Zhu Mingxu lifted his head, scanning the faces of the trainees below and seeing a multitude of hostile, dismissive glares. After suppressing his anger for so long, it finally erupted. "What's there to say? Have I killed anyone? The headquarters will find out—what does it have to do with you? You lot who've settled into secondary roles—what right do you have to tie me up?" Before he could finish, Lu Le, the Flame Mage, slapped him hard, sending him sprawling to the ground, then kicked him in the abdomen. Zhu Mingxu curled up like a shrimp, gasping out bitter complaints. The physical constitution of musicians and scholars was among the weakest in the Lingjing practitioners; even the Red Luan Star Official at the Saint level, though stronger than ordinary people, was only moderately so. Lu Le roared, "Are you going to speak or not?" Zhu Mingxu, having finished his complaints, took deep, labored breaths. "I'll say, I'll say..." He continued to breathe heavily until the pain subsided and his breathing stabilized, only to be picked up again by Lu Le, the rough Flame Mage, who now pointed at the trainees below. "Look at Under the steady gaze of everyone, Zhu Mingxu gritted his teeth and said, "Last night, when I left the canteen, I truly went to find Xia Chaixue. But she wasn't the one I killed—my lie-detection device can testify to that. I don't have the ability to shield or manipulate the device; otherwise, I wouldn't be standing here now." The brown-horned creature showed no reaction. "Why did you go to Xia Chaixue?" asked Xia Hou Aotian. As class president, he felt it was his duty to question her directly. Zhu Mingxu stammered for a while, "What else could I have done at midnight in the girls' dormitory?" "So you're her lover? She was with you when she died—yes, but I only visited her for ten minutes, which doesn't add up," Xia Hou Aotian nodded in understanding before raising a question. "That night, I had a little wine and intended to go see her. But when I arrived at the girls' dormitory, I found she wasn't there, so I returned to the canteen." Zhu Mingxu said, "Later, after the dinner party ended, I went back to my dormitory to rest, and only the next day did I find out she had died." The brown little horn still showed no reaction. That did indeed make sense—Summer Xiaoxue was absent; so where had she been at that time? Zhang Yuanqing asked, "Why wasn't this reported in the morning?" Zhu Mingxu remained silent. Luo Le-sheng raised his large palm, threatening, "Shall I assist you?" ... Zhu Mingxu instinctively shrunk back, knowing that in the presence of the fiery, irritable dragon, his status and family background could no longer serve as a shield. He stammered, "I don't want to get involved in a case of death—this matter has never been connected to me." The brown little horn suddenly shone with brilliant radiance. "You dare to lie!" Luo Le-sheng slapped him hard. Thwack! Zhu Mingxu was sent staggering, his cheeks instantly swelling and blood seeping from the corners of his lips. Only then, reluctantly, did he confess: "My relationship with Xue Xiao Xue isn't exactly shining—I used a 'thread-of-romance' item." What on earth is a 'thread-of-romance' item? Zhang Yuanqing took ten seconds to grasp the meaning. The Red Lute Star Official has a skill called 'thread-of-romance,' which, as the name suggests, involves weaving romantic connections—either for oneself or for others. When a target is linked by this thread, they become wildly infatuated with the one who provided it. —It has a time limit. However, this skill is only available at level 5, and Zhu Mingxu is at level 4, which is why he had to use an item. For heaven's sake—what's the difference between that and seducing someone with a potion to render them unconscious? Zhang Yuanqing had only encountered a few musicians, and among those at the level of Red Lute Star Official and above, only the Master of the Zhishi Palace had stood out. The Master had never used this skill on him, so he hadn't realized it until now. The female students who had only met Zhu Rong and Mr. X Male participants also looked disdainful, while Si Yang Kai Tai was furious and joined in the scolding. At this moment, Song Man, on the podium, furrowed her brows and said: "Since you've gone to the women's dormitory, why haven't the animals or plants noticed you?" Zhu Mingxu replied: "Emotions have a time limit. After Xia Chao Xue recovered, she reacted strongly. I promised her that after I left, I would compensate her generously, allowing her to enjoy Zhu Family's resources and wealth, and it took me considerable effort to calm her down. However, she had a condition—she didn't want anyone to know about our relationship, since she had a boyfriend outside, from the same division. So every time I met her privately, I wore the night-wanderer props." Although the night-wanderer props were rare, they were not difficult to obtain for the young gentlemen of the spiritual realm families, who could easily exchange for one with their families. Moreover, "night-wandering" was an excellent survival skill, and financially well-off spiritual realm practitioners would often go to great lengths to acquire one. Of course, the night-wandering capabilities of these "Who else knows about your relationship?" the dean asked. According to the autopsy, Xia Xiaoxue had been assaulted before she died—yes, now it's definitely an assault. Clearly, the perpetrator was aware of Zhu Mingxu's relationship with Xia Xiaoxue and deliberately chose to assault her, creating the false impression of a familiar acquaintance. "No, I haven't revealed it to anyone," Zhu Mingxu shook his head firmly, while the brown-hued young goat remained silent. Dean Li Yanxi paused for a few seconds. "Did Xia Xiaoxue exhibit any unusual behavior yesterday?" Zhu Mingxu shook his head. "No. Only this morning, upon learning of her death, I've been trying to figure out who the murderer is. I originally thought it was Yuan Shiyuan." "Oh? Why did you come to that conclusion?" Dean Li Yanxi narrowed his eyes. "Someone who can move silently and unobtrusively into the women's dormitory must possess the ability of a night-wanderer. Yuan Shiyuan, in addition to being the Supreme Deity of the Beginning, is also known as the 'Rough-Deity of the Beginning.' Doesn't it make sense that You're just biased—Zhang Yuanqing wants to go on stage and give it to him. The dean shook his head, somewhat disappointed. He'd thought Zhu Mingxu would provide some valuable insights. After asking a few more questions and seeing no breakthroughs, Li Yanxi said: "I'll report Zhu Mingxu's alleged inappropriate conduct toward Xia Chaoxue to headquarters. From now on, he'll be under the supervision of Teacher Luo Leisheng. Everyone go have dinner now. If you have any leads, please report them to the faculty promptly." I think the armored person killed Xia Xiaoyue with a purely focused intent—to leverage the case and the school administration to expose us. "The Night Rose members can perfectly evade polygraph devices, so this isn't a strategy that results in mutual defeat; it's a proven and effective approach." Sun Miaomiao held her little energetic one in one arm and served food with the other. "So Xia Xiaoyue just got unlucky. Out of twenty-two candidates, she was chosen." Three tables over, Tianxia Guihuo denied her point. "It's not out of twenty-two—it's out of seven." Sun Miaomiao hadn't quite caught on when she heard the voice of Yuan Shishen coming through her headset: "Correct. The armored person is most likely one of the female students. Zhu Mingxu's statement has given us two key clues: first, the girls' dormitory might not have been the initial scene of the crime; second, the armored person knows Zhu Mingxu's relationship with Xia Xiaoyue." "Zhu Mingxu had not revealed the relationship between the two to anyone—this has been verified by polygraph testing. So, could it be that Xia Chaoxue disclosed it herself?" Sun Miaomiao nodded in sudden realization: "Yuan Shi is right. Xia Chaoxue would likely not share such details with male trainees; she would more probably confide in female trainees. The armored person, after killing Xia Chaoxue, deliberately 'injured' her—intentionally directing our suspicion toward the male trainees." "Ah, precisely because the murderer is a woman, there is no male bodily fluid found inside Xia Chaoxue's body." Hearing this, Zhao Chenghuang offered his perspective: "Then the scope narrows down. Which female trainees did Xia Chaoxue typically spend time with?" Sun Miaomiao tilted her head, recalling, "Xianchan and Xiao Yue are particularly close to her." There were eight female trainees in total. Tianxia Gui Huo said calmly: "Arrange opportunities to invite the two of them to the Hundred Beasts Island, and use the Tiger King as a test—face six-tiered spiritual beasts, they'll either die or use their night-wandering items to survive. 'Whoever has the night-wandering items or armor is a member of the Night Rose.' Whew, brother, your ideas are quite dangerous... Zhang Yuanqing gritted his teeth. "What if we're wrong? Wouldn't that mean we'd kill them?" Sun Miao Miao furrowed her adorable brows, gently rubbing the sparse downy hair on her small, endearing companion. Sun Miaomiao brightened: "This plan works." Bringing them to the Hundred-Beasts Island would place the initiative firmly with the Tiger King—something they couldn't control. But the second plan would give them control over the situation. Seeing no opposition to her proposal, Tianxia Gui continued: "We must be mentally prepared for potential errors in our reasoning. Therefore, we need to investigate the doubts surrounding the Director as well—not delay this investigation while we search for the Armor Person. He's also actively looking for us. We know very little about this adversary. 'If we don't act swiftly and decisively, we'll end up in a passive position,' said Zhao Chenguang, his brows gradually furrowing. 'The Director has repeatedly checked whether the students stayed in their dorms overnight—this clearly indicates something is amiss. It's not difficult to deal with the Director; the challenge lies in the aftermath. 'Unless we eliminate him or erase his memory, the Director's sharp instincts will allow him to piece together many insights from this attack. 'How can we extract intelligence from him while ensuring he forgets this entire incident?' The small team fell into silence. The swordsman possessed steel resolve—killing him would be easy, but controlling him was a feat beyond imagination. Zhang Yuanqing pondered his strategies. As lunch drew to a close, suddenly, Xiahou Aotian's booming laughter rang out among them: "I've got it! I'm truly a genius! I'm truly a genius!" "What's the plan?" asked Sun Miaomiao and the others in unison. Xiahou Aotian said nothing, simply sitting alone in the corner, his head held high with pride. Zhang Yuanqing understood instantly and transmitted his thoughts: "Remarkable—Aotian, you truly are the protagonist. We mere supporting characters can only admire." Only then did Xiahou Aotian lower his proud head and begin eating. "We can administer a potion to the headmaster, impairing his mental faculties, and then use a hypnosis device to put him into a trance—then we're all set." Tianxu Guihuo struggled to speak, finally managing: "First of all, you'll need the medicine." "Among the materials in the underground palace, there is a herb known as the Ever-Vast and All-Encompassing Grass—a material of master level for illusionists. I can refine it into a hallucinogenic mist that is colorless and odorless. When inhaled, it induces vivid hallucinations, leaving people dazed and easily controlled. As for auxiliary herbs, the Lingzhi Island has them—over a thousand varieties." The master of alchemy and medicine, Zhang Yuanqing, was especially skilled in refining and preparing medicinal compounds, and Xiaohou Aotian proved to be reliable. The group listened with growing enthusiasm. After lunch, the underground team returned to the café, completed their prop exchange in the restroom, and handed the "Little Red Cap" and the "Ten-Thousand-Man Slayer" to Sun Miao-miao. Zhang Yuanqing, in turn, received Zhao Chenguang's hypnosis watch. Summer Hou Aotian also received Sun Miao-miao's night-wandering prop and Zhang Yuanqing's Wind-Bringer gloves. Together, these two props enable him to fly directly to the Spirit Herb Island to collect medicinal herbs. ... 6:30 p.m. The afternoon had been calm and uneventful. Red Jigong, having finished playing cards, followed Zhang Yuanqing back to his room to rest. The lighting was soft, with a popular, round-faced beauty standing by the table. An elegant, regal woman with red eyes and an otherworldly charm sat gracefully in the chair. They looked like the finest dolls. "Your two ghost bodies are truly stunning," Red Jigong said, walking over to the table and glancing between the blood-raspberry and the graceful form of Lady Silver-Yao. "Do you have any particular preference, Master Yuan-Shi?" He had some doubts about the XP of the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign. It made sense that a beautiful spectral corpse could understand—two spectral corpses, both stunningly beautiful, was quite puzzling. "Last time in the Cliff Mountain instance, you didn't have this spectral corpse yet," Red Chicken Brother observed, gazing at Lady Yin Yao for a moment, with a touch of admiration. "She's quite large, isn't she?" The connection between the host and the spectral corpse allowed Zhang Yuanqing to sense Lady Yin Yao's growing irritation. "Large or not, she's cold—lacking warmth," Zhang Yuanqing remarked. Lady Yin Yao grew even more annoyed. "Indeed, the warm, lively one is far more comfortable—sleeping, sleeping," Red Chicken Brother stretched lazily, then lay back flat, already snoring within seconds. Zhang Yuanqing quickly bowed to Lady Yin Yao, apologizing with the unique method of the Night-Wanderer deity: "That's just how the Fire Master is—please don't mind, Your Grace." "Not warm enough?" "Just jesting, just jesting," Zhang Yuanqing apologized repeatedly. "Hmph!" Lady Yin Yao turned her head away. Once the Princess was calmed, Zhang Yuanqing went to bed. Time passed slowly, and by 10:30 p.m., he pretended to go to the bathroom. He closed the door, took out the Yajime Mirror, and looked at himself. The very next moment, a beam of light streamed from the mirror’s surface, transforming into another Zhang Yuanqing. This duplicate Zhang Yuanqing calmly opened the bathroom door, returned to the bedroom, and settled into bed. The real Zhang Yuanqing had already cast the Star-Transcendance Technique and departed from the boys’ dormitory. Outside the boys’ dormitory, beneath a patch of tree shade, a soft, dreamlike glow of starlight rose. Zhang Yuanqing looked around. The night was deep and still, the moon high in the sky, casting a cool, serene light. The emerald plants and vibrant flowers, bathed in the moon’s gentle radiance, seemed listless. In the late afternoon, Xue Hou Aotian had prepared a poison called "Flower-Death," a small handful of powdered toxin capable of killing all the plants in the garden within six hours. The animals, upon detecting this colorless, odorless toxic powder, likewise survive no more than eight hours. The underground team secretly sprayed the area where plants grow throughout the academy. Zhang Yuanqing retrieved a wax pellet and a pocket watch from his inventory—the former being the hallucinogenic smoke, the latter a hypnotic device gifted by Zhao Chenguang. He slipped both items into his pocket, then pressed a flawless human skin overlay onto his face. The skin, as thin as a gossamer wing, quickly melted and adhered to his body. In moments, he transformed into the composed, refined female teacher Lin Su. His plan was to pose as Teacher Lin Su, visit the dean, launch a surprise attack using the hallucinogenic smoke, and then employ Zhao Chenguang's hypnotic device to induce sleep. The choice of Lin Su was determined by Xiahou Aotian's divination. The oracle indicated that among all the teachers, only by assuming the identity of Lin Su and approaching the dean would he achieve the most favorable outcome. "Knock, knock!" The dean, seated at her desk pondering the case, heard the sound of the door being tapped. He stood up and moved away from the table, opening the room to find Lin Su standing at the doorway, composed and serene. "Professor Lin?" the elderly dean exclaimed, startled, "Is there something I can assist you with?" Lin Su was clearly dressed in student uniform, yet to Zhang Yuanqing, it felt utterly natural—as if she had always belonged that way. "Dean," Zhang Yuanqing said, speaking words that were not quite true, "I've always felt uneasy." Then, he noticed the dean, Li Yanxi, sighing softly and gently wrapping her arms around his waist, leading him into the room. What was going on? Zhang Yuanqing felt a weight settle in his chest, sensing something was amiss. The gesture was far too intimate. "I know," Li Yanxi said, holding her close as she stood beneath the light, gazing down at his calm, beautiful face with gentle eyes, "The murderer, having the courage to take lives, is surely no ordinary person. As a scholar, you have limited means of self-defense—your concerns are entirely understandable." "If you're afraid, stay with me tonight," she added. "It's been a long time since we've spent time together So that's why it's the very best possible fortune? Immediately, Zhang Yuanqing heard herself emit a soft, pleased sigh. "With Song Man right beside you, the little fool was actually sent here precisely because of her messy romantic affairs—her bed skills are far superior to mine." Song Man had indeed been penalized for her personal life chaos... Hmm, Old Director, I never thought you'd be such a director. How different are you from the female students and professors at our Songhai University who are always seen sleeping with others? Zhang Yuanqing mentally ranted. The Director's face, both weathered and yet full of masculine charm, smiled gently. "Life at the academy can be rather monotonous. We simply comfort each other. Your jealousy is quite unnecessary—she hasn't come to see me recently, probably because she's developed a romance with one of the students. "It's getting late now; let's rest." You rest, then! Zhang Yuanqing silently crushed the wax tablet. Instantly, the colorless, odorless gas spread throughout the room. At the very instant Zhang Yuanqing broke the wax orb, he held his breath. As the gas diffused, the old director's clear eyes suddenly became wildly disoriented—his eyeballs occasionally rolling upward, then downward, occasionally fixated on a single point. He began murmuring, speaking incoherently. Zhang Yuanqing stepped back two paces, broke free from the director's embrace, tore off the flawless human skin, and pulled out his watch from his pocket, holding it gently before the director's eyes. The watch's hands swayed gently like a pendulum: "Answer my questions. Answer my questions..." It took exactly two minutes before Zhang Yuanqing saw the disarray in the director's pupils fade, replaced by a hollow stillness. This meant the hypnosis had succeeded. Zhang Yuanqing got straight to the point: "In the morning, why did you ask Master Yuan Shi whether he had left his dormitory last night?" The director murmured: "I simply wanted to clarify the students' movements last night." "Why did you need to clarify their movements, when your suspicions had already been completely cleared?" "The dean murmured, 'I just wanted to find out where the students were last night.' Zhang Yuanqing's brow gradually furrowed. Just wanting to know the students' whereabouts? That didn't convince him. At that moment, he had already thoroughly cleared his alibi—whether he was in the dorm or not was entirely unrelated to the case. On the contrary, the armored figure who had personally witnessed the stone gate being opened was most concerned about this very point. It was especially suspicious that the dean raised this question at such a critical moment. But hypnosis wouldn't deceive anyone—the dean's answer was truly sincere. Was it just a coincidence? Had I been overthinking? Zhang Yuanqing remained silent for a long time, then sighed, "Forget what happened tonight. Go to bed." The head physician turned without a word, removed his clothes and shoes, covered himself with the blanket, and fell asleep. Xiaohou Aotian couldn't accept, "How convenient that you asked just now!" "I don't believe it's a coincidence either, but it seems that's exactly what happened," Zhang Yuanqing sighed. He didn't go into detail about last night's events, nor did he reveal the affair between Professor Lin Su and the dean—after all, he wasn't Yuan Ting. Now that he thought about it, life at the academy was rather monotonous; everyone was an adult, naturally having their own needs. When both parties were willing, there was nothing to complain about. "Then our investigation is stalled. For the next two days, we'll be quite passive," Zhao Chenghuang's calm voice echoed through the headset. "Perhaps our approach has been wrong all along," Xiaohou Aotian murmured. At that moment, the public address system in the canteen suddenly broadcast the dean's firm and sorrowful voice: "Everyone, gather immediately at the library." The team from the underground palace stiffened, instinctively turning to Yuan Shishen. Did you reveal anything last night? "I absolutely didn't," Yuan Shishen said. Zhang Yuanqing looked utterly bewildered, quietly tightened his nerves, set down his chopsticks, and, together with the other students who also appeared茫然, walked out of the canteen and into the library. On the podium, the dean's eyes were slightly glistening with emotion, his expression solemn and resolute, his gaze cold and steady as he watched the students enter the library. His eyes swept over each face, and then he said slowly and deliberately: "Professor Lin Su was murdered last night."