TEFSCBSS Chapter 127

Chapter 127: Su Li Goes Missing

The bookstore was in the middle of a ritual, and the crowd watching was thoroughly entertained. Whether it was the work of a murderer or actual supernatural forces, today’s events were enough to give them stories to tell for a lifetime.

Not that anyone was heartless or unconcerned—someone even went to the local yamen to ask if someone had been killed or if someone had committed a crime under the guise of the event.

The official response? “It’s part of the event. Enjoy yourselves—uh, we mean, continue solving the mystery.”

Well then. Since the authorities confirmed it was staged, no matter how persuasive Wang Bokao was, everyone just treated his analysis as entertainment.

The bookstore owner, on the other hand, wasn’t interested in explanations. He just kept urging Master Wuzhen and his monks to carry out the ritual.

He wasn’t stupid. With this many people around, the more dramatic the scene, the better. The more attention it drew, the more buzz it would create. Down the road, whenever people talked about this mysterious event, they’d definitely bring up the strange incident at his bookstore.

It was, after all, the first crime scene.

That alone gave it a legendary status!

And once it had that reputation, how could people resist coming to visit? With more visitors came more customers—and more money.

So, the money he spent hiring Wuzhen and the others? Every penny was worth it.

On the surface, the bookstore owner wore a worried expression. But inside, he was thrilled.

Just as the ritual was wrapping up and everyone was getting ready to leave, a familiar, bone-chilling cry pierced through the air.

Everyone turned toward the door.

Hey—isn’t that Spring Bud, the actress who always plays the ghost at the script store?

Why’s she crying like that?

A few fans of Spring Bud rushed out from the crowd, a group of girls quickly surrounding her, all anxiously asking what happened.

Spring Bud finally found people, breathed a sigh of relief, and after catching her breath, she blurted out the news:

“The boss—Su Li—she’s missing! Hurry, come with me!”

What?

Su Li was missing?

Everyone was stunned. Han Yueyi immediately dropped everything and ran, abandoning the Jin Kingdom envoy group without a second thought.

Wang Bokao was a little worried too, but seeing Han Yueyi’s reaction, he secretly felt a bit pleased. Hah—Su Li’s just gone missing. She’s always got those retired soldiers with her, so it’s probably just part of the event, right?

But hey, if Old Han performs well in this crisis, wouldn’t that bring him one step closer to winning Su Li’s heart?

He quickly ran after him, but just as he was about to step over the threshold, someone nearly bowled him over.

That person darted forward with a few swift steps, leapt onto the rooftop, and sped in a straight line across the rooftops toward the script store.

Wait—that guy in black with the sword? The one who’s always acting all mysterious and cool? What’s he rushing for?

Don’t tell me… he likes Su Li too?

A potential rival in love?!

The moment that thought hit, Wang Bokao felt a sudden surge of energy in his legs. As Han Yueyi’s best bro, he had to help him defeat this threat!

Who does this mysterious guy think he is, daring to go after the woman they grew up with?

Dream on!

The crowd quickly followed out of the bookstore, leaving only the bookstore owner and a few from the Jin Kingdom delegation.

The owner was a bit embarrassed. “Uh… you guys aren’t leaving? I was about to close up. I wanna go see what’s happening too, so… can you, uh, move along?”

The expression on Chang Ting’s face darkened.

In the past few days of gathering intel, she’d learned about Han Yueyi. Among all the eligible princes, he was the weakest—no noble mother, no powerful family. He was the easiest to control.

Even though he had a fiancée, word had it the engagement was with a fake noble daughter—the same one who ran the script store.

Just a merchant’s daughter. No competition at all.

If she expressed even the slightest interest in marrying Han Yueyi, she was sure the emperor wouldn’t say no.

But now… Did Han Yueyi actually care about Su Li?

A cold glint flashed in Chang Ting’s eyes.

A love interest? Not a problem—as long as she’s dead.

Beside her, Zhou Jin silently watched. Just a few glances, and she already guessed what Chang Ting was thinking.

Hmph. This Chang Ting—she’s more her type than Su Yao. Obstacles? Kill them. Simple as that.

She coldly watched as Chang Ting whispered orders to her guards, even offering up everything she knew about Su Li’s habits.

Meanwhile, the man in black was the first to arrive at the script store, but just as he was about to enter, Zhao Si blocked his way.

“Are you a participant?” he asked.

The man in black nodded.

But Zhao Si didn’t let him in. “Sorry, you’ll need to wait. The others haven’t returned yet.”

More importantly, Zhao Si didn’t trust him—he didn’t know this guy.

The swordsman frowned and was about to force his way in, but Han Yueyi arrived just in time.

Though Han’s martial arts weren’t bad, he still wasn’t quite a match for the swordsman.

He looked at him suspiciously—how did this guy get here so fast? But his worry for Su Li outweighed his curiosity. He rushed up to Zhao Si, desperate for answers.

Seeing a familiar face—and Su Li’s close friend—Zhao Si finally relaxed a bit. He quickly stepped aside and let Han Yueyi in.

The swordsman: “…Seriously? That’s the standard?”

Zhao Si led them into the “Locust Tree Village” setting of the script store. “This is the place. Our boss usually naps in this little coffin. There weren’t many players today, so she decided to lie down for a while. But when lunchtime came around, she still hadn’t come out.”

“Spring Bud and I searched everywhere, but there was no sign of her. And you know the layout—this set doesn’t have any windows leading outside.”

“If the boss wanted to leave Locust Tree Village, she’d have to go through the front hall. And to leave the script store entirely, she’d have to go through the main door.”

“Two exits! Both watched by me and Spring Bud. No one went in or out. We never saw her leave!”

“After you all split up to complete your tasks this morning, we’ve been here the whole time. We didn’t see a thing!”

“And now? The boss is just gone!”

The more he spoke, the more flustered Zhao Si became. He couldn’t tell if this was still part of the game—or if Su Li was truly missing. Why didn’t she at least give them a heads-up?

While he explained, the rest of the group finally arrived at the script store.

Number Five looked grim. “This… is another locked-room scenario.”

Number Two nodded. “Exactly. A space no one entered or exited—classic locked-room case.”

Some of the others didn’t quite understand. “Wait—what do you mean?”

“A locked room isn’t just a closed-off space like the bookstore’s firewood room earlier,” Number Two said, pointing to the Locust Tree Village set.

“A place like this, where the doors are wide open but witnesses confirm that no one passed through—or there’s other evidence proving no one entered or exited—is also considered a locked room.”

“Looks like we’re up against a true master of the locked-room mystery. Someone who knows what they’re doing.”

Number Five nodded in agreement.

Wang Bokao chimed in excitedly, “So what you’re saying is… the real culprit is someone else entirely? Not anyone who was just at the bookstore?”

Everyone immediately slapped their thighs in realization.

Of course!

They’d suspected the bookstore incident was caused by someone in the crowd—maybe someone had burned the painting on the spot.

But the bookstore event happened first, and nobody left. Then the script store incident happened right after.

That means… the real culprit wasn’t in that group at all.