The Bodyguard King's CEO Wife-Chapter 1378: Absolute Trust

"There are two guards ahead," Ye Shikai whispered. There were many rebel soldiers patrolling here, but they were clearly untrained. Despite their numbers, their defense was loose, which provided Ye Shikai and Xue San with a "big gap."

Scratch, scratch.

Ye Shikai moved swiftly and efficiently, quickly taking care of the guards. These large houses were generally not used for habitation but were quite suitable for storing grain.

"Brother Ye, your skills are impressive," Xue San, clinging to the wall, couldn’t help but praise. To take down two people in one move, he must be with the Qin Army.

"Enough chatter. Go up and check the hay to see if it’s a granary. I’ll keep watch for you," Ye Shikai urged him.

"No problem, leave it to me." Xue San pushed with both hands and leaped to the rooftop. To the uninitiated, it might seem like he was pulled up by a rope. His limbs clung to the wall, his speed quick, indeed light as a swallow. If he were in modern times, Xue San would be a master in gymnastics or parkour.

"This kid really has some skills," thought Ye Shikai, who initially believed Xue San was exaggerating. From this display, he wasn’t just a "habitual thief" but a "God Stealer." If he could be recruited into the team, he’d surely be of great use later on.

"Hey, are you done?" Ye Shikai whispered urgently.

"Almost done." Xue San used a dagger to pry open the hay, peeking through several wooden holes.

"Brother Ye, it’s indeed grain inside."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course, it’s true." Xue San leapt gracefully like a wild cat in the night, landing silently and quickly rejoining Ye Shikai.

"It’s so dark inside. Are you sure you didn’t see wrong?" Ye Shikai was still a bit uneasy. Tonight there was no moon, and apart from a few campfires, there was no other light source.

"Don’t worry. These eyes of mine are sharp at night, I couldn’t be mistaken. There are thousands of grain bags in there, at least one or two stones each. These people are bastards; with so much grain, they only give us a little," Xue San cursed, while Ye Shikai quickly calculated in his mind. There were over three thousand people here, but if there were several thousand stones of grain, it could last nearly two months. If the Qin Army and Gong County’s citizens became starved before the rebels did, and if the rebels used the grain to recruit more, the outcome would be disastrous.

"Alright, we’ve scouted out the granary location and situation. This isn’t a place to linger, let’s withdraw quickly."

"Alright, let’s go."

In the dark night, the two successfully rendezvoused with Man Cang and the others without being discovered by the rebels.

"Village Chief, what should we do now?"

"Is the map complete?" Ye Shikai countered.

"Of course. During the day, our brothers scouted the entire camp. Now with the granary’s location, it’s complete." Man Cang pulled out a piece of white cloth from his pocket—this was the map they had just drawn, a skill Ye Shikai had taught the team.

"Alright, let’s take advantage of the dark, leave immediately, and return to the camp. Shangguan should still be waiting for us," Ye Shikai nodded.

"Yes."

Bang.

"Hey, big guy, what are you going to do?" Two flashes of white light passed, and Xue San, looking at the blades on his neck, felt weak in his knees. Man Cang stepped forward to kill him, but Ye Shikai was faster, blocking the blades with a dagger.

"Village Chief, this guy is timid by nature. If we leave, by morning he’ll surely leak the secret to the rebels," Man Cang sheathed his short sword.

"Village Chief, keeping this person is a liability."

"Village Chief, Centurion Man is right."

The other members of the team echoed the sentiment. Ye Shikai glanced at them, then turned to look at Xue San, whose eyes were filled with fear, yet also traces of defiance...

"From now on, Brother Xue San is a member of our team, and like us, he is also part of the Qin Army. According to military law, murdering those of the same unit is an unforgivable capital crime."

"This..."

The group was perplexed but couldn’t argue with Ye Shikai, so they accepted it.

"Well, Brother Xue San, are you willing to join us?"

"Heh, you big fools, what else can you do besides brute force?" Xue San first mocked Man Cang and the others with a sneer. After all, his temperament had been stirred by the earlier events. Then, he turned to Ye Shikai, respectfully bowing with clenched fists.

"Brother Ye, you’re reasonable. From now on, I’ll follow you."

"Alright, let’s leave here immediately."

.................................

Ten miles outside Long Mountain, Qin Army command camp.

"Shangguan, you’re still awake?" Ye Shikai walked straight into the tent with his men, seeing Shangguan Jian and his deputy generals studying a map on the table.

"If you hadn’t come back, I wouldn’t have slept all night," Shangguan Jian patted Ye Shikai’s shoulder, getting straight to the point. "Is the situation clear?"

"Take a look," Ye Shikai placed the map on the table, and everyone crowded around.

"The rebels have enough grain to last one or two months, and by then their numbers will be several times ours. We can’t wait any longer. I suggest we attack tomorrow night, a surprise attack," Ye Shikai spoke with seriousness. The situation was like a snowball; if left unchecked, the rebel momentum would be unstoppable.

"You’re right, there’s no time to lose. I agree with your suggestion," Shangguan Jian said, looking at the annotations on the map, including the guard numbers at each location, clearly marked. This would identify weak defense points for a breakthrough.

"Who is this brother?" At that moment, Shangguan Jian’s gaze fell on Xue San in the corner, who appeared quite frail compared to the others.

"A brother I met inside named Xue San. This operation relied heavily on him," Ye Shikai’s reference to Xue San as a "brother" was enough to assure everyone present. To speak truthfully, many probably couldn’t believe in such a stranger, but since Ye Shikai vouched for him, they accepted it.

"Greetings, officer," Xue San cheerfully stepped forward and shook hands with Shangguan Jian.

"Brother Xue San, do you know the consequences of falsifying military intelligence?" Shangguan Jian asked coldly, intending to test him.

"Xue San is now a member of the Qin Army. He’s familiar with our military orders," Ye Shikai preemptively answered before Xue San could.

"Old Ye, are you sure there’s no issue with this person?"

"He’s now a member of my team. If there’s a problem, I’ll share the same guilt," Ye Shikai confirmed.

"Alright, then tomorrow it’s up to you. If your team can open the gates from the inside, we can claim victory in one strike."