Chapter 44#
The Crooked Logic You Taught Me#
Su Ruhui, with his saber properly fastened, lifted the tent flap and strode menacingly towards Jiang Xueya’s tent. Zhou Xiaosu was his junior sister, and for her to do something so outrageous, it was only right for Su Ruhui to be angry. This was a matter of their sect, and not a respectable one at that. Sang Chiyu, an outsider, found it inconvenient to get involved and originally intended to return to his own tent to rest, but Jiang Xueya stopped him. Jiang Xueya’s face was full of helplessness, and she whispered, “Su Ruhui is definitely going to hit someone. Only you can control him. Help me hold him back later.”
After saying that, she hurried after Su Ruhui. Sang Chiyu hesitated for a moment, then also left his tent and followed behind them.
Jiang Xueya held a higher rank and didn’t live in a tent like them. Her quarters were below the tower. Su Ruhui went straight there, pushed open the door, and saw a pair of men and women passionately embracing inside. The petite girl in the autumn-yellow padded jacket was none other than Zhou Xiaosu. Su Ruhui’s vision went black, and he almost choked with anger.
Both were startled when Su Ruhui burst in and quickly separated. Zhou Xiaosu was a little taller than when she left Zhuluo Mountain. She was two years younger than Su Ruhui, now exactly fifteen. She was already a graceful young woman, but because her face was round, she looked younger than her actual age.
Su Ruhui hadn’t met the man next to her, but he could guess that he was probably Yan Jinyu, the Yan clan member from Youzhou whom Jiang Xueya had mentioned. His appearance was quite good, especially his height; Zhou Xiaosu only reached his chest. Just now, when they were embracing, Zhou Xiaosu had to stand on a stool to reach his lips.
The system promptly provided an introduction: [Yan Jinyu, the son of the Yan clan of Youzhou, recovered many years ago. Publicly claimed to be eight feet tall, but actually seven feet five. Also, a warm reminder: his hatred value towards you, the host, is very high. Please be cautious in your interactions with him.]
Su Ruhui felt puzzled. Did he have a grudge with Yan Jinyu?
Jiang Xueya and Sang Chiyu also arrived. Five people crowded into one tent, making it feel somewhat cramped, and the atmosphere became tense.
Zhou Xiaosu stepped forward, pulling Yan Jinyu behind her to shield him. She forced a shy smile and said, “Senior Brother, you’re here! I was just about to go greet you. Oh, right,” she introduced Yan Jinyu to Su Ruhui, holding his hand, “This is Yan Jinyu, the eldest grandson of the Prince of Youzhou, who serves in the Reclamation Guard with you. He’s a captain now, and maybe you’ll even work together in the future.”
Yan Jinyu stepped forward and greeted Su Ruhui, “I’ve long admired your reputation. On the day Young Master Su first arrived at the Reclamation Guard, I happened to be out on patrol and unfortunately missed meeting you. But fate is fate, and we’ve met nonetheless. Although my rank is a bit higher than yours, and I am the eldest grandson of the main branch of the Yan clan of Youzhou, you are Junior Sister Xiaosu’s senior brother, so there’s no need to be too formal. Just call me by his name.”
This fellow’s words subtly flaunted his extraordinary status, which left Su Ruhui quite speechless.
“No,” Su Ruhui said with a forced smile, “I am too blessed. Calling the eldest grandson of the main branch of the Yan clan of Youzhou by his name would shorten my life. It’s late, and everyone is tired. I won’t be polite with you; I’ll speak plainly. My junior sister is a bit simple-minded; she can’t move her legs when she sees a handsome man. It’s fine if you two are in love and keep it within proper bounds, but you shouldn’t tempt her to do outrageous things.”
Zhou Xiaosu cried out, “Senior Brother! It’s not what you think—”
“Shut up, I’ll deal with you later,” Su Ruhui glared at her.
Yan Jinyu’s smile stiffened slightly. He said, “This matter was between Xiaosu and me, with mutual consent.”
Su Ruhui waved his hand, “Say what you want. Now, I’m discussing this with you properly. Give me those letters, and I’ll burn them in front of you two. Then we’ll put this matter behind us.”
“Discuss? I how it sounds like coercion? If I don’t hand them over, what then?” Yan Jinyu sneered.
“That depends on whether you hand over the letters or not,” Su Ruhui said.
In the dim candlelight, the two exchanged glances, as if sparks of lightning flashed where their eyes met. Su Ruhui inexplicably felt he had seen this fellow somewhere before, but he couldn’t recall where. Perhaps they had crossed paths in the Reclamation Guard; after all, the mining camp was only so big, and they were bound to run into each other.
As the atmosphere grew tense, Jiang Xueya handed a wine cup to each of them, interjecting to mediate, “Hey, hey, hey, we’re all colleagues, why be so confrontational? Come, come, come, have a drink before talking. Captain Yan, I know, is a fine man. A few days ago, he caught two scouts from the Greedy Wolf Mine during his patrol. He has a promising future. It’s good that Xiaosu is with you. Although it does go against etiquette, as long as the person is good, we senior siblings will be at ease. However, those letters are indeed not good. If they were to get out, how would Xiaosu live? Captain Yan, don’t you agree?”
Yan Jinyu was about to speak when the previously silent Zhou Xiaosu suddenly spoke up.
She said loudly, “We won’t hand them over!”
Both Jiang Xueya and Su Ruhui looked at her. Sang Chiyu, who had been listening with furrowed brows for a while, silently left the tent.
Zhou Xiaosu stepped forward, looking directly into Su Ruhui’s eyes. “Senior Brother, I’m not a child anymore. My body is my own to decide. I’ll let whoever I want see it; you can’t control me.”
“Where did you learn such crooked logic!” Su Ruhui suppressed his anger.
“From you!” Zhou Xiaosu wiped her red eyes. “When we were kids, the three of us always played together. Now you and Senior Sister are out enjoying yourselves, so why should I be confined in a big house? Senior Sister, you don’t know how much I envy you two, doing whatever you want, going wherever you want. You have so many little lovers, and I only have this one. Senior Brother, you were already causing trouble everywhere at fifteen, chasing cats and walking dogs. I’m only being willful this one time. Besides, I’m not like you and Senior Sister, just playing around. Young Master Yan and I are truly in love and intend to spend our lives together. Why are you trying to control me!?”
Jiang Xueya helplessly held her forehead.
Su Ruhui almost choked with anger. He took a deep breath to suppress the urge to hit her. This girl was pampered and had been clueless since childhood. Didn’t Su Ruhui know what men were like? If Yan Jinyu truly loved her, why would he let her send nude portraits? Yuzhou and Youzhou were one south and one north. If anything went wrong with the letters and others saw them, her life would be ruined.
Well, ultimately, Su Ruhui and Jiang Xueya’s impropriety had set a bad example. With Zhou Xiaosu’s retort, both were at a loss for words.
Yan Jinyu bowed again, his smile growing deeper. “Commander Jiang, Young Master Su, I apologize, but Xiaosu disagrees.”
Both sides were at a stalemate. Zhou Xiaosu and Yan Jinyu refused to hand them over, looking deeply in love, making Su Ruhui seem like a villain breaking up a loving couple. After some more bickering, Su Ruhui was about to roll up his sleeves for a fight when Sang Chiyu suddenly returned, holding a stack of letters.
He handed them to Jiang Xueya and said, “Check them.”
No one could have imagined that this fellow had taken advantage of their argument to sneak into Yan Jinyu’s tent and retrieve the letters.
Jiang Xueya turned her back to the others, opened the letters, flipped through them, and nodded. “These are them.”
Without another word, she placed them on a candle and burned them.
Yan Jinyu’s face was as black as the bottom of a pot. He said, “Sang Chiyu, you privately searched my tent, which is a violation of military orders.”
Sang Chiyu said coldly, “Three days ago, Beichen Hall issued an order to regularly search soldiers’ tents for Wushi Powder.” He then extended his hand, revealing several packets of powder in his palm. “Your tent had three packets. According to regulations, you should be punished with twenty military floggings.”
Su Ruhui hadn’t expected Sang Chiyu to stick up for him like this. He smiled and reached for the Wushi Powder in Sang Chiyu’s hand, saying, “However, considering Captain Yan cooperated by handing over the letters, we’ll cover this up for you. No need to thank us.”
“No,” Sang Chiyu said expressionlessly, avoiding Su Ruhui’s hand. “Military law is ironclad; there can be no favoritism. Captain Yan, please go and receive your punishment. Furthermore, unauthorized personnel are not allowed in the Reclamation Guard. I will send someone to escort Miss Zhou back to Yuzhou.”
Zhou Xiaosu panicked, “Who are you? Why should I listen to you!”
Sang Chiyu ignored her and pulled Su Ruhui out by the back of his collar.
“It’s time to sleep,” he said calmly.
Su Ruhui couldn’t overpower Sang Chiyu. As he was pulled backward, he pointed at Zhou Xiaosu, “Stay with Senior Sister obediently. I’ll come back to settle accounts with you tomorrow!—Hey, Sang Chiyu, don’t pull my collar!”
Sang Chiyu dragged Su Ruhui back to the tent. It was late at night. The distant sound of the golden watch echoed. The two stood facing each other in the tent. Su Ruhui felt a little embarrassed and said, “You’ve seen me make a fool of myself. This girl is quite a handful.”
Sang Chiyu was silent for a moment and said, “You are too.”
“…” Su Ruhui coughed a few times, pretending not to hear, and said, “Thank you for today. You should go back and rest.”
Sang Chiyu showed little emotion; he was always quiet and indifferent, his eyes deep and dark, like moonlight reflected in an abyss, making it impossible to guess his thoughts.
“The Reclamation Guard has learned the location of the Greedy Wolf Mine from the Black Street scouts. I will accompany the Alpha Camp’s Heavenly Squad to raid the Greedy Wolf Mine and return to camp tomorrow night,” Sang Chiyu instructed him, “Tomorrow, you must cultivate on your own.”
“When are you leaving?”
“Between 1 and 3 AM.”
Su Ruhui was startled. It was already midnight. Wouldn’t that mean this guy would only get one hour of sleep? Su Ruhui had kept him awake for several days in a row, and raiding the Black Street mine was no easy task. Could he handle it? Su Ruhui felt guilty and somewhat worried.
Before Su Ruhui could speak, Sang Chiyu asked him, “Will you sleep tonight?”
Su Ruhui said righteously, “Of course I will! Don’t worry, I won’t bother you again!”
As soon as he finished speaking, several unruly youths, arm in arm, lifted the tent flap and came in, “Brother Hui, we agreed to fight cocks tonight, how could you…” Their words stopped halfway when they saw Sang Chiyu inside.
Su Ruhui covered his face.
The unruly youths quickly slipped away.
“Sit,” Sang Chiyu pointed to the bed.
“Oh,” Su Ruhui obediently sat down.
Sang Chiyu struck Su Ruhui’s nape with a hand chop. Su Ruhui fainted and fell into the cotton bedding.
This way, he won’t cause any more trouble, Sang Chiyu thought silently. He covered him with the quilt, arranged him into a proper sleeping posture, and turned to leave.