The Trap

Damn it... Wu Youren was utterly speechless. So he had lost a whole night's sleep waiting for a sneak attack, only for them to have simply overslept? That certainly showed their hatred wasn't particularly intense. Yet why did this piece of news make him feel even more exasperated? Maintaining an unruffled expression, he stated, "My mind is made up. These squabbles between fellow humans don't interest me in the least." Cynthia parted her lips, but she knew full well she couldn't sway him. So she said, "I heard your traps have been giving them quite a headache. Do you need our help buying any materials?" "Now that's a good idea!" Wu Youren's eyes lit up. "Do you have a vehicle? I actually have quite a few materials I need to buy." "Lord Rossi has one," Cynthia answered without hesitation. "I already asked him for you." Wu Youren was somewhat taken aback. This Liang female martial artist had actually done so much for him? He pondered for a moment before speaking. "Lord Rossi... as I recall, he has a motorized tricycle, and he might not be willing to lend it to me." "He just cobbled together an off-road vehicle," Cynthia replied, having clearly looked into the details. "There are plenty of spare parts on the battlefield." In the ongoing war against the Guizu, humanity was not only suffering heavy casualties, but military resources were also being depleted at an alarming rate. More importantly, she was certain of one thing. "He told me before that he's willing to lend you a hand within reason." She did not give a reason, but it was obvious that Rossi had always been seeking the favor of Chief Instructor Hong. Wu Youren didn't mention Hong Da either, merely raising an eyebrow. "Isn't he worried about provoking displeasure among his fellow Liang people?" "In their eyes, this is just a minor dispute between students," Cynthia answered without thinking. "Who hasn't been young once? Besides, doing a convenient little favor certainly won't be an issue." Wu Youren actually believed that. Adults had a very different standard for judging right and wrong compared to youngsters. "It would be a bit presumptuous of me to contact him directly, so I'll have to trouble you to arrange it." The first time he had ventured out of Red Pine was with Rossi to hunt Guizu, so there was some acquaintance between them. Still, Rossi's promise this time had not been made to him directly. One matter was separate from another. Recalling their last encounter, which had been polite yet tinged with subtle aloofness, Wu Youren had no desire to fawn over him either. Cynthia dialed Rossi on her watch. Before long, a battered off-road vehicle came driving up. This time, Rossi was noticeably warmer. Anyone looking on might have thought he and Wu Youren were on great terms. The four of them conferred and decided to leave Cynthia and Liu Jingming to watch the place while the other two went shopping. As the off-road vehicle drove through the martial academy, the two inside had surprisingly little to say to each other. After driving for a while, Rossi made small talk: "You understand mechanisms. What do you think of this vehicle I assembled?" Wu Youren hesitated for a moment before answering, "Good power, and the parts fit together quite well." Although he was very handy, he didn't actually know much about vehicles—at least, the vehicles of this world. Earlier on, it was thanks to Cynthia teaching him step by step that he had learned to ride a motorcycle. Though mottled and worn, with a rather bumpy ride, the off-road vehicle felt solidly built. Wu Youren said only those few words, having no interest in saying more. Once certain things happened, it was hard to return to how they were. Rossi didn't mind that, though. "Hong Da holds you in high regard. She told me not to mind the rumors." "Impossible," Wu Youren said placidly. "She already said she wouldn't intervene in this sort of thing." "She knew from the start that you were a Jin hostage," Rossi said bluntly. "Yet she never cared, did she?" Wu Youren nodded. "What I'm facing now is also a trivial matter. She won't concern herself with it." As he said this, he felt somewhere between tears and laughter—helpless, yet utterly powerless. "That's the price of growing up," Rossi replied offhandedly. "She really does think well of you. She said you aren't far from awakening." "She's mistaken," Wu Youren denied flatly. "When I came to Liang, I wasn't even eight years old, and my grandfather was only an ennobled lord." Hong Yan certainly knew these background details, so there was no need to hide them. "What right would I have to possess the knowledge needed for awakening?" Rossi dismissed his objection. "Among you hostages, there are grand knights." Wu Youren fell silent, taking a long while before replying, "One hearing of that, and anyone can tell you've never been a hostage." "Well, of course!" Rossi remarked casually. "My Great Liang never lost, and I don't have an ennobled lord for a grandfather." "So since you don't understand what it's like to be a hostage, drop it. I'd rather be a mere farmer in Jin." Rossi fell silent at last. After a moment, he actually chuckled. "You really must be close to awakening to dare speak to me like that. Last time we went out to kill Guizu together, you were exceedingly respectful." "That's because I've brushed with death multiple times lately," Wu Youren murmured softly, half in explanation and half to himself. Regardless, with Rossi, a genuine knight, accompanying him, purchasing all kinds of supplies was very convenient. A few times, he even felt that some people were looking at him in an odd manner, but it was... merely an odd look. While the two of them were shopping, Cynthia and Liu Jingming were chatting intermittently back at the cabin. "So there are five of you Jin hostages at Red Pine?" "Don't ask who they are," Liu Jingming said evasively. "Telling you even this much is already crossing the line." "Getting involved in this, aren't you afraid the Life-and-Death Knot will target you?" "You know about the Life-and-Death Knot too?" Liu Jingming was quite surprised. "I thought he kept his lips sealed." "Uh, it has nothing to do with him," Cynthia said, not wanting to distort the facts. "The two of us ran into the Life-and-Death Knot together..." Not wishing to dwell on the subject, she asked, "Why do you insist on contacting him? What is it really for?" "The relationship between us has always been great," Liu Jingming replied solemnly. "I'm just concerned about how he's doing." Cynthia rolled her eyes. "Don't you have a watch?" Liu Jingming retorted, "You have his contact on your watch too, so why do you still come see him in person?" Cynthia was naturally too embarrassed to say she simply wanted to see him in person. "Well, sometimes it's inconvenient for him, and the watch isn't all that secure." *I'll have to add his contact on my watch later!* Liu Jingming nodded and said in all seriousness, "Exactly, the security is terrible!" By evening, Rossi drove back with Wu Youren and a considerable haul of supplies. Afterward, Cynthia went to buy food and brought it back, and the four of them had a hearty meal. During this time, some people passing by in the distance noticed a meal gathering here and took a few extra looks. Fights and alarm bells had been a frequent occurrence here recently, and some students had noticed the oddity. The news hadn't spread very far, but there were definitely more than thirty or fifty people who knew about it. Fortunately, Rossi carried the distinct air of a knight and had his own off-road vehicle, so no one was foolish enough to wander over. Even Wu Youren suffered no harassment that night. The next afternoon, a message arrived on Wu Youren's watch from Liu Jingming: "Holy crap, someone came looking for me, asking if I was..." The watch really wasn't very secure; it was best not to send sensitive information through it. He was just rather vexed that despite using Cynthia as a shield, he was still suspected of being a hostage. Wu Youren was hoeing the ground, and only replied after a long while: "I believe you can handle it." "Of course. I already explained," Liu Jingming replied. "Our grandfathers got along well, so our families are considered old friends." *He's coordinating our stories!* Wu Youren understood this and typed back: "It's best if you contact me less lately." "No, I already warned them," Liu Jingming actually said. "If anyone targets you again, the Jin students will lodge a formal complaint with the academy." *Everyone truly has their own methods...* Wu Youren suddenly realized that the hostage group certainly didn't lack capable people! However, if asked to emulate Liu Jingming's approach, he wouldn't be able to pull it off. Their starting points were worlds apart. The pressures they faced and the things they experienced... seemed similar, but were genuinely different. With the other's background, there was at least some margin for error; for Wu Youren, not the slightest mistake was permissible. As for Liu Jingming's talk of reporting it to Red Pine, Wu Youren didn't take it to heart. There was certainly nothing wrong with taking that route—after all, friendly ties between Liang and Jin suited the current political climate—but could it really be useful? The only effect it might have was that those people would stop pestering Liu Jingming; for Wu Youren himself, the help was practically nil. Sure enough, that very night, the alarm bells rang again. Once the light came on, a crossbow bolt from afar shattered the bulb once more. Startled by the alarm bells, the encroaching shadows retreated again, throwing down their customary parting threat: "If you've got the guts, don't you dare go to sleep!" If things continued like this, it would be sheer psychological torture. Wu Youren simply went outside, replaced the bulb that very night, and deliberately turned on the light to illuminate the surroundings. Over an hour later, the bulb was shattered once again... They were youngsters after all; they couldn't even wait a single night. This time, the alarm bells did not ring, nor did Wu Youren make any further response. In the latter half of the night, the alarm bells were triggered yet again. This time, without any light, several dark figures charged straight to the fence, hacked it down with a few slashes, and began furiously swinging their blades in the vegetable patch. In the blink of an eye, the small vegetable patch was hacked to pieces. And that was with two of the dark figures holding back from destroying the garden, instead keeping a vigilant eye on the cabin. "Let's go..." one figure whispered. "Next time, we trash the house." "Agh..." Almost at the exact same moment, someone gasped in alarm, followed by a dull thud. The next instant, a shrill, agonizing wail ripped through the night sky: "Aaargh! My leg!" The shriek carried immense piercing power. Almost instantaneously, several powerful auras surged up nearby, sweeping over the area one after another. "Fuck, a trap!" someone cursed under their breath. "Grab him and let's go!" a quicker-witted intruder reacted. "We'll get our revenge later!" These Liang students knew full well that while their behavior might be quietly tolerated by many, it could never see the light of day. Once brought out into the open, even if the Liang government didn't pursue it, Red Pine still had its dignity to preserve. For such a thing to occur in a dignified intermediate martial academy was rather unsightly. "Ugh-aaagh!" The next moment came another stifled groan, the kind born of fighting back intense pain. Someone, in trying to rescue their companion, had stepped right into a second trap. "Who's there?!" Only now was the Jin hostage inside the cabin seemingly jolted awake! "Move, quickly!" someone urged in a panic. "If we don't run now, it'll be too late!" Several dark silhouettes darted swiftly away, finally vanishing into the night. Immediately afterward, the cabin door swung open. A figure slipped out, scoffing into the darkness, "Is that all the guts you have?" They had run fast and managed to drag their wounded along with them. By the time Wu Youren replaced the bulb again and flicked the light on, several figures had arrived—the academy's patrol squad. "What happened here?" a knight asked with a darkened face. Even as he asked, he scanned the surroundings. *Tsk...* A perfectly good vegetable garden had been trashed into utter chaos. Even the fence enclosing the garden had been almost completely razed, a wretched sight to behold.