Wu Youren was very domineering, Kelvin had little integrity either. "You should know that Liang an intelligence agency."
"Alright, you go do it," Wu Youren agreed. "Deal!"
Kelvin was taken aback. "You haven't asked me what I want to trade with you, have you?"
The boy's reply was extremely cold, "The deal is that I won't let the New Army deal with you!"
"Five crystals, I need to receive the goods within five days, along with the other party's head... It's a woman, isn't it?"
"A woman?" Kelvin taken aback again. "What kind of innocent bystander have I gotten myself into?"
"It doesn't matter if it isn't," Wu Youren said casually. "That guy owes me two crystals of resources and is trying to renege on his debt."
"Who is it?" Kelvin immediately perked up, even revealing himself. "I can help you collect the debt; I'll deduct it from the settlement!"
Upon hearing this, Wu Youren couldn't help but roll his eyes. "My money, you're going to put it on your tab?"
"But at least you vented your anger," the black-masked man stated matter-of-factly. "Having a clear mind is very important."
The boy shook his head. "No need. They sent you to find me just to trick you. Don't you need to be clear-headed?"
However, Kelvin's reply was exceptionally forceful, "Saving me money is the greatest achievement!"
Wu Youren felt there was no way to communicate with him anymore. "Let me put it this way, don't touch my debts, and you can do whatever you want with the rest."
"Five crystals plus a head; the rest is none of my business."
He truly hadn't expected Kelvin's efficiency to be so exceptional.
The following night, the black-masked figure reappeared, bringing with him three crystals, two human heads, and... a living person.
Needless to say, the crystal is from someone I know, a young man I've encountered before in Suotu Town and Bellflower Mountain.
Wu Youren had once fed this person water with added ingredients, and Jeff had also considered making things difficult for him.
The other head belonged to a middle-aged man, at most an old man, whose face was full of terror; he was a stranger.
Wu Youren strongly suspected that this guy might have killed innocent people and claimed credit for it.
The longer you stay in this world, the less you expect from humanity, and the more you feel like a saint.
But the third living person was interesting; it really was Sister Hua!
Sister Hua's mouth must have been sealed shut with something.
Upon seeing him, her eyes were filled with terror, her mouth kept opening and closing, but she couldn't utter a single word.
"Did you enjoy it?" the man in the black mask chuckled softly. "It's definitely helpful for clear thinking."
Wu Youren looked at him calmly, "It was indeed quite exhilarating, but... you still owe me two crystals!"
"She can produce at least seven or eight crystals!" Kelvin pointed at Sister Hua, "I caught her alive, you've hit the jackpot!"
That's absolutely true. With Sister Hua's position and responsibilities, accumulating seven or eight crystals over the years is no big deal.
"You caught it, it has nothing to do with me," Wu Youren waved his hand. "How many crystals you collect is up to you."
"Anyway, she got two dollars, you got two dollars... give me four more dollars, and we'll call it even."
"Uh," Kelvin said in surprise, "I helped you capture someone alive, I mean, captured alive... and yet I got two more crystals?"
Normally, capturing a martial artist alive is much more difficult than killing them.
Sister Hua doesn't have any obvious injuries yet, which makes this even more difficult.
"You've brought my creditor here," the boy said calmly. "If I don't ask you for it, it'll become a dead debt."
Although Sister Hua couldn't speak, she nodded repeatedly upon hearing this, her eyes filled with pleading.
address:\\\\\\.\\\
It was clear that she wanted to show that she was willing to take responsibility.
However, Wu Youren completely ignored him; what he cared about was, "You'd better not try to force a sale."
Kelvin remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "So, I was the one who was meddling?"
"She only owes me a debt," the boy shook his head, "And these decisions to kill were all because of you. I've always loved peace."
Have some shame! Kelvin's face was hidden behind a black hood, so his expression couldn't be seen, but he actually smiled.
"Then I'll let her go back?"
Sister Hua nodded rapidly: This is a must-have! We absolutely must have it!
"Do as you please," Wu Youren replied nonchalantly. "It's your choice to kill or arrest, why ask me?"
Kelvin knew, of course, that he had proposed the motion, but he still sneered, "Did you object?"
"By reducing my price by five crystals, isn't that tantamount to you agreeing to hire me to kill someone?"
"Think what you want," Wu Youren shook his head. "If you want to kill, then replenish four crystals; if you want to let them go, then replenish two."
In her heart, Sister Hua was already in despair. As an Intelligence Agency officer, she understood all too well the importance of killing to silence witnesses.
The key point is that, besides ensuring personal safety, it's also quite economical—how much can you reduce expenses by eliminating a potential threat?
Now that she hears she's still worth some money, she can't help but feel a glimmer of hope: what if?
Even though her legs were tied, she tried her best to scoot them to the sides, her chest heaving as she tried to do so. "Besides being able to pay back the money, I can also use it!"
However, the young man didn't care about her at all: when this woman exploited him before, had she ever shown any mercy?
If he weren't worried about the existence of unknown methods of transmitting messages within the Intelligence Agency, he wouldn't mind taking action himself.
However, the feeling of having an adversary who once suffocated you now having their life or death in your hands... is quite nice!
"There's no way we can leave them alive," the black-masked man said, drawing his knife and flashing a fierce light in his eyes.
Unless someone's an idiot... even if someone is an idiot, there's no way we'd let this person go!
"Wait," the boy said calmly.
Sister Hua raised her eyebrows slightly, but her eyes remained lifeless. She no longer harbored any hope and only wished for a quick and painless end.
"Hmm?" Kelvin snorted softly; he didn't think the other party would plead for mercy.
"Take them outside to kill," Wu Youren waved his hand dismissively, adding, "I'll be staying at this camp for a while longer."
The next moment, he glanced at the bound female warrior, his gaze clear, "In the next life, you'll have to pay back your debts."
Pain finally showed in Sister Hua's lifeless eyes.
She had already guessed it; during their last encounter in the wilderness, the boy had mentioned being in debt.
At the time, she really didn't care. It was just a little debt and two mere Resentment Qi Crystal. Come and ask for them if you dare!
To my surprise, the other party didn't even give me a chance to make amends. Now, even if I wanted to repay the debt—or even double it—it's impossible!
If only time could turn back, and we could return to that moment...
Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs" in this world, only consequences and results!
The man in the black mask placed two more crystals down, then left with the severed head and Sister Hua, never to return.
He didn't say what to do with the two crystals he still owed, or whether he should pay them back, and Wu Youren didn't ask either.
Two days later, the Scops Owl returned. After hearing the news, it couldn't help but sigh, "Sigh, I was just saying I'd go help you collect the debts."
He wasn't just talking; he had considered this idea before, but he had many other things to do, and this clone's combat strength was terrible.
"Once you've collected the debt, you'll feel too embarrassed to kill someone," the boy said with a nonchalant smile.
"Now that woman is dead, I feel quite at peace, even happier than if I had collected the debt."
His feud with Sister Hua goes far beyond just the debt, but he currently lacks the power to publicly retaliate.
"Having clear thoughts should be the top priority," the Scops Owl nodded, agreeing with the statement.
Then he followed up with a question, "So now, Kelvin is essentially acknowledging the deferred debt?"
"I doubt he's that sensible," Wu Youren shook his head. "He owes me some, so we'll never see each other again."
This is his interpretation of Kelvin's lack of response; the other party had taken the liberty of coming to him rashly, only to suffer a real loss.
People from the Far West, when they do things, they probably either make a profit or a loss. If they lose this much, isn't it perfectly normal to never see each other again?
Scops Owl, however, seemed a bit resentful. "Doesn't he ever think about the last person who owed him money? He's dead!"
"That was him," the boy replied casually. "I didn't kill the debtor."
Chen Quanxu snorted, "Have you ever considered what kind of deal this guy wanted to discuss with you?"
The boy glanced at the Little Ha on his shoulder, then shrugged slightly, "Let's go play!"
The little snow hawk, already used to being tossed around, flapped its wings and landed crookedly.
Wu Youren could roughly guess that Kelvin's target for making a deal with him was this little guy.
A puppeteer... presumably, they control more than just tokens; it's normal for them to know a little about beast taming.
Previously, the Little Ha was very young, and even if someone got their hands on it, they would worry that it wouldn't survive.
It's already a half-grown bird, almost ready to shed its fledgling feathers and grow adult feathers.
Not only are they much easier to raise, but it's also easier to change owners while they're still young and not yet adults.
It is always more difficult for an adult animal to change owners.
Regardless of whether his guess was right or wrong, Wu Youren wouldn't give the other party a chance to speak.
In the middle of nowhere, a Ability User approaches a Knight Apprentice and proposes a deal... Just imagine what that means.
The moment he gives in, the momentum shifts away from his side.
Even if the other party doesn't want to buy the Little Ha, and he's willing to sell, he still can't get a good price.
So he refused without saying a word, not even bothering to discuss it. It wasn't that he was stubborn, but rather that he had no other choice.
A bad start must be prevented; if someone can buy one item cheaply, they can buy many more cheaply.
In the end, will they kill him and take the other items?
However, that wasn't what Chen Quanxu was concerned about. What he was thinking was, "So you guessed it too, it was Little Ha who was in danger?"
"Tsk," the boy clicked his tongue helplessly. What could he do?
"Killing Great Knight? I could give it a shot, but this Ability User... I think it's best to focus on defense and not get carried away!"
The Scops Owl was speechless and could only sigh softly, "Hopefully, this guy will be smart enough to avoid you."
Little Ha is really important to him; if he had another Flawless Crystal, his situation would improve dramatically.
The boy frowned, then spoke, "How about we just kill him? But what about you and me?"
(Updated to: Calling for monthly tickets, subscriptions, and recommendation votes.)