Chapter 87
The servant was right. Hua Yumu and Albert arrived at the palace shortly after.
Albert looked at the three of them, rubbing his temples in frustration.
As Liu Siruo’s direct master, he couldn’t hold back from lecturing her. ” Why did you resort to violence? Couldn’t you have just talked it out? If there was a problem, you could have come to us for help. Now the other two squads are demanding an explanation. What are we supposed to do about this?”
Wakako asked, “Where’s Master?” She was referring to Hua Yumu.
“They’re being blocked at the palace gate by Captain Jing and Captain Yang. They’re still arguing, and it’ll probably take a while.” Albert shook his head. He rarely scolded his apprentices, but this time, he couldn’t help but speak harshly. ” Tell me what happened, from the beginning .”
The three of them remained silent.
Albert said angrily, “Liu Siruo!”
But Liu Siruo only lowered her head and pursed her lips, looking resistant. Albert knew she had a stubborn streak, so he turned to the other two. “Wakako, Lin Lin, you two tell me.”
Wakako opened her mouth, feeling a strong urge to reveal the truth. In her opinion, her sister hadn’t done anything wrong, and it was unfair for her to be punished for this.
But seeing the look Liu Siruo gave her, she could only shake her head and say, “I don’t know.”
Lin Lin did the same, but her eyes suddenly fixed on the direction of the palace gates. “Master Carol?”
Liu Siruo abruptly raised her head.
In the distance, Carol was striding toward them. She had clearly rushed over upon hearing the news; her usually neatly tied long hair hung loose and slightly disheveled. The eyes that were always warm and smiling were now filled with stern seriousness as she stared at them.
She had been out of the city recently, and she hadn’t expected to return at this time.
Carol walked up swiftly and grabbed Liu Siruo by the collar, her face filled with anger. “Was it really you who attacked him?”
She had always treated her junior sister like a younger sister, and she had severely injured the man she liked—three broken ribs, still unconscious…
Seeing the tense atmosphere, Wakako quickly stepped forward and grabbed Carol’s arm, but she was pushed away. Carol continued to glare at Liu Siru, “Yes or no?”
Liu Siruo’s eyes momentarily turned dull. She didn’t struggle or explain. She simply said, “Yes.”
“Why?”
“No reason.”
Carol clenched her fists. “Is this what we’ve taught you all these years?”
Wakako and Lin Lin were afraid that she would lose control and attack, so they quickly pulled her from both sides. Albert also stepped in front of them in time.
After a while, Carol calmed down. She gestured for the two to let go of her, then looked at Liu Siruo again, her face filled with disappointment. “How could you do this?”
She had always thought that Liu Siruo was just a bit headstrong, but she had never found fault with her character. Now, the apprentice she had personally trained might lose her status as a mercenary. How could she not be heartbroken?
Liu Siruo’s expression was calm. She still didn’t offer any explanation, but when she met Carol’s disappointed gaze, the fingers of her hand hanging by her side curled slightly, revealing that she wasn’t as indifferent as she appeared.
Carol said softly to Albert, “Captain is in a difficult situation. I’ll go help him. You stay here in case the Queen summons us.”
She didn’t say anything else and turned to leave.
One step, two steps, until Carol took her third step, Wakako took a deep breath and shouted, “Wait!”
She couldn’t hold it in any longer.
Liu Siruo’s face suddenly changed. She reached out and grabbed Wakako’s shoulder, shouting, “Hey! Shut up!”
She had promised not to say anything!
But Wakako didn’t stop. She just looked at Carol and said, “Senior Sister attacked those two because she caught them visiting a brothel. That’s why the conflict happened.”
No matter how much Liu Siruo wanted to stop her, it was too late; both Carol and Albert had heard.
Finally, the truth was out. Lin Lin also let out a sigh of relief. “Sorry, Senior Sister, but I couldn’t stand by and watch you take the blame… Since there’s a reason, just say it! You’re not mute!”
It wasn’t supposed to be like this…
Liu Siruo felt a surge of panic. She met Carol’s shocked gaze and didn’t know what to say.
The wind seemed to freeze in that moment. Carol asked softly, “Is that true?”
Liu Siruo knew there was no point in hiding anything anymore. She bit her lip hard. “Yes.”
Albert was also stunned by this sudden turn of events. He then quickly caught up to Carol. “Wait, I’ll go with you. Let’s settle this today.”
“As for you, if your two junior sisters hadn’t spoken up, how long were you going to keep this a secret?” He turned back and reprimanded her. “It wasn’t your fault, yet you were going to take the blame?”
The two masters rushed off, leaving the three juniors behind.
Liu Siruo stood there for a while without moving. Even though she had been cleared of a crime she shouldn’t have borne, she looked dejected instead of relieved.
“Why…” She slowly crouched down, her voice weary. “I didn’t want her to know…”
Lin Lin wanted to say something, but she ultimately didn’t. She and Wakako just looked at each other in silence.
They hadn’t missed the momentary despair in Carol’s expression earlier.
***
With the real testimony, the truth was easily confirmed. The mercenaries quickly investigated and found that the two men had indeed attempted to visit a brothel and were beaten up by Liu Siruo, who happened to pass by. It was understandable.
Although internal fighting was strictly forbidden, visiting brothels was also a serious crime. The two men had openly gone to such a place under the guise of being mercenaries, a major violation. As a result, they were the ones who would be dismissed from their positions.
Liu Siruo kept her mercenary status, but she had been too harsh, almost amounting to “abuse of power.” She had to be punished as a warning to others, otherwise, it would be difficult to maintain order.
That night, the Saint had sought out the Queen to discuss the second trial. This time, it wasn’t just the Saint who received instructions from God. The divine temple in the palace also showed the same signs.
The content of the trial was simple, even more straightforward than the last time.
The Saint would choose five people to go to Jinxin Port—the port city where the “Jinxin Raid” had occurred five years ago, where the armory had been burned down.
As for what the five were to do and what would happen when they reached Jinxin Port, no one knew. Everything would be revealed upon arrival, making it even more mysterious and unpredictable than the previous trial.
Liu Siruo’s combat skills weren’t the best in the Alpha Squad, but she wasn’t a liability either. More importantly, she was skilled in disguise, making her an important candidate.
But because of this incident, the Queen crossed Liu Siru’s name off the list.
“She’s impulsive and ultimately not reliable enough.”
She made this judgment as the Queen.
As for the final five, Wakako was naturally chosen. Having her protect the Saint would alleviate many worries. Then there was Hua Yumu. He was skilled in tracking and had been a captain for many years. He had leadership skills and could coordinate well with others.
Carol had already retired from the front lines, and she was prone to old injuries, making her unable to take on this responsibility. As for Albert and Lin Lin…
The Queen pondered for a while and asked the Saint, who was sitting opposite her, “If you had to choose one, who would you choose?”
The Saint lowered her eyes and, after a moment, pointed to Lin Lin.
The Queen still had reservations. “She’s only fifteen. Isn’t she too young?”
The Saint simply smiled and asked, “Ruijun, when you went to the front lines at fifteen, didn’t those old veterans say the same about you?”
Hearing this, the Queen no longer hesitated and made the decision.
As for the last two, one was chosen from the Omega Squad, someone skilled in disguise. Although her skills weren’t as refined as Liu Siruo’s, they were acceptable. The other was Captain Jing from Beta Squad, whose past achievements were impressive.
Thus, the five were assembled.
When Wakako and Lin Lin returned to the mercenary quarters to pack their belongings, Liu Siruo was practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard.
She was petite and had a narrow frame. Her weakness was her lack of strength, but her advantage was her agility. Therefore, she needed lighter weapons to fully utilize her agility.
But Liu Siruo loved to wield heavy swords. Albert had told her many times about this, but she wouldn’t listen. Fortunately, her disguise skills were superb, so even if her martial arts skills were lacking, it didn’t matter.
Wakako watched her struggle to lift the sword. She put down her things, went outside, and walked over to her side. “You need to adjust your grip. It’s too heavy for you, and your wrist keeps twisting…”
Liu Siruo glanced at her. “Are you lecturing your senior sister?”
Despite her words, she obediently adjusted her wrist posture.
After swinging the sword a few more times, Liu Siruo set it down and gently patted Wakako’s shoulder. “Take care of yourself.”
There was a hint of regret in her eyes.
Wakako sat down beside her. “Senior Sister, you wanted to go too, didn’t you?”
“Yeah. But staying behind is fine too.”
They were both orphans. Besides their mercenary identity, they had nothing else. So whenever opportunities arose, they seized them more eagerly than others.
Sensing that she was pretending to be relaxed, Wakako couldn’t help but ask, “Senior Sister, I just don’t get it. If we hadn’t revealed the truth that day, would you really have kept it from Master Carol?”
“Probably.”
“Why? Would you rather have her misunderstand you?”
The heavy sword reflected the bewildered look in Liu Siruo’s eyes. “Of course not.”
Her voice was soft.
“But you saw it too—she hasn’t been the same since that day. She’s been unhappy.”
Carol’s previous lovers had died one after another. Now, she had finally found someone she liked, but he turned out to be a scoundrel who frequented brothels. This was undoubtedly a heavy blow to her.
Later, she apologized to Liu Siruo and thanked her, but the light in her eyes was gone, and she never smiled again.
This was a hurdle only Carol could overcome. No one could help her.
Wakako asked, ” But for you, even if she misunderstood you, you still didn’t want her to get hurt?”
“Of course.”
“Why?”
It was as if Wakako was asking her, but also questioning herself.
Liu Siruo thought for a moment and smiled. “At first, I thought that even though my actions against Zuo were ultimately for her sake, they were still my own decisions. I never expected her to be grateful or anything like that. Whether she misunderstood or got angry, as long as I did what I believed was right, it didn’t really matter…”
She said, “But that day, when you and Lin Lin revealed the truth, I was scared… but I also felt relieved.”
“Maybe I’m not as selfless as I thought.”
Wakako listened quietly.
She stared at a sunflower that had somehow sprouted in the corner.
