Son-in-law Heaven Emperor Xiao Yi
Chapter 1124 - 1115: Malicious Intentions

Chapter 1124: Chapter 1115: Malicious Intentions

Endless Ice Prison.

Cao Family Village.

When Cao Rui and his brother Cao Xiu brought Xiao Yi back to the village, it caused an immediate uproar in the small village.

After all.

Back then, when Cao Rui and the others discovered the snow lotus, dozens of strong warriors from Cao Family Village had ventured out, but in the end, only the two of them returned.

In an instant.

The families of the deceased warriors were all wailing in grief, overwhelmed by sorrow.

"Why? Why weren’t you the ones who died?"

"What right do you two brothers have to come back alive, while my husband is dead? Why, why..."

"Oh, Heaven, how could you be so unjust..."

"Those two brothers are just clinging to each other, with no elders above or children below. If they die, so be it; we’ll take care of their funeral. But the ones who died were the pillars of my family—why, why is that..."

The villagers’ lamentations were like sharp knives stabbing into the hearts of Cao Rui and Cao Xiu.

Painful!

Regretful!

Angry and sorrowful...

But more than anything, helpless.

The brothers hadn’t retreated during the battle—they fought to the end.

If they hadn’t met Xiao Yi on the way back, they wouldn’t have made it back alive either. But now, they risked their lives to return with the snow lotus, a feat that would spare the village from punishment by Border City for the next year.

They should have been the heroes of the village!

But now...

What greeted them was baseless accusations, scornful curses, and outright abandonment.

Crack, crack!

Cao Rui clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white and emitting crisp sounds. The veins on his neck bulged as he roared in fury, "My brother and I fought with all our might to protect the snow lotus and return. If not for our savior, we would also have perished on the journey. How dare you accuse us like this?"

"Second Brother, that’s enough!"

Cao Xiu growled in a low voice.

Their parents had died young, and the two of them grew up eating from the villagers’ charity.

Because of this.

Faced with the villagers’ accusations and insults, Cao Xiu forced himself to endure repeatedly.

"Elder Brother..."

Cao Rui’s eyes burned red as he looked at Cao Xiu.

"Let me handle this!"

Cao Xiu shook his head at him and then stepped forward. Facing the crowd’s accusations, he spoke in a deep voice, "Uncles and aunties, during our search for the snow lotus, we were ambushed by polar snow wolves, resulting in nearly total loss. As my brother said, if not for our savior’s intervention, neither of us would have returned..."

"Savior?"

"You mean this boy? If he could save the two of them, why couldn’t he save everyone else?"

"That’s right! If you have the ability to save them, surely you could save others too. And yet you only chose to save these two and came to our Cao Family Village with them—what is your true purpose?"

"This man must harbor ill intentions. He might be colluding with Cao Rui and Cao Xiu to infiltrate our village and harm us!"

"That’s very likely..."

"We must capture and detain them, forcing them to reveal their conspiracy..."

The crowd shouted in unison.

In an instant.

A group of strong warriors emerged from Cao Family Village, encircling Xiao Yi and the two brothers.

From among the crowd.

An elderly man with a cane, white hair and beard, wearing a coat of black animal hide, suddenly stepped forward. He struck his cane hard against the ground and shouted, "Stop, all of you, stop right now!"

"Village Chief?"

"The Village Chief is here too?"

"Make way quickly..."

The old village chief held great authority in Cao Family Village. His appearance immediately quelled the restless crowd, who promptly made way for him to walk through.

"Village Chief..." Cao Xiu quickly stepped forward and bowed in respect.

Even though Cao Rui was filled with resentment toward the villagers’ accusations, he dared not show the slightest disrespect toward the village chief, saying, "Village Chief, you must grant justice to my brother and me!"

At this moment, he was utterly aggrieved.

He had risked life and limb to bring back the snow lotus.

He should have been celebrated as a hero of the village.

But upon his return, all he faced were accusations—claims that they had abandoned their comrades or acted selfishly.

How unjust it was!

The village chief revealed a kind smile, gently ruffling the hair of the two brothers. He said warmly, "Don’t worry, I haven’t grown senile yet. I can distinguish between right and wrong. You’ve brought back the snow lotus to save our village from the threat of annihilation; this is truly a great deed."

"Thank you, Village Chief!"

"Did you all hear that? We’re heroes! We’ve achieved something great!"

Cao Rui shouted at the crowd.

As if venting all the frustration bottled up inside him.

The villagers avoided meeting his gaze.

Having comforted the two brothers, the village chief turned his attention to Xiao Yi. Observing Xiao Yi’s unique attire compared to the villagers, a peculiar glint flashed deep in the elder’s eyes.

But that glint vanished almost instantly.

He maintained his seemingly kind demeanor.

The village chief, leaning on his cane, shuffled toward Xiao Yi and clasped his hands in a respectful gesture. "Young hero, thank you for saving Cao Rui and Cao Xiu. You are now a distinguished guest of our Cao Family Village, and I would like to invite you to stay as an honored guest. Might I ask whether you accept?"

Cao Rui and Cao Xiu quickly turned to Xiao Yi, pleading, "Savior, please don’t refuse!"

Xiao Yi raised his brow.

Though he usually felt a strong aversion toward the villagers here, the village chief exuded a neighborly, grandfatherly warmth. Moreover, Xiao Yi needed directions to Border City, which required assistance from this elder.

With these thoughts in mind.

Xiao Yi nodded. "When invited by a respectable elder, how could I refuse? Village Chief, please lead the way!"

"Please!"

The village chief beamed as he led Xiao Yi and the two brothers to his residence.

A short while later.

A feast was arranged at the village chief’s residence.

Amid the elder’s enthusiastic hospitality, they clinked glasses and dined heartily. During the meal, Xiao Yi noticed several spirit birds flying out from the village chief’s backyard, vanishing into the sky.

"Messenger Spirit Pigeons?"

Xiao Yi narrowed his eyes. The birds were indeed Messenger Spirit Pigeons—a type of enchanted beast raised specifically for transmitting messages. These creatures were extremely fast and adept at delivering correspondence.

"Why would the old village chief suddenly send out Messenger Spirit Pigeons?"

Xiao Yi felt somewhat puzzled. Yet, being confident in his abilities, he remained fearless and continued drinking and chatting with the village chief.

Hours later.

By now, Cao Rui and the others had passed out, drunk and sprawled on the ground.

Only Xiao Yi and the village chief remained, still exchanging drinks.

The village chief occasionally glanced at the door, as though awaiting something.

Xiao Yi narrowed his eyes. Sensing the moment was right, he asked, "Village Chief, I heard from Cao Xiu that you’ve been to Border City and possess a map showing the way there. May I borrow it for a look?"

"To Border City?"

The village chief hesitated.

He was about to reply when a series of rushed whooshing sounds came from outside. His face twisted into a sinister grin, and with a smug expression, he declared, "You don’t need the map to go to Border City. They’ll take you there themselves..."

"Hmm?"

Xiao Yi froze.

A rough voice called out from outside the door: "Old Cao, you sent word that someone from outside the Ice Prison showed up in Cao Family Village? Hand him over at once..."

Hearing this.

Xiao Yi suddenly understood why the village chief had been so unusually kind and why he sent out those Messenger Spirit Pigeons earlier.

He couldn’t believe it—after saving Cao Rui and Cao Xiu, not only did he gain no gratitude from the villagers, but he’d been outright sold out?

The hearts of people...

Truly can be treacherous.