Chapter 229 - 167: You Are Souls_2

"I really don’t know..."

Frank’s voice carried a hint of fatigue and confusion,

"You’re hardly a knight, so why is your stamina so... so abundant?"

Frank wasn’t flattering Gang Le because he was captured, saying nice things.

This man’s fighting skills were not as good as his own, his strength slightly weaker, yet his stamina was so good he could hold Frank off.

Now it seemed, even if he hadn’t been knocked out before, he might not have been able to defeat this man.

Gang Le stood on the other end of the slope, hands on his hips, also panting heavily.

But compared to Frank, Gang Le was in slightly better shape.

He casually flicked the wooden sword in his hand, as if it were as light as a twig.

"It’s nothing special,"

Gang Le grinned, shrugging his shoulders, speaking casually and nonsensically,

"It’s just that the food at Black Pine Ridge is good, life is easy and pleasant, which makes me more motivated."

Frank frowned, letting out a disbelieving snort from his nose.

Frank definitely didn’t believe Gang Le’s words; he was more inclined to believe that this bear-like man had some special bloodline.

"Pity you don’t have such luck,"

Gang Le paused, a hint of teasing in his tone,

"Actually, if you could join us at Black Pine Ridge, with a diet like mine, your stamina would greatly increase too."

Frank shook his head slightly.

He shrugged his shoulders, easing the sore muscles, and said slowly,

"I have already pledged allegiance to the Hawk Clan,"

his tone was firm, "Unless the Hawk Clan is destroyed, I will never serve another family’s lord."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, you’ve said it several times already."

Gang Le waved his hand, looking a bit annoyed.

But in truth, he didn’t dislike Frank’s stubbornness and even admired it a little.

He also hoped that one day he would become such an unwavering knight.

"This thing is too light, no fun."

Gang Le casually tossed the wooden sword to the ground, flexing his wrists as he changed the topic,

"Come on, let’s go fist to fist!"

Frank was taken aback for a moment, then squinted his eyes slightly, the corners of his mouth curving up a bit.

Though he was a captive, he didn’t shy away from a challenge.

"Alright,"

he replied in a low voice, tossing aside the longsword in his hand, and assuming a stance ready for battle,

"Let’s give it a try then."

As Gang Le was just getting into a fighting stance, the snow underfoot creaked beneath him.

Just as the two were about to engage in a scuffle, hurried footsteps came from down the slope.

Gang Le’s assistant ran up,

"Lord Gang Le!"

The assistant ran to Gang Le’s side and whispered, "The lord has sent us a reply; the deal on the other side is settled."

Gang Le turned around, taking the letter handed over by the assistant in both hands.

He lowered his head, quickly scanning the handwriting on the paper.

The letter’s content was concise: Rod instructed Gang Le to send Knight Frank to White Rock Canyon, where Baron Halon’s people would receive him.

On the other side, Frank had long turned his back, standing at the edge of the slope, gazing out at the endless mountains in the distance.

He didn’t look at the letter in Gang Le’s hand, nor did he try to eavesdrop.

Frank, as a knight, maintained his principles, and as a captive, he adhered to the rules as well.

He wouldn’t struggle or escape, nor would he do anything detrimental to his dignity.

It was precisely because of this self-awareness that Gang Le didn’t lock him in a cage, allowing him to move freely on the slope.

Gang Le handed the letter back to the assistant, instructing in a low voice, "The usual routine, burn it."

The assistant nodded, stepped aside, and tossed the letter into the nearby bonfire.

The intense flames quickly reduced the letter to a heap of ashes.

Gang Le turned around, clapping his hands, his gaze falling once more on Frank’s back.

"Hey, Great Knight Frank,"

Gang Le’s voice carried a slight jest, "you’re quite valuable— someone is willing to pay a big price to buy you back."

Frank slowly turned around, a hint of confusion in his eyes,

"Baron Zane?"

"He wants to kill you, would he really buy you back?"

Gang Le snorted, "Relax, the baron who’s going to redeem you, you’re sure to be happy to see."

"Alright then, the fight won’t happen, let’s head back early and rest; we have a journey ahead tomorrow."

Gang Le picked up the rope, giving it a little shake.

Frank stepped forward, willingly offering his wrists to Gang Le.

Gang Le skillfully tied Frank up.

"Is it Baron Halon?"

Frank suddenly asked.

Zane wanted to kill him, so naturally, the one to buy him would be Zane’s adversary, Baron Halon.

"Yeah, you figured that out too."

Gang Le tugged on the rope, saying, "Our lord knew you wouldn’t submit, so he found a good place for you."

"How about that, our lord is quite considerate, right?"

Frank nodded slightly, "Baron Rod is as wise as the rumors say."

"What rumors?" Gang Le curiously asked.

"Knight Chris captured, Baron Halon defeated, and Knight Chris’s family taken away."

Frank explained, "These things aren’t exactly rumors, but the knights of Eagle Ridge have heard of them."

"I drank with Knight Chris, how’s he doing?"

"He..."

Gang Le grinned mischievously and said, "He got chopped into pieces and became roast meat."

Frank chuckled bitterly.

If he doesn’t want to say, then so be it, this guy is rambling on again.

"What about my soldiers, can they leave with me?"

Frank asked.

"No, the letter only mentioned you."

Gang Le shook his head, "They’ll all become slaves in Frost Leaf Town."

"Oh, don’t think about it; those soldiers all have families in Eagle Town, surely they couldn’t follow you to join Baron Halon, could they?"

Frank nodded slightly.