Chapter 102 Enemy and Friend (Third Update)
The two haggled for a long time, but the hostage from Jin refused to budge an inch.
He even brought up the Life and Death Knot" again, indicating that he might still be blackmailed by them.
As for Chief Instructor Hong Yan, he dared not mention him casually, lest he encounter another punitive harvest.
" The Life and Death Knot —hehe," Sister Hua let out a soft, ambiguous laugh.
After a pause, she added, "You want to incite our two families to fight? This little guy is young, but he's got a wicked heart."
"Uh, is that a valid way to understand it?" Wu Youren looked bewildered. "The adult world is really dangerous!"
"Keep pretending," Sister Hua scoffed disdainfully.
I don't know if she genuinely didn't believe me, or if she was reminding me not to fall for their tricks.
She left overnight, and half an hour later, Wu Youren also quietly left.
He couldn't completely trust the other party, and over the past few days, he had prepared very little food and water.
I originally just wanted to come out and gather some information. How much food can I prepare?
He did prepare a lot of stuff, like Weird-Exterminating Grenade, hoping to maybe even gain some experience points.
However, there aren't many left now. He plans to trade the remaining Resentment Qi Crystal for this expensive resource.
When they arrived near the Red Pine, it was already dawn, and martial artists were patrolling back and forth.
Wu Youren's identity token was genuine and could Weird-Repelling Jue, allowing him to proceed without hindrance.
Instead of returning directly to the Martial Academy, he contacted Cynthia using his wristwatch and asked her to help purchase a large quantity of food and water.
"I didn't originally intend to rely on my looks for a living, but oh well, I'll give you some money for running the errand."
In the morning, Cynthia left the Martial Academy, accompanied by Luo Xi Knight, who was driving his car assembled from spare parts.
She bought quite a lot of food this time; the truck bed was completely full. No wonder she had to borrow Luo Xi's truck.
Upon meeting, she couldn't help but complain, "Didn't you even say goodbye when you left?"
"Don't you ever think about your vegetable garden? It makes me have to guard it every day."
Wu Youren replied with a laugh, "I thought I could go back in a day or two, who would have thought—hehe."
Although there was plenty of food and water, it didn't cost much money, even though there was quite a bit of meat in it.
At this moment, he no longer cared about a mere sixty or seventy silver dollars.
Cynthia accepted a gold coin, indicating that she could get some more food and water so they could all go into the mountains together.
In short, she's a very considerate girl, not pretentious at all. When the boy wasn't around, she even knew to help look after the vegetable garden.
"My heart isn't in that!" Wu Youren expressed his gratitude and hoped that the other party could continue to help take care of the child.
He can't possibly bury himself in farming, but for now, it's really necessary to use this as a pretext.
He directly refused Cynthia's offer to go with her to kill the monster.
Luo Xi was willing to drive out because he wanted to team up with the other person again and see the world together.
He had worked with the hostage prince of Jin and had some understanding of his abilities.
Although he wasn't entirely sure how much the danger could be reduced, there must be a reason why Chief Instructor Hong Yan chose Wu Youren.
The youths today are so generous with their spending, a stark contrast to their previous behavior. Clearly, they've made a fortune while killing the monsters!
However, Wu Youren was adamant that what he wanted to do was not for you to participate in.
Luo Xi, settling for second best, said, "Surely I should at least help you get this whole cartload of food and water out of the mountains?"
However, the hostage from Jin refused again, saying that he would take as much as he could and try to take it all with him.
What a joke! This was to prevent the Intelligence Agency from tampering with the drinking water, so he could only do it secretly.
Otherwise, if the other party knows he is on guard, it might cause other trouble.
Do they really think everyone along the way is blind? They just drive this car out of the mountains!
However, Cynthia wouldn't have it this time and demanded an explanation: What exactly are you trying to do?
Luo Xi asked even more bluntly, "You're not planning to use this as an excuse to escape back to Jin, are you?"
"I want to escape back to the Jin, but neither country will let me go," Wu Youren with a hint of helplessness.
In the end, all he could say was, "I've accepted a mission outside the Martial Academy, so don't ask me anything. Knowing too much isn't good!"
Cynthia was stunned for a while before finally asking, "What about the vegetable garden?"
"We'll definitely still have to plant them," Wu Youren replied with a worried look. "Then you'll have to work hard."
"Given my background, there are some things I can't escape—but the income from farming is the most reliable."
"If you only farm, you'll starve!" Cynthia couldn't help but roll her eyes. "You'll need a lot of resources to become Knight in the future."
She knew all too well how the other person had recently become so wealthy.
But since it involved certain unspeakable matters, she wisely chose to remain silent.
Luo Xi did ask, "Since you won't be back anytime soon, what are your plans when Hong Da asks you to kill the ghost?"
Wu Youren remained silent for a long time before letting out a soft sigh, "When she goes outside the mountains, she should contact me for a few more days."
Seeing his attitude, the two were speechless—the other person was so tight-lipped, the matter was obviously quite serious.
In the end, Wu Youren packed up almost all the food and water, combining them into three large packages.
The height of each package was roughly the same as his height.
The three packages together weighed four or five hundred pounds. Luckily, his cultivation level had improved a lot, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to carry them very far.
Along the way, patrol officers asked, "What's going on here?"
Wu Youren stated that he had taken on another task, which involved transporting food and water—specific details of which must be kept confidential.
Some people had some doubts, but after a spot check, it was found that what was being transported was indeed just food and water, and they had no intention of even conscripting him.
The situation is extremely serious. The government and military have invested a lot of manpower and resources, but they have only managed to stabilize the situation.
In this situation, rumors are rampant, and there are many secret missions in different departments, so it is not appropriate to pry into them casually.
The supplies were too heavy, and it took Wu Youren an entire day to move them to the ridge. He was exhausted, but he didn't dare to rest. He dug several pits overnight to hide the supplies separately.
For some reason, Wu Youren found this scenario of hiding supplies all around to be somewhat familiar.
Where have I seen this episode before?
Fortunately, he finished his work overnight, and around noon the next day, Sister Hua called him with her wristwatch to let him know that she had brought the supplies.
In addition to Weird-Dispelling Powder, Weird-Breaking Projectile, and Weird-Exterminating Grenade, she also brought first-aid kits and supplies such as food and water.
Wu Youren used his last Resentment Qi Crystal to bury all the food and water after the other party left!
He didn't even mark this secret treasure. If anyone were to dig it up in the future and fall into its trap, then the Liang would only have themselves to blame!
He then meditated for two days and entered the white mist again.
Eight days later, Sister Hua returned to the ridge, and as expected, the military personnel arrived shortly after.
It was the same Knight from last time. Upon seeing her, he couldn't help but frown. "What are you up to now?"
"You're quite good," Sister Hua scoffed, "You know your limits."
The soldier knew what she was talking about and replied without hesitation, "You're smart enough to know what's good for you. You really think the military is afraid of the Intelligence Agency?"
The matter is now closed, but both sides feel it's necessary to give each other a warning to reinforce the impression.
"I can't be bothered with you," Sister Hua said indifferently, then changed the subject, "Has he shown up recently?"
"How would I know?" the soldier said casually. "I'm warning you, don't cause any more trouble, or I'll report you!"
That means we've aligned our positions, and both sides are at peace!
Sister Hua said dismissively, "If you don't get involved, everything will be fine."
The soldier's lips moved twice, clearly wanting to say something, but in the end he sighed softly, turned and left.
He was genuinely curious and wanted to know what had happened, but as a soldier, it was better to remain naive.
Sister Hua Jieying didn't continue arguing with him, but instead looked thoughtfully at the thick white fog ahead.
She walked back and forth along the surrounding ridges until evening when she disappeared from sight.
The military Knight had been watching her from a distance, and even after she disappeared, his expression remained grave.
"Sir," a Knight Apprentice spoke up, "How long have you liked her?"
"Go to hell!" Upon hearing this, the Knight kicked the guy. "Is there nothing else in your head besides women?"
Three days later, Wu Youren finally emerged from the white fog.
He looked exhausted, but he still took the small shovel off his back and started digging at a rock.
He wanted to dig a private cave for himself to rest and meditate.
He was trying to control the noise, but it wasn't completely silent.
A military Knight quietly appeared beside him. "It's been so long, haven't you returned yet?"
"I would like to go back, but I can't," Wu Youren said, not at all surprised by his appearance.
"I'm helpless to be targeted by certain people."
"Then you can continue," the soldier said, disappearing in a flash.
The Liang's military didn't have a good impression of the Jin's people, but their Intelligence Agency wasn't exactly a saint either.
Wu Youren didn't mind; he had gained quite a bit this time and needed to process it carefully.
It wasn't until the evening of the following day that he emerged from the cave where he had temporarily hidden, took out his wristwatch, and sighed helplessly.
"Okay, I've received it. What are your instructions?"
About ten minutes later, a figure appeared on the ridge. After looking around, his location was pinpointed.
Sister Hua approached the boy and said with dissatisfaction, "Why are you only coming out now—are you hungry?"
The food and water she provided to the enemy were enough for five to six days, with the majority being combat resources such as Weird-Breaking Projectile.
Logically speaking, there's nothing wrong with this. When fighting the Weird Race, is it wrong to prepare sufficient combat supplies?
Moreover, such resources are often scarcer, harder to obtain, and more valuable.
However, she was careful about the supply of daily necessities, basically only enough for seven to eight days.
Considering that young people have a faster metabolism and engage in intense combat, it would be good if they could last five to six days.
"I can hunt inside too," Wu Youren replied calmly. "Things like foxes are hard to Weird Transformation."
"Fox bats—" Sister Hua exclaimed in astonishment, "You really dare to eat those things?"
Chapter 103 Walking the Tightrope (Fourth Update)
The flying fox has weak blood and energy, and its meat doesn't taste good; it has a strange, fishy smell.
The key issue is that this thing carries multiple viruses, and eating it could easily lead to complications related to breastfeeding.
"It's good enough that it's edible," Wu Youren said, looking at Sister Hua with surprise. "The important thing is that it's not easily Weird Transformation —it's safe."
"Alright," Sister Hua nodded slightly, "I've brought you supplies again. You must have collected quite a few Resentment Qi Crystal recently, right?"
"Don't rush to deny it. If you have no value—you know what I mean."
Wu Youren answered without hesitation, "I have no value!"
(*-)
Sister Hua was speechless for a moment before she finally managed to laugh in exasperation, "Looks like you're going to have to suffer the consequences instead of being polite."
Wu Youren calmly replied, "Who stipulated that there must be a second transaction?"
He paused, then, without waiting for the other person to speak, said in a deep voice, "I don't want to be a long-term wage earner!"
"Working class?" Sister Hua repeated in surprise, then nodded thoughtfully.
"That's a rather novel way of putting it—I see, so that's what you were worried about."
"Heh," Wu Youren chuckled weakly, "I don't believe you didn't think of that!"
The other party is simply deliberately ignoring this step; once enough time has passed, it won't be so easy for him to end the transaction.
The power of habit is formidable, especially when that habit can bring substantial benefits.
As expected, Sister Hua did not give a direct response, but instead pondered before answering.
"Then, with ten to twenty Resentment Qi Crystal, once you've reached the required amount, you can end the transaction at any time."
"Five," Wu Youren countered decisively, "You think Resentment Qi Crystal are easy to obtain?"
"At least ten," Sister Hua stated decisively. "As you can probably guess, this isn't all I want."
"If you can't provide value, someone might really kill you to vent their anger!"
This has little to do with the previous pledge of allegiance; she hopes the boy can understand this.
Wu Youren was speechless: So, my inability to produce Resentment Qi Crystal means I've cut off some people's source of income?
This is fucking unreasonable—could it be any more absurd?
However, the more the other party expresses this view, the more it demonstrates the rarity of the Resentment Qi Crystal.
He absolutely couldn't agree so readily, otherwise there would be countless troubles in the future. "Seven, that's the maximum."
After haggling for a long time, the two finally agreed on eight as the bottom line.
"After eight, I'll buy them at a 10% discount," Sister Hua added enticingly, "You can take this opportunity to stockpile some war supplies."
"Stockpiling war materials—" Wu Youren shook his head with a wry smile, "You overestimate me."
"I understand you," Sister Hua said calmly. "If you fight the monsters alone, you'll consume fewer resources."
"That's not true," Wu Youren firmly denied. "When surrounded by Weird Qi, not only would we consume resources, but we wouldn't even have time to collect the spoils."
This is an indisputable fact. In the last battle, they used a large number of Weird-Exterminating Grenade and didn't have time to collect the Resentment Qi Crystal.
Encountering such a situation would truly result in a huge waste of resources.
"I'm not here to reason with you," Sister Hua said calmly.
"Even if you lose money, you'll gain a lot of experience, which is beneficial for a Shock Knight —and, you really will lose money?"
She looked at him with distrust. People might be willing to risk their lives, but nobody would do something that loses money.
Wu Youren sighed helplessly, "Whether I make a profit or a loss, do I have a choice?"
He secretly rejoiced: As long as you don't mention hoarding war supplies, everything else is negotiable!
He didn't expect the other party to completely abandon this suspicion; how could the people in the Intelligence Agency be so easily fooled?
As long as it's not mentioned, that's enough.
"Good that you understand," Sister Hua said casually. "How many did you manage to get this time?"
"I only managed to get one," Wu Youren sighed, looking exhausted. "If I hadn't gotten one, I wouldn't have dared to come out."
"Let's settle the accounts then," Sister Hua said, no longer threatening him after hearing that she had made a profit.
This time she brought more food and water, but reduced the number of Weird-Exterminating Grenade, and slightly increased the number of Weird-Breaking Projectile and Weird-Dispelling Powder.
It's clear that Sister Hua —and the people behind her—are still wary of the Jin hostage.
It's fine to give them more food, but please give them fewer weapons.
After settling the accounts, Sister Hua was still short about five hundred silver dollars worth of supplies.
She said she would pay in advance, but Wu Youren's attitude was that it was already 20% off, and if she couldn't pay it back next time, the transaction would be terminated!
He was still in a passive position, but now he was able to fight for some of his rights.
This is a positive change, and he must strive for it, even if it involves some risk, he cannot afford not to try.
Sister Hua did not respond to this question. She said that she had taken so long to arrive because of the deaths of two colleagues. She was to be investigated.
Now that things are over, she can go into the mountains with the young man from Jin to kill monsters.
"Go if you want," Wu Youren refused flatly. "I still owe you seven debts from the last time you chased me in."
crystal!"
Sister Hua's mind wasn't so easily changed. "All the spoils are yours. I'm just helping out and broadening my horizons."
"What if you die from another supernatural calamity?" Wu Youren's words were extremely blunt. "I'm afraid it won't just be a matter of Resentment Qi Crystal." "I believe you," Sister Hua's eyes flickered. "You won't let me die, right? I still have other uses—"
"I knew you were lusting after my body, that's impossible!" Wu Youren replied seriously, "I'd rather marry the princess, you really have guts!"
Whether he wants to be the emperor's son-in-law or not, presenting the possibility first will at least make the other party wary.
"Princess Shang?" Upon hearing this, Sister Hua's expression instantly turned strange. "You really dare to dream!"
Wu Youren replied expressionlessly, "If you knew how I got to Red Pine, you wouldn't think that way."
"So how did you get here?" Sister Hua raised an eyebrow; this was indeed missing a link in her information chain. "Tell me more?"
"Go and find out for yourself!" the young man from Jin resolutely refused.
In the past, he would never have dared to speak to the Intelligence Agency like this. But now, he needed to test their limits step by step.
How can you break free from your cage if you don't take the risk and try it yourself?
People must help themselves before Heaven will help them!
"Then I'll wait for you here," Sister Hua said leisurely.
"Do as you please," Wu Youren said, carrying his large and small bags, as he walked into the white mist.
Sister Hua waited until evening before muttering softly, "Strange, why didn't the rosemary work?"
The food and water she gave us were indeed spiked; they were addictive.
Although it may cause mild hallucinations, it can enhance a martial artist's combat power in the short term, but in the long term, it has serious side effects.
The main reason why Sister Hua has been bothering the boy for so long is that she has noticed his various reactions and feels that he is not addicted.
As a result, she could no longer effectively control the other party, and many planned arrangements had to be adjusted.
Even now, with her stationed on the mountain, does she really think the Intelligence Agency is idle? Does she have any interest in just waiting around?
She just wanted to figure out how the other person solved the problem of food and water, or rather, how they overcame the addiction.
Since she was going to just wait around anyway, she expanded the cave where Wu Youren was hiding and moved in herself.
However, by the second day, the military couldn't stand it anymore, and the Knight came looking for her again.
In the end, Sister Hua promised that she would not go into the mountains without permission, nor would she stay on the ridge all the time, but would only come to check on things three times a day, in the morning, noon and evening.
This time, Wu Youren stayed in the white fog for a full twelve days.
When he came out, he still looked exhausted.
But Sister Hua keenly noticed a subtle change in the other person's demeanor. "You've advanced?"
The young man from Jin shook his head helplessly. "How could that be? Aren't the characteristics of Knight very obvious? I'm not a genius either."
Sister Hua sensed it carefully again, then shook her head. "Whether you're a genius or not, I don't know. This is... about to awaken, isn't it?"
A figure flashed, and the military Knight arrived again, watching the two of them talk.
"I don't even know what awakening is," Wu Youren shook his head with a wry smile. "I originally wanted to find Resentment Qi Crystal to study."
However, he was genuinely shocked—no way, they could even tell?
During his two trips into the mountains, in addition to killing the monsters, he also took out the Ability User Apprentice's notes and studied them carefully.
The notes only contained insights without any details of awakening, and were written very concisely, with some things only mentioned in two or three words.
It seems to be a record of this person's conjectures and insights, along with some details of the corresponding changes, without any intention of making it understandable to others.
Wu Youren also found it very difficult to understand. How many outsiders could possibly decipher the secret code he wrote for himself?
Fortunately, the deceased hadn't considered that the notebook might be lost.
Although the wording is brief, it usually extracts important keywords and contains no secrets.
Through this notebook, Wu Youren gleaned the general structure of the Ability User system.
He is still far from having a precise understanding; he hasn't even fully grasped the underlying principles.
If he tries to use this to awaken his Ability User, it will most likely be in vain. If he tries too hard, he might even suffer a qi deviation.
However, he didn't follow the Ability User system at all; instead, he gained a lot of insights.
He borrowed ideas from others and applied them to the system of Daoist cultivation, adding some localized features.
Of course, these are just some ideas, and they still need to be verified.
Wu Youren simply began cultivating within the white mist.
The mountain ridge outside the white mist would certainly be safer for cultivation, but for him, the mountains were more suitable.
He didn't spend all his time cultivating in this area—killing monsters was his primary task.
However, he can digest the experience points he gains in time, which is good enough.
He would occasionally collect loot; if it was useful to him, he would hide it on the spot, but if it was something like Resentment Qi Crystal, he would trade it away.
So in the past ten days or so, he has absorbed and digested most of the experience points he has gained.
Sister Hua thought he would only rest outside the white fog, but that was a huge mistake.
Upon hearing this, the military Knight's eyes lit up, " Resentment Qi Crystal?"
(Another 4 chapters, 12,000 words. Calling for subscriptions, monthly tickets, and recommendation votes.)