Li Huaigu’s hands showed no traces of talisman cinnabar or other markings.

Lin Chengyou examined him briefly before returning to his seat behind the table. “I recall you were cursed before, but General Li never reported it to the Court of Judicial Review?”

Li Huaigu answered softly, “Because Father didn’t want to report it yet. During his years serving in Jiangzhe, Father earned the enmity of many local powerbrokers by putting the common people first. Father says those seeking revenge against the Li family are likely among that group. However, they haven’t left many traces yet. Even if we reported it, we could at most catch one or two scapegoats. After the matter settles, the true masterminds would strike again. So Father wants to wait until they reveal more of themselves before formally involving the Court.”

Magistrate Yan cast a surprised glance at Lin Chengyou. This Third Young Lady Li not only spoke clearly but showed remarkable insight.

Lin Chengyou asked, “Since that incident, has your household encountered any other strange occurrences?”

Li Huaigu shook his head. “I’ve been studying at the academy lately and haven’t encountered anything unusual. From what my parents say, all has been peaceful at home.”

Lin Chengyou didn’t respond. He had a vague feeling that although both culprits knew dark arts, those targeting the Li family and tonight’s attacker of Lady Wu were two different groups.

The ones after the Li family used the most vicious curses. They not only wanted Third Young Lady Li dead but sought to bring misfortune upon the entire Li household.

Tonight’s culprit used much gentler methods and had a clear target – they only went after Wu Xian.

“Has Wu Xian said anything strange recently? Or had any conflicts with anyone at the academy?”

Li Huaigu cautiously shook his head. “I’m not sure about that.”

“Alright, I have no more questions. You may go.”

After Li Huaigu left, Magistrate Yan asked puzzledly, “Evaluator Lin, have you met this Third Young Lady Li before?”

Lin Chengyou was busy organizing the clues from everyone’s statements in his mind. Hearing this, he answered absently, “Oh, yes.”

Though he hadn’t left much of an impression until Teng Yu’yi reminded him recently that he had indeed met such a person before. After a pause, he turned to ask, “Why does Brother Yan ask?”

Magistrate Yan was speechless. Originally composed and graceful, Third Young Lady Li had faltered when Lin Chengyou approached. That shy, secret bashfulness – he had seen it before on his newly wedded wife. Such feelings couldn’t be hidden. When facing one’s beloved, they would unconsciously show through.

If not for the veiled hat concealing her face, even more would have been revealed. Third Young Lady Li seemed afraid of being noticed and quickly regained her composure.

He had wanted to say “That Third Young Lady Li seems to have feelings for Evaluator Lin,” but swallowed the words.

For a young woman, such matters concerned her reputation. Besides, he wasn’t completely certain. Evaluator Lin now seemed to only have eyes for Young Lady Teng – this was evident from how he questioned her earlier. It would be inconsiderate to Third Young Lady Li to voice his suspicions unprompted.

He could only awkwardly change the subject, saying with a smile, “Oh, when I heard you asking Third Young Lady Li about her family being targeted, I wanted to ask more. But since we’re busy looking for the culprit now, let’s wait until there’s time. Who should we summon next?”

“Summon Lady Du.”

Du Tinglan arrived.

Magistrate Yan began questioning: “Young Lady Teng said the last time she saw Wu Xian, Wu Xian told her ‘Your elder sister said you went to Linshui Chamber to pick up the prepared accessories’… So you met with Wu Xian before the incident?”

“Yes,” said Du Tinglan. “My brother and I were originally waiting for sister at Juxiang Chamber. During that time, our classmates gradually went out to play. My brother said he wanted to release wishing lanterns, so we came out. That’s when we ran into Lady Wu nearby. She was holding newly bought silk flowers and seemed very happy. I asked where she was going, and she joked that she had an important matter to attend to. Seeing that Yu’yi wasn’t with me, she asked where Yu’yi had gone. We exchanged a few words before parting.”

“An important matter?” Magistrate Yan asked. “Did she say what it was?”

“She didn’t say, and I didn’t ask.”

Lin Chengyou suddenly asked, “Who was with Wu Xian at the time?”

Du Tinglan said carefully, “I think just a few servant girls.”

“No classmates accompanying her? The Wu siblings weren’t with her?”

Du Tinglan shook her head.

Lin Chengyou asked, “Did you see Wu Xian at Juxiang Chamber tonight?”

Du Tinglan replied, “No. Although our classmates agreed to meet at the Blue Dragon Temple entertainment district tonight, almost everyone scattered as soon as we arrived. Some went to watch performances, others went to release wishing lanterns. We rarely gathered together at Juxiang Chamber. No one paid attention to who was present or absent.”

After Du Tinglan left, Lin Chengyou suddenly said, “Don’t you find it strange? After ‘setting up’ Deng Weili, Wu Xian seemed to never return to Juxiang Chamber all evening.”

Magistrate Yan carefully checked everyone’s statements before responding with surprise, “You’re right.”

He pointed at the records above: “Regarding Deng Weili, according to her account, she always arrives later than others when going out, and today was no exception. They had agreed to meet at Juxiang Chamber at the start of the You hour, but she didn’t reach the temple gate until mid-You hour.

“As soon as she got off the carriage, she ran into Wu Xian. Wu Xian said she wanted to introduce Deng Weili to a new friend and asked her to wait at the arch bridge. Trusting Wu Xian, Deng Weili went with her servants.

“After that, she never saw Wu Xian again.

“Young Lady Teng and Lady Du each met Wu Xian once, but both encounters were outside the chamber. Other classmates only saw Wu Xian at the Juxiang Chamber at the beginning and never again afterward.

“As for the Wu siblings, Wu Yuanluo bought candy and went looking for his two sisters, but only found his second sister Wu Qi. Wu Qi said her elder sister had entered the Juxiang Chamber with her but immediately left to find their brother. Zheng Shuangyin and Liu Fourth Lady were among the first to arrive and could confirm this. Later, Wu Qi stayed at Juxiang Chamber to play with classmates but never saw her sister return. By this count, Wu Xian only entered Juxiang Chamber once at the beginning of the evening.”

Lin Chengyou nodded: “There are only two reasons why Wu Xian wouldn’t return to Juxiang Chamber: either she chose not to return, or someone prevented her from returning.

“If it’s the former, she schemed against her classmate Deng Weili and felt too guilty to return. With rumors, the more they spread, the better. Wu Xian feared both confrontation from Deng Weili and insufficient time for the rumors to ferment. As long as the person involved doesn’t realize they’ve been set up, they naturally won’t clarify things. By the time the Deng family reacts, everyone in Chang’an will believe Young Lady Deng had a secret meeting with me. Then Wu Xian’s goal would be achieved.”

Magistrate Yan hesitated: “But paper can’t wrap fire. Even if nothing had happened to Wu Xian tonight, once Deng Weili confronts her publicly tomorrow, everyone would know Wu Xian was behind this. Then not only would Wu Xian lose her chance at becoming Crown Princess, but the entire Wu family would be disgraced.”

Lin Chengyou smiled: “Yes, only a fool would do something so pointless. So I suspect Wu Xian was also set up. Perhaps she made a bet with someone or was asked for a favor. Either way, she passed on the message to Deng Weili without knowing the grave consequences it would bring to both Deng Weili and herself. Then there’s only one possibility why she didn’t return to Juxiang Chamber – someone deliberately prevented her from returning. Because that person knew if Wu Xian and Deng Weili met face to face, Wu Xian would realize she had been set up. She would certainly reveal who gave her the message tonight, thereby exposing that person’s true nature in front of their classmates.”

“But Wu Xian was attacked before they could meet,” Magistrate Yan was bewildered. “If the culprit planned this, the timing was incredibly precise. But something’s not right – Wu Xian was clear-headed until she was attacked. How could someone keep her from returning to Juxiang Chamber?”

Lin Chengyou replied: “The method was simple. Before her death, Wu Xian mentioned she had an important matter to attend to. This ‘important matter’ might have been the culprit’s bait. They likely agreed she couldn’t return to Juxiang Chamber until it was done. That’s why when Young Lady Teng saw Wu Xian, she was carrying various trinkets, presumably bought tonight, showing she had been wandering outside for quite a while.”

“But Wu Xian had servant girls with her…” Magistrate Yan perked up. “If we question the servants, won’t we know who that person was?”

However, when Wu Xian’s servant girls were summoned for questioning, Magistrate Yan was dumbfounded.

The servants didn’t know what “important matter” their lady spoke of either.

Tonight when the Wu sisters arrived at Juxiang Chamber, Lady Wu immediately said she needed to go meet Deng Weili. She told her second sister to wait in the chamber for other classmates while she left with her servants.

But once outside, Lady Wu said she needed to discuss something with Wu Yuanluo first and told the servants to wait by the river after one incense stick’s time. Then she left alone.

When their lady appeared again, one incense stick’s time had passed.

During that period, who their lady met and what she said, the servants knew nothing about.

Later when they heard their lady had lured Deng Weili to the arch bridge, they were greatly shocked, saying their lady would never do such a thing.

Lin Chengyou smiled coldly: “Your lady left alone and you weren’t worried?”

The head servant girl shook her head repeatedly: “We thought it was Young Master’s arrangement. Young Master knew the academy would have a holiday and said earlier he wanted to take his sisters out for a good time tonight. Young Master most dislikes servants prying into family matters, so we didn’t dare follow.”

Lin Chengyou pondered. He had already questioned Wu Yuanluo earlier. Wu Yuanluo hadn’t seen his elder sister all evening until he heard screams and rushed over to find his sister was the victim.

Moreover, if Wu Xian was just going to find her brother, there was no need to send away even her servants.

But if she was meeting someone else, there were eyes and ears everywhere tonight. Wu Xian must have known meeting an outsider alone would cause misunderstandings. For a noble young lady like her to agree to such a private meeting, there must have been some special reason.

He immediately asked: “Did your lady say anything when she returned? Did she seem unusual?”

The servant girl replied: “The lady seemed somewhat disappointed.”

A light flashed in Lin Chengyou’s mind. He smiled and changed his approach: “Did you know the Crown Prince would be near Blue Dragon Temple tonight?”

The servant girls’ eyes flickered as they hurriedly shook their heads: “We didn’t know.”

But their evasive gazes had already revealed everything. This was enough for Lin Chengyou.

After all the questioning, a glimpse of truth finally emerged from the fog of mystery.

The Wu family must have learned in advance that the Crown Prince would visit the Blue Dragon Temple entertainment district tonight and informed their eldest daughter. This was a perfect opportunity to arrange a private encounter between the Crown Prince and Lady Wu. To gain the Crown Prince’s favor for Lady Wu, the Wu family would certainly pull out all the stops.

With so many people in the Wu family, news would inevitably leak. Perhaps someone took advantage of this, using the Crown Prince’s name to lure Wu Xian somewhere while also somehow getting her to lure Deng Weili to the arch bridge.

After passing the message to Deng Weili, Wu Xian went hopefully to her appointment, only to find no Crown Prince waiting. Returning disappointed from the wasted trip, she naturally felt dejected.

This explained everything.

That’s why the servants’ statements were full of holes, and why Wu Yuanluo and Wu Qi weren’t anxious despite knowing their elder sister hadn’t returned to Juxiang Chamber.

Perhaps they all thought Wu Xian was with the Crown Prince. On such a beautiful evening, young men and women meeting at an entertainment district would naturally develop feelings. If the Crown Prince was moved, Wu Xian would undoubtedly be the leading candidate for Crown Princess.

This would bring great glory to the Wu family.

Little did they know it was all a trap.

In the end, Deng Weili had been set up, Wu Xian wrongly took the blame, and even he had been played.

Inquiring about the Crown Prince’s whereabouts was taboo – the servant girls would never admit to it even if it killed them. Lin Chengyou smiled and suddenly changed the subject: “So when your lady returned, there was an oil stain on her sleeve?”

The servant girls were startled. The Prince of Cheng seemed particularly concerned about this point, repeatedly asking since the incident when their lady’s clothes had been stained.

“No,” the servant girls, who dared not conceal anything else, replied. “Such a large oil stain – we definitely would have noticed. We can confirm our lady’s clothes were completely clean until the incident. We remember after she returned, she seemed somewhat dejected but didn’t say anything. She led us around sightseeing, occasionally glancing toward the riverside. If we ran into classmates, she would always stop to exchange pleasantries. After wandering for about half an hour, she said she wanted to go to the riverside to release wishing lanterns. But just as we reached the arch bridge area, the incident occurred. We only noticed the large oil stain on her sleeve after she collapsed in convulsions.”

Magistrate Yan nodded – it seemed the oil stain was left when the culprit struck.

“Did you smell anything strange at the moment of the incident?”

The servant girls looked at each other uncertainly.

Lin Chengyou prompted them: “A burning smell or the smell of oil?”

One servant girl stated: “Now that you mention it, there was a burnt smell, but we quickly noticed something wrong with our lady and didn’t have time to look for its source.”

This must have been the smell of burning talismans.

Lin Chengyou continued: “Was any of your lady’s classmates from the academy near her when it happened?”

The servant girl replied blankly: “We didn’t see anyone.”

“Did you see anyone carrying meat?”

The servant girls shook their heads again.

“Not all evening?”

“No.”

As Lin Chengyou was about to ask further, one of Kuan Nu’s subordinates rushed up to report, hurriedly approaching Lin Chengyou and speaking in a low voice: “We’ve detained Lu Zhao’an, but he had no meat with him, and at the time of the incident he was drinking with several friends – everyone at the table can testify to this.”

This proved nothing – even if Lu Zhao’an was involved, he wouldn’t be foolish enough to act personally. Lin Chengyou asked quietly: “Have you caught anyone carrying meat?”

The subordinate shook his head: “No. The ward gates are closed, all nearby constables have been mobilized, the street corners are blocked – they couldn’t have escaped. Kuan Nu specifically posted men by the river – anyone throwing meat into the water would be arrested immediately. But strangely, we haven’t seen a single person carrying meat.”

Lin Chengyou’s eyelid twitched – perhaps it wasn’t meat after all?

He had read the soul-capturing technique manual written by the Qiankun Hermit. This technique required two essential items: a soul-drawing talisman and a soul-capturing pouch.

But the soul-drawing talisman was different from ordinary talismans – several inches wide, covered in corpse oil, only one could exist and had to be used repeatedly. When lit, it wouldn’t immediately turn to ash but would burn for several breaths before extinguishing.

The soul-capturing pouch had a soul-pacifying bell attached. Because the pouch was full of resentful energy, the bell would occasionally make sounds.

So performing this technique in public wasn’t difficult – disposing of the evidence afterward was the challenge.

Anyone seeing someone holding a burning talisman would be suspicious, and hearing bell sounds would seem even stranger, yet tonight after the incident, no one noticed anything unusual nearby.

After performing the technique, the culprit must have immediately hidden the talisman and soul-capturing pouch. Having hidden them quickly enough, they could even pretend to be a casual onlooker.

Hiding them in clothes wouldn’t work – the talisman would set the clothes on fire.

Hiding them in a lantern wouldn’t work either – while the lantern could conceal the burning talisman, it couldn’t muffle the soul-capturing pouch’s bell sounds…

That’s why he had suspected it was a piece of meat. After the crime, the culprit could stuff the talisman and soul-capturing pouch inside the meat, then casually walk away carrying it – so no one at the scene would be suspicious.

The large oil stain on Wu Xian’s body could completely prove this theory. The coroner’s examination showed that Li Ying’er, who died at Chuguo Temple earlier, had oil stains on her footsole and right palm.

This was the biggest similarity between the two soul-capturing cases.

That talisman was important to the culprit – they would never discard it unless necessary.

So as soon as he arrived at the scene, he had people block the surroundings and check suspicious individuals one by one. But even with all forces in position, they still hadn’t found any suspects, and the servant girls said they hadn’t seen anyone carrying meat all evening.

Had his thinking been wrong? If not meat, what else could be carried without drawing attention?

Looking down in thought, Lin Chengyou’s gaze suddenly focused: Of course – a wine bottle or water flask.

Just fill a wine bottle with water, and it could easily conceal both the burning talisman and the bell.

Lin Chengyou’s heart pounded as he turned to tell the subordinate something, who then hurried away.

After the subordinate left, Lin Chengyou’s expression gradually grew cold. The culprit seemed very familiar with his working style, having calculated even his involvement in advance. If not for the conspicuous oil stains left in both cases, the culprit wouldn’t have been able to mislead his thinking toward meat.

Hopefully it wasn’t too late.

After the Wu family’s servants left, Magistrate Yan carefully reviewed everyone’s statements: “The person who used Wu Xian to frame Deng Weili and the person who used dark arts to attack Wu Xian aren’t the same. The former aimed to ruin Wu Xian and Deng Weili’s reputations, while the latter directly took Wu Xian’s soul. If it were the same culprit, why go to such trouble? They could have taken both souls at once.”

Lin Chengyou pondered silently – no, it must be the same person. The culprit wasn’t afraid of Wu Xian confronting them afterward, clearly having anticipated that Wu Xian would lose her soul tonight.

This was one complete, meticulous scheme.

Magistrate Yan continued analyzing: “The first person must be someone Wu Xian trusted deeply, certainly a classmate from the academy. With Wu Xian and Deng Weili – the most likely Crown Princess candidates – eliminated, their chances would increase.”

Speaking thus, he circled “Zheng Shuangyin” and “Liu Fourth Lady” as key names on the roster.

Lin Chengyou looked and proceeded to circle a series of noble ladies’ names including “Peng Huayue,” “Peng Jinxiu,” “Deng Weili,” “Chen Dai’er” and others.

Magistrate Yan was stunned: “This—”

Lin Chengyou smiled: “With the Wu and Deng families eliminated, Zheng and Liu would indeed be most likely to be chosen. But Brother Yan shouldn’t forget that all academy students are candidates. Until the Crown Princess is announced, everyone has a chance to compete. As for Deng Weili, given that tonight’s matter was exposed immediately, her reputation isn’t damaged – rather, she’s completely cleared herself, so she can’t be ruled out as a suspect. Moreover, in my view, it might not even be a classmate – anyone Wu Xian trusted could have made her let her guard down.”

Magistrate Yan was puzzled: “No, it still doesn’t make sense. If the Crown Princess hasn’t been announced, why would the culprit act so hastily? What if they harmed the wrong person – wouldn’t it all be for nothing? I maintain my original view – if they wanted to remove obstacles, they could have taken both Deng and Wu’s souls at once.”

Lin Chengyou rubbed his chin: “What if there were rumors that Wu Xian had been chosen as Crown Princess?”

Magistrate Yan fell silent.

Lin Chengyou gazed at the evidence table, thinking how lately he and the Emperor had been releasing various hints to probe which positions the Peng family had infiltrated at court.

For instance, last time at Mount Li, when his aunt wanted to test the academy students’ character, she specifically used an injured farm woman to probe them.

Only four people went back to find the farm woman – Teng Yu’yi, Du Tinglan, Zheng Shuangyin, and Wu Xian.

The Peng sisters knew nothing about this.

This suggested the Peng family hadn’t yet placed their people in the palace. When his uncle deliberately leaked this information to the Department of State Affairs, the Peng family quickly responded.

Besides the Peng family, the Wu family probably hadn’t received word that time at Mount Li either, otherwise, it wouldn’t have been only Wu Xian who returned – her sister Wu Qi would have gone back too.

This showed that Lady Wu was truly kindhearted.

Afterward, when people heard about this, they would naturally think the future Crown Princess would be chosen from among these four.

But the Du family had declined, and Teng Yu’yi had no such ambitions, leaving only Zheng Shuangyin and Wu Xian.

Not long after entering the academy, because Vice Principal Lady Liu was close friends with Lady Wu, she repeatedly promoted Wu Xian, sending many of Wu Xian’s writings to his aunt in the palace within days of the term starting.

Wu Xian’s literary talent was outstanding, naturally earning his aunt’s high praise.

These points together were enough to make people think Wu Xian would be chosen as Crown Princess.

If they waited longer, it would become a fait accompli, so the forces behind this couldn’t help but act.

Magistrate Yan still doubted this motive for the crimes: “Evaluator Lin, don’t forget – this culprit also used the same method to harm Li Ying’er at Chuguo Temple. Li Ying’er was a commoner’s daughter who could never have connections to the royal family. As for Hu Jizhen who was killed last month, he was male. Neither could have become Crown Princess, yet both had their souls taken.”

Lin Chengyou remained silent – this was also the most puzzling link to him.

The motives for the various cases didn’t align.

Magistrate Yan continued: “Besides this, the Wu family’s servants didn’t see any academy classmates at the time of the incident. I remember Evaluator Lin saying this soul-capturing technique was left behind by the Wuji Sect. Soul-capturing generally has several purposes: setting up formations or helping summon souls for close relatives. Perhaps the culprit wanted to use dark arts to achieve some goal, so they looked for suitable targets on the street. They previously encountered Hu Jizhen and Li Ying’er, and tonight happened to run into Wu Xian. These people’s souls all met their requirements, so they took advantage of the crowds to strike.”

Lin Chengyou thought for a while with folded arms, then said with a smile: “The ward gates were closed as soon as the incident occurred – if nothing goes wrong, we should catch the culprit within half an hour. Then one interrogation will reveal everything. We’ve asked about everything here – let’s go see if there’s any news about catching the culprit.”

Magistrate Yan closed his notebook and hurried downstairs with Lin Chengyou to help catch the perpetrator.

***

As soon as Lady Wu was attacked, Kuan Nu, under Lin Chengyou’s orders, had his men surround the Blue Dragon Temple entertainment district. Anyone carrying large pieces of meat was to be detained on the spot.

Soon the constables and police arrived as ordered – one group patrolling the streets, another watching the entire river section near Blue Dragon Temple.

After searching for half an hour, they didn’t see a single person carrying meat.

Seeing a drunk approaching with a wine bottle, Kuan Nu stepped forward to stop him. The man had his chest exposed, staggering and slurring drunk talk. Kuan Nu stared him up and down several times, certain there was nowhere in his attire to hide meat, but when he grabbed the man’s arm to smell it, he detected a slight oily smell.

To be thorough, Kuan Nu searched him carefully, even checking his shoe soles, but couldn’t find so much as an ant hidden on him.

The drunk man hiccupped: “What are you doing? I’m – I’m a law-abiding citizen. You’re stopping people on the street without cause – is there no law anymore?”

Kuan Nu’s face wrinkled at the oily smell on the drunk’s breath, unconsciously leaning back. No doubt this man had eaten meat with his wine – that explained the oily smell.

“It’s nothing, please go ahead,” Kuan Nu waved him off.

The drunk man walked away with a grin.

Just as the drunk left, the constables arrived and immediately whispered to Kuan Nu: “The Prince’s son said the person might not be carrying meat – it could be a wine bottle or water flask.”

Kuan Nu was startled and quickly ordered: “Stop that drunk man!”

But they saw the drunk man swagger to the embankment and, seemingly noticing people pursuing him, simply stopped to retch violently by the riverside. As he vomited, he casually tossed his wine bottle into the river.

The nearby police were half-dead from the smell of the drunk’s vomit, and since he’d thrown a wine bottle rather than meat, they hadn’t paid attention.

When the wine bottle hit the water with a splash, Lin Chengyou arrived just in time to see it. Bracing his right arm against the embankment, he vaulted over and dove in, shouting: “Detain him!”

The drunk man was unexpectedly seized, his bleary eyes widening as he cursed: “What – what are you doing? Help! Murder!”

Kuan Nu and the others anxiously watched the river’s surface. The current would carry the bottle downstream – unless they had some special method, it seemed impossible to retrieve it quickly. The drunk man seemed to have counted on this, becoming increasingly belligerent.

But unexpectedly, Lin Chengyou soon emerged from below, soaked from the chest down but holding the wine bottle.

“Young Master.”

Lin Chengyou sneered: “Did you think throwing it in the water would destroy the evidence?”

Opening the bottle in front of everyone, he poured out its contents – indeed, there was the talisman and soul-capturing pouch. Though Lin Chengyou had been prepared, he was still somewhat surprised. After quietly studying the drunk man for a moment, he nodded: “Alright, take him away.”

***

The next day, shortly after Teng Yu’yi woke up, she heard that Wu Xian’s attacker had been caught.

The culprit was reportedly a medical worker living in Yining Ward named Huo Songlin. After the attack, he had hidden the precious magical implements in a wine bottle, then pretended to be drunk to escape, successfully passing through numerous checkpoints before being caught by the arriving Lin Chengyou.

Huo Songlin had been an apprentice of the Wuji Sect. When the government cracked down on dark arts years ago, he had luckily escaped capture. Afterward, he changed his identity and made a living as a physician. Though his life was humble, he got by. But last year his daughter suddenly fell ill with a strange disease and seemed unlikely to survive. Huo Songlin remembered the old tricks he had learned – the Wuji Sect’s dark arts were feared throughout the world. By arranging an array of several people’s combined souls, he could create a soulless puppet to die in his daughter’s place.

As for why he chose Wu Xian and the others as soul-capturing targets, each was carefully selected. Hu Jizhen was born on the same day of the same month as his daughter, Li Ying’er resembled his daughter’s appearance, while Wu Xian had a noble fate. According to the dark art’s requirements, the more noble the captured soul’s fate, the more fortune and longevity it would add for his daughter. To choose a suitable noble lady, Huo Songlin had specifically lurked near Xiangxiang Academy for several days. Once when the Wu family’s carriage passed by him, Wu Xian happened to lift her window curtain. Seeing her full, blessed countenance, Huo Songlin determined she had a noble fate and targeted her from then on.

Taking advantage of the Buddha’s Birthday Festival outing, he seized his chance to strike.

The Court of Judicial Review officials reportedly found much physical evidence in Huo Songlin’s home overnight. Shop owners near Xiangxiang Academy were summoned to the prison to identify him and testified that Huo Songlin had been wandering nearby in recent days.

Huo Songlin’s daughter was indeed gravely ill, and there were indeed traces of ritual practices in the house. Additionally, since Huo Songlin had begun preparing months ago, leaving behind plenty of physical evidence and witnesses, with dates and times all matching up, it couldn’t have been fabricated at the last minute.

When the Wu family received the news, they were devastated. Their precious daughter raised like a pearl in their palm, had been victimized by such a scoundrel. The Wu family rushed her to Qingyun Temple overnight, but Master Qingxu could offer no help. Hu Jizhen and Li Ying’er’s souls had been taken for over seven days, while Wu Xian’s soul had been thrown into the river with the bottle – the flowing water had severely damaged its spiritual root. Even an immortal couldn’t help now.

Vice Minister Wu was now sick with worry and anger, Lady Wu had fallen ill, and Wu Yuanluo and Wu Qi were caught between grief and rage – the entire Wu household was in chaos.

When classmates discussed the matter, besides lamenting Wu Xian’s fate, they expressed great admiration for Lin Chengyou’s investigative abilities.

Teng Yu’yi listened for a long while but never heard Lu Zhao’an’s name mentioned. She thought it strange – Lu Zhao’an had been present at all three cases, yet all blame fell solely on this Huo Songlin?

But given Lin Chengyou’s abilities, he couldn’t have caught the wrong person. Besides, Lu Zhao’an hadn’t even entered official service yet – what influence could he have to make someone like Huo Songlin take the blame? Perhaps it was a coincidence.

All day, this was all the classmates talked about. Whenever Wu Xian was mentioned, some classmates would sigh and tear up.

Two days later, Wu Qi was sent back by her family. They said she had adamantly refused to return to school, but Vice Minister Wu said the academy position was designated by the Empress – refusing to attend would be defying the Empress’s wishes. Despite making a fuss at home for several days, she was personally escorted back by Lady Wu.

After this incident, the academy became even stricter than before. Students were no longer allowed to go out together privately, and everything sent to the academy had to be inspected by several female officials.

Every night when Lady Jian came to inspect, Teng Yu’yi would look at what she carried, but since the first time, Lady Jian had never brought letters or snacks again. She figured Lin Chengyou was busy investigating the case, while Juesheng and Qizhi had no way to get messages into the academy.

Teng Yu’yi reasoned that even if she inquired about the case’s progress, Lin Chengyou might not respond, so whenever Lady Jian asked “How are you?” Teng Yu’yi would simply reply: “All is well.”

Two more days passed, and with the Dragon Boat Festival approaching, the academy’s atmosphere finally lightened somewhat. When classmates occasionally gathered to chat, they were no longer constantly downcast.

After afternoon classes ended, classmates discussed tomorrow’s festival. Having been so tense the past few days, they only now began to feel relaxed as they talked. Some showed off the longevity threads they had braided, others shared festival rice dumplings sent from home. As the atmosphere grew livelier, the students couldn’t sit still and went to play in the garden.

The garden lay in the academy’s northeast corner, far from the students’ residence in Zimu Court. They played until nightfall, no one willing to return to their rooms until female officials came to inspect. Only then did Teng Yu’yi and Du Tinglan reluctantly bid farewell to their classmates.

Back in their room, Du Tinglan took the longevity thread from Teng Yu’yi’s hand and looked at it: “You braided these too quickly, making five or six at once. The ends are a bit rough – this part needs to be undone and re-braided tomorrow. Who are you planning to give so many longevity threads to?”

Teng Yu’yi yawned – she hadn’t decided yet, but since she made them herself, they should go to close friends and family.

She snatched back the rough longevity thread and leaned her head on Du Tinglan’s shoulder: “Sister, I’m tired.”

Du Tinglan checked the water clock: “It is late. Let’s wash up and sleep.” She had Hong Nu and Biluo fetch water while she led Teng Yu’yi to the east wing room.

Since Teng Yu’yi set up the Hundred Flowers Remnant mechanism in the opposite room every night, she had been sleeping next to her sister since entering the academy. Just as Du Tinglan was about to speak, Teng Yu’yi suddenly grabbed her: “Wait.”

Du Tinglan started: “What’s wrong?”

Teng Yu’yi stared intently at a spot before her: “It’s gone.”

“What’s gone?”

Teng Yu’yi’s voice grew cold: “The hair I strung across the room is gone.”

Du Tinglan felt as if a fierce wind had swept through her heart. Since entering the academy, her sister not only set up careful mechanisms in the opposite room but would casually make some arrangements in her room too. But since the focus was on that room, where she usually just tied a single hair strand.

The doors and windows were tightly closed – the hair couldn’t have blown away, which meant…

“Someone’s been here.” Teng Yu’yi didn’t dare move. This wasn’t right – that person’s target was her, so why would they sneak into her sister’s room?

Biluo and Hong Nu were too frightened to move, stammering: “Could the thief have entered the wrong room?”

Teng Yu’yi pulled Du Tinglan carefully back several steps, then turned and slowly moved to the opposite room, cautiously pushing open the door to look – the hair strands by the window and bed were intact.

Everyone was stunned.

Teng Yu’yi quietly observed the mechanisms in her room. No one had been there – this person had specifically targeted her sister.

But why?

Sister hadn’t done anything notable recently, and the academy had increased security – this thief couldn’t have come from outside, they must be from within.

“Young Lady, what should we do now?” Hong Nu tightly gripped Du Tinglan’s arm.

Du Tinglan tried to stay calm, quickly pulling her sister behind her: “Don’t be afraid. I’ll go inform the Principal right away, tell her someone broke into the room, and ask for her guidance.”

“No.” Teng Yu’yi said, “If the Principal investigates, the whole academy will know. Before understanding that person’s purpose, we absolutely cannot spread the word. Stay here and don’t move – remember, don’t touch anything in the room.”

Du Tinglan hurriedly grabbed her sister’s hand: “What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to find Lady Jian, have her send a message to Lin Chengyou.”

“At this hour?” Du Tinglan was shocked. Lin Chengyou certainly couldn’t come at this time, and since her sister wouldn’t notify the Principal, did they have to spend the whole night in fear?

Teng Yu’yi wasn’t confident either, but this was what she and Lin Chengyou had agreed upon, and it was the most reliable solution she could think of right now. After all, Lin Chengyou knew how to catch thieves, and she had finally caught the thief making a move.

“It’s worth trying. I’ll be right back.”

Returning from Lady Jian’s quarters, the four of them sat motionless in the central living room.

Biluo and Hong Nu didn’t dare breathe, while Teng Yu’yi and Du Tinglan feared disturbing any clues that person might have left.

Teng Yu’yi pondered repeatedly but couldn’t understand why that person had suddenly targeted her sister.

“Sister, have you encountered any strange people lately?”

Du Tinglan just shook her head.

Hong Nu said tremulously: “They say the wishing lanterns at Blue Dragon Temple are most efficacious – how could a thief target us after just a few days?”

A flash of realization struck Teng Yu’yi – yes, how could she forget? That night at the Buddha’s Birthday Festival, something notable had indeed happened to her sister – the Crown Prince not only accompanied her sister around the entertainment district but even bought her a steamed pear.

Only because of Wu Xian’s incident did this cause no ripples in the academy.

But with so many people there that night, the lack of discussion didn’t mean no one had noticed.

Had that person targeted her sister because of this? The more Teng Yu’yi thought about it, the colder she felt. As she repeatedly imagined that person’s intentions, a long-buried thought in her heart emerged like a craggy island through the mist.

In the months since her rebirth, she had been pondering the reason for her murder. At this moment, she felt she was finally approaching the truth.

Perhaps in her previous life, the person in the black cloak wanted to kill her not because of the letter in Father’s study, nor because she was Teng Shao’s daughter, but because they didn’t want her to become Crown Princess. She remembered in her previous life after their encounter in Daming Palace, the Crown Prince had paid constant attention to her. The Empress had publicly bestowed rare fragrant oils on her, and after Father’s death, there were rumors the Crown Prince would marry her after her mourning period ended.

This person killed her perhaps simply because the Crown Prince favored her, and from recent events, this person might be one of her classmates.

Who became Crown Princess in her previous life?

She unconsciously gripped the armrest of the couch.

As Teng Yu’yi was lost in thought, Du Tinglan and the others remained alert. At first they could hear voices from other rooms, but gradually all fell silent. Their hearts trembled in suspense, each moment feeling as long as a year.

“Why don’t we sleep in this room?” Du Tinglan didn’t hold much hope for Lin Chengyou’s arrival and, fearing her sister would catch a cold, started to remove her cloak.

Hong Nu and Biluo forced themselves to move, when suddenly they heard a soft “tap tap” from the window behind the couch, like tree branches scratching against the window frame.

Everyone froze. Teng Yu’yi had Hong Nu and the others get up from the couch, then leaned over to carefully open the window. They saw someone grab the window frame and vault inside.

Hong Nu and Biluo were both startled and delighted. Du Tinglan looked at Lin Chengyou in surprise, then at the water clock in the room – he had arrived incredibly quickly, only half an hour had passed.