You're the One

Ke Li laughed in anger at those words. "You really don't take the martial academy seriously, do you?"

Yet those who had come dared to act so brazenly because they had something to rely on.

"Red Pine is Liang's martial academy, not Jin's. Get lost, and we'll pretend this never happened!"

Ke Li swore he truly hadn't wanted to get serious with them, but those words were infuriating. "Strange. Aren't you afraid of the academy's discipline?"

"Discipline? What's that?" someone on the other side sneered. "You really fucking think everyone's afraid?"

But someone else tried to smooth things over. "Enough, stop talking. He might be a Knight. We're Shali's guard team!"

That title wasn't something they had made up, and it did carry some weight at the academy.

The vast majority of the academy's instructors were only Knights, with just a handful of Great Knights.

Most instructors who had heard of Shali wouldn't deliberately make things difficult over some trivial matter.

But bringing it up like this at a time like this really showed little regard for the academy's dignity!

"Guard team, my ass!" Instructor Ke Li flared up. "Stay right where you are, all of you, or I won't answer for whether you live or die!"

Every academy student knew that when an instructor said he wouldn't answer for whether you lived or died, you had better believe him!

Yet these people really did have some guts to come looking for trouble.

Someone spoke up. "Since there's an instructor here, we'll give him some face. Let's go."

That wasn't going too far, but Ke Li glanced sideways, saw the calm on the Jin boy's face, and felt an inexplicable surge of irritation.

"I fucking told you not to move... do you want to die?"

A figure flickered, then several more figures went flying and were hurled to the ground.

Seven people had come in total. Three were slammed down until they saw stars, while the remaining four fled for their lives.

Two of them were injured by Instructor Ke Li's ranged attacks and ran with a limp, but their speed was truly astonishing.

"My knife..." Wu Youren's mouth twitched. Someone had forcibly carried off his dagger with their thigh!

"I really gave you too much face." Ke Li didn't chase those four. He stood before the three on the ground and spoke down to them.

"You don't even take the academy's discipline seriously. How dare you?"

The male warrior was among them. He rolled on the ground in pain, not daring to say a word.

Another clutched his arm and howled. His arm had broken in the fall.

Only the fellow with an injured foot showed some backbone.

Lying on the ground, he rubbed his ankle and spoke through gritted teeth. "Instructor, he's from Jin!"

"At least you've got some guts," Ke Li said coldly, paying him no further attention.

He looked at the one rolling around. "I said I wouldn't answer for whether you lived or died, and you still dared to have them run. You've got some nerve!"

The male warrior kept rolling around, not daring to speak. He knew very well that the other party had gotten serious.

The one howling, however, also shouted through gritted teeth, "He's not from Liang!"

"Fuck, you talk too much!" Instructor Ke Li raised his leg and kicked him.

He could let the first tough guy slide, but someone copying his example... no!

Then he snorted. "Our Great Liang embraces a hundred rivers like the sea. Only thus could we achieve such prosperity!"

Still, he didn't seem particularly interested in such stock phrases and said only that much.

The next moment, he turned to look at the Jin boy and raised his chin slightly.

Wu Youren spoke up. "Reporting to you, Instructor, this is the one who wants to challenge me to a duel fighting the Weird Race."

Ke Li had previously told him to choose someone himself. Now that the other party had delivered himself to his door, how could he let the opportunity pass?

If he had a choice, it would naturally be this one, whose mouth was particularly foul and who had been jumping around particularly hard!

"I'm not the one challenging you!" the male warrior cried out.

What a joke. He had some confidence in fighting the other party, but competing to kill members of the Weird Race? Forget it.

He had kept provoking him earlier because... his side had more people!

"Then you're the one," Ke Li said impatiently with a frown.

In his heart, he was more inclined to favor Liang's warriors, but a warrior who shirked and played tricks like this was truly a disgrace to Great Liang!

"Hand over your wristwatch. I'm issuing a compulsory mission!"

"Instructor, I serve Miss Shali. Please show me some mercy," the male warrior pleaded desperately.

"Never heard of her," Instructor Ke Li replied bluntly. "What is she an instructor of?"

"She's a student, Jing Mozi's daughter..." Regardless of whether he really hadn't heard of her, the male warrior immediately gave her background.

"Jing Mozi isn't an instructor at Red Pine!" Ke Li said calmly. "Has a royal decree transferred him here?"

Even when the Life and Death Knot asked him to act, they had to tell him Wu Youren's identity first. That showed just how strictly he followed procedure.

The male warrior was struck speechless and could only stammer out an excuse. "We were just indignant that a Jin man deceived Miss Shali."

"This is fucking... too big a difference!" Ke Li couldn't help muttering.

He didn't know exactly what had happened between Shali and Wu Youren, nor did he intend to find out-it was nothing more than some business between students.

He didn't believe for a moment that a Jin hostage prince would have the guts to provoke Jing Mozi's daughter.

Comparing people could make you want to die; comparing goods could make you want to throw them away. Look at the Jin boy's composure, then look at this one before him.

Even before him, he was still trying to escape responsibility with glib words and an ingratiating manner... did he really fucking take an instructor for a fool?

His voice grew colder and harsher. "Are you refusing to cooperate?"

Just then, Cynthia walked over and beckoned to the male warrior. "Hand over your wristwatch!"

Faced with this, he finally dared say nothing more and obediently handed over his wristwatch.

But the next moment, he glared fiercely at the female warrior and muttered, "You're from Liang too!"

Cynthia snorted softly and asked disdainfully, "You only have the guts to gang up on someone outnumbered. Do you think you deserve to call yourself a person of Liang?"

"Fine, fine, fine." The male warrior nodded through gritted teeth, inwardly swearing viciously, You'd better never fall into my hands.

Ke Li, however, frowned slightly at the sight. Have young people these days all been spoiled this badly?

With that, this sudden farce came to an end for the time being.

On his way back, the male warrior still wanted to complain to the viscount's daughter.

Shali had already received the news and said through her wristwatch, "I told you to help me vent my anger. Did I tell you to clash head-on with an instructor?"

She seemed somewhat inclined to deny responsibility, but her reasoning was sound-play around and make trouble all you liked, but don't make a joke of an instructor.

Still, at the end, she asked which instructor had acted.

The male warrior had already accepted the mission, so naturally he knew it was Ke Li.

Shali fell silent. Only after a long while did she say that this instructor wasn't someone to provoke. Not only was he powerful, but he was also rigid in how he dealt with people and matters.

There were quite a few instructors of that temperament at the academy; one could even call them the mainstream.

She could only say to let the matter end here. If an opportunity arose in the future, they could discuss it then!

Though Instructor Ke Li was strict, he had only punished those fools who didn't know better and hadn't implicated her.

If she insisted on inserting herself into it, leaving him no chance even to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear, that would truly be failing to know her place.

She merely had two relatives who were Great Knights. She wasn't a Great Knight herself!

Of course, Miss Shali's dignity wasn't so easily trampled on either. For now, she was merely keeping a record of it!

But to the male warrior, that attitude was almost the same as the sky falling. "Miss, I've been assigned a compulsory mission!"

"What's the big deal about an academy student accepting a compulsory mission?" Shali made her position plain. "You don't need to tell me about this!"

That news truly screwed him over. The male warrior wanted to cry but had no tears.

Two days later, Ke Li told Wu Youren to assemble at the academy gates. He wasn't like Luo Xi; there was no way he would go and pick him up.

He went out to get the off-road vehicle, only to find Cynthia waiting there with a large pack on her back. "Instructor, I want to go too!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Ke Li replied irritably. After a moment's thought, he added, "Keep your distance from him. Don't get too close!"

He knew that Jin hostage prince's true identity, but the matter was too important for him to say much. He could only offer a hint.

Cynthia watched the off-road vehicle leave and blinked in confusion. "Keep my distance?"

By the time Instructor Ke Li reached the academy gates, Wu Youren was already there with a large backpack.

The two waited a while longer before the male warrior arrived, accompanied by a young Knight Apprentice.

The former was named Oliwen, while the latter was Ke Li's student, named Qigeli.

After issuing the compulsory mission, Ke Li hadn't wanted the other party to disregard the rules, so he had sent his own student to supervise him.

Sure enough, the two men's late arrival alone made it clear that the process couldn't have gone smoothly.

But it didn't matter. Everyone was here now, and there was no need to dwell on those details.

As they left the academy, the gate guard once again showed an unusual reaction to Wu Youren's identity badge.

Fortunately, Ke Li had accepted a mission and was an official academy instructor, so after a moment's hesitation, the guard let them pass.

He merely muttered softly, "Another identity badge like this."

Wu Youren's expression didn't change, but something stirred faintly in his mind. So Feng Qianjun and the other three went out too?

Still, that question lasted only a brief moment. Before coming to the academy, they had been told they might go to the front lines to fight.

With the Weird situation in the direction of Suotu Town so severe now, wasn't fighting the Weird Race perfectly normal?

Qigeli drove out of the academy, and as soon as they were on the road, Oliwen spoke up.

"Instructor, I've had a bit of diarrhea these past two days. That's why I was late."

Ke Li snorted and ignored him, but the coldness on his face eased slightly-an explanation was better than none.

Only after they had driven for a while did he ask, "Wu Youren, how did you sense that Monkey Tiger last time?"

Monkey Tiger... Oliwen's mouth twitched. Offending this Jin boy had truly been his mistake.

Over these past two days, he had used every means at his disposal to make detailed inquiries about Wu Youren.

Apart from his background, he had learned most of the information about him, including his fight against the Monkey Tiger alongside Knight Luo Xi.

After learning all this, he truly regretted it. He shouldn't have charged onto the front line against the Jin boy.

Especially with Shali's lukewarm response-that had dealt him the greatest blow.

"The Weird-Repelling Jue reacted a little strangely," Wu Youren answered calmly, even taking out the jade jue and giving it a little shake.