Chapter 191: Murong Yun's Flash of Inspiration

The Seven Deadly Sins arrived and unleashed a massacre, slaughtering everyone at the banquet—including Nangong Mengli.

After Murong Yun died, the scene shifted again. Like an endless cycle, the Seven Deadly Sins now came directly to the Murong Family to unleash a massacre, and every time, Nangong Mengli died.

The cycle repeated over and over. Those seven Silver-White Masks were carved so deeply into Murong Yun's soul that he could not forget them.

The most interesting part was that whenever the Seven Deadly Sins mobilized in full to unleash a massacre, the one who killed Nangong Mengli was always Envy.

"Ah!" Murong Yun cried out, jolting awake from the nightmare. He sat in a daze for a moment before realizing it was just a dream, finally letting out a breath of relief.

But his face quickly twisted into a vicious scowl. "Those damn Seven Deadly Sins!" he ground out through clenched teeth.

His feelings toward the Seven Deadly Sins were incredibly complex—a mix of terror and gladness. He feared their strength and absolute lack of restraint; since they had murdered his father right in front of everyone, he was terrified of following in his footsteps.

Yet he was glad they had killed him. If they had not, he would never have gotten the chance to become a member of the Blood Clan and rise to power.

Murong Yun took a long time to calm down, waiting until his racing heart finally settled. Just then, his phone rang.

He picked it up and saw a message from his mole inside the Bronze Coffin.

"At 6:00 PM in two days, Murong Mengli will leave Star City for Lanshan. Suspected transaction with a provincial chamber of commerce director."

Murong Yun sneered the moment he read the text. "Finally. With Sikong Zhen overseeing Star City, it's been too hard to make a move on you. But you just had to court death and leave the city yourself. Hahaha... A godsend! An absolute godsend!

"No, I need to contact Lord Xueyuan immediately. I can't let this chance slip by."

He was just about to make the call when he suddenly froze. A flash of inspiration struck his mind!

His expression shifted to sheer ecstasy. "The Seven Deadly Sins! That's it—the Seven Deadly Sins! I can completely use them for this plan!"

His mind raced, and a clear, viable scheme quickly took shape.

Murong Mengli was a noble. Her murder would undoubtedly cause a massive uproar, especially with Sikong Zhen stationed right here in Star City. Killing her under his nose would be a direct slap to his face!

The Seven Deadly Sins had already shocked the entire country by murdering a noble. The Imperial Capital had sent an imperial envoy down to investigate. If another noble died right under that envoy's nose, the resulting storm would be unimaginable.

Sikong Zhen, who had been searching for the Seven Deadly Sins to no avail, would be absolutely furious.

To prove his competence to the Royal Family, he would throw everything into investigating Murong Mengli's death to give them an answer. He could not just sit by and do nothing after two nobles died in a row. At that point, as the biggest beneficiary of Murong Mengli's death, Murong Yun would definitely be investigated.

But if he had Lord Xueyuan impersonate the Seven Deadly Sins to commit the murder, while he himself attended a public event that day with a rock-solid alibi, then...

"Hahaha..." Murong Yun laughed in excitement, marveling at his own brilliance. "Shifting the blame onto the Seven Deadly Sins means Sikong Zhen won't pay any attention to me! It's absolutely perfect! The Seven Deadly Sins truly are my lucky stars!"

After riding that high for a while, he calmed down a fraction to think further. "It definitely can't be Pride who strikes. Pride let Murong Mengli go once before; killing her now wouldn't make any logical sense. It has to be one of the other Seven Deadly Sins."

Seven different Silver-White Masks flashed continuously through his mind until, finally, a Silver-White Mask twisted with envy locked into place.

...

...

Bronze Coffin Company.

An ordinary-looking middle-aged man stood expressionless in front of Su Mu.

"Leader, the message has been sent to Murong Yun, exactly as you instructed."

Su Mu nodded. "You did well. You may leave."

The middle-aged man turned and walked out, his expression returning to normal.

Off to the side, Nangong Mengli leaned back against the office desk. She supported herself with both hands, the edge of the desk pressing slightly into the soft curve of her hips.

She watched Su Mu with deep interest. "Are you sure Murong Yun will definitely have Xueyuan disguise himself as Envy?"

Su Mu offered a faint smile. "I am sure. I already planted the suggestion in his subconscious. In truth, sudden flashes of inspiration, passing whims, and sixth senses are often just the subconscious at work. The funny thing is, when a subconscious thought surfaces, people will unwaveringly believe it, no matter how absurd it might seem.

"Have you ever bought a lottery ticket?"

"Do you think I need to buy lottery tickets?" Nangong Mengli countered, a smile playing at the corners of her lips.

Su Mu shrugged. "My point is, the feeling is somewhat similar. For example, if a string of numbers suddenly pops into your head, you get this special feeling about them. You think those numbers are unique, that they are highly likely to win, and you chalk it all up to intuition.

"But in reality, it was probably just a subconscious suggestion caused by a date you inadvertently noticed on a poster, or a time you glimpsed on your phone."

"Is that so?" Nangong Mengli gently tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, revealing her fair, flawless profile. Her smile widened just a fraction. "Then, Susu... every time I see you, I get struck by a sudden impulse. Is that because you planted a suggestion in me, too?"

"Or maybe it's just because you're a bit of a buzzkill."

"..." Nangong Mengli fell completely silent.

She shot Su Mu a reproachful glare before casually continuing as if nothing had happened. "And you're sure Xueyuan will listen to Murong Yun?"

"Why wouldn't he? Honestly, if they weren't so stupid, they would have thought of this plan ages ago. If you don't die, Murong Yun can't rise to power, which goes entirely against Xueyuan's goal of infiltrating the Chiyan Empire. But if you do die, Murong Yun becomes the prime suspect. In that situation, the best move is to find a scapegoat.

"A scapegoat whose murder of a noble would actually make perfect sense to everyone else."

"Susu, sometimes I think you really are terrifying. Human hearts are nothing but toys in your hands. You just have to hide behind the scenes, and all those Gold-tier experts become nothing more than chess pieces on your board, manipulated exactly as you please."

She paused there and offered a charming smile. "Though, of course, it is also very captivating."

"Thanks for the compliment."

"Well then, it's time for this chess piece of yours to make her move."

Nangong Mengli left. She made her way to a secluded cafe. Perhaps due to its remote location and minimalist decor, the cafe was entirely empty of customers. There was only a single young man dressed in a waiter's uniform inside.