In Douluo Continent, I am the mastermind behind the scenes.

Chapter 67. The Thousand-Faced Witch and the Real and Fake Ma Xiaotao!

"I will go back to the palace first and tell my brother about everything, so that he can make a decision."

……

The scene shifts to the Star Luo Imperial Palace, inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"Your Majesty, this is what happened. I originally wanted to select a death row inmate who looked very much like Huo Yuhao and put him in an ice coffin to serve as Meng Bingyu's corpse. However, I felt that this approach was not appropriate, so I came to ask Your Majesty for a decision."

After saying that, Xu Jiujiu secretly breathed a sigh of relief; these troublesome matters were finally out of the way.

After listening to the lengthy narration, Xu Jiawei paced back and forth in the Hall of Mental Cultivation with his hands behind his back, beginning to deduce the cause and effect of the case.

Huo Yuhao and Meng Bingyu, faking their deaths at the entrance of the Starlight Hotel?

Xu Jiawei frowned and said, "Little sister, don't you think we seem to be missing some information? Judging from Huo Yuhao's reaction, the name Meng Bingyu, and the scorpion tattoo on the back of Meng Bingyu's right hand, definitely have extraordinary significance to him, but all of this... we don't know anything about it."

After a long pause, he said, "That's right. This series of events seems unbelievable, but many clues can be found. For example... the name Meng Bingyu. She could have planned all these events under the identity of Tang Sheng, but she chose to keep her name, as if she was conveying some kind of message to Huo Yuhao."

Having said that, the brother and sister exchanged a smile. Since they couldn't uncover the secrets, they might as well take them to their graves. Even if they shared this information with Huo Yuhao, it was uncertain whether he could bring any benefit to the Star Luo royal family. Who would want to do something so thankless?

……

Huo Yuhao was unaware of the Xu siblings' plans. At this moment, he followed Xu Sanshi to the official office set up by the Star Luo Empire.

The person in charge of receiving them was Xu Ying, whom they had met once before.

Upon seeing Xu Ying, Huo Yuhao couldn't hide his excitement and hurriedly stepped forward to ask, "Manager Xu, how's the case from noon going? Any leads?"

"This..." Xu Ying's face showed a professional smile, "We have made progress. The law enforcement team has arrested three Soul Masters suspected of being the murderers and they have been transferred to the Ministry of Justice's prison for interrogation. Please be patient and wait. As soon as there is any news, it will be delivered to you immediately."

"Then I'll have to trouble Steward Xu." Huo Yuhao cupped his hands in greeting and was about to leave when he suddenly noticed the scorpion tattoo on the back of Xu Ying's right hand...?

Huo Yuhao asked curiously, "Manager Xu, what's with the tattoo on your hand? I remember... you didn't have this on the back of your hand this afternoon."

Xu Ying explained, "Well, in order to investigate a case, we will definitely thoroughly examine all the items on the deceased's body, including the tattoo on the back of his hand. After investigation, it was found that the pattern on Meng Bingyu's hand was not a tattoo, but a kind of temporary tattoo sticker, which is sold in the commercial street. In addition to the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, there are also styles such as the Holy Dragon of Light, Nine Heart Begonia, and Star Crown."

As she spoke, Xu Ying picked up the water bottle and dripped a few drops of water onto the back of Xu Ying's right hand. "Look, these temporary tattoos dissolve in water and are easy to wash off without leaving any residue."

Seeing that the tattoo had completely dissolved, Huo Yuhao's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down. It turned out to be a temporary tattoo, not the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion Martial Soul... So it shouldn't have much to do with him. There isn't a second or even a third Huo Yuhao. It's just a simple coincidence, right?

And so, Huo Yuhao and Xu Sanshi left the office. Unbeknownst to them, Xu Ying was standing behind them, watching their receding figures, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Soon it was evening. After finishing her shift, "Xu Ying" declined the invitations from her colleagues and returned to her residence in the southern part of the city.

The mansion was small, and the courtyard was messy and disorganized, as if it hadn't been cleaned in a long time. After closing the mansion gate, Xu Ying returned to her room, collapsed onto the bed, and slowly closed her eyes.

Suddenly, "Xu Ying" tore off her disguise, revealing her true face. If Huo Yuhao were here, he would be shocked, because... this woman's face looked exactly like his.

That's right, this woman is Meng Bingyu, or you could call her... Aying!

Since A Ying condensed her physical body using Huo Yuhao as a template, she was surprised to find that her second soul skill, Disguise, of her Spirit Eye Martial Soul had been enhanced to an epic level. Not only could she simulate the color of her soul rings, the aura of soul masters and soul beasts, but she could also simulate all kinds of martial souls and soul skills, and even create a human skin mask that could cover her entire body!

Today, she pulled a trick in front of Xu Jiujiu, devouring Xu Ying's soul and then swaggering in front of Xu Jiujiu disguised as Xu Ying. Neither Xu Jiujiu nor the old woman Man Yi, who was hiding in the shadows, noticed anything amiss, which made A Ying's mind really active.

Huo Dashenwang's martial soul ability is extremely useful. He can switch places with Xu Ying without her noticing, even under the perception of a Title Douluo. Could she... kill someone and completely take over their identity?

This time, even Qin Yi didn't expect that A Ying would be so ruthless. Not only did she kill the other person, but she also took their identity and seized everything from them...

Qin Yi was wrong, Xu Jiawei and Xu Jiujiu were wrong. From beginning to end, A Ying simply wanted to test her ability to disguise herself. All the preparations she made were just her wicked hobby, not meant to convey any information.

And so, Aying lay on the bed, looking through the contestants' information. This was a list she had secretly copied by taking advantage of Xu Ying's position.

Male Soul Masters... well... let's not consider that for now. Since she's going to impersonate someone, she has to do it to the best of her ability. She's a woman, and no matter how convincingly she disguises herself, she can never truly become a man; she simply doesn't possess certain physical functions.

"Meng Hongchen, the eldest daughter of the Hongchen family, and the half-sister of the young master Xiao Hongchen, hmm... not a good fit, she has too many family members, it would be too troublesome to deal with them."

"Ju Zi, the Crown Princess of the Sun Moon Empire, hmm? Suspected of being pregnant? Never mind, even if she can pretend to be pregnant, carrying a child for ten months and giving birth in one day, it's easy to fake it, but there will always be a day when she is exposed."

"Lin Yue is a good candidate, but Jing Hongchen is far too powerful. He's not like that old woman, Manyi; if he catches you red-handed, you're finished."

"Xuanzi... wait? He spends most of his time in the tavern. Team leader Li Wannian only has the cultivation of a Soul Saint. We can choose someone from the Shrek Academy team to replace him."

"Xixi, Ling Luochen, Ma Xiaotao...it's her!"

As she spoke, Aying tapped on Ma Xiaotao's portrait several times.

(P.S.: Ma Xiaotao has a stand-in doll. The real Ma Xiaotao will not disappear from the game, she will just... cough cough, you know what I mean.)

(End of this chapter)