The male supporting character was actually myself.

"Aren't all demons supposed to exude demonic energy and be detected from a great distance? Even if someone has a high level of cultivation and can conceal their demonic energy, it's impossible for them to completely conceal it from me."

Why are you helping me? Do we know each other?

"How old are you? What fighting technique do you practice that's so effective?"

Where are we headed...?

…………

The protagonist, Ling Qiye, who is a chatterbox, kept rambling on and on, while Jiang Chen ignored him and tried her best to keep up with him by taking small steps.

Ling Qiye stopped and looked at the pitifully small kitten. He patted its shoulder and laughed, "Come and lie on my shoulder. Look how tired you are from running around with your short legs."

Jiang Chen: (???)?

When can I turn into a human?! Main system, please hurry up and issue skill books!

Since he was under someone else's roof, he didn't stand on ceremony and scurried up to Ling Qiye's shoulder, mimicking the fluffy ball's posture. The little white cat also leaped onto Ling Qiye's other shoulder for a ride.

"Where should we go to investigate now?" Jiang Chen asked. "You're the person involved, so you must have gone through the whole case in detail several times while you were in jail, right? What's the new direction for the investigation?"

"Come to my house! I remember it clearly. The night before last, to celebrate Yu Bai's breakthrough to the sixth level of boxing master, the two of us met at the Hibiscus Pavilion of Qingyue Tower for drinks and conversation. We drank Qingyue Tower's most famous Hundred Flower Wine. Although I drank a few more cups, I was only slightly tipsy. Around 9 PM, I left Qingyue Tower to go home and sleep."

But when she woke up, she found herself still in the Hibiscus Garden, and Yu Bai had already...

Go back to my house and find evidence that I went there the night before last; that will overturn the existing testimony!

As the most successful and famous detective, Ling Qiye naturally lived in the most luxurious area of ​​the capital, Yujingfang, which was not far from the imperial city and was almost entirely occupied by the residences of princes, nobles and high-ranking officials.

The distance from the Dali Temple prison to Yujingfang was quite far, but as an eighth-level grandmaster, his leaping speed was incredibly fast.

"Duang!" Ling Qiye had just jumped stylishly from the wall to the gate of his own courtyard when he looked up and saw his senior brother on night patrol leading two teams of the School Affairs Department guards past.

Ling Qiye:o﹏o

Jiang Chen: ⊙ω⊙

Fluffy dumpling: !!(o'?'o)?o????

I got caught red-handed! What should I do?

The bright moon cast its cool light, which was too good for a martial arts practitioner, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward when the two looked at each other.

"Host, he won't get arrested again, will he?" The little white cat was a little guilty, glancing at the other party's missing piece of protagonist halo, afraid that it would be missing another piece.

Seeing Ling Qiye's eyebrows twitch, the senior brother said loudly, "We are ordered to patrol at night, so we must be vigilant and check carefully. It's safe here, so let's continue forward! Tomorrow at Chenshi (7-9 AM), we will interrogate the wanted murderer from Qingyue Tower, so everyone be alert!"

Upon hearing the order, all the guards turned around, and those who had instinctively drawn their swords earlier quietly put them down and followed the leader forward in unison.

"Phew!" Ling Qiye breathed a sigh of relief, but also felt extremely ashamed that his usually strict senior brother had betrayed him and turned a blind eye to his actions.

The little white cat watched everyone leave with a smug look on its face and said, "No wonder he's the protagonist with a halo around him. Making friends and spreading goodwill will definitely pave the way for him..."

Before it could finish speaking, its fur bristled. "Host, his protagonist aura is being used up way too fast! Oh no, I didn't even see how a huge circle of the aura disappeared!"

Jiang Chen frowned slightly as he looked at Ling Qiye, who had climbed over the wall without daring to waste any time. Unfortunately, the main system had not yet granted him the necessary permissions, so he could not see any special aura at the moment.

What force is drawing away his aura?

How did you manage to do that?

"Holy crap!" Ling Qiye was stunned as he nimbly jumped into the courtyard.

The once magnificent and luxurious courtyard was now nothing but ruins, with even traces of fire. If he hadn't personally supervised the design of every single tree and blade of grass, he would have almost never found his own hall and bedroom.

“It seems someone destroyed the evidence before you could.” Jiang Chen stroked his beard with his paw and reminded him, “The entire courtyard was destroyed. It’s impossible for no one to know about such a commotion. The most urgent thing is to find the person you trust most and find out the reason for the courtyard’s collapse so we can formulate our next plan.”

Logically speaking, the protagonist in such a story should be loved by everyone, especially those mysterious big shots, princesses, princes and the like who would vie to befriend him. Although he is currently imprisoned, he will not be abandoned by the whole world in an instant, and he can still find one or two people willing to help him.

At the very least, we need to figure out the protagonist's current situation.

Ling Qiye lowered his head and pondered for a moment, his eyes shining brightly. "Let's go find my senior sister! She's the personal disciple of the Director of the School Affairs Department, she'll definitely know more secrets!"

The mission world, now in closed-off mode, has slipped out of the script team's control.

In other words, the original script was completed, and the story was supposed to unfold gradually according to the established procedure. However, for some reason, the future was suddenly reversed, disrupting all the planned subsequent developments.

Fortunately, the main system was quite helpful, and they received a special item—the Book of Prophecy—on their way to find reinforcements.

"Host, the main system is only allowing us to use this item without restriction for now. It will be taken back once the hidden dangers in the mission world are resolved." The fluffy little dumpling squatted on Ling Qiye's head, holding a book and showing it to him. "This predicts what the protagonist will encounter next!"

The page contained only one line of large characters: "Chen Xingcai informed on Ling Qiye overnight, and Ling Qiye was sentenced to death with an increased sentence for escaping from prison. The Elder of the School Affairs Department personally abolished his martial arts, and he died with all his tendons severed, filled with resentment."

"Who is Chen Xingcai?" Jiang Chen glanced at him and immediately asked, "Do you know him?"

Ling Qiye, who was busy on her way to find her senior sister, was quite curious. "How do you know Chen Xingcai's name? He was my colleague and friend before I became successful. Back then, I was inexplicably involved in a major case. After successfully helping to solve the case, I was promoted to work in the government office. Brother Chen and I were the closest. Of course, I didn't forget him after I became successful."

Although his combat skills are only at level three, he has extensive experience in handling cases, and with my personal recommendation, he now earns much more working in the School Affairs Department's security force than before..."

The chatterbox was still rambling on when Jiang Chen narrowed his large, dark eyes and interrupted, asking, "Under what circumstances do you think Chen Xing would betray you?"

Ling Qiye, who was leaping and bounding about happily, almost fell off the wall upon hearing this. "How could Brother Chen betray me!"

"Oh dear, don't be too sure of yourself, or you'll be proven wrong!" The little white cat pouted and put away the Book of Prophecy, then asked in a low voice, "Host, how about we let the protagonist go back to jail and investigate? I refuse to believe that with the help of the Assassin Cat, my awesome host can't solve the case?"

Jiang Chen thought about it and felt that this matter was not so simple. Since the main system issued a mission to get the protagonist out of prison, it must have its purpose.

Helping the protagonist in this special mission is just the surface; the most important thing is to solve the root cause of the aura disappearing without reason. Otherwise, no matter how much you protect Ling Qiye, it will be useless.

"Let's split up. You go find someone trustworthy to gather information; I have something more important to do." He said this ostensibly to Ling Qiye, but actually to the little white cat, "Be careful, and prioritize your own life if necessary. No matter what trouble you cause, as long as you're alive, there's always a way to fix it. We'll meet in the prison at dawn!"

Ling Qiye was completely confused, but he still nodded, "Alright, although I don't know what you're up to, please be careful..."

The little demon cat that suddenly appeared was sent by someone, and its purpose was unknown.

But with his own home destroyed, it would be even more difficult to clear his name. If he didn't find a way to investigate the truth, he might really die unjustly! No matter what the little demon cat was plotting, as long as it didn't reveal its intentions, he would maintain a cooperative relationship with it for the time being.

But... why did it suddenly ask about Brother Chen?

Since arranging for Brother Chen to join the guard, I have been busy with cultivation and investigating cases and have not had much contact with him. Why would the demon cat ask such a strange question?

His mind was full of questions and mysteries waiting to be solved, so he hurriedly split up and headed towards the courtyard where his senior sister lived; while the fluffy dumpling confidently assured him, "Don't worry, host, I will definitely protect Ling Qiye!"

It wasn't difficult to find Chen Xingcai, who had informed on them overnight.

First, he was a member of the School Affairs Department's guard; second, he must have either been in the group just now or learned about Ling Qiye's prison break from someone who bumped into him, which would have allowed him to inform on him overnight.

By simply following the guards we encountered earlier, we can find Chen Xingcai, whom we have never met before.

Sure enough, when the guards returned to their post after completing their patrol, Jiang Chen locked onto his target during the handover conversation—Chen Xingcai, a man over forty years old with a full beard and a slightly overweight build, who was in the guards who had previously encountered Ling Qiye!

After everyone else had finished their shift and dispersed, Chen Xingcai silently mingled with the crowd and left the duty station. He walked further and further into the secluded area until only the streetlights were left, swaying dimly in the cold wind. He could not see anyone else in the alley.

"Swish!" Chen Xingcai looked around to make sure no one was there before pulling out a carefully folded reward notice from his pocket. He hurriedly unfolded it under the streetlight and carefully read the handwriting: "Assisting in the capture of a Level 3 fugitive, reward 300 taels... Assisting in the capture of a Level 1 fugitive, reward 800 taels... Providing clues to assist in the capture of a Special Class fugitive, reward 10,000 taels!"

His hands trembled slightly with excitement. "Ling Qiye, don't blame Brother Chen for being greedy. Ten thousand taels of gold is just too much!"

When we were listening to music together in the brothel, you talked about how you would rise to great heights and bring me along to enjoy wealth and luxury. Now you've become the most sought-after man, even princesses are crying and begging to marry you. You've gained fame and fortune, but you've forgotten your promise!

We clearly agreed to share both good times and bad, but now that you've become successful, you still try to dominate me and make me your servant! I'm over forty years old, all I want is to make a fortune and live a life of luxury and ease... Blame yourself, who told you to kill someone and then escape from prison..."

Chen Xingcai muttered to himself as if he was making up his mind to betray his friend. After a moment, his eyes reddened slightly, he raised his head with firm confidence and resolute steps, fearing that someone would beat him to it and betray him first. He rushed towards the Dali Temple.

Chapter Three: You can't frame me!

Is this what happens when the protagonist's halo is strong, everyone helps them; but when the halo fades, those who helped them turn against them and stab them in the back?

So it seems that Ling Qiye is going to go from being the chosen one to being abandoned, from being a beloved protagonist to being a villain that everyone wants to kill!

Regardless of who did it, the other party's methods were quite sophisticated.

If the fluffy dumpling could learn even a little bit of the basics, wouldn't that be much faster than taking advantage of the protagonist's halo? Then, when entering other mission worlds, wouldn't she be invincible and dealing with annoying protagonists would be a piece of cake?

Jiang Chen nimbly chased after the "traitorous" protagonist's former lackey as he ran.

"Ten thousand taels of gold! Hehehe..." Chen Xingcai imagined the joy of getting such a huge pile of gold as he ran.

When he first met Ling Qiye, he could sense that the young man was different from others.

He is handsome, quick-witted, and eloquent. More importantly, he is very talented in martial arts. Although he started learning martial arts later than others, he has made much faster progress than others. People admire him but are genuinely happy for him and cannot feel the slightest bit of jealousy.

Overall, Ling Qiye has a friendly and approachable quality that makes people willing to interact with him.

During the two months they worked together in the yamen, he went from being his follower to being promoted to the youngest head constable. The two often went to brothels to listen to music and to watch girls from the walls of the theater. It was a happy time that is hard to forget.

But then... Chen Xingcai's expression gradually darkened, and then everything changed!

Although everyone knows that some people are destined to do great things and achieve great success, who could have imagined that Ling Qiye's path to success would be so smooth and so enviable?

No matter how hard I try, it's no match for his casual gestures.

At first, he was appreciated by the county magistrate, and even the girls in the brothel welcomed and respected him exceptionally.

Later, it developed to the point that no matter whether it was high-ranking officials or powerful figures in secret organizations, they all treated him differently. In fact, in order to recruit him as a disciple, several respected elders of the Great Sui Dynasty came out of seclusion and fought in front of everyone!

Every woman he met was a rare beauty. Even the famous ice queen of the Great Sui Dynasty smiled at Ling Qiye and traveled with him. The princess of the dynasty defied the imperial decree and wanted to elope in order to marry him. She wished she could stick to Ling Qiye every day...

So, just two months after they met, Ling Qiye rose to prominence so quickly, like a kite soaring into the sky. In just one year, he achieved a status transformation that he never dared to dream of and could only aspire to.

He can solve ancient mysteries, he always gets help from all sorts of powerful figures, and his irresistible charm attracts the attention of all the beauties of the Great Sui Dynasty...

I'm so happy that my old little brother has become successful.

But somehow, things slowly changed. He was always surrounded by young talents, and I couldn't even get a word in edgewise. Occasionally, when I ran into him at the School Affairs Department, my enthusiastic greetings always earned me only a few perfunctory words, to the point that my colleagues mocked me for being a lackey who fawned over Ling Qiye, only able to get into the School Affairs Department's guard as an ordinary member through his recommendation and back channels.

"Why should I? I tried my best too!" Chen Xingcai became angrier the more he thought about it. If he hadn't kindly helped Ling Qiye pass on the message when he was involved in the case, how could Ling Qiye have known so many details of the case and solved it?

I taught him a lot of the basic knowledge myself!

He had worked in the yamen for many years and solved many cases. He had accumulated merits and should have been promoted long ago. Why did he have to rely on Ling Qiye's recommendation to enter the School Affairs Department?

As a result, he will have to carry a heavy burden of gratitude for the rest of his life. No matter when or where, there will always be people who use him as an example to spread the word about how loyal and righteous Ling Qiye is.

You need to give your colleagues something to use against you, so they can use it to mock and attack you whenever they have the chance!

"I don't want to live in Ling Qiye's shadow!" He clenched his fists, his bloodshot eyes flashing with a hint of ruthlessness. "Who told you to give up a perfectly good life and go and kill people?"

Who told you to kill someone and not obediently submit to the law, but instead try to escape from prison?

Who told you to break out of prison and I caught you, Ling Qiye… As the strongest detective in the School Affairs Division, you defied the law, committed murder, and escaped from prison. Don't blame me for being ruthless. From now on, I will no longer be your foil, nor will I have to obey your commands like a dog!

I'm going to retire to my hometown and live the life of a wealthy man with ten thousand taels of gold! And you… you should atone for your heinous crime of murder and prison break!

As they drew closer to the Dali Temple, Jiang Chen had a general understanding of the other party's condition before using his soul weapon to knock Chen Xingcai unconscious, tie him up, and dump him in a secluded alley corner.

"Meow~" He instinctively stretched and let out a meow, then sighed with deep shame and silently analyzed the situation.