Xue Yunxue stood silently in the middle of the ruined room.
Confusion and anger mixed together inside her chest.
Her relationship with Bai Ling had never been good.
But she had never intended to kill that girl.
The only real conflict between them had come from Eyen, Bai Ling's beast husband—the white crocodile man who had once tried to kidnap her and even attempted to kill her with a mutant potion.
Did Eyen know something?
Yunxue could not ignore the strange detail in the surveillance footage.
This was the residence of an important official.
Yet in the recording… not a single servant could be seen.
The thought had just crossed her mind when Lin Yuan suddenly lifted his head.
His spiritual energy spread outward like invisible ripples.
A few seconds later he spoke calmly.
"It seems they're getting impatient."
Everyone turned to him.
Lin Yuan pointed outside.
"A group of beastfolk is heading this way."
"There are quite a lot of them."
Yun Wu growled softly.
"They found us quickly."
Xiang Shuai narrowed his eyes.
"There are more than a hundred of them," Lin Yuan added.
The room fell silent again.
Yun Wu looked at Yunxue.
"Xue'er, you should hide now."
Xiang Shuai also turned toward her.
"Do you want to return to the tomb's spatial world?"
But Yunxue immediately shook her head.
"No."
Her voice was firm.
"I'm innocent."
"If I run away now…"
"it would be the same as admitting I really killed Bai Ling."
She raised her head.
Her gaze turned cold.
"I will not run."
Lu Xiao, standing beside her, nodded slightly.
"Then we will stay here."
His eyes swept across the room.
"We will protect you."
A few minutes later—
heavy footsteps sounded outside.
Boots crunching through the snow.
Weapons clashing.
Their house had been surrounded.
Xue Yunxue and her five beast husbands stepped outside into the courtyard.
White snow covered the ground.
But surrounding the house—
more than a hundred beastfolk stood in a circle.
Spears, swords, and various weapons were pointed directly at the six of them.
At the front of the formation stood a tall man with an oppressive aura.
Tiger ears.
Sharp fangs.
His face was flushed from both the cold air and burning anger.
Bai Zhou, the Mayor of Wulong City.
His gaze locked instantly onto Xue Yunxue.
"You finally appeared."
His voice was heavy with hatred.
"You are under arrest for the proven murder of my daughter."
"Bai Ling."
A killing aura slowly spread from his body.
"You will be put on trial."
"And after that…"
"…executed."
Snow continued falling between them.
But Xue Yunxue stood calmly.
"Mayor Bai Zhou."
Her voice was calm—almost cold.
"I don't understand what you mean."
"For the past half month I've been in Shelua."
She gestured toward the men behind her.
"My five beast husbands are witnesses."
Bai Zhou snorted coldly.
"The surveillance footage does not lie."
"All the cameras show that you entered Bai Ling's residence."
"And shortly afterward…"
His face reddened even more.
"My daughter was found dead in her room."
He pointed at Yunxue with a trembling finger.
"There is even footage showing you leaving her room with a blood-stained sword!"
Some of the beastfolk behind him began whispering.
But suddenly—
Lu Xiao stepped forward slightly.
His gaze was as cold as ice.
"Mayor Bai Zhou."
"Do you really think someone who plans to commit murder would be foolish enough… to show their face clearly on surveillance cameras?"
The question made several of Bai Zhou's men exchange glances.
One beastfolk murmured quietly,
"That's true…"
"If I wanted to kill someone, I wouldn't let my face be recorded so clearly."
A few people began to hesitate.
But suddenly—
"SILENCE!"
Bai Zhou roared.
A powerful tiger aura exploded from his body.
"I don't care!"
"My daughter is dead!"
"And the only person seen at the scene… is this girl!"
His gaze burned with hatred.
"I only want revenge!"
The atmosphere instantly became tense again.
Then another voice sounded.
Soft.
But slightly hoarse.
"Surrender."
Everyone turned.
A tall man stepped out from the soldiers' ranks.
His skin was pale.
His eyes narrow like a reptile's.
His white hair blended into the falling snow behind him.
Eyen.
One of Bai Ling's beast husbands.
He looked at Yunxue with an unreadable expression.
"If you surrender now…"
"perhaps your death will be easier."
Xue Yunxue looked calmly at the man's face.
But the longer she observed him—
the stranger her feeling became.
Hadn't this man just lost his partner?
Yet Eyen's face…
showed not the slightest trace of grief.
No sorrow.
No rage.
He looked far too calm.
A bad feeling slowly rose in Yunxue's heart.
Her gaze sharpened.
Something was wrong with Eyen.
And suddenly a thought appeared in her mind.
Could it be…
that this man knew something?
Or even worse—
was involved in Bai Ling's death?
------------------------------
Snow continued to fall slowly in the courtyard.
The air was filled with tension.
Dozens of beastfolk stared at Xue Yunxue, as if waiting for a single word before attacking her.
But suddenly Xiang Shuai stepped slightly forward.
His expression looked relaxed, yet his eyes were sharp.
"Mayor Bai Zhou…"
Everyone turned to him.
"Have you ever heard of the forbidden technique of the Chameleon Lizard Clan?"
Several people immediately frowned.
Bai Zhou also looked slightly surprised.
"I heard," Xiang Shuai continued calmly,
"that clan possesses the ability to change their faces to perfectly resemble other people."
Those words made several people glance at one another.
Xue Yunxue and her four other husbands were also surprised. Yunxue clearly had no idea what the Chameleon Lizard Clan was, but her beast husbands had all heard of them at least once.
Bai Zhou frowned.
"I have heard rumors about that clan," he said slowly.
"But that clan disappeared fifteen years ago."
"No one has seen them again… much less their forbidden techniques."
He looked at Xiang Shuai sharply.
"Your words do not match the facts."
But before Xiang Shuai could reply—
Luo Shixin finally spoke.
Until now he had only stood silently, observing everyone in the courtyard.
"What if…"
"some members of that clan survived?"
His gaze swept across the crowd.
"That possibility always exists."
The courtyard fell silent again.
Bai Zhou looked displeased.
"General Luo."
"I have never had any conflict with that clan. In fact, I have never even met one of them."
"So why would they kill my daughter?"
His tone became slightly stiff.
"I know you are this girl's partner."
"But as a Grand General, you should act fairly."
"Protect the innocent… and punish the guilty."
His words sounded like a reprimand.
But everyone knew—
he was actually restrained by Luo Shixin's status.
In Wulong City, nearly half of the military power was in the hands of the Luo Family.
He could not treat the man too harshly.
Bai Zhou also glanced briefly at Xiang Shuai.
He was still somewhat wary of the man's identity as a prince of the Shelua Empire.
However, rumors from Shelua had already spread.
The new emperor did not favor his youngest brother.
Which meant—
Xiang Shuai no longer had imperial support.
He was no longer someone to be feared.
Luo Shixin looked at Bai Zhou expressionlessly.
"That's correct."
"I will punish the guilty."
"But right now…"
He pointed at Yunxue.
"Xue Yunxue has a very strong alibi."
"She has been in Shelua for the past half month."
"It is impossible for her to travel between Shelua and Wulong City within a single day just to kill Bai Ling."
Some people began whispering.
But Bai Zhou remained stubborn.
"Even so."
"She is still the only suspect."
"I must detain her."
His gaze turned sharp.
"If not, she could escape at any time."
Xue Yunxue shook her head slightly.
This situation was indeed difficult.
All the evidence currently pointed toward her.
But before she could say anything—
Luo Shixin stepped forward.
A cold aura burst from his body.
His gaze became extremely sharp.
"I will not allow my partner…"
"…to stay in a filthy and cold prison."
His voice carried immense pressure.
"After all…"
"she is a member of the Luo Family."
He stared at Bai Zhou without blinking.
"And the Luo Family is the greatest supporter of Emperor Yanhuo."
A faint aura of brutality spread from his body.
The pressure caused several beastfolk behind Bai Zhou to step back half a step.
Bai Zhou clenched his teeth.
He was clearly unhappy.
But he could not oppose him directly.
After several seconds—
he finally spoke in a heavy tone.
"Fine."
"I will not imprison her."
But his gaze fell on Yunxue again.
"However, this girl is not allowed to leave this house."
"If she steps outside even once…"
"I will not be responsible for what happens next."
In other words—
Xue Yunxue was now under house arrest in Wulong City.
Bai Zhou then turned and left in anger.
Eyen followed behind him, his brows furrowed as if deep in thought.
Some of the soldiers began to withdraw.
The troops surrounding the house gradually dispersed.
However, several guards remained stationed around the residence.
Watching their every movement.
Xue Yunxue stood quietly in the snow-covered courtyard.
She had officially become a prisoner in her own home.
But her gaze slowly sharpened.
She knew one thing.
Someone had arranged this trap with extreme precision.
And if she did not find the mastermind soon—
her name would be completely destroyed.
She had to find the culprit.
And capture them.
---------------------------------
Luxury Apartment Building – Wulong City Center
Eyen's carriage stopped in front of a tall building rising in the heart of Wulong City.
The structure was far more luxurious than the surrounding residences. Its glass walls reflected the lights of the city that had begun to glow beneath the slowly falling snow.
Eyen stepped out of the vehicle without saying a word to his guards.
He walked straight into the lobby.
The guards there immediately bowed respectfully.
The crystal elevator in the center of the hall opened quietly.
Eyen stepped inside.
The elevator rose swiftly.
A few seconds later—
the top floor.
The elevator doors opened directly into a spacious penthouse apartment.
The moment the doors opened—
a girl ran toward him.
Without hesitation, she threw her arms around him.
"Where have you been?"
"I thought you weren't coming today."
Her voice sounded soft and coquettish.
That girl was—
Xuxu.
Eyen did not appear surprised.
He simply smiled faintly and returned the embrace.
"They've already come back," he said calmly. "So I had to accompany the mayor to capture Xue Yunxue."
Xuxu lifted her head.
Her eyes sparkled.
"Really? Has she been captured?"
Eyen chuckled softly.
"It's only a matter of time."
Xuxu smiled.
But behind that smile—
there was something cold hidden within it.
--------------------------------------
Let us return to fourteen days earlier.
Rage filled Xuxu's heart.
Her eyes were red with anger and humiliation.
Bai Ling.
That girl had truly set her up.
Using Gang Zhu, that disgusting old pig.
Her dignity had been trampled without mercy. Disgust and hatred surged through her entire body.
She had almost lost control that night.
But one thing she was certain of—
Bai Ling had to pay.
After killing Gang Zhu—
Xuxu returned to the residence that Yun Wu had given her.
She washed herself again and again.
Cold water flowed over her skin until it turned red.
She even used a special potion to remove the scent of dried blood clinging to her body.
After making sure not even the faintest smell remained—
she went to the city wall construction site the next morning.
Her goal was simple.
Yun Wu.
But when she arrived—
one of the supervisors delivered news that immediately darkened her expression.
"The husbands of Xue Yunxue aren't here."
"General Luo Shixin has already returned to the capital."
"The others also left a few days ago."
"We don't know where they went."
Xuxu gritted her teeth.
Damn it.
She had arrived too late.
She left the place with heavy steps.
On the road back—
she encountered the person she least wanted to see.
Bai Ling.
Along with several followers.
The moment Bai Ling saw Xuxu—
a mocking smile immediately appeared on her face.
"Oh?"
"So you can still walk."
She looked Xuxu up and down with a contemptuous gaze.
"I thought after your hot night with Gang Zhu, you'd be bedridden for days."
"But instead, you came here to flirt with other men."
Her followers immediately laughed.
"What? Gang Zhu?"
"Her taste is truly terrible."
"How could Yun Wu know a girl like this?"
"She looks so rustic."
"And dirty."
"Maybe she came from the mountains."
Each word was like a blade stabbing into Xuxu's pride.
Her hands clenched into fists.
Her eyes burned with hatred.
She desperately wanted to kill Bai Ling right there.
But she restrained herself.
Not yet.
She turned and walked away.
Behind her—
Bai Ling's mocking laughter still echoed.
Xuxu paused briefly.
She glanced back slightly.
Her gaze was cold as ice.
"I will repay everything…"
"I will demand revenge a hundredfold."
Then she disappeared into a narrow alley.
A few seconds later—
her body began to change.
The skin of her face rippled like water.
Her bone structure slowly shifted.
Within seconds—
Xuxu's face had transformed into Bai Ling's.
As one of the surviving members of the Chameleon Clan, she had mastered the art of changing faces. After seeing someone's face clearly once, she could transform into them perfectly.
That was one of the abilities that had allowed her to survive until now.
She smiled in satisfaction at her reflection in a shop window.
With Bai Ling's identity—
she could do many things.
She would take revenge on that girl slowly.
And when Noctar attacked the city, she would torture Bai Ling and turn her into a prostitute inside the prison.
She had already learned that Mayor Bai Zhou spoiled his daughter endlessly.
Every shop in the city had been ordered to fulfill Bai Ling's wishes.
And that day—
Xuxu used that privilege.
She entered various luxury stores.
Taking expensive clothes.
Jewelry.
And many valuable items.
The shop owners could only force smiles.
One of them whispered after she left.
"If this continues…"
"I'll go bankrupt."
Another whispered in confusion.
"Why is the Mayor's daughter shopping today while wearing such shabby clothes?"
"I don't know…"
"Maybe it's just an excuse to get new clothes."
Xuxu carried out her deception with complete confidence.
She walked out of the last shop holding several boxes of expensive jewelry.
The shop owners could only bow their heads and swallow their complaints.
No one dared oppose the Mayor's daughter.
But Xuxu didn't realize that since earlier—
a pair of eyes had been watching her.
She entered a quiet narrow alley between buildings.
After making sure no one was around—
her face began to change.
Her skin moved slowly like water.
Within seconds, Bai Ling's face disappeared.
Her true face returned—
Xuxu.
She was about to leave.
Suddenly—
a pair of hands grabbed her wrist.
"Are you planning to leave just like that after stealing so much?"
Xuxu froze and turned around.
A young man stood behind her.
His hair was silver-white.
His face was handsome.
And the faint smile on his lips looked gentle—but meaningful.
His sharp gaze made it seem as though he understood everything.
For a moment, Xuxu was even slightly captivated.
"What do you mean, sir?" she asked innocently.
"Stealing? I didn't steal anything."
The man chuckled softly.
"Didn't you just use Bai Ling's identity to take clothes and jewelry from several shops?"
Xuxu stiffened.
"Who are you?"
The man answered casually.
"I am Eyen."
"One of Bai Ling's beast husbands."
Xuxu's heart began to pound.
But she quickly calmed herself and started acting.
"I did all of this because I'm angry," she said with a trembling voice.
"Bai Ling has bullied me cruelly for so long."
Tears welled in her eyes.
"I'm just an orphan alone in this city… even Yun Wu ignores me."
"I have no one."
She looked at Eyen with watery eyes.
"If you let me go… Xuxu will be very grateful."
Her face looked pitiful.
For most men, such a sight would soften their hearts.
But Eyen was not fooled.
Behind his smile, his mind was calculating.
This girl clearly belonged to the Chameleon Clan.
Her face-changing ability was extremely useful.
He had no intention of exposing her.
Instead—
he planned to use her.
So he played along.
"You are a very unfortunate girl," he said gently.
"You came all this way, yet Yun Wu ignores you and Bai Ling bullies you."
He looked at her with apparent sympathy.
"Then come with me."
"I will give you protection."
Xuxu's eyes narrowed slightly.
This felt like a trap.
But she had no choice.
Reluctantly, she followed Eyen.
She thought he might hand her over to the city guards.
But instead—
Eyen brought her to a luxurious penthouse apartment in the center of Wulong City.
Xuxu was stunned by the place.
From the huge window upstairs, she could see the entire city spread beneath her.
"Stay here," Eyen said casually.
"This is my private residence."
"Even Bai Ling doesn't know about this place."
Xuxu slowly nodded.
Her guard gradually lowered.
From that day on—
she lived in the penthouse with Eyen.
Time passed.
Eyen slowly confirmed his suspicions.
He asked Xuxu to transform into different people.
A merchant.
A servant.
Even a city guard.
Every transformation was perfect.
Without the slightest flaw.
Eyen's eyes gleamed.
This ability could truly be used for his plan.
One night—
Eyen returned to the apartment in a shocking state.
His body was covered with whip wounds.
His white clothes were torn and soaked in blood.
Xuxu was immediately startled.
"What happened?" she asked anxiously.
"Who did this to you?"
Eyen smiled bitterly.
"I slightly offended the Mayor's daughter."
"And she punished me."
He gently wiped the tears from Xuxu's face.
"You are very gentle and kind."
"Very different from her."
The compliment made Xuxu blush.
This man was not as handsome as Yun Wu.
But he treated her kindly and gently.
Unlike Yun Wu's coldness.
Unlike Noctar's cruelty.
After living with Eyen for several days, Xuxu began to feel safe and cared for.
She even began to think—
perhaps this man truly liked her.
Xuxu helped apply medicine to the wounds on Eyen's body.
His body was white and muscular.
She almost swallowed nervously while looking at him.
"Bai Ling is so cruel," Xuxu said angrily.
"I want to kill her to avenge us."
Eyen looked at her for a long moment.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"I think I can find a way to kill Bai Ling."
"But I cannot do it alone."
"I need your help."
Xuxu immediately answered without hesitation.
"Of course I'll help you!"
"What should I do?"
The corner of Eyen's lips lifted slightly.
His eyes glowed with satisfaction.
That night—
he arranged everything.
The servants in Bai Ling's residence were deliberately kept busy in the back courtyard.
The front gate guards were intentionally left absent.
Meanwhile—
Xuxu changed her face.
But not into Bai Ling.
She transformed into Xue Yunxue.
With a perfectly identical face—
she infiltrated Bai Ling's room without difficulty.
Eyen had already placed sleeping medicine in Bai Ling's food.
When Xuxu entered—
Bai Ling was already unconscious.
A few minutes later—
Xuxu walked out of the room with a sword covered in blood.
She walked through the corridor.
Then stopped directly in front of the surveillance camera.
With Xue Yunxue's face—
she looked straight at the camera.
And smiled wickedly.
Bai Ling was dead.
And at the same time—
Xue Yunxue had been framed.
Two people who stood in her way had been eliminated at once.
Now only she remained.
The one who would stand beside Yun Wu.
Noctar had indeed told her to deliver the girl to him.
But he had never said—
whether the girl had to be alive or dead.
Xuxu smiled coldly.
Handing Xue Yunxue's corpse to Noctar…
should be enough, right?