Chapter 128 Ancient-Style Mystery

Three hours later, everything was ready, and the variety show officially began filming.

Miao Yunyou completely transformed into a spectator, carrying a rattan lounge chair and placing it beside the filming area. With snacks and a drink in hand, she sat comfortably, following the excitement of the scene with full enjoyment.

Since this was an ancient-style mystery show, there naturally had to be a “case,” and at the core of the case was inevitably a “dead person.”

The production team had decorated the resort’s mountain gate to resemble an ancient martial arts sect, hanging a plaque that read “Hongyun Sect”, creating a strong atmospheric effect.

The plot of the case was simple: the Hongyun Sect had six disciples who had gone down the mountain to gain experience. One day, the sect master called all six back to the old mountain dojo for a reunion, intending to pass on the master’s position and resolve old grudges among the disciples. But as night fell, the master was discovered brutally dead next to the plum blossom stakes.

The master was played by a staff member of the production team, dressed in gray ancient-style clothing, lying by the stakes with prop blood on him, looking peaceful yet comically overdone.

The remaining six disciples were the six celebrity guests. Bai Tianjiao played the youngest disciple, while the other celebrities each took on a different disciple role, each with their own personality and secrets.

Once the “crime” was discovered, the six celebrity guests immediately got into character. Their smiles vanished, replaced by panic and confusion. Under the director’s instructions, they began methodically searching for clues and exchanging statements, trying to uncover the murderer of the sect master.

According to the show’s format, everyone split up to search for clues and pair up for cross-checking statements, attempting to identify the culprit.

Some crouched by the corpse to examine the wounds, deducing the type of weapon used; some rifled through letters and trinkets in the dojo for possible grudges; others gathered in groups to cross-check alibis from the night of the incident, leaving no detail overlooked.

But as the statements were pieced together, more and more doubts surfaced, heightening the suspense: although there were clearly six disciples plus the deceased master—seven people in total—multiple disciples’ statements coincided, claiming that on the night of the murder, an eighth mysterious figure appeared near the plum blossom stakes—dressed in black, vaguely shaped, flashing through the dojo, and then disappearing without a trace.

Even stranger, the master clearly died at the stakes, and the wound still retained “residual warmth,” yet no one could find the weapon despite searching the entire dojo.

It was only later, through the temporary NPC Hua Yuezan, that they discovered a short dagger stained with “blood” several hundred meters away on a cliff—coincidentally, at the same time the master died.

The cliff was far from the plum blossom stakes. Even running at full speed, it would have been impossible to commit the murder and dispose of the weapon in such a short time. The timing of the killer’s actions was a complete mystery. The six disciples grew increasingly confused, their brows furrowed, clueless. The entire case had hit a deadlock.

Miao Yunyou sat on the sidelines, cracking sunflower seeds and quietly making comments, secretly guessing the culprit, thoroughly enjoying watching the celebrities rack their brains.

During filming, the celebrities’ whereabouts inevitably got leaked.

Within a short time, thousands of fans gathered at the foot of the mountain, waiting and watching. They knew the resort had been exclusively booked, so they couldn’t enter, but hoped to catch a glimpse of the stars leaving work.

Some local vendors in the county, upon hearing the news, quickly moved their stalls nearby, instantly welcomed by the crowd. Some stalls even had people lining up.

Suddenly, the area at the foot of the mountain was bustling with food and drinks, creating a very festive atmosphere.

Miao Yunyou couldn’t resist sneaking a look.

Then she called a few temporary workers down from the mountain.

Temporary worker: “What’s up, Sect Leader? Is it too noisy? Should we chase them away?”

Miao Yunyou: “No. I’ll give you cash—help me buy some food. Get the grilled squid, sugar-coated rice cakes, spicy snails, and the cold shrimp. They look so good. Buy extra and bring them up, so Mr. Xie and the chefs on the mountain can try some too.”

Temporary worker: “Uh… Sect Leader, are you adding to the menu?”

Miao Yunyou: “The menu can wait. It doesn’t matter if the tourists eat it or not—I just want to eat it myself.”

Temporary worker: “……”

And so, for two full days, the production team worked from early morning until late at night. The celebrities repeatedly went over clues and rehearsed their scenes. Finally, by the evening of the second day, the truth of the case was uncovered.

When the answer was revealed, everyone was stunned: the murderer of the sect master was none other than Bai Tianjiao, who played the youngest disciple. His secret was literally a two-faced person—

In front of everyone, he was the gentle, humble youngest disciple; behind the scenes, he hid a ferocious alternate persona. By day, he navigated the group as a disciple; by night, he changed clothes and identity, becoming the mysterious eighth figure who committed the murder.

Miao Yunyou: “…What the… Voldemort?!”

A two-faced person, really? The writer’s imagination is way too wild!

The method of the crime was simple yet brutal: after killing the sect master, he used the flexibility of the bamboo stakes in the plum blossom formation to fling the weapon toward the cliff, confusing the timeline of the murder.

Once the explanation was complete, even Bai Tianjiao himself was speechless:
“I really give up. How do I always end up being the killer? Last time, I went to play a murder mystery with… friends, I was the murderer too. Can someone else be the killer this time?”

The game they were playing was called 暗凶 (hidden killer), where even the killer didn’t know they were the culprit at first. They only realized it while piecing things together:

“Oh… looks like I did it.”

The director and crew laughed heartily.

Director: “Haha, Miao Boss, can we have A-Ning come over now? We’re done with this part, but we need to reshoot some shots of the killer’s ‘duplicate’ scenes.”

It was then that Miao Yunyou finally understood why the director had insisted at the start that Bai Tianjiao and A-Ning have the same styling—turns out, they’d been waiting for this all along!

Why the same styling? Because in the story, they were the same person!

Miao Yunyou called out brightly to A-Ning, who was not far away: “Alright, alright, A-Ning, up!”

Soon, the staff brought A-Ning to the filming area—a traditional-style rooftop, with wire rigging equipment set up nearby. Several crew members were busy adjusting the height and tension of the wires.

“Little brother, thanks for your hard work,” the makeup artist approached, touching up his makeup with a smile. “Later we’ll film a ‘wall-running’ scene. Don’t worry—we’ll attach you to the wires so you can move quickly along the roof, creating the effect of running on walls.”

A-Ning followed her gesture, his eyes landing on the thin steel wires. His expression was filled with confusion, brow furrowed, and he whispered, “What is this for?”

The crew exchanged glances. They thought it was normal for a layperson not to recognize the wires, since not everyone had experience with variety show filming. So they patiently explained:
“These are wires. We’ll attach them to your body to support you, so you can safely move quickly on the roof and perform the wall-running moves. Without them, it would be too high and unsafe.”

Hearing this, A-Ning’s confusion deepened. He shook his head slightly, voice tinged with doubt:
“Do we really need all this?”