After being reborn, I stole the female lead's cheat ability and raised the empress.

Chapter 225 The Mysterious Village

In the prison cell.

Xia Li wanted to train Tao Yao.

She asked, "Tao Yao, did you see any flaws in this little girl's behavior just now?"

Tao Yao: "Huh? A flaw?"

Li Haifei sneered, "You don't still think she was really forced into this situation, do you?"

Tao Yao said angrily, "Don't assume everyone is as malicious as you think. There are still more kind people in this world."

Li Haifei felt as if she had been struck on the head; her face immediately turned ashen, and she turned and leaned against the corner of the wall, no longer speaking.

Seeing her like this, Tao Yao felt a pang in her heart.

She timidly stepped forward and comforted him, "I'm sorry, I was too harsh just now. I didn't mean to..."

No matter what Tao Yao said, Li Haifei refused to talk to her anymore.

"..."

Silence fell over the room once again.

after awhile,

Zhao Jihua broke the silence first, lowering his voice but unable to hide his anger: "Judging from this, this is definitely not the first time."

Xia Li replied, "This place might also be a den of human trafficking of women and children."

Zhao Jihua said, "This girl must be of high status to be able to walk in."

Xia Li: "It's very likely that she was responsible for coaxing those women and girls to lower their guard, and then having her accomplices traffic them."

Tao Yao said uncertainly, "No, really? That girl said she was forced to do it to protect her younger brother."

Xia Li didn't speak; she intended to let Tao Yao see for herself.

People cannot teach others, but things can teach them once.

Zhao Jihua changed the subject: "We can't just stay here like this, we have to find a way out!"

Xia Li nodded slightly, her expression calm, and her gaze began to scan every corner of the cell.

They first inspected the cell bars; the thick iron bars were deeply embedded in the wall and could not be moved by hand.

Next, Xia Li squatted down and examined the ground inch by inch. He found that the ground was paved with stone slabs. Although there were gaps, the stone slabs were thick and heavy and difficult to pry open.

Just as everyone was feeling a bit discouraged, Tao Yao suddenly pointed to the corner of the cell, her voice tinged with surprise: "Look, there seems to be something wrong with the wall over there."

Everyone quickly gathered around and noticed that the wall in the corner was a slightly darker color, with subtle differences from the surrounding walls.

Zhao Jihua reached out and struck hard, producing a dull, hollow sound, completely different from the sounds from other places.

"It might be empty inside!" Xia Li deduced.

So they began searching for usable tools in the cell.

Li Haifei found a fist-sized stone in the corner of the cell. Although it wasn't big, it was better than nothing.

“There’s another problem,” Xia Li said. “Knocking will make a sound, so how can we avoid these guards?”

Li Haifei said, "Leave this to me."

After saying that, she collapsed, trembling, foaming at the mouth.

Tao Yao rushed forward to check on her, her eyes filled with anxiety: "Hai Fei, what's wrong? Hai Fei?"

Li Haifei rolled her eyes and continued her manic act.

The others immediately understood and pretended to be in a state of chaos.

The commotion quickly attracted the attention of the guards.

A guard with a serious expression walked over.

His sharp gaze swept across the scene before him, and a slight sneer appeared on his lips.

He scoffed, "Hmph! Stop pretending. I've seen your tricks all the time. Stop putting on airs."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around without hesitation and strode away without looking back.

"This……"

Seeing that their plan was not working, the group had to think of other ways.

Just then, Xia Li made a new discovery and called out in a low voice, "Come here quickly."

Several people gathered around.

It turned out that Xia Li had discovered a straw at the base of the wall.

They tried to pull the straw, and surprisingly, they could actually tear it apart.

Behind the brick slab is a hole large enough for one person to pass through.

"This……"

"It's likely that those who were imprisoned here before discovered the clues, and they worked their way up, generation after generation, until they finally managed to create this secret passage."

Just then, the sound of guards' footsteps came from outside, getting closer and closer.

The four of them jumped into their throats and held their breath in tension.

Zhao Jihua signaled everyone to hide near the cave entrance, ready to rush out at any time.

The guards stopped in front of the cell gate and peered inside through the bars.

In the darkness, he noticed nothing unusual in the cell, muttered a few words, and then turned and left.

The footsteps gradually faded away, and the four of them finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhao Jihua was the first to crawl through the opening and found it to be a narrow passage filled with a pungent musty smell.

She cautiously peeked out, and after confirming that there was no danger outside, she waved to those inside.

Xia Li, Tao Yao, and Li Haifei emerged one after another, and the four of them carefully moved forward along the passage.

At the end of the passage was a wooden door. Zhao Jihua pushed it gently. The door was not locked, but it made a creaking sound.

She stopped immediately and listened intently to the sounds outside.

Fortunately, it didn't attract anyone's attention.

They then slowly pushed open the wooden door, revealing a corridor connecting the various prison cells.

They moved stealthily along the wall, taking each step with extreme caution.

Suddenly, they heard voices coming from ahead, and they quickly hid in the shadows to the side.

Two guards were seen chatting as they walked toward them.

"Those guys we arrested today don't seem like simpletons; we need to keep a close eye on them," one of the guards said.

"What's there to be afraid of? Once you're locked in a cell, you can't escape even if you grow wings," another guard replied nonchalantly.

"That's true, but judging from their elegant attire, they're probably young ladies from wealthy families. I guess we'll have to wait a while before making a move."

"Yes. But it's sure to be a big order, and then we can rest for a long time..."

The two voices grew closer and closer, and Xia Li and the others' hearts were in their throats.

Just as the guards were about to reach their hiding place, Zhao Jihua suddenly jumped out and punched one of the guards in the chin, knocking him unconscious.

Li Haifei also acted quickly, covering the mouth of another guard, dragging him aside, and taking care of him.

After dealing with the guards, they continued on and finally found the exit to the outside.

When the fresh air rushed towards them, they knew they had successfully escaped from the prison.

But they dared not relax, crouching low and hiding behind a haystack on the edge of the village, observing the surrounding movements.

The moonlight, like water, spilled over this seemingly peaceful village, but they knew that beneath the calm lay turbulent undercurrents.

"We can't just leave like this. We need to find out what's going on in this village." Xia Li lowered his voice, his eyes scanning the village back and forth.

Zhao Jihua nodded slightly, his eyes full of vigilance: "I always feel that this village looks a bit strange."

"There seems to be hardly anyone in this village."

Li Haifei affirmed, "No! To be precise, there are hardly any women."