The Merit Belongs to Me

The people inside the post station narrowed their eyes, and the waiter hurriedly stepped forward. "I've seen him; he's in the backyard."

The man in the portrait had given him a full Gold Crystal Coin, so the waiter certainly wouldn't forget. He added, "However..."

The middle-aged commander glared at him upon hearing this and asked, "However what?"

"However, the Beast Bandit Group just stormed in and were fighting fiercely in the backyard. I don't know exactly what happened, but it has calmed down now. We still don't dare to go in and check," the waiter replied rapidly.

"The Beast Bandit Group?"

A cold glint flashed in the middle-aged commander's eyes, and he immediately led his men toward the room where Luo Ning was staying. When they stopped in their tracks, they were stunned; the ground was covered in blood and corpses.

Moreover, the middle-aged commander determined at a glance that the corpses were all members of the Beast Bandit Group.

After the shock, the middle-aged commander's gaze gradually shifted to the only two survivors, Luo Ning and her servant.

"What happened? Who slaughtered the Beast Bandit Group? And where is the man in the portrait?"

Three questions in a row; the situation before him was completely beyond the middle-aged commander's expectations.

Luo Ning raised her head and stared in surprise at the portrait in the middle-aged commander's hand. It was indeed the terrifying man who had just left.

The next instant, Luo Ning beamed and let out a light chuckle. "Isn't this General Qiu Ye? I am Luo Ning of the Luoshui Merchant Guild in Yun Province City. Has General Qiu forgotten me?"

She did not answer any questions, choosing instead to establish a connection first.

She recognized the middle-aged commander before her; he was none other than Qiu Ye, the garrison commander of Yunye City.

She had dealt with him while doing business in Yunye City.

Qiu Ye was stunned for a moment before he suddenly realized who she was. His expression softened slightly as he asked, "So it is Miss Luo. What is going on here?"

After a moment of contemplation, Luo Ning explained with a smile, "I was here negotiating with Miss Lei Shuang of the Lei Ying Merchant Guild when the Beast Bandit Group suddenly stormed in, intending to kidnap both me and Miss Lei Shuang..."

"In the midst of the crisis, it was the man in the portrait who saved me."

As she said this, Luo Ning stared deeply at Qiu Ye, feeling somewhat nervous. Part of what she had just said was fabricated.

"Why?"

Qiu Ye's face was filled with confusion; this was not what he had imagined.

He had assumed that the criminal had colluded with the Beast Bandit Group to rob Luo Ning.

The Beast Bandits ran rampant in this area and often robbed large merchant groups, so Qiu Ye had no doubts about Luo Ning's words. What he was curious about was why that criminal would save Luo Ning.

"It's like this: the man in the portrait came to find me to buy back a jade hairpin. He happened to encounter the Beast Bandit Group, so he took action," Luo Ning explained after gathering her thoughts.

Everything was the truth, except for the part about Lei Shuang.

After finishing her explanation, Luo Ning asked, "General Qiu, who is this man? He seems so formidable."

Her eyes were filled with anticipation; she really wanted to know the specific identity of Sikong Jing.

Why was he so terrifying?

Because of Luo Ning's status, Qiu Ye basically believed her explanation and replied, "His name is Sikong Jing. He is a felon exiled to Yunye City, and he was even personally betrothed by the Lord of Yun Province to the second daughter of the Su Clan..."

As Qiu Ye explained, Luo Ning couldn't help but widen her eyes.

So his name was Sikong Jing. He was the exiled criminal from the recent rumors who had been betrothed to the ugliest woman in all of Yun Province. And yet, he had risked leaving the city just to retrieve a Jadeite Hairpin for that ugly woman.

This was unbelievable to her. Shouldn't he hate his ugly wife?

"As for his identity before his exile, I'm afraid only the Lord of Yun Province knows, but we are paying special attention to him."

"Does Miss Luo know where he has gone now?"

Qiu Ye asked in return. A criminal personally betrothed by the Lord of Yun Province escaping the city was no small matter for him.

Suddenly, Luo Ning smiled again and replied, "General Qiu need not worry. He must have returned to Yunye City. He only left the city to buy back his wife's hairpin that was in my possession."

Speaking of this, Luo Ning's heart suddenly stirred.

She picked up the one hundred Gold Crystal Coins that Sikong Jing had dropped on the ground and handed them to Qiu Ye.

"General Qiu, the Beast Bandit Group is all dead. This is your achievement..."

Luo Ning asked with narrowed eyes, "But could you say that Sikong Jing also participated, and that he deserves some of the credit?"

The Beast Bandit Group had clearly been wiped out by Sikong Jing, but in the current situation, Qiu Ye would certainly claim the credit for himself. Even if Sikong Jing returned to the city, he would still face punishment for breaking out.

Therefore, Luo Ning suddenly thought of this ploy, solely to thank Sikong Jing for saving her life.

Qiu Ye's heart stirred slightly. He slowly took the Gold Crystal Coins and said, "That remains to be seen, depending on whether this criminal has returned."

After saying this, Qiu Ye quickly tucked the money into his pocket and ordered, "Leave half the men to deal with the corpses, and the others will return with me."

"By the way, General Qiu, Miss Lei Shuang was also killed by the Beast Bandit Group. If anything comes up, please testify for me."

Luo Ning's voice rang in Qiu Ye's ears once more.

Staring at her, Qiu Ye nodded slightly and disappeared from Luo Ning's sight in the blink of an eye.

Luo Ning let out a quiet sigh of relief. "An exiled criminal, the son-in-law of the Su Clan in Yunye City, the husband of the ugliest woman in all of Yun Province... this man is truly mysterious... and he has indirectly helped me."

Her gaze fell upon Lei Shuang's corpse.

It was precisely because General Qiu had arrived in pursuit that she was able to pin Lei Shuang's death on the Beast Bandit Group.

"However, I did help him. I wonder if he will thank me?" Luo Ning narrowed her eyes slightly, filled with anticipation.

On the official road in the dead of night, Sikong Jing was overtaken by Qiu Ye, who had turned back along the original path.

He did not put up any resistance; forcing his way out of the city would inevitably invite trouble, and this outcome was within Sikong Jing's expectations.

However, he had already prepared a countermeasure.

Yet, when Sikong Jing heard Qiu Ye's words, he was momentarily stunned.

"General Qiu means that the credit for slaughtering the Beast Bandit Group belongs to you?"

Only then did Sikong Jing realize that the bearded man nicknamed 'Beast,' whom Lei Shuang had hired, was actually a bandit group running rampant near Yunye City.

"Correct. The credit belongs to me, and at the same time, I will grant you a share of it, claiming that your forced exit from the city was my idea."

"All for the sake of luring the Beast Bandit Group into a trap."

A hint of threat flickered in Qiu Ye's eyes; if this criminal dared to refuse, he would not be so polite.

Clearing out the Beast Bandit Group was no small feat, and he could not afford to miss out on such credit.

Sikong Jing shrugged; he naturally agreed to such a good deal without hesitation and nodded, "No problem."

Just like that, he and Qiu Ye reached an agreement.

Afterward, Qiu Ye personally sent men to escort him back to Yunye City. Along the way, Sikong Jing couldn't help but recall the image of Luo Ning, thinking to himself, It seems this must have been her idea.

Sikong Jing was not surprised by this; after all, Luo Ning needed an excuse to handle the death of Lei Shuang.

But this idea had indeed saved him from quite a bit of trouble...

By the time Sikong Jing returned to Yunye City, the sky was already bright.

Under the watchful eyes of the city guards, he hurried back to the Su Mansion; the time to return the servants' wages had already arrived.