Gu You could tell that when Long Yuxue proposed a partnership, it wasn't because she was trying to take advantage of him—she knew he didn't have a single merit point to his name and simply didn't want him to miss out on the value of future earnings. Her intention was to ensure a fair return once he started to accumulate his own accolades.
Good intentions deserved to be rewarded. Otherwise, who would bother to help others? Besides, with Long Yuxue's connections, she could help Gu You quickly break into the internal market. Under such circumstances, Gu You agreed without hesitation.
In fact, when Long Yuxue had mentioned that blacksmithing wasn't the best way to earn merit, Gu You hadn't originally planned to go all in. But after thinking it through, he figured it could work as a side hustle—something he could do during his free time to earn some extra points. He had been stuck at the sixth rank for a while anyway, and it was about time he tried soul forging. Once he succeeded, he could craft his three-word battle armor straight away.
Long Yuxue had even named the workshop for them—"LongYou Workshop."
Gu You said, "The workshop's ready. Boss, you can start bringing in orders for us now. Anything related to forging is fair game, as long as the pricing is fair. Payment in merit only. You set the rate based on the difficulty of the job."
"Perfect!" Long Yuxue smiled. "While you're still not on duty, I'll help you earn a bit of spending money. Got time this afternoon? I'll find you something to work on. Mechas and weapons need repairs all the time, and soldiers have to pay merit points for that. If we charge a little less than the military's official repair stations, we'll have plenty of business. But are you really that good at forging?"
Gu You patted his chest. "No worries. Quality, quantity, and speed—I've got it all. I'm not afraid of a heavy workload."
"Alright then, get ready. At the very least, your forging needs to cover your food bill first." With that, Long Yuxue turned to leave.
Gu You chuckled. "You'd better bring me plenty of work."
The two of them walked out of Long Yuxue's quarters, joking along the way. After parting ways, Gu You headed toward the workshop to do a final check. But just as he turned a corner, someone blocked his path.
Wearing a lieutenant colonel's insignia, Jiang Wuyue stood there with a distinctly unfriendly expression. He had long noticed Gu You coming in and out of Long Yuxue's dorm these past few days. Although Jiang Qiyue had already explained that it was part of new recruit training, it still didn't sit well with him.
In the Blood God Legion, many families had deep military roots—generations serving in the same force, forming noble houses within the army. The Long family, for instance, had over a hundred members serving in the Legion. The Jiang family, which Jiang Wuyue and Jiang Qiyue belonged to, was the same. The two families had always been close.
Jiang Wuyue had liked Long Yuxue since they were kids, but perhaps it was because he'd always had a runny nose growing up—earning him the nickname "snot boy"—that Long Yuxue had never shown interest. Now they were adults, of age to start families, and his feelings had only grown deeper. But Long Yuxue remained as cold as ever, leaving him no opportunity to get close.
Gu You had only just arrived, yet Jiang Wuyue had already noticed something troubling: the smile that rarely appeared on Long Yuxue's face—something he himself hadn't seen in a year—had now shown up at least five or six times in front of Gu You.
How could he not be jealous?
"Gu You," Jiang Wuyue called out, voice low.
"Greetings, sir." Gu You nearly snapped to attention instinctively before saluting.
"That's enough. I'm not speaking to you as a superior officer—I'm speaking to you man to man."
Gu You didn't even need to guess why. He sighed internally and forced a polite smile. "Er, alright. What is it?"
Jiang Wuyue got straight to the point. "I've liked Yuxue for years. I'm challenging you. One-on-one. If you win, I'll stay out of your way. If I win… well…" He scratched his head awkwardly, unable to finish.
Gu You had assumed Jiang Wuyue would demand he stay away from Long Yuxue if he lost.
But Jiang Wuyue muttered under his breath, "Yuxue isn't some object to be wagered… I guess I can't put it that way. Whatever. Point is, I don't like you. Let's fight. No other reason—I just want to punch you. So? Do you dare? Let's go to the combat room."
Gu You nearly burst out laughing. 'This guy is really something.'
"Sir, first, let me be clear. There's no way I'm falling for her. And I already like someone else," Gu You said sincerely. "That's my only piece of advice—don't come picking fights with me again. And honestly, chasing someone who doesn't like you? That's not it, sir. Don't be that guy… You're strong, high-ranking—you'll have no trouble finding someone else once you leave this place and go to the bustling cities in the Federation. Beautiful girls everywhere. Why settle?"
Jiang Wuyue froze. "You like someone else?" But a moment later, his expression darkened. "You little brat—you're not trying to two-time, are you?"
Gu You nearly choked on his breakfast. 'He didn't listen to anything else I just said, but this part he caught?'
"Fine, sir. I'll fight you. But we're not gambling on Long Yuxue. That's not appropriate. Let's bet merit points instead—how about that?"
Jiang Wuyue raised an eyebrow. "Merit? What merit do you have to bet with?"
"I don't have any now, but that doesn't mean I won't earn some later. I was appointed a second lieutenant right out of the gate, wasn't I? That proves I have potential. If I lose, I'll pay you back after I earn some merit."
Jiang Wuyue considered for a moment. "Alright. I'll pay the merit fee for the combat room. We'll bet one thousand merit points. You in?"
"One thousand?" Gu You scoffed. "That's all?"
To be promoted from second lieutenant to first lieutenant required ten thousand merit points. For context, a four-clawed abyss bat was worth ten merit points. Killing a thousand of those would barely be enough. A Be'an, like the one he'd fought during his test, was worth two thousand merit points on its own. In joint battles, the Legion had a detailed contribution system to split up rewards fairly.
"One thousand is low?" Jiang Wuyue said gruffly. "You just got here—do you think you'll even earn that much in two or three months? What, you planning to lose your underpants too?"
Gu You nearly burst out laughing again. 'This guy is really something.'
'Looks like I'll have to accept and make sure he learns a lesson.'
(End of Chapter)
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