The surrounding murmurs gradually subsided, becoming so quiet you could hear a pin drop. However, a voice from outside the door broke the silence.
"Oh my, why is the lobby so lively? This old man wants to join in the fun too." A disheveled old man with messy hair and dirty clothes staggered in, carrying a wine jug.
Everyone frowned. Why were there beggars in Star Academy?
Shen Qingqiu, along with several sect leaders and elders, stood up one after another, "Dean!"
The word "Dean" startled everyone, their mouths agape in surprise. This beggar-like, filthy old man was actually their great Dean?
"master!"
"Hehe, my good disciple, you're here too? Perfect, the wine jug is empty!" Old Yu let out a burp.
"You drunkard, aren't you afraid of drinking yourself to death, you old man!" Ji Jiuying said coldly.
Everyone was stunned again. Ji Jiuying actually dared to call the Dean "Old Man," she was incredibly audacious. Just as everyone was expecting how the Dean would punish Ji Jiuying, the Dean actually abandoned all pretense and begged Ji Jiuying.
"Oh dear, my good disciple, give this old man a little more wine, okay?"
The old man pouted, looking just like a child begging for candy; it was truly unbearable to watch. Shen Qingqiu coughed lightly, reminding him, "Dean! There are so many people here..."
"What do you mean by 'many people' or 'few people'! Get out of here!" Old Man Yu glared at Shen Qingqiu and started throwing a tantrum.
Everyone secretly wondered, is this really the Dean? Or is someone impersonating him?
Ji Jiuying sighed, took out two bottles of wine from her spatial storage, and handed them to the old man. Only then did the old man sit down next to Shen Qingqiu with satisfaction. "You really are my good disciple. Old man Shen, you can only be envious!"
Shen Qingqiu, I envy your grandma's legs! Don't you see how many people are bullying your disciple right now?
"Dean, you must do justice for Susu, and for the Liu family!" Liu Piaopiao knelt down in the middle of the hall with a thud, crying out.
"Oh? Tell me what happened. Although my Star Academy is not a famous school with a thousand-year history, its family traditions must not be destroyed. Without rules, there can be no order. If anyone is wronged, these elders and sect leaders will naturally uphold justice for her."
Although Old Man Yu appeared nonchalant and detached from worldly affairs, his gaze kept drifting towards the group of elders as he spoke, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
Liu Piaopiao didn't know why the dean was looking at her. She didn't know where to start, whether it was because she felt guilty or something else. Seeing this, Sect Master Leng told her the whole story. After so much preamble, the final conclusion was that the murderer was Ji Jiuying.
"Sect Leader Leng, are you just bored and have nothing better to do? I have never offended you. You accused me of cheating a while ago and now you're accusing me of murder. What? Did you see me kill Liu Susu with your own eyes?" Ji Jiuying sneered.
Old Yu took a sip of wine and glanced casually at Leng Yuelan, "Sect Leader Leng, you should at least have evidence to back up your words!"
Leng Yuelan was immediately startled, then said stiffly, "Dean, you can't protect her just because she's your disciple!"
"What do you mean you're covering for me? Show me the evidence!"
Leng Yuelan was immediately rendered speechless!
Old Yu glared at Leng Yuelan, then turned to Ji Jiuying and asked, slightly drunk, "My dear disciple, did you kill Liu Susu?"
This old man, though seemingly drunk, was actually quite shrewd. Ji Jiuying played along, saying helplessly, "No!"
“Look, my apprentice has already said no,” Old Man Yu said.
"Since the founding of Star Academy, such a horrific murder has never occurred before. Yet, after Liu Susu caused trouble for Ji Jiuying, Liu Susu was killed that very night. You can imagine what happened!" The Second Elder said, looking at Ji Jiuying.
"Hehehe, Second Elder, are you getting old and your hearing isn't working well? Didn't you just hear my master say that everything requires evidence? Or are you saying that you, as the Second Elder, can bypass the Dean to convict me? You want me to take the blame so badly, is it because you're guilty?" Ji Jiuying said with a smile.
"You! You're talking nonsense!" the Second Elder said angrily, pointing at Ji Jiuying.
"I was just joking with the Second Elder, look how scared you are!"
"I don't need to elaborate on Liu Susu's usual behavior at the academy; everyone here knows perfectly well. So, to think you can convict me with just any excuse is wishful thinking," Ji Jiuying sneered.
Everyone nodded in agreement, thinking that Ji Jiuying made sense. Perhaps Liu Susu had offended too many people and was killed by someone she had bullied!
The crowd began to whisper among themselves.
"Liu Susu has offended far too many people!"
"Yeah, who knows if it's someone she bullied getting revenge on her!"
"······"
Hearing what everyone was saying, the Second Elder's face immediately darkened.
"Didn't you say you could prove your innocence? Now you don't even have any evidence. What do you have to prove your innocence?" Liu Piaopiao, who had been silent until now, said again.
"Exactly! Then show me the evidence to prove your innocence!" Sect Master Leng was clearly not afraid of making a scene.
Ji Jiuying lowered her eyes and sneered, "Who told you I had no evidence?"
"Impossible. I've been following you these past two days, and you haven't found any of the so-called evidence." Liu Piaopiao felt that Ji Jiuying was talking nonsense.
"Oh? You've really been following me the whole time?" Ji Jiuying looked at her with a half-smile.
Liu Piaopiao stared at Ji Jiuying in disbelief. Could it be...?
"Just as the Second Elder said, the truth will soon come out, right, Second Elder~" Ji Jiuying suddenly turned her gaze to the Second Elder, who immediately felt a pang of panic.
Immediately, everyone in the hall focused their attention on the Second Elder. Even Wen Chuyu didn't understand what Ji Jiuying meant. Could the Second Elder be the murderer?
"Yes, I believe the truth will come out soon!" Er's face was a little pale, and her robe was unknowingly soaked. She tried to calm herself down, wondering if she had really discovered something.
She gave him a general direction and clues at noon today, which made him uneasy. On the way to the cultivation tower, he pretended to have an upset stomach and asked the Grand Elder to go first. However, he never expected that this action would expose him.
"So, Second Elder, why did you kill Liu Susu and frame me?" Ji Jiuying asked the Second Elder with a serious expression.
These words caused an instant uproar in the lobby!
"What's wrong with Ji Jiuying this season?"
"How could the Second Elder be the one who killed Liu Susu?"
"Could it be that Ji Jiuying has no evidence to prove her innocence and is starting to talk nonsense?"
"······"
"Ji Jiuying, what nonsense are you spouting? How could the Second Elder possibly kill Susu?" Liu Piaopiao questioned.
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