The Yongwang Garrison, which had been bustling all afternoon, finally quieted down in the evening.
Zhao Silu woke up groggily in her own bedroom.
She didn't often come to this bedroom, and had never stayed in it, but the room was clean and the furnishings tidy, clearly indicating that someone had been regularly maintaining it.
Her mind felt like it was filled with paste, her thoughts like swirling catkins, unable to be sorted out.
After a long while, she gradually recalled the events of the day.
As the thought stirred, she sensed something was amiss.
She suddenly got up and saw the 'autumn water' beside her.
The sword's blade, thin as a cicada's wing, was only an inch wide, glowing faintly under the sunlight; the spine was engraved with a nine-turn palidrome, the hilt inlaid with the Big Dipper, and three tiny, mosquito-sized seal characters were etched at the base of the Yanhuang Cliff Stone, reading: 'Snow Encircles Moon'.
The purple tassel hung still at the head of the bed, a rare moment of stillness in the air.
Even with the discerning eye of a Zhao family young lady, who had seen countless treasures since childhood, this was a rare find, unmatched in all of Gu City.
It was only a pity that with a sword but no scabbard, its sharpness was inevitably exposed, drawing unwanted attention.
Zhao Silu thought, "Could this be a gift of apology from that Duan Baihu?! That shouldn't be right?"
She hastily summoned the maidservant outside the door and inquired about everything that had happened that afternoon.
After hearing about Xue Ren and Ning Yue's clever scheme to turn defeat into victory, Zhao Silu finally smiled sweetly, her heart at ease.
However, when she asked who had sent her back to her bedroom, the servant boy was completely unaware.
...
As soon as Ning Yue returned to the barracks, he was immediately surrounded by eight clerks.
Poor him, carrying such a heavy treasure, he hadn't had a moment's rest since returning from the house search.
"Ning-ge, you really put us through the wringer this time! When that Zongqi Xiao appeared, I almost peed my pants!"
"That's right, Ning-ge, if Duan Baihu hadn't shown up today, Xue Zongqi would probably have kept us in the dark."
The chatter among the crowd never stopped; after such great joy and sorrow, they also needed to vent their long-suppressed emotions.
Ning Yue didn't stop them, but rather waited with a smile until they had mostly finished their clamor, then clapped his hands.
At that, everyone fell silent.
"I've seen all of your hard work these past few days, and I won't forget it," he said, pulling out a stack of silver notes from his in arms.
Each worth five hundred, there were eight in total.
Originally, the share distributed to the clerks was only one hundred, but Xue Ren, considering their continuous fright over the past few days, added two hundred more, and Ning Yue also added two hundred for each person.
The gleaming silver notes shimmered with an enticing glow under the lamplight, firmly captivating eight pairs of wolf-like eyes.
Five hundred taels was no longer much to the current Ning Yue.
But for Wei Xian and the others, it was a completely different story; they would barely be able to save that much even if they didn't eat or drink for ten years, and added all their illicit gains.
With this money, those who had left their hometowns and resolutely joined the army now had something to show their parents and relatives;
Those who hadn't married yet no longer worried about the high betrothal gifts;
And for those whose martial arts were limited and whose future was bleak, they would no longer be stuck in their current predicament.
In short, these eight people were now completely different from before!
Ning Yue looked at their eager eyes, but placed one hand on the silver notes, barely managing to restore some sense to them.
Then he said, "You can use this money to solve some urgent needs, but if you indulge in pleasure, then I will take it back. Do you all understand?"
"We understand!" everyone shouted in unison, their spirits high!
Ning Yue nodded in satisfaction and continued, "Everyone, follow me, and I will never let you down. Rest assured, everything is just beginning. Our good days are still ahead..."
Wei Xian smiled and interjected, "Don't worry, Ning-ge, we all know what's what."
"It's a pity about Old Feng and Old Yu; they were only half a day away from the truth being revealed, yet they couldn't hold on." The speaker was their fellow villager, and the only one of the three who remained.
All eight clerks were young men; even if they were older than Ning Yue, it wasn't by many years.
Upon hearing this, they all cursed the two men, and even suggested that Ning Yue settle scores with them later.
Aside from their fellow villager, no one felt sorry.
Ning Yue interrupted their discussion, saying, "Those who want to leave cannot be held back, but we are all comrades. We'll see each other again, so let's not cause more trouble."
Everyone then assented in unison.
Ning Yue gave his final advice: "Please remember, martial arts realm is always more important than official position!"
These were the words Xue Ren had once advised him, and now he relayed them to everyone.
After everyone had quieted down, Ning Yue slowly said, "Then—distribute the money!"
Boom!
The cheers of the crowd pierced through the barracks, echoing far into the night.
...
