One of Us

Murong Qing, "The difference in the feathers of the two chickens is probably imperceptible to the naked eye. Moreover, Si Ming was with us the whole time and has a solid alibi. He had no opportunity to act, nor any motive to kill."

"A solid alibi and an unexplained motive... I'm starting to think I'm the murderer more and more," Si Ming hurriedly defended himself. "First of all, the chicken feathers I took had nothing to do with the chickens here. Secondly, from a deduction game perspective, the butler couldn't have known beforehand that I was going to pluck chicken feathers, so he couldn't have assumed I was the intended murderer."

Murong Qing nodded and said, "Actually, we've all been thinking in the wrong direction. From the beginning, the butler never said it was a murder case. He only asked us to deduce the 'reason for the chef's disappearance,' not the 'reason for the chef's death.' Therefore, the truth may be much simpler than we think."

She took two ropes out of the wooden bucket and said, "There were originally two chickens here, but only one is dead. The other one has undoubtedly escaped. So the reason the chef disappeared is actually very simple: he went out to catch the escaped chicken."

Hongdou complained, "Ugh, this conclusion is so boring! It doesn't inspire any imagination at all."

"Heh heh heh, so that's how it is. To solve this case, you not only need a clever mind, but also a certain amount of culinary knowledge," Si Ming suddenly let out a low laugh. "It seems that when Yu Shuying isn't around, I'm the team's intellectual powerhouse. In my master's name, I've already seen the truth!"

He pointed to several dishes on the cooking table in front of the stove and said, "Look, there's rice, char siu, and eggs. Without a doubt, the chef wants to make the legendary 'Heartbreak Rice'."

Hao Shuai craned his neck for a look and couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Char siu rice is just char siu rice. Add a poached egg, and it's worth at most a dozen yuan a bowl. What's with all this 'soul-stirring rice' nonsense? Do they think changing the name will make it more upscale?"

Murong Qing took out her chopsticks and picked up half a poached egg. After examining it carefully, she nodded and said, "It really is the recipe for 'Heartbreakingly Delicious Rice.' To make this kind of poached egg, you need a frying pan. Put a little oil in the pan, and when the oil is about 50-60% hot, crack in the egg, trying to keep it round. This makes it taste better. Once the egg is just slightly cooked, turn off the heat. Then, use chopsticks to drizzle some water over the poached egg, sprinkle some salt on top, cover the pan, and let it sit for a minute. The heat in the pan will naturally steam the egg until it's cooked through. This method makes the poached egg very tender, smooth, and delicious, combining the flavor of a fried egg with the texture of a boiled egg."

"You've described it in such detail, could this dish really exist?"

Hao Shuai was dumbfounded. He trusted Murong Qing's character completely, knowing that she was meticulous and serious in her work, not the type to talk nonsense.

Hu Jixian pressed further, "But what does this have to do with the chef's disappearance?"

Si Ming said in a solemn tone, "Because to make the 'Heartbreak Rice,' one very important ingredient is missing."

Murong Qing thoughtful. "You mean... onions?"

"That's right, it's onions! Onions are the finishing touch to the 'Heartbreak Rice,' like the finishing touch on a masterpiece. Only with onions can the 'Heartbreak Rice' be authentic, giving you a subtle sadness when you eat it, making you want to cry."

Si Ming picked up a kitchen knife, ran his finger along the back of the blade, and concluded, "The conclusion is quite obvious: the chef went to look for onions."

"Although your tone is very serious, your actions are completely meaningless," Ke Chajing couldn't help but complain.

However, Si Ming's skill of ignoring the sarcastic remarks was almost maxed out, so he completely ignored them.

Murong Qing asked, "What explanation do you have for the second chicken that escaped here?"

"It's simple. The waitress lost the chicken, so she ran out to catch it. Actually, the scream we heard from her at the beginning wasn't because she witnessed a murder, nor was it related to the chef's disappearance. It was simply because the chicken broke free and startled her." Si Ming turned to the butler, "I wonder if this conclusion is correct?"

The old butler smiled and clapped his hands, saying, "Very correct, what a brilliant deduction!"

Hao Shuai exclaimed in shock, "They actually guessed right! This script is so bizarre! I thought there was a murder, but it turns out the chef went out to find onions and the waitress went out to catch chickens. It feels like the story has suddenly gone from a detective story to a riddle! Can this kind of reasoning even be accepted?"

Murong Qing admitted, "You're really amazing. You actually thought of the 'Heartbreak Rice' right away. I clearly know this dish, but I couldn't connect it to the case."

Nie Wanzhi said admiringly, "As expected of Si, you are truly accomplished in both academics and martial arts, a wise and capable person."

Hu Jixian and said, "Although the twist is a bit big, it's still an interesting deduction."

Chen Shimi commented admiringly, "As expected of my formidable rival, this performance is just so-so."

"Why would you all agree? Something must be wrong with this world. Sure enough, it's suffocating for an ordinary person like me to be stuck in this environment."

Seeing everyone's reactions, Hao Shuai couldn't help but wonder if he was the one who was abnormal.

The others ignored Hao Shuai, who was beginning to question the worldview, and the birthday banquet continued. As a reward for deducing the correct answer, Si Ming received a flute that was said to have been used by a Spirit Transformation expert in ancient times.

In high spirits, Yuezheng Qiong waved his hand and said, "Everyone here is an adult now, so it's time to drink. Steward, bring out Fenjiu, Hou'erjiu, Du Kang, mare's milk wine, and Jimo Laojiu. Everyone can choose their favorite flavor. Remember, no one is allowed to use Internal Cultivation to neutralize the alcohol."

She drank it down in one Du Kang as a sign of respect, pouring herself a bowl of wine.

Following the spirit of diligence and thrift of the Mohist School, the Su State has always strictly prohibited alcohol, a waste of grain. In modern times, with the development of industry and the significant increase in grain production, there is no longer any need to worry about hunger, and the political situation has finally relaxed a bit. However, minors are still strictly prohibited from drinking alcohol. Therefore, quite a few people among them are trying alcohol for the first time, and most of them are curious and have tasted it to some extent.

Some, like Murong Qing, frowned after just one sip and refused to drink any more if they didn't like the taste. Others, like Ke Chajing, drank strong liquor like it was water.

As for the scenes often seen in anime where girls get drunk after just one sip, or even just from the smell without drinking, that naturally wouldn't happen in reality, but it immediately reveals the different alcohol tolerance levels of the participants.

The person with the highest alcohol tolerance surprised everyone.

Chapter 460 Our Own People

"One jar, two jars, three jars... seven jars of monkey wine!"

Si Ming counted the empty jars on the ground and asked Liu Qingqing with some concern, "This wine isn't Du Kang or other liquors, but it's still about 30 or 40 degrees. Are you alright after drinking so much?"

"It's alright, it tastes similar to fruit juice, sweet with a slightly sweet aftertaste, and after drinking it, my body feels warmer and I feel more energetic."

Liu Qingqing's face was slightly flushed, but her mind remained clear and her actions were unaffected, as if she had only had a small drink, demonstrating her ability to drink without getting drunk.

Si Ming felt something was off. After carefully examining the situation for a while, he exclaimed in shock, "She definitely looks more energetic, even her aura has become stronger!"

After drinking, Liu Qingqing seemed to unleash all the pent-up energy she usually had. Even if she just stood there doing nothing, she was as eye-catching as a star under the spotlight on stage. Anyone who glanced at her would be immediately drawn to her. Otherwise, Si Ming might not have noticed her in such a lively festive atmosphere. He was also certain that she had a truly high alcohol tolerance and wasn't using Internal Cultivation to neutralize the alcohol, otherwise she shouldn't have shown any signs of alcohol poisoning.

"Is that so?"

As Liu Qingqing asked the question, she drank another bowl, and her aura immediately rose by one point, accumulating to almost surpass that of Yue Yuezheng Yao, who was both a superstar singer and the hostess of the banquet.

"Wow, Qingqing, you drank a lot of alcohol. Are you alright? Do you feel unwell?" Murong Qing quickly noticed Liu Qingqing and walked over to ask.

"Hey, is there such a cute girl in our club? Why haven't I noticed her before?" Hao Shuai's eyes lit up. "And she seems so ordinary. Could she be just like me, an ordinary person who was accidentally pulled into a special group?"

Then, Ke Chajing, Hu Jixian, and others also came over one after another and started chatting with Liu Qingqing, and they all ignored Si Ming standing to the side.

"This... this is the legendary 'reverse gaze manipulation'!" Si Ming was shocked. "By increasing my own presence and drawing everyone's attention to myself, thus making the enemy ignore my comrades, can I now also use the 'disappearing fist'?"

This is practically a game-changing skill for an assassin to a support!

Just as Si Ming was marveling at the scene, a warm and soft body pressed against him from behind, its breath sweet and fragrant in his ear.