Chapter 23 – The Rose Boy
Faced with his friends' concern, A Jun suddenly felt as if struck by lightning. His whole body trembled, and a violent surge rushed through him from bottom to top—like a powerful hand gripping his throat. That long-lost feeling of fear began to resurface, and his consciousness blurred…
In that moment, A Jun once again felt panic and helplessness, despair rising in his heart. But he still fought back—I can't collapse like this. Be strong. Stand up. You can do it.
The voice echoed in his mind. Perhaps it was a habit of self-encouragement formed since childhood—or maybe, it came from Uncle's support?
—Eh… unlikely. Not getting scolded by Uncle would already be a miracle!
Just then, a not-so-familiar figure approached A Jun—it was the silver-clad boy. After exchanging a few words with A Jun's companions, he pulled out a medicine vial from the Sacred Healer Clan and handed it over.
—What's this?
A Jun was still doubtful, but it felt like hope. He knew little about the silver boy, only assumed he was part of the reinforcements, likely from the Huangfu clan. But how did he have something from the Sacred Healer Clan?
Cautious as ever, A Jun hesitated and didn't respond immediately. Not until another young officer arrived and greeted the silver boy did everyone begin to understand. A Jun, trembling, reached out his weak arm and gulped down the medicine.
With the help of the remedy, A Jun's body began to recover. Drawing on years of experience, he massaged and guided his energy, gradually restoring balance. Soon, his condition stabilized.
Seeing this, Xiao Xi, Ning'er, and Xiao Jiuwuo all thanked the silver boy for his help—but he didn't respond, only stared at A Jun expressionlessly.
So A Jun, ever thoughtful, propped up his half-broken body and expressed his gratitude again. Still, the silver boy remained unmoved.
"Don't thank me. If it weren't for Grandpa, I wouldn't have bothered coming."
With that, the silver boy stood up slowly, his face cold. He walked off to the side and tossed out a line: "Later, follow me. Grandpa's waiting for you—what a hassle."
"—Hey, how can you be like that… Oh, don't take it the wrong way. That's just how he is!"
Just as Xiao Xi and the cat were about to confront him but couldn't find a reason, a cheerful young officer arrived and explained on his friend's behalf.
A Jun didn't mind. He calmed his companions and, like the Saintess, sat down to meditate and regulate his breath. The silver boy stayed off to the side, flipping through a book, occasionally exchanging a few words with the young officer—though he spoke sparingly.
"Hey, why not use your clan's acupuncture? Drinking medicine is so slow…"
"Him?"
It seemed this boy truly wasn't the warm-hearted type. His tone and attitude suggested he had his own matters and was annoyed to be interrupted by A Jun's situation.
The young officer was completely different—sunny and warm, a true gentle soul. He was sturdy, about the same height as Xiao Xi, and smiled throughout.
"—Hey, what happened to those assassins?"
"They ran."
"Oh… they ran—and you're still so calm?"
"It wasn't you. That guy's fine, that's what matters."
…
"—By the way, why are you back at the camp? Weren't you supposed to be home doing herbal research?"
"Mm."
"Whoa? Why are you wearing armor? Let me try it!"
"Mm?"
"Hey, what are you reading so intently—oh, a new book?"
"Mm."
…
From their conversation, A Jun learned more about the silver boy—he was a descendant of the Sacred Healer Clan, the Yuwen family.
The Yuwen clan was one of the oldest in the Guardian world, founders and rulers of Qinglong County's main city. Another major clan here was the Huangfu family, who commanded the military and held great power.
As rising stars, the Huangfu clan deeply respected the Yuwen family. In fact, not just them—even the current Alliance Leader and the royal family had to show deference to Yuwen.
The Yuwen clan had practiced medicine for generations. Their healing arts were unmatched, and their martial skills were equally revered. In the Five Counties, they were held in high esteem. Their family treasure, the Qinglong Cauldron, was famous across the land.
Indeed, the Sacred Healer Clan's medicine worked wonders. Before long, A Jun's body had stabilized, though his inner force remained weak.
The silver boy seemed patient, calmly reading nearby, occasionally chatting with his friend.
Xiao Xi and Xiao Jiuwuo waited nearby. Seeing A Jun recover, Xiao Xi warmly handed him a new kind of snack—just minutes ago, the silver boy had tossed it to him.
Though his attitude was a bit careless and annoying, after his friend explained the snack's purpose, Xiao Xi let it go. It was a special military ration—Chakli, invented by old Sergeant Cha, the army's cook. It tasted like A Jun's favorite Milita, but infused with Nangong tech and concentrated energy, perfect for restoring stamina and inner force.
As for its effect—A Jun took a bite and felt it immediately. Oh, it was excellent!
Not only was it safe to eat, but its effect was remarkable. Even ten Militas couldn't match the energy of this one. Perhaps the silver boy was cold on the outside but kind within—or maybe it was just Grandpa's orders.
After a while, A Jun could move freely again. He focused his energy and retrieved his fallen hidden weapons—whoosh whoosh, the Golden Leaves returned perfectly. But… there was one extra item?
A Jun looked closely—this was… Then he thought for a moment.
—Oh!
Xiao Xi and Xiao Jiuwuo saw it too and raised questions. The young officer seemed to notice something and pulled the silver boy over.
"Hey… isn't this a girl's thing?"
Xiao Xi was the first to ask. In front of them was a purple hairpin adorned with jewels—the kind worn during a girl's coming-of-age ceremony. Beautiful and clearly feminine. But why was it with A Jun?
"Mm?"
Though hesitant, A Jun quickly composed himself and smiled: "Oh… it's my sister's. I must've grabbed the wrong one by accident!"
Then, in a flash, he hid the hairpin.
His explanation sounded reasonable, and everyone had their own interpretation. But A Jun didn't mind—he was used to it.
When no one was looking, he peeked at the hairpin again, imagining the small masked figure's face. He couldn't help but sigh—That person… really looked like a girl.
After all, A Jun was still just a kid—he didn't understand much, knew even less. But the cat on his shoulder saw clearly. She meowed softly, perhaps praising A Jun's grateful and kind nature.
With Xiao Xi's support, A Jun slowly stood up. Though channeling inner force still made his body throb, his recovery was going well.
"Thank you both for your help!"
Polite and appreciative since childhood, A Jun felt much better and bowed to the two boys, expressing his heartfelt gratitude.
"Oh! Hello, hello… Ah, no need to be so formal. It's what we should do, right?"
The silver boy, however, remained silent, staring coldly at A Jun with a hint of hostility. Xiao Xi and Xiao Jiuwuo were nearly at their limit, ready to explode at this emotionless face.
But A Jun quickly calmed them down. Just then, the clever young officer beside the silver boy nudged his friend's back and spoke up on his behalf. He warmly shook A Jun's hand and asked, "By the way, what's your name?"
"I…"
Just as A Jun was about to answer, the silver boy interrupted—unsurprisingly, not with kindness.
"—Zhuge Jun. The one who always fights for first place in exams, and somehow snatched someone else's top spot in the martial arts graduation test!"
As expected, the silver boy scowled, gave A Jun a cold glance, snorted, and turned away, reading his book while muttering to his friend.
The Yuwen clan, like the Nangong clan, had long been known for their high intelligence—though each specialized in different fields. The Yuwen name had dominated the Guardian world's school rankings and academy top lists for years, especially in theory. No one could rival them—except for a few from the Nangong clan, who mostly didn't care to compete.
Thus, "academic genius" became synonymous with the Yuwen clan—especially this silver boy, whose IQ exceeded 200, breaking the testing device.
Of course, A Jun wasn't unintelligent. He was above average, but compared to that, the numbers didn't match. Originally just a background figure, he had made up for it with hard work. Since childhood, he had spent countless hours reading and memorizing. While other kids played outside, he trained under family guidance or self-studied diligently.
It wasn't that A Jun didn't want to play—he was still a child. But given his physical condition, childhood fun had little to do with him.
Still, he managed to achieve results that rivaled the Yuwen clan, even challenging a genius. This shocked the people back home. But instead of pride, they had other opinions:
—What's so special? He just read more books. Anyone could do that—we just didn't feel like it!
—It looks impressive, but who knows what tricks are behind it?
—Such a fuss, does he even know his own limits?
These were the voices of the crowd—some sour grapes, some annoyed by his honesty, some offering kind advice. Poor kid, what did he ever do to deserve this?
"Oh, so that's you… Wow, you're amazing! You managed to frustrate two arrogant guys at once—so satisfying!"
The young officer, hearing the story, looked at A Jun like a hero, giving him a big thumbs-up and proudly glancing at his old friend.
"Hmph. What's there to be mad about? First place is just a title—nothing special."
The silver boy replied coldly, flipping his book, clearly indifferent.
"Ha, then why are you acting like this—oh, I get it. It's because of her?"
…
—Hmm? How does this silver boy know my name… Oh, maybe his grandfather told him!
At first, A Jun was puzzled, but then it clicked. This silver boy's grandfather must be the elder he was supposed to meet during this trial—the Grand Elder of Qinglong County, acting clan leader, the former head of the Sacred Healer Clan, his master's uncle, Grandpa Yuwen. And this boy must be his grandson.
As for the arrogance and prejudice, A Jun wasn't as upset as Xiao Xi and the others. After all, what the boy said was true. In fact, A Jun felt a little guilty.
Besides, the silver boy had just saved him. How could he hold a grudge? A Jun had always been sensible and well-mannered, so this thought was natural.
"May I ask you both—do you know who those masked people were just now?"
A Jun had a major question in his heart. He gathered his courage and sincerely asked the two boys, hoping they knew more and could confirm his suspicion: "Were they… the rumored bounty assassins?"
"Mm."
The silver boy remained cold, but this time gave a slight response. The young officer again eased the tension, confirming A Jun's guess and sharing more information.
According to the officer, the masked group were indeed bounty assassins, from a group codenamed "Zero." Their origins were unclear, but they operated as mercenaries, completing various bounty missions for pay.
The organization was newly formed, but its internal culture of ruthless competition had fueled rapid growth. Their reach now spanned the world. Beyond the Guardian realm, they often violated royal law and infiltrated territories outside the Suoluo continent.
Members wore uniform outfits and various masks during missions. Their movements were secretive and unpredictable. Sometimes they disguised themselves as civilians, blending into crowds unnoticed. Their methods were brutal and cold, like wolves hunting prey—causing serious harm to public safety.
As a result, royal bounty orders were issued yearly, but few were ever caught. Strangely, most of their missions involved punishing evil and helping the poor. If not for challenging royal authority, they'd be seen as righteous heroes—and were even supported by many common folk.
Yet to this day, intelligence on the group remains scarce. It's known that they have many skilled fighters, some with unfathomable power. Of course, there are also freeloaders and weak links.
Despite years of investigation by royal agents, the court's database still lacks complete information on their abilities, attributes, and techniques. Many entries are still marked with question marks…
As A Jun listened to the explanation, he recalled the battle just now—the enemy was indeed cloaked in mystery and strangeness. And it was certain: those bounty assassins had come for him. Fortunately, it ended without disaster, and everyone was safe.
"This was truly dangerous. If not for you two noticing the anomaly and rushing to help, we wouldn't have made it through." A Jun, still shaken, once again thanked the two boys on behalf of the group.
"Oh, well… we just did what we could!" The young officer scratched his head awkwardly, glancing to the side…
"—Him?" The silver boy shot a cold look at his companion.
"Hey! Actually, we received intel that those guys were going to carry out a secret mission here today, so I was sent ahead to wait…"
"Sent ahead… you really know how to flatter yourself—'ahead,' huh?"
"Uh… no, I mean… but I didn't delay anything! Hey, you—" As the young officer spoke, everyone turned to the silver boy, curiosity in their eyes.
"Wait! How did you know there'd be a fight here? And why were you in armor, leading troops?"
"During a chess match, the general's deputy told me… I wasn't sure, so I came to support." The silver boy answered confidently.
"Not sure? You mean… me? Hey, I don't need your help!"
"He does! With you, if I hadn't come, who knows what mess you'd have made!" The silver boy glanced at A Jun, then looked skeptically at his friend.
"I…"
The young officer was momentarily speechless. But truthfully, the timing had been perfect—he arrived just as the battle ended. So he chose to drop it, turning instead to A Jun with admiration: "You're really something! From what I know, people targeted by bounty assassins rarely escape unscathed… But why were you their target? You're about my age, right? Could you have offended someone without realizing it?"
A Jun accepted the praise with calm. He knew that if not for the infighting among the masked group, he might not have been so lucky.
Still, the young officer's question lingered—who had sent them? A Jun hadn't done anything wrong… had he?
Thinking it over, A Jun's thoughts drifted to his hometown. Perhaps now it made sense. He didn't know why they'd come after him, but the motives seemed endless. After all, he was out in the world alone, away from the harbor of home. He'd have to stay sharp and face the storms ahead.