Elsewhere.
In the examination grounds.
Beside the stream.
A slender figure descended from the sky, landing on the large rock where Shen Ye had stayed.
"This is the place."
The girl looked into the depths of the stream and beckoned.
The water parted.
A wooden puppet floated up from the bottom.
"Hee-hee, a stand-in! Brother Shen Ye is being sneaky."
The girl chuckled and waved her hand, and the wooden puppet sank back down.
The next second.
The girl's smile vanished.
Across the stream, another girl stood on another large rock.
Zhao Yibing.
She tilted her head, studying the girl curiously, and said:
"You were the one hiding nearby during the fight at the hotel, weren't you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," the girl said with a smile.
Zhao Yibing waved a hand in a summoning gesture.
Beneath the water, a boy floated up and prostrated himself at her feet.
"O deity, I could clearly have ambushed this-"
Zhao Yibing planted a foot on the boy's head, stopping him from finishing.
"A plot!"
Zhao Yibing suddenly uttered the word, her expression turning meaningful. "I smell a plot. It hangs over you, ready to take something away at any moment."
"That's none of your business," the girl said.
"Yes," Zhao Yibing said with a radiant smile. "I greatly enjoy watching humans slaughter and wage war against one another, and I never interfere-I only reap the harvest afterward."
"I know who you are, but I can't be bothered with you. Stay out of my business, too," the girl said.
The smile on Zhao Yibing's face deepened, and her gaze shifted to the empty space beside the girl.
"One, two, three... tsk, tsk. Fifteen examinees in all. Did you kill all those people for him?" Zhao Yibing asked.
"Stop prying. You