As soon as I put it on, I met a sickly man

The mountain wind howled, carrying fallen leaves and swirling over the village like a restless ghost.

The dilapidated fence, the closed door, and the air were filled with a suffocating depression.

Ding Chen and Master Murong walked quickly across the rugged path, their hearts heavy as lead.

As soon as I stepped into the village entrance, I was surrounded by a group of villagers.

Pairs of eyes, full of anticipation yet mixed with deep worry, seemed to be waiting for the final judgment.

Ding Chen's face was solemn, with deep furrows between his brows, while Master Murong pursed his lips, his eyes as sharp as a knife.

"How is it? Have you found any clues?" an elderly villager asked in a trembling voice, his hands tightly gripping his crutch as if it was his last support.

Ding Chen took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "Found it, but..." He paused, his eyes swept over the crowd, and finally fell on an old man with white hair and a youthful face not far away.

The elder, who usually had a kind face and was highly respected, seemed a little uneasy at this moment, his eyes flickering, and he deliberately avoided Ding Chen's gaze.

"But what?" someone in the crowd asked, with an uncontrollable tremor in his voice.

Young Master Murong took over the conversation, his tone cold: "The clues we found point to... Mr. Wu."

"What?!" A cry of surprise erupted from the crowd, and the villagers stood still as if they had been struck by lightning.

Mr. Wu?

How can this be?

He is the most respected elder in the village and has always been dedicated to protecting the village. How could he be the mastermind behind this?

Elder Wu feigned composure and smiled, then shakily stepped forward on his cane, his tone carrying a hint of grievance: "Chen'er, Young Master, are you mistaken? I'm already old, how could I possibly do such a thing?"

Xiaoxuan walked out of the crowd, her face also full of shock and confusion.

She has always respected Mr. Wu and regarded him as her elder. Now, hearing the news, her heart is like a turmoil.

She looked at Ding Chen,

Ding Chen didn't say anything, but took out a yellowed parchment from his arms and slowly unfolded it.

The parchment scroll clearly recorded the evidence of Mr. Wu's collusion with external forces, as well as the details of his secret experiments using villagers.

"Mr. Wu, do you have anything else to say?" Ding Chen's voice was low and powerful, like a thunder, exploding over the quiet village.

Old Wu's face turned pale in an instant, his lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a word.

He subconsciously took a step back.

Xiaoxuan covered her mouth in disbelief, tears welling up in her eyes.

She could never have imagined that the person she had always respected would actually be...

"I..." As Wu Lao opened his mouth, Ding Chen suddenly stepped closer, staring at him with a sharp gaze, his tone as cold as ice: "You'd better tell the truth!"

Old Wu's face turned from pale to livid. He slammed his cane and roared, "Ridiculous! I have lived a pure life. How can you slander me like this? This parchment is clearly a forgery!" He pointed at Ding Chen with a trembling hand, anger burning in his cloudy eyes. "What are you outsiders up to? How dare you sow discord and destroy the peace of the village!"

Ding Chen's eyes were as firm as a rock, and he was not moved at all.

He stared at Elder Wu coldly, his tone filled with unquestionable majesty: "Elder Wu, at this point, are you still trying to quibble? The handwriting on this parchment was written by you yourself!"

The villagers looked at each other and whispered.

Some people believed in Mr. Wu's innocence, while others firmly believed in Ding Chen's words.

The seeds of doubt spread among the crowd, and the originally peaceful village was now filled with suspicion and anxiety.

The air seemed to freeze, making it suffocating.

At this moment, Master Murong suddenly stepped forward and took out a letter from his sleeve. There was a bright red seal on the envelope.

"This is the secret letter I found in Old Wu's room," Young Master Murong said calmly, but it was like a bomb exploding among the crowd. "The letter clearly states that Old Wu is colluding with the bandits and plotting to seize the village!"

When Mr. Wu saw the letter, he was as if he had seen a ghost. His face turned pale instantly and his lips trembled, but he could not make any sound.

His eyes widened in horror.

When the villagers saw the secret letter with the bright red seal, they suddenly understood.

Their original trust in Mr. Wu completely collapsed at this moment.

It turns out that the elder they have always respected is actually a conspirator hiding in the dark!

Ding Chen looked at Master Murong approvingly, secretly admiring his cleverness.

He turned to Mr. Wu and said in a cold tone, "Mr. Wu, what else do you have to say now?"

Old Wu collapsed on the ground, his eyes empty, like a puppet without a soul.

He opened his mouth, but only a faint sigh came out: "I... I..."

Suddenly, the sound of hurried horse hooves came from afar, breaking the tranquility of the village.

A man in black rode over, pulled the reins in front of everyone, dismounted, and hurriedly walked up to Elder Wu, whispering, "Elder, something terrible has happened..."

Xiaoxuan's tears finally burst out, but it was not sadness, but joy of relief.

She suddenly threw herself into Ding Chen's arms, wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, buried her head in his chest, feeling his warmth and strength.

Ding Chen smiled gently, stroked her hair lightly, and whispered in her ear: "It's okay, everything is over." He hugged her tightly, as if he wanted to rub her into his body.

Young Master Murong stood aside, watching the scene with satisfaction, a faint smile on his lips.

His connection with the village has become closer because of this crisis.

However, at this tender moment, something strange happened.

Old Wu, who was slumped on the ground, suddenly jumped up, with a crazy gleam in his eyes.

He let out a sharp whistle, pulled out a sharp dagger from his crutch, and pointed it at Ding Chen: "You little beasts, how dare you ruin my plan! I want you all dead!"

The howling sounded like a signal, and a group of men in black emerged from every corner of the village.

They held sharp blades in their hands and had ferocious faces, like evil spirits crawling out of hell.

These assassins are the secret force secretly cultivated by Old Wu. Now, he has finally torn off the mask of hypocrisy and revealed his ferocious fangs.

"Protect Xiaoxuan!" Ding Chen growled, pushed Xiaoxuan behind Master Murong, and drew his sword to meet the man in black who was rushing towards him.

Young Master Murong drew his sword without hesitation to help. Although he looked weak, his swordsmanship was extremely sharp. After a few rounds, he knocked down several men in black.

The villagers also picked up hoes, sticks and other tools and joined the battle.

Although they had not received professional training, they were fearless and fought bravely to protect their homes.

The village square instantly turned into a chaotic battlefield.

The sound of swords and sabers flashed and the air was filled with a strong smell of blood.

Ding Chen fought against ten people alone with ease.

His swordsmanship was exquisite and every move was deadly, so the man in black couldn't get close to him at all.

While fighting, he vigilantly observed the movements around him, looking for any trace of Old Wu.

He knew that Old Wu was the key to this battle.

Suddenly, Ding Chen felt a fierce murderous aura coming from behind him.

He turned around suddenly and saw Old Wu stabbing at him with a dagger in his hand.

The dagger was flashing with a faint blue light, and it was obviously poisoned.

"Ding Chen, be careful!" Xiaoxuan exclaimed.

Ding Chen dodged the dagger by leaning sideways, and turned the sword tip, pointing it directly at Mr. Wu's throat.

"Go to hell!" Old Wu roared and pounced on Ding Chen again.

"Stop!" A crisp voice suddenly sounded.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a woman in white riding a white horse galloping from a distance.

She swung the long whip in her hand like a spirit snake, knocking several men in black to the ground.

"Who are you?" Ding Chen asked vigilantly.

The woman pulled the reins, dismounted, walked up to Ding Chen, and smiled slightly: "I am Bai Ling, and I have been ordered to come here..." She paused, her eyes fell on Old Wu, "Capture the traitor!"

The sword shines like snow, and the knife shadows fly.

Ding Chen's swordsmanship was sharp and swift, and each move carried the force of thunder. The men in black were as fragile as scarecrows in front of him and fell to the ground one after another.

Young Master Murong was light and graceful, and he used his sword to strike an unconventional path, using clever moves to dissolve the attacks of the man in black. The cold light flashing on the tip of his sword was frightening.

Although the villagers were not as good as them in martial arts, they fought bravely with their numerical advantage and determination to defend their homes. For a while, the shouts of killing shook the sky and the land of the village was dyed red with blood.

Gradually, the men in black began to fall apart, and their originally fierce offensive became slow and weak.

They were covered with wounds, and finally, the last man in black fell in a pool of blood, and all the assassins were wiped out.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Mr. Wu's face turned pale as paper. He turned around and tried to escape, but Ding Chen grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up like a chicken.

"Want to run? Not that easy!" Ding Chen's tone was cold, with flames of anger flashing in his eyes.

When the villagers saw Mr. Wu being captured, they cheered and the fear and anger that had been suppressed for a long time were finally released.

They surrounded Mr. Wu and denounced him for his betrayal and crimes.

The crisis in the village was finally completely resolved, the sun shone on everyone's face again, and dispelled the haze that had shrouded the village.

Just as everyone was celebrating their victory, a strange light suddenly appeared in the sky, like a huge crack, tearing the night apart.

There seemed to be some secret hidden in the light, emitting a mysterious and dangerous aura.

"What is that?" Xiaoxuan pointed to the sky with a hint of fear in her tone.

Ding Chen and Master Murong also looked up at the sky, their expressions becoming solemn.

Bai Ling narrowed her eyes, a strange light flashed in them, and she muttered to herself: "It seems that things are not over yet..." She jumped on the horse, waved the long whip in her hand, and pointed to the distance, "Let's go!"