The male supporting character was actually myself.

Upon hearing the offer, Lu Fan's face twitched, and a chill ran through him as he touched the handful of copper coins in his pocket.

To gather enough spiritual herbs to repair this useless body, more than a dozen kinds of herbs are needed, and just one Jade Spirit Flower is so expensive...

How could a dignified demon king have fallen to such a state!

Not only was he worried about finding a miracle cure, but he also couldn't afford even a decent meal.

"I never thought that being reborn would start with solving a money problem." He left the pharmacy with a cold expression on his face.

To completely control his body and eliminate resentment, he must fulfill his boastful promise and decisively slap himself in the face. But right now, he doesn't even have the money to gather enough elixirs. What should he do?

"Hmm? That's..." Lu Fan wandered aimlessly down the bustling street, pondering how to get some money to quickly repair his useless body, when a beam of light from a street stall not far away caught his attention.

It was a very simple little stall.

The stall owner was clearly a down-on-his-luck fellow; he had simply laid out a tattered cloth on the ground with some junk scattered on it.

The passersby would at most glance at them, but no one would even come closer to take a look. After all, those poor-quality herbs picked up in the wild were not worth more than a few copper coins, not to mention the useless weapon fragments with clods of dirt attached to them.

"How much is this?" Lu Fan used his special talent as a demon king to discover the hidden treasure. He was so excited that his heart was trembling, but he remained calm and walked forward, pretending to choose a decent sword hilt.

Seeing that a customer had finally arrived, the stall owner was even more excited than he was and asked for the lowest price he could get.

Clearly, he wasn't a cultivator; he simply had no money for food, so he picked up some things in the wild that he thought might be useful and exchanged them for a few copper coins to buy a meal.

"You picked these up from the old battlefield, didn't you?" Lu Fan casually touched this and looked at that, shaking his head. "There's not a trace of spiritual energy fluctuation. No one would want these even if you sold them as junk."

The stall owner looked very embarrassed and lowered his voice, saying, "I really can't help it if I lose money in business. Sir, please see if there are any items that can help me scrape together some money for a meal!"

Lu Fan took out a dozen or so copper coins from his pocket and handed them over, saying, "This is more than enough for a full meal. I'm giving you these two as a favor to your business."

"Thank you, sir!" The stall owner hadn't expected to earn a few copper coins to buy a meal after squatting here all morning. Seeing that the other party hadn't taken the few potentially useful herbs but instead took two broken little trinkets, he was even happier!

The transaction was completed smoothly. Lu Fan left the stall with the two trinkets. After turning onto another street, he casually threw away one of the junk items, leaving behind the unremarkable piece of iron with strange lines drawn on it.

"Hey, you really don't know what you're missing!" He excitedly rubbed the piece of iron against his body, then jogged back to the dilapidated courtyard, fetched water, and washed the palm-sized round piece of iron clean.

"It's a pity it's just a damaged version." Lu Fan bit his middle finger and dripped blood onto the iron sheet. The lines instantly absorbed the blood, emitting a dazzling light before disappearing again, making the entire iron sheet look even more ordinary.

He was quite pleased, examining the round iron piece and exclaiming, "But it makes sense. If it hadn't been severely damaged and become a broken item, such a treasure wouldn't have ended up on a street stall for me to buy for just a dozen copper coins."

This is the Illusion Mirror, a truly legendary artifact!

As Lu Fan played with the ancient mirror, a thought struck him, and he knew where to start!

The fluffy little thing perched on his shoulder, peering around curiously, trying to figure out how to use this broken gadget and what its amazing effects were. Once it figured it out, it could simply be given to its host, the "Little Cat Scooping the Moon" (a metaphor for a cat trying to catch the moon's reflection), and then this wild, pseudo-master treasure-hunting mouse might actually have some practical use.

"Heh, didn't you harbor feelings for Junior Sister and want to possess her?" A smile appeared on Lu Fan's face. "With the Illusion Mirror, even the current princess can be bewitched and captured with ease!"

Thinking about his next plan, he hurriedly packed up and headed straight for his junior sister's residence without even having time to eat. He clutched his newly acquired treasure and left.

Surrounded by the dazzling protagonist's halo, the good-for-nothing Lu Fan naturally has people who come up to him wherever he goes, eager to mock him and wait to be slapped in the face.

Enduring the sneers and ridicule of the servants in the Liang family, he secretly resolved that once his plan succeeded in making the Liang family's daughter willingly become a slave, he would definitely slap these ungrateful bastards until their faces were swollen!

“Lu Fan, we shouldn’t have any contact after you were expelled from the academy and the Lu family. I’m only here today because of our past relationship. If you ever come to visit again, I will refuse you entry.” The Liang family’s daughter got straight to the point and was not polite at all.

As the most beloved daughter of the Liang family and the darling of the White Crane Academy, she naturally had no desire to associate with such an incompetent person.

But Lu Fan had indeed treated me well at the academy in the past, so it would be a good thing to take this opportunity to clarify things and completely sever ties.

"Junior sister, I have two matters to discuss with you today." When Lu Fan saw his junior sister, his eyes lit up. No wonder the original owner's resentment wouldn't dissipate; the girl he liked was indeed a beauty of unparalleled grace, like a lotus emerging from the water.

Such a beauty, having her by his side to serve tea, pour water, and warm his bed would certainly suit the identity of a demon king.

Having made up his mind, Lu Fan smiled confidently. He took out the Illusion Mirror from his pocket and secretly aimed it at his junior sister. He said in a slightly seductive voice, "First of all, I want to tell you—I was framed by Ling Qiye. He was the one who set the trap, not me."

The Illusion Mirror can put those who are reflected in it into a hallucinatory state. Although it is only a broken version, it is still a divine artifact, and no one with strength below level six can resist it.

As the one who has been recognized by the ancient mirror through blood, one can instill beliefs in those who are being controlled.

After continuous reinforcement, the other party will have no doubt about what you say!

"Meow~ So that's how it's used!" The little white cat was a beat slow, but when it noticed that the young lady of the Liang family was dazed, it guessed that the mirror was probably for hypnosis. So it jumped onto her shoulder, covered her face with its paws, patted her, and meowed, "Wake up, I'll cover for you, don't fall for it!"

For a moment, the junior sister felt a little dazed, but then she came to her senses and saw that the other person was holding a round iron plate while talking, which made her eyes uncomfortable from the sunlight. She was immediately displeased and said coldly, "You should go and talk to the teacher in charge of discipline at the academy about this. What's the use of talking to me? It's not like I'm the one who kicked you out of school."

Is there anything else? Please tell me quickly, I'm graduating soon and I still have a lot of coursework to complete.

Lu Fan paused for a moment upon hearing this, then looked down at the mirror, which was shimmering with iridescent light, confirming that it was working. He then emphasized, "The second thing is—I am the only person you can rely on. That murderer Ling Qiye is not worthy of your affection at all!"

The mirror's light and the false master's halo were all blocked by the fluffy ball. The clear-headed junior sister snorted coldly, "What are you? Just a useless person who was expelled from the academy and driven out of the Lu family!"

Ling Qiye has fallen into depravity and committed murder in public, so he is certainly not a good person. All the thoughtfulness I showed him in the past has been wasted.

Even so, there are plenty of exceptional individuals in the academy who can match me in terms of family background and ability. There's no way it'll be your turn! Instead of a toad trying to eat swan meat, you should focus on finding a long-term job to make a living.

After learning that Ling Qiye had fallen into murder and could no longer get married, I have decided to follow my family's arrangements and get engaged.

From now on, we are not on the same path and will never cross paths again. You pursue your own path to survival; I will seek my own path to advancement. Let bygones be bygones and forget each other in the world of martial arts.

If there's nothing else, please leave. I don't have time for your rambling.

Full of confidence, Lu Fan was rebuffed and was momentarily confused, not knowing which part of the process went wrong.

As a dignified demon king, I would never misjudge someone. Why is the divine mirror in my hand, which is clearly working steadily, ineffective against the man surnamed Liang?

He wasn't given a chance to spout nonsense again. The other party ordered his servants to drag him out of the Liang residence in full view of everyone. Faced with the ridicule and pointing fingers of the Liang family's servants and the people on the street, Lu Fan's confidence was shaken, and the aura surrounding him dimmed.

Seeing this, the little white cat jumped around happily, "Yay! As expected of a wild cat, without the help of a script team, even my soft and cute little paws can't withstand it. Now my host can relax a bit. He'll devise the plan and execute it, he'll definitely make you suffer!"

Meanwhile, the black kitten Jiang Chen was squatting at Ling Qiye's feet, waiting for his response.

Chapter Seven: Aren't you a demon?

"The demon race..."

Ling Qiye sat cross-legged on the couch, resting his chin on his right hand and slowly tapping his cheek with his slender fingers. He thought carefully for a while before replying, "For a while, I was quite curious about the demon race."

So, taking advantage of my previous studies at Baihe Academy, I once went to the academy's library, which claimed to have collected all the books in the world, to look for forbidden books and peek at them.

Even so, we still know very little about the demon race.

Everyone knows that many years ago, the human race and the demon race had an epic war. After the human race won, they drove the demon race back to the demon realm and sealed the gate between the two realms. Only a very few demons who posed no threat could survive in the demon realm and came to live in the human realm, but they were under the supervision of the School Affairs Department.

As for how many years ago that war took place, what it was about, and how it unfolded, all the historical records are sealed and unknown. My trip to the library yielded nothing, but by chance, I obtained a secret manual that suited me…”

He didn't continue.

After all, his fortuitous encounter at the academy was key to his successful advancement to level eight at such a young age. Since it had nothing to do with the demon race, why reveal the secrets of the White Crane Academy?

Jiang Chen wagged its tail, tilted its little head, and its big black eyes darted around, already understanding the situation.

It seems that his curiosity about the demon race was a pretense, and the script team was really using this as an opportunity to give him protagonist treatment!

"Do you know why it was sealed? Where can you find information about the war between humans and demons? Since the gate between the two worlds has been sealed, how can a harmless demon come to the human world?"

Faced with the kitten's curious question, Ling Qiye bent down slightly, approached it, and lowered his voice, saying, "I don't know why it was sealed away, but it is said that the war between the two races involves a huge secret!"

Since the information involved was secret and deliberately erased, more comprehensive information was certainly locked away in the royal family's library.

However, Baihe Academy must also have some of it. When I was studying there, I was curious and searched around and found traces of it, but unfortunately, it was heavily guarded and I couldn't succeed. I could only take a secret manual and leave.

As for the little demons... I'm not quite sure how they got here.

Anyway, everyone knows that demons exist in this world, and their numbers aren't small. But ordinary people have only heard of them and probably haven't seen them. After all, I've only had limited contact with demons during my time at the School Affairs Department.

"The fact that the School Affairs Department can oversee this indicates that they have a relatively deep understanding of the demon race. Perhaps we could consider starting our investigation with White Crane Academy and the School Affairs Department. As for the Imperial Palace... the security is definitely too tight, so let's wait and see." Jiang Chen vaguely sensed that he had touched upon a new storyline; the issue of the Chosen One's halo might very well be related to the demon race!

Investigating the inner workings of the demon race?

Ling Qiye was completely bewildered. Wasn't he supposed to be investigating the whereabouts of a ninth-level Grandmaster? Now, he was also being asked to spy on the secrets of the war between the two races. He felt like he was going to be in prison for a long time.

"Wait a minute!" After a moment of confusion, he suddenly realized, "Aren't you just a demon cat? Why are you asking me these things?"

Jiang Chen: ...

The main system didn't give me any character settings, so how am I supposed to know what the situation is like on the demon side?

"Meow~" He let out a soft, childlike meow in excitement, then covered his face with his paws to hide his embarrassment, and mumbled, "My situation is a little different from other demons, I am actually..."

“Oh right, it’s still a little kitten! You must be a demon cat born in the human world!” Ling Qiye answered quickly.

Finally, he didn't have to rack his brains for an excuse anymore. Jiang Chen clapped his paws and nodded, saying, "That's right, you're absolutely right. Besides, my situation is special. I've been wandering around alone since I can remember, so I don't know much about the demon race and I'm quite curious about it."

Having lost both parents at a young age, Ling Qiye instantly empathized and automatically filled in the blanks in his mind. He reached out and touched its round, soft little head, "No wonder you came to the prison to find me. Among the detectives, I'm probably the only one who doesn't have any hostility towards demons. We're really in the same boat, both of us have been alone since childhood..."

“There’s another reason besides that.” Jiang Chen tilted her head to avoid his hand, licked her paw, and said seriously, “I’ve heard a lot about your deeds and firmly believe that you’re not a vicious murderer. But those stupid humans outside don’t believe you at all, so I came in to help you.”

Once you've been cleared of charges and reinstated, we can work together to find ways to uncover the secrets of the demon race.

Unfortunately... given the current situation, clearing his name might be quite difficult. Instead of just waiting, let's take a two-pronged approach: first, find clues to solve the Qingyue Tower murder case; and second, research the demon race.

I didn't even touch it!

Ling Qiye rubbed his fingers, feeling a little regretful. The kitten's black fur was soft and shiny, and its round head was slightly frizzy, making it look like it would feel great to touch, but it didn't seem to like being touched.

"Alright, where do you think we should start? Investigate the whereabouts of a ninth-level Grandmaster? Or infiltrate White Crane Academy to find the hidden books?"

Jiang Chen stroked his beard with his paw, thought for a moment, and shook his head, saying, "You're not able to move around during the day, so rest in the prison first. I'll go outside and check the situation; we'll make a detailed plan tonight!"

"Alright then, I really am tired from not resting last night." Ling Qiye watched the little demon cat leave nimbly and silently, then lay sprawled on the bed, idly fiddling with the tassels of the curtains tied up, and said lazily, "How embarrassing, a dignified detective now only has a complete stranger like a little kitten to trust."

He went to find his senior sister last night, but her cold and aloof demeanor made him feel desolate.

I still remember when we first met. My senior sister was struggling with a major case and was having a terrible headache. I shared all my experience with her, and she was able to solve the case. From then on, she treated me differently. This friendship reached its peak after I joined the School Affairs Department. Whenever there was a case, she was willing to take me along.

During an arrest of a criminal, she was attacked and rescued her senior sister, sustaining serious injuries in the process. This incident further deepened their friendship, and she even subtly expressed that they were just waiting for the right opportunity to confess their feelings.

Unexpectedly, after a short period of passionate romance, he was framed and sought her help, only to be met with such indifference from his senior sister that she practically turned him away.

"Human relationships are as thin as paper, and the world is like a game of chess, ever-changing!" After experiencing his first all-around Waterloo in life, Ling Qiye sighed deeply but did not lose hope for the future.

After all, he still had a little demon cat who never abandoned him, and he firmly believed that he could solve the Qingyue Tower murder case, find out the truth, and get justice for himself and his friend Song Yubai!

However, Lu Fan, who also experienced failure, did not have such a firm belief.

He sat under a big tree in the dilapidated courtyard, holding the Illusion Mirror, looking at it over and over, but he couldn't figure out which part had gone wrong.

"That little girl has only just advanced to level four and hasn't stabilized yet, how could she possibly withstand the illusionary power of the ancient mirror? Does she possess some kind of treasure that can prevent her from being bewitched? But I didn't sense anything about it."

For the first time, the mighty Demon King fell into deep self-doubt.

The fluffy ball laughed so hard it almost fell over. "Hahaha~ Can't figure it out, right? That's good! When Heaven is about to bestow a great responsibility on someone, it will first block their halo and steal their treasures! You better watch out, or you'll be so angry you'll vomit blood when I use my 'Little Cat Scooping the Moon' trick later!"

"Meow~" Jiang Chen nimbly hopped over and greeted him in a childish voice.