g mist once again blanketed the land. If it weren't for the blood staining the courtyard and the house, a stark reminder of last night’s danger, one might think it had all been a nightmare.Everyone wa...Young Master Ye, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up, “Mr. Guo, please rise!”

Mr. Guo hurriedly slid down the slope and staggered to his feet.

He also wasn't comfortable letting the villagers say forgive him anymore. With a face full of shame, he bowed and was about to leave in disgrace.

But Miss Ye spoke loudly, “Who let you leave Aren't you here to find the killer of my family Now that you know it wasn't me or these villagers, you are going to stop investigating Doesn't that mean Master is taking advantage of us villagers because we have no one to support us and wants to take over our hard-earned Hot Spring Valley”

Mr. Guo felt embarrassed and quickly shook his head, "No, no, Your Grace, it was my old mind that got confused, it was all a misunderstanding. I have no ulterior motives towards the Hot Spring Valley."

"Then sit down!" Lord Ye coldly rebuked, "Today, I will help you find the real murderer."

Mr. Guo suddenly felt that familiar bad premonition in his heart for no apparent reason, and instinctively refused, "No, you don't have to trouble yourself, Your Highness..."

Unfortunately, Master Ye didn't listen to him at all and directly asked the crowd, "When you ambushed the bandits, what did the bandits look like Did they think it was the commoners taking advantage of the chaos to commit violence"

"No," Li Laosi immediately replied, "those bandits are all young and strong, and very skilled. They are definitely not refugees. Their dwelling is also temporary, found in the mountains, unlike a long-term stronghold. They seem more like outsiders passing through."

Ye Gongzi nodded and asked again, "Besides the Guo family members and their belongings, did you find any other victims who were harmed in the bandit's den, or any property marked by others"

"No!" Almost the entire village responded in unison this time.

When it comes to this, they are also very strange.

“Master Ye didn’t say anything, so we didn’t think much of it. Now that we think about it carefully, the bandits' den was too clean. There weren't even any other bodies around the courtyard, as if they only harmed the Guo family.”

“Yes, that's what it seems. The men in the Guo family were hanged directly from a tree upon capture, and the children were thrown into the cellar. They weren't given any food or water... Well, except for the women who were... kept by those bandits! Those bandits showed no mercy and hesitated not at all—they wanted to kill every single member of the Guo family!”

Everyone was talking about it, saying how strange the events of that day were.

Mr. Guo's legs went weak, and he sank back into his chair with a pale face like paper.

Instead, Guo Qing's eyes darted around frantically as she scrambled to defend herself, "Perhaps the bandits were just wandering elsewhere and my brothers just happened upon them. The bandits hadn't even had time to rob anyone else before you killed them!"

Having said that, he seemed to find some courage and continued, "We no longer suspect you of murder for robbery. Do you still need to smear our reputation Isn't that too unkind" I warn you, my uncle is in poor health and if he gets scared, you won't be able to afford the consequences!"

Li Lao Si let out a cold snort, "Now you know to feel sorry for your uncle, but when he was trying to frame us for murder earlier, why didn't you stop him"

"That's right, stop acting like a big bad wolf! Since we're settling this once and for all today, let's get it over with!" Liu Biaotou also shouted back, making Guo Qing grit his teeth in anger.

Young Master Ye asked again, "Mr. Guo, your Guo family is a renowned scholarly family in Beijing, and naturally, you have abundant wealth and many servants. Since you are migrating south, you must be bringing a lot of carriages, horses, and servants, right"

“But why, in the bandit’s lair, are there only your son, daughter-in-law, and children, with not a single servant or maid Could it be that bandits prey on people and specifically choose to target their masters Surely among the maidservants, there wasn’t one who was beautiful enough to arouse the bandits' desires”

Mr. Guo's face turned even paler, and his hands began to tremble uncontrollably.

Could it be that someone deliberately harmed his grandchildren!

Guo Qing's forehead beaded with sweat as she forced out, "Perhaps the bandits wanted to capture the master and demand ransom. They probably discovered my uncle was in Jiangnan, so they killed in disappointment."

“This is easy. There are so many servants in the Guo family, it’s impossible that none of them survived to Jiangnan. We just need to find one and ask a few questions; we'll naturally know everything.” Li Lao Er suddenly chimed in, “Perhaps someone stayed around Xin Du. Let’s go out tomorrow and inquire about it. The Guo family is so famous, it shouldn't be difficult to find information about them.”

Guo Qing was already sweating nervously, racking her brain for a way to stop the mud-legged man from inquiring. However, Mr. Wen casually uttered a single sentence that sent chills down her spine.

"A few days ago, I was looking to buy a servant and happened upon an old servant from the Guo family. I initially hesitated to mention it for fear of reminding the old master, but unexpectedly, it proved useful today."

Everyone looked to Mr. Wen. The villagers were naturally surprised, while the Liu family father and son looked at him with newfound respect.

Mr. Guo thought too much. Mr. Wen was well-prepared and even knew a lot of inside information, but he kept it from him out of consideration.

He was the one who turned a blind eye to kindness and repayed it with vengeance, taking the initiative to tear everything apart. He truly brought this disgrace upon himself!

Soon, a maidservant in her thirties was brought up. Upon seeing Mr. Guo, she immediately fell to the ground and burst into tears.

“Grandpa, please forgive me, I...I didn't abandon my master and run away. It was those bandits who only took our masters hostage. We tried to step forward, but the bandits drew their swords and attacked. Guo Da and Guo San were both killed! I was terrified, I couldn't do anything, I could only watch helplessly as they took the old master, mistress, and young master away!”

The woman was still a decent person, perhaps this matter had tormented her for a long time. Seeing the old master now, she confessed everything.

They were hurrying along, though they had set out late and missed the main group, there were still many refugees on the road, making it quite lively.

Those bandits, as if they knew them well, suddenly rushed out and began to kill, kidnap, loot silver, food and luggage, and then went into the mountains.

They were utterly unable, unwilling to pursue, so they split the remaining things and fled for their lives.

Even Mr. Guo, as foolish as he is, now knows that his grandchildren have been deliberately murdered.

"Who could it be Our Guo family is dedicated to teaching and nurturing people. We don't have any enemies at all!"

The old man stood up, staring around in a daze, like a wooden puppet that had lost its soul.

Mr. Wen sighed, stepped forward two paces, and said, "Sir, I still have some things here. Perhaps if you look at them, you'll find the answer."

He glanced at Guo Qing, then reached into his bosom. But before he could pull anything out, Guo Qing couldn't hold on any longer and darted away like a rabbit.

Unfortunately, both Li Lao Si and Liu the鏢頭 were skilled fighters. They almost simultaneously extended their legs, tripping him and sending him crashing to the ground at the doorstep.

Guo Qing's front teeth were knocked out, his lips and nose were bleeding, and his face was covered in blood.

The villagers reacted, surging forward.

One kicked with his feet, the other twisted his arms. In the blink of an eye, they beat Guo Qing half to death and tied him up directly.

"Isn't it this kid who is harming people, or else why would he run"

"I bet he's up to no good. Just look at how lively and energetic he is."

"Tie him up quickly, don't let him get away!"

Guo Qing was scared out of her wits and cried out loudly, "Uncle, help me! I just feel sorry for my elder brother and the others, so I wanted to go out and find the enemy. That's right, that's right, I also wanted to go home and burn incense on the altar for my elder brother and the others!"

Unfortunately, by this time, no one believed him anymore.

Mr. Wen took out a few pieces of paper and put them in front of Mr. Guo. weren't going to be outdone either. 。"Yes, old brothers, you don't know, we toil all year, just scratching out a living in the dirt. Seeing your village so prosperous, we dream of it and our mouths...