Chapter 162 The Third One (Third Update)
The mouse's reply was actually good news, "I hope to return honorably and take revenge!"
"I support you emotionally!" Wu Youren didn't want to spout any nonsense. "Why are you looking for me?"
"Because you are relatively free," Chen Quanxu answered without hesitation, "And the potential is enormous, extremely enormous."
"You don't need to tell me that!" the boy calmly replied, "You've misjudged me."
"I know what you're rejecting; building mutual trust isn't easy," said a reasonable mouse.
However, he was also very blunt, "But if I wanted to harm you, I wouldn't need to go to any trouble; Hong Yan can't protect you."
Are they trying to force me to join the New Army? The boy is a bit paranoid, but there's nothing he can do; he's being forced into it.
"Since you know that mutual trust is not easy to come by, then please let me go, people of Jin. Why make things difficult for people of Jin?"
"You need my help," Chen Quanxu declared shamelessly, but then his tone shifted abruptly, "I'm dying!"
"..." Wu Youren really didn't know what to say.
After a long pause, he finally asked, "You're not planning to leave your fortune to me, are you?"
"There's nothing we can't talk about," the rat replied without hesitation, "As long as you promise to help me get revenge!"
"Did I drink fake alcohol when I went out today?" The boy really sensed something was wrong. "You can even use illusion magic? Amazing!"
"I don't know any illusion magic," the rat cursed, "Besides the hatred for the Great Jin, there's also the hatred for the Liang!"
"If it weren't for this damn country insisting on sending a hostage to Jin... if I didn't have to serve as a guard, who would dare to eliminate my Chen family?"
This illusion was flawless! Wu Youren couldn't help but ask, "When did you notice me?"
If you dare say I'm from another time, I'll absolutely... Should I call the police?
"Of course, it's when you leave Jin Garden and head to the Martial Academy," the mouse replied without hesitation.
"Mainly because later on, I wanted to go to Suotu Town to buy some goods."
"Going to Suotu to buy goods..." The young man raised an eyebrow. "Oh, this is Ability User? Never mind then."
Wu Youren always liked to focus on the key points, "Then why didn't you contact me back then?"
"That's not appropriate," the mouse replied bluntly. "You're even killing Jin's spies; your mindset isn't right."
"Holy crap!" Wu Youren was genuinely shocked.
He always thought that only he knew the truth about why he had destroyed a Knight's egg but hadn't received any experience points.
Seriously, can't we have any privacy at all?
However, the rat showed no consideration for his feelings at all, exclaiming, " The Knight Apprentice killed Knight, and he was even killing one of his own! That's amazing!"
The boy, expressionless, said, "If there's a level to insulting people, you're at level ninety-nine!"
However, Chen Quanxu words, "I didn't care. That guy doesn't understand intelligence work. If I don't kill him, he'll only harm himself and others sooner or later."
If this isn't a hallucination... then you really have to believe it!
But the rat hadn't finished speaking, "After you took down that Ershan, I realized you had potential."
"I don't know much about what happened at Bellflower Mountain afterward. Many of their methods were used to kill people who mistook them for monsters!"
"Okay, bro, you're amazing," Wu Youren was truly speechless.
Without going into too much detail, just the fact that Ershan was killed by him means that if the news gets out, he'll be in deep trouble.
Sister Hua and the others didn't dare to expose it because they had already done something wrong, and they were afraid to speak out.
uuɡu. First update, no typos. You won't see the pinyin suffix in the address input. You can then access the first update site.
As for killing his own intelligence operative— the Jin might not tolerate it.
He said he'd lie down and let them beat him, "What do you want me to do?"
"I don't need you to do anything," the mouse said bluntly, "I just want to tell you, don't forget the way you came!"
"You're from Jin, and a hostage at that, your status is even more precarious than mine... In Liang, you'll never rise to prominence!"
Wu Youren remained silent for a long time before finally asking, "Brother, if I may be so bold as to ask, where is your true form?"
"That's right," the mouse's whiskers twitched, and it actually laughed. "You should find a way to silence me!"
"I even like your name. There's no need for mercy towards enemy nations!"
"I didn't mean that," Wu Youren chuckled dryly, "I was just a little worried about you, and also a little admiring. I'm very innocent."
"Do you even believe that yourself?" The mouse's whiskers twitched again. "It's best if we keep our distance while we're working together."
"Cooperation..." Wu Youren was a little confused. Had I agreed?
Maintaining distance is actually quite good; "keeping some boundaries between each other is a good thing."
"I like the word 'sense of boundaries'... uh, this is the third one!"
A small knife flew by, pinning the rat to the ground. Immediately afterward, a thin figure swept past like the wind.
The figure drew a small knife; it was another boy, dressed in tattered clothes.
He cautiously glanced at the people taking shelter from the rain around him, then bent down and picked up the rat by the tail.
The mouse wasn't small; excluding its tail, it was about ten centimeters long.
The next moment, the boy took off running and disappeared into the vast rainy night.
"A third one?" Wu Youren raised an eyebrow. He knew the second one was a black cat, but what about the first one?
Just then, the Little Ha husky chirped twice, probably indicating that it was hungry.
Wu Youren turned his head to look at it, laughing as he scolded it, "Don't pretend! With his desire to perform, you can't help yourself!"
The chirping of birds drew the attention of people sheltering from the rain nearby, who turned their heads to look over.
"We can go back now!" Wu Youren stood up. It was unlikely that the other party would come looking for them again anytime soon.
This conversation was quite informative for him, as it was his first time meeting the other party.
Building mutual trust is a matter for the future, and there's no need to consider it now.
I just don't know what the relationship is between Chen Quanxu and that one-eyed middle-aged man.
Are they complete strangers, partners, or... is One-Eyed also being controlled?
If it's the third possibility...
Forget it, it's a pretty troublesome thing. There's no need to speculate wildly and waste our energy. Let's just sit back and see how things develop.
I've experienced enough today!
The people from the Ministry of Works came to the Youthful Splendor Martial Academy, learned about the inner workings of the New Army, and even met with the New Army...
Just now, I came into contact with Chen Quanxu again.
The events of this day far surpassed those of his eight years at Jin Garden.
Even after returning to the Red Pine office, he was still processing and organizing the information from the day.
Upon entering the courtyard, he was somewhat surprised to find that the nine Knight from the Martial Academy had not yet returned.
Do we really have that much to say to the people from the Youthful Splendor Martial Academy?
Little Ha chirped a few more times; now that its Toad Glasses were gone, it had regained some sight.
Could it be that the little guy could also sense that we'd returned to the office?
He must be hungry. Wu Youren went back to his room and found two pieces of dried meat.
The little guy is growing well, changing every day, and his appetite is increasing rapidly.
While feeding Little Ha, he was still wondering: Why doesn't Chen Quanxu possess Little Ha's body?
Forget it, I'll just stop thinking about it and be more careful in the future.
He didn't completely trust the Ability User, even though the other party knew too many of his secrets.
His level of trust in that person is currently... about the same as that of Hong Da.
If he had a way to deal with the other party, he would at least consider capturing him and interrogating him to extract more details.
It's funny, but up to this point, the person he trusts most—or rather, the living being—is actually Little Ha!
He absolutely did not want the little guy to be controlled by Chen Quanxu.
"Huh? Holy crap..." Wu Youren noticed something was wrong. "What's going on?"
He was just about to feed the Little Ha its second piece of meat when the little guy spat out the first one!
He pondered for a moment. Little Ha hadn't taken the Weird Lure today; could it be that it had lost its appetite?
Unfortunately, none of the crowdfunding participants are here!
The boy walked to Hong Da's door and raised his hand to knock.
"Come in, the door's unlocked," a lazy, smoky voice said.
He pushed open the door and entered. Hong Da was sitting in a chair, fiddling with his watch, and said without looking up, "Wait for me a moment."
Half a minute later, she finally lifted her eyelids, her fingers still fiddling with her watch. "What is it?"
"Buy Weird Lure," the boy said, taking out two gold coins and placing them on the table. " Little Ha's been eating too much lately."
"Never mind," Instructor Hong said, taking out a small bottle and placing it on the table.
Then, continuing to fiddle with her watch, she casually remarked, "I'm also an investor, so this meal's on me!"
Ten people in the know, including, of course, the Great Knight Hong.
After the Weird Lure was applied, Little Ha actually swallowed the meat strip and opened his mouth for a second one.
It swallowed the second piece, and Instructor Hong finally had a moment to spare, glancing up at the boy.
"Is there a mastermind behind those guys?"
"I don't know," Wu Youren shook his head. "I don't want any entanglement with the New Army, so I'm leaving quickly."
"He's trying to be friendly with you," Instructor Hong replied casually.
Clearly, she gave up trying to sense the New Army after discovering their involvement.
Otherwise, if her existence were discovered, the treasure boy... might not belong to Red Pine anymore.
Therefore, she was unaware of what happened next. "Be extra careful during this time, and wait another two weeks."
"I think... I'll go back tomorrow," the boy said hesitantly, "I feel a little unsafe here."
"Hmm?" Instructor Hong's eyes shifted from her wristwatch again, a hint of displeasure in them. "With me here, you're not safe?"
Wu Youren met the other's gaze, his eyes clear. " Hong Da, I don't like being in the spotlight; it might not be good for Red Pine either."
"Tsk," Hong Yan finally stopped fiddling with his watch and began to ponder.
"That is a problem... How about waiting another five days? I'll urge Jeff on."
Those two strange objects were so important to her that she couldn't even ask someone else to bring the Red Pine back to her.
That bearded senior from the City Guard Bureau should be reliable enough, and he had even given her some benefits, but she didn't dare to gamble.
"It's a power struggle in the imperial court, constantly changing," the young man said with a wry smile. "If you think you can wait, then... wait!"
His biggest fear is that the situation will change abruptly.
He really wasn't sure what would happen if another wave of sustained experience points suddenly appeared.
"If that's the case, you can't escape it even if you go back to Red Pine," Instructor Hong replied nonchalantly.
"Alright then, you should stay at the City Guard Bureau for a while; it's relatively safe there..."
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Chapter 163 Prison (Fourth Update)
Early the next morning, Luo Xi, Daiqisi, and Ranxue, along with Wu Youren, arrived at the City Guard Bureau.
Daiqisi had just received an award, and the bearded senior sent someone to receive her.
She said she was worried about retaliation from the Fallen Ability User, so she was staying at the City Guard Bureau for a while and would return to Red Pine soon.
Both morally and logically, these are legitimate demands. The security provided by the City Guard Bureau is far superior to that simple shelter in Red Pine.
She hoped to have a private room where she could undisturbed and do some research on government affairs.
This isn't a big problem; the City Guard Bureau has many vacant houses in order to deal with emergencies.
However, Wu Youren's request was rather bizarre. "Are there single cells available?"
"Huh?" The person in charge of reception thought he had misheard. "Jail?"
"I don't care about the less-than-ideal environment," the young man said seriously. "I'm just Knight Apprentice, so my ability to handle risks is relatively poor."
"You're so afraid of dying!" The City Guard Bureau was both amused and exasperated, so he decided to joke, "Why don't you use me as bait?"
Joking aside, he still arranged a cell for the boy in the end—at his own expense, but the conditions were acceptable.
This is the best prison in the City Guard Bureau. The better ones are the individual courtyards, but those are for imprisoning important officials.
This is all thanks to Hong Da's instructions to protect your cash cow!
Luo Xi knew Wu Youren's true identity and specifically stated that since the young man was not short of money, it would be best if he was surrounded by criminals he knew well.
"If money isn't an issue, then it's easy to discuss," the City Guard Bureau said straightforwardly.
He'd been with the City Guard Bureau for over ten years, and this was the first time he'd ever seen someone bring their pet to jail!
Wu Youren was still wondering if his neighbor might be one of those mysterious gangsters, but now his plans were completely ruined!
To his left was a corrupt minor official, and to his right was a quack doctor selling counterfeit medicine—a count's concubine had died from taking the medicine.
Moreover, the cells were separated by thick brick walls with only a small window for reporting on each other.
The two neighbors, on the other hand, went to great lengths to curry favor with the new boy.
Taking a baby bird to jail, with Knight visiting him every day... that might be his only hope for getting out!
The boy's reaction was unusually indifferent, which gave off the impression that "his family is powerful."
However, he also admitted that the group was indeed full of talented people, and they were all very pleasant to talk to.
On the afternoon of the third day after he entered the prison, his worst fears came true!
A surge of experience points came rushing in, fast and unexpected, catching him completely off guard!
It's fortunate that it was in a prison cell; if it were at the Red Pine office, chatting with someone, there's an 80% chance it would have given away something.
Meanwhile, in a small courtyard on the outskirts of Tianjing, a middle-aged man with one leg fell to the ground, staring blankly at the sky.
Four or five figures moved swiftly through the courtyard, instantly slaughtering more than a dozen people.
The figure strode away, "Tch, Great Knight? Without the Lord's patronage, what are you anyway!"
It took about ten minutes for the stench of blood to fill the air!
Inside the cell, the boy's body trembled slightly for four or five minutes before gradually calming down.
His blank gaze gradually brightened, and then he muttered to himself, " Great Knight?"
He had never killed Great Knight before, but this wave of experience points was worth at least three Knight!
Leaving aside special cases, a Great Knight's combat strength is enough to withstand an attack from at least a dozen Knight simultaneously.
However, he only offered a suggestion, not committed the murder himself, and this suggestion was passed around multiple times.
Therefore, three times the experience points of Knight are enough for him—that's already quite a lot.
The key point is that, apart from encountering the Great Knight, he couldn't think of any other situation that would suddenly bring about such a large-scale attack.
At that moment, he was extremely grateful that he had voluntarily requested to serve his sentence in prison.
When he made his request, people looked at him like he was crazy, but looking back now, he really got a good deal.
If Chief Instructor Hong were nearby at that moment, his unusual behavior would definitely have been noticed.
Even the fake medicine dealer next door noticed something was wrong. " Xiao Ren, what's wrong?"
It should be noted that there was only one small window, about a foot long and a foot wide, between the two rooms, and it was even fitted with bars.
"We're charging at the Great Knight," Wu Youren replied, grinning, "And then we'll escape together!"
Here, you can say anything, except the truth.
The next morning, Little Ha vomited up the pills again.
The boy began to ponder: the last time the little guy vomited up the food pills, he had also taken a large one himself. Could the two be related?
The fake medicine vendor next door spoke up again, "Strange, is this a snow harrier chick? It's so small, why isn't it pooping or spitting out food pellets?"
These past few days, it seems his head has grown onto the small window, constantly observing the boy.
This guy tells a lot of lies, for example, that the count's concubine wasn't killed by his medicine.
However, he has a very unique perspective and a particularly broad range of knowledge; he is truly a talented person.
Wu Youren also has a good point: ever since he found the Little Ha, he has never seen it defecate.
But since he started eating solid food, he has grown up smoothly and without any problems.
Now that he was actually in a real cage, he lowered his guard and earnestly asked the fake drug dealer how this was supposed to be.
The other person guessed that the intestines were probably blocked, and despite being very lively, the child might not grow up properly, adding that they could touch it.
Not growing up... This is really not good news for Wu Youren.
He wasn't opposed to it, letting the other person touch it through the window, but Little Ha was very resistant.
The little guy absolutely refused to let the other person's hand touch him.
Now it's grown quite a bit, with fine feathers growing on its wings, and it has some strength when it flaps its wings.
The fake drug dealer could only sheepishly admit that perhaps the smell of medicine on his body was too strong, and some mythical birds would indeed be repelled by it.
Wu Youren was a little worried, so he had to do it himself, and the little guy wasn't too willing either.
Its eyes were a little wary, as if to say: Touching its head is fine, but touching its belly... what do you want?
Wu Youren touched it but didn't find anything unusual, at least not any lumps or anything like that.
Let it grow as it pleases. He's not very interested in keeping pets, and he's already struggling to make ends meet, so it's best to maintain a free-range attitude.
That afternoon, Luo Xi came to visit him, bringing food for one person and one bird, as well as some news.
Yesterday, the distinguished Great Knight Meier was murdered at his residence, along with more than ten members of his family.
This case alarmed the entire Tianjing, Tianjing, and the City Guard Bureau is cooperating with the investigation.
Luo Xi and his two companions happened to be staying here, so they knew more details.
Wu Youren asked once when it happened, and then didn't ask any more questions.
The timing was perfect; it was yesterday when he gained experience points.
Two neighbors also heard the news.
The fake medicine dealer said that Great Knight Meier was honest, helpful, and highly respected among the Knight.
The corrupt clerk scoffed, saying that this lecherous man hadn't been granted a title because he had forced himself on a woman a certain nobleman had taken a liking to.
The fake drug dealer stated that these two things are not contradictory; if men weren't lustful, he wouldn't have been framed for killing his concubine.
They're all truly talented! Wu Youren sorted out his thoughts. Is this... the beginning?
Two days later, another wave of experience points arrived.
The next day, as usual, Little Ha vomited up the food pellets.
Even if Wu Youren were oblivious, he should have noticed something was wrong, let alone the fact that he had already suspected something was amiss.
He didn't even consider what exactly he had brought out of the Weird Domain.
In the blink of an eye, fifteen days had passed, and the boy emerged from the prison cell, refreshed and invigorated.
Then he learned that the Chief Instructor Hong had gone to the New Army's garrison to pick a fight with a certain commander.
She went alone; the remaining nine Knight were all present, and they had been instructed to return to Red Pine that same day.
On the way back, Manna was a little worried. Tianjing had been quite turbulent lately, with three Great Knight already dead.
Her master didn't take them to the New Army camp, also to prevent them from being plotted against.
Hong Da said that it's very convenient for him to come and go on his own, and bringing a few Knight would only be a burden.
No one is talking about the Knight's tax exemption, but it's clear that just because people are silent doesn't mean they don't know.
The atmosphere was somewhat somber throughout the journey.
Wu Youren didn't feel oppressed; he could sense that the people didn't seem to harbor any hostility towards him.
The silence was simply because they had guessed that a storm capable of sweeping Great Liang might be brewing.
The middle-aged Knight was rather careless, and even teased Little Ha from time to time.
As they approached the Red Pine, the group gradually frowned.
Scattered tents appeared along both sides of the road, with more appearing closer to the Martial Academy.
There were also groups of the Barbarian Tribe, sitting on the ground, laughing and talking loudly—it felt like they were drinking early in the morning.
"This is what happened..." Manna, who had stayed at the military camp with Wu Youren, "Hasn't been back for a while, and this is how it is?"
Ranxue calmly stated, "Anyone who trespasses into the Martial Academy will be killed without exception. We cannot interfere with matters outside!"
The management of Red Pine is quite good; a cordon has been set up one kilometer away from the Martial Academy.
There were no more tents inside the line, but there were temporary guard posts with Red Pine warriors on guard inside.
"This conflict..." Wu Youren sighed, "It seems difficult to resolve."
"Why should we resolve this?" Namuzha scoffed, "Inferior creature!"
Such blatant discriminatory remarks are rarely heard openly among martial artists in Liang.
Wu Youren felt that this guy might be referring to something else; after all, the Great Jin was also a foreign country.
The vehicle entered the Martial Academy, Luo Xi drove, insisting on taking Wu Youren back to the cabin.
After being gone for more than two months, the little house became increasingly dilapidated.
The room was sparsely furnished, but it was still quite messy, indicating that someone had been there.
Wu Youren was too lazy to even look at the vegetable garden behind the house; he decided to rest first.
However, shortly after dark, the warning bell rang, and someone quietly approached.
It was the burly man from the "Life and Death Knot " gang who arrived.
He plopped down in the chair with a flourish. "You had a great time, didn't you? Oh, and there's a little bird too?"
The boy didn't reply, but instead pressed his wristwatch. " Instructor Burning Blood, someone has broken into my room at night."
(4 chapters, 12,000 words. Please support with subscriptions, monthly tickets, and recommendation votes.)