Seeing the ugly expressions on World Returns to Fire and Yuanshi Tianzun—the latter having even cursed aloud—Sun Miaomiao kept her face taut and leaned in with a grave look.
"Let me see." After reading the item information, her round little face instantly fell. "A door can only be unlocked once every half hour. To open David's door, we'll have to wait until after nightfall."
After reading the door lock's description, Zhao Chenghuang and Zhai Cai both turned to stone, their faces frozen, completely still.
During the first half hour, they had unlocked Sorcerer Dong's room. Then night fell, Brother Red Chicken the Bigfoot was eliminated, and in the second half hour, the group had unlocked the sole-heir Knight's room.
To unlock David's door, they had to wait for the third half hour. Before that, however, night would fall once more.
And when night fell, someone would inevitably die, permanently sealing away the clues in that person's room.
Zhao Chenghuang remained silent for a long moment before saying through gritted teeth, "I'm suddenly starting to think Brother Red Chicken was right! Would choosing the combat dungeon have been better after all?"
When the next night fell, no matter who died, the team would lose a crucial piece of the puzzle, sending the difficulty of deducing the culprit through the roof.
Zhai Cai let out a sigh, then chuckled. "No. If we chose the combat painting, someone in the team would definitely die. Trust me, in a level-eight difficulty stage, Jumang and I can only guarantee clearing it; we can't guarantee zero casualties. Choosing the murder mystery might risk a team wipe, but it's also our only shot at getting through without losing anyone.
"Doesn't our country have an old saying? Take a gamble, turn a bicycle into a motorcycle."
Sun Miaomiao corrected him, "That's not an old saying. That's internet slang."
"Whatever, whatever!" Zhai Cai waved a hand in slight embarrassment, then began analyzing in earnest, "Actually, the culprit has already been narrowed down to Sorcerer Dong, Daniel, and the werewolf. And the werewolf is either David the tutor or Lenn the gardener. Whoever dies tonight will reveal the werewolf's identity.
"When that time comes, as long as we deduce the culprit from among the three, we can crack the castle mystery and leave the painting."
Zhang Yuanqing's heart stirred. Zhai Cai's tone and expression were relaxed and confident, radiating the aura of someone who felt the game was already in the bag, along with a faint, eager thrill of *I'm going to be the MVP*.
What gave him such courage and confidence? It certainly wasn't intellect—most likely, it was his role-exclusive skill!
*I wonder what exclusive skill he got. Too bad I can't ask...* Zhang Yuanqing mused silently. He glanced at the sole-heir Knight and scoffed, "Don't celebrate too early. Maybe you'll be the one dying tonight!"
If the witch took him out, no skill, no matter how formidable, would do him any good.
Zhai Cai's expression froze, and he fell into contemplative silence.
With about a quarter of an hour left before nightfall, everyone kept their nerves strung tight as they discussed the situation. World Returns to Fire, his back against the wall, said, "Sorcerer Dong has a clear motive and physical evidence against him. By comparison, Daniel the exorcist and the werewolf are under less suspicion. Daniel has no motive for murder, and as for the werewolf, the crime scene tells the story."
The scene indicated that when the werewolf devoured the castle's mistress, it met no resistance and there were no signs of a struggle. The castle's mistress had been completely helpless at the time.
What remained unknown was whether she had been dead or merely unconscious.
With three fatal wounds, one had to have come before the others.
As Zhao Chenghuang and Sun Miaomiao actively engaged in the discussion, Zhang Yuanqing seized the opportunity. "I need a quiet place to think some things over. I'm heading back to my room for a moment."
The three Saints were puzzled, but none pressed him, letting him go.
Only Zhai Cai seemed thoughtful.
Stepping into Sorcerer Dong's room, Zhang Yuanqing opened his inventory, took out the black wooden box, and retrieved the ice pen from within. Prompted by the system, he spent all his points to activate the fuji divination skill.
He could no longer afford to keep the skill hidden, for he feared he might be the one the witch killed tonight.
Once he spent the points, the delicately carved ice pen slipped from his grip of its own accord and hovered above the tabletop. At the same time, the ice began to melt, leaving tiny beads of water on the surface.
Zhang Yuanqing grasped the ice pen once more and chanted in a low voice:
"The culprit who murdered Ya Lance, the culprit who murdered Ya Lance..."
Amidst his muttered chant, Zhang Yuanqing felt a potent force surge into the ice pen. His hand moved slowly across the tabletop, dragged along without his control, tracing a single letter: *d*.
The next instant, the power clinging to the ice pen vanished, and the pen melted away entirely, washing over the letter *d*.
"D..." Zhang Yuanqing furrowed his brow, trying to interpret the result of the divination. Seconds later, the meaning of the letter *d* clicked.
Among the six roles, the names containing the letter *d* were Dong, Daniel, and David—corresponding to himself, the sole-heir Knight, and World Returns to Fire.
*So World Returns to Fire is the werewolf? Yes, our earlier deduction was right. The culprit is indeed among the three of us.* Zhang Yuanqing wiped away the puddle of water on the desk and left the room.
Though the divination hadn't pinpointed the exact culprit, it confirmed their deduction that the murderer was among those three, meaning they didn't have to worry about any unexpected twists.
The three Saints from Return of the Dead were still debating the case. Zhai Cai stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall, listening without interjecting.
Seeing Zhang Yuanqing return, Zhai Cai curled his lips into a smile and spoke up, "Did you come up with any clues?"
Zhang Yuanqing nodded. "The culprit should be among Sorcerer Dong, Daniel, and David."
World Returns to Fire halted the discussion, unconvinced. "How do you know I'm the werewolf?"
"Intuition!" Zhang Yuanqing replied.
"I trust your intuition!" Zhai Cai nodded emphatically.
World Returns to Fire looked at Yuanshi Tianzun, then at the sole-heir Knight, sensing an indescribable weirdness between the two. Just as he was about to speak, a sharp, piercing screech of a cat rang out.
The surroundings darkened rapidly, as though dark clouds were rolling across the sky, blotting out the sun.
Night had fallen!
In the thick, profound darkness, everyone waited for "death."
*I've already passed along the information. If I'm the one who dies tonight, Zhai Cai should be able to grasp my hint and look for the culprit among Dong, Daniel, and David...*
*Though I'm still a little uneasy, if I really die, I can only choose to trust my teammates!* Thoughts raced through Zhang Yuanqing's mind. In slightly anxious anticipation, he watched the pitch darkness recede as light flooded back in.
Dawn had arrived!
*Huh, I'm not dead...* Zhang Yuanqing was overjoyed and immediately looked toward his companions.
The faces of the sole-heir Knight, World Returns to Fire, and Zhao Chenghuang appeared in his vision one by one. Only Sun Miaomiao was missing.
Yet there was no corpse of Sun Miaomiao in the hallway either—only a charred, oily outline of a human figure.
Sun Miaomiao was gone!
"Where's Miaomiao?" Zhao Chenghuang stared at the humanoid outline on the floor, asking in an uncertain voice.
Zhai Cai drew a sharp breath and walked over to the charred silhouette. "Isn't this her? But why did she die like this? Does the witch use a different method to kill every night?"
There had clearly been no flames during the night, yet Miaomiao had been burned until not even ash remained.
"It could also be related to her identity. Miaomiao played a member of the Lance family, and the witch has a grudge against them. That might explain the unusual state of her death!" Zhang Yuanqing remarked with a trace of relief in his tone.
World Returns to Fire wasn't the one who died. What a stroke of luck!
"As long as David isn't dead, that's fine." Zhai Cai broke into a smile as well. "Let's unlock the door and see what clues are inside the room."
There was no need to dwell on the cause of Sun Miaomiao's death, for neither Zhai Cai's guess nor Yuanshi's could be verified—at least not right now. World Returns to Fire withdrew his gaze, turned toward his door, and spent ten points to unlock it.
*Creak—*
He pushed open the wooden door and led his teammates into the room.
The layout matched the previous two rooms, and the furniture was the same, steeped in medieval simplicity and roughness. However, this room held a large quantity of precious parchment scrolls.
Its value vastly overshadowed the first two rooms.
Parchment was exceedingly difficult to manufacture from precious materials and was reserved for nobility during the medieval era. Yet in World Returns to Fire's room, there were more than ten scrolls of it.
Zhai Cai took the initiative to step up to the desk and read the parchment. Zhang Yuanqing headed for the wardrobe, while World Returns to Fire and Zhao Chenghuang searched the bed and beneath it.
Soon, Zhang Yuanqing was the first to find a palm-sized clay jar inside the wardrobe. It held a pitch-black liquid, and upon sniffing it, he caught a faint metallic smell of blood.
"I found something!" he called out, holding up the jar.
Zhai Cai, World Returns to Fire, and Zhao Chenghuang immediately gathered around. The clay jar was passed among the three, none of them able to identify the dark liquid.
Zhao Chenghuang pondered for a moment, then suggested, "Jumang, have a taste!"
Zhang Yuanqing considered it and decided it wasn't a bad idea. When the properties of a liquid were unknown, tasting was the best method of testing.
During the day, the castle did not seal items or skills. With a Night Wanderer's formidable vitality and regenerative capabilities, combined with the healing items and Life Source Fluid in his inventory, he could taste it with complete confidence.
And so, under the curious gazes of the three, Zhang Yuanqing raised the clay jar and took a sip.
"What does it taste like?" the three asked in unison.
Zhang Yuanqing smacked his lips. "It's blood, but with an indescribable sweetness. Highly toxic. A regular person would definitely die from drinking it, but it poses no real threat to me."
"So it's poison, then," Zhai Cai said, nodding.
Continuing their search, World Returns to Fire and Zhao Chenghuang came up empty-handed. However, Zhai Cai, who had been reading through the parchment, uncovered a major clue.
He first handed out a stack of paper made from linen fibers for the three to pass around.
It was a love letter written by Sandy, the daughter of the castle's mistress Ya Lance, to David the tutor.
Sandy Lance had fallen in love with the handsome tutor, but her mother had already arranged for her to marry a nobleman. She yearned to pursue love, yet lacked the courage to defy her mother, plunging the young girl into deep melancholy.
In the letter, she wrote: *"Ah, my beloved, if you hold me in your heart as well, please take me away!"*
Were Sandy and the tutor lovers? Or was it unrequited affection? Zhang Yuanqing and his two teammates exchanged glances.
Zhai Cai handed over another sheet of parchment.
The three passed it around. Recorded upon it was none other than the history of the Lance family, clearly stating that the Lances were a family of witches. A century ago, they had suffered a sudden decline; every witch in the family had perished, and their dark magic had been lost.
The parchment was riddled with worm-eaten holes, appearing quite ancient.
"Something feels off!" Zhang Yuanqing said with a solemn expression.
World Returns to Fire countered, "What feels off?"
"Where are the clues proving David is the werewolf? Why isn't there a single clue pointing to David being the werewolf?" Zhang Yuanqing said in a low voice. "Besides, David has no motive to kill Ya Lance."
Poison, a love letter, parchment—none of these clues proved David was the werewolf, nor did they provide him with a motive for murder.
World Returns to Fire said, "That means David isn't the culprit! Chenghuang, it seems your character is the werewolf after all. I hope you're not the one who dies tonight, or we'll lose our most crucial clue."
The moment he finished speaking, Zhang Yuanqing immediately refuted, "The culprit can only be one of the three: David, Sorcerer Dong, or Daniel. It can't be Zhao Chenghuang's character, Lenn. How could David not be the wolf... Something must have gone wrong."
World Returns to Fire and Zhao Chenghuang couldn't fathom why he was so certain David belonged among the suspects.
The Disgrace to Fire Specialists frowned and asked, "What's your reasoning?"
"I naturally have my ways. You know what I mean," Zhang Yuanqing hinted cryptically.
World Returns to Fire's brow furrowed even tighter. "What are you talking about? I don't know!"
Hearing that, the sole-heir Knight beside them was also stunned. "You don't know?"
World Returns to Fire looked both bewildered and amused. "What on earth are you two on about!"
Zhang Yuanqing and Zhai Cai exchanged a glance, each seeing the question marks lingering in the other's eyes.
Chapter 742