From cannon fodder villain to beloved heroine

The footsteps outside the cave disappeared, and Yan Ruyu held her breath, listening carefully to the sounds around her.

In the silent cave, she could almost hear her own heartbeat.

Suddenly, a ray of light shone in from the cave entrance, and a dark figure darted in.

The person who came was Xiaodie, and she was carrying a bowl of steaming porridge.

"Miss Yan, you must be hungry, right? I secretly brought this for you," Xiao Die said in a low voice, with a concerned smile on her face.

Yan Ruyu took the porridge, but her heart was filled with worry.

She knew that Elder Mo had been monitoring her and Xiaodie, and Xiaodie's actions would undoubtedly arouse his suspicion.

She glanced around discreetly and noticed two guards watching them intently outside the cave entrance.

Yan Ruyu subtly extracted information from Xiao Die, learning that Elder Mo had begun to suspect her and was preparing to interrogate her.

A chill ran through her as she realized she had to find a way to notify Xiaodie as soon as possible, or the consequences would be unimaginable.

She casually brought up Elder Mo's recent activities, observing Xiao Die's reaction.

Xiaodie, however, remained oblivious, continuing to innocently recount the interesting stories of the sect.

Yan Ruyu was anxious, but dared not show it. She could only subtly remind Xiaodie to be careful.

"Xiaodie, have you felt lately... that someone is following you?" Yan Ruyu asked tentatively.

Xiao Die was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said, "Miss Yan, you're overthinking it. This is our sect, who would follow me?" Yan Ruyu was about to say something more when she heard an angry shout from outside the cave: "Xiao Die! What are you doing?" Elder Mo walked in with a gloomy face, staring intently at Yan Ruyu and Xiao Die.

"Elder Mo, I've only come to bring Miss Yan some food," Xiao Die said timidly.

"Sending food? I think you're trying to tip someone off!" Elder Mo roared, grabbing Xiao Die's wrist and dragging her out.

"Elder Mo, let her go! Xiao Die doesn't know anything!" Yan Ruyu rushed forward, trying to stop Elder Mo.

"Shut up! You have no right to speak here!" Elder Mo shoved Yan Ruyu aside and threw her hard to the ground.

"Elder Mo, you've gone too far!" Yan Ruyu struggled to her feet, glaring at Elder Mo. "What right do you have to arrest her? She didn't do anything!"

"I know perfectly well what she did!" Elder Mo sneered. "Do you think I don't know what you two are up to? Don't think I don't know you're secretly passing messages!"

"You're spouting nonsense!" Yan Ruyu roared. "We didn't pass on any messages at all!"

"Whether it is or not, we'll find out soon enough!" Elder Mo snorted and led Xiao Die to the council hall.

Hearing the commotion, Sect Leader Ling also rushed over.

He looked at the two men, who were on the verge of exchanging blows, and asked in confusion, "What's going on?"

Elder Mo pointed at Yan Ruyu and said, "Sect Leader, this woman is colluding with spies and intends to harm our sect!"

"Elder Mo, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want!" Yan Ruyu retorted without backing down. "What evidence do you have to prove that I colluded with spies?"

"Hmph! Evidence? I..." Elder Mo was about to speak, but suddenly stopped, his eyes flickering uncertainly.

"Elder Mo, tell me, where's the evidence?" Yan Ruyu pressed on, "Are you just making things up?"

Elder Mo's face turned ashen. He glared fiercely at Yan Ruyu and said, "You...you just wait!"

Yan Ruyu's lips curled into a cold smile, her eyes sharp as knives, piercing directly into Elder Mo's flickering eyes.

"Elder Mo, you keep accusing me of colluding with spies, yet you can't produce a single piece of evidence. Could it be that your so-called 'spies' don't even exist, and are just lies you fabricated to eliminate dissidents?"

Elder Mo's expression changed, a hint of panic flashing in his eyes, but he forced himself to remain calm and said, "You're talking nonsense! How could I possibly..."

Yan Ruyu gave him no chance to catch his breath and continued, "Elder Mo, have you been frequenting gambling dens lately and losing a lot of money? I heard you also owe the gambling den owner a large debt, and to pay it off, you even embezzled public funds from the sect. Could it be that your so-called 'spy' is just a pretext to divert everyone's attention?"

These words caused an uproar in the council chamber.

Everyone looked at Elder Mo, whose face turned from white to green, then from green to purple, looking like an overripe eggplant, extremely ugly.

Xiaodie glanced at Yan Ruyu gratefully, her heart filled with admiration.

She hadn't expected Yan Ruyu to be so clever, able to see through Elder Mo's scheme at a glance.

Meanwhile, the male protagonist, Xu, is trekking through mountains and rivers in search of Yan Ruyu's whereabouts.

He overcame numerous obstacles and difficulties, with only one belief in his heart: to find her and protect her.

He imagined the scene of reuniting with Yan Ruyu, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.

Yan Ruyu also sensed Xu's longing for her, which strengthened her resolve to escape.

She looked up at the window, her eyes sparkling with hope.

"Sect Leader Ling," Yan Ruyu's voice was clear and firm, "I have a suggestion..."

Yan Ruyu smiled slightly, turned to Sect Leader Ling, and her eyes gleamed with confidence.

"Sect Leader Ling, I have a suggestion that might resolve the feud between your sect and the Xu family."

Sect Leader Ling's previously furrowed brows relaxed, and he asked with interest, "Oh? What suggestion? Tell me about it."

"How about..." Yan Ruyu paused deliberately, her gaze sweeping over everyone before finally settling on Elder Mo, "how about we have a martial arts contest to find a husband?"

"A martial arts contest to choose a husband?!" Sect Leader Ling's eyes widened, as if he had heard something unbelievable.

The elders and disciples around them were also discussing it amongst themselves, unable to believe their ears.

Yan Ruyu, however, remained calm and confident, explaining, "That's right, it's a martial arts contest to choose a husband. The winner will not only marry me but also receive half of the Xu family's assets. In this way, your sect can not only gain a large fortune but also form a marriage alliance with the Xu family. Wouldn't that be a win-win situation?"

Upon hearing this, Elder Mo's face turned ashen. He had expected Yan Ruyu to beg for mercy, but she hadn't anticipated making such an absurd suggestion.

Sect Leader Ling stroked his chin, lost in thought.

Although Yan Ruyu's suggestion sounded absurd, it was not entirely without reason.

If a martial arts contest to choose a husband can truly resolve the feud between the two families, it would certainly be a good solution.

The council chamber erupted in chaos, with voices of support and opposition rising and falling.

"I think this is a great idea!"

"Yes, it's better than fighting and killing!"

"No! Absolutely not! How can we possibly form a marriage alliance with the Xu family?"

"Exactly! This is a disgrace!"

Yan Ruyu skillfully maneuvered among the crowd, subtly guiding public opinion.

Xiao Die stood to the side, watching Yan Ruyu's confident demeanor.

However, just as Yan Ruyu was about to persuade Sect Leader Ling, Elder Mo suddenly jumped out, pointed at Yan Ruyu and shouted, "Sect Leader! I discovered that this woman stole our sect's treasure!"

Yan Ruyu was stunned. All eyes around her fell on her, filled with suspicion and hostility.

Sect Leader Ling looked at Yan Ruyu.

"I didn't!" Yan Ruyu tried her best to defend herself, but no one believed her.

Elder Mo sneered, took out a brocade box from his pocket, opened it, and found a sparkling luminous pearl inside.

"What is this?" Elder Mo asked sternly.

Yan Ruyu opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything...

"This...this is..."