After her transformation and rebirth, she manipulates the innocent and ruthless to overthrow the wor

Hearing the woman's heartbreaking words, the leaders couldn't help but feel sympathy for her, especially the eldest leader, who was deeply saddened.

He punched himself hard, but how could the pain in his flesh compare to the grief in his heart? He had always said he would take care of his fifth brother and seventh sister, but in the end, this was the result. He had been such an incompetent eldest brother!

Seeing this, the people around him rushed over to help him sit down. He eventually slumped weakly into the chair and stopped talking.

Xiao Ran was startled when she heard the Seventh Leader mention the Imperial Guards.

Did her father and the others send someone to look for her?

But... wait a minute, seven or eight days have passed now. Logically, they should have known she was missing on the first day, or at the very least, they should have found her within three days. Isn't it too late for them to come looking for her now?

Xiao Ran pondered for a moment and then realized something was wrong.

It could never have been the emperor's imperial guards.

Just then, a voice interrupted her thoughts.

"I told you it was that brat, why don't you believe me?"

The third leader stepped forward at the opportune moment.

"Have you forgotten that just a few days ago he injured one of our men in order to get out of the valley!"

This young man... has he ever left the valley?

"Moreover, it has been said that someone saw the second-in-command in the capital. You and I both know that the emperor has long since driven away the vagrants in the capital. He was once a vagrant, but now he can live in the capital. What does that say?"

"This proves he's become the emperor's lackey! He might even be the one who exposed this place!"

"That kid grew up in the valley since he was a child, without any ties or obligations. The only people he knows are the eldest brother and a few others. Now that he has fallen out with the village, what else can he do if he leaves the valley except to see those two traitors?"

The two traitors, according to Xiao Ran and what she had heard from her senior brother, should be the second-in-command and the boy's master.

"I think he's the most likely candidate, and all the Fifth Master's men were injured by swords! In our valley, besides him, who else wields a sword?"

A long string of words came out of his mouth, as if he had long hated the boy to the core.

From his perspective, his younger brother was crippled because of the boy's master, so how could he not hate the boy!

Everyone fell silent, because the third leader's words made sense.

But the leader seemed to have exhausted himself on this matter; he just kept pinching his brow and couldn't make a decision for a long time.

But the sixth leader stepped forward and said, "Third brother, what you said is good, but there is still one thing that is unclear. The young man left the valley a few days ago, so someone must have sent him a message. But in the past few days, no one else has left the valley except for him."

The implication is that the messenger is still in the valley, and is very likely one of the people from the village.

Upon hearing this, the crowd began to murmur amongst themselves, with one person stepping forward and saying, "Does the Sixth Master mean... there's already a traitor in the stronghold?"

The sixth leader remained silent, but his silence spoke volumes.

The people below looked at each other and began to suspect one another.

But soon, some clear-headed people said:

"Wouldn't it be enough if we just found the people who went into the mountains these past few days?"

Everyone thought what this person said made a lot of sense, so they all started by saying that they had not been to the mountains and forests. Some people testified to each other, and those who had no one to testify even started to report their whereabouts in the past few days.

Suddenly someone ran outside!

"Grab him!" the third leader ordered decisively.

But how could he possibly withstand such a large group on his own? He was quickly captured.

"Why are you running!" The third leader looked at the man pinned to the ground and asked suspiciously, "Could you be the traitor?"

"No, it's not me..."

"Then why are you running?!" the third leader roared.

Knowing he had no way to escape once caught, the man said listlessly, "I went hunting in the mountains a few days ago..."

"Are you out of your mind? The boss has issued a strict order!"

"But, but there was a severe drought for the first half of the year, and there was hardly any food in the valley, let alone the livestock... So I thought I'd try my luck in the mountains."

The whispers below reached Xiao Ran's ears.

"Old Wang is really pitiful. His son and daughter-in-law died while fleeing years ago, leaving behind a young child. There's also his seventy-year-old mother in the house, and he's the only one supporting her..."

"So he wanted to find a way to make a living for his relatives, and we couldn't really say anything..."

"Alas, but he has broken the order and must be punished."

The voice wasn't loud, nor was it soft, but it was loud enough for the third leader to hear. However, the third leader didn't let him off the hook. Instead, he threatened to lock him up in a cell and wait for his fate.

Old Wang suddenly became agitated, pointing at Xiao Ran and saying, "Why only me! I saw Dali go into the mountains too!"

Everyone turned to look at Xiao Ran.

She was about to explain when she saw Mo Ping step forward indignantly, blocking her way, and say, "My junior brother went into the mountains to find nutrients a few days ago to nourish Master's medicinal herbs. What does that have to do with traitors?"

Old Wang didn't give up. Instead, he shouted even louder, "Then how do you explain that he also went to the mountains today?"

These words shocked everyone present.

The Fifth Master had an accident in the mountains today, and why did Dali also happen to be in the mountains?

Mo Ping was speechless for a moment: "I..."

Taking advantage of the moment when his captors weren't paying attention, Old Wang immediately broke free, knelt before the chief, and kowtowed, saying, "I know that going to the mountains violates the prohibition, but why was he allowed to go! And chief, don't forget that he's the newcomer; isn't he more suspicious than me?!"

The leader had finally managed to compose himself and was about to say something when he heard those who had just spoken up for Old Wang shout:

"Boss! Dali is just a disciple recently taken in by the fourth boss, and to be honest, I've never seen him in the village before!"

“Me too…and she said she used to work for Qiangzi. I also used to work for Qiangzi, but I’ve never seen this person before!”

These words only fueled everyone's suspicions about Xiao Ran.

Xiao Ran sneered inwardly.

It's so strange, so strange.

She could sense that from the moment this Old Wang appeared, someone had been targeting her with a clear 'purpose'.

At this moment, the sixth leader walked up to her calmly and asked, "Brother Dali, what brings you to the mountains today?"

Looking at the sixth leader's face, she felt only irony.

What could she say? That she planned to see the young man today in order to leave the valley?

But if she said that, she would only become more suspicious.

From the moment the criticism was directed at her, no one cared what she said.

Mo Ping was still gripping Xiao Ran's hand tightly, excitedly saying, "Tell me! Tell me!"

"He said he was keeping me company..."

Fourth Master pulled Mo Ping aside.

"I don't think Dali will be able to say anything today," the Sixth Master said gently, then looked at the sky, where the first light of dawn was just beginning to appear.

"It's too late now. We might as well detain and interrogate her and Lao Wang together. The boss will give us an explanation in a few days."