A daily intelligence report; in chaotic times and famine years, grain is plentiful.

After some time, a soft knock came from the door.

"who!"

Xiao Yunling, still furious, shouted angrily.

But soon, the door was pushed open.

But what appeared before her was a middle-aged woman.

The woman, carrying some things in her hands, came up to Xiao Yunling.

This person appeared to be in his forties, with a rather kind face.

"Young lady, I've brought you something."

The woman smiled and placed the items on the table, taking out a bowl of food and some clean clothes.

"And who are you?"

Xiao Yunling's eyes were filled with vigilance.

In her opinion, although this place was similar to an ordinary village, as a kidnapped person, Xiao Yunling found it hard to trust the people here.

The woman said with a peaceful expression, "Young lady, are you scared? I'm just bringing you food."

Xiao Yunling stood to one side, her eyes still showing some wariness.

"Young lady, I heard you work for the government troops. Why are you so desperate? You look to be only in your early twenties..."

The woman then said to place the food on the table.

Hearing these words, Xiao Yunling was immediately displeased. Looking at the woman's expression, it seemed that she did not know his identity as the commander of the Yunzi Camp.

"Then why did you choose to become a bandit with someone like Chen Mo?"

Xiao Yunling countered with a question.

"Bandits? Young lady, you've misunderstood. We were just ordinary villagers in Lingtou Village. If it weren't for Wang Laoqi and the government forcing us, we wouldn't have ended up here."

The woman sighed.

Xiao Yunling had heard this explanation many times, but she still had some doubts.

Just how incompetent must the government of this northern city be to allow ordinary people to risk their lives in rebellion?

"Did Chen Mo force you to go up the mountain?"

Xiao Yunling subconsciously pressed for an answer.

"That's not true," the woman said. "Chen Mo is a good man. How could he force us? If it weren't for him, countless people in our village would have starved to death. He treats us villagers like his own family. How could he bully us?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yunling frowned immediately.

But even though the other party was clearly sent by Chen Mo, she still chose to be suspicious.

"Young lady, have you misunderstood Chen Mo because you listened to the officials' lies? Those officials will make up any lie just to bully the people."

As the woman spoke, a hint of sadness inexplicably appeared on her face.

"Back then, the government forcibly requisitioned our grain, and we had nothing to eat. My daughter starved to death. If she had grown up, she would be the same age as you..."

As she finished speaking, a tear rolled down her cheek as she recalled her painful past.

Seeing the woman's heartbroken appearance, Xiao Yunling's expression became even more complicated.

These sorrowful tears didn't seem like they were acted out at all.

The woman chattered on for a while, and seeing that Xiao Yunling hadn't said much, she stood up and said, "Miss, I won't bother you anymore. Have something to eat, and if you need anything, just call out from the window."

After saying that, the woman turned and left the house.

The room fell silent again.

Xiao Yunling looked at the food on the table, recalling the woman's words, and then turned her head to look out the window.

The peaceful scene at the camp filled her with doubt.

Before she suppressed the bandits, the intelligence she received indicated that Chen Mo was coercing villagers and threatening the government.

Despite their numerous encounters, Xiao Yunling had only confirmed that Chen Mo had robbed the government's grain carts, but she had never actually seen him kill any innocent people.

Could it be that I really misunderstand this group of people?

No, this must all be a deliberate act by Chen Mo to put her on a false front and lower her guard.

Yes, it was all acting...

Xiao Yunling picked up the steamed buns on the table, her heart filled with inexplicable complex emotions.

I joined the government army in the first place to eradicate injustice in this world. If I were to kill the wrong person, how would I be any different from a bandit...?

Outside the Black Wind Ridge camp, several figures were moving through the woods.

At this moment, Xu Yuan looked exhausted and walked at the front with a nervous expression.

Behind him were Lin Lang and some of his subordinates.

They have been here for more than ten days since they fled from Qingfeng Mountain, but they still haven't been able to find Liang Ming.

Now that Qingfeng Mountain has been destroyed, they only have five people left, which is no threat at all. The government has also sealed off this area, so they can only temporarily seek refuge with Liang Ming and make further plans.

Just then, several people suddenly appeared in the mountains and forests.

Lin Lang tensed instantly, reaching for the knife at his waist, but Xu Yuan stopped him.

"They're one of our own."

Xu Yuan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the face of the leader.

As the leader, he knew every brother in Qingfeng Village.

The newcomers were Cai Sheng's subordinates. When Cai Sheng brought his brothers to Black Wind Ridge, he never gave up looking for their leader.

"Is that the boss?"

The man at the head of the group also spoke excitedly.

"Where are the second and third leaders?"

Xu Yuan inquired.

"The two leaders have been looking for the eldest leader. Come with us now."

The man then led them to the camp.

Half an hour later, they finally arrived at Liang Ming's camp.

"Second-in-command, I've found the First Boss and the others!"

someone shouted.

Liang Ming was chopping wood at that moment when he heard this and immediately set off.

"Big brother?"

Cai Sheng also heard the commotion and quickly got up to greet him, but the moment he saw Lin Lang, his expression changed drastically, and he said disdainfully, "Why are you here too?"

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Lin Lang's face. Although he was resentful, he still pretended to be respectful and said, "Second Brother, Third Brother, my eldest brother and I broke out of Qingfeng Village. It wasn't easy for us. Now the government troops have occupied Qingfeng Mountain. We hope you can help us."

"What help are you offering? If we hadn't kept trying to dissuade them, would Qingfeng Village be in this state today?"

Cai Sheng sneered.

"It was my fault. I hope you can forgive and forget."

Lin Lang refrained from refuting, but instead adopted a humble attitude.

"Alright, let's not talk about the past. Now that you're all still alive, that's for the best."

Liang Ming said calmly, after all, he and his elder brother had gone through life and death together for so many years, and their relationship was still very deep.

"Second brother, third brother, I've wronged you before, and now I'm troubling you again."

Xu Yuan said with considerable guilt.

"Brother, don't say that. Black Wind Ridge is safe now. You should stay here."

Liang Ming disregarded past grievances and said.

"I disagree. Of course, the eldest brother can stay, but Lin Lang must leave."

Cai Sheng's attitude was firm.

He had a conflict with Lin Lang before, and although Lin Lang has lowered his stance now, Cai Sheng knows very well what kind of person he is.

Liang Ming said, "Third brother, we need manpower right now, let's forget about what happened before."

"Don't worry, I only need to stay for a while. Once I've rested and recuperated, I will defeat the government troops and reclaim Qingfeng Mountain sooner or later."

Lin Lang said in a deep voice.

He has come here out of necessity and has no intention of staying long-term.

"Second brother, thank you."

Xu Yuan was very grateful.

"However, I need to discuss this with Chen Mo first."

As Liang Ming spoke, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind him.

"You were looking for me?"