At that same moment, Naimu'er poked his head out of the cave, his expression somber. "Is it those two?"
It was almost time for his shift anyway, and the commotion outside had jolted him awake in an instant.
He didn't even need to think twice to guess who might have come.
"I don't know," Cynthia answered calmly. "I just felt something was off over there, so I shouted on a whim."
Naimu'er's expression was somewhat sour, but he nodded dubiously. "Even so, that's pretty remarkable. I doubt I could have pulled that off."
He was an outstanding martial arts prospect among his peers and had always been quite confident.
The abilities the Jin youth had displayed earlier had already thrown him off balance internally.
If this junior female classmate turned out to be a cut above him too, he felt he might develop a lasting psychological complex.
His mood improved slightly, but Cynthia's mind was anything but calm.
After handing over the watch, she pondered for a moment and turned toward the cave where Wu Youren was staying...
On the other side of the ridge, two dark figures were retreating swiftly.
After traveling for quite some distance, the burly figure grunted softly. "Young folks these days... quite something."
The slightly leaner one sounded rather begrudging. "We needed a safe spot for the night in the first place. Why leave?"
To his mind, even if they had been spotted, they could have brazenly dug their heels in and stayed.
"They already told you there are traps," the burly figure replied. "Do you want to end up charred like the others?"
"Those three rookies?" The lean figure gave a disdainful snort. "Even if they had the guts to strike, do they have the strength?"
"That girl is already quite sharp," the burly one replied, "and I have a gut feeling..."
After a pause, the lean one muttered sullenly, "True. That scrawny kid didn't sit well with me either!"
The next morning, Red Pine contacted Cynthia as a matter of routine to confirm they were still holding their post.
Cynthia immediately reported yesterday's encounter and described the specific appearances of the two men.
"Ignore their requisition," as expected, the Martial Academy instructor sounded completely confident.
"You are a crucial link in Red Pine's layout. Pay no mind to the military's extortion!"
"The main issue is that we're out of supplies. Otherwise, we could hold out," Cynthia took the chance to plead hardship. "Since military scouts can infiltrate this far..."
The instructor on the other end fell silent for a moment before answering, "Just hold out for two more days."
After all, the Martial Academy was not the military; the latter's duty was risking their lives, whereas instructors lived comparatively comfortable lives and had few daredevils among them.
Yet facts proved that when it came to major events, one really shouldn't raise death flags willy-nilly—not even an instructor from Red Pine.
Later that day, rain fell in the mountains again—intermittent squalls that, judging by the clouds, wouldn't stop anytime soon.
As the rain continued, Wu Youren, who was currently on watch, suddenly raised an alarm: "There's Guizu aura!"
The other two had just finished lunch and were dozing to rest; hearing the call, they snapped awake instantly.
The drizzle pattered on, obscuring visibility and making it impossible to see far.
Yet through the haze, they could still make out the large mountain across the road, where black mist seemed to be churning along the mountainside.
"Are you sure it's Guizu aura?" Naimu'er seemed determined to butt heads with Wu Youren, questioning everything.
Cynthia's face grew grim as she spoke. "I have a bad feeling. It probably is."
Her intuition was not necessarily extraordinary, but subconsciously, she was inclined to trust the Jin youth.
Naimu'er was stunned. "Then isn't that... a Guizu swarm?"
Faced with a lone Guizu, the three were not afraid—even a knight-level one had been slain by them a couple of days ago.
But a swarm of Guizu was another matter entirely. Even if they were all the weakest kind, their sheer numbers would be overwhelming.
During combat, it would also easily attract knight-level Guizu.
If multiple knight-level Guizu were drawn in, the three of them could thank the heavens if they managed to escape alive.
"Keep quiet first," Wu Youren offered a suggestion on his own initiative this time.
He murmured, "If we can slip under their notice, that would be ideal."
*That's as good as saying nothing...* Naimu'er grumbled inwardly, but lacked the nerve to say it aloud.
In ordinary moments he could bicker with the Jin youth, but at a time like this, provoking him was unwise.
If he angered him, and the guy held back even a tiny bit in a critical moment, Naimu'er might end up dead without a grave!
Cynthia whispered, "So, should we prepare to evacuate now?"
"Yes," Wu Youren nodded slightly. "Take all your valuables with you, and remember to restrain your aura."
Naimu'er couldn't resist chiming in after all, though in a very low voice. "Can we wear tarps?"
Tarps had excellent waterproofing, but rain hitting them sounded louder than hitting leaves, let alone the ground.
Yet without a tarp, getting soaked through would cause numerous inconveniences.
"Up to you." Wu Youren had no intention of advising this guy—he had been speaking in sarcastic barbs all these days; did he really think Wu Youren had no temper?
In any case, if anyone wanted to seek death, he certainly had no interest in stopping them.
Then he went into the cave and brought out a cloak woven from small twigs and foliage, draping it over himself.
"That thing... looks quite unique," Cynthia glanced sideways at it.
She knew Wu Youren had woven it himself, and it really could keep off most of the rain.
However, its protection definitely wouldn't match a tarp; over time, it would surely soak through.
At the time, she had merely been surprised by how the Jin youth seemed to know everything, but hadn't taken his advice to weave one for herself.
Not that she distrusted him, but she simply felt the effect would be mediocre—if she wanted shelter from the rain, couldn't she just use a tarp or hide in the cave?
Besides, the thing was rather ugly, and she wouldn't likely take it along when leaving; if anyone saw her with it, wouldn't they laugh her to death?
It was just a temporary item that might come in handy, with very narrow utility, so why bother putting in the effort?
But now she regretted it somewhat. This very scenario was made for such an item.
After all, hindsight is twenty-twenty! She sighed softly and couldn't resist asking, "Did you only weave one?"
"There's another one, but it's unfinished," Wu Youren gestured toward the cave with a nod of his chin. "If you don't mind it..."
The next moment, Cynthia darted into the cave and brought out the half-finished foliage cloak.
The cloak was modeled after a straw coir raincoat, layered overlapping like shingles.
However, being an unfinished piece, it was particularly ugly.
Cynthia frowned and handed the half-finished coir cloak to Naimu'er. "Put it on. Don't hold everyone back."
Then she lifted Wu Youren's cloak and slipped right underneath it. "The two of us can just share this one."
A fresh scent of youthful womanhood drifted over him.
Wu Youren glanced sideways at her and remarked impassively, "That was meant for you."
"The two of us can share this one," Cynthia answered without hesitation. "Since you gave it to me, I have the right to dispose of it as I see fit, don't I?"
As a woman, she could sense that her two male companions were completely incompatible.
That was why she had been trying to mediate. "Preserving one more person's fighting capability gives us a better shot at withdrawing safely."
"Understood," Wu Youren nodded impassively. "Say no more."
The corners of Cynthia's lips curled up in genuine delight, though she said, "It was indeed my fault; I should have asked you first."
"Whatever," Wu Youren answered under his breath, scoffing inwardly: that unfinished piece was a spare he had kept for himself!
Yet since she had already taken charge of it, saying anything more would only make him look petty.
"Is it that precious?" Naimu'er was prickly as well. "A thing like this, one silver dollar could buy ten of them!"
"Then give it back!" Wu Youren's voice abruptly rose. "Have I given you too much face, is that it?"
At his raised voice, the black mist on the opposite mountain shifted, showing faint signs of moving toward them.
"Are you crazy?" Naimu'er glared at him and snarled in a low growl.
"Give it back!" Wu Youren looked at him coldly. "Otherwise I'll shout even louder!"
"All right, Youren, it's my fault," Cynthia stepped in to smooth things over, quick to react. "I'll be more mindful next time."
"Give it back," Wu Youren genuinely refused to yield this time, staring straight at the female warrior. "Or I leave right now!"
He was truly sick and tired of that guy. With a broken hand, yet constantly running his mouth and grumbling incessantly—and worst of all, never stopping!
With his current strength, he could fight five people of that caliber single-handedly.
If they parted ways right here and now, he wouldn't hesitate for a second.
Cynthia and Naimu'er were both in the Mirage Sea League and might ditch him to leave together, but he truly didn't care.
Back then, when Instructor Kelly came to him, he hadn't known her background at all and didn't bother looking into it; he had reported her directly!
Perhaps he had brought harm to someone, but if she hadn't approached him first, would he have even had that opportunity?
—*You come looking for me without the ability to convince me willingly, and that's supposed to be my fault?*
In truth, parting ways with the two of them would actually set him free, giving him more opportunities to experiment and test things out.
Of course, he wouldn't try to flee Liang. After running all his tests, he still had to return to the Martial Academy in the end.
The cost of breaching the contract was too heavy; he couldn't afford it!
Yet neither could he accept being constantly pushed around by petty individuals. Better to split up and go their separate ways in peace!
"Here, take it!" Naimu'er couldn't stomach it either, ripping off the half-cloak. "Leave right now! Go on, get lost!"
"There's Guizu aura right in front of us!" Cynthia was on the verge of losing her mind. "Are you two looking to die?"
The black mist on the opposite peak was drifting in their direction. Though its pace wasn't fast, it didn't need to descend to the road in the valley below.
From mountainside to mountainside, it floated across horizontally.
"This has nothing to do with me," Naimu'er felt wronged. "He's been targeting me from the start!"
Wu Youren was genuinely speechless. *When the hell did I ever target you?*
He merely kept a degree of vigilance toward everyone around him, which on the surface might come across as somewhat aloof.
Yet was it wrong that he only wanted to survive?
For a moment, he found it completely tiresome. "Forget it, then. You two stay here. I'm going to check out the Town of Suotu."
Since they were parting ways, they might as well travel separately. Here's wishing everyone a bright future.
"You can't leave!" Cynthia instantly lost her composure. "We have to return to Red Pine together to turn in the mission!"
Chapter 67