The Credit Goes to Me

Everyone inside the post station focused their gaze. The waiter hurried forward and said, "I've seen him. He's in the back courtyard."

The man in the portrait had given him a whole Gold Crystal Coin, so the waiter certainly hadn't forgotten him. He continued, "But..."

The middle-aged officer widened his eyes and asked, "But what?"

"But the Beast Bandit Group just charged in and fought in the back courtyard. I don't know exactly what happened. It's quiet now, but we still don't dare go in and check." The waiter answered quickly.

"The Beast Bandit Group?"

A cold glint flashed in the middle-aged officer's eyes. He immediately led his men toward the room where Luo Ning was staying. When they stopped, they were stunned. The ground was strewn with bloody corpses.

The middle-aged officer could tell at a glance that every corpse belonged to the Beast Bandit Group.

Once his initial shock passed, the middle-aged officer's gaze slowly shifted to the only two survivors: Luo Ning and her servant.

"What happened? Who wiped out 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 officer's expectations.

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

The next moment, Luo Ning broke into a smile and chuckled. "Isn't this General Qiu Ye? I'm Luo Ning of the Luoshui Merchant Guild in Yun Province City. Have you forgotten me, General Qiu?"

She didn't answer any of his questions. Instead, she first tried to establish a connection.

She knew the middle-aged officer before her. He was Qiu Ye, the city guard commander of Yunye City.

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

Qiu Ye paused, then suddenly realized who she was. His expression softened slightly as he asked, "So it's Miss Luo. What happened here?"

After a moment's thought, Luo Ning smiled and explained, "I was negotiating here with Miss Lei Shuang of the Lei Ying Merchant Guild. I didn't expect the Beast Bandit Group to suddenly charge in and try to kidnap us..."

"In the middle of the crisis, the man in the portrait saved me."

As Luo Ning spoke, she stared intently at Qiu Ye, feeling somewhat nervous. Some of what she'd said was made up.

"Why?"

Qiu Ye looked thoroughly confused. This wasn't what he had imagined.

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

The Beast Bandits rampaged unchecked in this area and often robbed large merchant caravans, so Qiu Ye didn't doubt Luo Ning's account. What puzzled him was why the criminal had saved her.

"It was like this: the man in the portrait came to buy back a Jade Hairpin from me. He happened to encounter the Beast Bandit Group, so he stepped in." Luo Ning gathered her thoughts before explaining further.

Aside from what she'd said about Lei Shuang, everything else was true.

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

Her eyes brimmed with anticipation. She truly wanted to know Sikong Jing's exact identity.

Why was he so terrifying?

Given Luo Ning's status, Qiu Ye basically believed her explanation. He replied, "His name is Sikong Jing. He's a serious criminal exiled to Yunye City, and the Lord of Yun Province personally arranged his marriage to the second young lady of the Su Clan..."

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

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

She found it hard to believe. Shouldn't he hate his ugly wife?

"As for who he was before his exile, only the Lord of Yun Province probably knows. But we're taking this very seriously."

"Miss Luo, do you know where he's gone?"

Qiu Ye asked in return. A criminal personally married off by the Lord of Yun Province had escaped the city. That was no small matter to him.

Suddenly, Luo Ning smiled again and replied, "There's no need to worry, General Qiu. He must have gone back to Yunye City. He only left to buy back the Jade Hairpin of his that I had."

As she spoke, a thought suddenly came to Luo Ning.

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

"General Qiu, the Beast Bandit Group is dead. The credit goes to you..."

Luo Ning narrowed her eyes and asked, "But could you say that Sikong Jing took part too, and deserves some of the credit?"

Sikong Jing was clearly the one who had killed the Beast Bandit Group, but given the situation, Qiu Ye would surely claim the credit for himself. And even if Sikong Jing returned to the city, he would still be punished for forcing his way out.

So Luo Ning had suddenly come up with this plan, just to repay Sikong Jing for saving her life.

Qiu Ye's thoughts stirred. He slowly accepted the Gold Crystal Coins and said, "That depends on whether this criminal has gone back."

With that, Qiu Ye quickly pocketed the money and gave his orders. "Leave half the men here to deal with the bodies. The rest, come back with me."

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

Luo Ning's voice sounded by Qiu Ye's ear again.

He looked at her and gave a slight nod, then soon disappeared from Luo Ning's sight.

Luo Ning secretly let out a breath. "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 so mysterious. And he indirectly helped me, too."

Her gaze fell on Lei Shuang's corpse.

It was because General Qiu had come after them that she could pin Lei Shuang's death on the Beast Bandit Group.

"But I helped him, too. I wonder if he'll thank me?" Luo Ning narrowed her eyes slightly, feeling a little hopeful.

On the official road beneath the night sky, Qiu Ye caught up with Sikong Jing as he headed back the way he had come.

Sikong Jing didn't resist at all. Forcing his way out of the city would surely cause trouble, and he had expected as much.

He had already thought of a way to deal with it, though.

But when Sikong Jing heard what Qiu Ye had to say, he was stunned.

"General Qiu, you mean the credit for wiping out the Beast Bandit Group goes to you?"

Only then did Sikong Jing learn that the bearded man nicknamed Beast, whom Lei Shuang had hired, belonged to a bandit group that terrorized the area around Yunye City.

"That's right. The credit goes to me, and I'll give you a share, too. I'll claim that forcing your way out of the city was my idea."

"It was to lure the Beast Bandit Group into a trap."

A trace of menace shone in Qiu Ye's eyes. If the criminal dared refuse, he'd have no one to blame but himself.

Eradicating the Beast Bandit Group was no small achievement. He couldn't let this chance slip by.

Sikong Jing shrugged. Of course he agreed to such a good deal without hesitation. He nodded. "No problem."

And just like that, he and Qiu Ye struck a deal.

Afterward, Qiu Ye personally sent men to escort him back to Yunye City. Along the way, Sikong Jing couldn't help thinking of Luo Ning. Looks like this was probably her idea.

Sikong Jing wasn't surprised. After all, Luo Ning needed an excuse to deal with Lei Shuang's death.

But this plan had indeed spared him quite a bit of trouble...

By the time Sikong Jing returned to Yunye City, dawn had broken.

Under the watchful eyes of the city guards, he hurried back to the Su Mansion. It was time for him to return the servants' wages.