Entanglement

After the man left, the smile faded from Wu Youren's face, though he did not appear particularly vexed. Today's incident was no major matter, but it was highly insulting. Even so, compared to the days he had lived through before, it hardly counted as a humiliation. He needed to see clearly that the broader environment was improving. If he failed to realize that, then he would just be... getting ahead of himself! Yet such an occurrence also served as a reminder: whenever possible, he should avoid leaving his quarters. Not that he was worried about his vegetable patch being ruined—that was just a cover. His primary concern was the strong liquor and honey inside the house, neither of which could easily bear the light of day. The next day passed quietly. On the night of the third day, Cynthia arrived. Cynthia had sold the resentment crystals. Aside from silver dollars, she had also traded for some cultivation pills and blood food. With the Mirage Sea League backing her, the transaction had been relatively safe and the price fair. She took care to explain that she had paid some fees to the league, but Wu Youren did not take this to heart. She brought banknotes worth five thousand silver dollars, along with some pills, mentioning that a remaining balance would be settled within a month or two. Truth be told, Wu Youren did not think much of those resources for breaking through to knight anymore. Yet taking none at all would not be sensible either. As a hostage, single-mindedly focusing on cultivation was inappropriate and could easily lead others to suspect him of ulterior motives. Yet showing no desire to cultivate at all would be equally abnormal. At times, Wu Youren was truly grateful that before transmigrating, he had understood the Doctrine of the Mean so thoroughly. Neither rushing nor stalling was just right; going too far was as bad as falling short. He accepted only half of the pills, telling Cynthia she could keep the rest. He even went so far as to say shamelessly, "Hurry up and break through to knight so you can protect me." However, the female warrior of Liang did not care for such soft-bellied words. "Have me protect you... Can't you live like a real man?" "Then trade that remaining balance for more ghost-dispelling powder," Wu Youren replied, demonstrating that he did not lack manly spirit. "It's not very convenient for me." "Anyone can buy ghost-dispelling powder," Cynthia said, puzzled. "As long as you have the money!" "Well..." Wu Youren pondered for a second before answering, "I don't plan on going out anytime soon!" "I heard about what happened the day before yesterday," Cynthia said, looking at him. "Boys always mature a bit later. Don't stoop to their level." "Of course," Wu Youren replied casually. "Staying indoors just reduces the odds of trouble, and I can watch over the vegetable patch while I'm at it." Hearing this, the female warrior felt a twinge of displeasure. "Can't you stop obsessing over this little patch? You're not short on money now. Do what a man ought to do." Was this Liang's version of wishing one's husband would become a dragon? Wu Youren smiled dismissively. Such an attitude was hardly surprising in Liang. Even though there were female knights here, the patriarchal mindset ran deep. Needless to say, if he wanted to stir-fry a couple of dishes, the administrator considered it dereliction of duty! Men were meant to conquer and kill; all auxiliary matters were left to women. Yet he had his own reasoning. "What if someone ruins my vegetable patch?" "Then let it be ruined," Cynthia said without hesitation. "You don't lack for this little bit. Don't lock horns with them; it isn't worth it." She was willing to support the Jin youth, but over such a trifle—wasn't he being far too childish? "I really don't care about this little bit," Wu Youren said, knowing she understood his financial situation well. "But what comes next?" "What do you mean, what comes next?" Cynthia's eyes widened in surprise. "It doesn't matter if the garden is destroyed, but what they hate is me, a Jin hostage... Will things just end once the garden is ruined?" Cynthia was stunned, realizing what he meant only after several breaths. "You're worried they'll keep targeting you?" Wu Youren replied sourly, "Although I'd rather not make wild assumptions, I bear no grudge against them, yet they chose to provoke me on their own initiative. "From a battlefield perspective, the vegetable patch is merely my outermost defensive line. Once you shatter the perimeter, would you consider the war won? "Having launched a war without rhyme or reason, they are bound to pursue final victory... At the very least, they would have to burn down the house, wouldn't they?" "I..." Cynthia remained silent for a long while before asking, "Are men's minds all made for war?" "I love peace," the Jin youth replied, a faint touch of wistfulness on his face. "Things like farming a plot of land, falling in love, and so on." "Falling in l—" The corners of Cynthia's lips curved upward slightly before she let out a sharp snort. "No ambition whatsoever!" "Say whatever you like," Wu Youren replied nonchalantly. "At any rate, I won't be leaving anytime soon. "If you want to support me, help me buy more ghost-dispelling powder." "Ghost-dispelling powder is used to deal with Guizu," the female warrior muttered under her breath. Your opponents right now are humans! Yet she was in no position to meddle in such affairs. Her eyes darted around, and she lowered her voice. "You could go beg Hong Da." She was well aware of how Instructor Hong and the Jin youth had coordinated on the battlefield. "Hm?" The fine hairs on Wu Youren's spine prickled, sensing that something was amiss. He cleared his throat and spoke gravely, "I'm buying ghost-dispelling powder precisely to follow Hong Da and slay Guizu. "As for these academy squabbles, troubling that venerable lady would only put her in an awkward position." "Venerable lady..." Cynthia was taken aback at first, then smiled faintly. "Indeed. In her youth, she must have been very beautiful." Why did the chill suddenly feel even sharper? Wu Youren fell silent, taking a long moment to reply, "Just focus on advancing your rank so you can protect me." "This matter... Then don't go outside," Cynthia said with obvious exasperation. "Those little brats only know how to cause trouble!" With that, she bounced and skipped away. Wu Youren, however, took it in stride. Having been jealous over Princess Yongning, wasn't it completely natural for her to be jealous over Instructor Hong too? Still, speaking of which, were women made of water, or were they made of vinegar? The next moment, a faint, lingering sigh drifted over. "Am I that old?" "Uh—greetings, Hong Da!" Wu Youren shuddered in alarm, replying with utmost respect. "That... would you like the honest truth?" "I'll take the lie," the raspy, smoky voice replied, carrying a touch of allure in the dead of night. "The sweeter, the better." "The honest truth is, you aren't old," Wu Youren murmured, affected by the atmosphere. "I don't know how to lie." "The grandson of a... lord doesn't know how to lie?" The smoky voice let out a soft huff. Allure: +1. Wu Youren gave a wry smile. "Before becoming a hostage, I didn't even know I had a lord for a grandfather. My upbringing was a bit lacking." "A person with a story of his own," the smoky voice murmured softly before fading away into complete silence. This damn Martial Academy... Wu Youren raised a hand and wiped his forehead. The waters here really were too deep! The next day, the sun rose as usual. In the afternoon, another group arrived in a noisy clamor. "I hear the Jin hostage here is pretty arrogant, claiming only he can kill Guizu?" "Yeah, the ghost crisis in Jin was so severe back then, otherwise our Great Liang wouldn't have even won ten years ago, hahaha..." "Correction: twelve years ago... You've got to leave them some room for their delusions!" These people did everything they could to provoke him, but Wu Youren did not even poke his head out. Yet this bunch evidently knew how the previous provocateurs had fared, as they did not directly charge into the vegetable patch. Before long, the administrator also came over, hands clasped behind his back, coldly observing from a distance. Just as he had said, two jars of strong liquor were nothing, but if trouble broke out on his turf, his livelihood could genuinely be shattered. Especially now, during extraordinary times, the ghost situation was the greatest crisis. Man-made trouble trying to steal the limelight from a natural disaster? Society in Great Liang was functioning normally; this was hardly the end of a dynasty! In the end, the group left in sulky frustration, though not without parting threats: "If you've got the guts, don't sleep tonight either!" The administrator acted as though he had not heard a word. Only when they had walked far off did he drop a remark: "For matters at night, contact the patrol." He was not shirking responsibility; he was simply in charge of the daytime. Wu Youren smiled dismissively. "With the ghost crisis so severe, how could I be so unreasonable?" "You kid..." The administrator shook his head, letting out a rare sigh. "Silly fool!" Sure enough, trouble struck that very night. In the dead of night, seven or eight figures quietly approached the vegetable patch. During the day, the Martial Academy maintained order, but at night, that was hardly guaranteed. As they drew near, someone inadvertently tripped a wire, and a faint sound of wind chimes suddenly rang out. In the quiet night, the sound carried far, yet inside the room where Wu Youren stayed, there was no reaction. The silhouettes froze instantly, communicating stealthily through hand gestures and watches. After waiting nearly half an hour, two dark shadows continued their stealthy approach. Without a doubt, these youths possessed common sense, but being young... their patience was lacking. Chastened by the first warning, the two figures moved with exceptional caution. Yet within two minutes, they tripped another alarm bell. This time, the chime was much louder than before, easily carrying several hundred meters. Unless someone was in the deepest of slumbers, it was enough to jolt them right out of their dreams! "Fuck..." Amid the ringing chime, one of the dark figures could not help cursing under his breath. "Such a sneaky trap—goddammit!" A soft cough came from inside the house, and the lamp hanging beneath the outer eaves suddenly flicked on. The lamp was not very bright, merely meant for ordinary illumination rather than combat-grade searchlights. Yet for warriors with keen eyesight, it was more than enough to spot the indistinct figures outside. "Hm? A ghost-corrupted warrior?" A soft murmur came from the house, sounding somewhat puzzled. The next moment, sharp whistling sounds cut through the air, bursting from two inconspicuous slits in the house. By first defining them as "suspected ghost-corrupted," he established a lawful pretext to strike. The two figures darted aside in a flash, the hems of their clothes whipping sharply against the wind. The two had already known that this person possessed an exquisite flying-knife skill and had come prepared. Both daggers struck nothing but air, as expected. Yet immediately following, another crisp crack echoed. The lamp hanging beneath the eaves was shattered by a crossbow bolt. The intruders were well-prepared; not only were they guarding against his throwing daggers, but they had also brought ranged weapons of their own.