Transcending the Magic Era: The Supreme Female Archmage

The group spent a long time plotting in the tent, but couldn't come up with any evidence.

Chu Qiuchi pondered for a moment, then hesitantly suggested, "Do you think the commander of Jimo might know about this? Minghui, why don't you go and sound him out?"

Chu Yichen's eyes lit up, and he immediately clapped his hands, excitedly saying, "I think that's a good idea! Minghui, go ask the commander of Jimo. He and your grandfather are of the same generation and have a good relationship. Plus, your two families are relatives, so he should know something."

Upon hearing this, Puyang Minghui looked at them hesitantly, a hint of unease in her voice: "Ah? You want me to go ask? Aren't you coming with me?"

Nalan Xingyao shook her head and patiently explained, "If we all go with you, it will seem too deliberate and attract attention. If you go by yourself, just pretend you suddenly remembered and asked casually, and it won't arouse suspicion. If Commander Jimo doesn't have any leads, then we can consider asking Dean Puyang directly."

Chu Qiuchi patted her on the shoulder and encouraged her with a smile, "Keep going, for your grandfather's innocence! We're waiting for your good news!"

Puyang Minghui frowned, clearly nervous, her fingers unconsciously clenching the hem of her clothes. She lowered her head and thought for a moment, then raised her head and nodded solemnly, "Hmm... okay, I'll give it a try."

After saying that, she took a deep breath, as if to bolster her courage, and then turned and walked out of the tent.

The group watched her figure disappear into the tent, and Nalan Xingyao said softly, "I hope she can find out something."

Chu Qiuchi nodded silently, turned around and walked to the table, retrieved another drop of the mutation potion, and carefully placed it on the detection device.

Her gaze was fixed on the magical artifact, a hint of expectation in her heart. However, the familiar, dazzling red light shone again.

Chu Qiuchi sighed softly and muttered to himself, "It really is a top-grade potion... no doubt about it."

She frowned, recalling the conclusions she had drawn earlier in Ji Mohan's camp. If this was a superior-grade potion, then their deductions would likely be overturned once again.

Her gaze was deep as she silently analyzed: mass production of super-grade potions is almost impossible. First, it requires a wide variety of potions, especially at least twenty super-grade potions as the main ingredient. Super-grade potions are extremely rare, making it very difficult to collect a sufficient quantity.

Secondly, its failure rate is too high. Even an eighth-level alchemist has a success rate of only 20%. It's said that even a ninth-level alchemist's success rate is only 50%.

From this perspective, the purpose of developing this drug may not be for large-scale use, but rather for research on certain specific beast races or individuals.

She closed her eyes slightly, took a deep breath, and tried to sort out her chaotic thoughts. Then, she thought of the possibility that Nalan Xingyao had mentioned earlier: if this potion was indeed the same one that the Holy Girl drank, it would mean that someone had been researching this potion more than twenty years ago, or even earlier.

But if that's the case, why would they use this medicine on a child? Were they testing the medicine's effects? Or was it just a coincidence, and the medicine wasn't originally intended for him?

Thinking about this, she suddenly felt that things were becoming increasingly confusing. If there really was a meticulously planned conspiracy behind this potion, then its purpose was probably more complex than she had previously guessed.

The more Chu Qiuchi thought about it, the more confused she became. The clues in her mind were like a tangled mess, impossible to unravel. She frowned, a hint of frustration in her eyes, and finally couldn't help but raise her hand and gently pound her head.

"Ugh, this is so annoying!" she muttered under her breath.

Hearing this, Chu Yichen quickly came over. Seeing her furrowed brows, he couldn't help but ask, "Sister, what's wrong? What's on your mind again?"

Hearing his voice, Chu Qiuchi snapped out of her daze, looked up at him, and slowly said, "I'm thinking, if this potion is the same one that the Holy Girl drank, then it means that the research on this potion must have started more than 20 years ago."

She paused, her brows still furrowed, "If this hypothesis is correct, then isn't Dean Puyang less of a suspect?"

Upon hearing this, Chu Yichen's eyes lit up slightly, and his tone revealed a hint of joy: "That's right! What you say makes sense! Besides, Dean Puyang has been dedicated to helping the Holy Maiden research the antidote all these years, so he certainly wouldn't be involved with this kind of thing!"

At this moment, Nalan Xingyao also came over, her tone more certain: "Yes, the development of super-grade potions does require a lot of time and resources. Dean Puyang had just taken over Mingxi Holy Academy when he was there, and he simply didn't have the time or energy to research this."

Chu Qiuchi nodded, the gloom between his brows dissipating slightly: "Indeed, you are right. Whether considering the timing, motives, or his character and conduct, Dean Puyang would never do such a thing."

She paused, her gaze hardening with determination: "There's a high chance this has nothing to do with him; we can rule him out for now."

Upon hearing this, Chu Yichen and Nalan Xingyao exchanged a glance and nodded with delight. For them, this was undoubtedly good news, at least easing one of their concerns.

Ji Moyu stood aside, listened quietly to their discussion, and then silently poured cold water on their enthusiasm: "But this is on the premise that the two potions are really the same."

Chu Qiuchi felt thoroughly chilled by this bucket of cold water, and cursed inwardly: "You dog of a man! You weren't enthusiastic during the discussion, but you're quick to throw cold water on us and run away. Would it kill you to let us be happy for a little while longer?"

At this moment, the entire tent was completely chilly and instantly as quiet as a chicken's nest.

……

In another tent very close to Ji Mohan's, Cui Shaoming had been sitting in a chair with a gloomy expression ever since he fled back from outside Ji Mohan's tent, his eyes filled with twisted hatred.

Thinking of the secret mission he had received from the black market: to find out the real reason why Ji Mohan was able to return, and to track down the whereabouts of the bottle of potion he brought back.

However, just as he approached the tent to eavesdrop, he inadvertently revealed his presence, which was keenly noticed by Ji Mohan, almost exposing his identity. Fortunately, his tent was nearby, allowing him to quickly hide and barely escape.

Cui Shaoming lowered his head, gave a cold laugh, his smile filled with resentment, and muttered, "Chu Qiuchi, Ji Moyu, you two should both die... You're the ones who made me like this, you ruined everything..."

Since the incident was exposed, his reputation in the war zone was completely ruined. Everyone ostracized him, even his teammates stopped talking to him. Not only did his status in the war zone plummet, but he also suffered a permanent physical disability as a result. Whenever he thought about all of this, endless resentment burned in his heart.

"Since you've ruined me, I won't let you get away with it..." Cui Shaoming said in a low voice, his eyes as venomous as a snake. He had been pondering this all afternoon with a gloomy expression, constantly sketching out a vicious plan in his mind. Finally, a sinister smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Since the black market wants clues, I'll give them a 'big gift.' You two will take the blame... Anyway, the first thing Ji Mohan will see when he wakes up is you two. Using someone else to do the dirty work is the best approach. This time, I'm going to kill you!"

With that, he grinned maliciously, stood up, took out his staff, and sent a magical teleport to his contact in the black market.

He originally intended to frame the two of them, but he never expected that this time, by sheer accident, he would end up framing a very real culprit!