The one who looks least like a prisoner in a routine is usually the prisoner

"Cough, cough... So Junior Sister was smitten with Senior Brother because she saw my hidden strength. Alas, I was blind," Wu Qingce said with a bitter smile, lying on the grass.

Beside him, Jiang Beiran twisted his face as he pulled needles from his body, teaching Wu Qingce about love. He finally concluded with an age-old saying.

"Wu Junior Brother, there are plenty of fish in the sea."

"Plenty of fish in the sea... Plenty of fish in the sea? What a saying, 'plenty of fish in the sea'!"

After laughing heartily three times, Wu Qingce forced himself to get up and cupped his fists towards Jiang Beiran, saying, "Qingce has learned from Senior Brother's knowledge and is extremely impressed!"

He then apologized profusely for his rashness, saying he was willing to do anything to make up for his offense.

Seeing the little lamb find its way back, Jiang Beiran was also very pleased. He patted Wu Qingce on the shoulder and said, "It was just a spar between Senior Brothers, no offense taken. However, Senior Brother does have one request: please don't spread the word about today's events. Let it be our secret."

Knowing that the system didn't always provide choices that would let him escape unscathed, Jiang Beiran understood that he had to be more low-key. Otherwise, this world's malice towards him was simply too great.

"Senior Brother's magnanimity is indeed as vast as the rivers and seas. Qingce is enlightened," Wu Qingce said.

After speaking, Wu Qingce made an oath, promising never to reveal this matter to anyone else.

"Good, lie down quickly. I'll help you detoxify and heal your wounds."

"Senior Brother knows Medicine!?" Wu Qingce was incredibly surprised.

"A little, a little," Jiang Beiran said as he opened a small leather pouch and took out a golden needle.

But just as he was about to find the acupoint and insert the needle, Wu Qingce suddenly shouted, "Senior Brother, be careful!"

Immediately, Jiang Beiran felt himself being pulled down forcefully, and a sharp pain shot through his chest.

"Senior Brother? Senior Brother!? Senior Brother, hold on!"

"What scoundrel is there! If you have the guts, come out and fight me for three hundred rounds!"

This was the last thing Jiang Beiran heard before he passed out.

When he woke up again, Jiang Beiran found himself lying in a room filled with the scent of herbs and quickly understood part of what had happened.

First, it was the arrow he had been hit with earlier. The arrowhead was poisoned. If Wu Qingce hadn't rushed him to the Heart Cleansing Hall, he might have already died.

Next, the Punishment Hall had already sent people to investigate the matter and told him that the truth would soon come to light.

However, Jiang Beiran knew very well that the truth coming to light soon was just meant to comfort him. Although he had only been in the Returning Heart Sect for a year, he had heard of dozens of cases where disciples were ambushed. And that was just what he had heard.

There was no way around it; in an era without fingerprints, surveillance cameras, or a Conan, the cost of crime was simply too low.

As Jiang Beiran pondered who might have attacked him, the Yellow Low Grade mission suddenly popped up, showing [Wu Qingce (√)][Lin Jiuge (√)].

With a little thought, Jiang Beiran understood what this meant: he had already eliminated the hostility of these two towards him. Therefore, the only suspect left was Wang Yuyan.

'Indeed, you can know a person's face but not their heart!'

I have to admit, Wang Yuyan's initial impression on Jiang Beiran was truly high. Firstly, his appearance was that of a gentle scholar, and his father was an official beloved by the people, so his upbringing should have been excellent. Coupled with his shy demeanor that made him blush whenever he spoke.

All these "halos" surrounding him truly highlighted him as harmless.

Before seeing the system prompt, Jiang Beiran had even analyzed whether Lin Jiuge was outwardly cooperating with his "newspaper" plan while secretly plotting against him.

'The person who looks least like a criminal is usually the criminal. How could I forget this trope!' Jiang Beiran let out a frustrated sigh, lamenting his own youth.

At the same time, he understood that although his current strength was indeed much greater than when he was in the mine, the system also provided difficulty and rewards based on his current strength. This meant that if he made even the slightest mistake, there was still a possibility of losing his life.

After a thorough self-reflection, Jiang Beiran began to consider how to counterattack. After all, the situation had now reversed, and he was the one holding the significant advantage.

Because of the system's prompt, Wang Yuyan's act as a "pure virgin" was wasted. However, he didn't know that Jiang Beiran had already locked onto him, so his guard was relatively lower now. Jiang Beiran even believed that Wang Yuyan had already prepared his next act.

'Next time, I'll lure him to a deserted corner and kill him with a single sword.'

Having endured two months of hellish life in the mine, Jiang Beiran was no longer a soft-hearted person. He would never hesitate when dealing with someone who wanted to kill him.

'But I'm afraid of his father coming after me...'

A County Lieutenant specifically responsible for public security, if he went all out to find the murderer of his son, it would be entirely different from ordinary constables investigating a case.

'So this guy is the biggest difficulty in this Yellow Rank Middle Grade mission...'

Afterward, Jiang Beiran rested in bed for half a month, and also contemplated for half a month. In his mind, he had already devised a whole basket of strategies to outwit and battle Wang Yuyan once he recovered.

But just as Jiang Beiran was losing a lot of hair from thinking, one noon, the system prompt suddenly popped up, informing him that the mission had failed.

'Failed!?'

Jiang Beiran, who was just thinking about how to dispose of the body without being discovered, was completely bewildered. How did he fail?

Although his previous two missions had also ended in failure, at least he knew why. But this time, he was truly confused. He hadn't even truly clashed with Wang Yuyan yet, so how did he lose!?

It wasn't until two days later that Jiang Beiran learned the reason from Wu Qingce, who came to visit him.

Wang Yuyan was dead, died on his way back home, cause unknown.

'Dead!? How did he die!?'

In an instant, Jiang Beiran's mentality collapsed. He had gone to great lengths to win over Wu Qingce and Lin Jiuge, only to be ambushed by this mongrel and confined to bed for half a month. Moreover, according to Craftsman Zou from the Heart Cleansing Hall, the poison he had contracted was extremely difficult to completely clear. He wouldn't be able to cultivate or engage in strenuous exercise for the next three months, or he might develop lasting health problems.

Having paid such a huge price, Jiang Beiran was burning with determination to complete this mission and obtain that Yellow Rank Middle Grade reward. And now, this was it!? This was it!!???

Wu Qingce, watching Jiang Beiran's expression, which was clearly filled with extreme sadness yet he was holding back from showing it, couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Senior Brother was truly loyal and righteous. He had only used them as an Iron Seal once, yet he was heartbroken to this extent upon hearing the news of Junior Brother Wang's death.

'As expected of the perfect Senior Brother in my heart!'