Chapter 58

Chapter 57: Puppet on Strings 5

At the cliff’s edge, the sound of waves crashing against the shore echoed in the distance, and the air still carried the salty tang of the sea.

The Sea-Viewing Pavilion had already been shattered, and the figure that had just disguised itself as Zhongli Zhenhai had vanished into nothingness.

Shizong, playing Shen Cangli, stayed there for a while. About a quarter of an hour later, he sensed someone approaching and immediately hid behind a nearby rock.

He soon realized it was He Zhen, disguised as Zhai Feng—or rather, the Demon General Chi Lie—who came out from behind the rock and waved to him. The two then took a small path back toward Lotus Grove together.

“How’s your side?”

Shizong asked He Zhen.

According to the plan, he was responsible for killing Zhongli Zhenhai and framing Zhai Yunfei, the head of the Zhai family.

Because in the eyes of others, only Zhai Yunfei could perform the “All Swords Return to One” technique.

He Zhen, meanwhile, needed to keep an eye on Zhai Yunfei to ensure that no one around knew his whereabouts.

He Zhen said, “No issues on my side. After the banquet, I quietly followed Zhai Yunfei. He isn’t strong with alcohol; after returning to his room, he went straight to sleep, snoring loudly.

“He likes peace and quiet. The maids and servants sent by Zhongli Wen were all sent away by him. No one can prove he was in the side room sleeping when the incident happened.

“What about you? How’s your side?”

Shizong shook his head and briefly explained everything that had happened just now. “It’s strange. Zhongli Zhenhai shouldn’t have known about my intent to kill. But now I still have to follow the plot… huh—”

Shizong suddenly paused mid-sentence, stopping in his tracks.

“What’s wrong?”

He Zhen immediately stopped and looked at Shizong. He saw him lift his sleeve, staring at his arm in confusion.

Nearby, a lantern hung from a wooden post. He Zhen quickly guided Shizong to the light and then noticed a rather heavy bluish-purple mark on his forearm, as if he had been injured.

Strange. When did this happen?

Shizong frowned and lowered his arm, only to find He Zhen now behind him.

Turning around, Shizong saw He Zhen lifting his robe to examine it closely.

“What’s wrong?” Shizong asked.

He Zhen said, “I noticed your robe is dirty in many places and has tear marks. It looks like you’ve been in a scuffle and even fallen to the ground. The light here is too dim—when we return to Lotus Grove, we’ll take a closer look.”

“Alright. Let’s go.” Shizong decided not to dwell on his clothes for the moment and headed toward Lotus Grove, as there was still a Red Thread plot to follow once he returned.

Hearing this, He Zhen silently followed him.

On the way back, Shizong noticed He Zhen kept his head down, silent, though several times he glanced at Shizong, as if wanting to say something but holding it back.

Shizong decided to speak first. “What’s wrong?”

“I wanted to ask you…” He Zhen shook his head, “but I was worried you’d think I was being fake, that I don’t really care.”

Shizong chuckled at his choice of words. “Ask. What is it?”

He Zhen stopped walking and looked at Shizong. “I want to ask… does it hurt?”

“Hm?”

“The injury on your arm, does it hurt?”

Shizong didn’t answer immediately, just looked at He Zhen thoughtfully.

The night was as cool as water, and Shizong’s gaze was gentle like moonlight.

Guessing his doubt, He Zhen explained, “I once dreamed of punishing you with a whip in the King of Hell’s hall… so maybe you think I wouldn’t care if you were hurt. After all, I’ve punished you many times.”

“Not really. You are you, not that King of Song.”

Shizong spoke lightly, as if it didn’t matter, then turned and continued forward, unaware that He Zhen’s gaze at his back was complicated.

Moments later, as Shen Cangli and Chi Lie, the two arrived at Lotus Grove and enacted a Red Thread plot.

In the night, moonlight shimmered on the lotus blossoms, reflecting off the pond.

The scenery here wasn’t as grand as Fengling Ferry’s red lotus, but it was still quite beautiful.

As they approached a lotus pond, Chi Lie immediately stopped Shen Cangli from moving further.

To avoid being seen by anyone nearby, he made the motion subtle, maintaining the illusion that he was constantly being controlled by Shen Cangli.

“This isn’t right. Something’s off here,” Chi Lie whispered in Shen Cangli’s ear.

“What’s off?” Shen Cangli whispered back.

“I sense demonic energy,” Chi Lie said. “Wait a moment.”

He secretly formed a hand seal within his sleeve, and a layer of invisible demonic energy flowed from his fingertips, spreading across the entire Lotus Grove in an instant.

Soon, faint cracking sounds echoed—the sound of flowers and plants breaking, coming from all directions.

Chi Lie had subtly destroyed many of the plants.

“What are you doing?” Shen Cangli asked.

Chi Lie replied, “Someone used a demonic array to set up a ‘Binding Immortal Array’ here. If you rush in, it won’t affect me, but your cultivation as a righteous cultivator will be heavily suppressed.

“Then anyone who wants to kill you will have it easy.”

“Really… let’s see who’s causing trouble.”

Saying this, Shen Cangli quickly used the technique “Capture the Wind, Seize the Shadow.”

This technique could lock onto anyone who had appeared within a ten-mile radius in the last half incense-stick time.

A faint glow spilled from Shen Cangli’s fingertips, soon covering the entire Lotus Grove.

Within the glow, scenes from the past half incense-stick time appeared.

Soon, Shen Cangli got what he wanted—

A semi-transparent shadow lurked beside a fake rock by the lotus pond, eyes shifting between the entrance of Lotus Grove and a row of adjacent houses.

Not long after, it flew off, stepping over the fake rock and leaving.

Soon after, two people entered through the entrance—Shen Cangli and Chi Lie.

It was easy to deduce that someone had sneaked into Lotus Grove to do something. Seeing Shen Cangli and Chi Lie return, they left quickly to avoid being seen.

With the results, Shen Cangli immediately led Chi Lie in pursuit along the fake rock’s direction.

Since the person had left within half an incense-stick’s time, they should be able to catch up.

Flying on a seven-foot-long sword under the moonlight, Shen Cangli and Chi Lie quickly caught up with someone.

—It was Zhang Qijun playing Zhao Yueshan.

Zhao Yueshan was accompanied by someone—the puppet Zhao Yinyin, controlled by him.

Shen Cangli immediately blocked him with his sword. “What were you sneaking into Lotus Grove for?”

Reciting this line, Shizong felt the system’s dialogue was redundant.

The situation was obvious—Zhao Yueshan probably intended to kill Shen Cangli or Zhai Feng.

Shizong really wanted to ask why a cultivator like Zhao Yueshan possessed a demonic array.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Yueshan directly admitted his murderous intent.

He glared at Shen Cangli, then at “Zhai Feng.” “Do you know how my sister died?

“Three months ago, at the Inquiry Convention, she arranged to meet you and confessed her feelings. But you ended up with Shen Cangli, a man!

“A young woman of beauty and noble birth—you didn’t like her, but preferred a man! Do you know how heartbroken Yinyin was? Do you know if this spreads, how could she live?”

Hearing this, Shen Cangli sneered coldly, “So your sister committed suicide? You can’t blame my Third Brother for that.”

Zhao Yueshan, angered, said, “Just you wait! You will die badly! I will kill you and make my resurrected sister witness it!

“Hahaha… not only do I want to kill you, others want to as well!

“Guess what? I found an array in Lotus Grove that can suppress your cultivation! That means someone else wants to kill you!!!”

The Red Thread plot temporarily ended.

By logic, Zhao Yueshan should have left in a huff.

But seeing the red thread on his hand disappear, Shizong immediately called out to Zhang Qijun, asking as a player:

“Wait, I have a question. With my cultivation level, I couldn’t detect the Binding Immortal Array, yet you discovered it easily?

“The Binding Immortal Array must be your doing. Did you say that on purpose so Shen Cangli wouldn’t suspect you?”

Hearing this, Zhang Qijun looked somewhat troubled.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to tell Shizong the truth, but he also found it strange.

After thinking and organizing his words, he said,

Besides that, Zhongli Wen also sought justice for his mother.

His mother, Li Fu, had loved Zhongli Zhenhai deeply. But when they were young, it was also the time Zhongli Zhenhai urgently needed to revive the Zhongli family.

He traveled far and wide to subdue demons and monsters, building his reputation, rarely staying at the manor. Later, to obtain the Waterlight Pearl, he left home for a year without a trace.

At that time, Li Fu fell gravely ill, yet she never got to see her husband one last time before she died.

Zhongli Wen had witnessed his mother’s longing, love, and resentment from years of not seeing his father, and he had always been deeply influenced by her emotions.

Thus, he would never allow Ji Rongrong to step through the gates of the Zhongli family.

So Zhongli Wen decided that before the wedding, he would kill Ji Rongrong.

That night, he went to Luoshen Residence to personally attack Ji Rongrong. At the same time, he remotely controlled his resurrected mother, Li Fu, sending her to Liuyun Pavilion, where his father resided.

Since Ji Rongrong had moved in, Zhongli Zhenhai had stayed overnight at Luoshen Residence every night, without exception.

Tomorrow was his wedding day, and tonight there were many guests staying at the manor. Out of face, he would first return to Liuyun Pavilion, but Zhongli Wen guessed that his father would still come looking for Ji Rongrong in the middle of the night.

But Zhongli Wen’s plan to kill Ji Rongrong could not be discovered or stopped by his father.

So he arranged for his mother to go to Liuyun Pavilion.

Seeing his deceased wife unexpectedly, Zhongli Zhenhai would surely be puzzled and surprised, temporarily delayed by his mother.

This way, Zhongli Wen could kill Ji Rongrong without obstruction.

Ji Rongrong was just an ordinary woman; killing her would be easy for Zhongli Wen.

A few months ago, at the Inquiry Convention, he had attended and purchased a special Western concealed weapon from a trade shop—a finger-sized curved knife called the “Soul-Stealing Knife.”

When thrown at someone, it would automatically circle their neck and cut off their head.

Upon arriving at Luoshen Residence, Zhongli Wen held his breath and sneaked into the bedroom. Through the curtains, he could see a graceful figure lying on the bed.

He wasted no time, throwing the Soul-Stealing Knife at the figure.

Through the shadows on the curtains, he vaguely saw the small curved knife slicing through Ji Rongrong’s head. But when he approached joyfully to lift the curtain, Ji Rongrong’s figure had vanished into thin air.

Confused and furious, Zhongli Wen searched carefully, only finding a “Phantom Talisman” on the bed.

—He had only killed a phantom disguised as Ji Rongrong!

At dawn, the sunlight bathed all of Nanshan. Standing atop Nanshan, Zhongli Manor’s pavilions and corridors appeared faint through the clouds, the sky bridges suspended like rainbows in the heavens, majestic and imbued with celestial aura.

At this moment, in Lotus Grove.

According to the Red Thread requirements, Shizong and He Zhen had slept obediently in Lotus Grove the previous night, unable to explore anything.

After resting all night, Shizong’s spirit had recovered well.

Lin Zhian, accompanied by a maid, brought breakfast, and he ate by the window with He Zhen.

Zhongli Manor’s breakfast was exquisite, with various cute-shaped pastries, like peach blossom cakes—semi-transparent, white with a hint of red, somewhat like jelly.

Shizong tried one out of curiosity. It tasted good, but he still thought it wasn’t as good as baked potatoes.

While casually eating, he glanced at his robe.

As Shen Cangli, he knew the “Clothing Purification Spell,” a charm to refresh garments. But last night, he had tried, and the spell could not be cast.

Not only that, he received a prompt—

【This is a crucial clue; it must not be altered】

So Shizong realized a murder must have occurred.

Since the crime happened so early, there might be other complex tasks to complete after solving it.

Looking at He Zhen, who had set aside all the nice pastries for himself, Shizong smiled and pushed them back to him.

“Eat more, little one. I don’t need them. What do you make of last night’s events?”

He Zhen pursed his lips and said, “It looks like you did something, but you lost your memory. Not just you—we probably all have collective amnesia.”

Shen Cangli had planned to kill Zhongli Zhenhai, yet Zhenhai had somehow anticipated the intent and used a phantom to deceive Shen Cangli.

If it ended there, one could guess Zhongli Zhenhai might have used some method, like the pearl, to peer into everyone’s minds.

When he had taken out the pearl, it was probably to read something hidden in someone’s heart at Xiangyun Hall, but unexpectedly saw Shen Cangli’s murderous intent.

But this did not explain Shen Cangli’s injury or the dirtied and torn robe.

He should have been able to kill a severely injured, cultivation-weakened Zhongli Zhenhai with one move.

So whoever caused his injury must have been someone else, but Shen Cangli had forgotten.

The same applied to Zhao Yueshan, played by Zhang Qijun.

The array in Lotus Grove against Shen Cangli and Zhai Feng had probably been set up by him.

He had simply forgotten, which was why he went back, thinking someone else with Binding Immortal Array skills intended to kill Shen Cangli.

Hearing He Zhen’s words, Shizong nodded. “Same as I thought. That pearl of Zhongli Zhenhai… it seems to have mind-reading abilities.

“Through it, he knew of my murderous intent and plan against him. So he made precautions in advance.

“However, that pearl, or something else in Xiangyun Hall, must have served another purpose—

“During the banquet, I must have left the main hall to do something, then returned, losing that memory. When I stared at the pearl, I thought I never left. It’s just…”

He Zhen continued, “It’s just that Zhongli Zhenhai displayed the pearl around Hai Zheng second quarter, about 10:30 PM.

“When we looked at it, we briefly indulged in its illusion, but only for a short time. Zhongli Zhenhai put it away and returned to his seat. From the moment he took out the pearl, only about five minutes had passed—10:35 PM.”

Xiangyun Hall had a special sundial, letting players track time according to modern measurements.

So Shizong had actually only stared at the pearl for a few seconds.

In such a short time, how could he have gone somewhere, fought someone, and returned to Xiangyun Hall?

That seemed impossible.

Could the pearl’s powers manipulate time?

Logically, no.

According to the setting, these cultivators, though skilled in magic, had not ascended—they couldn’t fly, traverse space, or control time.

What the pearl’s true power was would require further investigation.

Shizong set the thought aside and quietly ate breakfast, awaiting the murder report.

About fifteen minutes later, it arrived.

His trusted Lin Zhian rushed over. “Bad news!!! The head of the Xuanyuan family, Xuanyuan He, is dead!!

“He was found in Nanshan Tomb by the daily cleaning servant!

“Now the two Xuanyuan heirs are furious… The Xuanyuan family’s cultivation is average, but they excel in mechanism and barrier techniques.

“They’ve set a special barrier over all of Nanshan.

“If the murderer of their father isn’t found, everyone trapped within the barrier will die!

“Master Gu, should we go to Xiangyun Hall? His body has been placed there.”

As Lin Zhian finished speaking, a system prompt appeared in Shizong’s mind—

【Xuanyuan He deceased; beginning Stage One of this murder case】

【Voting button in front of Xiangyun Hall; if over half press, voting opens】

【Multiple murders may exist in this instance; voting end does not mean instance end】

【Also, the murderer may be unaware of being the culprit; system suggests cooperating with others to uncover the truth, which may aid subsequent tasks】

【Enjoy the game】

Fifteen minutes later, Shizong and He Zhen arrived at Xiangyun Hall.

Their Lotus Grove was the farthest, so others had already arrived.

This instance involved many characters, and during plot enactment, the system helped players compensate for acting deficiencies. At this stage, everyone was an experienced player, making it hard for Shizong to distinguish NPCs from deeply hidden players.

He discovered he could use the voting trigger to test—

If over half pressed, voting would open.

NPCs pressing should not trigger voting.

So by having those he suspected as players press, he could probe who was a player or NPC.

After deciding this, Shizong examined everyone and then roughly inspected Xuanyuan He’s body.

A large pool of blood was on the back of his head, suggesting severe trauma.

Multiple limbs showed fractures, most notably his right forearm twisted at an impossible angle, almost overlapping

Zuo Sanqiu said, “Holy shit, are we half-brothers with the same mother?”

Hearing this, Zhu Shuangqiao smiled at him and said, “Anyway, last night my brother and I sneaked into Nanshan Tomb.

“The tomb, where our mother’s body is kept, was full of traps. My brother and I spent the entire night finding her coffin. But it was empty.

“Just before dawn, as we left the tomb and passed through a forest, we unexpectedly saw father’s corpse.

“Father died on the Zhongli family’s land for no reason. Zhongli Zhenhai was also a suspect, so I immediately set up the barrier. Later, it was the Zhongli family’s servants who found the body and then informed you.”