Wu Youren had considered before whether he might encounter something like this after being assigned to the martial academy.
The Hostage Manor was essentially an oversized prison cut off from the flow of information; even if scraps of outside news trickled in, they were beyond his reach.
Things were different at the academy, however. Though restrictions remained in place, it was finally possible to establish some contact with the outside world.
He didn't believe Jin had no intelligence operatives active within Liang. No matter how weak a nation was, it could never entirely lack such assets.
Even someone running a corner shop had to keep tabs on market conditions, didn't they?
What he had felt uncertain about was whether those operatives would take the initiative to contact the hostages who entered the martial academy.
In Wu Youren's view, given his status and strength, he probably wasn't worth anyone's attention.
Outsiders might not know whether he had money or what his family background was really like, but it could never be concealed from Jin's intelligence personnel.
As for that matter with Instructor Kelly, it had likely been an anomaly—she was the granddaughter of King Xi, so her standing was altogether different.
Yet this message told him plainly: harbored illusions were useless; his every move was being watched in silence!
Small wonder Wu Youren was in a foul mood!
It wasn't that he didn't want to connect with his motherland; one only had to step into his shoes for a moment to understand: he truly wasn't significant enough!
The one-way transparency of information made it utterly impossible for him to know whether the person covertly contacting him was friend or foe—human or ghost!
Even if they truly were Jin intelligence operatives, couldn't an intelligence agency be infiltrated?
In short: he couldn't trust a single soul.
A stranger stranded in a foreign land, surrounded by an illusion of peace and prosperity—a single slip could bring utter ruin upon him at any moment, anywhere.
All he wanted right now was to survive first, and there was nothing wrong with that.
Wu Youren quietly deleted the message and tried to dwell on something pleasant: fortunately, he had reaped considerable gains today.
Once he grew powerful enough, he wouldn't have to live in such constant fear.
In that case, he needed to look into what his harvest from the previous night could be converted into.
Around noon, Cynthia woke up. Yawning, she called out, "I'll make food... Huh, you already finished cooking?"
Her face lit up with pleasant surprise. Few men in Great Liang knew how to cook, though plenty could stomach raw meat.
Looking at the smile on her face, Wu Youren also smiled. "Two more vehicles came out this morning. Military."
During the afternoon, three more vehicles bolted out in succession. Perhaps failing to spot the two atop the hill, they roared off without exchanging a single word.
As evening approached, several motorcycles rushed out one after another.
Not long after, there actually appeared... martial artists fleeing on their two legs!
"What happened in there?" The two on the hilltop exchanged glances.
Cynthia initiated a call over the communicator: "This is the Red Pine Martial Academy patrol. What happened in the mountains?"
"Guizu, huge swarms of Guizu!" the martial artist gasped between ragged breaths. "Is there a camp here?"
"Only an observation post," Wu Youren also activated his communicator. "Unauthorized entry is forbidden. Can you accept that?"
Those who knew the rules understood well that in the heat of battle against the Guizu, the words "unauthorized entry is forbidden" carried a meaning far bloodier than their literal phrasing suggested.
The martial artist hesitated for only an instant before taking off at a dead run again.
Immediately afterward, more martial artists began appearing in scattered groups, their numbers visibly growing.
Neither Cynthia nor Wu Youren dared to speak up carelessly anymore, because right now, they were the only two on this hilltop.
When Instructor Keli departed, he had even taken his long saber with him. He had left the Jin youth a handgun, but very little ammunition.
Seeing more and more martial artists bolting past, among whom knights even began to appear, the two grew increasingly uneasy.
"Should we run too?" Cynthia could hardly hold out any longer. "We can't get in touch with the instructor."
"Eat up first." Wu Youren shoveled food into his mouth, his belly bulging high, yet he kept eating. "If you want to pull back, you can go ahead."
Unable to make up her mind, Cynthia copied him and wolfed down her food, asking indistinctly around mouthfuls, "What about you?"
Wu Youren replied vaguely, "With so many traps laid out around here, they should count for something."
Withdrawing right now wouldn't have been an issue, but the real question was: was it truly safe outside the mountains?
He had encountered the Guizu more than once or twice, and he knew full well that there was practically no rhyme or reason to their appearances.
To Wu Youren's way of thinking, when the situation was unclear, it was best not to act blindly—at the very least, they had some defenses here.
Still, if Cynthia wanted to leave, that wouldn't necessarily be the wrong choice either; he wouldn't stop her.
Everyone had to pay the price for their own choices.
Cynthia hesitated for a moment, then made up her mind after all. "Then let's wait a bit longer for the instructor."
Their mission wasn't complete, the situation remained unclear, and without an instructor leading them, even if they managed to flee, it wouldn't be easy to explain to the academy.
Mainly, the current situation hadn't reached the point where flight was an absolute necessity. What if things didn't develop into something so dangerous after all?
After waiting a while longer, more and more martial artists dashed out in groups of twos and threes, interspersed with retreating vehicles.
Yet interestingly enough, none of those fleeing on foot tried to hitch a ride...
Only later did the two learn that anyone harboring such notions had already fought it out earlier.
Now that they were on the verge of breaking through the mountain pass, who had the heart to stir up trouble?
The sentiment was rather subtle: no one could be sure that the Guizu crisis would ease up once they escaped the mountains.
Yet everyone held that hope in their hearts, and imperceptibly, it had practically become accepted fact.
In any case, having hope was better than despair; even a glimmer of hope could effectively curb infighting.
Finally, Cynthia hailed again via her wristwatch as she spotted a familiar face. "Naimu'er, what did you run into?"
The other party was a student with his arm in a sling, fleeing for dear life.
Only after three calls did he notice the vibration on his wristwatch. "Cynthia, you're here too?"
Naimu'er was also a member of the Mirage Sea League. He had been at Red Pine for two years, making him a senior by tenure.
After confirming Cynthia's location, he muttered a few words to the companion beside him and charged up the hill without hesitation.
His companion wasn't a Mirage Sea League member; hesitating for less than half a second, the man kept sprinting toward the mountain exit.
In the face of impending disaster, everyone made their own choices; that was only natural.
When Naimu'er rushed up the hill, he found that there were only two students across from him, both of them mere apprentice knights.
Unlike him, however, these two were calm and composed, showing neither the slightest dishevelment nor any trace of panic.
Having called him up, Cynthia spoke plainly: "It's safe here for now. If you want to leave, take some rations and wound medicine with you."
Wasn't the Mirage Sea League founded precisely so they could huddle together for warmth? At critical moments, one had to help when help was due.
Naimu'er didn't stand on ceremony either. "Give me some food first... Do you have a biguijue? Ghost-dispelling powder works too. Lend it to me, and you'll be handsomely rewarded!"
"Only rations and wound medicine!" Cynthia answered crisply. "You can take some food for the road."
In the midst of a Guizu war, the value of biguijue and ghost-dispelling powder skyrocketed by necessity; more crucially, they were priceless items with no sellers on the market!
Even at exorbitant prices, making a spot trade on the scene was nearly impossible, and he had the nerve to ask to borrow one?
Cynthia didn't want to say anything hurtful; it was enough that he recognized reality.
"I can't fucking run anymore!" Naimu'er slumped onto the ground.
"Come over here," Cynthia gestured to him. The area was strewn with traps, distinctly unfriendly to outsiders.
Guided by her directions, Naimu'er stumbled over and sat down leaning against a tree.
Panting heavily, he took the food handed over by his fellow townsman and devoured it in great gulps, like someone starved for days and nights.
"Give me a minute to catch my breath. Where's the instructor here?"
"The instructor pushed forward to scout the Guizu activity," Cynthia answered steadily.
Sure enough, she also knew the art of deflection and downplaying things. It seemed... girls were born with a knack for this sort of thing?
Naimu'er asked offhandedly, "When will he be back?"
"Don't know," Cynthia said with a calm expression. "This is an academy patrol mission. We have to wait. You may leave."
"You two... are just waiting here like this?" Naimu'er looked astonished. "Plenty of knights are in full flight!"
"Someone has to do these things," Cynthia replied simply. "We've already taken the assignment."
"You..." Naimu'er paused for a beat, then continued shoveling food into his mouth. "Respect!"
He wolfed down the food, glanced all around, and remarked, "You still have quite a bit of supplies here?"
"Not many," Cynthia answered placidly. "Our patrol was only for ten days, and our rotation is almost up."
Naimu'er knew Instructor Keli as well. Although the academy had many instructors, not many were close to the Mirage Sea League.
He asked casually, "How are the defenses the instructor set up here?"
"That is not for me to say." Cynthia's expression hardened. Fellow countrymen or not, there were things one shouldn't go prying into.
Just then, a cold snort rang out: "Hand over the food and medicine!"
A figure flashed into view as a knight bounded onto the hilltop, spattered with blood and grime, his expression dark and menacing.
"We are Red Pine students!" Cynthia raised her pistol, leveling the muzzle straight at him, and spoke coldly. "Carrying out an academy mission!"
Wu Youren, who had been standing beside a large boulder, dodged behind it with only half his body and his gun barrel exposed, his face impassive.
Naimu'er, who had just finished eating and still had his right arm fractured, spoke up in haste upon seeing this: "Senior, there's a Red Pine reception point right ahead!"
By car, one could enter the academy's effective jurisdiction in just over half an hour, where standing patrol personnel were stationed.
Even if the man was weak and exhausted, with the cultivation of a knight, reaching it within an hour would be more than enough.
Not to mention the man had a communication wristwatch and could find a way to call for help—was there any need to charge up here to rob them?
Seeing guns pointed right at him, a trace of ruthlessness flashed across the knight's blood-streaked face.
He ground out between clenched teeth, "I'll say this one last time: hand over the food and medicine!"
Cynthia's face was as dark as still water. She slowly adjusted the pistol's cylinder, switching to standard rounds.
Just as everyone expected her to say something more by way of a final warning, she pulled the trigger with a deadpan expression.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!* Three consecutive gunshots rang out, echoing through the mountains.
Chapter 57