The Wild Knight and Hidden Agendas

Repeatedly reassured by Li Chunsheng, the young security guard, Ah Qiang, finally calmed his emotions. He thanked Li Chunsheng profusely before, seeing the late hour, he eventually departed the lounge.

After all, lunch breaks were finite. Even though he had just jumped from the twentieth floor and was now perfectly fine, he still had to return to work.

Such was the professional ethic of this world.

‘Ah… pitiful,’ Li Chunsheng sighed, shaking his head. His gaze then shifted towards Mu Shengling, who stood nearby.

“Miss Mu, I presume you have something to discuss with me?”

“Otherwise, you wouldn’t have remained until now,” he continued, his tone remarkably calm. “Am I wrong?”

Mu Shengling offered a subtle smile. She lifted the teacup from the table, taking a delicate sip of the red tea before her eyes, brimming with amusement, turned to Li Chunsheng. “Or rather, isn’t it you, Chunsheng, who has something to tell me?” she countered.

Li Chunsheng merely raised an eyebrow, offering no reply.

‘This woman,’ he thought, ‘is attempting to seize control of this conversation.’

‘Yet, I am the fish on the chopping block, and she holds the knife. I’ve just exposed my true strength, giving this woman a leverage point.’

‘No longer a lone wolf, and to avoid implicating Liuxia, I have no choice but to yield,’ he conceded.

Li Chunsheng sighed inwardly, then consciously lowered his stance. “Miss Mu, I implore you to be lenient and help me conceal my current situation,” he requested.

Upon seeing this, a faint, almost imperceptible smile played on Mu Shengling’s lips, though her heart was already bursting with glee.

‘Hahahahaha, excellent, excellent! Li Chunsheng, you’ve finally yielded to me. This is a promising start; next, we’ll see how I slowly mold you!’ the young lady thought to herself, thoroughly pleased.

Outwardly, however, Mu Shengling maintained her image of understanding. She gently brushed a strand of pink hair from her temple, gazing at Li Chunsheng with tender affection. “That goes without saying, Chunsheng,” she murmured softly.

“How could I, Shengling, ever wish you harm?”

‘Ugh, what a strong scent of ‘tea’!’ Li Chunsheng inwardly recoiled, feeling a shiver run down his spine at her tone.

“Still, I truly didn’t expect you, Chunsheng, to be a Wild Knight.”

“Fortunately, you revealed yourself to me. Otherwise, the Holy Temple would likely have come knocking very soon.”

Li Chunsheng’s attention was caught by an unfamiliar term in Mu Shengling’s words.

“Wild Knight?” he repeated, a question in his voice.

Mu Shengling paused, then a look of realization dawned on her face. “Ah, it seems Chunsheng only recently awakened, then?”

“No wonder you’re unaware.”

With that, Mu Shengling patiently began to explain to Li Chunsheng: “A so-called Wild Knight is an individual who operates outside the Holy Temple’s control, an outlaw who has independently awakened an Authority.”

“Their minimum strength level is Black Iron-tier, but many are able to reach Bronze-tier or even higher realms by developing their Authorities.”

“More importantly, many Wild Knights possess Authorities not listed in the Holy Temple’s records, making them exceptionally dangerous and peculiar.”

“Therefore, once a Wild Knight is discovered, they face immediate apprehension and purification by the Holy Temple.”

“However, a select few Wild Knights whose abilities are useful and relatively harmless are sometimes tacitly tolerated by the Holy Temple’s upper echelons. They are kept as ‘black gloves’ to handle certain unsavory or arduous tasks.”

“This is considered an unwritten, unspoken rule within the Holy Temple.”

Mu Shengling paused, then offered him a meaningful smile. “You’ve likely already encountered a Wild Knight in person.”

“That place I sent you to last time—you must have personally experienced the power of a Wild Knight’s Authority there, haven’t you?” she chuckled, her words hinting at more.

Li Chunsheng instantly understood. So, that peculiar mind-reading individual he’d met before was what they called a ‘Wild Knight.’

‘But is my ‘Infinite Black Iron Coins’ considered an Authority?’ he mused. ‘Authorities typically consume Black Iron Coins, yet my golden finger regenerates them. By that standard, I don’t seem to fit the description of a Wild Knight.’

Nevertheless, with this convenient excuse now at hand to mask the fact that he illicitly possessed two Authority Artifacts, Li Chunsheng had no intention of denying his identity as a ‘Wild Knight.’

While Li Chunsheng held back certain truths, Mu Shengling, too, concealed deeper information.

‘A Wild Knight… another excellent candidate for Goblin material,’ the young lady thought coldly to herself. Her mind then drifted to her missing ex-boyfriend, Liu Xia.

‘What a shame, I still haven’t found any trace of Liu Xia. He was a prime specimen I’d had my eye on for a long time…’ The thought filled Mu Shengling with irritation.

It was she who had meticulously orchestrated Liu Xia’s downfall, pushing him step-by-step into desperation until he was forced to degenerate into a Goblin. Her sole purpose in doing so was to acquire the special, not-yet-fully-awakened Authority within Liu Xia. After all, Goblins themselves were merely the ‘raw materials’ for crafting various Authority Artifacts.

‘Without the ‘sacrifice’ of Goblins, how could the Paladins and Saintesses wield their current exalted powers?’

Goblins transformed from ordinary people could have their bodies broken down into basic materials, used to create all sorts of standardized Authority Artifacts. Special existences like ‘Wild Knights,’ however, became even more precious after their transformation into Goblins. By studying their base forms, the Holy Temple could not only expand its existing Authority system but also directly craft unique, special Authority Artifacts.

The six Great Holy Temples, from ancient times to the present, had grown ever stronger, and the existence of these Goblins, viewed by many as ‘monsters,’ had played an indispensable role.

‘Hmph, once I’ve extracted every last bit of Li Chunsheng’s value, I’ll arrange for his retrieval,’ Mu Shengling scoffed inwardly. She mentally calculated, ‘Let’s see what exactly can be refined from his body.’

She had long been displeased with how this man always gave her a cold shoulder.

‘If not for Li Chunsheng’s immense utility to me, my pride would never allow me to humble myself before him like this.’

For the present, to fully monopolize the value within Li Chunsheng, she had to suppress her disgust, protect his existence, and even strive to gain his favor.

“By the way, Chunsheng, since you wish to stand up for that young security guard, you’ll likely need detailed information about his online girlfriend, won’t you?” Mu Shengling offered, having thought of this.

“Ah, yes!” Li Chunsheng looked at her, somewhat surprised. “Miss Mu, what do you mean?”

“Nanny, please investigate the information regarding that young security guard’s online girlfriend. Once you find it, send it to me immediately,” Mu Shengling commanded, snapping her fingers.

“Yes, Miss.” However, the gray-haired maid did not leave. Instead, she remained rooted to the spot, her eyes fixed intently on Li Chunsheng.

“Alright, alright!” Mu Shengling said, waving a hand helplessly at Li Chunsheng. “Chunsheng, you should go back to work for now. It seems Nanny won’t budge unless you do.”

Li Chunsheng nodded, rose to his feet, and without so much as a glance at Mu Shengling, turned and exited the lounge.

‘Being with this woman is truly exhausting,’ he thought.