Chapter 40

A group of people walked on the official road, with several spirited horses in front and behind. Each rider carried weapons such as swords and knives.

In the middle were several carts, one of which was a simple-looking carriage.

A woman dressed gallantly on horseback glanced at the sky, then rode up to the carriage. After tidying herself up, she spoke, “Young Master Shi—”

As soon as she spoke, laughter erupted from behind. Someone mimicked her by pinching their throat and said, “Young Master Shi—”

The woman turned her head and glared, drawing her sword and pointing it at the person as a warning. Then she turned back with a different expression and spoke softly, “Young Master Shi, we still have a long way to go before the next city. We’ll rest here tonight and continue our journey tomorrow morning. I’ll boil some hot water for you both to freshen up later.”

Inside the carriage, Shen Yu looked distressed and cleared her throat. “Miss He, thank you for your trouble.”

“No trouble at all,” He Xuehui said. After speaking, she rode to the back and fiercely whipped the horse of the person who imitated her.

Xie Tingzhou leaned back on the cushion and chuckled, listening to the sound of the horses fading away. He then said slowly, “Miss He seems to have a discerning eye.”

Shen Yu turned silently, her back to Xie Tingzhou.

She wondered if He Xuehui was blind. With Xie Tingzhou, such a remarkable person, right here, she had been frequenting Shen Yu with attentiveness these past few days.

This matter began with their separation from the father-in-law.

After crossing the river that day, Xie Tingzhou wasn’t feeling well, and his pace was slow. They walked ten miles from early morning to noon. Fortunately, they encountered a convoy after reaching the official road.

The convoy took them along for a while before parting ways.

The convoy earned their money through hard work, so taking them along was already a generous gesture.

That night, they originally stayed at the poorest inn in Pingtan County. After nightfall, Shen Yu quietly left the inn while Xie Tingzhou was asleep.

By the time they woke up in the morning, the convoy was waiting at the inn’s entrance, saying they were already planning to escort goods to Shengjing and could take them along.

But changing their minds overnight, and with such a courteous attitude, Xie Tingzhou didn’t believe they hadn’t paid.

But where did the money come from was a question.

The carriage stopped in a sheltered place from the wind. Since it was bitterly cold outside, they didn’t get out of the carriage.

Xie Tingzhou used two fingers to push aside the curtain and looked outside. From the corner of his eye, he saw Shi Yu take out two buns from her bag and handed one to him.

“Do you want one?” Shi Yu asked.

Xie Tingzhou let go, and the curtain fell back on the window.

Seeing him not taking it, Shen Yu ate hers by herself.

Xie Tingzhou watched silently, then lay back and said, “Since you have so much money, why endure this hardship?”

Ahem, ahem Suddenly choked by the dry bun, Shen Yu pounded her chest forcefully.

Xie Tingzhou looked at her for a moment, then slapped her back, and finally, she managed to swallow the last bite.

“I don’t have any money,” Shen Yu defended herself.

Xie Tingzhou propped his head on his hand. “Then you have to ask yourself where it came from. I’m curious about that too.”

In fact, Xie Tingzhou had woken up when Shen Yu left secretly that night. But he remained silent, watching her leave and then return secretly. The next morning, the convoy came, and without money, this wouldn’t have been possible.

His gaze was firm, seeing through Shen Yu’s every move.

Xie Tingzhou was not easily fooled. Common excuses would never work on him.

Shen Yu thought for a moment. Pure lies were easy to debunk, so the most difficult to unravel were lies mixed with truth.

“I went out that night.”

“Yeah, I know,” Xie Tingzhou said.

Shen Yu couldn’t help but be surprised. Three days had passed since they left the convoy, and only now did he ask.

She secretly rejoiced that she hadn’t lied just now; otherwise, Xie Tingzhou would have seen through it immediately.

She glanced at Xie Tingzhou. He was leaning against the soft cushion, tapping his fingers on his bent knee, as if waiting for an answer.

“After I went out, I went to a wealthy merchant’s house in the city,” Shen Yu paused, gauging his reaction, then continued, “and borrowed some money.”

“Borrowed?” Xie Tingzhou raised a slight smile. “Stealing is stealing, even if it’s ‘borrowing’.”

Shen Yu felt indignant. “Robbing the rich to help the poor. Besides, we’re both impoverished now.”

Otherwise, where did the carriage come from? Where did the convoy come from? Without money, could you relax here comfortably? Could your precious body withstand it?

“Don’t stare at people so much when you’ve done something bad,” Xie Tingzhou said. “Your eyes can’t hide anything.”

Lately, it seemed he had developed a habit. He felt like something was missing if he didn’t tease Shi Yu every day.

Shen Yu suddenly withdrew her gaze. “It’s true that it was stolen, but it wasn’t enjoyed by the pal… wasn’t it you? So this money should also be considered as your debt.”

Xie Tingzhou noticed that this person often pushes things too

far.

Originally, she was respectful to him in the military, but after spending time together these past few days, she became more unrestrained.

Xie Tingzhou found it amusing to watch her and asked, “So, how much did you steal… borrow?”

Shen Yu almost burst out laughing and took out a stack of silver notes from her chest.

Xie Tingzhou took them and flipped through them, still warm from Shen Yu’s body heat.

He nodded slightly. “Quite a lot. You’re quite skilled at ‘borrowing.'”

Shen Yu pursed her lips. “You’d better not praise me.”

She reached out to take them, but Xie Tingzhou raised his hand and didn’t give them to her.

“This is my money,” Shen Yu said seriouly.

Xie Tingzhou casually pointed to the silver notes and said, “Didn’t you say it counts as me owing you? Since it’s something I owe, then the principal should naturally fall into my hands, shouldn’t it?”

Shen Yu had to admit defeat.

Since he was naturally good at arguing, why bother making things difficult here? Why not go for a debate instead?

Having teased her enough, Xie Tingzhou threw the silver notes into her lap, smiled, and said, “Take care of it. With such a large sum of money, beware of being robbed or cheated.”

Shen Yu tucked the silver notes into her bosom and whispered, “If I die, I’ll die with you. But don’t worry, I’ll be your guard on the road to the underworld.”

Xie Tingzhou’s smile remained, but the warmth in his eyes gradually cooled.

He remembered that woman lying on the ground screaming at him.

She said, “Xie Yun, you deserve to die miserably. A person like you deserves to live a lonely life, and after death, you’ll fall into the deepest hell forever.”

Xie Tingzhou quietly watched Shen Yu.

If that woman were still alive, he would definitely make her come and see.

Look, someone is willing to accompany me on the road to the underworld. Everything you said was wrong.

Shen Yu didn’t notice his expression. She tucked away the silver notes and opened the curtain to get out of the carriage.

As the curtain fell, she turned and stared at the carriage for a few moments.

She breathed a sigh of relief, finally having deceived Xie Tingzhou.

The sky was already dark, and a bonfire burned nearby.

Shen Yu sat down by the bonfire, took a stick, and poked around in the fire, lost in thought.

That night, after she sneaked out, she went to the shop opened by the Lu family in the city.

In previous years, she either stayed at the border or at her grandmother’s house in Hezhou. She had once helped manage their accounts, and she carried the Lu family’s seal. As long as it was a shop of the Da Zhou Lu family, she could withdraw money.

But she couldn’t let Xie Tingzhou know. Once her identity was exposed, whether she could continue to stay by Xie Tingzhou’s side was a big question.

When Lu Yao and Hongqiao left Yanliang Pass, Shen Yu had assigned them tasks.

She wrote two letters, one for Hongqiao to go to Hezhou and deliver the letter to her grandmother, and the other for Lu Yao to return to the capital and deliver the letter to Shen Yan, explaining the arrangements for the family, as well as how to handle the funerals of her father and brother.

Now that she was delayed on the road, she didn’t know if they had completed their tasks.

It seemed that her father’s funeral should have ended by now.

For some reason, she always felt uneasy, as if something was twisting towards her in an uncontrollable direction.