But even though it's none of his business, he just had to barge straight into the crime scene like that. And with such coincidences, trying to hide yet giving himself away… no matter how you look at it, he's highly suspicious.
"How long have similar cases been occurring?"
"For over half a month now."
Amber said, "This is also why the Li Jian family hasn't announced Kusaki as the culprit yet. He only came here a week ago... The timeline doesn't match up, but we can't rule out the suspicion of a copycat crime."
"It's been that long?" Huai Shi was astonished. "The local Inspectors in Nara haven't taken any action? How utterly useless can they be?"
Amber retorted, "In Dongxia, would the Social Security Bureau entrust Jinling's security to the Astronomical Society?"
Alright then...
After pondering for a while, Huai Shi asked, "Is Deer's Sing Hall in charge now?"
"Deer's Sing Hall? At this critical juncture of selecting the family head, they'd love for the Li Jian family to embarrass themselves. When a wall is falling, everyone gives it a push; this is a time when everyone wants to come and kick them while they're down. Those guys, apart from coming to clean up the mess and then putting on a show of apologizing afterwards, won't lift a finger to manage a thing."
With an eye roll, Amber said, "To avoid damage to the Li Jian family's reputation, the elders decided to offer a bounty to all candidates for family head. You're probably the last one to know."
"I see."
Huai Shi realized. "Whoever catches that guy gets to be the family head?"
"Ha, what are you thinking? Would Deer's Sing Hall allow that? Those guys are useless at getting things done but excel at messing things up." Amber sneered twice. "The reward is only a direct pass to the final round, and you also get to pick any one Border Relic from the Li Jian family's treasury."
"That's it?"
Huai Shi scornfully curled his lip. "Even when tricking country bumpkins, there should be some limits, right?"
Choosing any Border Relic from the Li Jian family's treasury sounds nice, but in reality, by the time it's my turn to pick, the good items will probably have been taken. I'd be left with nothing but duds to choose from, like picking through trash. It'd be a pain no matter which I picked. Besides, I don't care for typical Border Relics anyway. Sword of Virtue, Axe of Anger, Spear of Compassion, Divine Sword Resentment… Never mind Beelzebub; even the shoulder bag I carry is a Divine Artifact-level item. And with a Tong Ji at home who's like a wish-granting Doraemon, why would I care about this stuff?
Compared to that, the promise of going straight to the final round held more sincerity. This was especially true for Huai Shi.
I'm no Professional Chef Demon with a belly full of recipes; I'm just a part-timer. Sneaking a win here and there is fine, but I'd feel a bit shaky in a real battle against professionals. Being able to skip the intermediate rounds and jump directly to the finals is undoubtedly a great opportunity for me. When the time comes, I just have to sit back, wait for Amber's annoying little sister's proxy to make it through, then bow my head, admit defeat, and take the money home. It couldn't be easier or simpler.
"However..." Huai Shi curiously asked, "With such a good deal, could the other candidates really agree to it?"
"Of course, why wouldn't they agree? This is a perfect opportunity to flex their muscles." Amber snorted. "As long as they can prove their ability, they can gain something of even greater value. It's also a legitimate chance to eliminate competitors…"
She continued, "That old man from Inu River saw through it all long ago. He seized the opportunity to start making a fuss. He's completely unafraid of being ordered to commit seppuku after the family head selection is over, openly defying the Emperor and the Shogun."
Turning 'solving the serial murder cases' into a condition incorporated into the family head selection gave all candidates ample room to maneuver.
From this moment on, the struggle would spread beyond the confines of the 'Imperial Chef Demon Tournament.' It wouldn't be strange if, in the end, several groups started street brawls under the pretext of investigating the murderer.
'You say you're not the murderer? Then why are you wandering the streets at night? Enough, stop talking! Come with me, or I won't be polite!' … The excuses for picking a fight would be endless.
The mere thought made Huai Shi's teeth ache.
No way, this is too much trouble. It's outside the scope of the Chef Demon contest…
After ceasing his foot-picking under the guise of Miss Huaizhi, he slapped his knee resoundingly and declared, "They've got to pay extra for this!"