ebookland Chapter 228 The man behind the scenes
Chapter 228 The man behind the scenes
The bandit leader at this moment no longer had any of the arrogance and courage he had as a bandit leader in the past. He had only one thought in his mind at this moment, and that was to end this endless pain as soon as possible. Even death would be much better than what he was experiencing now.
He stared at Murong Ling'er with fear in his eyes, and his body trembled involuntarily, like a lamb to be slaughtered, facing the impending butcher's knife, but unable to do anything.
"Tell me! Who sent you here, and what is your purpose?"
Seeing that he had finally stopped howling and was just gasping for breath, Murong Ling'er slowly asked, her voice calm and majestic, as if it had an irresistible power.
Hearing this, Sun Ying, who was standing in the crowd, felt a sudden pang in her heart, and a feeling of unease surged in her heart. She clenched her hands unconsciously, her nails digging deeply into her palms, and prayed silently in her heart that she would not be implicated.
The bandit leader gasped for breath. After a long while, he endured the severe pain in his body, took a deep breath, and said honestly: "We are following orders. The superiors asked us to find a woman."
"On orders? On whose orders? Who are you looking for?" Murong Ling'er frowned slightly, with a hint of doubt and alertness in her eyes, and then asked.
The bandit leader's eyes slowly swept across the group of fugitives. When his eyes fell on Sun Ying, they met Sun Ying's terrified look.
At the moment they looked at each other, the bandit leader seemed to have found a life-saving straw. Without hesitation, he stretched out his finger, pointed directly at Sun Ying and said, "That's her!"
"Hiss!" Everyone gasped when they heard the bandit leader's words, and their eyes turned to Sun Ying. For a moment, the atmosphere at the scene became even more tense and strange...
The bandit leader's action suddenly pulled at the hideous wound on his body that had not yet healed. A piercing pain suddenly hit him, making his face as pale as paper and his lips tremble slightly. He couldn't help but gasp, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.
Everyone's eyes followed the direction of his trembling finger, and when they saw Sun Ying, there was a slight commotion in the crowd.
The people standing on both sides of her seemed to have seen something terrible. They all retreated to the side without hesitation. Their movements were flustered and anxious, exposing Sun Ying in front of everyone.
Sun Ying's heart seemed to have fallen into an endless ice cellar, sinking continuously, but at the same time she was filled with confusion and looked at a loss.
She thought hard in her mind, she didn't know these vicious bandits at all, and the Sun family had collapsed like a building long ago, and all the former retainers and servants had scattered. Who would order the bandits to capture her now?
Not only Sun Ying felt confused, but everyone present also looked at each other with a puzzled expression, their eyes full of doubt and curiosity.
At this moment, Murong Ling'er's cold voice broke the suffocating silence, voicing the question on everyone's mind: "Why are you looking for her?"
The bandit leader frowned slightly, shook his head helplessly, and said in a muffled voice, "I don't know either! We have only received orders from above to capture this female convict unharmed. Someone will come and take her away when the time comes."
In fact, the bandit leader knew very well that their bandit force was nothing more than a killing weapon and a tool for making money for the mysterious master behind them.
Normally, they would burn, kill, and loot passing caravans to seize huge amounts of wealth, and then obediently hand it over in exchange for weapons, assistance, and protection.
For every task assigned by their superiors, they never need to know the reason behind it, they just need to carry it out like a machine without any compromise.
"Then it seems that you don't know who the master behind you is?"
Murong Linger's eyes were like lightning as she stared at the bandit leader coldly and said, her words seemed to be wrapped in a layer of frost, which made people shudder.
The bandit leader's heart tightened, sensing the murderous intent in these words. A layer of cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He quickly replied with a smile, "Although I really don't know who the master is, I have a way to contact them."
Upon hearing this, Murong Ling'er immediately suppressed the murderous intent burning in her heart.
She lowered her head slightly, her long hair like a waterfall falling down gently, covering half of her fair jade-like face. A cold light suddenly flashed in her beautiful eyes, as fleeting as a meteor across the night sky.
However, in this brief moment, her mind was like a rapidly running machine, rapidly thinking of strategies to deal with the current situation.
At this moment, her gaze became unusually sharp, like two unsheathed swords, piercing straight at the person before her. Her red lips parted as she spoke coldly, "Since that's the case, then you must quickly inform the people behind the scenes that we've captured them! Now, it depends on whether you have the ability to lure out the mastermind hiding in the shadows! Otherwise... hmph! You'll bear the consequences at your own risk!"
Murong Ling'er stood there with her fists clenched tightly, having made a firm decision in her heart - no matter what, she would never easily let go of the mastermind who dared to stir up trouble behind her back!
Moreover, an inexplicable premonition came to her mind, making her feel that this matter was far from as simple as it seemed.
Perhaps, it has a complicated and intricate connection with the earth-shaking event of Crown Prince Zhao Hao being framed some time ago, which shocked the court and the public.
You know, the reason why Sun Ying suffered exile was precisely because she was unfortunately involved in that widespread palace conspiracy.
And all the clues seem to point to Crown Prince Zhao Hao, suggesting that he is very likely the real mastermind hiding behind the thick fog and manipulating everything.
Thinking of this, Murong Ling'er suddenly turned her head and looked at Chifeng beside her with a sharp gaze.
Then, she instructed Chifeng in an extremely serious tone, "Captain Qi, you must keep a close watch on Miss Sun and her brother. Don't let anyone take them away from us! Remember, this concerns the truth of the entire incident and the lives of everyone here. Don't take it lightly!"
When Sun Ying heard this, her heart suddenly felt like it was being pressed down by a huge mountain, making it hard to breathe. She subconsciously looked towards Chu Lingfeng, her eyes full of helplessness and expectation, as if she had grasped the last straw.
However, Chu Lingfeng was staring at Murong Ling'er at this moment, with a complicated look in his eyes, and he didn't even give Sun Ying a glance.
Seeing this, Sun Ying felt as if her heart was pierced by thousands of arrows. She was extremely disappointed and depressed, and a deep despair surged in her heart.
She regretted deeply in her heart that she had made a real mistake. She should have reached a deal with Chu Lingfeng earlier and asked him to send her brother away from this dangerous place.
Now, the situation is out of control, I'm afraid...
But what Sun Ying didn't know was that Chu Lingfeng actually had no intention of agreeing to her conditions from the beginning.
Before he figured out the matter of the jade pendant, his heart was full of doubts and concerns, and he would not make any decision at all. Even when facing Sun Ying's almost pleading eyes, he remained unmoved.