"Those are two different matters," Instructor Hong said languidly, offering no further elaboration.
Her stance, however, was already unmistakable: the battlefield situation and tricking others into coming to their rescue were two fundamentally different issues.
She had also heard Cynthia's explanation. While she didn't know all the details, one thing was certain: Red Pine's students had been set up by the military.
There was no need to pick a serious fight with the military over a few students, but certain matters had to be defined and labeled clearly.
Just then, however, the tall, gaunt apprentice ability master spoke up. "All right, let's just let the matter drop."
"Hm?" The burly grand knight glanced at him. "You don't look like a soldier."
As an expert in the military, he was hardly going to fail to recognize an ability master from his own forces.
Besides, the military uniform the man wore clearly did not fit well.
"I'm from the Office of Supervision." The gaunt ability master produced an identification medallion and held it out impassively.
The burly man merely cast a sidelong glance at it before waving a dismissive hand. "Spare me. What business does the Office of Supervision have butting into this?"
Instructor Hong Yan, on the other hand, raised a hand, took the medallion, inspected it with a couple of glances, and handed it back without a word.
"We also need to gather firsthand leads," the gaunt ability master answered calmly. "I also have some personal business."
"Stop questioning him," Instructor Hong spoke up. "He's a full ability master, not an apprentice!"
"Huh?" Hearing that, the burly man was visibly taken aback. "No way, right? Given the power of your abilities..."
"I exhausted my strength," the gaunt ability master replied expressionlessly. "Can you keep this confidential?"
The burly man and Instructor Hong exchanged a glance and answered in unison, "No problem!"
"Ability master" had two fewer characters than "apprentice ability master," but when it came to treatment and status, they were worlds apart.
When the two grand knights had noticed an apprentice ability master in danger, they had both decided to step in and save him.
Had it been a legitimate, full-fledged ability master in trouble, even a passing Divine Might Knight would likely have lent a hand.
And since this man was indeed such a figure, his request for secrecy was completely understandable.
"Then I will be in your care," the gaunt ability master said politely, though his face showed no sign of humble petition.
Quite the opposite: everyone present could faintly sense a subtle undercurrent of reluctance and indignity in him.
The two grand knights exchanged another look, and Instructor Hong spoke, "Take this lord from the Office of Supervision to rest."
"I'm in no hurry," the gaunt ability master said impassively.
The burly man glanced at Instructor Hong. "Don't try to change the subject either. Bring out the treasure you claimed."
Hong Yan's face darkened. "Call out to it and see if it answers you!"
"There's no point talking like that," the burly man said, unbothered. "Let me just ask one thing: did you deal the bulk of the combat output?"
Throughout the rescue, he had undoubtedly been the primary fighting force.
No one could deny that Instructor Hong was the most efficient at slaying the Guizu.
When it came to holding the front line and dishing out the most damage, however, it had unquestionably been the burly man.
He had also supplied the heavy machine gun and ammunition for the outer perimeter; he was not about to let someone else reap the spoils.
"Hmph. Finders keepers," Instructor Hong replied, yielding no ground. "Isn't that how the military does things in battle?"
"Not entirely," the burly man replied. "Anyone who seizes spoils without authorization and affects the overall tactical situation... is executed without mercy!"
Both were stating facts.
Evidently, though, Instructor Hong had made up her mind not to surrender her prize. "Did I affect the tactical situation?"
Seeing the two grand knights quarreling, the others could only watch from the sidelines.
Only Wu Youren gave a slight shake of his head, quietly got to his feet, and returned to his cat-ear dugout.
No matter how the spoils were divided, that treasure was never going to end up in his hands.
Yet strangely enough, he could feel an extraordinarily powerful pull radiating from it.
Previously, the largest chunk of experience points he had ever gained was from shattering that rusted scrap of metal. Absorbing this Guizu relic would yield at least three times that amount.
His heart bled at the thought, but there was truly nothing he could do; he didn't even have the standing to speak up.
Fortunately, he had also earned plenty of experience points during the rescue.
Using the large ghost-vanquishing bullets provided by the military to build up his personal reserves had made this trip entirely worthwhile; he had no reason to complain.
More importantly, the experience points he had accumulated were piling up again, and he needed to digest a portion of them.
The cat-ear dugout had become much roomier after he expanded it, making it an ideal spot to sit in meditation.
Originally, the two grand knights had needed a place to rest for the night, but now there was ample manpower, and people were already excavating new cave shelters.
Even for knights, opportunities to rub shoulders with grand knights were rare under normal circumstances, so this was an excellent chance.
Worried that someone might discover his secrets, Wu Youren took up a meditation posture that was far from standard, keeping himself ready to spring up at any moment.
Daoist techniques emphasized entering stillness; the stories of many Qi refiners seeking deep mountains and old forests to cultivate were by no means mere legends.
Yet circumstances were what they were. He wished for quiet, but it was simply unattainable.
When the ideal conditions were lacking, one could only make do. As long as one's dedication to the Dao remained resolute, other things mattered little.
Seeing him leave, Cynthia had initially wanted to follow, but she couldn't tear herself away from the excitement unfolding before her.
The two grand knights wrangled over the spoils, neither willing to back down.
In the end, Instructor Hong stated that she could compensate him with a sum of money as a labor fee.
If he didn't want money, she could also provide certain cultivation resources suitable for a grand knight.
It was clear that Instructor Hong was determined to have the treasure.
Finally, the gaunt ability master couldn't hold back any longer. "It seems this item isn't of much use to either of you."
Though completely drained of energy, he had stayed rather than withdrawing to rest precisely because his mind was fixed on this very item.
He pointed out that he had contributed as well, having depleted a significant portion of the Guizu's strength during their earlier breakout.
When he spoke, the burly man fell silent. While the Office of Supervision had no authority to oversee the military directly, they could investigate high-ranking military figures!
The burly knight didn't fear the man himself, but why invite trouble for his superiors?
Hong Yan, however, was having none of it. She was merely an instructor, and her accounts at the Martial Academy were completely clean and transparent; she owed deference to no one.
After several heated exchanges, the ability master snapped, "I really have to wonder: what use does a mere martial artist have for such an item?"
Not only was this blunt, but it was bordering on offensive—just listen to that: a *mere martial artist*!
Yet he didn't see anything wrong with it. Within Great Liang, an ability master indeed enjoyed a status somewhat more exalted than a grand knight.
More critically, martial artists had no use whatsoever for Guizu relics!
Had there been no ability master present, the item's ownership would indeed have been worth contesting.
Now, however, he was the only one who could directly utilize the treasure. Did their squabbling mean they didn't take him seriously at all?
Hong Yan, however, refused to back down. "Who said martial academies can only train martial artists? Am I not allowed to have an ability master student?"
This was actually true. Quite a few awakened martial artists had emerged from Red Pine Martial Academy.
No matter how immense the pressure, she had to stand her ground. She was securing this resource for the academy; there was no room for retreat.
If even she, a grand instructor, backed away, would other instructors ever have the courage to fight for resources when facing similar situations?
The tall, gaunt ability master let out a disdainful chuckle. "An ability master student of yours? Who, exactly... Care to name them?"
"It wouldn't be convenient," Hong Yan replied crisply. "I don't wish to create discord between the two of you."
"Only a handful of ability masters have ever come out of Red Pine," the man from the Office of Supervision said with a smirk.
With total confidence, he added, "You'd be lucky if you even had an apprentice ability master as a student."
Instructor Hong looked at him and said with utter calm, "We are the ones who rescued you!"
The gaunt ability master was caught off guard for a second. His expression straightened, and he gave a slight nod. "Fair enough. That was presumptuous of me."
It was not that he genuinely believed he was in the wrong, but rather that something had suddenly dawned on him...
Yet it was already too late. Hong Yan tilted her head slightly, remarking with thoughtful deliberation, "I misspoke earlier. We aren't entirely safe right now either."
She then glanced at the burly man. "The Guizu situation is dire. Escort him away immediately."
"Our sole duty is to attack," the burly man replied, shaking his head. "I didn't look at that medallion just now, so I have no idea what you're talking about."
The two were synchronizing their positions: he was making it clear he would not get involved.
Whether she wanted to fry him or braise him was entirely her business; the military wouldn't play along.
Hearing this, a violent shiver ran down the gaunt ability master's spine... *Holy shit, I'm done for!*
He had only remembered the exalted status of an ability master, entirely forgetting that he was currently on the front lines of a battlefield.
Worse still, in his pursuit of resources, he had severely overtaxed his body and was now critically lacking in combat capability.
The Office of Supervision was indeed a formidable agency within Great Liang, but their clout rested upon the premise of an intact, functioning system.
Down here at the grass roots, who gave a damn about supervision? Authority born of rules was worth nothing when order broke down!
He had assumed that since both of his counterparts were grand knights, they would abide by some semblance of rules.
He had forgotten that on the front line of battle, the only thing people respected was strength. If you lacked strength, you kept your head down.
The situation was glaringly obvious now: this grand instructor from Red Pine might very well be preparing a funeral for him!
To that end, she had deliberately probed the military man, and the two had reached a tacit understanding.
Yet he didn't want to die—especially not after having finally clawed his way out of a Guizu domain.
"I can disclose my true identity to you!" He could no longer stay silent. "Whatever you claimed, I will buy it at a high price!"
The former sentence was nonsense; pride aside, would flashing his identity even help at this point?
The latter sentence was the crucial one—even if you kill me now, how much could you possibly gain?
The burly man sneered at his words. "The Office of Supervision, a high price... Just how much wealth could you possibly possess?"
"Name your price," the gaunt ability master answered calmly. "As long as it isn't outrageous!"
Those who didn't understand the nuance would think he was haggling over the relic.
Those in the know recognized that he was indeed bargaining—not over the price of the Guizu relic, but over how much his own life was worth.
"You may have misunderstood," Instructor Hong Yan said in earnest. "My gains are Red Pine's gains.
"If the Office of Supervision feels this is inappropriate, they may take it up with Red Pine. Let there be no personal misunderstanding between us."
Chapter 77