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

The burly men were naturally dissatisfied, since none of them wanted to be locked up in jail to wait for death, so they all glared fiercely at Xiao Ran.

"Why are you all staring at me like that?" Xiao Ran pretended to be scared, then whispered to the third leader, "Third leader, look at your subordinates, they really have no manners. Their eyes are like those of wolves and tigers, as if they have ulterior motives towards my daughter."

The third leader suddenly widened his eyes and shouted sternly at his subordinates, "What are you all glaring at? Stop glaring!"

There was no other reason than that Xiao Ran's sword had moved a little deeper into the room.

"Third Master, hurry up and choose one. After all, my daughter's skills are not yet proficient, and we don't know when the poison will take effect." Xiao Ran said this deliberately loudly so that everyone in the cave could hear it.

The burly men on the field exchanged glances, their eyes filled with suspicion, until the third leader pointed at one of them and said, "I choose him."

That man was naturally the burly fellow who had always wanted to impress the third leader.

The burly man was torn between joy and sorrow. He was overjoyed that the third leader valued him so highly, but he was also saddened that if he were imprisoned, he would never see the light of day again.

The big man glanced at the third leader again.

Perhaps the third leader has other plans... or perhaps the third leader can help him escape?

Those who weren't chosen asked somewhat dejectedly, "What about us?"

“Of course, it’s execution.” Xiao Ran thought for a moment and then said, “However…”

The burly men swallowed hard, anticipating Xiao Ran's next words.

They had just been completely desperate and were prepared to fight to the death, but unexpectedly, there was still hope.

"If any of you can go to the village and summon the guards, you will not die," Xiao Ran reminded him. "Remember, there can only be one person. I will only listen to the name of the first person the guards mention."

The group hesitated and did not make a move. Xiao Ran knew what they were thinking, so she pretended to be helpless and said, "Of course you can attack us all now and kill us. After all, we are all old, weak, women and children."

"But you should think this through. Your third leader will soon succumb to the poison and die, and then you will all face certain death."

Suddenly, one of the big men rushed out of the cave and quickly disappeared like a flowing stream.

Seeing that everyone had left, the third leader looked rather grim. He said to Xiao Ran, "Young lady, you are quite capable. With just a few words, you have made my men obey your every word."

Xiao Ran ignored him, only rubbing her hand that had been holding the sword, her muscles aching, before saying to the burly man who had just been chosen by the third leader, "Here, you come."

The burly man looked at her in confusion, only to see her hand over the sword and explain, "I'm taking your third leader hostage."

The chief was amazed by Xiao Ran's actions. What an extraordinary woman she was! She understood people's hearts and skillfully used military tactics. She truly deserved to be the daughter of a general.

But what was the meaning behind her actions? Was she handing the blade to someone who posed a threat to them?

The burly man readily took the sword and held it against the third leader's neck, looking as if he had lived up to the trust placed in him.

As Xiao Ran rubbed her aching arms, she approached the leader and Duan Li, only to see the leader looking at her with a puzzled expression.

"Don't worry, boss, he wouldn't dare do anything."

Firstly, because this person is someone who likes to show off. He just heard Xiao Ran release those people with just one sentence, so naturally he wants to perform well and get Xiao Ran to release him as well.

Secondly... he was also afraid of dying.

After Xiao Ran finished speaking, she took a closer look at the big man's expression and noticed a hint of dejection and resentment. It seemed that he was not entirely loyal to the third leader.

Such people may have some cleverness, but they are also more likely to be misled by it.

That's why Xiao Ran was able to make better use of him.

Duanli sensed someone approaching, and his half-lying body leaned forward slightly. He tried to open his closed eyes, but everything was pitch black until he felt the person's hand touch his forehead. The icy temperature of the hand made him feel clear-headed.

"It's burning, don't get up," Xiao Ran said to him, then checked the wound from the arrow wound earlier, which had indeed reopened.

"What's going on?" The leader looked at Xiao Ran with some confusion, but his eyes were filled with worry.

Xiao Ran carefully bandaged Duan Li and said, "You should have heard what the Third Master just said, right?"

The leader recalled the conversation between the third leader and the big man, and also remembered what the third leader had said on the night the fifth leader had his accident. His words were all about framing the young man, because he thought the young man had died at his hands and there was no way to prove it.

But this move also seems to be exonerating someone... Could it be that the person who assassinated the Fifth Leader that day was also related to the Third Leader?

He turned his head in disbelief and hurriedly met the gaze of his third brother over there, only to see that his brother's eyes were filled with frivolity and contempt.

It's as if it's saying: You are incredibly stupid.

……

Soon, hurried footsteps approached, sounding like there were many people.

The guards poured out in droves, each holding a torch, instantly illuminating the cave brightly.

The leader quickly ran to the leader's side to check on his injuries.

"I'm fine." The leader's expression was somewhat grim. He then gestured for them to take care of the boy and said, "Tianliu, call the physician to check on him."

"..." The leader named Tianliu was taken aback, then said, "Boss, the physician went to treat someone else..."

"Are there still injured people in the village?" the chief asked, puzzled.

"Hmm..." He then looked at Xiao Ran with a puzzled expression and said, "That man came to the mountain village on his deathbed and told us what happened in the mountains. He also told me to tell this girl that he was the one who came to tell us."

Xiao Ran immediately realized it was something she had just said.

Unexpectedly, they turned on each other on the way, because she said only one of them could survive.

But that's good, it saves the boss from having to deal with them.

The leader hurriedly gave them a few instructions and then left with Xiao Ran and Duan Li.

……

The next morning, Xiao Ran was asked to take care of Duan Li, because the village doctor was too busy to help.

I gave him some simple medicine yesterday, and he should be almost fully recovered now.

He was still asleep.

Xiao Ran filled a basin with water, carefully wrung out a towel, and walked to the bedside.

Duanli's forehead was still dripping with sweat, and he seemed to be trapped in a nightmare.

Xiao Ran simply assumed it was a complication of the fever, since she had experienced something similar before.

She carefully wiped the sweat from Duanli's forehead with a wrung-out handkerchief, but suddenly!

Duan Li suddenly opened his eyes, grabbed Xiao Ran's hand, and said, "Why!"

Xiao Ran was startled, but her eyes quickly cleared, and she abruptly released her grip, saying, "Sorry."

She didn't pursue the matter further, saying, "It's nothing."

But she felt strange; who did the boy just mistake her for?

Before she could think for long, there was a knock on the door. A servant outside said, "Miss Xiao, Young Master Duan, the Chief is waiting for you in the outer hall."

"Okay," Xiao Ran replied, then looked at the boy somewhat awkwardly and asked, "Are you going?"

"……go."