Chapter 182 The Newcomer (Third Update)
Not only were the discipline inspectors annoyed, but even Daiqisi was finding it hard to stand. What did they mean by "you can't afford to mess with us"?
Red Pine is indeed only a mid-level Martial Academy, but what kind of remarkable department is the mere Court of State Ceremonial?
She scoffed, "The disappearance of the Knight from the Court of State Ceremonial is most likely due to barbarians, isn't it?"
"Their instructor, Namuzha, was also tricked and killed by the barbarians... It's really inexplicable that they've come looking for trouble with our Red Pine!"
The position of the Court of State Ceremonial is very high, representing the external will of the Liang, but it is indeed a nominal position with not much real power.
They were overwhelmingly superior to foreign hostages, yet that was all the real power they wielded.
If the instructors at the Red Pine Martial Academy don't listen to them, they really can't do anything, just like before, when Ranxue was able to directly drive Salim away.
Upon hearing this, the four officials from the Court of State Ceremonial exchanged glances and could only leave dejectedly.
Daiqisi was a little tipsy, and since her treatment had improved recently, she found the young man particularly pleasing to the eye.
The point is, he's good-looking too, isn't he? What grudge do you have against that guy, Sa... whatever... who's dead?
"Hey, hey," Kenpa couldn't take it anymore, "They were just missing, how can you say they're dead with just one sentence?"
"It would be a miracle if he came back to life!" Daiqisi sneered disdainfully. "You don't know, the barbarians deployed Ability User!"
Compared to the four who went out to hunt in the wild, they didn't go out, but since the incident happened right next door, they knew more about it.
"That could very well be him," Manna said seriously, her expression hardening. "He awakened immediately."
"Stop it!" The female archer couldn't take it anymore. "Are you saying he's not troublesome enough?"
To be honest, although she doesn't talk much, she is still willing to protect the young people of Jin deep down.
"You two... you're not allowed to compete with me for Little Wu!" Daiqisi pointed at the two of them and spoke in a very domineering manner.
Then she looked at the boy again, "What exactly is your grudge against each other?"
"We really have no grudge," Wu Youren said, looking completely bewildered. "We just collected some protection money, but later, with the Hong Da protecting me, they couldn't collect it anymore."
He spread his hands. "If we're talking about hatred, shouldn't it be them who hate me?"
That's absolutely right. What he kept pressing was the Life and Death Knot; he only retaliated when he was forced into it.
"Yes, I saw it with my own eyes," Ranxue and recounted what happened that day.
"... That guy was indeed a bit angry, but did Little Wu go to him after eating too much?"
Kenpa scoffed, "They're considering the greater good of the court, unlike us, who are just valiant warriors!"
He was older and appeared composed, but precisely because he had seen so much, he harbored the most resentment towards the imperial court.
"They don't have time to investigate that Namuzha's death, yet they can still come here and swagger around. Damn... they really know the big picture!"
"There's nothing wrong with talking about the big picture, is there?" someone chimed in from a distance.
This is the outer ring of the quarantine site, and there are at least dozens of teams that enjoy similar powers to them.
However, this is the territory of the Red Pine.
Daiqisi bluntly stated, "If you can speak, then speak; if you can't, then shut up... Uh, there's Great Knight here?"
A young couple walked over together, followed by three or four people, among whom was a Great Knight.
The young man spoke earnestly, "This instructor you're talking about, really died at the hands of barbarians?"
You could tell from the voice that it belonged to the one who insisted on considering the bigger picture.
"Don't pry into things that are confidential," Manna replied bluntly. "If you don't know, ask your parents."
"Hmm?" The Great Knight behind the young man and woman was displeased. He released his aura and spoke calmly, "What kind of attitude is this?"
Manna's expression hardened. "My lord, if you want to do it, you can simply ask around... Why make things difficult for a little girl like me?"
"Let me translate," Daiqisi said, her tongue slurring, "If you can't even get this much information, you can't talk about the big picture!"
"Young Master..." The Great Knight looked at the young man.
"Let's go," the young man shook his head and led his group away.
"You're awesome!" After the other person had walked away, Kenpa gave Daiqisi a thumbs up.
He whispered, "That Great Knight, if I remember correctly, should be from the Duke of Heng's mansion."
"Uh, Duke Heng?" Daiqisi's eyes instantly became much clearer.
But she didn't think she had done anything wrong. "I mean, they weren't well-informed, right?"
The group had walked quite a distance before the young man let out a soft snort, "The boy that Ailin has her eye on?"
"Taken a fancy to him? Isn't that giving him too much credit?" The young woman shook her head. "He's so timid and weak-willed, he doesn't act like a man at all."
"That boy's aura... is abnormal," the Great Knight behind him spoke up.
"That's not Ability User," the woman said calmly. "I've seen more than just three or five Ability User."
The next day, a dispute broke out not far from the quarantine site. A small group of barbarians clashed with a small group from the Liang.
This place is very close to the Red Pine, so the people from Liangshan shouldn't be at a disadvantage.
However, there were also three barbarian groups watching from the sidelines, two of which had Great Knight.
Wu Youren and the others, who were not restricted by the quarantine point, also came to watch from the sidelines, only to witness two small teams sending out martial artists to fight.
With so many onlookers, the two sides refrained from using weapons due to the crowd's intervention.
Even so, one barbarian lost an eye, and another Liang man had his leg broken by a kick.
The female archer didn't find the bloodshed remarkable; instead, she remarked, "The barbarians' arrogance is growing ever stronger."
Wu Youren wasn't particularly interested in watching the spectacle, but since the other three had come over, he followed suit.
Suddenly he sensed that someone was watching him.
He followed his senses and looked over, only to find that it was actually Shi Linyuan and Lei Lixing.
One was nowhere to be found in Red Pine, and the other was at the Haicheng Martial Academy —they've actually ended up together!
Wu Youren casually withdrew his gaze. The person who used to be aloof and made him feel immense pressure was no longer someone he needed to care about.
The website address for this novel is. ".". The website owner has only one website; other websites may be discontinued at any time.
"See that? Very smug," Shi Linyuan, looking at the Knight beside the other man, his eyes filled with barely concealed jealousy.
Lei Lixing now has two scars on his face, making him look colder and more stern, but also more composed.
He calmly stated, "He has his strengths. Let's take advantage of the chaos at the Court of State Ceremonial and contact him; after all, we need to stick together for warmth."
The once domineering young man, after being battered and bruised by society, has finally begun to change.
"The son-in-law's son said," Shi Linyuan sighed, "That he doesn't want to have anything to do with us."
Lei Lixing glanced at him sideways, his brow furrowing slightly. "That's Jingming. Don't always call him a live-in son-in-law."
At midnight that day, the little earth snake twisted its body and silently left Wu Youren's wrist guard.
"Your quarantine ends tomorrow, and you won't be short of food, right?"
The boy simply nodded. He knew very well that there must be something about Red Pine that made the other party wary.
Since Chen Quanxu didn't explain, he didn't ask either, saying, "Let's cooperate again later."
Watching the Little Snake disappear into the night, his heart was somewhat stirred.
Without information provided by the opponent, it would be difficult for him to launch such a satisfying sneak attack again.
The scene of cooperating to teach Salim a lesson not only cleared his mind but also allowed him to see just the tip of the iceberg of the abilities of Ability User.
The cooperation between the two sides was indeed very pleasant, but... alas, they ultimately could not completely trust each other.
Affected by this mood, he was somewhat listless when he returned to Red Pine the next day.
The others assumed he hadn't fully recovered from his sprain and didn't ask any further questions.
Wu Youren was away for a short time this time, but the greenhouse was already built, and even the soil inside had been loosened.
He composed himself, contacted the construction workers, settled the remaining payments, and then hired them to plant some seedlings in the greenhouse.
These people really don't know how to farm, but he can teach them. The main problem is that it takes too much effort in the early stages, and he can't spare enough time.
These people are really not good at farm work, but luckily it's manual labor that doesn't require much skill, and they can finish it in a couple of days.
He can take some time to refine the remaining details.
However, Wu Youren realized that his mindset had changed considerably after his encounter with Chen Quanxu.
At the very least, he's not as interested in farming anymore. He still needs to maintain his public image, but his environment and mindset are different now.
On the fifth day after his return, Liu Jingming came looking for him, still pretending to be limping.
"Do you still stand by what you said before about helping me grow vegetables?"
"Of course," Wu Youren said, who was worried about who would help look after the child. "Just come and check on it every other day during the day; it doesn't matter if I'm there or not."
"You're going out again?" Liu Jingming asked in surprise. "I heard it's very dangerous outside; people have died in the Life and Death Knot."
"The more people die, the better," Wu Youren replied indifferently, "So we can have some peace and quiet."
"That's true," Liu Jingming nodded, "They don't even have time to bother me now."
Some things really don't stand up to being talked about. The following afternoon, Wu Youren was wandering around the greenhouse when a man and two women came in.
The female Knight in charge stood outside the tent and beckoned to him, "You, come out for a moment."
Wu Youren assumed the other person was from the Martial Academy and didn't know what a greenhouse was. He opened the door and walked out, asking, "What's the matter, Instructor?"
"Let me introduce myself, Talis from the Office of Protocol," the female Knight began, her tone measured. "I'll be stationed near Red Pine from now on."
"Oh, I see," Wu Youren nodded expressionlessly, then turned and walked towards the greenhouse. "I'm busy, you can do as you please."
Upon seeing this, the male Knight Apprentice raised an eyebrow. "Are all Jin people this rude?"
Wu Youren stopped, turned to look at him, and calmly asked, "Is Salim dead?"
Upon hearing this, the male martial artist's expression instantly changed.
Before he could speak, Talis waved her hand, "Shut up!"
The female Knight stared into the boy's eyes and slowly asked, "What do you mean by that?"
She wasn't angry, but her expression was quite serious. Clearly, this matter wouldn't be over until the other party provided a suitable reason!
============
Chapter 183 Hunger (Fourth Update)
"Nothing interesting," Wu Youren said, curling his lip. "It's not the Life and Death Knot' that's coming; has this been a change of strategy?"
With the falconer gone, a replacement should logically be found, but the prestigious Court of State Ceremonial of Liang couldn't possibly rely on only one method.
The other party should realize that things are now a bit tricky, so simply using high-pressure tactics is no longer an option.
The wording has been changed from " Life and Death Knot " to " Office of Protocol," resulting in a different meaning.
However, he is different now!
Talis was stunned for a while before smiling slightly, "Very clever indeed. I've heard that clever people don't do foolish things."
Wu Youren calmly replied, "There are things I won't do, and things I must do... I think you're quite intelligent!"
"I'm not here to try and be clever with you," Talis said seriously.
"I also belong to the Life and Death Knot,' and while my methods differ from Salim's, the nature of my actions... will not change!"
"Yes, a combination of soft and hard tactics!" Wu Youren nodded. "That's a bit dangerous; the barbarians are very arrogant these days."
"Hmm?" Talis raised an eyebrow, then narrowed her eyes. "That doesn't sound like a compliment?"
"That's what one of the instructors at the Martial Academy said," Wu Youren replied calmly. "If you have nothing else to do, I'll go and attend to my work."
"Wait a moment," this person's work attitude was quite different from Salim's.
She said very seriously, "I'll be responsible for liaising with you, so please make sure to communicate promptly if anything comes up."
"I'm just a nobody," the boy said, looking at her with clear eyes. "There's nothing to talk about."
"Tsk," Talis, somewhat exasperated, "You don't seem to understand the nature of the Office of Protocol."
"I understand," Wu Youren said, turning to leave. "Isn't it just about causing trouble every day?"
Watching him walk into the greenhouse, Talis sighed, "You weren't worth much back then, you know, this society is very pragmatic."
The boy closed the door expressionlessly.
The three exchanged a glance and could only leave. The male martial artist couldn't help but mutter, "That kid is too arrogant!"
" Salim is too stupid," Talis said sternly, showing no mercy to her missing colleague.
She couldn't help but scold him. It's fine to be a little rough and straightforward at work, but you should at least figure out how much potential the other person has for growth, right?
The current generation of young people has gained momentum, and simply suppressing them is no longer an option. The problem is that trying to win them over is extremely difficult!
Wu Youren continued to wander around the greenhouse, but his heart was far from as calm as he appeared.
He thought about it carefully for a long time and concluded that although his reaction was a bit risky, it was not out of line.
The benefits of raiding Salim overnight were fully demonstrated.
It's not just about venting one's anger.
The Life and Death Knot has changed its contact person, altering the way the two sides communicate, and even the seal on the space for development has begun to loosen!
For the next few days, he mainly stayed in the greenhouse.
Others thought he was focused on growing vegetables, but in reality, he was secretly cultivating his skills under the cover of the earthen ridges and seedlings.
He also wanted to see if the newcomer to the Life and Death Knot would frequently come into contact with him.
As he expected, Talis did not come again.
The other party obtained his watch number and used it to suggest that his watch was not standard issue for the Martial Academy and that he should replace it.
That's pure nonsense. His watch was a spare for Hong Da, how could it not be standard issue?
It's simply not for proton use only; he knew this, the other party knew this, and the other party also knew this.
He's not going to change it anyway; he just wants to see if the other party dares to make it clear.
However, news came from Liu Jingming that the Court of State Ceremonial was busy coordinating with the barbarians and couldn't spare any attention for the hostage from Jin.
Come to think of it, it makes sense. In such a large Red Pine, there are only five protons in total, but the people who dock with them are different.
With so many barbarians and a tense situation, where would the Dark Night Execution Team, given its size, find enough people to deal with them?
That night, Wu Youren quietly left Red Pine and headed straight for the Rust Zone.
He really couldn't suppress it any longer. The Knight's advancement was one thing, but the aura of the Daoist sect was about to erupt.
Since we can't go towards Suotu Town, we have no choice but to go to the Rust Zone.
There is also Weird Qi here, but unlike the endless energy in the direction of Suotu, it at least grows at a slower rate.
The military has some small teams clearing out the area, but there are many more barbarians.
However, the population density is much lower than in the Suotu direction.
There aren't many Weird Race to kill, nor many people to plunder. Places with no resources can't possibly have many people.
Wu Youren chose a very remote residential area—either a factory or an empty, dilapidated house.
Fortunately, the roof, which is about four or five square meters in size, doesn't leak, and there are two and a half walls that can block the wind.
He didn't choose the better-quality residential houses because he knew those places might be occupied by other people.
Even in such a dilapidated house, there were spiders and small lizards.
While cleaning, he couldn't help but think of Chen Quanxu again—these are all capable of possession!
However, he didn't plan to contact the other party because their cultivation systems were too different.
To date, he has only collaborated with Chen Quanxu once.
Although the cooperation has been pleasant and the factions are basically determined, it's still best not to test human nature.
In just half a day, everything was ready, and the mechanisms and defenses were all in place.
He stayed in the pit dug beneath the house, looked at the Little Ha on his shoulder, and pointed to the strips of meat laid out in front of him.
"Go eat if you're hungry. I really don't know how long this will take."
As for the possibility of a crisis, could it be transferred to the little snow harrier?
Let's hope so; he only has a rough idea, and it's extremely immature!
However, there was really no way to stop it; the experience points were coming in too fast, and he simply couldn't handle it, leaving him little time to research...
When Wu Youren awoke from his deep meditation, his first sensation was extreme hunger.
The hunger was indescribable; not only was I dizzy and lightheaded, but I also felt an urge to bite myself.
Fortunately, he had considered this in advance and had prepared food and water on hand.
What business is there with clean water now? He first swallowed two large pieces of sugar, then a few pieces of grease.
Next came dried meat chunks, pickled vegetables... I swallowed them almost without chewing them.
The taste was a bit strange, but he didn't care. Anyway, they were all durable and shouldn't have spoiled.
He wolfed down his food for several minutes before picking up his water pouch to drink, then realized something was wrong: Where was Little Ha?
The food he had prepared for the little snow harrier had all disappeared, leaving only hard, dry meat that the fledgling couldn't digest.
After wolfing down his food for a while, he felt less hungry and then began to reflect on the transformation that had occurred within him.
Four words: Light as a swallow!
He felt like he could fly, and although he knew it was just his imagination, why... did he just want to try it?
Wait a minute, why are you wearing armor?
Unsurprisingly, a thick layer of grime appeared on the outside of the body.
However, what he couldn't bear even more was the excruciating abdominal pain. He sensed the outside world and, finding no danger, leaped out of the cave.
Hey, Little Ha? He didn't care about anything else, ran outside, and started chattering away like crazy.
It didn't take long, but it felt like I'd excreted several tons of waste?
Then, I got hungry again; then, the excruciating abdominal pain continued...
This happened three times in a row before Wu Youren finally collapsed to the ground, exhausted!
It felt like all my internal organs were about to be expelled.
Even a hero can't withstand three bouts of diarrhea, but at least he still had food to replenish his energy...
After eating six meals, he finally realized one thing: It stinks!
He smelled bad, but not awful... well, let's skip the details.
In short, the Little Ha probably couldn't stand the smell when it left his shoulder!
However, what surprised Wu Youren the most was his sudden binge eating and his extraordinary digestive ability.
Is this due to excessive deficit, or will it continue to be like this in the future?
He was a little unsure, so he decided to stop thinking about it and go deal with that first...
Only after solving the problem for the sixth time did he begin to consider another question: How many days did I spend in seclusion this time?
Never mind, the watch is off and not with me, I'll clean the dirt first.
Fortunately, it is currently nighttime, and everything around is normal.
By the time he ate his ninth meal, he felt somewhat back to normal and no longer felt hungry or anxious.
He washed away the grime and even changed his clothes. Little Ha couldn't wait to jump onto his shoulder.
Wu Youren quietly left the house and, two kilometers away, unearthed the buried wristwatch.
He turned on the computer and breathed a sigh of relief: thankfully, only three days and three nights had passed.
Then he turned off his watch again and returned to his secluded residence.
Before even entering the house, he wrinkled his nose. "Holy crap, is it really that smelly? No wonder even the Little Ha can't stand it!"
He used to be oblivious to his own stench, but after going outside, he really couldn't stand it anymore.
No wonder the food tasted weird at first!
He was even a little impressed with himself; how did he manage to eat that?
But then his heart sank again: Oh no, he's hungry again!
Fortunately, before he went into seclusion, he had chosen a private house as a backup, which contained food and other supplies.
This cycle continued until dawn, and Wu Youren was still starving, but... he had already eaten everything he could!
He decided to hold out until nightfall, then quietly return to Red Pine and have a big feast then.
I've... awakened a foodie system?
But by noon, he really couldn't hold on any longer. He felt that if he didn't eat something soon, he might faint.
He glanced sideways at the Little Ha on his shoulder. "Well... if you pluck its fur, it might not even be enough for one meal, right?"
The little snow hawk looked at him, its tender yellow beak opening and closing. Although it didn't make a sound, the meaning was clear: I'm hungry!
"Then we'll have no choice but to rob them," Wu Youren sighed. "Forcing good women into prostitution, this damned Liang."
Initially, he intended to rob the barbarians, since there were still scattered barbarians appearing in the vicinity.
But Murphy's Law, which is usually everywhere, is often something you can't have when you want it!
He searched all the way to the main road, but still couldn't find anyone—this rusty region was truly desolate.
He sighed inwardly: If there's really no other way, he'll have to resort to highway robbery!
Sigh, I've always been a decent person!
(Another 4 chapters, 12,000 words. Please subscribe, vote with monthly tickets, and recommend this page.)