"Clan leader, you're finally here. If you hadn't shown up, I'd have thought you'd abandoned us!" Ling Chunian's resentment was palpable. Looking at her sulky little eyes, Ye Lanshan felt a bit speechless, never expecting Ling Chunian to act like this.
"Clan leader, have you come to lift our seal?" The other Ling clan members, clearly not noticing any difference in Ye Lanshan, spoke excitedly.
"I'm here just to inform you of one thing." Ye Lanshan's eyes swept over every Ling clan member, and sure enough, each showed the same excitement, except for Ling Chunian and Lu Huanong.
Could the mole be between Ling Chunian and Lu Huanong?
No, she knew these two too well; they definitely weren't the mole.
It seemed she'd have to use that method. Ye Lanshan sighed inwardly and said, "As you all know, one of my most loyal companions has died. She was killed by those madmen. Now, I want to avenge her."
What? The clan leader wasn't here to lift their seal—she wanted them to help her get revenge? They exchanged glances, their initial excitement fading into disappointment.
"I'm here now to tell you the plan. Don't worry, once I've avenged her, I'll definitely help lift your seal." Ye Lanshan laid out the plan with remarkable fluency. Without two or three days of careful plotting, such a meticulous plan wouldn't have been possible.
This showed just how much thought Ye Lanshan had put into this revenge.
"Clan leader, rest assured, we'll complete the task and won't hold you back," Ling Chunian said firmly, having become Ye Lanshan's loyal supporter.
"And me, I promise to finish the task you give me," Lu Huanong raised her hand to show her loyalty.
"We promise to complete the tasks the clan leader assigns," the others agreed reluctantly, despite their inner resistance.
"Does everyone know this talisman?" Ye Lanshan pulled out a listening talisman, though she'd made slight modifications to it. Even if they'd seen one before, they might not recognize it now.
As expected, they all shook their heads in confusion.
"If there's an emergency, it can save your life. Remember, only use it when your life is in grave danger." Ye Lanshan solemnly distributed the talismans.
"Wait, we know almost all talismans, so why does this one look completely different from anything we've seen?" The same person who had questioned her before raised this doubt again.
"If you knew that, wouldn't you be the clan leader?" Ye Lanshan retorted, leaving him speechless.
He was actually the most suspicious one, but after a period of observation, she hadn't found any other red flags. So was he the mole? Ye Lanshan truly wasn't sure.
"Mu Xinlian, keep a close watch on them tonight. I have to smoke out this mole," Ye Lanshan instructed Mu Xinlian in her mind.
"I'll watch them like a hawk, not missing even the slightest expression on their faces," Mu Xinlian said with deep resolve. After all, she'd navigated the imperial palace, and through people's behavior, speech, and micro-expressions, she could deduce what kind of person they were.
Meanwhile, Ye Lanshan went to Qing Dai and explained the plan again. Qing Dai didn't know she was actually heading to the Sikong family next and truly believed she was going for revenge. She wanted to dissuade her, but seeing Ye Lanshan's grief-stricken eyes, she couldn't bring herself to speak.
Yes, they were hurting, and so was the young master. Every skill Xia Ri had learned was taught by Ye Lanshan herself. Calling Ye Lanshan her master wouldn't be an exaggeration. With her dead, how could Ye Lanshan not be sad or grieve?
Until the enemy was eliminated, she wouldn't have a moment's peace.
"Young master, rest assured. Xia Ri was our sister, so we'll risk our lives to avenge her," Qing Dai nodded firmly.
"With you all here, I'm at ease." Ye Lanshan finally managed a faint smile.
Playing the part to perfection, everyone was kept in the dark, truly believing she was seeking revenge. This also indirectly proved that Ye Lanshan didn't know about the mole.
So the mole was quite brazen, moving among the Ling clan members and mingling closely with Qing Dai and the others. He was fully convinced the plan was real.
"He's the mole?" Ye Lanshan frowned, never expecting the mole to be none of the three she'd suspected, but a completely unfamiliar Ling clan member.
Right, as a spy, the highest achievement was to remain undetected, wasn't it?
"Should we capture him?" Mu Xinlian stared intently at the man, as if ready to execute him on the spot.
"No, just knowing he's the mole is enough." Ye Lanshan shook her head. Keeping him close might not be a bad thing.
"Shouldn't someone like that be caught as a warning to others? Why are you letting him off?"
Mu Xinlian looked at Ye Lanshan in confusion. Hadn't she been playing this game all along to lure out the snake? Now that the mole was found, why wasn't she acting?
"Having one is enough. I don't want to deal with one only to have another appear. Besides, having him around might not be without its benefits."
"Oh?"
Mu Xinlian had never fully understood Ye Lanshan. At first, she thought she was almost arrogant.
Later, she realized she was a very composed child. But then came her schemes, her bloodlust, her deep loyalty, yet at times her cold indifference. Sometimes calm and collected, sometimes childlike, sometimes looking down on everything like an immortal, and other times mired in human emotions beyond escape. She had too many faces—it was impossible to tell which was the real her.
...
"Clan leader, let's set out," Ling Chunian came up to Ye Lanshan.
"I just got word that the Holy Land is locked in a fierce battle with those madmen. I might have to put the plan on hold for now and wait until they've fought it out," Ye Lanshan lied without batting an eye, as if it were the truth.
But as luck would have it, she'd actually hit the mark—the Holy Land and those madmen really had clashed.
"The Holy Land?" Ling Chunian blinked.
"Yes, that's right. If we go now, they might unite to capture us, so we need to wait a while longer." Ye Lanshan nodded with a serious expression.
"That's great, clan leader! Your plan is finally working." Ling Chunian's admiration for Ye Lanshan grew even deeper.
Though Ye Lanshan didn't understand why she said that, she nodded mysteriously and returned directly to the Ye family.
"I might need to stay here another two days." Ye Lanshan looked at Yun Di with some apology. She'd originally said she'd reclaim the Sikong family once Sikong Kuang refined the Nine-Turn Twin-Life Pill, but now she'd delayed things again.
"It's just two more days. I've waited all these years; a few more days won't matter. Do whatever you need to do, don't worry about me. If there's anything I can help with, just ask."
What Yun Di cared about most now was Ye Lanshan. Even matters of reclaiming his family came second to her. If Ye Lanshan said the word, he'd gladly give up his own life.