Fifty-Ninth Chapter: Usurping Credit (4)

  (Remind everyone once again...)

  As the curtain slowly opened, the moonlight poured in like water, stretching that person's shadow out very long and hiding their face in the dark. Zhao Shi could only vaguely see that the person was holding something in their hand.

  That man paused at the door, perhaps to get used to the light inside. When he saw Zhao Shi sitting up, he was taken aback for a moment, then softly said: "Is Captain Zhao in?"

  Upon hearing the voice, Zhao Shi's body relaxed slightly. He could tell that the voice belonged to Li Shu, but his heart became even more vigilant. The enemy was not what he feared; it was the human heart that was frightening. Zhao Shi did not want to die at the hands of someone who used to be considered a friend - that would undoubtedly be an irony.

  He stood up and walked to the front of Li Shu, his body tense like a leopard ready to pounce, his hand not leaving the hilt of his horizontal knife for an instant.

  "What can I do for you?"

  Li Shu was stunned for a moment, and then dryly laughed, "I haven't slept yet, hehe, let's go outside and talk..."

  The camp was quiet and deserted, without even a single figure, not even the patrol guards were present. The prince had arrived, what else could happen in Qingyang? This was the thought of most people, so naturally the usual vigilance also relaxed a lot. The soldiers all retreated to their own tents to sleep early.

  Li Shu walked ahead, Zhao Shi fell back half a step. Neither of them spoke, and in the quiet night, only the sound of their footsteps could be heard. The atmosphere was somewhat oppressive. Zhao Shi's eyes kept scanning around, but he didn't find anything unusual. There should be no one around.

  Arriving at the empty school playground, Li Shucai stopped in his tracks. Under the moonlight, his face gradually became clearer, with a hint of sweat on his forehead and an unsteady glint in his eyes, making Zhao Shi even more vigilant.

  Zhao Shi arrived at a distance of one step more than Li Shu, pretending to be unintentional and slanting towards Li Shu. In this position, as long as the opponent made the slightest movement, he could quickly draw his horizontal knife and kill him on the spot.

  Li Shu had no idea that the young man in front of him had already harbored murderous intentions, and he rubbed his hands slightly. Although the moonlight was bright, it couldn't illuminate his expression. "Zhao brother... how have you been these days?"

  "Hmm, it's been a while since I've seen Captain Li, I wonder how she's doing?" He casually asked, his eyes seemingly scanning the darkness in front of him, but his gaze never left Li Shu's body for even a moment.

  Li Shu gazed at the youth under the moonlight, carefully sizing him up after not seeing him for many days. Zhao Shi's face was turned sideways to him, making it impossible to discern his expression, but somehow, the youth's face seemed more gaunt and menacing than before.

  The young man's body remained straight, his posture a bit strange. When his gaze fell on the hand that had never left the hilt of the knife, his pupils contracted slightly as he carefully pondered the other person's voice. It was still the cold and detached tone he remembered, without any fluctuations, and he couldn't discern if there were any other meanings hidden in their words. On this journey to Qingyang, perhaps others might not understand why Miss treated this young man with such care, but these three personal guards all knew it clearly. He had never doubted that the young man in front of him was an extremely intelligent person. The changes over the past month, he didn't believe the young man hadn't noticed anything at all.

  After some deliberation, he couldn't help but smile wryly in his heart. This damn job had really fallen on Li Shu's head. Thinking about the things that had happened in recent days, he was also filled with bitterness. On that day, when Miss told them what had happened, Li Fei and Li Lao Si immediately quit. Among the four sworn brothers, only he had a fierce temper. He pulled out his knife and wanted to go out and fight to the death with the prince and that young master. After being held back by the others, he cut off two of his own fingers and gave them to Zhao Shi, breaking off his relationship with Miss. Then he left Qingyang overnight, and no matter how they tried to persuade him, it was all in vain. The bond between brothers that had lasted for decades was gone in an instant, leaving Li Shu's heart in agony.

  This is not the end, Li Lao Da stayed in the house for a whole day and bid farewell to the young lady the next day, saying that he was old and couldn't bear to be driven away, wanting to return to his hometown to retire. Although the young lady tried her best to persuade him to stay, she managed to keep him from leaving at the time, but in the end, he still left a note and slipped away unnoticed that night.

  Li Shu, in addition to being heartbroken, also had to take care of the young lady who was on the verge of collapse from a series of setbacks. This hardship was not something he would share with outsiders. Unlike his two brothers, who were bold and decisive, saying goodbye and leaving without hesitation, Li Shu understood their mindset. The two brothers were old subordinates of the young lady's father, who had risen through the ranks together. They valued loyalty and righteousness above all else, and looked down on despicable acts like stealing credit from others. Therefore, they left without any qualms or reservations.

  But he, Li Shu, was different. He had joined the army at a young age and later was selected by his master to be one of his personal bodyguards. On the battlefield, he had saved his master's life several times. Whether it was due to the favor of being promoted or the gratitude for saving his life, he would never leave Miss's side, no matter what happened.

  Thinking of this, looking at the young man who was always on guard against himself, Li Shu also didn't want to make any more empty promises. He said in a low voice: "You've probably guessed the result too? Now that things have come to this, I don't want to say any more unnecessary words. I'm here to pass on a message from my family's young lady. She says that even if things can't be resolved, she doesn't ask for your forgiveness. The fault lies with her, and she owes you an apology. Here are 300 taels of silver, all the money our young lady brought out. There will also be imperial rewards coming soon. If there's any silver or cloth she needs, she doesn't want anything; it'll all be sent to you immediately. Along with your reward money, I believe that should cover your expenses from now on."

  Besides, although the great credit has already been gone, I believe it's a done deal to turn into a formal imperial guard, my young lady will ask her uncle to make a phone call to the Fēng Xiáng Xī Lù Tuán Liàn Shǐ Yá Mén (Phoenix Western Road Team Practice Office)......

  Zhao Shi didn't wait for him to finish speaking, and without hesitation, he took the three silver ingots that were handed over to him. This was what he deserved, and he wouldn't be sentimental about it. However, he coldly interrupted his words, "No need, go back and tell your family's Commander, the money is what I deserve, she doesn't owe me anything anymore. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other."

  After saying that, Zhao Shi took two steps back and then quickly turned around and left. Li Shu stared blankly at the receding figure for a long time, he really hadn't expected things to be resolved so easily, but his mood was even heavier. Perhaps... Miss had lost more than she imagined. This young man was so young, yet he had such bearing, and when doing things, he was decisive and didn't hesitate. In the future... hopefully he wouldn't make things difficult for Miss.