In the blink of an eye, three days slipped past without anyone making further gains.
The trio led by the female knight kept a constant eye on Wu Youren and Rossi, even ignoring summons from her superiors.
Her justification was that preventing the Guizu incident in Suotu from spreading was equally critical, making it necessary for her to accompany the two from Red Pine to investigate.
Just as Rossi was preparing to depart with Wu Youren, she could not resist asking, "Will you be coming back soon?"
"I might be able to," Rossi said, glancing at the Jin youth. "As for him, I doubt it."
"I'll probably take some time to let things settle," Wu Youren replied with a smile. "What I gained this time is already enough to keep me busy digesting for a good while."
He truly had gained a great deal. Leaving aside the experience points, Rossi had already confirmed that they would split their spoils.
To put it simply, once everything was converted into cash back home, he stood to pocket more than ten silver dollars.
Assuming the Life-and-Death Knot didn't try to extort him, that was a sizable windfall for him.
When the two returned to Red Pine, a convoy of twenty carriages happened to be pulling out through the academy gates.
Judging by their chatter, they too were rushing toward Suotu—the situation there appeared to be dire.
Wu Youren actively sealed off his perception. Some spectacles were better left unseen!
Back in his small shack beside the latrines, he slept straight through until broad daylight the next morning, feeling more refreshed than ever before.
Upon waking, he first went to check on his vegetable plot. Surprisingly... it was growing rather well.
He had brought back a sizable chunk of leopard cat meat intended for the administrator—cooking inside the shack was inconvenient and prone to drawing interference.
Who would have thought that halfway there, he would bump right into two people—Feng Qianjun and He Wenhao, two of the five hostages.
The catch was that running into them did not seem coincidental in the least. The pair were standing by the roadside, chatting.
"Youren," He Wenhao greeted him first. "You're really riding high these days."
"How many volts of high voltage does it take to make me ride this high?" Wu Youren nodded slightly. "Haven't seen you two in a while."
"Among the five of us, you're the one doing the best," He Wenhao said solemnly. "Not only did you move out into your own place, but you can even leave the academy!"
"I moved out because of my sleepwalking," Wu Youren replied, deadpan. "I got beaten up several times and had to treat people to drinks and apologize every single time."
"Still, you certainly know how to handle people." A complicated look flickered in Feng Qianjun's eyes. "Must be nice to have so much freedom."
*If you're willing to get beaten up and spend money treating people, you could do it too...* Wu Youren was at a loss for words.
These two were the sons of an earl and a baron. To say the least, neither could be worth less than him, could they?
Their worldly experience certainly wasn't poor either.
Yet this blatantly sour tone made their mindset seem rather petty.
Wu Youren found their attitude grating, but for the sake of their shared status as Jin hostages, he held back!
Taking a deep breath, he said slowly, "Conditions here are much better than at the Hostage Manor."
"Still, opportunities don't just fall into your lap. You have to work to create them for yourself!"
"Are you trying to tell the two of us how to run our lives?" Feng Qianjun's expression darkened, thoroughly offended.
*You're nothing more than the son of a baron's bastard. What status do you have compared to mine?*
Wu Youren wasn't actually angry. That was simply how a stratified society worked; back at the Hostage Manor, he wouldn't even have had the qualifications to speak to them like this.
Besides, so what if he was an earl's son? He was still just a youth under twenty, nowhere near as worldly as the old coots from his previous life!
He slowly shook his head. "Brother Qianjun, if you think I spoke out of turn, then I apologize. In the end, we hostages still need to huddle together for warmth."
In truth, he didn't believe a word of it himself, but why clash head-on?
"Now that's more like it," Feng Qianjun said, nodding. "Everyone says you... everyone says you..."
The disparity in their stations was rather large, making certain things awkward to voice.
"Everyone says you've cozied up to Instructor Hong Yan," He Wenhao chimed in, his face solemn. "Have you forgotten the enmity of our nation and our families?"
*Motherfucker...* Wu Youren desperately wanted to curse, but he held his tongue in the end.
He flashed a faint smile. "Then you two surely remember it well, don't you?"
"Of course we do!" He Wenhao flared up in anger. "Living so comfortably, you must have forgotten all about it, haven't you?"
"Think whatever you like," Wu Youren remarked blandly. "I simply haven't given up on saving myself."
*Claiming never to forget national and familial vengeance with your lips, yet doing nothing whatsoever—aren't you just masters of cheap talk?*
He Wenhao opened his mouth to say more, but Feng Qianjun raised a hand to cut him off.
Then, in a deep voice, Feng Qianjun asked, "Bowing and scraping, selling your body... you call that saving yourself?"
*Selling my body? You mean me?* Wu Youren didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Could being handsome truly be a sin?
*But I'm clearly not that burly, nor am I exceptionally handsome... am I?*
*As for other measurements, well...*
Adopting a serious expression, he spoke up, "I'd say I haven't, though you probably won't believe me. Not that it matters."
"It's not a matter of belief," Feng Qianjun said, straightening his posture. "Can you give us a reasonable explanation?"
"Including this vegetable patch, and your ability to leave the academy... right?"
"It's because I'm handsome!" Wu Youren grinned, replying with a straight face.
"You said it yourself—I sold my body. Even my cultivation went up. You'd better read the situation clearly!"
"You... you... you..." Feng Qianjun pointed a trembling finger at him, eyes practically tearing at the corners with fury.
"I can't be bothered wasting words on you," Wu Youren said, waving a dismissive hand as his tone turned cold.
"I've said it before and I'll say it again: whenever anyone thinks I've shamed Great Jin, feel free to come take my head."
"Or push me into Jasper Lake again. It wouldn't be your first time doing that anyway!"
Feng Qianjun and He Wenhao instantly fell silent. The fact that Wu Youren had nearly died in the Hostage Manor had long ceased to be a secret.
They had been at Red Pine for over two months now, and both had gained some understanding of what kind of life he had lived back at the manor.
Though they privately believed it wasn't surprising for someone of his background to suffer such treatment, still... how could they suppress the boy's resentment?
"Still, that's no excuse for you refusing to associate with us," He Wenhao pressed in a low voice. "We are in this together!"
That was the real root of their anger toward Wu Youren.
Among the five hostages who had come to Red Pine, the other four maintained regular contact with one another.
Yet this guy... hadn't even exchanged communication wristwatch frequencies with the rest of them!
Wu Youren cast him a cool glance, not bothering to answer, because the truth would sting too much.
The main reason he didn't associate with the other hostages was simple: he didn't trust them!
He wasn't entirely clear on how traitors were forged, but he could imagine how terrifying the methods could be.
They were all youths in their teens. After years of constant oppression, suddenly gaining a measure of freedom left far too much room for betrayal.
Watching him turn to walk away, Feng Qianjun finally lost his composure. He called out in a low voice, "Don't you want to know how your family is doing?"
Chapter 31