Chapter 45

Chapter 44: Mountains and Seas 22

Script murder games are different from police investigations. You don’t need to rely on evidence to pin down the murderer or convict them. When time is short, reasoning and elimination alone can identify the real culprit.

Using the locked-room method, the suspects can be narrowed down to Zhu Shuangyun and Zhang Qijun.

At the same time, for this locked-room scenario to succeed, there must be accomplices, and it can also be inferred that the true culprit possesses multiple abilities, possibly even the power to control a transformed body.

During the faction battle, Zhang Qijun was determined to kill Shizong, causing the “Mountain” faction to lose. To achieve this, he used every trick in the book, which also revealed all the skills he possessed.

If he had powerful abilities like controlling a transformed body, he would have been much harder to deal with.

Zhang Qijun didn’t care about winning the game or the points, at least not before Shizong died. Killing Shizong was his top priority at the time.

Therefore, he wouldn’t have held back in the faction battle out of fear of exposing his Tian Shen Dao abilities.

He didn’t use other abilities at the time, which can only mean he couldn’t use them—he didn’t have such abilities.

From this perspective, the culprit can only be Zhu Shuangyun.

At this moment, in the banquet hall, two chefs pushed out a serving cart, eyes serious, staring at the table as if ready to support their true master at any moment.

By the table, Zhu Shuangyun was under the gaze of all the other players.

But she silently looked at Shizong with a slightly scrutinizing gaze, without speaking for now.

Zhang Qijun spoke again: “I really am not the murderer. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have bothered to admit I stole the key. By the way, since the chefs are accomplices, if they could just follow me directly, why would I need to charm them to get the key?”

Hearing this, Shizong glanced at Zhang Qijun, listening to his story.

As a female Asura, her character had charm, sensitivity, and the ability to discern friend from foe. These traits helped her in the faction battle.

After the faction battle, when she, as the female lead, passed through the fourth floor on the way back to the fifth-floor lodging area and saw the two chefs in the banquet hall, her eyelids twitched sharply—she suddenly felt something was off about them.

The female lead’s sudden suspicion likely stemmed from having spent some time in the castle, during which some memories gradually returned.

Of course, the faction battle also helped her regain many of her former abilities, essentially giving her practice.

Thus, she hadn’t noticed anything suspicious about the chefs earlier, but now, seeing them, she felt uneasy.

Carrying this unease, the female lead decided to investigate the kitchen, and if necessary, even check the director’s room to see if he was truly in seclusion.

Although they were both Cen Qianshan, after opening those doors on the third floor and seeing the events behind them, she realized one thing—

Cen Qianshan had experienced countless cycles. Perhaps after death, as a being in the intermediate state, he could recall all past events, but while living in any given cycle, he only had the memories of that cycle.

Therefore, Cen Qianshan of different cycles were essentially different people.

They might have committed different sins and accumulated different karmic burdens.

The “director” designing others to kill the “screenwriter” is evidence of this. He didn’t care about the life or death of his other-cycle selves.

So the female lead didn’t trust the director at all and decided she had to find a chance to enter his room.

She went to the kitchen, and when no one else was around, charmed the two chefs.

While they goofed around in the break room, she took the key.

To prevent them from noticing, she didn’t just leave with the key but conducted a detailed search in the corridor.

In the storeroom, she found many useful props, including equipment for making keys.

She planned to make a temporary ink pad to imprint the key. Later, by observing the key’s specific grooves, she could forge a copy.

Zhang Qijun moved between the kitchen and storeroom, taking canola oil, candles, and other items, combining them with her existing lipstick to quickly make a simple ink pad.

She imprinted the key, cleaned it, and returned it to the two chefs.

While rummaging in the storeroom, the female lead had an unexpected discovery.

She found a diagram explaining a method to see the memories of the dead, called “Recalling Past Dust”—

Insert a [Plum Blossom Needle] into a specific point on the deceased’s brain, chant a secret spell, and the body can be manipulated to “recollect.”

Then set up a magic array, place the corpse inside, and insert the remaining 15 [Plum Blossom Needles] into the back to read the related memories.

The person reading the memory must also sit inside the array.

The 15 needles are tied with 15 special threads. The reader must wrap the threads tightly around their neck and wrists.

Casting this spell effectively sends a portion of one’s soul into the corpse to access its memories.

Zhang Qijun took the diagram and studied it in her room for a long time. This was a spell only a Tian Shen Dao genius could use. Some of the arrays and techniques were too complex for a single female Asura to comprehend easily.

Explaining this, Zhang Qijun said: “So I haven’t entered the director’s room. First, I only took the key-making equipment to my room, but haven’t forged the key yet. If you go to the room later, you can see the equipment.

“Second, I need to study that diagram. Once I fully understand the spell, I can go to the director.

“I thought if he still refused to let me return to my Asura Path, I’d kill him and read his memories.

“I should be able to find a way out of the castle from his memories. The diagram is in my room.

“But in the end, I didn’t have time to do anything. The day after I got the diagram, we went with Zhou Lü to find the director but discovered he had left. In that case, no need to enter his room.

“Since he went into seclusion, I haven’t seen him again.”

Looking at Zhu Shuangyun, Zhang Qijun said: “I killed the director to read his memories. Because the ‘Recalling Past Dust’ spell is meant for the dead.

“Your intent to kill him was similar, right?

“You wanted something from his memories. But while he was alive, he wouldn’t tell you, and you couldn’t forcibly read his memories. You could only kill him first.

“The moment he entered seclusion was his most vulnerable. You acted then?

“I think you don’t need to deny it. The director had thick hair; when we searched the scene, we didn’t shave his head to check carefully, so we didn’t notice the needle holes.

“But if we checked again now, we’d find them. That would prove everything I just said.”

Hearing this, Shizong looked at Zhu Shuangyun and asked, “If you let us see your neck and wrists, we should see some marks?

“You killed the director early, maybe even poisoned or cursed him before he entered the room, since the chefs were already on your side.

“Then you made us think he left on his own, so no one would enter his room. You set up ‘Recalling Past Dust’ there to read his memories.

“The silver needles in his room are actually Plum Blossom Needles, tools needed for the array.

“One ‘Recalling Past Dust’ requires 16 needles, 15 on the back. But the director’s back was covered with dense needle holes…

“From the female lead’s description, the 15 needles in the back didn’t need specific points. So the culprit likely used ‘Recalling Past Dust’ on his corpse many times recently, possibly as early as this morning.

“To send part of your soul into the corpse, the threads must be tightly bound. Doing this repeatedly… your wrists and neck should show marks.”

Observing Zhu Shuangyun’s expression, Shizong added: “You seem clever. You probably didn’t expect that hiding your skill in the faction battle would lock you in so tightly this time.

“But the difficulty in solving this case is just the second scenario for us newbies. So it’s reasonable.

“The real challenge is story reconstruction. To solve the final puzzle, I need your story.

“The real culprit has to be found. Once you’re found, fully confess your motive and what you saw in the director’s mind, and we can confirm the final answer.

“Otherwise, we might all die here.

“I’m not exaggerating. I won in the faction battle because I gained special abilities after completing the first scenario. I can sense danger.

“I can tell you, I feel very uneasy right now.”

Finding the real culprit should have been exciting. To express her excitement and affirm Shizong’s excellent reasoning, Zuo Sanqiu was ready to applaud.

But after hearing Shizong’s following words, his expression became serious.

Panicked, Zuo Sanqiu looked at Zhu Shuangyun. “Stop struggling. You can’t escape anyway. We’ll vote you out.

“But you, like us, have other tasks, right? You don’t know the castle’s secrets either, do you?!”

Zhu Shuangyun replied frankly: “I wasn’t struggling or resisting. It’s just that you all were too close together; I couldn’t find the right opportunity to intervene.”

Zuo Sanqiu: “

“That thing is called the Supreme Fruit. Ordinary people can eat it without harm, but a Tianren would die. Relevant clues should be hidden somewhere secret in the kitchen.

“So, he died on the first night of seclusion.”

Zuo Sanqiu couldn’t help asking, “Then the silver needles on his back…”

Zhu Shuangyun explained, “I created the illusion that he left the room, indeed to make you think he had left the castle, so you wouldn’t go looking for him.

“I also did use ‘Recalling Past Dust’ on him. But I used the array to read his memories not to enact any conspiracy, or obtain important clues, I just wanted…

“We are so deeply connected. I was unwilling to be the only one who couldn’t forget, who couldn’t let go. So, after his death, I wanted to see his memories through this method.

“I just wanted to know how he had viewed me recently, whether during this period he loved me or hated me. That’s all.”

Zuo Sanqiu involuntarily asked her, “Then, who exactly told you that the castle could help you achieve Buddhahood?

“You just said you think Cen Qianshan was bewitched, which is why he thought of killing himself to escape the Six Realms. Who told him this method?

“And lastly, I have to say, your character setup is absolutely insane.”

“I don’t remember. After entering the castle, my memory was somewhat distorted.”

Zhu Shuangyun said, “Also, I really do feel my character is a bit insane. And a strange thing is… before deciding to practice Buddhism, I actually hadn’t done anything to Cen Qianshan. My state of mind when facing him was already relatively calm. But after practicing Buddhism, I…

“Even after coming to this castle, my memories of love and hate toward Cen Qianshan slowly surged into my heart, and my obsession with him gradually deepened. In the end, to continue entangling with him, I actually chose to kill him.

“I really do feel something strange is behind this.”

After pondering for a moment, Zhu Shuangyun looked at Shizong: “Cen Qianshan’s plan to have himself killed was very likely the result of someone’s manipulation.

“So, my desire to continue entangling with him—could that also be influenced by someone?

“You said you are the only one with special intelligence. What do you think about this, and how do you plan to solve the ultimate secret?”

Shizong casually placed his right hand on the dining table. Hearing Zhu Shuangyun, he thought of something, turned his head, and their eyes met He Zhen’s briefly.

After a short moment of eye contact, Shizong pulled back, smiled faintly, and then said to Zhu Shuangyun: “It seems you and Cen Qianshan have a lot in common.

“Before coming to the castle, you were both practicing Buddhism. Then you were both bewitched. The difference is in the specific things you did under the influence, or from another perspective, the kind of bewitchment you experienced was different.”

Zhu Shuangyun nodded. “Could this have something to do with the castle’s owner?”

Shizong didn’t answer immediately but asked, “There’s one detail. My thinking before was the same as Zhang Qijun’s. That is, you killed Cen Qianshan to read some important memory of his.

“You got that memory, accomplished what you wanted, and no longer needed his corpse, so you had the two chefs tell us the director was dead.

“Otherwise, if you didn’t want anyone to discover you were the murderer, you wouldn’t need to do this at all.”

From everyone’s perspective, the Tian Shen Dao’s Cen Qianshan had already left the room. If three days later he didn’t appear as scheduled, it was likely because he had long left the castle.

At that time, no one might open his room and see his corpse.

No corpse, no murder case.

Tian Shen Dao’s Liang Yuyan would naturally not be considered the culprit.

But the ones who discovered the corpse and reported it were precisely the two chefs.

They were actually Liang Yuyan’s transformed bodies—how could that be?

Upon hearing this, Zhu Shuangyun quickly furrowed her brows. “Yes, this detail you mentioned is critical. I didn’t assign the two chefs to do this. Recently, I’ve been going to the director’s room every day to read his memories…

“Unlike Zhang Qijun, I don’t care about a specific event in his memory. I want to observe a period of his memories. Which days he hated me, which days he loved me, I wanted to know…

“I thought it was time to start the murder case, so the system arranged for the two chefs to do this. I thought it was logic outside the scenario’s story.

“But now that you say this… could it be…

“Could these two chefs not be my people?! After coming to the castle, I killed two of Cen Qianshan’s subordinates and transformed them to disguise as chefs.

“Could I have been deceived? These two transformed bodies aren’t mine. They… they belong to the castle’s owner!”

Zhu Shuangyun frowned tightly, looking cautiously at the two chefs.

The other players also turned their gazes toward them.

Perhaps their identities had been revealed, so the two chefs no longer hid anything.

They smiled strangely at all the players, then instantly turned into two skeletons.

Zuo Sanqiu jumped in fright.

But the skeletons quickly crawled away without harming anyone.

This scene reminded Shizong of the three stories he had seen—

The beauty trying to tempt the monk, the one trying to stop him from achieving Buddhahood, the gold, and the zither—all turned to white bones.

After Zuo Sanqiu sat back down, Shizong recounted the stories he had seen, including the stories of Poxun and Shakyamuni, concluding: “Cen Qianshan and Liang Yuyan of Tian Shen Dao were actually influenced by the heart demons created by Poxun.

“Both were practicing Buddhism. I think, after so many reincarnations, they had accumulated enough merit and were qualified to achieve Buddhahood.

“Earlier, Zhu Shuangyun said her memories were somewhat fuzzy. I think that was also Poxun’s influence. He made you forget your own merits.

“In short, I think this castle is very likely the final test before achieving Buddhahood. Pass it, and you can ascend. Fail, and perhaps become Poxun’s plaything.”

Zuo Sanqiu immediately asked, “Then how do we ascend to Buddhahood?”

Shizong said, “We need to completely connect the game logic with the story. Following the previous question, I think the two chefs are Poxun’s people. Then why did they want us to find the corpse?

“Only by discovering the corpse would we know a murder had occurred.

“Why did the murderer kill? Could we die here too? Based on these reasons, we would try to find the culprit. Then what?”

Zuo Sanqiu said, “Then we’d probably try to kill her. She’s Tian Shen Dao, but her power is weakened. The five of us together might be able to contend with her.

“As for the outcome… we might succeed in killing her, or both sides might suffer. But…

“Liang Yuyan’s faction might not kill her anyway.

“The faction battle we played in the second-floor maze was a harmless mini-game. But this time it might not be. This time it will be a real faction battle!!!”

“Mom!” Zuo Sanqiu said in fear, “If we vote out the culprit, does it mean the real, brutal faction battle is about to start?

“Then the great demon Poxun will be delighted. Watching us kill each other, he’ll be very pleased, right? If we kill each other, everyone accumulates murderous karma and can’t become Buddha!”

“Yes. We’ll slaughter each other here. Even if someone survives, they won’t achieve Buddhahood and may be trapped in the castle forever. That means their player identity will also die.

“So, to avoid the real faction battle and to prevent anyone from dying, when we vote… there might be two options.

“If there are options ‘the culprit you think it is’ and ‘the culprit you want to vote for,’ the first should be Zhu Shuangyun, the second should be skipped.

“But if there’s only one option, we must skip the vote to avoid death.”

Shizong said, “Finally, I think there’s one last test. Let’s see what happens when the vote ends.”

After saying this, Shizong stood first and pressed the vote button in the center of the table.

He Zhen followed immediately.

After exchanging a glance with Shizong, He Zhen pressed the button with a ‘click.’

Then came Zhu Shuangyun.

She looked at Shizong thoughtfully for a moment, then pressed the button after He Zhen.

Finally, Zuo Sanqiu pressed the button, and everyone received the system notification to start voting.

Indeed, there was only one option—“Please select the murderer of this case.”

Shizong chose to skip.

Everyone else also chose to skip.

Everyone received similar system prompts—

【You gave up finding the murderer, it seems you have let go of something】

【But have you truly let go of your murderous

“I really didn’t expect that the current new-player scenario would have so many traps, so I let my guard down.

“This time you saved me. I came to thank you.

“To show my gratitude, I’ll also tell you something.”

“I’m all ears,” Shizong said.

“Zhu Shuangyun” said, “I don’t know if you’ve heard of the Knight Emblem. But you just said that after Longevity Town you gained special abilities. So I suppose you know about this.

“In any case, I also obtained two Knight Emblems. I gained some special abilities and can perceive certain things…

“For example, I think that you don’t belong to this world.”

“I don’t belong to this world? What do you mean?”

“Some information I obtained through my special abilities, even I sometimes cannot fully interpret. But I have a feeling that if you don’t find a solution, you probably won’t live long. Since you don’t belong to this world, when the ‘Creator’ of this world discovers it, he will cause your death.”

After finishing the conversation with “Zhu Shuangyun,” Shizong unusually stood still, frowning for a long while.

However, there was no time to dwell on his origins.

He still had to immediately choose a door to go through.

Shizong didn’t hesitate and directly walked toward the transparent door, behind which were terrifying monsters.

The fearsome roars of the monsters came through the door, naturally causing fear.

The other players mostly stayed far behind, unwilling to walk forward.

Only He Zhen stepped forward.

Seeing Shizong reach out, planning to use the key that Zuo Sanqiu and the others had obtained to unlock the door, He Zhen pressed his wrist, making a stopping gesture.

“What’s the matter?” Shizong looked at him.

Concern seemed to be written in He Zhen’s eyes.

He stared at Shizong and asked, “What did Zhu Shuangyun tell you?”

“Nothing much. I’ll tell you outside,” Shizong said.

He glanced at He Zhen’s hand pressing his wrist and asked, “What are you doing? You think we should go to Mount Sumeru?”

He Zhen shook his head, taking the key from Shizong’s hand. “No. My choice is the same as yours.”

Releasing Shizong’s hand, He Zhen turned, took out the key to unlock the door, and without looking back said, “Follow behind me.”