Chapter 678: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 678: Evidence of Framing (3)
“Yes, we don’t care what others think of us. The Five Beasts have done us a great favor, and no matter what, we can’t let these scoundrels succeed,” a villager added.
Mo Yan felt a surge of warmth from the villagers’ support. “Thank you all for trusting the Five Beasts. I will handle this matter properly and ensure that their innocence is proven.”
Seeing her determination, the villagers gradually felt reassured. They observed the children feeding the Five Beasts some wild fruit, which the beasts ate without signs of aggression. This further convinced them of the Five Beasts' innocence.
Mo Yan, with the Five Beasts and her siblings in tow, hurried down the mountain. She feared that if they arrived too late, the troublemakers might have caused more problems. The other villagers followed, and upon reaching the Mo family’s courtyard, they chased the unwilling children back home. They armed themselves with thick wooden sticks, ready to protect the Mo family if necessary.
As Mo Yan entered the courtyard, she heard loud voices in the front hall demanding compensation from Mo Qingze. Some of these voices included insults, which ignited her anger.
In the courtyard stood several villagers who had come in response to the commotion, discussing the situation. Among them were those who believed in the Five Beasts' innocence, those who were skeptical, and some who took the opportunity to criticize the Five Beasts, claiming they had done harm. The scene was chaotic.
When Mo Yan and the intimidating Five Beasts entered, the crowd fell silent and parted, fearful of the wild animals.
Inside the hall, besides Mo Qingze and Li Xiu, there were more than a dozen officials in uniform with large knives at their waists. Yang Bao and the village elders stood by Mo’s side. The most conspicuous were the six "victims" sitting in the center, claiming to have been injured by the Five Beasts.
These six individuals wore new silk clothes, but their faces, necks, and hands were wrapped in white bandages stained with a hint of blood. Two of them even leaned on crutches, presenting a pitiful sight that seemed to confirm their claims of injury.
Seeing Mo Yan’s fierce expression and the menacing Five Beasts, the six "victims" instinctively shrank back and hid behind the officials.
Despite their fear, they continued to accuse the Five Beasts: “Officials, look, these wild beasts are the ones that bit us. Hurry and capture them, capture them!”
The officials, also unnerved by the Five Beasts, instinctively took a few steps back. The lead official, regretting the decision to come, swallowed hard and said to Mo Yan, “Miss Mo, could you please drive these beasts away first? We can discuss the matter further once they’re gone.”
The lead official was someone Mo Yan had encountered before, during the previous search for the Golden Beasts led by Wang Dali. Knowing that Han Zhiyun was on good terms with the Mo family, he was aware that handling this case might be difficult, but with orders from above, he had to proceed.
Mo Yan walked over to her worried father and gave him a reassuring look before addressing the lead official calmly, “You say the Five Beasts are the culprits. If I drive them away, what if they flee and we are accused of a cover-up?”
Her words shocked not only the officials but also the six “victims,” who seemed stunned that Mo Yan would acknowledge the accusation so directly.
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