The more they oppose, the more it shows that I am doing the right thing

"Agni Knight."

An Su's expression grew serious, the scholarly face now brimming with righteousness, "I will not accept any gifts, there is no need for further words."

Seeing that Xianzong was getting upset, Agni dared not speak any further.

Xianzong truly was a man of integrity and one that was not adept at adapting...

She really did want to repay Xianzong for saving her life.

After a pause.

"Dawn is about to break,"

An Su softly broke the silence, the tone now more gentle, "I should return to the imperial capital. The journey is long, may I borrow your horse for the trip?"

"My mount—" he showed a hint of regret, "Unfortunately has just been killed by Sir Kavensis."

May I borrow your horse... Agni always felt there was something peculiar about that phrase.

Agni had also witnessed the demise of the horse struck down by the light spear.

Facing the attack from Kavensis, Xianzong did not retaliate... not only that, but he even intended to cast Blessing Magic on the fallen Kavensis, and as a result, his own mount was shot down.

Of course, it was possible to lend a horse... Agni was about to agree immediately, but then something occurred to her.

As mentioned before, Agni was a person with a high EQ, a captain with high emotional intelligence...

Was everything really just as it seemed?

As if struck by thunder that traveled from the crown of her head to her spine, she felt an epiphany, she understood!

No matter whether her speculation was right or wrong,

Agni knew what she should say at this moment—what needed to be said.

She immediately gave a few instructions to a servant by her side, who first showed a stunned expression, but then quickly trotted off.

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"Unfortunately, we also do not have an extra Holy Mount in our team,"

Agni began with a refusal, and then added, "However, this horse currently does not have an owner, so it can be loaned to you for the trip back to the city."

The servant had already brought the horse over; the steed was completely white, its hooves radiating Holy Light, and a cluster of white horn on its forehead—distinct from the common mare; it was the beloved little mare of Kavensis, a Holy Mount with the bloodline of a magical creature.

[Holy Beast Unicorn]

[Intermediate Rank Holy Quality]

[Skill: Sanctuary]

[Riding the Unicorn Mount, one can resist some Low Rank curses]

Look at her own use of words, always using the word "borrow."

This mare, after being scared off, instinctively ran towards the city, and halfway met the large search party that came for Kavensis's rescue.

Agni knew how to progress now, look at her own art of speaking, using the word 'borrow'!

This was not a matter of presenting a gift.

But rather, since Lord Xianzong found it inconvenient to return home, she would lend him the horse to ride back, and as for when he might return it given the long journey to the imperial capital... that was left to fate.

The Holy Mount showed obvious resistance when it saw An Su.

But Agni forcefully grabbed the reins of the Holy Mount, "This child has lost its master; it's fortunate to meet you."

The Unicorn looked at Agni with an expression that doubted its own life.

Agni directly and enthusiastically handed the reins to Xianzong, As if saying, if your former master has no objections, can you really object?

"You are thoughtful, child. Then I shall borrow it for a while,"

Progress, but still not quite there... An Su said with a smile, "Then, we shall meet again in the future."

From the moment An Su saw the Holy Mount, he wanted to get his hands on it.

The reason was simple: since it carried a hint of a magical creature's bloodline, he could continuously breed it, refreshing its traits until he bred something precious.

—This approach, he greatly enjoyed during his fifth life in the past world.

He promptly mounted the horse, "Right, you are here for the witch hunt tonight, aren't you?"

"To not hide the laughter in your eyes," Agni revealed a bitter smile, "Our Red Moon Hunt this time, might end with naught."

Gained nothing.

This, in the sixty years since the establishment of the border church, must be the ultimate disgrace.

Going back on her own might lead to impeachment, or even dismissal... She thought to herself silently.

"Walk fifty kilometers south, and you will see a river; follow the river downstream, and there's a cave," An Su said. "There is a secret teaching base there."

Agni looked at brother Xianzong with gratitude; she had received yet another favor and didn't know what to say anymore.

The reason An Su told her was simple: to get her to leave, the further the better, fifty kilometers away, so she wouldn't hold up brother Xianzong from making a big fortune tonight.

She still wanted to say thank you.

"Thank you for your grace!" Agni and her subordinates bowed their heads, "I really don't know how to repay your kindness!"

"May the glory of the goddess shine upon the world forever," An Su said brightly. "You only need to promise me one thing."

"What is it?"

"If you find sacrificial children at the secret teaching base in the future, please don't deal with them—if it's inconvenient, just secretly send them to my disciple An Su Moningsta's place."

"Of course, you all need to swear to the goddess not to reveal this matter."

That statement was like a bolt from the blue.

It shocked Agni to the point of mental shutdown.

An Su Moningsta, the heir of the Morningstar Family,

was actually the secret disciple of the saint standing before her!

Everything clicked into place, everything made sense.

No wonder this spoiled young lord had been acting strangely this past month, no wonder he was determined to join the church, no wonder he was studying so hard every day!

It was because the great saint had come.

It turned out that he had been taken as a disciple by the great saint—

Although taking a Child of the Curse as a disciple seemed absurd by any standard.

But the persona that An Su had crafted earlier played its role: brother Xianzong, in the face of the fallen Kavensis, was still tirelessly rescuing and guiding him.

Brother Xianzong was a noble person, someone beyond Low Rank interests.

Therefore, taking a Child of the Curse as a disciple didn't seem so excessive.

Guiding those who were about to fall into darkness back to righteousness, must be the creed of this great saint... Agni thought to herself.

Why did brother Xianzong let her know this, not wanting others to find out?

This was brother Xianzong giving her a chance!

Seeing her reaction, An Su's lips curved into an imperceptible smile.

His words served several purposes.

First, the dark children were talents, essential for his future plans, so naturally, he couldn't let them go;

An Su had a clear understanding of himself: he knew his moral standards were low, in short, he wasn't a good person—but he wouldn't kill children.

Second, it gave himself a powerful backer, a borrowed authority that would keep many troublesome issues away from him.

Third, no matter how suddenly he advanced in his magical abilities in the future, he had a legitimate reason for it—it was all thanks to brother Xianzong's teachings!

And the last reason, which was also the most important:

On holidays, when brother Xianzong was either unwilling or disdainful to accept small gifts,

from then on, wouldn't it be acceptable for the Agni Knight Order to send them to his disciple An Su instead?

Young people must be given opportunities to progress!

"I swear to the goddess," Agni and her attendants knelt on one knee, "we will honor your teachings! And we will not divulge this to outsiders!"

An Su nodded slightly, "Let us part ways here."

The Holy Beast Unicorn had been quite resistant at first, but when An Su whispered 'the goddess's—' in her ear, not even finishing his sentence, the unicorn immediately calmed down and dared not move.

As everyone looked on, An Su rode the Holy Beast Unicorn deeper into the wilderness. The blood-red moon was thinning even more, and in three hours, the sky would dawn.

The three-day night of the Blood Moon was finally coming to an end.