After a day of hustle and bustle, Qian Yuya and the others left the Imperial Academy after having dinner with Ming Shuiyun in the canteen.

At the entrance, Qin Yueshi parted ways with them. Qian Yuya and her friends lived in the farther Shangjing District and needed to take the public shuttle bus, whereas Qin Yueshi could walk home directly.

The place where they waited for the bus was called the 'Announcement Pavilion', located near the entrance of the Imperial Academy. The Pavilion's function was somewhat similar to a bulletin board, specifically for posting Imperial Court announcements and wanted notices, but ordinary people weren't allowed to comment on them—of course, if you say we can't, what kind of face would we have?

It's common for wanted criminals to be drawn with three heads and six arms, and Imperial Court announcements are often highlighted for criticism, a daily occurrence—often done by Imperial Academy students while waiting for the bus, and since Cha Huan couldn't monitor outside the school, they were even more wanton.

While Qian Yuya and her friends were waiting for the bus, they saw a few male students crowding in front of the Announcement Pavilion, blocking the view for those inside who were altering the portrayal of a wanted criminal. Li Ying looked closely and saw the burly criminal had been drawn into a kindly old man, and this old man looked a bit familiar...

Damn, isn't that the current Chief Minister, Ling Jiangli?

Though there were rumors that the former emperor's death was connected to Ling Jiangli and Yanjing's Statistical Department was supposedly backed by Ling Vice Prime Minister, making him a likely candidate for the traitor list, he was still governing now. And yet, they dared to portray him this way…

Wow, just wow.

Lin Xue noticed her gaze and teased: "What, Li Scholar, are you envious? Once Shuiyun Palace ascends, you might get to sit in the Cabinet Chief Grand Scholar's position."

"No, please no, I'm not interested in taking a stroll on the traitor list." Li Ying shook her head repeatedly and sighed: "Are we really doing the right thing? What if Shuiyun Palace doesn't become emperor..."

"Then your wanted notice will be posted in the Announcement Pavilion and altered by others." Kui Nianruo glanced at the 'renewed' wanted notice and remarked.

"Don't worry." Qian Yuya said: "Apart from the Imperial Court, you have the freedom to join other factions. It's an era of freedom; you can freely choose what identity you'll die with."

"Can't I just marry a handsome guy and die peacefully of old age?"

"That's rather difficult. I'm not saying you won't die of old age, I'm saying marrying a handsome guy..."

As they were chatting noisily, the public shuttle bus, spewing thick steam, stomped on the muddy ground illuminated by street lamps and stopped in front of them with a rumble. The bus had plenty of seats; it was rare for people to be willing to pay for a ride these days—for people of this era, time and foot strength were cheap.

"I might let it go, but Xiao Yu and Lin, is this really okay for you?" As the bus shook back and forth, Li Ying suddenly asked: "Have you thought of how to explain it to Nai Jie?"

Qian Yuya and Lin Xue exchanged a glance; they weren't surprised that Li Ying had seen through Nai Qingni as a White Night Walker, and given their frequent interactions with Nai Qingni, Li Ying must have noticed.

"We're not doing anything bad, so why be afraid?" Qian Yuya said calmly.

"Really not doing anything bad?" Li Ying murmured: "First the Eye of Omniscience cheat, then cooperating with the Qin Family to scam students for money. I doubt our campus life ahead will be peaceful and joyful... Most importantly, legal."

"Actually, Shuiyun is just an ordinary girl, pretty much like us... well, you're not ordinary. If Shuiyun continually sticks with us, she'd likely grow up to be a kind and upright woman, but Qin Yueshi..."

Li Ying shrugged: "I'm not saying Yueshi isn't nice, quite the opposite, she's lovely, but she seems to not be on the same path as us."

Qian Yuya and Lin Xue remained silent, and Kui Nianruo said: "Is it really such a big deal?"

"She comes from an upper-class business family in Xuanzhu, unlike any of us, very different." Li Ying said: "Do you remember what happened the last time she had a meal with us? The waiter dirtied her clothes, she didn't make a scene at the time but later had the waiter fired through the boss... She is humble yet proud, polite yet arrogant, without sympathy for ordinary people, and insists that everything goes her way."

"It's the Imperial Academy's cage that limits her ability, suppressing her temper. Using what she accidentally said before to describe it, 'If we were in Xuanzhu, you wouldn't even be qualified to talk to me.'

"Of course, I don't mean she's bad, as long as she continues to see us as friends, we'll only see one side of her, not the bad side."

Kui Nianruo said: "Doesn't that work out then? Everyone has flaws, do you see me disliking you? Yes, I've disliked you, but I'm still sleeping with you every day now."

"Oh, feeling wronged?"

"Yes, very wronged, you're sleeping in the hall tonight."

Li Ying sighed: "Alright, alright, I do have many flaws, but my flaws don't affect others—I'm just a bit lazy."

"But what are Sister Shi's shortcomings? Arrogance, the ruthlessness of the superior towards the inferior, unscrupulousness... Being close to vermilion makes you red, being close to ink makes you black. At most, Shuiyun learns my laziness, but what will she learn from Sister Shi?"

"Xiao Yu, Sister Lin, aren't your thoughts actually quite similar to that of Senior Dragon? Do you also have the idea of influencing Shuiyun's development? But the upcoming unparalleled killing study group will undoubtedly be led by Qin Yueshi because only she has the talent for management, so naturally Shuiyun will be closer to her, not to mention she is Teacher Qin's sister..."

"If you have other plans, you'd better figure them out early."

Li Ying had actually mentioned Qin Yueshi before, often evaluating Qin Yueshi's actions when it was just the four of them.

This was a common occurrence. Last semester, many female classmates wanted to join their small circle, and it was often Li Ying who took the initiative to judge them, analyze their character and talent, and then decide whether to deepen their relationship.

Actually, Qin Yueshi was initially in the 'trial period' category, even though she was brought in by Qian Yuya, the others also needed some time to get acquainted with her. However, due to a series of events involving Ming Shuiyun, Qin Yueshi and Ming Shuiyun directly skipped the 'trial period' and became formal members of their group. Yet in Li Ying's eyes, six people formed a circle, but the four were the more core circle.

Qian Yuya also knew that Kui Nianruo had already replaced her previous position and became Li Ying's most trusted confidante, which was evident in how Li Ying sat with Kui Nianruo on the bus.

This was how Li Ying categorized friends. She and Kui Nianruo were the innermost circle, the four were the inner ring, the six were the outer ring, and then the Imperial Academy was another ring...

"Not everything can be figured out early." Lin Xue said, "Even if there are doubts, we can only take one step at a time."

"That's why I ask, have you figured out how to talk to Sister Nai?" Li Ying said, "If you have any ideas, perhaps you can borrow strength from others—though I have no hesitation, I feel that this whirlpool might not be something we can meddle with."

"Behind Senior Dragon and those people, there are families, there are powers, and behind us, there's nothing." She glanced at the bewildered Kui Nianruo beside her, shook her head, and said, "Of course, I don't regret it now. It's just that at most, I can cheer for you and shout at people; the ones who can really accomplish big things can only be you."

Lin Xue fell silent, looking at the scenery outside the bus, the street lights flickering past in her eyes, not knowing what to think. Qian Yuya still remained expressionless, only extending her hand to pat Li Ying's head, dispersing the worry from Li Ying's face as she laughed, "Why are you patting my head, you messed up my hair. If you want to pat, pat here. The texture is soft and elastic, truly a worldly delight—"

"Li Ying—!"

Kui Nianruo, with her face flushed red from Li Ying's pat, directly retaliated by patting back, yet Li Ying had already protected her vital spots, even biting back: "Oh Nianruo, what's wrong with you? We are on the bus, don't you know manners, don't you know the rules..."

Before long, the bus arrived at Vermilion Bird Alley. As soon as they got off, they saw a familiar figure coming out.

"Sister Nai?" Lin Xue asked strangely, "So late, are you going out? Oh, we have something we want to discuss with you—"

"Let's talk once I get back." Nai Qingni waved at them apologetically, saying, "Tonight, there's an urgent matter, I probably won't be back. Remember to lock the door when you return."

"Yes!"

It was common for Nai Qingni to go out at night, and the others didn't find it unusual—only Qian Yuya felt a stirring inside.

When evening arrived, and everyone had washed and returned to their rooms for rest, with the house in silence, Qian Yuya quietly took a lamp and came to the innermost room on the second floor.

This was Nai Qingni's room.

The door was naturally locked, but Qian Yuya had long found a chance to make a spare key and easily opened the door and slipped inside, closing the door quietly.

Whenever she found out Nai Qingni wouldn't be coming back at night, Qian Yuya would secretly visit her study to gather information. To become the 'number five machine', she had been diligently working from the shadows, hoping to find an opportunity for 'number four machine' Qin Leyin to recognize her and officially join the Le Yu organization.

However, just like usual, Qian Yuya found nothing. Although Nai Qingni was a White Night Walker, she was not an important member in Yanjing's White Night, mainly overseeing actions around Vermilion Bird Alley and rarely participating in major actions.

Just as Qian Yuya was examining the documents, she suddenly heard a noise at the window. She remained calm, stepping back to distance herself from the lamp on the table, hiding herself in the shadows before looking towards the window.

Beside the window, suddenly appeared a white... raven?

The white raven tapped the window frame with its wing three times, then laid down a small piece of paper it had in its mouth, and flew away. After waiting for a moment, Qian Yuya went over to pick up the paper, noting it was merely tied with a red string, without any other security measures, she felt safe to open and read it.

The first line of words on the paper made Qian Yuya's cold blood boil.

"Qin Leyin's Action Record"

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