"You're the one who's constipated!" Zhang Yuanqing rapped his knuckles against her head. Before Sun Miaomiao could strike back in indignation, he pressed on his earpiece. "I think I know what's going on."
The underground palace team felt a surge of excitement, though none showed it on their faces. Some feigned sipping coffee, others pretended to take in the scenery, all listening attentively for Yuanshi Tianzun's explanation.
"I suspect the armored figure tampered with the stone doors..."
Zhang Yuanqing relayed his hypothesis, omitting his recurring headaches and claiming only that he possessed an item capable of stimulating memories.
So that was it!
Realization dawned on the underground palace team. World Returns to Fire felt a weight lift from his chest; his greatest fear had been that the armored figure possessed some undetectable, incomprehensible surveillance method. If that had been the case, they would have been entirely at their mercy.
"Judging from Xia Chaoxue's death, we can infer that the armored figure dived into Jiaoren Lake to check for traces late at night," World Returns to Fire said, keeping his head down as he sipped his coffee. "During the day there are classes, with too many eyes and ears around, and the early evening is the same. Only the dead of night, when everyone is asleep, is suitable for slipping into the lake. If it were me, I would also choose the late night hours to avoid detection."
"Yuanshi entered the underground palace twice—once in the morning and once in the evening—avoiding him perfectly," Sun Miaomiao said, pretending to stare blankly at the ceiling. "That means the probability of the armored figure being a Starlord is very low. Stargazer and Yuan Ting aren't the armored figure."
Starlords had spirit servants and yin corpses. They didn't need to dive into the lake themselves; they could monitor the stone doors at any time.
Yuanshi Tianzun was living proof.
Xiahou Aotian said, "Do you have any clues regarding the remaining three questions? Solve those three, and the whole sequence of events will become clear. I still feel something is off..."
He pondered briefly, then spoke through his thoughts:
"Think about it. If I were the armored figure, I would choose to search in secret, lock onto the target, and then strike. I wouldn't kill someone and make it known to everyone. That's a lose-lose play."
Just as Zhang Yuanqing was about to reply, Brother Red Chicken slammed the table across from him and snapped angrily, "Enough! I can't stand your moping anymore!"
***
Library conference room.
The white-haired old dean sat at the head of the conference table, a thin stack of papers before him.
Looking around at the instructors seated along the table, he said in a heavy voice, "In the entire academy, eleven people can provide alibis for one another in the latter half of the night. Nine of them were eating skewers and drinking congee in the cafeteria, organized by Brother Red Chicken; they ate and drank until one-thirty in the morning. The other two were Yuanshi Tianzun and Zhao Chenghuang. Everyone else was in their dormitory rooms, having turned in early."
Fire Demon Luo Lesheng asked in his rumbling, muffled voice, "Can those people be cleared of suspicion?"
The old dean shook his head. "No. On the contrary, with those people, there are facts to investigate. Those alone in their rooms are the ones impossible to verify, because no one can tell whether they're lying."
Pausing, he lifted his teacup, took a sip, and continued, "Next, two things must be verified. First, according to the statements of the students in the cafeteria, Zhu Mingxu left midway through and didn't return for ten-odd minutes. Second, did Yuanshi Tianzun and Zhao Chenghuang really spend the whole night together? From what I've observed, Yuanshi Tianzun has never missed a treat from Brother Red Chicken. Stargazer, take the lie-detecting item and go question them."
Stargazer nodded, rose, and left the conference room.
Looking at the remaining instructors, the old dean said, "Next, let us consider the armored figure's motive for killing..."
***
Everyone at the table was startled by Brother Red Chicken, staring blankly at him, unsure what fit had seized this crass Fire Demon.
Brother Red Chicken grumbled, "I've had it! You haven't said a single word since we walked into this café! So a student died—what's there to be so gloomy about? We've only known each other a few days. Sure, I'm upset someone died too, but life goes on, doesn't it? I propose we head to the cafeteria for lunch and get a piping hot bowl of fresh sliced-meat congee. You'll feel better once you eat!"
He thinks we're grieving? The group stared dumbfoundedly at Brother Red Chicken.
"What are you staring at me like that for? Am I wrong?" Brother Red Chicken glared.
"Right, right, totally makes sense," everyone nodded in unison.
I really appreciate Brother Red Chicken's simple-mindedness... Zhang Yuanqing smiled. "We were just pondering who the killer could be. After all, we still have three days to spend here. The sooner we root out the culprit, the sooner everyone can relax."
"That makes sense too." Brother Red Chicken nodded. "So did you figure out who the killer is?"
"Well, it's definitely not you," Sun Miaomiao hummed disdainfully.
"Little girl, I think you're looking for a fight. I'm a staunch supporter of gender equality; I never pull my punches with women—even if you've got something going on with Yuanshi Tianzun." Brother Red Chicken understood her sneer; it was just like the dean's earlier sarcasm.
"Who has something going on with Yuanshi Tianzun?!" Sun Miaomiao reacted vehemently.
At that moment, Yuanshi Tianzun's voice came through the earpieces:
"Xiahou Aotian's doubt ties into the question of 'why Xia Chaoxue was the one who died.' The killer might have had an entirely different reason for targeting her. Regardless, the fact that the stone doors were opened is now known. We must find the culprit, and we must kill them—we cannot let them leak this secret."
World Returns to Fire narrowed his eyes, masked killing intent flashing across his gaze. "We need to drag them out and silence them before the academy instructors find them."
Zhao Chenghuang and Xiahou Aotian showed the same resolute murderous intent in their eyes. To protect this fortune, there was nothing they wouldn't do.
"Exactly, but don't be too anxious. The armored figure won't easily expose this either, because they're after the treasure too. Besides—"
Zhang Yuanqing was cut short once more, but this time not by Brother Red Chicken. It was Stargazer.
The Starlord—ordinary in facial features, yet possessing an ethereal, noble demeanor—stepped into the café.
The group turned their eyes toward him.
"I asked around, and some students mentioned you were at the café." Stargazer walked over to the table and casually took a seat. Looking at Yuanshi Tianzun and Zhao Chenghuang, he said, "The dean sent me to ask you two: what were you doing last night?"
Fortunately, Stargazer was not a Scout, or he would have noticed the brief flicker of gravity crossing the underground palace team's faces.
Fuck, is this ever going to end? Keeping this lie-detecting item around is an absolute menace! Zhang Yuanqing felt a chill. He glanced at Zhao Chenghuang, whose expression had grown even bleaker.
World Returns to Fire, Xiahou Aotian, and Sun Miaomiao watched quietly, their minds racing beneath calm exteriors.
Slipping past the lie-detecting item this morning had relied entirely on Zhao Chenghuang's quick wit—a clever trick. But now, with the man shoving it right in their faces for one-on-one questioning, repeating a similar stunt would make anyone suspicious.
Rely on ambiguous phrasing? Such as claiming he and Zhao Chenghuang had been doing something private together? No, that kind of rhetoric wouldn't fool anyone; he couldn't treat people like fools. If Stargazer asked for specifics, he wouldn't be able to answer at all...
Thoughts churned in Zhang Yuanqing's mind, yet his surface remained completely composed. Looking down at the small brown horn the instructor had placed on the table, he said in a deep voice, "Teacher Stargazer, before I answer, you need to answer a question for me."
Stargazer fixed him with a profound gaze. "Go ahead."
"Why is the dean so concerned with what the students were doing last night?"
"Since the lie-detecting item yielded no results, the only option is to gather as much information as possible. Perhaps clues will emerge," Stargazer said.
"Then I think your question shouldn't be what we were doing last night, but something far more targeted," Zhang Yuanqing said with a smile. "For example: what our relationship with Xia Chaoxue was like, whether we had feelings for her, or whether we had private dealings with her. Wouldn't those be much more on-target?"
While stalling for time, he projected his consciousness into Commandery Princess Yinyao's body and activated the White Face persona.
Due to the morning's crisis, he had anticipated that similar encounters would inevitably follow. Thus, with Commandery Princess Yinyao's consent, he was free to inhabit her body at will over the next three days.
"Good idea," Stargazer nodded. "Then answer all of those questions."
Zhang Yuanqing chuckled, though there was not an ounce of mirth in his eyes. "Your attitude is really rubbing me the wrong way. I'm not a suspect. Watch your tone. If this weren't the academy, I'd have pinned you to the floor and pounded you by now, Level 5 or not."
Stargazer replied coldly, "Please hold the item and answer my question."
Is Yuanshi Tianzun planning to use an emotional outburst as an excuse to dodge the test and refuse the lie detector? That won't work. These instructors used to be field agents; they'll see through such a clumsy ploy at a glance... World Returns to Fire's brow furrowed tightly.
The hearts of the rest of the underground palace team sank as well.
At that moment, they saw Yuanshi Tianzun pick up the small brown horn and say placidly, "I gave Zhao Chenghuang a secret manual on spirit talismans."
Immediately after, he tossed the horn onto the table with a cold sneer. "Teacher Stargazer, now it's your turn to answer my questions."
Stargazer looked at the motionless horn, frowning before realization hit him.
Last night, Zhao Chenghuang and Yuanshi Tianzun had been trading. The subject of the trade was obvious: the mid-air talisman crafting technique Yuanshi Tianzun had displayed that day on Jixin Island.
To a Starlord, that was indeed an irresistible temptation—one that even Stargazer himself had dwelled on for days.
Recalling the events of that day, Stargazer considered it entirely reasonable and logical that Zhao Chenghuang would seek such a trade.
"So that was it. I understand. I will report this back to the dean."
Brilliantly done!
Beneath Zhao Chenghuang's stern expression was a surge of pleasant surprise.
Yuanshi Tianzun's maneuver had been nothing short of a stroke of genius. He first staged intense displeasure and anger, then incorporated their exchange on Jixin Island, defusing the situation flawlessly.
Stargazer wouldn't suspect a thing because Yuanshi Tianzun had indeed given Zhao Chenghuang a talisman manual. As a witness to that earlier scene, Stargazer only needed to connect the dots himself to reach the logical conclusion.
World Returns to Fire and the others were thoroughly bewildered, having no idea what sorcery Yuanshi Tianzun had worked to win Stargazer's trust so effortlessly.
"Teacher!" Zhang Yuanqing called out, stopping Stargazer just as he stood to leave. "What's your take on the killer?"
Stargazer fell silent for a few seconds before murmuring, "I suspect the killer is the same mystery figure who dived into Jiaoren Lake on the first night of the term."
Zhang Yuanqing raised an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"
"Because neither the lie-detecting item nor Insight took effect. An ability like that is extremely rare; it's impossible for just anyone to possess it." Stargazer offered his reasoning.
"Extremely rare... meaning it does exist, right?" Zhang Yuanqing thought for a moment, then asked, "Do you know what abilities can bypass lie detection and Insight?"
A hesitant look crossed Stargazer's face.
Seeing this, Zhang Yuanqing turned and called to the café staff, "Bring the teacher a cappuccino."
Seeing Yuanshi Tianzun settling in like that, Stargazer had no choice but to sit back down. He glanced at Zhao Chenghuang, then at Yuanshi Tianzun, and lowered his voice: "Didn't I tell you on the island that day? The Lunar Force symbolizes secrecy."
Zhang Yuanqing frowned. "But there are only so many Starlords on the island, and the only one specializing in the Lunar path is Zhao Chenghuang."
Zhao Chenghuang looked at him and said flatly, "My Lunar Force hasn't reached perfection yet; it can't block lie-detecting items. Sun Miaomiao specializes in the Astral path, and Yuan Ting lacks sufficient merits, so he hasn't obtained the secret cultivation technique yet."
"Then it isn't the Lunar Force," Zhang Yuanqing said, shaking his head.
"You didn't understand what I meant..." Stargazer hesitated once more. "Perfected Lunar Force isn't limited to concealing oneself—it can also be bestowed upon others. Back when I was a field agent, I was once tasked with apprehending a lawbreaking Fangshi. Fangshi can perform divination, so an elder of the sect bestowed upon me the power of concealment. That way, any actions concerning me couldn't be divined."
The underground palace team sank into deep thought.
Perfected Lunar Force can bestow the power of concealment onto others... To claim whatever lies behind the stone doors, the armored figure killed Xia Chaoxue without hesitation. Such ruthless brutality hardly resembles an ordinary official Saint, as it inevitably forces a complete break with the official factions... Yet anyone who isn't official personnel couldn't possibly enter Qinfeng Academy—well-connected exceptions like Brother Red Chicken are one of a kind...
In the official ranks, but clearly not a true official Walker... Holy shit, the Dark Night Rose?!!
A violent storm raged through Zhang Yuanqing's mind.
In that instant, a lingering question that had puzzled him for a long time was suddenly resolved—why, despite the official factions conducting an annual grand health check, members of the Dark Night Rose always managed to remain at large.
The leader of the Dark Night Rose was of the Night Roamer class, and of an exceptionally high standing at that.
He—or she—bestowed the power of concealment upon key figures in the organization, so the grand health check naturally couldn't detect them.
Everything made sense now.
Damn it, a Dark Night Rose member slipped into this batch of trainees!
No wonder they killed without batting an eye; that was classic traitor behavior from the Dark Night Rose.
Members of the Dark Night Rose were embedded within both the official factions and Spirit Realm clans, with no shortage of high-ranking individuals among them. It made total sense that they would know about the academy's hidden quest.
Fuck, why such a coincidence? Why did they have to choose this exact term? I'm so damn unlucky... No, maybe it isn't bad luck.
Starlords could use Stargazing to read the trajectories of all things in the world. If that leader coveted the hidden quest, they had most likely observed the celestial bodies and sensed that the time was ripe.
And so, they ordered a traitor embedded in the official ranks to join this training cohort.
The armored figure scouting the location, applying the cloaking residue, and monitoring the stone doors every night—every single action was now explained.
The Dark Night Rose again. I really have an ill-fated connection with this godforsaken organization... Zhang Yuanqing took a deep breath, looked at Stargazer, and said, "Teacher, we need to talk. I think I've figured out the killer's hidden identity."
His first instinct was to inform the dean and cooperate with the academy leadership to capture the Dark Night Rose member hiding among them.
Chapter 437