, don't I?" "Mm," the youth hummed softly and gave a slight nod. After a dozen seconds of silence between them, Wu Youren finally spoke. "The person who sent the screenshot will probably be very happy." "So you fucking know how to speak after all!" The Guard Captain was both angry and amused. "You want to protect him?" The youth shook his head. Finally lifting his eyelids, he looked at him with clear eyes. "I'm... not worthy." "Stop playing dumb with me!" The Duke of Wei's illegitimate son had seen far too much deceit and political intrigue. "I'm heading to Suotu over the next few days to observe the Guizu situation. You're coming with me." The youth stared at him blankly, offering zero reaction. The Guard Captain felt an urge to turn and leave right then—*I've notified you anyway!* But if he really did that, this wild horse might truly break free of its reins. Suppressing the anger in his heart, he said, "If you have any suggestions, speak up." The youth pondered for a long time before slowly uttering four words: "I'm... a bit tired." The Guard Captain gritted his teeth in secret. *Are you trying to fucking break ties with Jin completely?* He had seen hostages turn traitor; he knew full well that plenty harbored treacherous thoughts. Before coming to Red Pine, he had investigated this kid thoroughly. The effort he had spent on Wu Youren was ten times greater than on the other four hostages combined—perhaps even more! Previously, his impression of the youth had merely been that he was quite handsome, with at most one more trait: quite lowly and impoverished! But the more he learned, the more astonished he became. How could such a brilliant talent emerge from the dust? Yet he had still underestimated the boy. This was not merely an untamed wild horse; it was on the verge of snapping its reins! The Guard Captain wanted nothing more than to ask: *What did Jin ever do wrong by you?* All right, perhaps life in Hostage Manor was a bit harsh, but who didn't have it that way? *You live a stifled life? I live a fucking stifled life too—it's just a different level of frustration!* *Control your anger!* he reminded himself silently, then spoke in a gentle voice. "When Lei Lixing kicked your meal tray, I remember saying something... Do you still recall?" *So you knew everything all along!* Wu Youren remained silent. Was sitting back watching others bully a nobody really that entertaining? But since the man chose to converse this way, he didn't mind offering a couple of words. "You said we must maintain the dignity of Jin. Am I not... obeying quite well right now?" The Guard Captain felt his temper flaring again. "I tell you to come along on a trip, and you say you're tired. You call this obeying?" The youth lowered his eyelids again: *I didn't argue with you in public, let alone make you lose face before everyone. You call that not obeying?* He didn't speak, but the Duke of Wei's illegitimate son understood. The boy really was about to break loose. At this moment, endless regret welled up inside him. If only, back then... Forget it, no point thinking about useless 'what-ifs.' Pondering for a moment, he asked, "Can I still trust you?" Wu Youren replied calmly, "I took off my watch." "My watch isn't afraid of eavesdropping," the Duke of Wei's illegitimate son stated frankly. "I want a clear answer." The youth answered calmly, "Whether someone is trustworthy... shouldn't that be judged by actions?" "Yet you won't go to Suotu with me." "When I was in Hostage Manor, I always obeyed orders. The result was that I couldn't even afford meat and had to catch bugs to eat." Hearing that, the Guard Captain instinctively defended himself, "That was for the greater good; we had to take the big picture into account." "If that's truly how you want to put it, you can't blame me for not saving face for you!" Wu Youren was finally pushed past his limit. "Since the big picture is so important, by all means keep considering it. As for a nobody like me... just consider me already drowned in Jasper Lake!" *I'm already supposed to be dead. It was one thing for you to latch onto my fame, but now you want to play moral kidnapping? You really think people don't have a temper?* The Guard Captain fell silent. This topic was precisely what he feared most. Back then, he hadn't considered it a big deal—and deep down, even now, he didn't think it was much of one. It was merely a death or two. In these times, which day went by without someone dying? But if the boy couldn't let it go, then it became a serious matter. That tiny ant of the past had now grown up. He nodded slightly. "I only paid attention to this matter later. Rest assured, I will definitely give you a satisfactory resolution." "Thank you," Wu Youren replied with a smile. "However, there's no need anymore... What good is mother's milk once the child is already dead?" He would settle this matter himself. Could justice that came late still be called justice? If he hadn't grown strong, justice wouldn't have merely been delayed; it would have gone on strike! He didn't need anyone offering favors now that he was successful; it only chilled him to the bone! "What you're saying..." The Duke of Wei's illegitimate son hadn't expected the youth to turn from defense to offense in an instant, and with such razor-sharp venom. "I originally wanted to leave some dignity intact," the youth continued smiling. "In fact, even now, I'm being very restrained." The Guard Captain was taken aback, and then actually laughed. "Is that so? How could you make me lose even more face?" Wu Youren glanced not far away, where six or seven Red Pine knights were casually watching in their direction. "There's no need to force my hand, is there?" "Have them beat me up?" The Guard Captain understood, a sneer curling at the corner of his lips. "I still underestimated you, didn't I?" A mob of knights ganging up on a grand knight was certainly an absurd notion, but in specific circumstances, it truly could happen. Would he dare strike back? Even if he dared, how would he gauge the force of his retaliation? If such an international laughingstock occurred, let alone what would happen to him, even his father would be dragged down and reprimanded! Wu Youren shook his head and said quite earnestly, "That really isn't the least dignified option... and I have always been willing to respect you!" "Something even harsher..." The Duke of Wei's illegitimate son didn't quite believe it, but he truly didn't dare gamble! When the youth saw the screenshot without the slightest surprise and even offered a subtle hint in the end, he had realized: This was a youth whose mind was far beyond his actual years! In just a little over half a year, he had managed to thrive like this; it was certainly not without reason. But the Guard Captain was no novice either. He nodded slightly. "Not bad. You truly live up to the importance I placed on you! "Have you already met Chen Quanxu?" "Chen... Quanxu?" A hint of bewilderment appeared in the youth's clear eyes. "Who's that?" "Liu Jingming asked around," the Guard Captain replied offhandedly. "I know him well. You're very much like him."