Chapter 30: The Credit Goes to Me

The eyes of everyone in the inn tightened. The waiter hurried forward and said, "I've seen him; he is in the backyard."

The man in the portrait had given him a full gold crystal coin, so the waiter naturally wouldn't forget. He added, "However..."

Hearing this, the middle-aged general's eyes widened. "However, what?"

"However, the Beast Bandit Group just stormed in and was engaged in a fierce battle in the backyard. We don't know exactly what happened, but things have quieted down now. We just don't dare go in to check," the waiter replied quickly.

"The Beast Bandit Group?"

A cold light flashed in the middle-aged general's eyes. He immediately led his men toward the room where Luo Ning was located. When they came to a halt, they were stunned; the place was covered in blood and corpses.

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

After the initial shock, the general's gaze gradually shifted toward 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 general's expectations.

Luo Ning looked up, staring in surprise at the portrait in the general's hand. It was the terrifying man who had just left.

In the next instant, Luo Ning broke into a smile and let out a light chuckle. "Is this not General Chou Ye? I am Luo Ning from the Luoshui Trading Firm in Yunzhou City. Has General Chou forgotten me?"

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

She recognized the middle-aged general before her; he was indeed Chou Ye, the commander of Yunye City.

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

Chou Ye froze, then realized who she was. His expression softened slightly as he asked, "So it is the Eldest Miss Luo. What happened here?"

After a moment of hesitation, Luo Ning explained with a smile, "I was negotiating here with Miss Lei Shuang of the Leiying Trading Firm. We didn't expect the Beast Bandit Group to suddenly charge in and try to kidnap both Miss Lei Shuang and me..."

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

As she spoke, Luo Ning gazed deeply at Chou Ye, feeling somewhat nervous. Part of what she was saying was fabricated.

"Why?"

Chou Ye looked utterly confused; this was not what he had imagined.

He had originally thought that the criminal had conspired with the Beast Bandit Group to rob Luo Ning.

The Beast Bandits ran rampant in this area and frequently robbed large merchants, so Chou Ye had no doubts about Luo Ning's words. What he was curious about was why the criminal would save her.

"It was like this: the man in the portrait came to me to buy back a jade hairpin, and he just happened to encounter the Beast Bandit Group, so he took action," Luo Ning explained after organizing her thoughts.

Aside from the part about Lei Shuang, everything else was the truth.

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

Her eyes were filled with anticipation; she truly wanted to know Sikong Jing's specific identity.

Why was he so terrifying?

Because of Luo Ning's status, Chou Ye basically believed her explanation. He replied, "His name is Sikong Jing. He is a heavy criminal exiled to Yunye City, and he was personally granted a marriage to the second miss of the Su family by the Lord of Yunzhou..."

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

So his name was Sikong Jing. He was the exiled criminal from recent legends who had been betrothed to the ugliest woman in all of Yunzhou, and he had actually risked leaving the city just to retrieve a jade hairpin for that ugly woman.

This was hard for her to believe. Shouldn't he hate an ugly wife?

"As for his specific identity before his exile, only the Lord of Yunzhou likely knows, but we take him very seriously."

"Does Miss Luo know where he went?"

Chou Ye asked in return. The fact that a criminal personally betrothed by the Lord of Yunzhou had escaped the city was no small matter to him.

Suddenly, Luo Ning smiled again and replied, "General Chou needn't worry. He must have returned to Yunye City. He only left the city to buy back his wife's jade hairpin, which was in my possession."

At this point, a thought struck Luo Ning.

She picked up the hundred gold crystal coins Sikong Jing had dropped on the ground and handed them to Chou Ye.

"General Chou, the Beast Bandit Group is all dead. This is your credit..."

Luo Ning narrowed her eyes and asked, "But could we say that Sikong Jing also participated and shares part of the credit?"

The Beast Bandit Group was clearly wiped out by Sikong Jing, but given the current situation, Chou Ye would surely claim all the credit for himself. Furthermore, even if Sikong Jing returned to the city, he would face punishment for forcing his way out.

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

Chou Ye's heart stirred slightly. He slowly took the gold coins and said, "Then we shall see if this criminal has returned."

Having said that, Chou Ye quickly pocketed the money and ordered, "Leave half the men to handle the corpses. The rest of you, follow me back."

"By the way, General Chou, 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 Chou Ye's ear once more.

Gazing at her, Chou Ye nodded slightly and vanished from her sight in an instant.

Luo Ning let out a silent breath of relief. "An exiled criminal, the son-in-law of the Su family in Yunye City, the husband of the ugliest woman in Yunzhou... this man is truly mysterious... and yet, he has indirectly helped me."

Her gaze fell upon Lei Shuang's corpse.

It was precisely because General Chou had come chasing after him that she could frame Lei Shuang's death on the Beast Bandit Group.

"However, I have also helped him. I wonder if he will thank me?" Luo Ning narrowed her eyes slightly, feeling a sense of anticipation.

...

On the official road in the dark of night, Sikong Jing was caught by Chou Ye, who was returning by the same route.

He did not offer any resistance. Forcing his way out of the city would definitely cause trouble, which was within Sikong Jing's expectations.

However, he had already thought of a way to deal with it.

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

"Does General Chou mean 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 that ran rampant near Yunye City.

"Correct. The credit belongs to me, but at the same time, I will grant you a share of the credit. I will promise that forcing your way out of the city was my idea."

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

There was a hint of a threat in Chou Ye's eyes. If this criminal dared to refuse, he wouldn't be held responsible for being ruthless.

Clearing out the Beast Bandit Group was a significant achievement; he could not afford to miss it.

Shrugging, Sikong Jing naturally agreed to such a good deal without hesitation, nodding, "No problem."

And just like that, he reached a deal with Chou Ye.

Afterward, Chou Ye personally sent men to escort him back to Yunye City. Along the way, Sikong Jing couldn't help but think of Luo Ning's face, thinking to himself, "It seems this was her idea."

He wasn't surprised by this; after all, Luo Ning needed an excuse to deal with Lei Shuang's death.

But this idea did indeed save him a lot of trouble...

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

Under the watchful eyes of the city guards, he quickly returned to the Su residence; it was time to pay the domestic servants' wages.

(End of Chapter)