6 One Step at a Time.

The people around stopped clamoring.

Zhi Rui was standing with her back to the tied woman. She stared at the crowd and said.

"What are you all doing!? are you god!? are you a judge of this country!?

Within what right, do you execute this woman?indecency? petty theft?

if that were enough for hanging, not one person here would be alive!

Suddenly the quiet crowd started to scream. they couldn't accept her words, even more since she's interrupting a rare chance of entertainment.

"Young lady, please!Step aside, this is my wife! not even the heavens can get between a man and his woman!"

The grotesque old man with glass on his hand wore an enraged expression as he exclaimed.

Zhi Rui turned and stared at the man in the eye.

but before she said anything the tied woman shrieked

"You drunkard bastard! you sold me as a whore to pay the money you lost on gambling, and now that you don't need me anymore, you want to kill me

and appear as a righteous person!?

Zhi Rui smiled coldly at him.

The old man choked and started to sweat, but soon regained his righteous indignation.

"See!?that whore can't stop lyingand humiliating me, even now!"

The crowd cheered loudly in support.

Zhi Rui put on a resigned face and spoke,

" but what if you're lying? god is all knowing, but I'm not.

She suddenly laughed aloud and exclaimed.

"I know! why don't we ask all the men around that have been with your wife,to testify? of course, they'll all be under oath. What do you think?"

The man turned pale. He wanted to attack this random girl and carry on, but then heard someone's whisper at his side.

"She's General Cheng's daughter, Cheng Zhi Rui."

That was all it took. The men stopped in place. and suddenly started crying and pleading

"Young lady please forgive me I've had just been enlighted, the light told me to not give in to anger, I don't want to kill her, it was only a moment of foolishness Young lady."

the man kneeled and looked at the sky

"please oh all-powerful god of light forgive my wrongdoings."

Zhi Rui looked at the man in awe, such a quick-thinking! Then she saw the soldier that had carried her, getting out from the man's side and understood.

Ignoring everybody else around, she turned to the front of the tied woman and spoke in a tone for everybody to hear.

"You have lived a tormented and wicked life and had no other choice but to do what you did! And the light of God is forgiving with the powerless."

Zhi Rui, with the dagger she always carries on herself, cut the woman's rope and proclaimed.

"From today onwards you're my, Cheng Zhi Rui's personal maid."

The now free woman looked at the deep green eyes and threw herself at Zhi Rui's foot crying and thanking the god of light.

Suddenly there was a clap, then the whole crowd cheered.

What was an execution ground now became, a ceremony of redemption?

Zhi Rui surveyed the crowd, with a calm, cold expression, thinking inwardly.

Yes, this is how it should be, cold and calculating.

applaud for death now, then clap for life right after.

Bow in respect today, execute in disdain tomorrow.

this way is easy to predict, and easy to control.

Zhi Rui snapped away from her thoughts and helped the woman to her feet.

then both of them walked back to the general store's entrance, as the crowd opened the way still applauding.

Zhi Rui stared at the tavern across the store. In the corner, the woman with leather armor was still there, but the other three men were gone.

the woman gave a discreet nod in Zhi Rui's direction.

Getting her response, Zhi Rui went to her brother who was holding both horses alone.

"Where is the soldier?" Zhi Rui asked him.

Zheng li looked at her eyes with the same unchanged expression and spoke.

"He tried to attack a woman in the alley beside the store so I executed him."

Zhi Rui was amazed. Not from the content of the talk, but the fact that he talked.

She stared at him.

then she thought to herself

"attacked a woman? it hasn't been even five minutes since he left the crowd, and one of Cheng family's soldier risking such thing at this time? a huge crowd a lot of lights?"

Suddenly she realized, that is her brother's reaction to her coming together with the soldier.

she started thinking. "so, Jealousy? or the fact that I reject his hand when I got on the other horse?

maybe he thinks I'm some kind of pure being because of the old Zhi Rui?

and what about my change? He didn't seem to care about it. weird"

Zhi Rui sighed inwardly. "this is the problem with dealing with crazy people.

I can't guess, have to observe. having someone doing everything you want, sounds tempting but it takes too much risk."

suddenly she grabbed his hair and jerked his face close to hers.

they bumped heads but she didn't let go. Instead, she grabbed his jaw with her other hand, and gave him a quick peck, then whispered.

"You're a good boy, but don't kill anyone around me without my permission again, even if I have sex with whoever all night! If I don't give the word,

you just put up with it. understood, pervert?!"

Staring at the deep green abyss, Zheng li could only nod meekly.

Zhi Rui released him, put the woman up on his horse, then went to mount the other one.

On the way back Zhi Rui thought about the success of her preparations.

She now has the mercenary woman as a contact, and can easily have information on the underground and hidden parts of the city through her.

that type of information will be vital if she wants to have power outside of the General's eyes.

And to be secure and remain low key, she got the personal maid.

who'll be exchanging the messages with the mercenary woman.

this way if for any reason a problem occurs, the word of a woman who came from the slums, can't harm the image of the virtuous general's daughter.

With that, she can study more relieved.

the only loss is not knowing where Zheng li's abnormal behavior towards her came from. it seems useful for her now, but that can change as soon as she blinks. Not reliable, better use him only if truly needed.