“I knew something was off when you saved Mian’er without getting hurt yourself. Turns out you had this all planned with the wandering beastmen!” Hu Jing glared at Hu Jiao Jiao, her eyes wide with anger.

Lu Mian’er furrowed her brows, a flicker of doubt crossing her mind. But after a moment, she shook her head and tugged at Hu Jing’s hand. “That’s not true. The wandering beastmen nearly killed Jiao Jiao that day. She didn’t know them at all.”

Even though Lu Mian’er had been terrified that day, she still remembered clearly how Hu Jiao Jiao had turned back to save her when she could’ve easily run away. If Jiao Jiao had intended to harm her, she wouldn’t have gone to such lengths.

Hearing Lu Mian’er’s firm defense, Hu Jing hesitated, starting to question her own thoughts. She had always stood by Lu Mian’er’s side. So, who was lying?

The chief’s stern face grew darker as he turned his gaze to Hu Jiao Jiao. “Hu Jiao Jiao, is what she is saying true?” he asked in a serious tone.

Long Mo also cast a deep, probing look at her. Surprisingly, the female before them no longer displayed the panic, irrationality, or defensiveness of her past self. Instead, she remained calm and composed.

His golden eyes gleamed with an odd light.

Hu Jiao Jiao stood confidently, despite the harsh glares of the tribe. She wasn’t entirely comfortable with the attention, but she didn’t shrink back either.

“No, chief. She’s lying,” Hu Jiao Jiao answered firmly.

The chief’s expression softened slightly, and he internally sighed in relief. He had been inclined to believe Hu Jiao Jiao, but before he could speak, Lu Cui Cui’s trembling voice rang out, choking with sobs.

“Hu Jiao Jiao, I know you hate me. I made mistakes, but you can’t conspire with the wandering beastmen to harm me and the whole tribe! The wandering beastmen are terrifying… They nearly killed me!” Lu Cui Cui broke down into tears, covering her face with her swollen, injured hands. Yet behind the tears, her bloodshot eyes gleamed with malicious intent.

Hu Jiao Jiao, you ruined my life. Now, I’ll make sure yours is destroyed too!

Seeing Lu Cui Cui in such a pitiful state, the onlookers began to sympathize with her, their emotions swaying in her favor. The crowd started hurling accusations at Hu Jiao Jiao.

“How can you claim you didn’t do it? How did the wandering beastmen know our location then? You’re the only one who’s had contact with them!”

“Exactly! We know what kind of person you were before! Always lying. I don’t believe a word you say.”

“Look at Lu Cui Cui’s injuries! Why would she lie when she’s this badly hurt?”

People are often quick to take the side of the weaker party. Hu Jiao Jiao wanted to explain herself, but the overwhelming voices of distrust left her feeling powerless. It was clear: the original owner of her body had left behind an awful reputation, and she was paying for it now.

Despite the intense accusations, Hu Jiao Jiao wasn’t too worried. In time, the truth would come out. In the book, both Lu Cui Cui and the wandering beastmen would be dealt with by Ying Yuan, the male protagonist. Once that happened, her innocence would be proven.

However, she began to notice that her memory of the book’s events was becoming increasingly hazy. In the original story, there hadn’t been a plotline where Lu Cui Cui returned. And Hu Jiao Jiao was just a side character—why would Lu Cui Cui bother targeting her?

Hu Jiao Jiao lowered her eyes, lost in thought.

Meanwhile, Lu Cui Cui crawled pitifully to the chief’s feet, pleading with a desperate tone. “Chief, I barely escaped with my life. Please, don’t send me away. If you do, they’ll find me and drag me back.”

Her body was covered in fresh wounds, the sight of her bloodied form evoking sympathy from the crowd. Words can lie, but injuries cannot.

The chief sighed, nodding gravely. “Don’t worry, Lu Cui Cui. We won’t let the wandering beastmen take you. You can stay in the tribe for now, and we’ll figure out what to do after the situation is handled.”

Lu Cui Cui thanked him profusely, her expression full of gratitude as though she had endured endless suffering. Yet behind the facade, her gaze flicked toward Hu Jiao Jiao with bitter hatred. Why should you stand there unharmed while I’ve lost everything?

She bit her lip, swallowing her venomous thoughts, and once again feigned fear. Trembling, she pointed weakly at Hu Jiao Jiao. “Chief, she… she’s still passing information to the wandering beastmen.”

Her words immediately reignited the fear in the crowd.

“Chief, we can’t let her keep sending information to the wandering beastmen! She’ll get us all killed!”

“Exactly! We have to stop Hu Jiao Jiao from causing more harm!”

“She nearly got Lu Cui Cui killed—she deserves to be locked up!”

The focus of the crowd shifted once more, their suspicions falling squarely on Hu Jiao Jiao.

Hu Jiao Jiao’s expression didn’t waver, though a slight frown formed on her face. She was used to facing hostility, but the weight of it bore down on her. She instinctively glanced toward Long Mo. Did he see her the same way?

Her gaze traveled over his sharp, stoic features until their eyes met. His cold, indifferent gaze pierced through her, as if she were nothing more than a stranger—a woman already condemned.

He didn’t believe her either.

A chill ran through Hu Jiao Jiao’s heart. All the progress she thought she had made over the past few weeks now seemed laughable. She had known it would be difficult to change Long Mo’s perception of her, but facing his icy, dismissive stare still made her heart ache.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes briefly before opening them again, her voice steady. “Chief, go ahead and lock me up.”

The unexpected calm in her voice stunned the crowd into silence. They all stared at Hu Jiao Jiao, bewildered by her reaction. Was this the same woman who used to throw tantrums and raise hell? Why was she so composed now?

But soon, murmurs of disdain spread through the crowd.

“See? She’s admitting it. Lock her up!”

“Put her in the snake pit! That’ll teach her!”

“She’s no good. Let her rot in that hole!”

Amid the chorus of insults, a small shadow suddenly flew toward Hu Jiao Jiao.

She instinctively caught it, her eyes widening in surprise. “Yao’er? What are you doing here?”

Before she could fully process it, four more small figures pushed through the crowd, squeezing their way to her side.

The children had heard everything.

How could this Vicious female, who had been cooking for them and caring for them every day, have had any time to plot with wandering beastmen?

“Mom!” Long Ling’er rushed to Hu Jiao Jiao’s side, her eyes red with tears. Hugging her mother’s leg, she pleaded with the crowd. “My mother isn’t a bad person! You’ve all misunderstood her. Please don’t lock her up. It’s dark and scary, and she’ll be so afraid…”

Hu Jiao Jiao’s heart, which had felt cold just moments before, now felt warmed by a small, glowing ember of hope. Her eyes misted as she looked at the children standing by her side.

“You…”

Long Zhong let out a disdainful huff, turning his head away. “It’s not like I care what happens to you.”