Chapter 2

1

During lunchtime, the weather was changeable. On the second floor of the second-grade building, there was a lush green lawn that made this place very comfortable and added a layer of tranquility.

"Master, if you don't choose quickly, I'm going to starve!" Nofice looked at the lunch spread out on the ground, her expression and desires could only be described as mouthwatering.

"Does it not matter which one I choose?" There were three lunches in front of me, made by Li Liu, Wenxin, and Xiaoyao. Li Liu's dishes were rarely tasted, and I never questioned that Xiaoyao's were the most delicious. But beneath the exquisite appearance of Wenxin's dishes was a nearly inedible "poison," which I never doubted, at least before going to The Demon Realm.

"They all said you can choose freely, so just pick one." Nofice extended her longing hands towards Wenxin's exquisite lunch.

"Hey!" I held Nofice back, letting her calm down, leaving her with a look that said "don't touch!"

"Brother, why won't you pick? We're all waiting." Wenxin's words were saying this, but her expression said otherwise. Obviously, she wanted me to pick her.

"Is it difficult to choose? Qin Yang." Li Liu reclined on the lawn in an elegant posture, fully showcasing the advantage of being slightly older than Wenxin.

"Xiaoyang, is it really that difficult to choose? You used to never resist!" Xiaoyao pushed the lunch towards me, sitting up straight and taking this matter very seriously because cooking was her specialty.

"Oh my, Wenxin~" Wenxin was ready to defeat me with the three most versatile words. She was using her ultimate move right from the start, determined to win.

"Stop, Wenxin. Put away those three words for now. I will make a fair choice." Wenxin's lunch made it impossible for me to choose. It would be cruel to let Nofice be the guinea pig. If Xiaoyao's longing eyes didn't receive any response, it would be very heartbreaking. Li Liu's lunch seemed very reasonable, and it was understandable to choose her out of curiosity.

"If you don't choose soon, lunchtime will be over, Master!"

"Nofice, he's taking too long to decide. Come over to our side!" Xiao Qiong and Lilith had already happily started eating.

"It's all our Master's fault!" Nofice couldn't take it anymore and had no choice but to go over to their side to finish her meal.

Suddenly, my phone rang. The timing of this caller was impeccable. I picked up some dishes from the three lunches, mixed them together in a lunchbox, and said to them, "I have something urgent to attend to, so I'll take this and eat slowly!"

"Is...Is he running away?" Wenxin helplessly looked at the almost untouched lunch.

Li Liu and Xiaoyao nodded at the same time, then shook their heads.

"What fair choice is he talking about? Why are Vice President and Sister Xiaoyao's lunches missing so much?"

2

I walked all the way from the second-grade building to the news department's activity room. Zi Sirou had been waiting in the room.

"You took quite a long time to answer the phone!"

"My phone fell into water." I took out my phone and shook it in front of her, droplets of water flowing out.

"But phones are waterproof."

"Even if I pick it up, it still takes time."

In the center of the activity room, there was a table filled with a sumptuous feast of beef, a terrifying sight.

"You brought the palace's head chef out?"

"But it looks like you already have lunch."

"Well, it's a pretty good lunch." I put down the lunchbox in my hand, and it still looked delicious when I opened it.

"A heart-shaped lunchbox~ Who made it?"

"Well... this side is from Xiao Yao, this side is from Li Liu, and there's this one...."

"It looks so beautiful, let me try it." Zi Sirou took the most delicate and tempting piece from my lunchbox with her fork.

"Wait..." Although I reacted quickly, I still managed to prevent Zi Sirou from falling into this beautiful trap.

Ten minutes later, I waited outside the bathroom door, as Zi Sirou came out pale-faced and light-headed.

"This will teach you a lesson. The more beautiful something is, the more poisonous it is." I handed her some tissue, unable to imagine what it must have felt like to taste Wenxin's creation. After all, she was my sister, and I knew her strengths and weaknesses very well. And once again, it was proven that Wenxin's culinary skills remained at a decent level even after I returned from The Demon Realm.

"You're also a freak... putting something so disgusting in there!"

"I didn't want to either. By the way, I don't think your cow would be able to eat this either. Now, tell me why you came to find me."

"Did Li Liu mention anything to you? About what happened at the 'Lower Court's Day' gathering last night."

"Do you think Li Liu needed to mention what happened last night? I think everyone in the empire probably knows."

"But the killer escaped during the fight with Qin Ying, you know that, right?"

"Well..."

"What's wrong? Has your cross-dressing fetish not told you?"

"Hey, when did Qin Ying get that nickname? Besides, she hasn't come back for a few days."

"I thought you would be interested in helping her find the killer." Zi Sirou took out a photo, which was not very clear, but some information could still be discerned.

"A single ponytail? Is it a woman?"

"Just because someone has a braid doesn't mean they're a woman, it could also be a man. The main information is here... the killer wore a mask, is it someone from Emojinia?"

"The humble ones wear a golden and extravagant mask, but this one is like a mask. It looks like I've seen... the sun, the moon, the stars? Rarely is..."

"I knew you would have some information. Tell me quickly, I want to reserve this exclusive piece of news!"

"I'm afraid I can't help you because even if I have seen them, I don't know who they are. But what I do know is that they are not the first to target your Emperor uncle. At least, this is the second time I've seen it."

"The second time? The Situ family!" In Zi Sirou's eyes, the assassination of her Emperor uncle was the incident involving Situ Liyao's test flight.

"No... there is too much chaos in the Situ family right now, there is no reason for them to do such a thing, and the suspicion would be too great."

"If it's not them and it's not Emojinia, then it can only be The Divine Realm."

"There is a possibility, but it's not the biggest one. Here's what we can do, I need to talk to someone, but I hope you and your news department don't follow this matter, because if I'm wrong, it can give her some leeway."

"Who do you want to find? I'll come with you. Where are we going this time?"

"Back to the classroom."

Actually, I think Zi Sirou lied, because Qin Ying did come back last night after the sniper escaped.

Last night, a figure floated in through the window in the middle of the night.

"It's not bedtime yet, and the stairs are still sealed. It's not a good idea to climb through the window," Nofice set up a magic array on the stairs leading to my room on the top floor, mainly to prevent my sister from coming up.

"My foot is injured," Qin Ying emitted "L" particles, using particles was the best way to maintain buoyancy and combat effectiveness at the same time.

In the large room on the top floor, I sat on the swivel chair, lifted my feet, slid to the edge of the bed. Qin Ying was already sitting on the bed, taking off her boots. Her ankle was red and swollen, it was really a pity for girls, because they couldn't wear high heels when their feet were injured.

"The bones are fine. Just sit down for a bit." I used the Flame of Punishment to treat her. Of course, the healing effect of the Flame of Punishment was the best, but compared to the gentle feeling of the Hope Fire that specialized in healing, it was a bit more aggressive. And there would be some pain during the treatment.

"Hiss~" Qin Ying took a deep breath, and her ankle sent a jolt of pain through her nerves.

"It hurts a bit, but it will be comfortable in the future." Qin Ying's swollen ankle disappeared, but the nerve injury was a bit troublesome and needed some time.

"Are you in a hurry?" I asked.

"A little, because the killer escaped."

"The person who sniped during the 'Downfall Day' gathering?"

"He's good at shooting. If it weren't for my 'Twin Star' bullets being faster than his, I wouldn't have intercepted his bullet before it hit the Emperor."

"So he got away. If you want to chase him, there's still time now. But for the next three days, you should still float around, that's when the recovery will be complete. Or you can sit here for another half an hour."

"Forget it, I'm in a hurry. But I came back this time mainly to ask for your help, because there's a chance that the other party is from Emojinia, and they're angry at the Empire because they can't seek revenge from you."

"You're reminding me that I have to deal with my own mess." I squeezed Qin Ying's ankle, the silky smooth skin had already returned to its normal color, and it was even more beautiful than before. I hadn't even noticed that the Flame of Punishment could also be used for beauty treatments.

"What is this?" Qin Ying handed me a fragment with a orange-red sun drawn on it.

"The killer wore a mask, and during the fight, I hit his mask. This fragment fell off when he escaped."

"Just this piece? I really can't see anything wrong with it. Is there a larger one?" I gently slid the fragment on Qin Ying's leg up and down.

"Hey, stop playing. I really have to go. There's only this piece. If you don't want it, give it back to me." Qin Ying snatched the fragment away.

"Is there anything else you want to talk about?"

"Yes, when are you going to have a date with me."

"Wait until you have some free time."

"Hmph, I have to wait for your father to come back for that."

"There's nothing I can do. That's your duty. Fortunately, I'm no longer the heir. And if you have any difficulties, just let me know. The two Demon Kings are still in the Empire, so you can rest assured. Focus on chasing!"

Qin Ying nodded, her two long legs touched the ground, she put on her socks and boots, and carefully moved her ankle, feeling much better. It wasn't as agile as it was before she got injured.

"Aren't you going through the front door?"

I watched Qin Ying float to the window, looking like she was going to enter or leave.

"Don't you also like climbing through windows? If I go out through the main entrance, I'll be accused of dereliction of duty. There are so many people watching me now, unlike you. If it weren't for your mother's nagging, your messy reputation would have long overshadowed your father's reputation."

"How messy can it be just because there are more girls?"

"You figure it out yourself. I haven't finished dealing with my own affairs. Let me know if there are any clues."

"Remember, it takes three days for the foot to heal!" I said to the window through which Qin Ying had left. It's no longer my exclusive patent for entering and exiting through that window. Where should I enter and exit next time?