Chapter 172

Chapter 172: Hidden Joy

In truth, when You Bing Yue spent time with Du Zi Heng and the others, she hardly held back her true nature. She used that bold, bossy temper to win many hearts. In this era, there were plenty of gentle, soft girls, but very few as special as her.

Still, being bossy did not mean she could ignore reason. Besides, when she was overbearing with them before, she never harmed their interests. At most her words were a bit cold and hard, but she still gave them the benefits they deserved. Now she opened her mouth and wanted someone else’s credit?

Liu Fei Yang’s eyes turned sharp as he said: “Miss You, that is not right. If not for Official Yu, we would all have died here. The credit should be hers.”

Du Zi Heng frowned and agreed: “If not for Zhi Yi today, none of us would be alive.”

You Bing Yue looked at me and at them with clear disappointment as she asked: “Have you forgotten what task I took?”

Only then did everyone remember the posted reward.

Li Chang Huai pressed a hand to his aching chest, shot Yu Zhi Yi a hidden, resentful look, and said coldly: “The task Miss You took was to find out what happened in Cao South Village thirty years ago and catch the killer.”

“Her task never included catching ghosts.”

Ou Yang Shuo nodded: “Right. Even though Cao Zhao Di is a Vengeful Ghost and has stayed in the village all these years, she never hurt anyone, and she was not the one who did those things back then. So Miss You catching the real killer, Cao Yao Zu, has nothing to do with the female ghost.”

Liu Fei Yang blinked: “You can twist it like that?”

Li Chang Huai tapped his folded fan against his palm and gave Yu Zhi Yi a half-smile as he said: “If I am right, Official Yu came to clear out the ghostly trouble in Cao South Village. If so, your task does not conflict with Miss You’s task. Miss You taking Cao Yao Zu does not hinder you.”

“Also, Miss You will deliver Cao Yao Zu to the Court of Judicial Review in the end. Even if your task includes finding the truth, it still changes nothing. Either you confirm it or Miss You confirms it. It is all the same, is it not?”

“You already took Miss You’s beloved, so do not take her task too.”

He turned to Du Zi Heng and added: “You Lin, I know you stand by your sweet wife now. But even if you have someone new, you should not forget who saved you. Do not forget, if Miss You had not happened to know Master Ou Yang, the illusion made by Cao Zhao Di would have killed us the moment we entered the village.”

Du Zi Heng had wanted to say something, but after hearing this he could not speak further.

Yu Zhi Yi gave him a cool look, then fixed her eyes on You Bing Yue and asked: “Are you sure you want to take the credit?”

A shadow of gloom flashed through You Bing Yue’s gaze. She hated those four words, “steal the credit.” She also did not want to lose face in front of Yu Zhi Yi. But she truly needed this credit.

If she wanted to be a famous bounty hunter, she needed big achievements to build her name. Only then could she go farther in the future and stand as an equal with high officials and nobles even as a commoner. Most important of all, the thought that Yu Zhi Yi had fought the ghost so hard, yet the credit would land on her own head, filled her with a secret delight: [This will be mine in the end.]

As the former queen of the night, she did not only charge in headfirst. She could also play soft and pitiful when needed.

Her expression changed. She put on a bleak smile and said: “Official Yu, I know your skills are strong, but I have already given Zi Heng to you. This job, I really do not want to give it up.”

She never mentioned that this so-called job was completed by Yu Zhi Yi alone.

Yu Zhi Yi glanced at Ou Yang Shuo and smiled: “All right, then I will give you the credit. I will wait for you to deliver Cao Yao Zu and close the case.”

“This unsolved case once shook the city and then lay cold for thirty years. That is no small merit.”

Her smile carried a deeper meaning.

You Bing Yue felt uncomfortable under that look, but she did not think too hard on it. She believed Yu Zhi Yi was only unwilling and speaking in a sour tone on purpose.

Sour or not, it did not matter. Words would not take a bite of her. So what if she listened?

She thought: once she secured this merit and climbed higher on the bounty hunter path, this woman would learn how foolish she had been today. A truly smart woman never clings to a moment’s quarrel.

She smiled brightly and said with true joy in her eyes: “Thank you, Official Yu.”

Who would not smile? This credit was tied to fame and also to one hundred taels of gold. One hundred taels of gold could be exchanged for a thousand taels of silver. She needed money right now, because she was building the image of a strong, independent woman. How could a strong woman ask a man for money every day?

Thinking this, she gave Yu Zhi Yi a small, hidden look of disdain. This woman wore gold and jade, but anyone could guess her wealth came from Minister Yu and the Du Clan. How could that compare to an independent woman who earned huge sums by her own hands?

And there was Yiluan Charity too. The thought that this woman might also be a traveler like her, and that she used Du Zi Heng’s money to set up a charity to polish her name, made You Bing Yue furious.

Still, she did not plan to tear off that layer of paper yet. She had to secure the credit and get the money first. Then she would rip away the mask and see how that woman would keep acting high and pure, as if above the world.

With the matter settled, Yu Zhi Yi did not want to waste another moment here and planned to take the main road back to the Capital City.

Liu Fei Yang was shocked when he heard this and said: “No way. Are you not tired?”

He added, frowning: “Even if you are not tired, your horse will be. Even a so-called thousand-li horse needs rest. You made it run hundreds of li today. If you do not let it rest and push it again, it might die before reaching the Capital City.”

Yu Zhi Yi gave him a puzzled look. Since a moment ago, he kept coming over to get her attention. Was this person not a die-hard fan of hers? It had nothing to do with her.

She did not want to deal with rich young lords and did not want to stir up trouble between You Bing Yue and her supporters. She said nothing more, mounted, and rode off.

Her horse would be fine. With her Spiritual Energy nourishing it, even running a full day and night would not harm it.

Seeing that Yu Zhi Yi really meant to ride through the night, You Bing Yue grew anxious. This woman was too sly. She agreed on the surface not to fight over the credit, then turned around to rush back first.

Why return to the capital? Of course to lock down the credit.