In the blink of an eye, three days had passed, and no one had gained anything more.
The female Knight and her two companions had also kept watching Wu Youren and Luo Xi, even refusing a summons from their superiors.
Her reason was that preventing the strange happenings in Suotu Town from spreading was important too, and she needed to investigate alongside the two men from Red Pine.
When Luo Xi was leaving with Wu Youren, she even couldn't resist asking, "Will you be back soon?"
"I might," Luo Xi said, glancing at the young man from Jin. "But him? I doubt it."
"I'll probably take some time to consolidate," Wu Youren answered with a smile. "What I gained this time will already take me a long while to digest."
He really had gained quite a lot. Even setting experience aside, Luo Xi had already confirmed that he would share the proceeds with him.
Simply put, once they returned and cashed everything in, his total take should exceed ten silver dollars.
If the Life and Death Knot left him alone, that would count as a sizable windfall for him.
When the two returned to Red Pine, a convoy happened to be leaving through the martial academy's gates-a full twenty vehicles.
And judging by their conversation, they were also heading for Suotu Town-the situation there seemed extremely serious.
Wu Youren deliberately shut off his perception. Some spectacles really weren't worth watching!
Back in the little room beside the toilets, he slept straight through until broad daylight the next day, feeling more refreshed than ever before.
After waking up, he first went to check the vegetable patch. Surprisingly... it was growing quite well.
He brought along a large piece of leopard cat meat, which he had prepared for the groundskeeper-cooking in his little room wasn't very convenient, and people were liable to interfere.
Who would have thought that halfway there, he would run straight into two people: Feng Qianjun and He Wenhao, two of the five hostages.
The key was that running into these two didn't seem like a coincidence. They were standing by the roadside chatting.
"Youren," He Wenhao greeted him first. "You're really... shaking things up these days."
"How much voltage would that take?" Wu Youren gave a slight nod. "It's been a while."
"Of the five of us, you're doing the best now," He Wenhao said solemnly. "Not only have you moved out to live on your own, you can even leave the martial academy!"
"I moved out because I sleepwalk," Wu Youren answered just as seriously. "I got beaten up several times, and every time I had to treat people to a meal to apologize."
"You certainly know how to work things," Feng Qianjun said, something hard to put into words flickering in his eyes. "Such freedom."
As long as you're willing to get beaten up and spend money treating people, you can do it too... Wu Youren was honestly a little speechless.
These two were descendants of an earl and a baron. Without getting into anything else, surely they weren't worth less than he was?
Naturally, their knowledge of the world couldn't be all that poor either.
But that unmistakably sour tone made them seem a little small-minded.
Wu Youren was somewhat annoyed by their attitude, but for the sake of their shared status as hostages from Jin, he swallowed it!
He took a deep breath and said slowly, "The conditions here are much better than at Jin Garden."
"But opportunities won't come just because you wait. You have to work to create them for yourself!"
"Are you teaching us how to do things?" Feng Qianjun's expression darkened slightly. He was thoroughly angered.
You're merely the son of a lord's illegitimate child. What is your status, and what is mine?
Wu Youren genuinely wasn't angry. That was how a hierarchical society worked. Back in Jin Garden, he hadn't even been qualified to speak to him like this.
Besides, so what if he was an earl's son? He was still a youngster under twenty, less adept at dealing with people than the old farts of Wu Youren's previous life!
He slowly shook his head. "Brother Qianjun, if you think I spoke too harshly, I apologize. In the end, we need to huddle together for warmth."
In truth, he didn't believe those words himself. But why butt heads?
"Now that's what I like to hear." Feng Qianjun nodded. "They all say you, they all say you, they all say you..."
The gap in their status was simply too great. Some things really weren't easy to say.
"They all say you've hooked up with Instructor Hong Yan," He Wenhao supplied of his own accord, his expression solemn. "Have you forgotten the wrongs done to our nation and our families?"
Motherfucker... Wu Youren really wanted to curse, but ultimately held back.
He smiled. "Then you must all remember?"
"Of course," He Wenhao said, enraged by the question. "You're living so comfortably. You must have forgotten, haven't you?"
"Think whatever you like," Wu Youren said indifferently. "I've simply never given up on saving myself."
They claimed they hadn't forgotten the wrongs done to their nation and families, yet hadn't taken the slightest action-weren't they kings of trash talk?
He Wenhao wanted to say more, but Feng Qianjun raised a hand and stopped him.
Then he asked in a low voice, "Bowing and scraping, selling your body... you call that saving yourself?"
Selling my body? You mean me? Wu Youren didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Was being handsome really a sin?
But I'm clearly not that brawny, and I can't really be called handsome... can I?
Looks-wise, I was still...
He said seriously, "I'd like to say I haven't. You might not believe me, but whatever."
"It's not a question of whether we believe you." Feng Qianjun composed his expression. "Can you give us a reason?"
"For this vegetable patch, and for you leaving the martial academy... right?"
"That's because I'm handsome!" Wu Youren smiled slightly and spoke in all seriousness.
"You said it yourself: I sold my body. Even my cultivation has improved. You need to see the situation clearly!"
"You, you, you..." Feng Qianjun pointed at him, his eyes nearly splitting with fury.
"I can't be bothered saying any more to you." Wu Youren waved a hand and said seriously.
"I've always said this: whenever anyone thinks I've disgraced Great Jin, they're welcome to come take my head."
"Or push me into Jasper Lake again. It's not as though you people haven't done it before!"
Feng Qianjun and He Wenhao immediately fell silent. Wu Youren's brush with death at Jin Garden had long since ceased to be a secret.
They had been at Red Pine for over two months, and both had learned something of the life he had led at Jin Garden.
Although they all privately felt that, given his status, such treatment was hardly surprising, could they... really expect to suppress his resentment?
"But that's no reason not to stay in touch with us," He Wenhao said in a low voice. "We're all in this together!"
That was the main reason the others were angry with Wu Youren.
Of the five hostages who had come to Red Pine, the other four all maintained some degree of contact.
But this one... hadn't even exchanged communication watch numbers with the others!
Wu Youren gave him an indifferent glance, not even bothering to answer, because the truth would hurt.
The main reason he didn't associate with the other hostages was... he couldn't trust them!
He wasn't very clear on how those "500,000" were forged, but he could imagine how terrifying those methods would be.
They were all teenagers who had spent years under repression and suddenly gained a measure of freedom. There was far too much room to maneuver there.
Watching him step away, Feng Qianjun finally lost his composure a little. He said quietly, "Don't you want to know how your family is doing?"
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