I manage female characters in all the heavens.

That was the "Demon Extermination Monument" erected when the Demon Extermination Alliance set up its monument. It was inscribed with the alliance's oath and a list of participating forces.

But now, there was something else on the stone tablet, or rather, a corpse.

That was a man dressed in a black robe and wearing a silver iron mask, a man whom everyone had become very familiar with and respected over the past two weeks—Gongzi Yu!

A long sword pierced through Gongzi Yu's chest, pinning him to the top of the tall stone tablet.

Blood slid down the stone tablet, flowing slowly along the deeply engraved characters on it, staining the two large characters "Destroy Demons" crimson.

The blood had dried, forming a large pool of dark red at the foot of the stone tablet, dazzlingly bright in the morning sunlight.

"Your Highness, Young Master Yu!!!"

The servant disciple's voice finally escaped his throat.

In a short moment, the entire headquarters of the Demon Extermination Alliance exploded like a lake surface tossed with a giant rock.

Countless people flocked to the training ground from all directions, and when they saw the corpse on the stone tablet, they were all stunned.

The air seemed to freeze at that moment, and even the wind stopped blowing.

The camp, where tens of thousands of people had gathered, fell into a deathly silence.

Who is Gongzi Yu?

That was the mysterious and unpredictable leader of the Azure Dragon Society, a peerless master who could rival Yan Nantian at his peak!

He had only been with the Demon Extermination Alliance for half a month, but he had won everyone's respect with his profound martial arts knowledge, humble and composed demeanor, and selfless treatment of Yan Nantian.

As soon as Gongzi Yu arrived at the alliance, he spent three consecutive days healing Yan Nantian. Each time, he would continue to practice his internal energy for more than half a day, and each time he would be so exhausted that he would be weak and cough up blood.

He even took out his own unique divine medicine, the "Azure Golden Pill," without hesitation to restore Yan Nantian's power. There were ten of them!

Who would kill someone like that? And who could possibly kill him?!

Lu Zhongyuan, who had rushed over, stood under the stone tablet, looking up at the corpse nailed ten feet high, his hands trembling slightly.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found that his throat seemed to be blocked by something, and he couldn't utter a single word.

After a long silence, he managed to squeeze out a few words through gritted teeth, his voice so hoarse it was almost unrecognizable: "Put...put Your Excellency down."

Someone responded and stepped forward, using their lightness skill to leap onto the stone tablet, carefully pulling out the long sword that had pierced Gongzi Yu's chest.

He recognized the sword as Young Master Yu's personal sword, with the faint characters "Azure Dragon" engraved on it.

As soon as the sword was pulled out, the remaining blood gushed out again, staining the man's hands red and everyone's eyes red as well.

The body was slowly lowered and laid flat on the prepared white cloth.

Lu Zhongyuan stepped forward, squatted down, and carefully examined Gongzi Yu's injuries.

The sword pierced the heart with pinpoint accuracy, killing instantly without leaving any extra wounds; the clean and swift execution was chilling.

“Such a fast sword…such a ruthless sword…” Lu Zhongyuan’s voice was low and trembling.

The corpse's mask was removed, and everyone finally saw Gongzi Yu's face, which had been hidden under the mask all along.

Just as I imagined, he was handsome and dashing, a real heartthrob. His face matched perfectly with the lower half of his face that I saw when he first came to the Demon Extermination Alliance and was drinking with them.

Lu Zhongyuan closed his eyes in pain, his last glimmer of hope completely shattered.

Without a doubt, this really is Gongzi Yu!

He reached out and gently closed Gongzi Yu's still-open eyes, then raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the crowd surrounding him, his voice suddenly rising:

"Seal off the entire area! From this moment forward, no one is permitted to enter or leave the Alliance headquarters!"

"Not only that, but we must immediately launch an investigation to find the real culprit who murdered the young master and give the Azure Dragon Society an explanation." A cold voice rang out.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Mingyue Xin standing at the edge of the crowd.

She still wore that white jade mask, her eyes calm and undisturbed, as if the scene before her was no different from any other ordinary sight.

“If the young master gets into trouble with the Demon Extermination Alliance and cannot be given a proper explanation as soon as possible, I will go on a killing spree,” Mingyue Xin said again, her tone indifferent.

Lu Zhongyuan frowned slightly, about to speak, when he saw Mingyue Xin turn around and walk slowly toward her room.

Her back remained straight, and her steps were still composed, showing no sign of having just lost her closest loved one.

"Why isn't Mingyue Xin sad at all?"

"Isn't Lord Gongzi Yu her confidant? Why is she acting this way?"

"This reaction is too abnormal, isn't it? Are all the members of the Azure Dragon Society, except for Young Master Yu, heartless monsters like this?"

Quiet murmurs spread through the crowd.

As Lu Zhongyuan watched Mingyue Xin's departing figure, his brows furrowed deeper and deeper.

But he didn't have time to think about this problem at the moment; his top priority was to find clues about the murderer as soon as possible.

"Everyone, listen up!" Lu Zhongyuan stood up, his voice booming throughout the entire area.

"Who was the last to see Young Master Yu? Did you hear anything unusual last night? Patrol team, did you find anything in the direction of the training ground last night? Everyone, think carefully, and report any clues immediately!"

However, everyone looked at each other blankly, and no one could offer any useful information.

Gongzi Yu's martial arts skills are unparalleled; there are very few people in the Demon Extermination Alliance who can exchange more than three blows with him.

If someone were to attempt to assassinate him, not only would it go unnoticed, but he could also be impaled on a ten-zhang-high stone tablet...

That's simply impossible!

Unless, of course, the murderer is someone he knows very well and is completely unsuspecting of.

Suddenly, the image of Mingyue Xin's overly calm eyes flashed through Lu Zhongyuan's mind.

He shook his head violently, forcibly suppressing the guess.

Without evidence, we cannot draw conclusions rashly.

The most important thing now is to find concrete clues, not to make wild guesses.

Just then, a figure stumbled and squeezed through the crowd.

It's a little fish.

His face was deathly pale, his lips trembled, and his eyes were fixed on the lifeless corpse on the white sheet. He seemed to have lost his soul as he staggered to Gongzi Yu's side.

"Master...Master..." Xiaoyuer's voice was hoarse and trembling.

He reached out and touched Gongzi Yu's already cold palm, then abruptly withdrew his hand as if burned.

"No...this isn't true...didn't you say...that you'd take me as your disciple after we got rid of that demon, Sun Reflection...?"

Little Fish's voice grew softer and softer until it almost turned into a sob.

He knelt beside Gongzi Yu's corpse, head bowed, shoulders trembling slightly.

For the first time in his life, someone had been so kind to him. Although they were sharp-tongued, they had given him the warmth of a father. But now that warmth had suddenly turned cold and shattered...

The people around him remained silent, and no one stepped forward to comfort him.

Everyone knows that Xiaoyuer has been spending the most time with Gongzi Yu over the past two weeks.

This boy from the Valley of Villains, though always smiling and cynical, yearns for recognition and acceptance more than anyone else deep down.

Gongzi Yu gave him this opportunity.

For the past two weeks, Gongzi Yu has spent one or two hours almost every day instructing Xiaoyuer in martial arts, never getting tired of it or being perfunctory.

Even last night, someone saw Xiaoyuer and Gongzi Yu sitting on the hillside outside the camp, chatting until late at night.

The words Gongzi Yu spoke to Xiaoyuer under the starry sky that night still echoed in his ears:

"You have exceptional talent, one in a million, but unfortunately you've wasted too much time."

"After Yingri is eliminated, if you are still willing to become my disciple, I will accept you as a nominal disciple and give you a chance to be filial to me."

Xiaoyuer laughed like a fool, repeatedly saying "I'm willing, I'm willing," and even said that he would treat Gongzi Yu to the best wine and the most delicious meat in the future.

But now, Gongzi Yu has become a cold corpse.

Little Fish suddenly raised his head, his eyes red-rimmed, but he stubbornly refused to let the tears fall.

He stood up, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding crowd, his voice trembling with barely suppressed anger: "Where is Mingyue Xin? Where is she?!"

Everyone was taken aback.

"They were just here a moment ago, but it seems they went back to their room."

Why are you asking this?

Without saying a word, Xiaoyuer turned around and rushed towards Mingyuexin's room.

But after only a few steps, a large hand pressed down on his shoulder.

"Little Fish!" Du Sha appeared behind him without him noticing, a hint of solemnity on his usually cold face.

Xiaoyuer abruptly shook off Du Sha's hand, turned around, and stared at him and everyone else present with bloodshot eyes:

"Didn't you all notice? Master is dead, but that woman Mingyue Xin didn't shed a single tear, and she didn't even care about Master's body, just went back to her room!"

"What's so strange about that? Some people don't show their sadness when they are sad."

"No! That's not how it is!" Little Fish's voice became even sharper.

"Master's martial arts are unparalleled; there are very few in the entire Demon Extermination Alliance who can rival him! Who could kill him silently?"

Du Sha frowned: "You mean..."

"It must have been an attack by someone we know! And their martial arts skills must be extremely high, otherwise they wouldn't even have had the chance to launch a sneak attack!"

Xiaoyuer said slowly and deliberately, "Uncle Yan's skills haven't recovered yet, and Mingyue Xin is the only one who fits the criteria! She also has a motive!"

"What was the motive?" someone couldn't help but ask.

Little Fish's eyes practically spitting fire: "Master, if the Great Dragon Leader dies, won't the Second Dragon Leader be able to smoothly become the Great Dragon Leader and take control of the Azure Dragon Society?"

Du Sha fell silent.

He knew that Xiaoyuer's analysis wasn't entirely without merit, but he was also well aware of the consequences that would result if such words were spoken.

Xiaoyuer is still young and doesn't understand the wickedness of people's hearts, but Du Sha has been in the martial arts world for decades and knows that once such accusations spread, even if Mingyue Xin is truly innocent, she will inevitably be suspected by everyone.

But if Mingyue Xin is truly the murderer—

Her martial arts skills were definitely beyond what Xiaoyuer could handle.