Chapter 60

Chapter 59: The Puppet on Strings 7

Southern Mountain Tomb Cluster.

This place is a feng shui treasure highly praised by countless feng shui masters. Within it, there is a well-maintained area where the ancestors of the Zhongli family were buried after the family rose to prominence. The tomb of Zhongli Zhenhai’s original wife, Li Fu, is also built here.

This area is mainly concentrated between the foot of the mountain and halfway up the slope.

From the mid-slope to the mountaintop, the area is filled with miasma, shrouded in fog. Once someone steps in, even the path becomes indistinct.

It is said that the area is teeming with poisonous insects, snakes, ants, ferocious birds, and exotic beasts, and is scattered with unknown tombs.

Not only are the legendary Xuanming divine weapons buried here, but the tomb clusters are densely arranged. Combined with the complex terrain, people rarely dare to go there.

No wonder Wu Yunxi needed Zhongli Wen to guide him to know exactly where the Xuanming divine weapons were buried.

The corpse of the deceased, Xuanyuan He, appeared near the foot of the mountain, within the Zhongli family tomb cluster, not far from Li Fu’s tomb.

Southern Mountain is full of trees, but the place where he died was a clearing. It is said that this was prepared by Zhongli Zhenhai as a tomb for himself and Ji Rongrong. Before building this tomb, the surrounding land was leveled, and all trees were removed.

Therefore, it is temporarily unclear how Xuanyuan He fell to his death.

Shi Zong, He Zhen, and Zuo Sanqiu arrived here and joined the other players.

After sharing the matter of the Shenzhu, the group discussed Xuanyuan He’s specific cause of death—

The Xuanyuan family specializes in barrier illusions. In flying techniques, unlike other sects that ride swords, they can transform through illusions into birds, clouds, or even trees.

It is possible that during this period, he fought with the killer or encountered some other accident, causing his illusion to fail and fall from the air. But if that were the case, there would be no killer—falling to death would mean it was an accident.

Furthermore, Xuanyuan He had no other injuries, nor were there traces of specific techniques or moves.

At present, it can only be speculated that his illusion was seen through by the killer and then dispelled with a powerful technique, causing his flying illusion to fail, leading to his fatal fall.

After all, Xuanyuan He was the head of the Xuanyuan family, with high cultivation and extraordinary illusion skills. It is extremely difficult for anyone in this world to see through or dispel his illusions.

Thus, for a killer to murder Xuanyuan He, two basic conditions must be met—

First, they must be able to see through illusions.

Second, they must be able to dispel illusions.

Therefore, the killer should first investigate the heads of the other three major families with the highest cultivation and the deepest understanding of Xuanyuan He, as they are most likely to see through his illusions.

First are Zhongli Zhenhai and Ji Rongrong.

Shen Cangli killed Zhongli Zhenhai, and Zhongli Wen killed Ji Rongrong—these events happened in the first stage of the illusion.

After these incidents and once the illusion effects disappeared, the first thing Zhongli Zhenhai would do was to protect himself and Ji Rongrong.

These two would have stayed in Liuyun Pavilion until they needed to go to Xiangyun Hall to reset the banquet scene and perform a play as if they had never left.

Regarding this, Zhu Shuangqiao and others found the villa’s guards to confirm.

During the time of the murder, Zhongli Zhenhai had brought Ji Rongrong back to Liuyun Pavilion and summoned all guards there.

Thus, Zhongli Zhenhai and Ji Rongrong can be temporarily ruled out as suspects.

Next is Zhao family head Zhao Liuer.

She is also the mother of Zhao Yueshan, played by Zhang Qijun.

Zhao Liuer stated that after the banquet, she was exhausted by alcohol and went straight to sleep.

Last night, she had nothing to do either, meaning the night before her memory loss, she also had no plans and went straight to her room.

The group confirmed this through the testimony of the maid sent by Zhongli Villa to serve her.

Her suspicion can thus be temporarily eliminated.

Finally, there is Zhai family head Zhai Yuntian.

He stated that, at least as far as he remembers last night, he returned to his own chamber after the banquet and went straight to sleep. Like Zhao Liuer, he had no other plans.

At this point, Zhai Yuntian looked at He Zhen. “You…”

His expression momentarily showed complexity, probably unsure how to face a son who had become someone else’s puppet.

This person acted so immersed even during the investigation stage, leaving it unclear whether he was an NPC or a very experienced player.

Sighing, he said: “You said you were tailing me, right? During that time, I really was sleeping?”

As his “son,” He Zhen looked back at him with a hollow expression.

Because he was earnestly playing the role of a controlled puppet.

Smiling at him, Shi Zong looked at Zhai Yuntian and answered for He Zhen: “Yes. The banquet ended at the third hour of the rat on July 3rd, and I returned with him to Lotus Hollow. Then I immediately arranged for him to tail you.

“I planned to kill Zhongli Zhenhai at three-quarters past the rat hour. He tailed you for about fifteen minutes, and when I calculated that I should succeed, he came back to me.

“From this, we can infer that July 2nd was similar. At least by midnight, you were indeed sleeping in your room.

“This case isn’t difficult. By analyzing each of our plans for that night, we can infer possible unexpected changes and ultimately find out why Xuanyuan He was killed.

“I asked around, and it seems no one had a direct motive against Xuanyuan He?”

This dungeon did not reveal the number of players, so everyone needed to identify who was NPC and who was a player.

Despite this, Shi Zong never hid his identity as a player.

He Zhen, with the “soul transfer” setting, had a face completely different from reality, successfully disguised as an NPC. He could serve as a potential NPC for this dungeon setting.

Shi Zong openly acted as a player, with He Zhen in the light and Shi Zong in the dark, controlling both sides.

Moreover, only a player could act freely and take the temporary lead to control the game’s pace.

After all, in the logic of NPCs, the concept of a “game” doesn’t exist.

No one admitted to having a motive against Xuanyuan He.

Shi Zong turned his gaze to Zhai Yunfei.

“You didn’t happen to have the exact same timeline as Zhao Liuer? Even if you slept all night… didn’t you have any other story or clue related to Xuanyuan He?”

Zhai Yunfei thought for a moment. “During the banquet, he mentioned he wanted to discuss something with me. His tone sounded urgent.”

Shi Zong asked: “So… after the banquet, he might have come to see you? But after you entered your room, you just slept, without intending to see him?”

“Exactly. Honestly…”

Zhai Yunfei said, “Since what happened with you and the abduction of my son, I’ve had trouble holding my head high in front of the other three major families and didn’t want to talk much with them.

“Besides, their attitude toward this matter was always ambiguous. They didn’t truly consider my position.

“In short… I don’t know why Xuanyuan He wanted to see me. Even if it was urgent for him, it wasn’t for me, so I went back to sleep.

“If he came to me, I could get up and discuss it. If he didn’t, I wouldn’t think to seek him. That’s all.

“So I probably slept through the night.

“I see little suspicion falling on me. You younger ones continue investigating. I feel unwell and need rest!”

After saying this, Zhai Yunfei actually left directly.

Once he left, Zhao Liuer also did not wish to stay, glancing coldly at everyone before following.

Wu Yunxi and Lin Zhian were not here. Once these two left, the remaining people were mostly Shi Zong’s acquaintances.

Zuo Sanqiu immediately asked Shi Zong: “What do you think now?”

Shi Zong said: “Same as before, analyzing the killer isn’t hard. The key is to see what our ‘plans’ were for that night and infer where the plan could have been disrupted. Specifically—

“The heads of the three major families can be temporarily ruled out, Wu Yunxi and Lin Zhian set aside, let’s start with us.

“At this stage, trapped in Zhongli Villa, we cannot investigate everyone’s actual residences or uncover all their stories, so these stories aren’t that important.

“Also, in fact, no one admitted to having a motive against Xuanyuan He. This suggests the murder wasn’t premeditated but impulsive.

“So the truth is likely…

“I killed Zhongli Zhenhai, Zhongli Wen killed Ji Rongrong, Xuanyuan brothers sneaked into Li Fu’s tomb, Zhao Yueshan sneaked into Lotus Hollow to set a trap for me. These were our intended actions last night, our ‘plan.’

“On July 2nd, Xuanyuan He’s appearance disrupted our plan or he discovered it after we thought our plot succeeded.

“For example,

“Let’s act together. This needs to be done quickly.”

Speaking was Xuanyuan Zhe, played by Zhu Shuangqiao. He said somewhat seriously, “That Wu Yunxi has gone somewhere. I have a feeling something’s off with him.”

The others dispersed in small groups.

Shi Zong deliberately lingered here with He Zhen for a while, to communicate privately.

The tomb cluster was eerie, the daylight dim.

Their steps were slow.

Shi Zong looked at He Zhen. “What Zhai Yunfei said just now is crucial. At the banquet, Xuanyuan He mentioned he had urgent matters to discuss with him.”

He Zhen naturally understood what Shi Zong was asking and immediately nodded. “On July 3rd, he certainly didn’t go to see Zhai Yunfei, because he was already dead.

“So after last night’s banquet, Zhai Yunfei probably did go back to his room and slept through the night.

“But July 2nd is another story. He may very well have gone to see Zhai Yunfei. And at that time… I was tailing Zhai Yunfei, making sure no one could find him.”

According to the plan, Shen Cangli was responsible for using the Zhai family secret technique [Ten Thousand Swords Converge] to kill Xuanyuan Zhenhai, aiming to frame Zhai Yunfei.

Chi Lie was responsible for tailing Zhai Yunfei, ensuring no one could provide an alibi for him.

If Xuanyuan He had gone to see Zhai Yunfei that night, he would have been seen by Chi Lie first.

Shi Zong looked at He Zhen. “But you shouldn’t have killed him directly. According to our agreement, you only needed to distract anyone trying to find Zhai Yunfei, ensuring no one could provide an alibi.”

He Zhen nodded. “So I may have used Demon Breath to lead him away.”

Shi Zong continued, “But after all, he’s the head of one of the Four Great Families, not so easy to fool. He may have noticed your hiding spot and pursued you.”

“Yes. In that case, I could only turn to you for help,” He Zhen said. “Considering your robe is torn, it seems you did intervene.

“So I should have led Xuanyuan He to the Ocean-Viewing Pavilion. First, I needed to confirm whether you had successfully killed Zhongli Zhenhai; second, although I still have Demon Breath, my cultivation is too depleted to handle him alone. I needed your assistance.”

After a moment of silence, Shi Zong asked, “That demon clan technique [Po Jun] that Zhang Qijun mentioned, which can see through illusions—you know it, right?”

He Zhen nodded. “I do.”

“The killer became a killer by fulfilling two conditions: seeing through illusions and dispelling them.

“Now it seems, seeing through the illusion was you, and ultimately dispelling the illusion to kill, maybe it’s me,” Shi Zong said. “Or more accurately, with your help, I could see through the illusion.”

He Zhen said, “Yes. You didn’t get a spirit artifact from the Treasure Pavilion to see through illusions. I helped you.

“So, seeing through illusions, you relied not on [Mirror Flower] but on [Po Jun].”

Shi Zong knew why He Zhen emphasized this point.

He raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly. “But no one else can know this. At this stage of the story, I can analyze myself as the killer. But they must not know you’re a demon.

“To them, I must obtain [Mirror Flower] to have grounds to be the killer.

“At this stage, analyzing the killer isn’t difficult. But the key is, I must conceal the true motive for killing Xuanyuan Zhenhai and your identity. This means I must fabricate a complete timeline.

“So, let’s go, time to work.”

He Zhen looked at him, his gaze somewhat meaningful. “That servant sweeping around the Treasure Pavilion, is he in for bad luck again?”

“Nonsense.”

Shi Zong mimicked the tone of scolding used on him earlier, then turned to walk forward. “What bad luck? Just make up a few lines for the timeline.

“Besides, we can’t even truly confirm I’m the killer yet. Everyone’s timeline hasn’t fully emerged.”

He Zhen paused, then followed Shi Zong, saying, “Alright.”

Shi Zong glanced at him and leaned in to ask, “What do you mean by ‘alright’?”

He Zhen looked at him, in a serious tone: “I’m the one talking nonsense, it’s never you.”

Shi Zong was momentarily taken aback by this rare comment, then smiled, and quickly proceeded toward the Treasure Pavilion.

Seeing this, He Zhen thought to himself—have I managed to soothe him?