After Lin An finished speaking, everyone fell into a brief silence.
Only their own people knew that Ye Xi was actually Man Ping. What Lin An implied was that there might be a traitor among them.
However, whether it was Mian Xiao, Lin An, Ling Yan, Sai Xing, or Yan Xuan and Yan Gui, they were all Ye Xi and Yi Yuan's trusted aides, and Ye Xi had even probed their minds. If there was really a traitor among them, it would not only hurt the friendship among them, but also mean that Ye Xi's mind - reading technique, her most reliable skill, might be faulty.
"Miss,"
Sai Xing was the first to kneel down. With tears in her eyes, she said:
"I was brought out of the Ye family by you, Miss. It was you who taught me to read and write. It was also you who didn't mind my clumsiness and always protected me. You may not remember, but six years ago, not long after I was sold into the Ye family, I was bullied by an old maid and got seriously ill. I was on the verge of death. It was you who took pity on me and begged the then Lady Ye to find a doctor for me, which saved my life."
"Later, I was transferred to be a rough - serving maid in your courtyard. Thanks to God's mercy, I won your favor and got to stay by your side. Although I was really a bit scared at first, I was mostly happy. Miss..."
Sai Xing held out her hand, looking extremely sincere:
"I may not be very smart sometimes, but I have never had any second thoughts about you, Miss. Now that there's a traitor, I don't want there to be any suspicion or estrangement between us. I just ask you to use your 'Mind - Reading' on me to prove my loyalty and preserve our master - servant relationship."
After Sai Xing took the lead, Ling Yan and the others knelt down one after another, just to prove their innocence.
Ye Xi was deeply touched.
Sai Xing usually didn't seem very smart, but she was always very clear - headed at critical moments. Just as Jiang Ning had said before: "The truly wise seem stupid."
After all, Ye Xi knew Sai Xing's loyalty well. Her request today for Ye Xi to use the mind - reading technique must be because she thought that although Mian Xiao and Lin An were nominally Yi Yuan's servants, in terms of friendship, they were brothers who had fought side by side with him.
Whether it was Ye Xi or Yi Yuan who asked to use the mind - reading technique, it would hurt their feelings. So she took the initiative to ask for the test.
Yi Yuan was also a bit touched.
He glanced at the people kneeling in front of him. In fact, he was very sure that they were all loyal. Otherwise, he wouldn't have trusted them so much.
But now that such a big thing had happened, if they didn't use the mind - reading technique, people would start to suspect each other. It would be better to do it and eliminate the distrust among them.
"Then do it,"
Yi Yuan said as coldly and calmly as usual:
"But this mind - reading is not because I doubt your loyalty. It's just to prevent the person behind this from taking advantage of our doubts.
"After all, the enemy has deliberately planted the seed of doubt in our hearts. By doing this and making everything clear to each other, we won't have any more doubts. If we cover it up for the sake of face and pretend to trust each other while actually being on guard, that would be a big mistake.
"Do you understand?"
"Understood!"
Everyone replied in unison.
This was exactly what they had in mind. Seeing Yi Yuan explaining this to them for fear of hurting their feelings, they were even more determined to prove their innocence. They all raised their palms to show their determination.
Tears welled up in Ye Xi's eyes. She didn't hesitate anymore. After saying a few words to express her feelings, she was about to start using the mind - reading technique on each of them one by one.
Qiao Yan had seen Ye Xi use the mind - reading technique before, so it wasn't anything new to her. But Yun Qi was different. He had heard the people in the capital and the noble families talk about the "Mind - Reading" technique for so long, but this was the first time he had seen it. He was extremely curious. Before the wound on his arm was even properly bandaged, he rushed out of the compartment to watch the fun.
Qiao Yan helped him bandage the wound. Holding a piece of cotton gauze, she followed behind, angrily saying:
"If you want to watch, just stay still. Why are you running so fast? It took so much effort to apply the medicine and stop the bleeding. It might start bleeding again in a while."
"Besides, I'm still behind you. You make me look like your old nursemaid, following you everywhere."
Yun Qi blushed slightly. Glancing at Qiao Yan, he said seriously:
"No, you're free - spirited and beautiful. You don't look like an old nursemaid."
These words made Qiao Yan blush too. Everyone found it a bit funny, and the previously solemn and depressing atmosphere became a bit more relaxed.
After mind - reading each of them, the result was as expected. All of them were extremely loyal.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
But how did the person behind this know Ye Xi's identity?
For a moment, they were all at a loss.
"Maybe,"
After watching Ye Xi use the mind - reading technique from start to finish, Yun Qi was satisfied and offered a suggestion:
"Did Miss Xi reveal something when she went out to use the mind - reading technique and was accidentally discovered?"
"It's not impossible,"
Yi Yuan nodded slightly in agreement:
"Then there's a lot to investigate. Mian Xiao, you take care of this. Be thorough. And those dirty things of Zai Shuang..." Yi Yuan sneered coldly, "Find them all and get rid of them."
"Yes,"
Mian Xiao replied. Ling Yan had been seriously injured in this incident, and Mian Xiao was extremely angry.
Seeing that things were more or less arranged, Qiao Yan, who had been extremely curious for a long time, bombarded Ye Xi with questions:
"Miss Xi, how did you become the Immortal Man Ping? Where did you learn this amazing 'Mind - Reading' technique? And how did you become the junior sister of the Grand Master Hun Yuan?"
"No, that's not right," Qiao Yan clapped her hands, as if she had discovered a secret, "You're so capable. Why were you deceived by that scoundrel Cao Sheng before? And why did you hide your skills? Do you have some difficulties?"
Qiao Yan was rarely so smart, and she had really hit the point.
Ye Xi smiled faintly but didn't answer Qiao Yan's long list of questions. She just praised:
"Miss Qiao is really smart. There are indeed some difficulties. But as you can see today, these difficulties are related to my life, so I can't tell you for the time being. Please forgive me."
"Today, I'm really grateful to Miss Qiao and General Yun for risking your lives to save me..."
Saying this, Ye Xi bowed deeply to them. Then she continued:
"I have nothing to repay you for the time being. I'm being so bold as to ask you to keep my identity a secret for the time being and not let others know. Now I'm in the open while the enemy is in the dark. The longer my identity is kept secret, the better it will be for me."
"Oh, don't be so polite,"
Qiao Yan quickly supported Ye Xi:
"You're still injured. I misunderstood you before, but you were so generous and helped me whole - heartedly. Now it's just a matter of keeping your identity a secret. It's nothing."
"Come to think of it, we've been through life and death together. I recognize you as my sister. If you also recognize me, since we're about the same age, from now on, you can call me A Yan, and I'll call you Xiao Xi, okay?"
Yun Qi also said seriously:
"Miss, don't worry. My Yun family has been leading troops for decades. We may not be good at other things, but keeping secrets is something we're born good at."
"Okay," Ye Xi's smile grew wider, "Then I'll have to trouble General Yun and A Yan."
"Hey~"
Qiao Yan was overjoyed. She happily leaned closer to Ye Xi and secretly glanced at Yi Yuan from time to time:
"Since we're sisters now, you can't hide your good things. I was so envious of that silver - needle hidden weapon your Prince used when he came to save you. Xiao Xi, help me ask for one, okay?"
"I have a lot of good things too. You can choose whatever you like. You can take two or three. It can be a gift between sisters, right?"
"Silver needles?"
Before Ye Xi could say anything, Yi Yuan frowned and asked in confusion:
"What silver needles? I used sleeve arrows."