"What?" Fabredis's eyes flickered, his sharp look of displeasure fixed on Zhang Mubai as he asked coldly, "Do you still expect me to invite you in for a drink?"

"I wouldn't dare... I wouldn't dare..." Zhang Mubai repeatedly backed away, stealing another unwilling glance at Qin Fen, yet his feet didn't hesitate in the slightest, retreating past the room and out into the courtyard.

A massive pile of gold coins was enticing, but one had to be alive to spend it! Zhang Mubai was well aware that he was facing the City Guardian; if this great master truly became enraged and decided to kill, his rank as a Level Nine Warrior, though boasting invincibility in Oakland, was utterly insignificant against Fabredis. This attitude clearly signaled that he was backing Qian Jin. Only a fool would dare offend the City Guardian.

Murder was a capital crime! Zhang Mubai knew perfectly well that when this applied to the City Guardian, Lord City Master Zagallo would surely find a way to cover up Fabredis's act of killing.

If Lord Zagallo was in a bad mood, his death would be utterly meaningless. If Lord Zagallo was in a good mood, and Fabredis was also pleased, perhaps his death might earn a medal that could slightly increase the military stipend for a living person—a dead man was good for nothing but a useless decoration.

As for the cause of death? 'Demon scout invasion carrying out assassination.' Zhang Mubai had witnessed this exact excuse more than once. As for why demon assassins would come to such a remote city to target a City Garrison General?

If one were curious enough about this question, and brave enough to risk death, they could travel to the Demon Clan's capital and ask the current Great Demon King personally what was truly going on.

"General... why are you out here? Where is the killer?"

"Killer, my ass! There's no killer here!" Zhang Mubai glared fiercely at his subordinate, sneaking a peek toward Fabredis's residence, terrified of displeasing the City Guardian into coming out to kill. "Move! Let's look elsewhere!"

"General... according to intelligence reports..."

"Intelligence reports, to hell with you!" As soon as Zhang Mubai returned to his troops, he instantly reverted to his usual crude and 'bold' demeanor, kicking the softly speaking subordinate away as he roared, "Don't you want to live? This is the residence of the esteemed City Guardian! How dare a killer be here?"

The hardened veterans immediately understood the meaning behind Zhang Mubai's scolding. It turned out the great figure inside the room was making it explicitly clear that he was shielding Qian Jin.

Qian Jin watched the group of dispirited soldiers scattering like startled birds through the window, then looked over at the utterly composed and calm Fabredis. This was the stature of a City Guardian!

"You can stay here tonight," Fabredis said, rising and walking toward the exit of the wine room. "On the day you finally kill the mastermind who wants you dead, you can come back here. I will testify then, confirming that you never left this place."

"Even if you kill the City Master," Fabredis paused at the threshold, turning back to smile at Qian Jin, "I can still attest for you, allowing you to evade consequence. But..."

"I understand," Qian Jin lightly leaped onto the windowsill, raising the glass of red wine in his hand high. "But you won't help me kill anyone, will you?"

Qian Jin was not surprised by the non-denying smile on Fabredis's face as he departed. If he had begged for help in committing murder, Fabredis might have repaid the debt of Qian Jin clearing the skirmish for his troops, but he would no longer hold him in high regard.

There was an unwritten rule in the world of warriors: such grievances were usually settled by the warrior himself, rarely by seeking assistance from others.

Typically, a warrior would either end the feud personally, or rely on close kin like a son or brother to do it, or spend a vast sum of money to hire a powerful warrior to complete the task.

As for asking someone else for help—that rarely happened.

The wine room was left with only Qian Jin and Gu Yue Jiaying sitting opposite each other, the room falling into a silence so profound a falling pin could be heard.

Gu Yue Jiaying swirled the red wine in her hand, tilting her head slightly to drain the glass. Under the faint glow of the lamp and the moonlight, she exuded an indescribable allure.

Bang! The empty glass landed on the table. Gu Yue Jiaying walked out of the room, stating coolly, "Many rooms upstairs are vacant."

"Oh, and one more thing," Gu Yue Jiaying paused outside the door, turning back to stare at Qian Jin before speaking lightly again, "My door will not be locked tonight. You won't need to climb through the window."

Pfft... The mouthful of red wine Qian Jin had just taken erupted outward, leaving him stunned as he watched Gu Yue Jiaying slowly depart in her plain white sleepwear.

Such a reserved, cold beauty had said something like that? Qian Jin sighed and shook his head, wiping the wine from the corner of his mouth. As a man being teased by a woman, he wasn't sure if this should be considered an honor or an embarrassment?

The light in the wine room flickered. Qian Jin frowned slightly as he looked out at the moon. Sleep here tonight? What about the Endless World? Would he be afraid to return to school over such a minor issue? What kind of person would that make him? If there truly were an ambush waiting outside, the worst that could happen was running back here.

Could the streets of Oakland truly be more dangerous than that bizarre place, West Mountain? Qian Jin opened the window, vaulted out, and dropped from the second floor—C