Can't a girl be a traitor like Cao Cao?

Everyone looked over at the sound and saw that the speaker was none other than Di Cangshan's eldest disciple, whose face was filled with grief and indignation.

He then looked at Tong Yan and said, "It's not that I don't trust Sect Leader Tong. It's just that this matter is too bizarre. If I don't find out the truth, I really can't explain it to my master in heaven!"

Chapter 202 They're ungrateful!

Upon hearing the words of the eldest disciple of the manor, Chi Junlin and the other women remained composed.

They had anticipated that the disciples of the manor would react in this way.

Tong Yan nodded and looked at him, saying, "After all, Master Di went to Sword Emperor Peak with us. Now that he's died so mysteriously, it's normal for you to have doubts."

I'm just talking about what happened that night.

The group of men in black did indeed only target Master Di and did not harm the lady or the young lady.

In addition, if you have any other questions, please feel free to ask. I will answer them for you.

Upon hearing Tong Yan's words, the eldest disciple's expression softened slightly.

Then he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Tong Yan.

"I am very grateful that Sect Leader Tong is willing to answer my questions. What I am curious about is the identity of the group of men in black that Sect Leader Tong mentioned."

Not only was he able to infiltrate Hidden Sword Manor, but he also possessed such high martial arts skills, and he happened to be an enemy of my master.

My master is renowned and is known as a great hero. When did he offend such a vicious person, and we were completely unaware of it?

And...the strangest one has to be this woman, right?

As he spoke, he pointed to Ye Qiancao, who was standing at the back with her hands tied with rope.

"There were originally eight of you when you went up the mountain, but now there is one more person coming down! Who is this woman? We have never seen her before? Did she also go up the mountain in the middle of the night?"

Could it be... that this woman is one of the people who attacked my master?

Upon hearing the eldest disciple's question, the other disciples of Cangjian couldn't help but look at Ye Qiancao with puzzled expressions.

Ye Qiancao didn't care at all, and even narrowed his eyes at the eldest disciple, revealing a mocking smile.

Tong Yan frowned and replied, "That's what I want to say next."

This woman is actually a member of the demonic path.

Upon hearing Tong Yan's words, the scene immediately became abuzz with discussion.

Di Fuxue immediately raised her hand to suppress them and gestured for Tong Yan to continue.

Tong Yan then continued, "Although she is a member of the demonic path, she has nothing to do with what happened that night. This woman actually came up the mountain with my disciple, and her purpose in coming here is to steal the martial arts manual from my disciple."

We captured her the following night after the suspension bridge was destroyed.

We then interrogated her rigorously and finally found out her purpose.

As for whether she might also be related to the group of men in black who attacked Master Di, such a possibility cannot be ruled out for the time being.

Therefore, this demonic witch will be taken away by us later to continue interrogating the demonic sect about whether they have any other sinister intentions.

Upon hearing Tong Yan's answer, the disciples of Cangjian looked at each other in bewilderment.

After thinking for a moment, the eldest disciple said, "Since this woman is also related to my master's death, we cannot let her go easily! Our Hidden Sword Manor must also interrogate her thoroughly."

Seeing this, the other disciples chimed in, "Yes! She must be connected to the death of the manor lord!"

"Don't believe only one side of the story!"

"Everyone has the right to kill those members of the demonic cult!"

Seeing that several disciples were trying to capture Ye Qiancao, Chi Junlin couldn't help but frown.

Zheng Gaoda saw Chi Junlin's expression and did not hesitate at all.

With a wave of his hand, he ordered several guards to block Ye Qiancao's path.

Upon seeing this, the eldest disciple immediately questioned, "Sect Leader Tong, what is the meaning of this?"

Tong Yan frowned and said, "We will take this woman back to Nandu and interrogate her thoroughly. Do you all not trust me?"

The eldest disciple then said, "As the leader of the martial arts alliance, we naturally trust Sect Leader Tong. However..."

Before he could speak, Jiang Mao, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly took two steps forward.

Then he stood in front of the eldest disciple, looking down at him with an oppressive gaze.

Jiang Mao, after all, was the military governor of the Southern Kingdom, in charge of elite troops.

Having led the troops for many years, his formidable spirit is something that a disciple of the small Hidden Sword Manor cannot withstand.

At this moment, he coldly looked at his eldest disciple and said, "Sect Leader Tong is the martial arts alliance leader recognized by the imperial court. Do you dare to question her words?"

Just as Jiang Mao was speaking, the group of armored guards around him were also getting restless and began to rub their hands together in anticipation.

The surrounding disciples of the Hidden Sword Sect all looked tense and dared not make a move.

The eldest disciple, also sweating profusely, lowered his head and said, "No... I wouldn't dare..."

Jiang Mao bowed slightly, his expression cold as he said, "The imperial court will thoroughly investigate any matter involving the Demonic Sect. I'm taking this woman with me. Do you have any objections?"

The eldest disciple gritted his teeth and could only cup his hands in a gesture of respect, saying, "As the general wishes..."

Jiang Mao then straightened up and coldly glanced at the disciples around him with a contemptuous expression.

He scoffed, "You're asking for it."

The disciples all lowered their heads, daring not to speak out in their anger.

Di Fuxue rushed over and angrily shouted at her eldest disciple, "Why aren't you leaving with the Master's head! Stop spouting nonsense here!"

Upon hearing this, the eldest disciple could only turn away in grief and indignation, clutching the wooden box containing Di Cangshan's brain.

At this moment, Di Fuxue hurriedly said to Jiang Mao, "This disciple was ignorant and offended the general. I hope the general will forgive me."

Jiang Mao snorted coldly and ignored him.

Instead, he turned to Tong Yan with a gentle smile and said respectfully, "It's so cold outside, Sect Leader Tong, why don't you come inside and rest? I've already had the servants prepare a warm brazier; you and your beloved disciple should hurry inside to warm up."

Upon hearing this, Tong Yan cupped his hands to Jiang Mao and said, "Thank you for your trouble, General."

Then, together with the women behind him, he followed Jiang Mao and headed towards the main peak houses.

Before entering, as he passed Jiang Mao, Chi Junlin glanced at him.

He then nodded almost imperceptibly in acknowledgment.

Seeing this, Jiang Mao's smile widened, and he immediately raised his hand, saying, "Please!"

After all the women had entered the house, Jiang Mao stopped outside and respectfully said to Tong Yan, "There are many women here, so I won't come in and disturb them."

I still need to arrange the encampment. If you need anything, please send someone to find me.

Upon seeing this, Tong Yan politely replied to Jiang Mao, "Thank you for your trouble, General."

"No problem."

After arranging the affairs here, Jiang Mao had two personal guards stand guard before turning to leave.

The women inside the room who witnessed this scene couldn't help but marvel at it.

As people from the Five Ridges of the South, they naturally knew Jiang Mao's status in the South.

That was a high-ranking official of the second rank who held military power!

It would not be an exaggeration to call him the emperor of the southern land.

Yet this powerful military commander treated Tong Yan with utmost respect.

It's hard not to associate this with the rumors that Tong Yan has a secret relationship with the current Grand General Chi Junlin.

Although Tong Yan is the leader of the martial arts alliance, this position is really just an empty title.

If we're talking about how much power she actually has, it probably comes from the support of the Lou family and Jiang Mao.

If we put all that aside, apart from the Sword Harmony Sect Master, Tong Yan is at most a martial arts senior with a decent reputation.

Of those present, perhaps only Tong Yan and Ye Qiancao knew the reason behind Jiang Mao's respect for her.

Chapter 203 Goddaughter in the mourning hall

Chi Junlin summoned Zheng Gaoda and his troops not only because he needed military craftsmen to build bridges and repair roads.

Another important point is that she knew very well that after Di Cangshan's death, Cangjian Manor and the industries under its control would definitely be in chaos for a while.

For example, Di Cangshan's eldest disciple, as well as several elders of different surnames in the manor, would definitely have designs on the position of manor lord.

Chi Junlin was quite interested in the industries in the Dupangling area. The mountain's rare treasures and precious herbs were actually a considerable fortune.

This industry could easily be placed under the name of the martial arts alliance leader and taken over by Tong Yan.

Chi Junlin knew that this move would provoke the local forces that originally belonged to Cangjian Manor, so he sent Zheng Gaoda and his men over in advance to intimidate them with force.

As for the position of manor lord, Di Fuxue is a smart man, so he can be allowed to succeed him.

From what Chi Junlin observed during the days following the Southern Capital Incident, this middle-aged man had a rather stable personality and showed great respect for Fu Tongyan.

If he were smarter, it wouldn't be impossible to have him act as the Lou family's representative at Cangjian Manor.

If he is not capable enough to control the hearts of the people in Cangjian Manor, Chi Junlin would not mind letting Jiang Mao lead the men to remove Cangjian Manor from the list of the Five Greats of Nandu.

In short, Chi Junlin will stay here for a few more days, using Jiang Mao's army as a threat to ensure a smooth transfer of power within the Hidden Sword Manor sect.

The property interests under Di Cangshan's name were transferred to Tongyan and Jianhezong.

They also released news of Di Cangshan's death and used the funeral as a pretext to win over local clans and gentry.

Mountainous areas far from the Central Plains were mostly governed in this way.

Because the mountainous area has a small population and limited land, and the local clans are deeply entrenched, it is too difficult to send officials to govern it.

Even if officials from the capital were promoted three ranks, those who were sent to places like Lingnan and Xiangxi would still feel like they were being exiled.

For this reason, the development of remote areas has always been a difficult problem for the Central Plains dynasties.

Not long after, as the mourning hall for the sect leader of Cangjian Manor was set up, news of Di Cangshan's death gradually spread.

Soon, members of the local clan in Dupangling came to offer their condolences.

After receiving everyone from the Di clan, someone soon led them to Tong Yan to discuss the future development of the Dupangling industry.

Many people knew that Hidden Sword Manor would likely change hands soon, but apart from those in the manor who were always filled with worry, most of the disciples were genuinely saddened by the death of Di Cangshan.

It seems that although the manor lord Di Cangshan is a person of bad character, he is quite good to his disciples.

Outside the mourning hall, Wenren Tianxia, ​​Wei Ziqing, and several other women accompanied Tong Yan as they met and chatted with the elders of the manor.

Yan Sijun and Wenren Tianxia couldn't help but feel strange seeing Tong Yan's serious, aloof, and noble demeanor in front of others.

Looking back, it turns out that such a noble and beautiful woman as Tong Yan was never polite to outsiders.

So this is what it's like to be in the arms of your beloved student...

Charming and clingy.

Thinking back on the days spent on Sword Emperor Peak, the women couldn't help but feel as if they were in a dream.

It seemed that the scene at that time had suddenly separated them from reality.

So the women let loose and abandoned all inhibitions...

Looking back, there are some things they would never have done under normal circumstances...

At this moment, Chi Junlin also sat beside Tong Yan, dressed in flowing white robes, seemingly oblivious to the cold despite being surrounded by ice and snow.

She held a cup of tea in her hand, her expression listless and somewhat languid.

She was somewhat puzzled when the girls suddenly turned to look at her.

Just as I was about to say something, I suddenly heard an argument coming from the mourning hall.

When Chi Junlin heard Di Shanshan and Hui Zhilan's voices, he wondered who would be so blind as to bully the deceased lord's orphaned daughters at this time.

He then got up and walked over there.

Unexpectedly, after walking behind the black coffin in the mourning hall, they saw Di Shanshan and her daughter Hui Zhilan arguing.

Several young disciples were trying to persuade him.

Hui Zhilan was dressed in plain white mourning clothes, which made her figure look particularly alluring.

Her face was contorted with anger as she pointed at Di Shanshan, her voice trembling as she said, "Outrageous! You unfilial daughter! Do you want to make your mother die of anger?"