“Eliminate the scourge for the people of Chang’an!”
“Supervisor Su!” Wei Feng clasped his fists earnestly.
“Given your recent success in solving bizarre cases, we implore you to help us capture this evil spirit and bring justice—”
But Su Fu suddenly asked, “Aside from Elai, has anyone here actually seen the skin-peeling demon with their own eyes?”
The question left everyone stunned.
Seen it?
The skin-peeling demon?
Wang Sheng hesitated.
“Shopkeeper Zhang testified, but he only saw a shadow…”
“I mean the actual skin-peeling demon,” Su Fu clarified, scanning the room.
“Not shadows or hearsay. Has anyone truly seen its true form?”
The group exchanged uneasy glances, falling silent.
Come to think of it… no one had.
Apart from Elai, no one had ever directly confronted the demon.
Everyone talked about it, feared it—but had anyone truly seen it?
Not a single person?
“Inspector Wei,” Su Fu turned to Wei Feng, “please immediately dispatch people to re-examine all evidence. I need to know if there’s any concrete proof of the skin-peeling demon’s existence.”
Wei Feng seemed to grasp the gravity of the situation, his expression shifting as he hurriedly bowed and left.
Suddenly, only Su Fu and the other two remained in the room.
Jiang Qingyu gazed at the human-skin lantern on the table that reflected Elai’s face, a flicker of doubt flashing in his eyes:
“Our case ultimately proved that we ourselves were the culprits… Could Elai’s situation be different from ours? That seems unlikely, doesn’t it?”
Given the Ministry of Education’s usual antics, of course they’d make every examinee run in circles.
Could there really be an exception?
“You mean…” Lin Mingxi caught on, “the skin-stealing demon might be like the fox spirit in our case—just a key figure but not the actual murderer?”
Su Fu shook her head, “Or perhaps even further the skin-stealing demon might have been entirely fabricated by Elai from the start as a disguise, or might not even exist at all.”
“This… this is just too…” Lin Mingxi gasped, “But why would he do that?”
“If that’s truly the case, then we can’t just rely on crime scene analysis,” Su Fu’s eyes swept across the so-called “evidence” scattered on the floor.
“Setting these aside, there are actually three possibilities for his death.”
“First possibility—he was indeed killed by the skin-stealing demon. After all, judging by all signs, this demon’s methods are too bizarre and dangerous; no one could be certain of handling it.”
“Second possibility,” she continued, “it was done by other examinees. Perhaps some candidates seized the opportunity to make the top student of Xuandu Province meet his downfall under the pretense of the skin-stealing demon.”
“Final possibility,” she frowned slightly, “is what I mentioned earlier a self-directed act. The skin-stealing demon doesn’t exist at all; everything was orchestrated by Elai himself. Like us, he was the murderer in his own case.”
“But the question is,” Jiang Qingyu interjected, “why would he go through such elaborate lengths to fabricate such a terrifying story? And even include himself in it?”
Lin Mingxi felt his brain overheating from the strain, clutching his head:
“Logically speaking, the first possibility makes the most sense.”
“But the boss raises a crucial point-aside from Elai, no one has actually seen the skin-stealing demon.”
He spread his hands worriedly, “It’d be ridiculous if we eventually find out this thing never existed.”
“Surely we can’t be fooled by the Ministry of Education and then by examinees too, right?”
Jiang Qingyu nodded silently and added, “But if it was other examinees… that person must be incredibly bold to target the toughest opponent directly.”
Lin Mingxi scratched his head in agitation, “Ahhh! This exam is too insane! How could even a top player like Elai end up like this!”
Su Fu still leaned toward her own theory.
The key issue now was that while evidence of the skin-stealing demon’s crimes existed, no one had actually seen the demon itself.
And Elai’s death as the top-ranked student was filled with too many oddities.
Just then, commotion erupted from the street.
Jiang Qingyu walked to the window and looked down, frowning slightly: “Imperial Guards?”
“What?” Lin Mingxi’s expression changed instantly, “Don’t tell me it’s those two old schemers ZongZheng Ye and Su Luan here to cause trouble again?”
“Don’t see them,” Jiang Qingyu narrowed his eyes, “but there are quite a few people coming…”
Soon, heavy footsteps approached, and a middle-aged man dressed in Imperial Guard commander’s attire opened the door and entered.
With clear purpose, he strode directly to Su Fu and cupped his fists:
“Supervisor Su! Two of our brothers from the Golden Guard camp have died, and the scene… the scene is too bizarre. Could you please take a look?”
Zhang Yuanshan had originally headed straight for the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, only to find out upon arrival that all their elite personnel had been dispatched to protect Su Fu.
He nearly lost his composure on the spot-just how important was this Supervisor Su that they’d mobilize so many people just to guard her?
What kind of nonsense was this?
Left with no choice, he rushed over here in a frenzy.
Just then, Lin Mingxi suddenly had an epiphany.
“Wait, the two who died—”
“Alas!” Zhang Yuanshan’s face twisted in grief, his voice hoarse.
“It was Zongzheng Ye and Su Luan!”
My god!
Lin Mingxi’s eyes widened instantly, instinctively turning to glance at Jiang Qingyu and Su Fu.
Their gazes met, all three sharing the same shock-realizing the gravity of the situation.
After the chief of Xuandu Province, Elai, had fallen, now the chiefs of Tianxuan and Cangwu Provinces were gone too?
One after another?
“Supervisor Su!” Zhang Yuanshan stepped forward, his eyes pleading.
“Your investigative skills are renowned. Please, come and examine the scene!”
Su Fu withdrew her gaze and nodded slightly.
“Since the Imperial Astronomical Bureau’s assistance is required, I’ll naturally lend a hand. Lead the way.”
“Your dedication is truly commendable!” Zhang Yuanshan exclaimed, moved.
“No wonder the Chief Supervisor holds you in such high regard! Your resolve to rid the people of evil, your concern for the citizens of Chang’an-I thank you on their behalf!”
Lin Mingxi:”……”
Jiang Qingyu:”…..”
“Perhaps you wouldn’t believe it, but Su Fu was probably just eager to see how miserably her rivals had died.”
As the group left the inn, Su Fu instinctively glanced up at the sky, puzzled.
What was going on today?
One rival after another dropping dead was the heavens finally answering her prayers?
Hmm… maybe she should seize the moment and make another wish?
At the Imperial Guard camp’s backyard, the crime scene.
“This… this…” Lin Mingxi stared at the sight before him, utterly unsettled.
To put it bluntly, these two met the same gruesome fate as Elai.
Except, since their case involved seven coffins, their deaths were neatly arranged-lying side by side in the coffins without exception.
The inside of the coffin lids was covered in savage claw marks, each gouged deeply.
Upon closer inspection, their fingernails were packed with black wood splinters.
The bottom of the coffins was strewn with shredded talismans, torn beyond recognition.
Su Fu couldn’t help but sigh inwardly what a brutal way to go.
“Sir!” A pale-faced old man was brought forward.
“This is the eyewitness.”
The old man, trembling, spoke up:
“I… I was hiding by the ditch that night and saw Lord Zongzheng and Miss Su open the coffin!”
“Suddenly, the coffin started shaking! Black mist burst from the bottom with a ‘boom…”
He gestured wildly as he spoke, “Miss Su screamed ‘Stop!’ But Lord Zongzheng ignored her, drew his sword, and stabbed into the coffin!”
“And then… then the ground split open!” The old man’s voice cracked.
“It dragged them both down!”
The voices all changed pitch, “So many black hands, so many, many black hands! The coffin! The lid slammed shut with a bang, and then… then there was no more movement…”
“This must have angered the underworld soldiers!” the old man said with absolute certainty.
With a whoosh…
Su Fu: “…”
Nonsense!
Underworld soldiers are proper civil servants, alright?
They emphasize organizational discipline and follow procedures in everything they do.
How could they possibly kill humans just because they got angry?
Besides, how could she not know about the underworld soldiers?
Slander!
Absolute slander!
“Sir,” the coroner nearby stepped forward to add, “Upon examination, both victims showed bizarre signs. Lord Zongzheng was clutching half a blood-stain…”
He paused, his expression turning odd.
“There were strangulation marks on Miss Su’s neck, but the fingerprints matched Lord Zongzheng’s right hand perfectly.”
The scene fell into silence.
So, in the final darkness, Zongzheng Ye had strangled Su Luan while she struggled desperately?
Why would the two of them end up killing each other inside a coffin?
Lin Mingxi felt his scalp tingle, cold sweat trickling down his back.
Logically, he should have been thrilled that the two schemers, Zongzheng Ye and Su Luan, were dead, but…
Something was off.
Terribly off!
These cases were unnaturally sinister whether it was the face-stealing demon or the underworld soldiers, each entity was more terrifying than the last.
What was even more bizarre was that the deeper they investigated, the faster people died!
He swallowed hard, his gaze flickering toward Su Fu and Jiang Qingyu.
Could it be… that if they kept investigating, they too would…
BANG!
A loud noise nearly made Lin Mingxi jump out of his skin.
Turning around, he saw that a constable from the Ministry of Justice had rushed in so frantically that he crashed through the courtyard gate.
“Sir!” The constable gasped for breath, sweat beading on his forehead.
“Something terrible has happened! Multiple murders have erupted across the city today three in the East Market, two in the South Market, and…”
Lin Mingxi:”…..”
His legs began to tremble.
Wasn’t this just the A-stage of the joint exam?
Wasn’t it supposed to test only problem-solving skills?
What was this slaughter of examinees supposed to mean?
“Problem-solving my foot! This is outright trying to kill us!”
The real issue was, these supernatural threats kept escalating the face-stealing demon had taken down the top candidate from Xuandu Province, and the underworld soldiers had trapped two other top candidates.
Who could possibly stand a chance?
He was on the verge of a breakdown. “Boss, isn’t this exam difficulty way beyond the standard?”
“I swear, after this, I’m reporting this to the higher-ups!”
Su Fu didn’t answer his question.
Instead, she motioned for the two to step aside and said cryptically, “Do you think the Ministry of Education is ruthless?”
“Are these people incompetent?”
“Huh?” Lin Mingxi was taken aback by the sudden question.
But at the mention of the Ministry of Education, he thought for a moment before declaring firmly, “Ruthless! Absolutely ruthless! Completely ruthless!”
The previous cases had led them in circles-exhausting themselves only to realize the culprit was among them. If that wasn’t ruthless, what was?
Jiang Qingyu nodded in firm agreement.
Yet Su Fu wore a thoughtful expression.
“In that case, I can’t help but feel like all of this is… a meticulously staged performance.”
“Huh?” Lin Mingxi looked up, bewildered.
“Boss, what do you mean?”
“Think about it,” Su Fu suddenly asked, “If I found a way into the B-stage exam but didn’t want others to take the same path, what should I do?”
Lin Mingxi and Jiang Qingyu exchanged glances.
The answer was obvious—
“Mislead them! Deceive them!”
“Exactly,” Su Fu agreed.
“Now look at these two cases-Elai corresponds to the face-stealing demon, Zongzheng Ye to the underworld soldiers. It’s all laid out clearly…”
“They told us they were all killed by terrifying ghosts, creatures so powerful they couldn’t be resisted.”
“But look at who died, were any of them fools? Elai was the top examiner of Xuandu Province, while Zongzheng Ye and Su Luan were both exceptionally sharp individuals. Bold yet meticulous, clear-headed, and masters of deception.”
“Why is it that everyone else survived, only they died?”
Su Fu calmly stated, “But consider this from another angle-what if this was all orchestrated by them?”
“Look at it this way as the perpetrators of this case, they had every capability to plan all this, and it all makes perfect sense.”
“Wha… what?!” Lin Mingxi was stunned by this speculation.
“Boss, are you saying they deliberately… arranged their own deaths?”
“But why?!”
The moment he asked, it dawned on him.
“Oh my god-for Volume B? To stop others from finding the way into Volume B?!”
Su Fu nodded.
“Exactly. Stage a dramatic ‘murder’ to make everyone believe ghosts were the killers. They cleared the stage first, while the other examinees-“
“Got completely misled, even scared off by the thought, ‘If even the top examiner died, how terrifying must these ghosts be?’ ”
“Without them lifting a finger, the others would be too frightened to proceed.”