Inside the abandoned high tower.
Salai looked at Uchiha Yuzuru, Uchiha Obito, and the others, asking, "Who are you, and why have you come to our Loulan Kingdom?"
Uchiha Obito immediately said, "We are Ninja from Hidden Cloud Village, and we are here because we accepted your commission."
"Commission?" Salai was a little surprised. "But I didn't issue any commission to you."
Uchiha Obito scratched his head: "Then I'm not sure. Our mission is to investigate the cause of death of the former Loulan Queen and the mysterious disappearance of the Loulan Kingdom's citizens."
Since Salai was the new Loulan Queen of the Loulan Kingdom, Uchiha Obito did not conceal the mission's details.
"By the way, why did you suddenly fall from the high tower just now?"
Salai recalled for a moment, then said with some uncertainty, "I felt someone push me, and then the windowsill suddenly shattered."
"That's it!" Uchiha Obito exclaimed excitedly, "Whoever was behind you at that moment is the murderer who killed the Loulan Queen and caused the disappearance of the Loulan Kingdom's citizens!"
However, what Uchiha Obito didn't expect was that after hearing his analysis, Salai's expression darkened: "Impossible. An Lushan has always been dedicated to Loulan Kingdom, and my mother trusted him greatly."
"Without An Lushan, Loulan Kingdom would not be what it is today."
"And you all saw just now, the citizens of Loulan Kingdom have been cheering for me; it's not at all as you described."
Seeing Salai's disbelief, Uchiha Obito said in dissatisfaction, "Then how do you explain our commission? And… you just said it yourself, someone pushed you from the high tower."
Salai stood up and said coldly, "Even if you say that, I don't trust you. I will personally go and ask An Lushan for clarification."
With that, Salai simply ran off.
Uchiha Obito, Kakashi Hatake, and Uchiha Shisui were all a bit dumbfounded.
Why was this woman so stubborn?
Only Uchiha Yuzuru was not surprised by this outcome.
In Salai's eyes, An Lushan was a hero of the Loulan Kingdom, always dedicated to its development.
These uninvited guests who suddenly appeared were not to be trusted.
"Yuzuru, what should we do now?"
Seeing the questioning gazes of Uchiha Obito and the others, Uchiha Yuzuru shrugged: "You decide."
Kakashi Hatake said in a deep voice, "Obito, Shisui, let's follow her. She will definitely go to An Lushan."
"Alright!"
After speaking, the three quietly followed in the direction Salai had left.
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"Hmph! These guys from Hidden Cloud Village are simply inexplicable. An Lushan is definitely not the kind of person they claim him to be."
Salai muttered as she hurried down the corridor.
Suddenly, a room door in the corridor opened, and Salai was pulled inside before she could react.
The room was unlit, and dozens of masked figures in black glared at Salai: "Where are our families being held?"
Salai was a little flustered and asked in confusion, "What family?"
"As expected, a Puppet Princess. You know nothing!"
The masked figures in black sighed in disappointment and silently put down their weapons.
Just then, the door was kicked open from outside: "Release Loulan Queen Salai!"
Uchiha Obito shouted as he burst in, with Uchiha Shisui and Kakashi Hatake close behind.
Seeing the cold glint of the Kunai and short swords, dozens of masked figures in black immediately covered their heads and crouched down: "Don't kill us, we mean no harm."
The lights were turned on, and only then did Salai see clearly.
These masked figures in black before her didn't even have a proper weapon in their hands; they looked nothing like assassins.
Kakashi Hatake took two steps forward and asked in a deep voice, "Who are you people?"
The masked figures in black exchanged glances and silently took off their masks. The two leaders said nervously, "My name is Salai, and her name is Yazi."
"We are all citizens of Loulan Kingdom."
Upon hearing this, Salai couldn't help but ask, "Then why are you looking for me?"
Salai replied, "Our families were all taken away one morning. We heard they were imprisoned somewhere to produce Puppets."
"Originally, we thought we could get information from you, but we didn't expect you to be just as everyone said, merely a Puppet Princess who knows nothing."
"No wonder everyone dislikes you."
"Salai!" Yazi stopped Salai and said to Salai, "Lady Salai, please excuse our rudeness."
Salai didn't mind, only pressing, "I never gave such an order, nor am I a Puppet Princess."
"You said everyone dislikes me, then listen." Salai pointed outside and retorted, "My citizens are clearly cheering for me!"
Hearing this, Yazi sighed: "Lady Salai, please follow me."
Yazi and the others walked outside. Salai thought for a moment and silently followed behind them.
Uchiha Obito and the others exchanged glances and likewise followed.
Soon, the group arrived outside the high tower.
Salai pointed to the cheering crowd ahead and said in a deep voice, "Look, aren't my citizens cheering for me?"
Before Yazi could speak, Uchiha Shisui ran forward and slashed a few times in the air with his Kunai.
The next second, several "people" suddenly fell to the ground.
Uchiha Shisui dragged one of them over and looked at Salai: "Loulan Queen Salai, these are all Puppets."
"They are all controlled by the Chakra flowing through the pipes."
Salai covered her mouth in disbelief: "The power of the Dragon Vein flows through the pipes, how could this be…"
Just then, the music suddenly became more intense.
Fireworks and cannons continuously boomed in the sky, and the cheers of the crowd grew even more fervent.
Salai and the others looked up and saw a Puppet, dressed exactly like Salai, emerge from the high tower, continuously waving to the crowd.
Seeing this, Salai asked Salai, "Lady Salai, do you believe it now?"
The facts were laid bare, and Salai could no longer refute them.
She felt as if all strength had left her body, and she slumped to the ground.
In her mind, memories related to An Lushan kept surfacing.
When she was young, An Lushan came to Loulan Kingdom.
Under An Lushan's efforts, Loulan Kingdom fully utilized the power of the Dragon Vein, and its people lived happy lives.
Towers rose from the ground, becoming a miracle in the desert.
Later, after her mother died, An Lushan always took care of her, and Loulan Kingdom continued to develop in a better direction.
But now… what exactly was going on with all of this?
"Crying won't solve any problems. An Lushan's ambition is already clear."
"Even for the sake of your citizens, you should pull yourself together."
Seeing Uchiha Yuzuru's outstretched hand, Salai paused, then nodded vigorously: "I understand. We'll go find the source of the Dragon Vein first!"