Taking the Blame

Chen Miemie did not step forward to pick out a fish.

He wasn't exactly a good person.

He didn't care why the [Molting Clinic] had killed anyone, nor did he care whether the people in this house were innocent.

But if he took the fish right now, he would also be taking on part of the karmic burden for the deaths of everyone in this house. They were just ornamental fish; it wasn't worth it.

Unlike Du Jun, who wore a full smile, Gongshu Key's face was cold as iron.

Du Jun began to explain the situation.

"Chen Miemie, this family had a conflict with our guild. We put a curse on them, and today we came to teach them a proper lesson.

We were planning to threaten them with the curse to force them to yield, but we had no intention of killing them.

Someone else killed them before we got here, and made their deaths look like they were caused by the curse.

It's a frame job."

"How do you know the deaths are disguised as being caused by the curse?"

"Chen Miemie, look at the smiles on their faces. If they'd been killed by the curse, they would have died in agony—they never would have been smiling."

Chen Miemie thought for a moment, then nodded. "Mm, I believe you."

Gongshu Key, standing nearby, was taken aback.

He believed them that quickly?

Du Jun wiped the blood from his hands, also looking surprised:

"I just finished examining all the bodies. Their causes of death match our guild's signature curse perfectly. Honestly? Even I find it hard to believe it wasn't us."

Chen Miemie gazed at the corpses not far away and let out a soft sigh:

"This has nothing to do with good or evil. No guild would go on a murder spree like this in broad daylight, completely ignoring city law. It looks like you've got a serious problem on your hands."

Du Jun's smile faded, and he let out a long sigh. "Yeah, the problem is, only we can detonate our curses early—and even within the guild, not everyone can do it. If we say it wasn't us, no one will believe it anyway."

Chen Miemie said nothing more.

He'd already been through a round of puzzles and detective work back in Sixiang City, and it had been a real headache.

This matter was aimed at the [Molting Clinic], nothing to do with him, and he had no desire to get dragged into it.

Du Jun and Gongshu Key didn't want to involve Chen Miemie either, so they signaled he could leave.

But just as Chen Miemie was about to move—

"Sir, since you're on the scene, I'm afraid you can't simply walk away like that." A slightly raspy voice came from outside the door.

Chen Miemie took one look and knew the man was a professional detective.

No reason other than this: the man was decked out head-to-toe in a white shirt, vest, vintage knickerbockers, a deerstalker hat, and a light brown short cloak—the classic detective outfit.

On hearing the voice, Chen Miemie stopped all movement.

He figured it was someone from official security or city management. Running now would just make him look guilty. Since he hadn't done it, there was no need to flee.

"Evening Shadow, Chen Miemie is a guest of our guild," Du Jun said.

Ah—so it wasn't someone from the Scholars' Academy. It was one of the [Molting Clinic]'s own.

This Evening Shadow stepped through the villa's front door.

He spoke bluntly:

"He came here with you, and then something like this happens. How can he have no suspicion?

Out of some sense of friendship, you might let someone with questions walk away, but won't that just plant more seeds of doubt in your minds later?

Chen Miemie, since you're here, you wouldn't want to leave with suspicion hanging over you, would you?

I hope you'll cooperate with me a little. If the investigation shows you're unrelated, I'll offer you a sincere apology."

Chen Miemie smiled. "Fine. I'm willing to cooperate."

He wasn't angry at this straightforward, honest man.

Du Jun, Gongshu Key, and Chen Miemie sat at a clean dining table, watching the detective begin his work.

Chen Miemie was curious—curious to see what a detective of the Mysterious grade could do.

The detective's first move made Chen Miemie's jaw drop.

Evening Shadow dipped his fingers in the blood around the corpses' seven orifices, then put his bloodstained fingers straight into his mouth, making a sucking sound.

"What... what is he doing?"

Gongshu Key gave a rough explanation:

"Evening Shadow's codename is 'Blood-Stain Narrator.' He used to be a coroner. He can 'read' the dying memories and emotions left behind in bloodstains. By licking the blood, the instant sensory shock lets him 'experience' what the victim saw and felt in their final seconds."

Chen Miemie held his breath. "Did he really have to lick it?"

"Yes."

Chen Miemie offered a polite compliment: "That's an incredible ability. In front of him, criminals have nowhere to hide."

Du Jun chimed in: "It's a useful ability, but the cost is heavy. Each time he 'reads,' it permanently overwrites some insignificant memory of his own."

Before long, Evening Shadow walked over.

"From what I saw, it doesn't seem to be the work of a human Mysterious."

Du Jun frowned. "How so?"

"It's the same for all of them. In their final moments, all of them saw a pair of incredibly beautiful eyes. And those eyes were underwater."

"Eyes underwater? You mean something in the water killed them?"

"Mm, not exactly 'in the water'—how to describe it... it's like the water was its helmet, and when it lifted that water helmet, the eyes were inside."

The three of them were more confused than ever.

Gongshu Key skipped the description stage: "So what do we do next?"

Evening Shadow thought for a moment: "Find everything in this villa connected to water—every place, every object. Check them one by one."

Du Jun and Gongshu Key immediately got up and started moving.

Chen Miemie didn't move. "You two go ahead and search. I'll stay here and wait for the results."

His refusal to participate suited Evening Shadow just fine. The detective even managed a rare smile at Chen Miemie.

Now that the "water eyes" had been discovered, Chen Miemie's suspicion had dropped significantly.

Once they were gone, Pure Water's voice whispered in Chen Miemie's ear.

"Going by what that young man said, I think I might know who did it."

"Who?"

"[Aqua-Gaze]—a rare kind of anomaly that's generally benevolent toward humans. It sometimes hides inside a fish's belly to sneak into human cities."

"Benevolent? Then why did it kill an entire house full of people?"

"Whoever locks eyes with [Aqua-Gaze] gets their potential stimulated, feels uplifted, gains a better state and enhanced abilities—with no side effects.

But the problem is, the people in this house were unlucky enough to have a curse already on them. That unactivated curse was probably also treated as 'potential' and got triggered too... and well..."

"Wow, you sure know a lot."

"Thanks. I know a thing or two about water-related matters."

"Pure Water, you're acting a bit off today. I give you a compliment, and you actually get cocky. All right, what's your real motive for being so eager to spill the beans?"

"Hehe. I'm thinking... my fish tank could use an [Aqua-Gaze]."