Smoking

"Oh, the traitor?" Wu Youren nodded thoughtfully, saying nothing more. The phrasing had an intriguing ring to it: *If he could commit treason, why shouldn't I? What's the big deal?* Inside, though, he was cursing violently: *What kind of bullshit social butterfly is this? No wonder you're the son of a matrilocal son-in-law! Your old man never had a reliable gene in him. I asked you to look into something, and you went and shouted it so the whole world knows?* To Wu Youren's reaction, the Guard Captain responded placidly, "He did not commit treason." The youth resumed his earlier demeanor, meekly lowering his gaze without uttering a word. "Silence won't do you any good." The Duke of Wei's illegitimate son glanced at Xiao Ha perched on the youth's shoulder. "That little bird—he caught it for you, didn't he?" The youth lifted his eyelids, cast a glance at him, and stayed silent: *What sharp eyes you have!* "All right, seeing how you look, I know he isn't dead yet!" The Guard Captain nodded. His objective for this probe had been very modest. Yet in the next breath, he did not forget to make his stance clear: "I would advise against following in his footsteps." Wu Youren couldn't hold back anymore. "I have no idea who he even is!" In all honesty, this wasn't a lie; prior to this, he had never heard of the man. Even the name Chen Quanxu had been provided by the person himself. If someone could prove it was all a trap, he could accept that, too. As for how well they had worked together afterward, that was another matter entirely. Still, by now he was reasonably sure that Chen Quanxu was ninety-nine percent trustworthy. However, with the Guard Captain's wealth of life experience, how could he possibly take this cunning youth at his word? He asked in a seemingly casual tone, "Oh? Then where did you get this little bird?" The youth's eyes seemed to shift evasively. "Just a lucky coincidence. It's not something I can share." As for Xiao Ha's origin... there were eyewitnesses right there on the scene, and more than one at that. Yet he was under no obligation to explain. Deep down, he almost hoped the man would secretly latch onto this matter and refuse to let go. If that ended in him falling flat on his face, it would be quite satisfying. *Hmm, caught a little leverage,* the Guard Captain thought, feeling slightly more assured. He was in no hurry to make an issue of it, however. Instead, he asked softly, "Then that tax exemption suggestion of yours—who told you to make it?" He had his doubts that Chen Quanxu possessed that kind of mind, but surely the greenhorn youth before him couldn't have come up with it on his own? The youth stared blankly at him for a dozen seconds before his gaze suddenly cleared. In an utterly earnest tone, he replied softly, "It could be that you told me." *Fuck me!* In that instant, the Guard Captain's breath nearly stopped. He was numb for a full half-minute, then instinctively checked himself: *Over the past half-minute, did I lose my composure in any way?* Fortunately, in recent years, his mindset had essentially remained in the state of a living dead man. As a guard—and a guard captain was still a guard—he had no need to wear expressions anyway. Taking a slow, imperceptible breath, he said deadpan, "So this is that harsher method of yours?" What magnitude of storm such a move might incite, he didn't even dare to imagine. By comparison, a few knights ganging up to beat a grand knight was purely recreational entertainment. "Mm," the youth nodded, his gaze remaining crystal clear. "And it's not necessarily the harshest." This was a blatant threat! *If only you'd fucking drowned in Jasper Lake back then!* The thought welled up uncontrollably in the Guard Captain's mind. Things had already slipped out of control! Well aware of this, he breathed a few words: "What do you want?" The youth lowered his eyelids and answered quietly, "Just don't come bother me. Really." This truly was his honest thought; his demand was genuinely modest. Even the threat he had just leveled had been forced out of him! He bore no fondness for Hostage Manor, but neither did he intend to seek deliberate revenge—the few who had harmed him being the exception. The open road was wide enough for each to walk their own side. He had not the slightest desire to rely on them, nor did he want to be coerced or tied down in any way! The root cause of this potential clash was that the man had sought him out unprompted, taking it for granted that he should fall in line! Therefore, he was not in the wrong! If the Guard Captain couldn't even grasp this much, then so be it if ties were severed. Foolish companions would only drag him down! What he did not know was that at this very moment, the Duke of Wei's illegitimate son was racking his brains so frantically that his head was practically smoking! Yet in merely a second or two, he realized that this was not something he could figure out in an instant. And so he gave a slight nod, raised a hand to pat the youth on the shoulder, and said, "We'll talk again when there's time!" Wu Youren gave a slight twist of his body—very faint, yet clear enough for anyone to see his aversion. *So you do fear me in the end!* The Guard Captain turned and walked away. Who wouldn't fear death? A few steps later, his stride caught in a subtle pause. *Could that fearful look on the kid... have been faked too?* If anyone had told him before tonight that such a monstrous youth existed in this world, he would never have believed it! No matter how naturally gifted someone was, life experience was an immutable fact; no one was born understanding the world's treachery. And yet, when he recalled how the youth, with clear eyes and the most earnest tone, had so casually voiced the most venomous threat... What family could produce a youth so calm, lucid, terrifying, and insidious? *This brat really might just be pretending to fear me!* The Guard Captain climbed into the vehicle without letting his expression change. As the vehicle drove along, he gradually pieced together a deductive line of reasoning. If that suggestion which shook Liang truly had been given at his behest, wouldn't his killing the youth be seen as silencing a witness? Would Wu Youren lack the imagination to make such a connection? Someone else might not think of this angle, but with that youth... was it really impossible? The Guard Captain quietly sorted through his thoughts, uttering only a word or two to others now and then, exuding an air that warned everyone to keep their distance. The others thought nothing of it, long accustomed to his aloof detachment. Not until he entered his room did a female knight come up to greet him, asking in bewilderment, "Did you... catch a chill?" The Duke of Wei's illegitimate son gave her a detached look. "What do you mean?" "The top of your head," the female knight said, pointing at his hair. "It's venting white smoke..." Meanwhile, Wu Youren walked back to where the others were dining. All six knights looked toward him in unison. Rossi was the one who couldn't hold back as usual. "What did he want... with you?" Ran Xue glanced at him. "Curiosity gets the better of you, doesn't it!" With certain matters, ignorance was better than knowledge; why borrow trouble? In Wu Youren's heart, though, he was deeply grateful to Rossi—it was truly a pillow handed to a sleepy man. There were things he had to clear up. He had finally managed to gain some ground at Red Pine, at least living in a way that wasn't completely passive, only for the Guard Captain to nearly ruin it all. Wasn't this man's arrival an unmistakable reminder to everyone: *Take a good look, this is our Jin hostage*? Otherwise, why would he have threatened him like that just now? He couldn't help it—he had genuinely been infuriated! Hopeless at getting anything done, yet champion at causing destruction! So the way out Rossi just handed him was practically an assist! He said casually, "He wants to scout the Guizu situation in Suotu. He heard I'd been there a few times, but I haven't gone in a long while." It was slightly wordier than usual, but basically still kept within the bounds of "a man of few words." Hearing this, Daiqisi glanced at Ran Xue and remarked in surprise, "Is the situation really that dire now?" "That's how the talk goes." Ran Xue kept his mouth tight, acknowledging only the fact itself. "Who knows what the higher-ups are thinking?" What Manna cared about was something else. Looking at the youth, she asked, "Did you turn him down?" "Even Divine Might Knights can't handle it, and the barbarians are involved..." Wu Youren muttered softly. "What cultivation do I even have?" Then he glanced at the discipline inspector. "Lord Ran Xue still sees it clearest..." Rossi, having just been reprimanded, felt a bit disgruntled. "Clear how?" Before Wu Youren could speak, Daiqisi interjected, "Think about Mount Xuanling. In the eyes of the big shots, we're nothing at all!" The final scene in the Mount Xuanling Guizu domain had been terrifyingly perilous. Let alone knights, even grand knights were mere cannon fodder! That they had been fortunate enough to escape was thanks to Hong Da and Wu Youren—the former calling the shots, the latter leading the way. Of the ones who straggled back later... the military camp didn't even have enough room to house all the wounded! Wu Youren nodded slightly, breathing a silent sigh of relief. He had finally managed to bluff his way through. As for how effective it would be, that wasn't something he could control—at least it was better than nothing. Nothing happened over the next two days. Once his quarantine period ended, Wu Youren simply returned to Red Pine. The vegetables in the greenhouse were growing passably well; after all, Liu Jingming had been looking after them. At noon, Manna delivered one thousand one hundred silver dollars. Instructor Hong valued that crystal at four thousand one hundred. After deducting the three thousand silver dollar entry-and-exit tax, this was what remained. Hong Da was quite meticulous when it came to money. He would cover the expenses when leading a team out, but the spoils were always calculated to the penny. What was more interesting was that Manna had originally agreed to help purchase supplies, but Instructor Hong forbade her from buying on his behalf. *Probably because of the Guard Captain...* Wu Youren couldn't help thinking. In the past, asking someone to buy things for him had been routine, and he never worried about poisoned food or water. Now, though, he had to handle it himself, which was somewhat inconvenient. Fortunately, he now had half a helper. With a bit of errand money, Liu Jingming was more than happy to do the running around for him. What amused Wu Youren was that the guy had no clue he had nearly been purged by Hostage Manor's top enforcer. He had even winked and nudged, begging Wu Youren to find a way to get a few more jars of honey. Two days later, Liu Jingming finished purchasing the supplies, securing pretty good prices. Feeling that the fellow had done a decent job, Wu Youren hesitated a moment before offering a word of caution: "For confidential matters, try not to use your watch." Who would have thought that the son of a matrilocal son-in-law would be quite sharp? Liu Jingming blanked for a moment, his face paling slightly. "About that line about the Guard Captain?" Wu Youren sighed softly. "It's fine now. Don't take that risk in the future." As the two were talking, several figures appeared in the distance, led by none other than the Duke of Wei's illegitimate son.