“Why make things difficult for women?”

  Qin Nan truly didn’t expect Lin Junru to be the first to confront Xu Tian. But rather than focusing on Lin Junru, his gaze drifted to Mu Xin.

  Not only Jian Fan noticed something off about Xu Tian, but the more adept Mu Xin clearly understood the situation better. Despite Qin Nan’s testimony reducing Xu Tian’s suspicion, as Lin Junru pointed out, Xu Tian could still have returned to the crime scene.

  Mu Xin let Lin Junru speak on her behalf.

  Xu Tian remained calm. “Not just me; Qin Nan, and anyone else could have appeared at the crime scene after Qin Nan left.”

  “Well, that brings us back to square one,” Qin Wei Yi concluded.

  Xia Zeqin chuckled, “Not quite. I have a solid alibi.”

  “Why don’t we all share where we were and what we did on the night of the murder? After we confess, we can discuss the information we’ve gathered,” Qin Wei Yi suggested.

  If they shared information first, anything they hadn’t uncovered would likely go unmentioned. Confessing first could potentially reveal things they hadn’t learned from the NPCs.

  Qin Nan readily agreed. “I fully support that; after all, I’ve already set an example.”

  Xu Tian said, “I’ve already spoken.”

  Xia Zeqin raised an eyebrow. “Mine’s even simpler. I was in my courtyard that night, reading in my study, and when I got tired, I went back to rest.”

  Lu Jing followed Qin Wei Yi’s lead and said, “I have no objections.”

  Jian Fan glanced up. “Same here.”

  The others remained silent for now.

  “Okay, six votes. Majority rules. Since Xia Zeqin, Qin Nan, and Xu Tian have already spoken, I’ll go next,” Qin Wei Yi took the lead. “On the night of the murder, I stayed in my room. I had a servant with me who can testify that we played cards all night.”

  Qin Nan smirked.

  Xia Zeqin opened the study door so passing servants could see, while Qin Wei Yi had simply pulled a servant in to create a solid alibi.

  Impressive.

  Beyond that, he had nothing else to say.

  Lu Jing continued, “I also stayed in my courtyard; the servants there can vouch for me. I practiced martial arts for most of the night before going back to rest.”

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  He had already received a hint from Qin Wei Yi, so when he realized they were discussing the night of the murder, he wasn’t surprised. He had gone out to observe the surroundings, encountering an NPC who seemed to want to lead him to the deceased’s courtyard.

  Lu Jing didn’t care much; he just followed Qin Wei Yi’s advice to avoid the crime scene and not get involved, ideally securing a clear alibi for himself.

  He wasn’t particularly clever, but it was easy enough to make others believe he hadn’t gone to the deceased’s courtyard, so he simply practiced his martial arts in his courtyard.

  After Lu Jing spoke, the room fell silent for a moment.

  Seeing no one else was speaking, Jian Fan slowly said, “If no one else has anything to add, I’ll go.” His gaze crossed the room and landed directly on Lin Junru.

  Lin Junru felt Jian Fan’s gaze and looked up, her heart racing, but it was too late.

  “On the night of the murder, I first went to the young lady’s courtyard and saw her leave alone, seemingly heading toward the old master’s courtyard,” Jian Fan said.

  Lin Junru’s face turned pale.

  Jian Fan continued, “After confirming the young lady’s whereabouts, I returned to my quarters.”

  “No alibi?” Qin Nan asked, surprised.

  Jian Fan replied with a simple “Mm.”

  Qin Nan realized he needed to shift his thinking; this wasn’t like any murder mystery game he’d played before. Although some rules were similar, many differences directly influenced how players handled and reasoned through the situation.

  In this environment, even without a witness to support his alibi, Jian Fan’s words would be trusted by both Qin Wei Yi and Xia Zeqin.

  These high-IQ players wouldn’t risk making themselves the murderer; the chances of success for ordinary players were much higher, and they had more opportunities to earn points. Meanwhile, wrongly identifying the murderer could lead to death, so they wouldn’t waste such a valuable vote testing their peers.

  Xia Zeqin and Qin Wei Yi might still want to ensure their own innocence, but Jian Fan likely just couldn’t be bothered.

  In this game, the high-IQ players would ultimately lead the conversation, and whether others suspected him didn’t matter. The final analysis would rest firmly in their hands, so Jian Fan was confident in his safety.

  To survive longer in this deadly game, Qin Nan had to abandon some of his previous understandings and familiarize himself with this new environment.

  “The young lady went to the old master’s courtyard,” Qin Wei Yi concluded, turning his gaze to Lin Junru.

  Lin Junru looked flustered. “I… I just wanted to check on my father, but I turned back halfway. I didn’t actually go into his courtyard, I swear.”

  “Do you have a witness?” Xia Zeqin asked.

  Lin Junru shook her head, her face pale.

  “Miss, if you’re not the murderer, hiding this information won’t benefit you,” Xia Zeqin reminded her.

  Lin Junru forced herself to stay calm. “I’m telling the truth! I didn’t hide anything, and I have no reason to kill my father! He dotes on me; why would I want to kill him? I have no motive!”

  Xia Zeqin sneered. “Fine, next?”

  Mu Xin, who had been quiet, finally spoke up. “I stayed in my courtyard as well. I had an argument with the third young master, and then I stayed in my room sulking. The servants in the courtyard can testify for me.”

  At this, the player for the third young master immediately chimed in, “Yes, she suddenly started arguing with me for no reason. I was baffled.”

  Qin Nan glanced back and forth between Mu Xin and the third young master’s player, feeling somewhat confused.

  “So after the argument, what happened? The third young lady went back to her room. What did the third young master do next?” Qin Wei Yi asked.

  The third young master’s expression stiffened slightly, then he laughed. “What could I do? I just stayed in my own courtyard.”

  “Is that so?” Qin Wei Yi’s tone was laden with meaning.

  The third young master composed himself and nodded. “Yes, at least I didn’t go to my father’s courtyard. I’m not the one who killed him. Although I have some grievances against my father, I wouldn’t go so far as to harm my own father.”

  Qin Wei Yi chuckled softly.