It seed as if he had foreseen this outco long ago. Even though he kept his head down in silence, wishing he could shrink into invisible dust, when Yu Wenye’s cold voice rang out, Mu Xian still forced a bitter expression and said in a resigned tone, "Yes, we accept the command."
Shang Ruyi beca anxious upon hearing this: "Wait, don’t punish them. This matter was my own decision—"
"It has nothing to do with you."
Yu Wenye said coldly, "He should have known the result when he took you to the back mountain."
Shang Ruyi quickly said, "He didn’t take , I went by myself."
"..."
"He just couldn’t stop and was afraid sothing would happen to , so he was forced to bring people to protect ."
"...?"
Yu Wenye frowned, looking at Shang Ruyi: "If it wasn’t for him taking you, how did you find the location of the granary behind Wanggang Village?"
"Uh—"
Shang Ruyi hesitated to speak, her gaze flickering as she lowered her head.
Mu Xian glanced up at him.
Seeming to have sensed sothing amiss, Yu Wenye’s brow furrowed slightly: "Hmm?"
Mu Xian said with a bitter face, "The Young Madam could find it."
"..."
"The Young Madam said if we didn’t go with her, she would go by herself. We had no choice but to follow and protect her, and in passing, set a fire—"
"...!?"
Yu Wenye turned back, sowhat astonished, looking at Shang Ruyi.
"How did you find the granary behind Wanggang Village? Mu Xian and the others knew because during the battle at Xingluo Granary, they ca here to set a fire, but you’ve never been to Wanggang Village. How did you know where their granary was?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi still hesitated to speak.
Yu Wenye shouted angrily, "Speak!"
On the side, Shen Wuzheng frowned.
Although he was also a bit worried about Shang Ruyi regarding this matter, thinking she shouldn’t have taken a risk on her own, seeing Yu Wenye being stern with his sister made his face darken.
He said, "Yu Wenye, in the end, my sister did this not for herself."
"..."
"You should know very well for whom she took the risk."
"..."
Yu Wenye looked at him.
Although they had just been through life and death together, at that mont their exchange of glances was so sharp it seed they might strike sparks. However, beside them, Shang Ruyi sensed sothing and imdiately said, "Brother, I know I was wrong too. I shouldn’t have acted on my own."
After speaking, she softly said to Yu Wenye, "It was, it was what you showed before."
"...?"
Yu Wenye frowned again: "When did I—"
His words paused as if recalling sothing, and Shang Ruyi softly said, "It was the first night we stayed at Ban Yan Temple when you had just received the decree appointing you as Assistant General, knowing the court would definitely send you to attack Xingluo Granary. That night, you used stones to arrange a map in the room."
"..."
"At that ti, I noticed you set up a map that wasn’t of Xingluo Granary."
"..."
"But later, when you captured Xingluo Granary and used Mu Xian and them to detour to the granary of Wanggang Village to set a fire, I was convinced that the map from back then must have been of Wanggang Village’s layout—you had already thought of a feint at that ti."
"..."
"And I rembered that layout."
"..."
For a mont, Yu Wenye was speechless, only frowning slightly, looking at her with a grave expression.
Although he said nothing, it seed as if sothing invisible but forceful was hitting his chest, causing his heartbeat to irregularly throb and ache.
After a long silence, he said, "Return to Yanyue City!"
With that, he turned his horse around and galloped towards the direction of Yanyue City without a word. Because he rode so fast, Shantong’er almost fell off the horse, crying out chaotically. Shang Ruyi and the others had no choice but to follow in pursuit quickly.
Thus, the group returned to that small temple in Yanyue City.
Upon return, Shantong’er naturally caused quite a stir in the temple, especially when the abbot and the other monks saw that the boy had brought back a pair of two hundred jin copper hamrs. Only then did they realize his true identity, leaving them all astonished. Shantong’er also kowtowed in apology to them, feeling guilty for his days of secrecy and causing them concern.
Finally, the old monk looked at his round little disciple kneeling before him and sighed, "So, you will follow them from now on?"
Shantong’er knelt before him, hands together in prayer.
He said, "Master, I cannot stay here; they cannot afford to keep ."
"..."
"Even if I exhaust myself working for the temple, carrying water, collecting firewood, planting a few acres of vegetables, I consu far more than that."
"..."
"Only by staying with people like Brother Xiao and Young Master Yu Wen can I eat my fill."
For so reason, although his words seed humorous, those around felt a tinge of bitterness, even the old monk smiled wryly.
In chaotic tis, who isn’t struggling to survive for the sake of "eating"?
He sighed and said, "So be it, that is your choice, go then."
After saying this, he looked up at Yu Wenye and softly said, "Benefactor, I hear your major affairs have concluded, I wonder—"
Yu Wenye calmly said, "Master, we might have to remain at the temple for another couple of days. Please bear with us. I will also pay for these days’ worth of firewood and rice."
"..."
Upon hearing this, the abbot said nothing, but Shang Ruyi, standing by, was taken aback, turning to look at him.
Not leaving?
Weren’t they previously in a hurry to return to Daxing City to join Duke Sheng, and now that the Wanggang Village affair was settled, why stay?
However, she couldn’t ask at that mont, so she swallowed her doubts silently.
After everyone chatted idly for a while, they were all tired and dispersed, and Shang Ruyi also followed Yu Wenye back to their room.
After washing up, darkness fell, and it was ti to rest.
But when Shang Ruyi, dressed in her nightclothes, entered the room, she found Yu Wenye already in bed, turned away from her, silent, seemingly asleep.
Staring at his back, Shang Ruyi was montarily speechless.
She understood that Yu Wenye was angry.
The night before, she was the one angry with him and didn’t want to talk to him. How did it change after a trip to Wanggang Village, with their roles seemingly reversed?
Besides, she had done the right thing.
Even Shantong’er had secretly told her that they nearly had to fight Xiao Yuansui at Wanggang’s entrance. If it weren’t for the sudden fire at the back mountain’s granary, Xiao Yuansui’s concern for the provisions and the morale within the village might have ant Yu Wenye couldn’t escape unhard.
Clearly, she had saved him.
Why was he still angry?
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