No Ifs

Wu Youren was overbearing, and Kelvin had little in the way of scruples either. "You should know that Liang has an intelligence agency." "Fine, go ahead and do it," Wu Youren agreed. "Deal!" Kelvin was dumbfounded. "You haven't even asked what I'm trading for, have you?" The youth's answer was utterly cold. "What we're trading right now is that I don't let the New Army clean you people up!" "Five crystals. Within five days I want the goods in hand, plus the other party's head... It's a woman, isn't it?" "A woman?" Kelvin was dumbfounded all over again. "What kind of crossfire have I walked into?" "Doesn't matter if it's not," Wu Youren said carelessly. "That one owes me two crystals' worth of supplies and wants to welsh on it." "Who is it?" Kelvin perked up at once, and even appeared in the flesh. "I can help you collect. Deduct it when we settle up!" Wu Youren couldn't help rolling his eyes. "My money, counted off against your account?" "But at least you get your anger out," the black mask said, with great gravity. "Peace of mind matters." The youth shook his head. "No need. They sent you to find me, which means they're setting you up too. Don't you need peace of mind?" Kelvin's reply was nothing short of formidable. "Saving me money—that's the greatest peace of mind there is!" Wu Youren felt there was really no communicating with this man. "Put it this way: don't touch what I'm owed. Anything else, do as you like." "Five crystals plus the head. The rest is none of my concern." He truly hadn't expected Kelvin's efficiency to be quite so high. The next night the black mask appeared again, bringing three crystals, two human heads, and... one living person. The crystals needed no explaining. One of the heads was that of an acquaintance—the young man he'd met before, in Suotu Town and on Mount Xuanling. Wu Youren had once fed that man doctored water, and Jeff had wanted to give him a hard time as well. The other head belonged to a near-middle-aged man, a geezer at most, his face full of terror. He was a stranger. Wu Youren strongly suspected this fellow had murdered an innocent to claim a kill for credit. The longer he stayed in this world, the less he expected of human nature, and the more he felt like a saint. The third one, the living one, was interesting, though—it really was Sister Hua! Sister Hua's mouth had apparently been sealed shut with something. When she saw him, her eyes filled with terror, her mouth opening and closing without pause, and yet not a single word came out. "Enjoying the show?" the black mask said with a soft laugh. "Guaranteed to help your peace of mind." Wu Youren regarded him calmly. "It is quite satisfying. But... you're still two crystals short of me!" "She can come up with at least seven or eight crystals!" Kelvin pointed at Sister Hua. "I brought her in alive. You've made a killing!" There was no lie in that. With her post and her duties, saving up seven or eight crystals over all these years was no great feat. "You're the one who caught her. That's nothing to do with me," Wu Youren said with a wave of his hand. "How many crystals you can collect is your own skill." "Anyway, her two and your two... hand over four more and the account's settled." "Uh," Kelvin said, dumbfounded, "I brought a person back alive for you—alive!—and instead I owe two crystals more?" Normally, taking a martial artist alive was far harder than killing or wounding one. And Sister Hua bore no obvious injuries, which made it harder still. "You brought my debtor to me," the youth said calmly. "If I don't ask you for it, it becomes a dead debt." Though Sister Hua could not speak, she nodded furiously at that, and a thick plea rose in her eyes. Clearly she meant to show that she was willing to acknowledge the debt. But Wu Youren paid her no attention at all. What concerned him was this: "You'd better not try to force a sale on me." Kelvin fell silent, and only after a long while said, "So I'm the one who stuck his nose in where it wasn't wanted?" "She only owes me a debt," the youth shook his head. "The decisions to kill were yours too. I have always been a lover of peace." Have some shame, would you? Kelvin's face was hidden behind the black hood, so no expression could be seen—and yet, he actually laughed. "Then I let her go back?" Sister Hua's head nodded faster still: that works! That must happen! "Suit yourself," Wu Youren answered, entirely unconcerned. "You're the one who wanted to kill or capture her. Why ask me?" Kelvin of course knew the proposal had been his own, but he still sneered. "Did you object?" "Charging me five crystals less is the same as you admitting you hired me to kill, isn't it?" "Think whatever you like," Wu Youren shook his head. "Kill her and make up four crystals. Release her and make up two." In her heart, Sister Hua had already given up hope. As a member of the Intelligence Bureau, she understood all too well how important it was to silence a witness. The point was that besides guaranteeing one's own safety, it was also quite economical—how much expense did erasing a potential threat save? Now, hearing that she was still worth something, she couldn't help feeling a flicker of hope: what if? Though her legs were bound, she still strained to spread them apart, her chest heaving as well: I can do more than repay money—I can be useful! But the youth couldn't even be bothered to look at her. Had this woman ever shown the slightest mercy when she was squeezing him dry? If he weren't worried that the Intelligence Bureau had some unknown means of passing messages, he wouldn't have minded doing the job himself. Still, an enemy who had once crushed him so badly he couldn't breathe now had her life and death in the turn of his thoughts. That feeling... was quite good! "We can't leave a live witness," the black mask said, drawing the saber at his waist, a savage light flashing in his eyes. Anyone who wasn't an idiot... even an idiot wouldn't let this one walk away! "Hold on," the youth said calmly. Sister Hua's fine brows lifted slightly, but her eyes were still lifeless. She no longer harbored hope. She only wanted him to make it quick. "Hm?" Kelvin grunted. He didn't think the other would plead for her either. "Take her outside to kill her," Wu Youren said with a wave of his hand, his tone mild. "I still have to live in this camp for a while." A moment later he glanced at the bound female martial artist, his gaze clear. "Next life, remember to pay your debts." At last, pain surfaced in Sister Hua's lifeless eyes. She had thought of it long ago. At their last meeting in the wilds, the youth had mentioned the debt. At the time she truly hadn't taken it seriously. Just a little debt—a mere two resentment crystals. Come and collect if you dare! Who would have thought he wouldn't even give her a chance to make amends. Now she wanted to repay—even to repay double—and it was impossible! If time could be turned back, if she could return to that moment... Unfortunately, this world has no ifs—only consequences and outcomes! The black mask set down two more crystals, then left with the heads and Sister Hua, and never came back. How the two crystals still owed would be handled, whether they would be repaid—he didn't say, and Wu Youren didn't ask. Two days later the horned owl returned. After hearing the news, it couldn't help sighing. "Ah, and here I said I'd go collect that debt for you." That wasn't just talk; it had had the idea before. But there had been a great deal to do, and this clone's fighting strength was garbage. "Once you've collected the debt, it's a bit awkward to kill the person," the youth said with an indifferent smile. "Now that the woman's dead, I have real peace of mind—happier than if I'd gotten the debt back." His grudges with Sister Hua went far beyond that debt. It was just that if he wanted open revenge, he was still short on strength. "Peace of mind comes first," the horned owl nodded, endorsing that. Then it followed up. "So does that mean Kelvin has now acknowledged the deferred debt?" "I doubt he's that self-aware," Wu Youren shook his head. "Owing me a little is just right—we never have to meet again." That was his reading of Kelvin's silence. The man had come knocking rashly and swallowed a solid loss he had no way to complain about. Among Far West people, no profit probably meant a loss. Having lost that much, wasn't it perfectly normal never to meet again? The horned owl, though, brooded over it. "Doesn't he stop to think? The last one who owed you a debt is dead!" "He's the one who did it," the youth answered casually. "I didn't kill any debtor." Chen Quanxu snorted. "Have you ever considered what this fellow came to trade with you for?" The youth glanced at Xiao Ha on his shoulder, then gave his shoulder a slight shrug. "Go play on the ground!" The little snow harrier was used to being manhandled by now. It flapped its wings and came down crookedly. Wu Youren could roughly guess that when Kelvin came to trade with him, the target was probably this little creature. A puppeteer... surely controlled more than tokens and the like. Knowing a bit of beast-taming would be normal too. Before, Xiao Ha had been very small. Even if an ordinary person got hold of it, they would worry they couldn't keep it alive. Now it was a half-grown bird, close to shedding its juvenile feathers and growing adult plumage. Not only was it much easier to raise—while it was still in its juvenile stage, not yet adult, changing owners was also fairly easy. With adult animals, changing owners was always somewhat harder. Whether or not the guess was right, Wu Youren wouldn't give the man a chance to bring it up. Out in the middle of nowhere, an ability master comes to you of his own accord and proposes a trade to an apprentice knight... think about what that smells like. The moment he softened, the momentum would no longer be on his side. Even if what the other wanted to buy wasn't Xiao Ha, and he was willing to sell, he still wouldn't get a decent price. So he refused without another word, wouldn't even discuss it. It wasn't stubbornness; there was simply no room to retreat. A bad beginning had to be nipped in the bud. If someone could buy one item off him cheap, they could buy more cheap. And in the end, might they not kill him and take the rest? But that wasn't what Chen Quanxu cared about. What he considered was this: "So you'd figured out too that Xiao Ha was in danger?" "Tch," the youth clicked his tongue in helpless annoyance. What else could he do? "Killing a grand knight—that I could give a try. But this ability master... I think it's better to focus on defense. No getting cocky!" The horned owl was speechless, and could only sigh. "Let's hope this fellow knows better and really does steer clear of you." Xiao Ha was genuinely important to him. With one more flawless crystal, his circumstances would improve enormously. The youth's brows knitted, then he spoke. "How about we just kill him and be done with it? Only you'd have to help me."