"A baron's grandson borrowing money from a baronet's grandson?" Wu Youren wore an odd look. "Are you serious?"
He knew Liu Jingming's life in Hostage Manor had been miserable too, but could it have been worse than his own?
"Damn it, I should have challenged you back then," Liu Jingming muttered, too furious to watch his words. "Worst case, I'd have ended up like He Wenhao—dead by now!"
"Fine by me," Wu Youren nodded expressionlessly. "I'll put in a word later and have them do you in."
He was obviously bluffing, but compared to the other hostages, he did carry a bit of weight at Red Pine Martial Academy by now.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Liu Jingming rolled his eyes. "I came to borrow money, not make an enemy."
"Oh, so you actually realize you're here to borrow money?" Wu Youren scoffed. "From the way you're talking, I thought you were lending to me!"
In this world, debtors weren't kings—in fact, in most worlds, the creditor was king.
A debtor could act like king only in a world of giant babies or in the late stages of a Ponzi scheme.
In a realm governed by the law of the jungle, anyone capable of lending money had no fear of not getting it back!
Wu Youren wasn't just sniping at him for the sake of it, though; he simply wanted to test how Liu Jingming would react.
A man might harbor no ill will toward a tiger, but the tiger still had an appetite for man. Out in the world, one could never be too careful.
"I know you're capable. I was wrong, all right?" Liu Jingming's expression shifted, and he spoke with an easy smile.
He had indeed made an effort to mend fences before Wu Youren left Hostage Manor.
Anyone who thought he only knew how to gamble on dark horses, however, would be sorely mistaken.
Put simply, more than half of those who managed to survive eight years among the hostages knew how to read the room and mind their manners, no matter how young they were.
Liu Jingming shifted his stance with practiced ease. "If you won't lend me money, that's fine. What about lending me a melee weapon when I take on a mission?"
As he spoke, he glanced behind Wu Youren. "Knight-grade sabers and swords... Youren, your girlfriend is loaded!"
"Mm," Wu Youren gave a slight nod. "Want me to set you up with a boyfriend?"
Liu Jingming shuddered at that. "Just joking! I know they're spoils of war. I was just lightening the mood."
Straightening his face, he adopted a serious tone. "I really do need a weapon. When I go out on missions, can I rent one from you?"
"Heh." Wu Youren gave a speechless shake of his head. Not long ago, when he went on his own mission, all he had was a belt lined with cheap, shoddy daggers.
Just because he had walked through the rain, why should this guy get to hold an umbrella?
"I'm not lending you any weapons. But I can point you toward a profitable business."
"A profitable business?" Liu Jingming was stunned. It had never crossed his mind that Wu Youren could actually... do business in Liang!
Was that something the grandson of a baronet had any business dreaming about?
He took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Youren, if this involves arms..."
"You're overthinking it," Wu Youren cut in without hesitation. "I just sell some luxury goods. Honey, for instance."
"Honey?" Liu Jingming was dumbfounded again. "Let me think... can that stuff actually make money?"
"Probably not," Wu Youren waved a hand dismissively. "You'd better stick to arms dealing."
"Wait, give me a second," Liu Jingming said, frowning. "Everyday consumer goods aren't necessarily unprofitable.
"Hostage Manor sells strong liquor now, and that makes good money. His Highness gave me a starting fund of one hundred silver dollars!"
"Mm," Wu Youren nodded slightly. "Back in our time, it was only fifty. You arrived in better times."
"Tch, he's skimmed more than five thousand off me," Liu Jingming replied dismissively. "My monthly allowance is a hundred, and he takes sixty. That's seven hundred and twenty a year!"
"A monthly allowance of a hundred... Quite the wealthy scion," Wu Youren remarked with feigned envy. "My family only gives me ten a month."
"Bullshit! Yours gives twenty!" Liu Jingming looked at him with utter scorn. "We're all hostages here, who are you trying to fool?"
"Oh, so you do know mine was only twenty?" Wu Youren snorted, taking large bites out of a wolf peach without saying another word.
You still had ten silver dollars left every month, while I was down to just two. Did you ever help me out back then?
Liu Jingming understood what he meant and was somewhat at a loss for words.
Back then, who among the hostages didn't know Wu Youren's situation?
Still, Liu Jingming only had ten silver dollars left each month, barely enough for himself. Besides, why would he help out... a mere bastard grandson of a baronet?
Yet now, the blades and swords Wu Youren possessed alone were worth several thousand silver dollars. Things truly were different.
More importantly, Wu Youren had earned all of this with blade and blood.
Coming into wealth might come down to luck, but holding onto it required genuine strength!
For a moment, he was overcome with emotion. "Coming to the Martial Academy was the rightest move you could've made. If you'd stayed in Hostage Manor, you'd never have gotten this far."
Wu Youren knew this just as well, and his thoughts drifted for a moment.
Even with his current strength, if he were sent back to Hostage Manor, he might not be able to protect his weapons—the concubine-born son of the Duke of Wei was a grand knight, after all.
This fucked-up life really had too many helpless realities.
Still, he had no intention of dancing to the other boy's tune. "Well, you're here now too. Here's wishing you smooth sailing ahead."
Liu Jingming was at a loss, staring blankly at him until Wu Youren finished his second wolf peach before slowly speaking up again.
"I'm talking about renting your weapons. Surely that's fine?"
"Sure," Wu Youren agreed readily. "Rent is negotiable, but you need a deposit."
Liu Jingming laughed out of pure exasperation. "If I had a deposit, would I be wasting my breath talking to you for this long?"
"Talking to me is wasting your breath?" Wu Youren gave him an odd look. "You're awfully self-righteous for someone broke."
Liu Jingming gritted his teeth. "Treat it as a usurious loan—borrow nine, repay thirteen. How's that?"
Wu Youren replied leisurely, "I staked my life to get these blades. And I don't see any sign that you're capable of paying me back."
If this were Jin... Liu Jingming secretly ground his teeth. Would I ever be reduced to this?
Yet he couldn't blame Wu Youren. Could he possibly not understand what life as a hostage was like?
He let out a long sigh. "I still remember you saying, 'Why should hostages make life hard for hostages?' ...So, how do we sell this honey?"
"'Make life hard'?" Wu Youren looked at him with a strange expression.
"My mistake," Liu Jingming backed down without hesitation. "Thank you for pointing me toward business."
"I can't be bothered to argue with you," Wu Youren curled his lip. "I'll prepare the stock first. Come find me in a couple of days."
"Right, thanks." Liu Jingming nodded, having finally learned his lesson.
After a brief hesitation, he asked, "Did... the Life-and-Death Knot come for you?"
"Four silver dollars a month," Wu Youren answered blankly.
Liu Jingming understood immediately—that equaled the twenty percent customary fee the guards at Hostage Manor took.
Then his fury flared. "They demanded sixty silver dollars from me! How did you negotiate with them?"
That was sixty percent of his monthly allowance!
"What negotiation? Just take a few more beatings," Wu Youren answered calmly. "Don't bring them up. I don't want to talk about them!"
Wu Youren didn't want to talk, but Liu Jingming felt he had to ask. Having just arrived in a new place, how could he afford not to understand the situation?
Still, he had guessed at some possibilities. "Will they try to turn us?"
"That's why I don't associate with Feng Qianjun and the rest," Wu Youren sighed. "Just be prepared to get beaten."
"Get beaten..." Liu Jingming grasped the implication. Refusing the enemy's recruitment was simply inviting trouble, wasn't it?
What bothered him more was: "Then Feng Qianjun... really?"
"Why do you have so many questions?" Wu Youren frowned with annoyance. "I'm not sure. I just don't want to borrow trouble!"
"Understood." Liu Jingming nodded with an expression of relief. "You really are clean!"
The other boy was walking on thin ice, cautious at every step—and wasn't he doing the same?
In Liu Jingming, Wu Youren seemed to see a reflection of his former self.
Looking up at the sky, Wu Youren murmured, "Who I am tomorrow might not be who I am today... We're all just drifting with the current."
No one could be trusted completely—not the other person, and not even oneself.
"You're already different," Liu Jingming said tactfully. "You've carved out a place for yourself."
Yet in the next moment, he couldn't help asking again, "Then how did you manage to hold onto these gains?"
He simply had to ask. In his mind, no matter how fast Wu Youren grew, he couldn't possibly contend with the Life-and-Death Knot.
Let alone the grandson of a baronet—even all the hostages combined couldn't afford to cross them!
"Maybe..." Wu Youren paused, glancing at him. "Maybe it's because I'm relatively handsome."
Admittedly, though the boy's endless chattering annoyed him, it did lend him a degree of credibility.
Even so, some things were best left unsaid.
"Relatively handsome..." The corner of Liu Jingming's mouth twitched. Your skin is thick as a city wall, damn it!
Looking at Wu Youren's face, though, he had to admit the boy was indeed handsome.
Otherwise, how could a penniless foreigner have landed a girlfriend?
The more he thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt. He gave a sullen grunt. "Back in the day, I was quite the looker myself."
Selecting hostages wasn't just about bloodline; appearances mattered too. After all, they represented the image of Great Jin, so crooked or deformed candidates were out of the question.
Unfortunately, as he grew older, he had grown out of his good looks—or at least become thoroughly unremarkable.
In truth, another question lingered in Liu Jingming's mind: could a female student truly shield him from the Life-and-Death Knot?
Unless he married Princess Yongning, there might be a chance, but how could anyone else qualify?
Seeing Wu Youren's impatience, though, he decided not to probe any further.
For all he knew, Wu Youren had become someone's male favorite or kept boy. What point was there in asking?
He scrounged up a bunch of vegetables, packed them up, and agreed to return in three days.
Wu Youren watched his departing figure, his gaze deepening. Could this be another test?
To be fair, he didn't think he was all that important in others' eyes, nor should he think too highly of himself.
Yet once certain wrong steps were taken, there was no turning back. He truly couldn't afford to gamble!
Taking a deep breath, he shook his head. It was time to purchase some supplies.
This time, he went to the flea market again and bought up the mixed sugar from two stalls in bulk.
Chapter 82