The male supporting character was actually myself.

"Now that Lord Ling has become the supreme ruler of the human race, I can also bask in your glory!"

Ling Qiye was both amused and exasperated to find himself being urged to cultivate even while in jail. "Cultivate! I'm going to cultivate right now!"

After the protagonist's halo returned, everything went smoothly from then on.

Through the personal investigation and screening by the deputy director of the School Affairs Department, a previously overlooked detail was finally discovered—in Ling Qiye's memory, after saying goodbye to Song Yubai, the other party did not leave but continued to stay in the Hibiscus Pavilion to drink tea and enjoy the singing and dancing.

After asking around and asking many people, one of the singers finally remembered that Song Yubai seemed to have made an appointment with other people!

But that night, everyone only saw Song Yubai and Ling Qiye in the Hibiscus Pavilion, and there was no mention of Song Yubai's casual invitation to new guests to enjoy the song and dance when he entered the Qingyue Pavilion.

Ling Qiye was a regular at Qingyue Tower, so who was the new customer the deceased mentioned unintentionally?

A casual remark broke the deadlock, and the School Affairs Department launched a full-scale investigation to find anyone who had interacted with Song Yubai. Finally, two days later, they found the real culprit!

“My name is Yuan Wei,” the real culprit was brought to the trial hall of the School Affairs Department. His honest face, about thirty years old, showed a resolute determination as if he were facing death. “I did indeed commit the case in the Furong Room of Qingyue Tower.”

Ling Qiye watched as he racked his brains but couldn't recall having any connection with this person.

Who is he?

Why would you frame yourself?

And why was Song Yubai killed in the middle of the night?

"I am a demon who has lived in the human world since childhood—a hedgehog demon." Yuan Wei said, shaking his head slightly, and hard black steel spikes appeared on his face, neck, and hair.

"Originally, I didn't know Ling Qiye, and I had no connection with him whatsoever. But... if only we had never crossed paths, my parents and I could have lived a peaceful life! It's all because of him! Ling Qiye, you killed my parents, and I will make you pay with your blood!"

Chapter Eighteen: What is that thing?!

"Oh? You're saying Ling Qiye killed your parents?" The deputy director toyed with the Illusion Mirror in his hand, his face, as radiant as a fairy, was full of doubt. He looked at Ling Qiye, who was confronting him in court, and seemed completely bewildered, clearly not understanding the situation.

She revealed a faint smile, her delicate, boneless hands flipping the Illusion Mirror, her tone slightly coquettish, "Then let me see what grudge you two have that led you to commit such a serious crime and frame an investigator from the School Affairs Department!"

The hedgehog demon's strength was at most at the peak of level three, so it was no match for the pressure of the School Affairs Division's trial hall, nor could it withstand the gaze of Li Changguang, who possessed the Sword Heart Clarity. It knelt on the hall, trembling all over.

Although today's trial is a joint hearing involving the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, the Ministry of Justice, and the Censorate, the presence of the two directors of the Department of Investigation and Statistics still makes it difficult for ordinary officials to resist or dare to interfere.

The deputy director was eager to make his move. He had finally caught a big, puzzling case, and his boss had temporarily allowed him to use the Illusion Mirror. So, before the other party could give any instructions, he slightly turned his slender hands and enveloped Yuan Wei with a beam of light.

It's unclear what he saw in the illusion created by the deputy director, but Yuan Wei said with a face full of resentment, "I don't care what you humans think, this is just our nature and habit as demons!"

What's wrong with human women? Are they any more noble than demon women?

What's the use of keeping useless offspring if they can't produce offspring capable of cultivation?!

Upon uttering these rebellious words, Ling Qiye suddenly recalled a bizarre case he had investigated last year.

Around late spring or early summer, a farming family near Kyoto reported that their daughter had gone missing on her way to visit her parents with her baby, who was just over 100 days old. Because the village was separated from the town by a desolate area, the authorities initially worried that she might have been ambushed by wild animals or encountered criminals. However, the superhuman investigators, who were experienced in solving cases, were unable to find the cause of the problem even after several attempts.

A woman who had an argument with her husband and, in a fit of anger, took her child and went back to her parents' home, never to be seen again, and her body was never found.

Coincidentally, there was also an eyewitness to the case—a distant uncle from the missing woman's hometown village. He met her on his way back to the village with a horse-drawn cart and they chatted briefly.

Since the truck was already loaded with too much cargo, it was inconvenient to take the mother and child along as well. So they agreed that the woman would carry the child and slowly walk back to her parents' home, while he would go back to deliver a message and unload the cargo before returning to pick her up.

However, about an incense stick's time later, a distant uncle drove a carriage carrying the woman's family to pick them up, but they could not find any trace of the mother and child. The traces of the woman resting and comforting the child under the shade of a tree when they met earlier were still there, but now they could not be found anywhere.

It wasn't until the officers arrived that the woman's in-laws realized something was wrong, and they started shouting and crying.

The local government was unable to solve the case, and it was about to become a cold case. Unexpectedly, Ling Qiye, who was staying overnight in a village, heard about it and took the initiative to intervene in the investigation. At that time, Ling Qiye, as the chosen one, was shining with brilliance. After several twists and turns, he naturally solved the case and brought the murderer to justice.

"So it was you!" Ling Qiye frowned, thought for a moment, and then realized, "You shaved off your beard and changed your hairstyle and clothes!"

When Yuan Wei mentioned solving his wife's disappearance case, he suddenly remembered that when he was investigating the case, he had questioned the woman's husband, who was described as a kind, honest, and taciturn man with a thick beard.

He would only answer one question and never say more. Yuan Wei confessed that he and his wife had a quarrel about their parenting attitudes. In a fit of anger, she took the child and went back to her parents' home. He was also angry and didn't chase after her.

As Ling Qiye meticulously investigated, he eventually discovered that the people who killed the young woman and her 100-day-old baby were actually Yuan Wei's parents, who were also the missing woman's parents-in-law!

The motive for the murder was even more heinous—the elderly couple were both demons, and because their son couldn't find a suitable demon wife, they opted for a marriage alliance with a human. However, they were unaware that the mixed-race child born to the woman, who was entirely demon, inherited human characteristics and was unable to absorb the essence of heaven and earth for cultivation.

So the resentful and disappointed Yuan family demanded that they abandon the child and try again to quickly give birth to a boy with demon characteristics who could cultivate, so that he could bring glory to the family in the future.

For them, abandoning the child means dividing and eating it.

It was only when Ling Qiye interrogated Yuan Wei's parents that he learned that the demon race living in the human world was not very dangerous and was strictly regulated by the School Affairs Department, and many industries did not allow demons to come into contact with them.

Therefore, they felt inferior in every way, and their urgent desire to turn their lives around led many demons to develop a tacit and terrible practice—to get rid of children who had no cultivation ability as soon as possible, so as not to further consume the already scarce family resources.

In addition, there are evil secret techniques passed down by certain demon races, which can not only get rid of the burdens but also absorb some soul essence, which may even make one's cultivation level improve a little.

However, Yuan Wei failed to deceive her. Although his wife was unaware of their evil plan, out of a mother's instinct to protect her child, she sensed her husband's family's disdain for the child and decided to go back to her parents' home for a while to seek help.

Thus began the scene where she encountered a distant uncle on her way back to her parents' home with her child. However, she was quickly overtaken by her in-laws, who had arrived earlier and were slightly stronger in order to snatch the child.

The two sides got into a dispute and the woman was accidentally killed. Yuan Wei, who was the weakest, arrived at the scene, but his wife was already dead. The family of three thought it over and decided that they could not make sense of the situation, so they might as well go all the way.

The woman and her 100-day-old child were taken away by her in-laws and disposed of using a secret method, while Yuan Wei stayed behind and used his innate abilities to erase all traces of them.

The case was ultimately investigated by the town's government office, whose limited capabilities prevented them from discovering anything unusual, leading to the case remaining unsolved for a long time.

Ling Qiye tracked down the location where Yuan Wei's parents had dealt with the mother and son, based on the remaining traces, and arrested them.

After learning about the secrets within the demon race, Ling Qiye immediately reported to the School Affairs Department, which sparked a reorganization within the demon race.

Yuan Wei's parents were beheaded and their heads displayed in public, and overnight, the once warm family of five was reduced to just him, all alone. In particular, his father, who had benefited from his wife and children and was about to advance to the fifth level, was killed, shattering his dream of becoming a wealthy family. Yuan Wei then directed all his resentment and bitterness at the meddlesome Ling Qiye.

"We demons are man-eaters by nature..." He said viciously and resentfully, his eyes gleaming with green light. "It's all your fault, humans! You imprisoned us here and suppressed us in every way, as if you were afraid that we demons would turn the tables and become stronger than you! But I'm going to show you that even the famous eighth-level detective of the School Affairs Division will ultimately perish at the hands of our demons!"

With the motive for the murder clarified, the people in the hall were more curious about how a mere level three hedgehog demon could bewitch them and easily kill Song Yubai, a boxer who had just advanced to level six.

"It helped me get revenge." Yuan Wei clearly recalled a very important part of the story, and his ferocious expression turned solemn with a look of deep reverence. "Without it, I would never have been able to drag Ling Qiye down with me in this lifetime!"

Having narrowly escaped trial, Yuan Wei had no way to avenge his parents, and thus spent his days in melancholy, drowning his sorrows in alcohol.

One night this spring, he got drunk and stumbled into the mountains, where he lost his way. He stayed overnight in a dilapidated temple and, in a half-asleep state, heard a faint voice asking him if he wanted revenge. In his drunken stupor, Yuan Wei answered some questions and expressed his determination to kill Ling Qiye.

Then the mysterious, ethereal voice said it would help him fulfill his wish, but the price was that he would have to wait to be commanded in the future.

“I never saw the other person’s face, and I couldn’t even tell if their voice was male or female.” He honestly confessed in the illusion, “I was awakened by a cold wind. I felt icy cold all over and the alcohol intoxication immediately sobered me up. I found that I was holding a black ring in my hand.”

Then, following the other party's instructions, I successfully made some money using the abundant spiritual power in the ring. After that, I looked for an opportunity to get close to Song Yubai. He was a free-spirited, enthusiastic, talkative, and cheerful person who often let slip information about Ling Qiye.

On the day Song Yubai was promoted to sixth-level boxer, he actually invited me to celebrate with him.

But I knew Ling Qiye would definitely show up that night, so I made an excuse to postpone our meeting. Actually, I had already taken my seat in the Peony Pavilion next to the Hibiscus Pavilion long before they entered the room, and I had been using the spiritual power in my ring to conceal my presence and observe everything that was happening in the next room the whole time!

After that, I don't know how the ring did it, but everyone in Qingyue Tower except me entered the illusion until Song Yubai was killed.

He wasn't killed by Ling Qiye, nor by me.

I'm only at the peak of level three. Even with the ring's spiritual power, it would be difficult to cleanly and decisively kill a level six boxer trapped in an illusion. The saying "a level higher is everything" isn't just a figure of speech. I only know that Song Yubai died without me noticing anything, and…”

Yuan Wei hesitated for a few seconds and then said in a daze, "Moreover, I can sense that when he died, there was no one else in the Hibiscus Room except for the unconscious Ling Qiye!"

Upon hearing this, the officials from the three judicial departments all looked at the two heads of the Department of School Affairs and asked in a low voice, "If the suspect did not lie, does that mean we have only found a tool but still have not found the real culprit who killed Song Yubai?"

“That’s right.” Li Changguang, with his keen insight, could tell at a glance that the hedgehog demon was not lying. He said calmly, “However, he participated in the act of devouring the mother and child and followed the mysterious person’s instructions to frame an official of the court. His crime deserves to be punished.”

As for the subsequent investigation into the true culprit, since Ling Qiye has been cleared of suspicion and the case involves extraordinary individuals and demons, it's best to report to the Emperor and hand it over to the Department of Education.

The deputy director personally oversaw the interrogation using the Illusion Mirror. Yuan Wei revealed everything he knew, but was completely unaware of anything else. Even the mysterious ring had mysteriously disappeared after the revenge plan was completed, so it was of little use as it could not provide any further clues.

However, due to the wide-ranging and profound impact of the case, the three judicial authorities jointly determined that Yuan Wei had committed four serious crimes—practicing evil cultivation techniques, cannibalizing humans, conspiring with demons to kill Song Yubai, and falsely framing an official of the imperial court—and sentenced him to death by beheading at Caishikou as a warning to others.

The School Affairs Department acted swiftly, launching a larger-scale investigation under the pretext of cracking down on the demon race that used secret techniques to wreak havoc on the human world.

"Little cat, thank you!" Ling Qiye came down from the courtroom and found the little demon cat squatting and dozing in the courtyard with its hands in its pockets. He bowed deeply and said, "If it weren't for your help, I would still be imprisoned and unable to protect myself, let alone clear my name and have the opportunity to seek justice for my friend!"

Jiang Chen lazily opened her eyes and stretched. "Meow~ Wasn't the case already over? Why are the procedures so slow? I'm getting sleepy waiting."

He touched his nose and chuckled awkwardly, "The real culprit hasn't been found yet. In order to make the world believe that the hedgehog demon can bewitch an eighth-level expert and kill a sixth-level boxer, we need to find a suitable reason."

But it's all sorted out now. Hopefully, it will create some confusion and lower the guard of the mastermind. And that mysterious ring... the deputy director has tried many times but hasn't been able to find any clues. Tracing it is going to be incredibly difficult..."

Before he could finish speaking, the fluffy little creature, who was taking the opportunity to pet its host, suddenly looked up at the sky and screamed in alarm, "Host, look! What's that?!"

Jiang Chen immediately became alert and on high alert, but when he looked up, the blue sky and white clouds were clearly calm and peaceful, so there was nothing unusual about it.

"It's pitch black and I don't know what kind of medium it is!" The little white cat, its fur standing on end and looking like it was about to explode in fright, cried out, "Meow~ Host, can't you see it? It's coming! It's charging at me!"

In the blink of an eye, the fluffy little thing screamed and burrowed under his small body, curling up and trembling in the protection of his belly fur. "Waaah~ This is too scary, I'm going to report this to the main system!"

Before it could finish speaking, Jiang Chen, still bewildered, saw that Ling Qiye, standing opposite him, seemed to be drawn in by some kind of dazzling protagonist aura.

This scene is hard to describe. It's like a glowing jelly being forcibly sucked on. After a two-second standoff, Ling Qiye's aura dimmed, and the other part of the aura disappeared.

"I...I saw it!" The little white cat, curled up in his belly fur in some unknown position, said in a trembling voice, "That dark thing, like mist, like rain, like wind, suddenly floated over and turned into a huge hand, grabbed the protagonist's halo and dragged it away! Then, just like when it came, it floated a few times and disappeared immediately."

"Host, it seems we've found the secret—the root cause of the protagonist's halo disappearing is that black medium!"

"Achoo!" Ling Qiye was still rubbing his nose, pondering where to begin investigating the real culprit behind Song Yubai's murder, when he suddenly felt a chill and involuntarily shivered.

Jiang Chen meowed with a serious expression, "I have some urgent business to attend to. You can try investigating the collapsed house again; perhaps you can find some clues."

As usual, let's meet at the Yuelai Inn's premium room at noon tonight!

The protagonist's halo has been exploited again. According to the law of conservation of halo, there will definitely be another wild pseudo-chosen one. He needs to find a quiet place to check if the scroll has been updated.

In any case, according to the Book of Prophecy, Ling Qiye will not be affected for the time being. Although no real culprit can be found, he will not be abandoned by his friends and family or be in danger.

"Host, the fur on your belly is so warm and soft, it feels so good!" The fluffy little ball quickly caught up, rubbing against the fur and saying sweetly, "When you have time, lie down and let me touch your belly!"

Jiang Chen, in his kitten form, rolled his eyes and meowed, "My protagonist halo has been stolen again. Let's get down to business!"

"Meow~" The little white cat lowered its head and muttered softly, "I've already reported it, but you can't see me and I don't dare to confront you directly. What other options do I have?"

He couldn't help but wonder, "Yeah, when you saw that black, unidentified medium taking advantage of the protagonist's aura, why didn't you go up and scratch it?"

This isn't like you at all. You used to love to just grab something without any real chance, like a kitten trying to catch the moon. Were you scared just now? Why didn't you dare reach out and grab it?

Chapter Nineteen: The Big Villain is a Ring Wholesaler, Meow?

The fluffy little dumpling raised its face, blinked its big, watery blue eyes, and said in a wronged tone, "Host, I dare not! That thing is super scary, I'm just too afraid."

Is a giant hand formed from a mass of black medium really that terrifying?

Jiang Chen had a question mark in his mind, but since he hadn't seen the real situation, he couldn't judge how scary the cat was. So much so that even the little white cat, who always ate and drank for free and waited to win without lifting a finger, and was fearless because of the system's immortality, didn't dare to try to steal it.

"Sure enough, the scroll has been updated." He nimbly hopped to a secluded corner, took out the scroll from his system space, and opened it. The situation of the new wild pseudo-chosen ones slowly appeared on it.

This is a more clichéd story about a boy from a remote mountain village who unexpectedly gains a kind of old grandfather and soars to great heights, starting with the annulment of his engagement.