Years turn into wind

Chapter 141 Traitor

Cheng Yuwei's heart tightened. Seeing the shadow rushing towards her, she quickly dodged to the side, but the shadow moved very quickly, grabbing her wrist and shoving her against the wall. She gasped in pain, but reason allowed her to remain calm and immediately used her other hand to pull out the knife hidden in her waist.

"How dare a little girl like you meddle in the affairs of adults!" The black shadow gritted his teeth, with a hint of cruelty flashing in his eyes.

"I'm not just any ordinary girl." Cheng Yuwei's eyes turned cold, and she suddenly pulled out the knife and stabbed the shadow's arm fiercely. The shadow groaned and loosened his grip. Cheng Yuwei took the opportunity to break free and quickly ran to the end of the corridor.

Seeing this, the shadow no longer hesitated and quickly caught up. Cheng Yuwei's heart was beating like a drum, and her breathing was rapid. She groped on the wall and finally touched a hanging copper bell. She pulled it hard, and the bell rang crisply and sharply, piercing the night sky.

"Someone! Catch the assassin!" Cheng Yuwei shouted loudly, and footsteps quickly sounded in the corridor.

A moment later, Ling Xiaotian arrived with a team of guards. He scanned the scene, anger burning in his eyes. Seeing Cheng Yuwei being chased, his face darkened and he shouted, "Catch him!"

The shadowy figure knew there was no hope of escape, and with a flick of his wrist, he prepared to pull out the poison needle hidden in his sleeve. However, Ling Xiaotian, as fast as lightning, leaped forward and punched him in the chest, knocking him to the ground and causing the poison needle to slip out of his hand.

The black shadow struggled a few times, spat out a mouthful of blood, and stared at Ling Xiaotian and Cheng Yuwei fiercely: "You...don't even think about completely calming down. This is just the beginning..."

Before he could finish his words, his head tilted and he actually bit his tongue to commit suicide, blood gushing out from the corner of his mouth.

The scene fell into a brief silence. Ling Xiaotian looked at the corpse on the ground with a frown, while Cheng Yuwei was gasping for breath, her face pale, but still standing straight.

"Are you okay?" Ling Xiaotian walked closer to her, a hint of nervousness in his voice, and reached out to gently hold her in his arms.

Cheng Yuwei leaned against his chest, feeling his rapid heartbeat, tears finally welled up in the corners of her eyes: "We must be careful, the real danger is still behind."

Ling Xiaotian's eyes were firm as he lowered his head and gently wiped away the tears on her cheeks: "Don't worry, I will protect you, no matter how many obstacles lie ahead."

However, the conspiracy of this night went far beyond this. In a dark alley outside the mansion, a pair of sharp eyes stared at the mansion, a sneer curled up at the corner of his mouth, and then turned and disappeared into the night.

Ling Xiaotian escorted Cheng Yuwei back to her room, gently urging her to rest. He then turned and left, his steps steady yet urgent. He needed to thoroughly investigate the assassin's origins tonight and determine if there were any other potential threats. Cheng Yuwei watched him leave the room, feeling a mixture of dependence and worry.

The night breeze blew gently, and the candlelight in the room flickered. Cheng Yuwei sat on the edge of the bed, her fingers gently stroking the sleeves that had been torn in the fight just now, and recalled the words of the dark figure in her mind: "This is just the beginning..." She knew that things were far from over.

The next morning, a tense atmosphere permeated the mansion. Ling Xiaotian personally summoned his trusted aides and discussed the previous night's raid with several key generals in the lobby. Although Cheng Yuwei was in the inner chamber, she could faintly hear the hushed discussions and the sound of footsteps outside.

Suddenly, Xiao Tao hurried in, her face full of worry: "Miss, there is a woman who claims to know you and wants to see you. She is waiting outside."

Cheng Yuwei's heart moved, and she immediately stood up and went over. In the courtyard stood a young woman in a simple long dress. She had delicate features, but her face was filled with unconcealed anxiety.

"Yuwei!" When the woman saw her, complex emotions flashed in her eyes.

"It's you..." Cheng Yuwei whispered, her mind immediately flashing back to the time when they first met during the Republic of China. She was filled with questions: Why had this woman named Su Wanting suddenly appeared? Especially given the current situation, did her appearance signal a new change?

"We must talk." Su Wanting held Cheng Yuwei's hand tightly and whispered, "It's about your future with Ling Shuai, and the greater conspiracy lurking in the mansion."

Cheng Yuwei's heart trembled, and looking at Su Wanting's determined eyes, she knew that things were not simple at all.

At this moment, the sound of horse hooves came hurriedly from afar. A guard hurried into the palace to report: "General, there is an urgent military report. The possibility of intelligence from the front line being leaked is very high. We suspect there is a traitor."

Upon hearing this, Ling Xiaotian's eyes, sharp as a hawk's, scanned the crowd. He sensed a deeper crisis looming over the mansion. Meanwhile, Cheng Yuwei and Su Wanting had already entered the side hall, ready to hear her reveal more secrets.

Su Wanting sat on a wooden chair in the side hall, her eyes solemn, and her gaze occasionally swept out the window, as if she was wary of something. Although Cheng Yuwei had doubts in her heart, she knew that she had to wait patiently for Su Wanting to speak.

"Yuwei, you may not understand why I suddenly appeared here." Su Wanting finally broke the silence, her tone slow but urgent, "But I must tell you, there is a poisonous snake hiding in Ling Shuai's mansion, a vicious beast ready to tear apart your peaceful life at any time."

"Who are you talking about?" Cheng Yuwei narrowed her eyes, her mind quickly searching for possible candidates. She knew that most of Ling Xiaotian's close associates were loyal, but if there really was a traitor, this person would definitely be extremely secretive.

"You're also familiar with this person." Su Wanting smiled bitterly, "In fact... he might have always been by your side, disguising himself impeccably."

Cheng Yuwei's heart trembled, and several faces appeared in her mind, but she quickly shook off these thoughts and continued to ask: "How do you know this?"

"I have my own sources of information." Su Wanting took a deep breath, her eyes suddenly filled with sadness. "But this time I'm risking my life to tell you because I owe it to you, and I also owe it to myself."

"What do you want me to do?" Cheng Yuwei's voice was low but firm.

"You must find the traitor and prevent them from leaking more information." Su Wanting slowly stood up and handed her a small piece of paper with only a few words on it: "Hidden, Confidant."

Cheng Yuwei took the note, feeling a mix of emotions. Just then, footsteps were heard outside the side hall. Ling Xiaotian walked in with a stern expression, his eyes flicking between Su Wanting and Cheng Yuwei.

"It seems that I came at the wrong time." His voice was low, but with an authority that could not be refused.

"Ling Shuai, you've come just in time." Su Wanting looked him in the eye without flinching, a hint of mixed emotions in her eyes. "Some things are time to tell you."

The air was thick with tension, and Cheng Yuwei sensed Ling Xiaotian's doubts and suppressed anger. Will Su Wanting's revelations trigger a greater uproar? How far-reaching will the crisis they're about to face be? The answers to all these questions lie in the ensuing conversation.

Ling Xiaotian's gaze swept across Su Wanting like a sharp blade, a subtle hint of doubt flickering between his brows. He spoke slowly, his voice low, "Tell me, what's worth the risk of coming here?"

Su Wanting was not intimidated by his aura. She looked directly at Ling Xiaotian, took a deep breath, and said, "Marshal, someone close to you has betrayed you. This incident is not just a war crisis you are facing, it concerns your life and the survival of the entire Ling Mansion."

Cheng Yuwei's heart suddenly tightened. She looked at Ling Xiaotian's steely expression and sensed the anger and vigilance deep within him. Ling Xiaotian narrowed his eyes slightly, a complex glint flickering in them. He trusted only a limited number of people, and now, hearing rumors of a traitor, it undoubtedly touched a nerve.

"Continue." Ling Xiaotian's voice was low and firm.

Su Wanting nodded and said softly, "This person's identity is hidden, but he has already begun to act. The assassin last night was just the first step. The information he passed on will have a fatal impact on the front line."

"Where is the evidence?" Ling Xiaotian asked directly without any extra emotional fluctuations.

"The information I received came from a secret network. I can't provide specific details directly, but I have a clue - someone who has had contact with this spy will appear at a teahouse in the south of the city tonight." Su Wanting finished speaking, holding out a small bronze plate engraved with a special mark. "This plate can lead to that person."

Cheng Yuwei looked at Ling Xiaotian silently. Although his expression did not change, she could feel his muscles slightly tense, and he was obviously thinking about how to respond.

"I'll arrange for someone to investigate," Ling Xiaotian said coldly, "but if you lied to me, you know the consequences."

A complex expression flashed across Su Wanting's face, and she whispered, "I dare not. Marshal, there is one more thing... I must remind you that the enemy is not only hiding in the dark, they may know you better than we think."

This sentence made the chill in the air even deeper. Ling Xiaotian looked at her calmly for a moment, then turned and left, instructing his trusted confidant to go and make arrangements immediately. Cheng Yuwei looked at his back, feeling a faint worry in her heart.

As night falls, the teahouses in the south of the city are brightly lit, yet they can't conceal the murderous intent lurking in the shadows. Will Ling Xiaotian's trap successfully capture the spy? And when Su Wanting appears, is she friend or foe? Cheng Yuwei knows that tonight will reveal even more hidden secrets.

The teahouse's lights illuminated the patterns on the wooden screens. Guests leisurely sipped tea and chatted, seemingly peaceful. Ling Xiaotian had already deployed hidden spies, and guards hidden in corners vigilantly observed everyone entering and leaving. Cheng Yuwei sat in a private room on the second floor, peering down through the tiny window, her heart pounding with nervousness.

"Are you sure he will come?" Cheng Yuwei asked Su Wanting beside her in a low voice.

Su Wanting nodded, her eyes firm: "He will definitely come. This news is too important. If he doesn't come, things will be more complicated."

As the night deepened, a middle-aged man in a gray robe slowly walked into the teahouse. He wore a calm smile and casually glanced around. Finally, he sat down at a window seat and ordered a pot of hot tea. Cheng Yuwei caught a glimpse of the bronze medal in his hand. It was exactly the same as the one Su Wanting had shown him earlier.

"It's him." Su Wanting lowered her voice, a hint of anxiety flashing in her eyes. Ling Xiaotian's personal guard immediately understood and quietly approached the man.

The man seemed to be sipping his tea nonchalantly, when suddenly his brow furrowed slightly. He seemed to sense something was amiss in the surrounding atmosphere, and his gaze swept across the teahouse. Just then, a maid approached him with a wine jug, bending slightly to pour the wine. The man's eyes hardened, and his fingers quietly reached for his waist.

"Attack!" Ling Xiaotian's voice echoed in the darkness. In an instant, the teahouse was ablaze with the flashing of swords and the sound of screams. The man drew his dagger and leaped to his feet, attempting to rush out, but several guards were already waiting at the door, surrounding him.

"You can't catch me!" the man roared, the dagger in his hand reflecting a cold light. With his agility, he knocked down several guards in succession and was about to break out of the encirclement.

Suddenly, a dark shadow swept past like a gust of wind. Ling Xiaotian himself took action. He swung the long sword in his hand like lightning, carrying a fierce killing intent. The man's pupils shrank, and he quickly retreated, but he was ultimately no match for Ling Xiaotian's speed. He was struck in the shoulder by a palm, spitting blood and falling to his knees.

"Tell me! Who sent you here?" Ling Xiaotian stared at the man with a sharp gaze.

The man panted, but a sneer appeared on his lips: "Do you think this is the end? The real nightmare has just begun..."

Before he could finish his words, he suddenly bit the poison sac hidden in his mouth and fell to the ground dead in an instant.

Cheng Yuwei rushed down from upstairs and looked at the man's cold body. A chill ran down her heart. Su Wanting's face turned pale and she whispered, "He's dead, and the clue is gone."

Ling Xiaotian was silent for a moment, then slowly stood up, his eyes flashing with complex emotions: "The clues may be broken, but this game has just begun."

The air in the teahouse was filled with a pungent smell of blood, and the silence was so intense that it felt as if time had stood still. Ling Xiaotian stood under the dim light, his expression grim, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of thought and anger. Cheng Yuwei approached him and whispered, "What should we do next?"

Ling Xiaotian didn't answer immediately. His eyes swept over the cold corpse, as if pondering a deeper conspiracy. He turned to look at Su Wanting and said in a low voice, "You said he was a spy. Do you have any other information to offer?"

Su Wanting pursed her lips and shook her head: "This is the only clue I have, but judging from his last words, the person behind the scenes is very scheming. We must be careful in dealing with it."

Ling Xiaotian frowned slightly, and after thinking for a moment, he said: "Search his residence, and don't let anyone who has contact with him go." He swept a cold gaze over the crowd, and his men immediately took the order and left.

Cheng Yuwei looked at Ling Xiaotian's back and suddenly felt that the burden on his shoulders was far greater than she had imagined. She reached out and gently grasped his arm, whispering, "You are not alone. We will all support you."

At that moment, Ling Xiaotian's expression softened slightly. He turned to look at her, a hint of warmth in his eyes. He gently held her hand and whispered, "As long as you are here, I am not afraid of any storm."

The two smiled at each other, as if this moment of warmth had isolated them from the conspiracies and dangers of the outside world. But at this moment, a guard hurried over with a serious expression: "Marshal, we found something in his residence. You must come and see it yourself."

Ling Xiaotian's expression instantly returned to its stern state. He turned to look at Cheng Yuwei, nodded slightly, and then quickly left the teahouse with Su Wanting and the guards.

As the night wind blew, a sense of unease welled up in Cheng Yuwei's heart. She looked up at the night sky and prayed silently in her heart, hoping that all these conspiracies could be brought to light under the Marshal's control, rather than plunging them into a deeper crisis.

Not far away, a dark shadow retreated silently into the night, with a strange light flashing in its eyes and a cold smile on the corner of its mouth.

Ling Xiaotian hurried into the dilapidated hut. The dim candlelight cast flickering shadows on the walls. The air inside was filled with a musty smell and a hint of blood, making it unsettling. The guard handed him a piece of yellowed paper. "Marshal, this was found under that man's bed. The word 'urgent' is written on the envelope."

Ling Xiaotian took the letter, opened it, and frowned ever more deeply. The contents were simple yet shocking—a few lines of scribbled handwriting hinted at an impending conspiracy: an unknown force was secretly planning a surprise attack on Ling Xiaotian's base, intending to take advantage of internal and external troubles to stir up even greater chaos.

Su Wanting came forward to take a look, her face suddenly pale: "Sure enough, someone is secretly plotting and wants to completely destroy our defense line."

Ling Xiaotian folded the letter and hid it in his arms, his eyes flashing coldly. "No matter who it is, I won't let him get what he wants." He turned and ordered the guards beside him, "Improve the defense immediately. Order all soldiers to be on standby at all times. Any suspicious individuals must be thoroughly investigated."

The guards obeyed the order in unison and quickly dispersed. Cheng Yuwei stood outside the door, watching this scene with mixed emotions. She knew that war and political intrigue were ruthless, and the peaceful life between her and Ling Xiaotian seemed like just a moment of calm before the storm.

Ling Xiaotian returned to her side, his eyes softening a little: "Weiwei, you have to stay in the mansion tonight and don't act rashly." His voice was firm and unquestionable.

Cheng Yuwei nodded gently, holding his hand, her eyes full of worry: "Be careful. I know you are trying to protect all of us, but please protect yourself."

Ling Xiaotian raised a smile and patted the back of her hand: "I will. After this storm is over, we can talk about the future."

As the night deepened, Ling Xiaotian's figure appeared particularly tall and lonely against the candlelight. Cheng Yuwei watched his back, silently praying that he would be able to escape danger.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the mansion, a pair of eyes watched all this coldly, a strange smile playing on the corners of their mouths. The villain's chess pieces have been deployed, and whether Ling Xiaotian can turn the tide remains a mystery.