The teams were quickly reassigned.

Zheng Jue Ming, Qin Wei Yi, and Lin Junru formed one team; Jian Fan, Qin Nan, and Mu Xin formed another; Lu Jing and Xia Zeqin teamed up; and Xu Tian joined the other two members of Xia Zeqin's team.

The NPC servants were also divided into four teams, but since Lu Jing and Xia Zeqin were one person short, they received fewer NPCs.

Once each team had their NPCs, they found a spot and began their inquiries.

Qin Nan felt something was off but, with Mu Xin present, he merely glanced at Jian Fan without saying anything.

Suddenly, Jian Fan spoke up, “Xu Tian is suspicious.”

“What?” Qin Nan was taken aback, surprised by Jian Fan's boldness in mentioning this in front of Mu Xin.

Mu Xin, who had been trailing behind them with a fearful demeanor, looked up slightly at Jian Fan when he made that statement.

“I suspect she was just putting on an act yesterday,” Jian Fan stated bluntly.

Qin Nan blinked in confusion. “An act? You mean her breakdown was all fake?”

Jian Fan nodded.

“You yesterday…” Qin Nan stole a glance at Mu Xin behind him, skipping that topic and asking directly, “What makes you say that?”

“Her demeanor and her attitude today,” Jian Fan replied, then suddenly turned to Mu Xin. “You’re the expert here; you should know better than I do.”

Suddenly put on the spot, Mu Xin stammered, “I…I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

Jian Fan paused for a moment, trying to articulate his thoughts but eventually gave up and turned back to Qin Nan. “You take over.”

“?” Qin Nan looked at Jian Fan, puzzled.

After a moment, Jian Fan said, “Everyone has their specialties; I’m recognizing yours.”

Qin Nan felt exasperated but accepted the responsibility. Jian Fan’s behavior was evident—after expressing disinterest in Mu Xin and wanting to recruit Xu Tian, he had changed his mind overnight.

Now, he was aiming to recruit Mu Xin.

Qin Nan looked at Mu Xin, quickly organizing his thoughts before speaking. “You need reliable teammates.”

Mu Xin continued to look at them with confusion, remaining silent.

“You’re on a team with Zheng Jue Ming and Lin Junru. Lin Junru is likely to approach me at your suggestion. The same goes for her joining Jian Fan and me in the evidence search yesterday; she followed your lead. You probably want Lin Junru to test us while you personally led Zheng Jue Ming to probe Qin Wei Yi,” Qin Nan explained.

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Mu Xin shook her head vigorously. “I didn’t! The team division was just coincidental. Sister Junru thinks you’re capable and wants to engage with you on her own accord. I have no such influence!”

“Don’t be so quick to deny it. Mu Xin, you should understand your situation and need reliable teammates to collaborate with. Lin Junru and Zheng Jue Ming aren’t the best choices. While you can control them to follow your orders, their help to you is limited. You might consider joining Jian Fan and me. But it’s just you.”

They weren’t interested in carrying two extra burdens.

“I really didn’t!” Mu Xin continued to deny it.

Qin Nan sighed, looking at Jian Fan. “I now agree with what you said.”

Jian Fan was momentarily stunned. “What?”

“I don’t like this sneaky approach,” Qin Nan repeated Jian Fan’s words from yesterday.

Jian Fan smirked but didn’t respond, while Mu Xin couldn’t help but roll her eyes discreetly.

“You don’t need to answer us right now, but I suggest you think carefully about this proposal,” Jian Fan shifted the topic back to the main issue. After saying that, he didn’t wait for Mu Xin’s response and patted Qin Nan’s shoulder. “Let’s get to work.”

Recruiting a teammate wasn’t something that could be accomplished with just a few words.

If Mu Xin eagerly agreed to join them at this moment, they might not even trust her sincerity.

They would continue to assess whether Mu Xin was suitable for their team during the game, and she would also make her choice. But that was all for later; for now, they needed to focus on the new round of evidence collection.

Questioning the NPCs.

The three of them were assigned sixteen servants, covering various roles, including those serving in the master’s courtyard and those from the kitchen.

“You take eight, I’ll take eight?” Jian Fan suggested.

Given their current level of trust in each other, they didn’t need to stick together for individual inquiries; dividing the work would be more efficient.

Qin Nan didn’t answer directly but looked at Mu Xin. “Do you mind?”

They could disregard Lin Junru’s intentions, but since Mu Xin might become their teammate, Qin Nan had to consider her feelings about being on the same team.

Mu Xin maintained her previous demeanor. When Qin Nan asked her, she nodded. “I’m fine with whatever you decide.”

Jian Fan and Qin Nan each took eight NPCs to question, and they wouldn’t interfere with Mu Xin’s actions. Whether she wanted to slack off or participate, they didn’t mind. However, it was unlikely Mu Xin would take it easy in a life-and-death game.

Her gaze shifted between Qin Nan and Jian Fan before she ultimately chose to follow Qin Nan.

“I’m a bit surprised,” Qin Nan remarked.

Mu Xin looked puzzled.

Qin Nan didn’t explain, only smiled and mused aloud, “Looks like I’m more reliable than Jian Fan.”

Mu Xin thought to herself, “I must have made a wrong choice.”

With a playful comment, Qin Nan quickly got into work mode when facing the NPCs.

Not every NPC would provide useful clues, and not every NPC would divulge what they knew. Players had to explore and discern the truth themselves.

Moreover, the game rules didn’t clarify whether what the NPCs said was true or false; everything needed to be judged by the players.

Extracting genuinely useful clues from the NPCs wouldn’t be an easy task.

Among the eight NPCs assigned to Qin Nan, most were ordinary servants, and only one was a maid from the eldest master’s courtyard, responsible for attending to the eldest lady.

Unaware of the NPCs’ identities, Qin Nan knew he needed to start by asking about their situations.

Upon learning that the maid was from the eldest master’s courtyard, Qin Nan perked up.

He scrutinized the NPC in front of him for a while, quickly formulating his questions, and asked seriously, “On the night of the murder, were the eldest master and the eldest lady in their courtyard?”

The maid nodded. “Yes, both the eldest master and the eldest lady were there. The eldest master was reading in his study, and when it got late, he returned to his room to rest. The eldest lady was feeling unwell and went to her room early to sleep.”