Lin Shuang and Huangpu Yuan both turned their gaze toward Meng Zi.
Meng Zi wanted to curse.
It felt as though only he had failed the Trial Hall’s assessment. He gritted his teeth and looked again at the “crawler” data spit out by Xiao’ai talisman.
[Disciple cultivation level: “Condensed Yuan Layer 3” mentioned 83 times, “Condensed Yuan Layer 2” 34 times, “Condensed Yuan Layer 4” 12 times, “Condensed Yuan Layer 5” 9 times.]
Meng Zi clasped his hands behind his back, nodding thoughtfully.
“This thief looks down on Layer 1, but dares not target higher layers.
The victims are mainly Layers 2 and 3. It seems the thief’s cultivation level isn’t high.”
Lin Shuang nodded.
He coughed and redirected the discussion back to the first issue—the answers regarding “when the theft occurred.”
[“Breakthrough” 38 times, “Mission Completed” 31 times, “Celebration” 20 times, “Cultivation Method” 17 times, “Retreat for Cultivation” 15 times.]
Meng Zi, hands behind his back, frowned. “Thirty-eight people had experiences similar to Leng Qianqian’s? Theft occurred during a breakthrough, and fifteen others were robbed during retreats?”
He felt puzzled. “I can understand the 31 cases where theft occurred after completing missions. Usually, disciples return exhausted, making them easy targets for thieves.”
“But why are there seven fewer thefts targeting disciples after missions compared to those during breakthroughs?”
Meng Zi muttered, completely unaware he was merely rephrasing the question.
Of course, he had raised a somewhat relevant point.
Lin Shuang nodded, sympathetically summarizing for him. “Regardless of whether these thefts were committed by a single group or different factions imitating the crimes,”
“It’s clear they were targeted and premeditated.”
Dao Xi’s sudden intoxication and Chen Sheng’s publicizing of treasures seemed coincidental, prompting the thief to target them on impulse.
But looking at the statistics, one could see they shared similarities with other victims.
The survey responses revealed highly overlapping scenarios.
Lin Shuang pursed her lips.
This was definitely an organized gang.
Moreover, the thief had a fixed selection criteria for victims.
“Sorry, Senior Brother Meng, interrupting your analysis. Please continue.”
Meng Zi: “…”
?? What analysis?
Clenching his teeth, he forced himself to look at the next line of Xiao’ai’s “crawler” data.
Answers regarding the theft locations.
[“Cave Residence” 115 times, “Returning Journey” 43 times, “Trial Hall” 31 times, “Meditation Pavilion” 13 times…]
Each word was familiar, the information clear at a glance!
Meng Zi nodded as if he understood. “Hmm… this tells us… cave residences aren’t worth it.”
Huangpu Yuan: “…”
Lin Shuang: “…”
Headmistress Grandma, this is what you meant, right? Even if a companion performs poorly, we shouldn’t mock them but encourage them instead.
Encourage them, and they’ll improve.
Just like how you taught me back then?
Clap, clap, clap—Lin Shuang led the applause, her eyes shining with admiration.
“Senior Brother, your analysis is amazing!”
“Your words are more enlightening than a whole lecture!”
Meng Zi: “!”
He took a step back, his temple twitching. “Say what you mean!”
Huangpu Yuan lowered his head, chuckling softly.
Lin Shuang pointed at the words “Cave Residence.” “Regarding what Senior Brother just said, we shouldn’t ignore the high frequency of thefts in cave residences.”
Meng Zi: “…”
Talk about the case, don’t drag me down!
“But at the same time, many disciples were robbed on their way back. Most, like Chen Sheng, noticed their missing items immediately, scanning the area with their spiritual senses, yet found no suspicious individuals.”
It was like having your phone stolen the moment you step off a bus.
By the time you realize it’s gone, the crowd has already scattered in all directions.
There’s no way to identify the suspect.
“This indicates two things.”
“First, the thief moves at the scene without raising suspicion from the victim.”
Meng Zi looked confused.
Lin Shuang gave an example. “Take Chen Sheng’s theft during his journey. If Senior Brother Huangpu had been nearby, Chen would have noticed his spiritual presence.
Since Senior Brother Huangpu usually stays at Rongbao Studio, his unexpected presence would have raised Chen’s suspicion.”
Meng Zi suddenly understood. “Most disciples have fixed activity areas.”
“Yes,” Lin Shuang nodded. “Everyone has their own routine habits.”
Just like her—she would never be seen rushing to the cafeteria at noon.
That was the peak lunchtime for queues.
“Assuming ten people were present at the scene of Chen Sheng’s theft, each could be his suspect.
Why didn’t he identify the culprit at the time? Later, when he reported the theft to the management, someone must have asked if he remembered who passed by.”
Meng Zi frowned. “Are you saying he overlooked the thief?”
Huangpu Yuan glanced at the inner sect map scroll. “Rather, those with similar theft experiences all overlooked the thief.”
Meng Zi looked puzzled.
“Exactly.”
Lin Shuang tapped the “crawler” data from Xiao’ai talisman.
[“Returning Journey” 43 times…]
“Why didn’t the 43 people robbed on their way back catch the thief at the scene?”
Condensed Yuan cultivators’ spiritual senses can radiate at least ten miles.
Anyone present would be noticed, even if they moved quickly.
“If it’s the same person committing all these crimes, appearing repeatedly at different crime scenes, do you think the management hall wouldn’t find this disciple?
Wouldn’t the senior brothers and sisters assigned to investigate find him?”
Meng Zi’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Does he know the invisibility technique?”
Huangpu Yuan lightly coughed.
Lin Shuang couldn’t help but smile wryly. “The invisibility technique would definitely be detected the moment it collides with someone. The thief would be the most suspicious person on the spot.”
Meng Zi frowned and sat down. “Then who keeps appearing at various scenes yet remains unnoticed?”
Lin Shuang nodded. “The answer to this question lies within this crawler data. This is the second point I want to make.”
Meng Zi opened his mouth. “???”
Huangpu Yuan coughed, placing his index finger on the inked characters “Cave Residence” 115 times, tapping lightly.
“This is someone familiar with the cave residences of various disciples.”
Lin Shuang flipped a paper crane. “Moreover, he wanders around the inner sect, appearing at different cave mountains frequently—behaviors uncommon for ordinary people but not raising suspicion.”
The lives of inner sect cultivators are far longer than those of mortals.
But this longevity hasn’t made them more down-to-earth. On the contrary, they gradually stop eating, become emotionally detached, and focus solely on their cultivation.
Retreating for cultivation, sword practice, refining techniques.
Take Dao Xi, for example. He only closely associates with the ten disciples of Dao Mountain, occasionally visiting senior brothers’ cave residences for drinks.
He wouldn’t go out of his way to visit over a hundred other unrelated cave mountains.
If he did, other disciples would definitely suspect him.
With such long lifespans, cultivators don’t spend their days visiting each other or wandering around the inner sect.
Only—
Meng Zi: “Only someone delivering treasures to disciples—the Rongbao Studio!”
Huangpu Yuan: “The inner sect patrol disciples.”
“…”
“…”
They looked at each other, then fell into a long silence.
Their friendship boat capsized without warning.
Not the slightest omen.
Lin Shuang helplessly shrugged. “Well, you’re both right. As everyone knows, you both look suspicious.”
“…”
“……..”
Lin Shuang: “The Rongbao Studio uses inner sect immortal cranes for deliveries, provided by the management hall but managed by Rongbao Studio itself.
Besides, patrol disciples frequently travel across mountains and land at cave residences to impose fines—others wouldn’t easily suspect them.”
“Additionally, there’s a third category—”
Huangpu Yuan and Meng Zi looked at her simultaneously.
“I’ve heard of it twice since entering the inner sect.”
Lin Shuang remembered vividly because she really liked this service.
“The Dao children delivering meals from the inner sect cafeteria.”
“!”
Chen Sheng, ranked third on the recent theft list, even said he was waiting for a cafeteria delivery.
Dao children have low cultivation, usually not reaching Condensed Yuan.
No one would suspect ordinary humans or Qi Transformation cultivators of targeting Condensed Yuan disciples.
Meng Zi took a deep breath. “So, shall we go to the cafeteria now?”
*
[Quest 2217: Senior Brother, your treasure is missing.]
[Disciples who have completed the quest: None.]
Chen Xingchuan passed by the management hall’s entrance, glanced at the quest notice, and sighed in relief.
“Senior Brother, we still need to ask over seventy disciples.”
Chen Xingchuan checked the sun’s position. It had only been two hours, so they must be ahead of Lin Shuang’s group, right?
But they couldn’t slack off. He placed both hands on his belt, which was filled with cave residence keys.
“Continue, speed up. Then the three of us will organize everything and see if there are any clues or suspects.”
“Yeah, mark all the incident locations on the inner sect map. I refuse to believe we can’t find these thieves!”
Chen Xingchuan’s trio were very confident.
Behind them, junior brothers and sisters were helping.
But just as they said this, when they reached the next cave residence to visit the 71st last victim—
The victim wore an expression of “You’re here to ask too?”
“Hey, I already told Meng Zi and the others.”
Chen Xingchuan: “?”
No worries, onto the next one.
But the 72nd victim also looked surprised. “Funny, I already answered a similar survey question. Brother Chen, I’ve already answered.”
Chen Xingchuan: “??”
“I can tell you again, but are you offering rewards for this survey?”
Chen Xingchuan: “???”
Soon, all three received messages from their juniors.
“Senior Brother, most people we asked in Zhenchuan said they already told Lin Shuang’s group.”
“!”
“They think it’s the same questions. They’re not happy repeating answers. But they also asked me to ask you—do you offer rewards?”
“……!?”
“If not, they suggest you go—”
“Ask Meng Zi (Lin Shuang).”
Chen Xingchuan’s trio: “!!”
Their group was faster than all those people?
And what was this “reward”?
“It’s a rewarded survey, Senior Brother.”
“??”
“Senior Brother, are you offering rewards or not?”
“…”
What nonsense is this? Do tasks now require giving out spirit stones?!
*
Meng Zi, Lin Shuang, and Huangpu Yuan flew toward the cafeteria on their swords.
Lin Shuang sat cross-legged, meditating with her eyes closed. This was her time to empty her mind and cleanse impurities.
Huangpu Yuan sipped tea beside a small table on her wide sword.
Meng Zi was still the driver, responsible for flying the sword.
But he had no complaints now, happily content, his face beaming. “We sent out 126 paper cranes, worth thirteen spirit stones.”
“And now we’re getting even more back.”
His flying speed wasn’t fast because every so often a paper crane wobbled into his arms.
Roughly five cranes equaled one spirit stone.
So happy.
Meng Zi kept smiling, not daring to fly too fast for fear the cranes couldn’t keep up.
Counting as he flew. “There are 37 extra cranes, and the number is still increasing.”
That’s four more spirit stones.
“Could it be I have a special affinity for receiving letters today?”
Meng Zi felt pleased with himself, patting the black outfit of a patrol disciple on his body.
But as he unfolded the paper cranes, one after another, messages poured in.
“Senior Sister Lin, I’m also a victim. Why did the rewarded survey leave me out? I lost my disciple badge. I’ll fill out the questionnaire for you now.”
“Senior Sister Lin, is it true that the lucky draw gives a 9999 cave residence trial for one hour?
You forgot to send it to me. I’m also a theft victim! I lost my sword tassel last year!”
“Senior Sister Lin—your list must be incomplete. I also lost items registered at the management hall. I’ll fill out the questionnaire for you now.”
“Senior Sister Lin, can reporting suspicious characters count as participation in the lucky draw? Give me a chance, please?”
“Senior Sister Lin, I also filled it out…”
Meng Zi: “…”
After reading, he carefully flattened each crane’s creases, neatly refolding them.
He looked toward Lin Shuang, seemingly in meditation.
“Cough, actually, I suddenly remembered I lost three spirit stones last year?”
Huangpu Yuan paused mid-sip.
“These are ‘exam’ sponsor funds Senior Sister collected from victims.”
Huangpu Yuan shook his head.
“Junior Brother, this has nothing to do with you as a participant.”
“…”
Meng Zi closed his eyes in pain.
Room 9999’s annual rent was in the tens of millions. One hour…
In his agony, he had already reached the cafeteria at a snail’s pace.
They had been here before.
Lin Shuang’s 1700 cave residence, obtained from the pink-robed girl in Zhenchuan, was only half a stick’s walk from the cafeteria.
“Whoa… We stayed in the thief’s den last night.”
Meng Zi was stunned.
Huangpu Yuan tapped his teacup. “Inner sect Dao children have specific duties.
Above 3000 cave residences, Dao children can be hired. Trial Halls also require Dao children for cleaning, and these Dao children aren’t mobile.”
Meng Zi nodded. “The cafeteria has dedicated Dao children—cooking, serving, delivering meals are all different roles. The serving Dao children’s cooking skills, hmph.”
Lin Shuang closed her eyes, meditating.
This Wi-Fi is disconnected.
Huangpu Yuan and Meng Zi looked at her, their faces full of disbelief.
“So let’s go to the cafeteria first and investigate who the meal-delivering Dao children were in the past six months!”
Meng Zi finally showed some intelligence.
Huangpu Yuan thought. “Junior Brother, I have a better suggestion.”
“Hmm?” Meng Zi asked.
“Beep, Lin Shuang’s fifteen-minute meditation is complete. Entering teacup rest time—”
Xiao’ai talisman’s voice sounded.
Lin Shuang slowly opened her eyes, Wi-Fi reconnected.
Connection successful.
She looked at Meng Zi and Huangpu Yuan. “Hmm, I’m back.”
“…”
Lin Shuang’s gaze was clear. “Since I just finished meditating, I haven’t finished analyzing the survey data collected from the questionnaire responses.”
“…”
“Regarding the incident time—’Breakthrough,’ ‘Mission Completed’… they share a unified victim selection standard.”
Huangpu Yuan nodded. “I was just about to bring this up. How about Senior Brother Meng acts as the bait?”
“Or maybe Senior Brother Huangpu could be the bait?” Lin Shuang blurted out simultaneously.
They locked eyes.
Lin Shuang: “…”
Huangpu Yuan: “…”
Meng Zi: “…”
It’s falling apart, the group’s morale is completely gone!
From day one, this trio for the Zhenchuan trial has been scheming against each other, calculating every move!
They’ve never gotten along!
“Hehehe, Junior Sister must know that my physique can’t withstand a typical enemy attack.”
“Great! Then you’re the perfect candidate for the thief’s ideal fat sheep!”
“…”
No one had ever set their sights on Huangpu Yuan before. Initially, Lin Shuang didn’t comprehend why, but after analyzing the web crawler data, she finally understood.
Although Huangpu Yuan is wealthy, he has never triggered any sensitive keywords associated with criminals.
Lin Shuang tapped on the high-frequency terms: ‘Breakthrough,’ ‘After the mission,’ ‘Cave residence’…
“Senior Brother Huangpu used to stay at Rongbao Studio, but things are different now. Last night, you stayed with us at Cave 1700.”
Check for the theft location.
“And we’ve just come out of Zhenchuan, which barely meets the condition of ‘completing a mission.'”
“Everyone knows Zhenchuan can lead to breakthroughs in cultivation—Senior Brother Huangpu advanced to the first level of the Condensing Yuan Realm there just yesterday.”
Check for timing of the theft, both ‘Breakthrough’ and ‘After the mission’ are satisfied.
“Plus, you might have obtained a valuable treasure in Zhenchuan, and your physique is weak. You’re now a perfectly cooked sheep.”
“…”
Huangpu Yuan’s expression was hard to read.
He still preferred his junior sister when she was meditating.
“There’s one more thing,” Lin Shuang, after deep contemplation, had a particularly clear train of thought. “Senior Brother Huangpu, Senior Brother Meng, hand over your disciple badges and communication stones to me.”
“??”
“Don’t forget—you two are still suspects. The Xianhe at Rongbao Studio and the patrol team haven’t cleared their suspicions yet; they’re still on the suspect list.”
“…!”
This team’s friendship has never existed in the past, doesn’t exist now.
And the future is uncertain.
At this moment, Meng Zi and Huangpu Yuan deeply felt the ruthlessness of human cultivators.
Lin Shuang retrieved and gave them two small love tokens—backup lion-dog talismans numbered two and three.
“From now on, we’ll only communicate through the team channel.”
“Take these Xiao Ai communicators. Only the three of us can communicate via spiritual sense. Press one to send an emergency distress signal to the management hall—specifically Senior Brother Xu Xiang’s spiritual communication.”
“!”
“Do either of you have anything you want to say to your junior brothers and sisters or loved ones now?”
“Hurry up.”
“…”
[Meng Zi: Little Bai, I heard you returned to the cave residence yesterday too? Did you get injured in Zhenchuan?]
After leaving Zhenchuan yesterday, Baiyu had rested at the cave residence for half a day today.
After glancing at the message, he gently replied, [Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother. I’m fine. I’ll return to Zhenchuan tomorrow.]
After sending the message, Baiyu’s clear eyes revealed a hint of reluctance.
Since he recklessly left Lin Shuang and fled into the inner sect, he had shared a residence with Senior Brother Meng for nine years.
Senior Meng was upright and generous, except for his greed for spirit stones—he was otherwise quite decent.
But this time, when Zhenchuan opened, Meng Zi was still at level two thousand, while he had already challenged beyond level four thousand.
In the future, they would likely part ways and move into different caves.
Baiyu sighed, “This is exactly what the Master meant—demons are demons, humans are humans; human and demon paths diverge…”
Demons were naturally different from human cultivators in terms of bloodline—they cultivated faster (except for Lin Shuang) and had longer lifespans.
Eventually, demons and humans would part ways.
Being ruthless and heartless ensured no pain when the time came to separate.
Though Baiyu felt sad, he quickly pulled himself together.
For the sake of his clan’s revenge, for the prosperity of the Master and his clan’s future, he must sever all ties with human cultivators, just like the Master did!
[Meng Zi: Oh, Xiao Bai, you’re going back to Zhenchuan tomorrow? Great, do you have time now to play the role of Fat Sheep Number Two?]
Baiyu: “??”
Fat sheep? Who is Number One?
Roleplay?
[Meng Zi: Number One is naturally Senior Brother Huangpu, whom you know well—one gust of wind might make him cough blood.]
Xiao Bai: “!”
[Meng Zi: Xiao Bai, are you coming? We’re near the cafeteria.]
Xiao Bai: “…”
Master, I think I finally understand why demons must be ruthless and heartless.
Humans… damn it, they’re all heartless.
[Meng Zi has sent you《Fat Sheep Script—written by Lin Shuang, revised by Huangpu Yuan》]
[Accept?]
Xiao Bai: “!”
Half a teacup later.
Outside Cave 1700 near the cafeteria, the trio awaited the arrival of Baiyu, a graceful white-haired man dressed in flowing white robes.
His face was delicate, his deer-like eyes brimming with gentle moisture.
His lips were faintly pink, his nose dainty and refined.
His white hair flowed behind him, with a few strands slightly raised, making him appear distinct from others, especially slender.
He looked like someone who needed protection.
Upon seeing him, Lin Shuang immediately slapped her thigh and gave Meng Zi a thumbs-up.
“This actor is spot on!”
Xiao Bai caught his breath.
She always had such strange expressions.
Every time she said things like this, she didn’t even realize how bright her eyes became.
It was just like nine years ago, when he first saw her.
“Alright, time for special effects makeup.”
As Baiyu was lost in thought, a hand pulled him to a small stool in front of the dressing mirror.
“?”
“Let me first check your character design.”
Lin Shuang, the director of this cosplay performance, also doubling as the makeup artist.
She turned to look at the revised script Huangpu Yuan was holding.
“Mm, your character is Fat Sheep Number Two—a tired disciple who just returned from completing the Zhenchuan trial but gained something significant.”
“Eight parts tiredness, one part excitement, and within that excitement, a hint of arrogance.”
Lin Shuang nodded approvingly, then took out her handmade makeup palette and brushes from her spatial pouch and began working.
“Pale lips, black eyeliner… a look of weakness.”
“A touch of Barbie pink on the outer corners of the eyes—ambition rising.”
Xiao Bai: “…”
What is this.
He wanted to leave!
But when he helplessly looked at Huangpu Yuan, he saw that he too had pink-tinted eyeliner, cheeks lightly dusted with pink, lips pale like paper, and a fox fur collar as white as snow around his neck.
Truly frail and delicate.
Baiyu opened his mouth.
A piece of paper filled with words was quickly shoved into his hand.
“Hurry up and memorize your lines while getting makeup done.”
Director-and-makeup-artist Lin Shuang urged.
“Don’t forget, if you forget your lines during the performance, your pay will be docked.”
“!”
Huangpu Yuan smiled slightly, watching from the sidelines.
But soon, Lin Shuang pulled him over too.
She took out a thick golden chain from her spatial pouch, the kind with a thumb-sized link.
She attached a spatial pouch embroidered with pearls and gems, and despite Huangpu Yuan’s twitching expression, she hung it around his neck.
Xiao Bai: “…”
Meng Zi: “…”
Huangpu Yuan stood stiffly, looking down.
Lin Shuang’s fingers inadvertently brushed past the edge of his fox fur collar—white with silver highlights, the ends seemingly aflame.
A top-tier softness that made her fingers sink into the tips.
Warm and soft.
Her hands weren’t cold, but when she touched the soft fox fur by Huangpu Yuan’s slender neck, she felt heat radiating from deep within the fur.
Fluffy and smooth, like the finest silk.
Unconsciously, she curled her index finger and rubbed gently at the tips of the soft fur.
Huangpu Yuan’s breath caught, his ears instantly turning red.
In Lin Shuang’s eyes, an uncontrollable human instinct to pet soft things surfaced.
“Senior Brother Huangpu, where did you buy this fox fur collar? Can you share the store with me?”
Baiyu opened his mouth.
Buy…
Master… it’s only possible if you pull it off…
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage