Tang Youyou was utterly speechless at his question. Was this guy really that practical?
At a time like this, he was still thinking about such things. Couldn't he tell what was more important? She was actually amused. This guy's thought process really took her by surprise. For a moment, she wondered if she had chosen the wrong teammate.
"Don't worry about that. You'll definitely get your pay, but only if you handle everything properly first," she said.
Xun Rong handed her the waist token in his hand. "With this token, you can get in and out of the military camp smoothly. But you need to hurry. If the king finds out the token is missing, you'll be the first one he suspects."
Tang Youyou knew that well. So while Xun Rong was stealing the token, she had already packed her things.
She didn't have much to carry with her, just two sets of clothes. She also stole a servant's outfit from the next tent. She put it on, tied up her hair, and if she smeared some ash on her face, no one should be able to recognize her easily.
Besides, not many people in the military camp had seen her before, so it should be easy to deceive the guards.
Tang Youyou got everything ready. Seeing Xun Rong looking so calm, as if he were just doing something ordinary, she couldn't tell if he was hiding his nervousness or really that composed.
It was getting late. In the military camp outside, the candles in many tents had been put out. Only a few torches were still burning brightly for illumination.
"What should we say if the guards ask us?" Tang Youyou asked.
"Just say you're a cook going out to buy groceries."
"Who goes out to buy groceries at this time?"
Xun Rong gave her a look as if she were a fool. "Peddlers set up their stalls at the morning market before dawn. Cooks from all the mansions also go to the market before dawn. If they go late, they can only buy the leftovers, which are not fresh. Don't you even know this?"
Tang Youyou was speechless at this seemingly reasonable explanation. She really didn't know about these things. She didn't expect this guy to know so much about the things that only ordinary people knew.
"Oh, I didn't expect you to know so much."
Hearing Tang Youyou's praise, the corners of Xun Rong's mouth involuntarily turned up. He raised his hand, wanting to ruffle her docile hair, but then, remembering the role he was playing at the moment, he immediately pretended to cough to cover it up.
Tang Youyou thought his actions were a bit strange, but then she thought this guy was a bit eccentric anyway, so it seemed reasonable.
Tang Youyou dressed up as a cook going out to buy groceries, while his role remained largely unchanged as usual.
At this time, most of the soldiers were still sound asleep. As they walked on the road, basically no one paid attention to them, except for a few patrolling soldiers at night.
"Who are you?"
On the way, a soldier noticed the two of them. He pointed his sword at them and walked quickly towards them.
Tang Youyou swallowed hard and tried to keep calm.
She glanced at the person beside her and saw that there was not the slightest ripple on his face. It was really enviable to have such a strong heart.
"So it's Guard Xun."
When the man saw Xun Rong's face clearly, he immediately put away his sword. His previously tense attitude became much more gentle.
Only then did Tang Youyou realize that she had been so focused on her own disguise that she had forgotten about the person beside her.
It was all his calm and self - assured attitude that had given her the wrong impression. Now it was bad. They had been recognized. They were probably going to be exposed.
"Yes, you're still on patrol so late. You've worked hard," Xun Rong replied very casually.
The man's gaze shifted to Tang Youyou beside him and asked, "Who is this?"
"Oh, he's a new cook in our military camp. He wants to improve the food for everyone. That's why he's rushing to the market at this time. The peddlers have just set up their stalls. He can buy the freshest fish and meat at this time."
When the man heard that the food was going to be improved, his eyes immediately lit up. "Really? Guard Xun, to be honest, I'm getting tired of the food we've been eating these days. Yesterday, we were still discussing whether to propose adding some more meat or changing the menu. I didn't expect our wish to come true so soon."
Xun Rong smiled. "The king has also noticed. Everyone is about to go to the battlefield, so he wants to improve everyone's food. This was specifically ordered by the king. Look, he even gave me his token and told me to keep an eye on this matter."
"Wow, I didn't expect the king to be so considerate and notice such things."
These soldiers had always lived in the military camp. The number of times they had seen the king could be counted on one hand. They never thought that the king would care about such things. Now, hearing this, they were actually quite touched.
"Guard Xun, then you two should hurry up. Buy a lot of meat. I'll go back and tell everyone about this. The king hasn't forgotten about us. You should hurry up."
The soldier looked extremely overjoyed. Even his steps became much lighter on his way back.
Tang Youyou looked at the guy beside her who could tell lies without blinking an eye. This guy was so much like Rong Xun in this aspect. She really wondered if one day she would be sold by him without even knowing it.
"What are you standing there for? Let's go. Do you want to be discovered by the king?"
She came back to her senses. This wasn't the time to think about these things. Escaping quickly was the most important thing. As for what this guy was up to, she would figure it out later.
Although they had passed the patrolling soldiers, the more important thing next was to deal with the guards at the main gate.
Those guards were all elite soldiers personally selected by Rong Jiangyu to prevent deserters or assassins from getting in.
It wouldn't be easy to deal with them. Tang Youyou clenched her fists tightly. As they were getting closer, she was so nervous that her heart was in her throat.
Suddenly, she felt a big hand pat her on the shoulder. He leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Don't be nervous or worried. I'll take care of everything."
Tang Youyou immediately felt at ease. This long - lost feeling made her very secure, as if the person standing beside her wasn't Xun Rong, whom she had only known for a few days, but Rong Xun.
She didn't know what she was thinking of, but suddenly her nerves twitched.
Rong Xun, Xun Rong. The names of these two people, one of them had the same pronunciation when reversed.
Could it be...
Tang Youyou stared at the face of the person beside her with wide eyes, but the two of them really didn't look alike at all. Especially the scholarly air around this guy was something that Rong Xun lacked.
It was hard to associate the two of them, let alone think that the Xun Rong in front of her was actually Rong Xun.
She shook her head, trying to get this absurd thought out of her mind. Even though she hadn't seen Rong Xun for a long time, she wouldn't mistake one person for another, especially two people with such great differences.