In the end, Ren Qiqi chose to stay with Qin Fei and He Muling.

Xiao Shengyuan, knowing no one would want to stay with him, simply returned to his own tent.

Su Nan and Meng Xiao naturally paired off together.

…Inside the tent, Ji Mingyu looked uneasy. “Ninth Master, A’Ke’s surveillance is active, but he was with me in the tent all last night—he never went out.”

If he’d never gone out, how could he have monitored anything outside?

And yet just now, Ninth Master and Miss Jiu’er had seemed so certain, as if A’Ke’s surveillance could definitely be used.

Ji Mingyu thought about it for a moment, then suddenly seemed to understand. “Miss Jiu’er, are you trying to lure the culprit into a trap?”

“I doubt the murderer will be fooled that easily. Still, it won’t hurt to put a little more pressure on their mind.”

“Miss Jiu’er, do you think the murderer is among us?”

But Ji Mingyu still had his doubts. “Ninth Master was ambushed before. Miss Jiu’er, you also mentioned that besides us and the archaeology team, there were two other sets of footprints found.”

“Which means, right now, in Beimu City, besides us, there are also people with ill intentions lurking about.”

“Why couldn’t it be them who did this to the professor?”

Ji Mingyu’s question was also what Yan Qiu had been wondering. But after glancing at Jiu’er, Yan Qiu seemed to understand something.

“The murderer deliberately staged it to look like the professor fell into the river by accident and drowned. If it had been those outside assassins, they probably wouldn’t have bothered going to such trouble.”

“What’s more, Ren Qiqi’s anesthetic has gone missing—that’s likely connected to this too.”

“If it really had been those people from outside, stealing the anesthetic first, then committing murder, and then staging an accident on top of it—wouldn’t that be excessive, for them?”

They’d dared to attack Ninth Master directly before. What need would they have to go through such roundabout means just to deal with an ordinary professor?

“So the murderer must be one of us?” Ji Mingyu thought it over, and it did seem to make sense.

He glanced at Ninth Master.

Lu Beicheng still hadn’t said a word, only watching Jiu’er, his thoughts unreadable.

Ninth Master had really taken quite a liking to watching Miss Jiu’er lately. Sigh, there was something rather suspicious in his intentions.

“Ahem!” Ji Mingyu startled himself with his own thought and quickly reined it in, lest Ninth Master notice what he’d been thinking about him.

If Ninth Master found out what he’d been thinking, would he get slapped to death on the spot?

“Mr. Ji, what were you thinking about?” Jiu’er noticed him frowning and coughing and casually asked.

“I—I wasn’t thinking about anything.” Ji Mingyu felt a flash of guilt.

To change the subject, he quickly shifted his thoughts. “That… that reminds me… those two mysterious bottles in Ren Qiqi’s kit—why not just ask her clearly what they’re for?”

“You know what those two bottles are?” Lu Beicheng’s gaze fell on Jiu’er too.

Unexpectedly, Zhen Jiu’er’s face flushed slightly.

This reaction was rather strange, indeed.

Ji Mingyu and Yan Qiu both grew curious at once. “What exactly are they?”

It couldn’t be said, of all things?

They knew Ren Qiqi was already quite the suspect. Why wouldn’t Jiu’er explain clearly?

Lu Beicheng narrowed his eyes. “Can’t be said?”

“It’s not… not that it can’t be said, it’s just… it doesn’t really have anything to do with the case, but…”

“But what?” Ji Mingyu asked at once.

Jiu’er let out a breath, sounding somewhat helpless. “It’s not exactly a good kind of medicine either. It might… end up creating another victim.”