Chapter 1037: Unraveling the Mystery

Zu'an was utterly bewildered. He had only intended to draw some vitality fruits to enhance Daji's cultivation, but he never expected to draw a skill as well.

He hastily looked at the description provided by the keyboard:

**Cute Girl Voice Changer – Description:** In a certain time and space, there was a man who loved to pretend to be a girl and play with other men. This allowed him to receive the most care and always get a larger share of rewards. So, he researched and developed this voice changer, pretending to be a cute girl. With his sweet voice, he quickly captivated the hearts of many men. Unfortunately, secrets cannot be kept forever. One day, he accidentally exposed himself. The many men who discovered the truth were furious, and his miserable fate was unknown, but this magical artifact was passed down.**Effect:** Using this item allows you to disguise your voice as any target's voice, so accurately that even your closest companions cannot detect any abnormality. However, each time you wish to use this function, you must perform a "sacrifice."**Note:** The so-called "sacrifice" requires the user to first use this item to disguise their voice as a cute girl's and successfully deceive a male target.

Zu'an: "???"

This was utterly preposterous; it was as if absurdity had opened its own door and walked right in. He knew that every skill he drew came with some kind of catch, but he never expected this one to be so problematic.

Initially, he had been somewhat pleased with the effect, because although the *Thousand Faces* technique also described how to use vital energy to alter one's appearance to match a target, the records in the secret manual were incomplete. According to current records, he could only achieve about 70-80% similarity, making it difficult to deceive close acquaintances. With this voice changer, combined with *Thousand Faces*, he would be able to successfully impersonate anyone without revealing any flaws.

But upon seeing the usage conditions, his face darkened instantly. The "sacrifice" essentially meant he had to pretend to be a woman every time. Pretending to be a woman wouldn't have been a big deal; he could just do it secretly in a secluded spot without any harm. But this ridiculous requirement demanded that he successfully deceive a male! Didn't that mean he would have to act like a cross-dresser in front of a man? If he were exposed, it would be the ultimate social humiliation. He'd lose all face! Even before trying it, he already felt an endless wave of awkwardness.

"A'Zu, are you ready?" Sang Hong's voice came from outside, knocking on the door. He was clearly anxious, having heard no sound from Zu'an for so long.

"Just a moment." Realizing there was a more urgent matter at hand, Zu'an suppressed his thoughts and first placed the "Cute Girl Voice Changer" into the Lapis Lazuli Orb, deciding to study it later.

"Come here," he beckoned to Daji. Daji obediently took small steps towards him, her expression seeming to be a smile, yet upon closer inspection, it wasn't.

"Even you're laughing at me," Zu'an muttered, feeling dejected. "Open your mouth!" Daji blinked, tilted her head slightly, and obediently parted her red lips. Zu'an put the vitality fruits into her mouth one by one. Fortunately, these fruits melted instantly upon contact, otherwise, eating so many would have choked her. Inevitably, his fingers touched her tongue during this process. Zu'an was surprised to find that, for the first time, she did not resist.

"She's a foodie, huh," Zu'an thought with a strange expression. A stunning beauty with her mouth open, waiting to be fed, always created an impulse to give her something else. He quickly reined in his thoughts, shoved the remaining vitality fruits into her mouth, then stood up and moved away, no longer looking at her. "Once you've eaten them, refine them. We have serious business to attend to soon."

Daji nodded slightly, seemingly understanding his meaning. After consuming all the vitality fruits, her aura began to rise steadily: sixth rank, seventh rank, eighth rank, ninth rank... Ultimately, her cultivation settled at the ninth level of the sixth rank. Reaching the peak of the sixth rank required 800 vitality fruits. She had now consumed 740, just one step away from the peak. It seemed he needed to quickly prepare the materials for her breakthrough. Zu'an silently admonished himself.

Once Daji's cultivation stabilized, Zu'an signaled for Pei You to come in.

"Brother Zu, you must believe me! If even you don't believe me, I'll... I'll..." Pei You began complaining to Zu'an the moment he entered. However, as he whined, he suddenly noticed Daji at his side. How could such an enchantingly beautiful woman exist in this world? Even the legendary Yu Yanluo probably wouldn't compare. "Well, well, Brother Zu, you're truly keeping a beauty hidden away..." Pei You couldn't help but exclaim.

Zu'an rolled his eyes. This buffoon was practically on death's doorstep and still thinking about such things. Too lazy to waste words with him, Zu'an directly had Daji use her "Bewitching Charm" skill to control him. Pei You's eyes gradually became vacant. Zu'an took the opportunity to question him about last night's events. However, his answers were still exactly the same as before.

"Huh?" Zu'an was startled. Neither side was lying, so where was the problem? He pondered for a moment, then a thought struck him. He asked, "When you were meditating outside the prison cell yesterday, did you notice anything unusual?"

"No, nothing unusual at all. It was quiet from beginning to end, and no one entered or exited," Pei You replied.

Zu'an frowned, then asked again, "How many circulation cycles did you complete during your meditation last night?" Pei You replied, "I first completed eight small circulation cycles, and then... then five large circulation cycles." Zu'an then asked him how long a typical circulation cycle took and at what specific times he started practicing and when the incident occurred today. Finally, he discovered the problem: Pei You's meditation times clearly didn't add up; there was a missing period. But no matter how Pei You tried to recall, he couldn't remember what happened during that time.

"I think I saw a colorful light, and it felt like I fell asleep for a little while, but theoretically, I shouldn't have fallen asleep..." Pei You clutched his head, his expression extremely pained, clearly having been provoked by something. Fearing harm to his soul, Zu'an quickly had Daji cancel the spell. Then, while Pei You was disoriented, he lifted him and carried him out.

"Any results?" Sang Hong was pacing back and forth in the hall. Seeing the two emerge, his eyes filled with hope, yet he also feared hearing bad news.

"Neither party was lying," Zu'an stated first.

"But how is that possible!" Sang Hong's expression changed. Pei You was overcome with gratitude. Zu'an was truly a good brother; everyone else disbelieved him, but Zu'an believed him. How many times had Zu'an saved him now, he wondered? One day, when he returned home, he would definitely set up a shrine for him and burn incense and worship him daily.

Zu'an gently placed the weakened Pei You aside before explaining, "It seems a master temporarily invaded his body and controlled him to kill Zuo Su."

"Ah?" Pei You exclaimed, thinking, *Doesn't that still make me the killer?* But he immediately realized an even more serious problem: If that mysterious person had invaded his mind, wouldn't he have been transformed into their image? If it were a beautiful woman, it would be one thing, but if it were a large man... At this thought, his face drastically changed, and he couldn't help but dry heave to the side. Zu'an and Sang Hong glanced at him in confusion, wondering what was wrong with him.

Sang Hong ignored him, stating in a deep voice, "Only certain evil cultivators or demon races typically possess the ability to invade another's mind and control their actions. Furthermore, Pei You is no ordinary practitioner. To control him without detection and silently kill Zuo Su, that person's cultivation must be far superior to mine." As he spoke, his brows furrowed deeply. This was truly difficult. Just Jian Taiding alone was already somewhat beyond their capabilities, and now such a mysterious master had appeared. Even with his resolute mind, he was starting to feel discouraged.

Hearing his words, Zu'an thought about Daji's skill, which seemed similar. Would he also be considered an evil cultivator? "Cough, cough. Since Zuo Su was suspected of colluding with the demon race, it's highly probable that a demon came to silence him."

"There must be others behind this, otherwise, the demon race wouldn't have come to silence him so easily," Sang Hong immediately speculated. "Could it really be Jian Taiding?" Throughout Yunzhong Commandery, Jian Taiding was the most prominent figure with such power and influence. Unfortunately, Jian Taiding held a high position of authority and commanded military power. They couldn't investigate him even if they wanted to.

"The immediate priority is to find that mysterious demon master. Once we find him, many things will become clear," Zu'an said.

"Indeed," Sang Hong rose. "Furthermore, Zuo Su's murder must be kept a secret. All those who know cannot leave the residence for even half a step. Everyone should continue delivering meals, patrolling, and changing shifts as usual to create the illusion that Zuo Su is still alive." They had only just managed to quell the county soldiers' riot. If the soldiers learned that Zuo Su had died in the residence, the imperial envoy's delegation would truly be implicated beyond doubt. If someone with malicious intent incited the soldiers again, and the city's troops once more stormed the residence, the entire imperial envoy's delegation would likely be wiped out.

After arranging everything, Sang Hong pulled Zu'an into a room for a detailed discussion, his face showing extreme weariness. "You and I both know, how easily can that demon master be found?" The most likely place for the culprit to hide was Jian Taiding's Governor-General's Mansion, but it was heavily guarded, and Jian Taiding himself was a Grandmaster. They couldn't even sneak in to investigate.

"I might have a way," Zu'an said in a deep voice.