A Real Madwoman

Aimiya lay on the table with her eyes tightly closed.

Then a flawless silver needle pierced into her delicate skin.

A few seconds later, it was pulled out.

The pierced part had turned black, and the blackness was spreading upwards at a visible speed, rapidly devouring and decomposing the silver needle into particles of dust that blended into the air.

Seeing this, the middle-aged woman holding the silver needles clicked her tongue softly, then immediately raised her staff and murmured twice, and the blackness stopped its corrosive influence.

"See?" The woman turned her head and looked at the group of young girls behind her, their faces full of worry. She said calmly, "The limbs of the Temperance Worm, the glands of the Poison Dart Frog, and the venom of the Three-Step Snake. I can recognize three kinds of toxins, and they are all the most deadly toxins. She's really afraid she won't die. Didn't she feel anything was wrong when she drank it?"

"No, no," Aimiya's companion asked nervously. "Teacher Adele, Aimiya is still..."

"It's hopeless, he's completely dead." Adele's calm words cut off the rest of Aimiya's companion's sentence. "He was brought here too late, the body was already cold, what was the point of saving him?"

One sentence silenced everyone present.

They were all people who were in the lobby when Aimiya collapsed, including He Wei Ni Ya.

They looked at Aimiya, who had just been laughing and joking with them but was now separated from them by death, and everyone's expressions were complicated. Most of them were shocked and terrified. Aimiya's two companions seemed unable to accept the fact and immediately burst into tears.

Adele, however, was not particularly moved. After casually tossing the silver needles into the trash can, she glanced at Aimiya, who was now a corpse, and then asked, "Let me guess, was she invited? Invited to form an orchestra, and an Inner Melody orchestra at that?"

Upon hearing this, all the girls present were stunned for a moment.

"Professor Adele, do you know Aimiya?"

"Of course I don't know her. She's not my student," Adele said casually. "It's just that I've seen this kind of thing many times over the past twenty years."

... Have you seen this many times?

The girls looked somewhat bewildered.

"The number of spots for the Inner Melody is fixed for each grand Grand Ceremony, and it's contested by the Three Great Academies," Adele said casually as she packed her things. "Some people can get in, and some can't. Those who can't get in will try every means to squeeze out. Here's one method, and it's the most straightforward one."

Using murder to take up a spot?

The girls present were all filled with shock and fear, seemingly never expecting such a thing to happen.

Aimiya's companion immediately pressed on, "Then, the people who poisoned Aimiya were those who played the same notes, the competitors Aimiya had pushed out?"

"But there are a hundred people who have the same musical scale as Aimiya!"

"Not everyone is qualified to compete with Aimiya; at the very least, their voice should be similar."

The girls immediately started arguing, and one of them pointed at another girl and exclaimed excitedly, "She! She is the Fifth Note!"

Then it immediately pointed to another one.

"And her too, she is too!"

"Are you out of your mind? A third of the students in the Third Hospital are Fifth Note! According to you, does that mean everyone is a murderer?!"

"But you were there!"

"I don't know her at all!"

The debate gradually escalated into a quarrel.

Throughout the entire process, Adele remained calm and silent.

Her gaze fell on the only person in the room who hadn't said much, and she raised her eyebrows in slight surprise.

"He Wei Ni Ya?"

One name instantly silenced everyone present.

Seeing that Adele had noticed her, He Wei Ni Ya also stepped forward and said very obediently, "Teacher Adele."

"You're back at school so early too? I thought you'd go straight to the Second Academy after the Seven Sound Festival." Adele strolled slowly toward He Wei Ni Ya. "Alright, there's nothing for you to do here. I'll see you out first."

Seeing Adele about to leave with He Wei Ni Ya, the remaining girls instinctively asked, "Teacher Adele, what about us?"

"You?" Adele glanced back at them and said calmly, "Wait here. I'll come back and do Tracing Test to see who poisoned you."

Aimiya's companion opened her mouth, then subconsciously pointed at He Wei Ni Ya: "But why doesn't He Wei Ni Ya need it?"

"Because she is Golden Sound," Adele said. "Any more questions?"

And so, Adele saw He Wei Ni Ya out of the room.

He Wei Ni Ya said to Adele, "Teacher Adele, I can actually stay and take the Tracing Test too."

"No need," Adele said calmly. "Everyone here knows that you are the only one who is not a suspect."

He Wei Ni Ya said "Oh," and then continued walking with Adele, occasionally stealing glances at Adele, looking as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.

Adele naturally noticed this and said calmly, "Just ask whatever you want to ask."

He Wei Ni Ya flinched like a startled rabbit, then asked cautiously, "Professor Adele, you said before that this kind of thing happens at every Grand Ceremony, is that... true?"

"What?" Adele glanced at He Wei Ni Ya. "Do you think I'm lying to you?"

"No! Of course not!" He Wei Ni Ya shook her head nervously. "I'm just... surprised."

"Your surprise is normal," Adele said. "Because it has nothing to do with you. Golden Sound has always been an outsider; no one can compete with Golden Sound."

At this point, Adele paused for a moment.

"But your family didn't mention this at all? I thought they would at least have advised you to be a little more cautious."

Realizing she had given herself away, He Wei Ni Ya discreetly began to cover her tracks. "It was mentioned, but it was just a casual remark. They probably didn't think it was a big deal."

"For nobles, this is really not a big deal," Adele said. "Because it's just a competition among ordinary players. Nobles all have a place in the Inner Melody. Even if they don't get it this time, they will next time. Their status will not be affected. Only ordinary players need to fight tooth and nail to get this position because they only have this one chance."

Adele's words carried a hint of sarcasm.

He Wei Ni Ya couldn't help but glance at Adele.

If He Wei Ni Ya remembers correctly, Adele should be the youngest teacher in the Three Houses, and she is only in her thirties now.

If we calculate the time this way...

She must have participated in that Grand Ceremony twenty years ago, as a student.

He Wei Ni Ya considered some possibilities.

Adele had already escorted He Wei Ni Ya to the side of the teaching building and then stopped.

"Ariana seems to like you quite a bit," Adele said. "For her sake, I'll also give you a few words of advice. Before the Grand Ceremony ends, try to avoid touching anything that others give you. Although no one should want to harm you, it would be troublesome if you got caught up in something strange."

"I understand," He Wei Ni Ya replied obediently. "Thank you, Professor Adele."

Adele nodded, then turned and went back.

But He Wei Ni Ya asked one more question.

"Can we find the murderer?"

Adele stopped and glanced back at He Wei Ni Ya before speaking meaningfully.

"Do you know, Miss He Wei Ni Ya? For nobles, the Grand Ceremony is a grand event."

"But for us, it is an opportunity... and the only opportunity."

"Enjoy your celebration, and don't worry about the rest."

After saying this ambiguous statement, Adele turned and left.

But what she didn't know was that her departing figure was becoming clearer and clearer in He Wei Ni Ya's eyes.

It even blew past the thick robe and landed directly on the deepest part of the skin.

He Wei Ni Ya took in every detail of Adele's silver notes.

So much so that after Adele left, He Wei Ni Ya immediately covered her left eye to relieve the sudden stinging pain.

"I have to say, you really aren't afraid of death." Bai Wei's sigh echoed in his mind. "Why activate [Gazing] at this moment?"

The stinging sensation immediately subsided, and her all-seeing eyes gradually returned to normal. He Wei Ni Ya knew that Bai Wei had turned off the "faucet" for her.

"What she said bothered me," He Wei Ni Ya said, "Which is why I took a look at her notes."

"So, what did you figure out?"

"Her notes aren't particularly outstanding," He Wei Ni Ya said. "They're even a bit worse than Ariana's."

Bai Wei seemed to understand something and said with a smile, "Do you think that she was able to become a teacher because she benefited from the Grand Ceremony twenty years ago?"

He Wei Ni Ya nodded. "She also knows a lot about the toxin, and judging from the timeline, she should have been a student twenty years ago."

"That's interesting," Bai Wei said with interest. "In your opinion, someone who knows so much about poisoning and eliminating other trainees is very likely the one who poisoned them twenty years ago? The murderer has become a teacher, right? That's why you want to confirm it?"

He Wei Ni Ya nodded again.

"While it's not entirely well-founded, this conjecture is still worth considering," Bai Wei said. "However, what kind of person she is has nothing to do with you right now... Oh, I see, you're worried that she might be the next Ariana?"

He Wei Ni Ya didn't say anything, but Bai Wei felt that he must have guessed correctly.

Ariana must have left He Wei Ni Ya with considerable psychological trauma, so now whenever she discovers someone who seems dangerous, she checks their identity first.

Previously, this condition was not available, but now that Bai Wei has eyes in her eyes, He Wei Ni Ya can be more cautious, clearly not wanting to repeat what happened to Ariana.

"It's good that you're so vigilant," Bai Wei said. "But I advise you to take it easy. If you use my abilities so recklessly, you might not be able to last until after the Grand Ceremony. If this happens again, just let me take a look."

Actually, Bai Wei also found it quite amusing.

Previously, Bai Wei had tried every means to get Ulu and Jie La Er to use their powers.

Now, He Wei Ni Ya has completely reversed the situation. If the cost of the rules weren't so high, she would probably want to keep [Gazing] on all the time.

So much so that even Bai Wei had to guard the door for her, in case she really died.

So... does this mean that fortunes change?

He Wei Ni Ya naturally wouldn't refuse Bai Wei's kindness. After nodding slightly, she asked, "What should I do next?"

Clearly, He Wei Ni Ya hadn't forgotten that she was currently "working" for Bai Wei.

"What? You've only collected one note and you don't know what to do?" Bai Wei said with a smile. "If you really don't know, just collect that pretty boy's note first, and then we can consider the others."

The "pretty boy" Bai Wei was referring to seemed to be Finnis.

Golden Sound, a young master from a super noble Primordial Family, was slaughtered as easily as killing a chicken in Bai Wei's mouth, and He Wei Ni Ya didn't find anything wrong with it.

After dealing with Ha Duo Ke, He Wei Ni Ya clearly realized that her identity was no longer the same.

Previously, Bai Wei had always said that she was a mantis trying to catch a cicada, mixed in with a flock of birds.

She found the analogy very apt, especially after being repeatedly outmaneuvered by Ariana and Daphne. He Wei Ni Ya realized just how naive she had been to think she could gather all seven notes on her own without any external help.

Without Bai Wei's help, she would have had absolutely no chance of success.

Now that she possesses such power, and can also see more through Bai Wei's perspective, questions she had never considered before have surfaced in her mind.

"Do we really have to make a move so soon?" He Wei Ni Ya asked Bai Wei after a moment's thought. "Wouldn't that alert them?"

"Oh?" Seeing that He Wei Ni Ya seemed to have some ideas, Bai Wei said with interest, "Go on."

He Wei Ni Ya said, "If we take action immediately, it will definitely alert the Golden Sound. Moreover, the Golden Sound are different from ordinary players; most of them have backgrounds and status. If they become aware of my presence and become alert in advance, it will become more and more difficult later on."

"So what?"

"So..." He Wei Ni Ya said, "Instead of collecting them one by one, why not mark them in advance and collect them all at once when the Grand Ceremony is closer? With your strength, this shouldn't be difficult."

"Yes, that's a really good idea," Bai Wei said with a smile. "It also suits your personality, just to be on the safe side."

He paused for a moment.

So, is that what we're going to do?

He Wei Ni Ya fell silent.

Without a doubt, that's the better way.

The winners are often the ones who stay hidden until the very end.

But...

"The Grand Ceremony is a grand event for you, but for us it is an opportunity, our only opportunity."

She suddenly thought of that sentence, and then she thought of many other things.

"How peaceful and comfortable," she said softly.

"Um?"

"They're so comfortable. They're irreplaceable, they don't have to fight, so naturally they don't have any sense of crisis. This kind of life is really comfortable," He Wei Ni Ya said. "Even the Grand Ceremony that happens once every twenty years and can change the fate of countless people is just a bloodless celebration for them."

Bai Wei didn't say anything, but he could roughly guess what He Wei Ni Ya wanted to say.

"But what if I made them bleed earlier?" He Wei Ni Ya said. "What if I had let them know about the existence of the Gold Score from the beginning? Would they still be so at ease?"

Bai Wei laughed, "Is this your choice?"

He Wei Ni Ya didn't speak, but her eyes said it all.

"What a crazy woman."

Bai Wei said with a light laugh.

"But it's interesting."

"I gave my permission."