The Antarctic Immortal Emperor arrived before the Deer. He collected the Deer's soul and softly chanted a scripture.
Then the Antarctic Immortal Emperor said to the animals gathered around,
"The cause of this Deer's death is unknown. If any of you can uncover the true culprit behind it, you will be granted direct advancement in the Twelve Zodiac selection."
After hearing this, all the animals were left staring in shock.
At that moment, a deep voice sounded from nearby:
"Such a good deal, and you didn't think to share it with me?"
All the animals turned around, and a Lion entered their view.
The Tiger asked angrily,
"Lion, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be on your grasslands?"
The Lion smiled and said,
"Isn't the Twelve Zodiac selection coming up soon? I'm just here to get used to the environment, so I can manage it better later."
The Tiger stepped forward, pressing its forehead against the Lion's, and said,
"Haven't you heard the saying, 'Two tigers cannot share the same mountain'?"
The Lion gave a sly smile and replied,
"I'm a lion, not a tiger, darling."
Hearing the Lion call it "darling," the Tiger's fur instantly bristled, and it hurriedly retreated behind the other animals.
Seeing this scene, the Antarctic Immortal Emperor broke into a cold sweat and said,
"Hurry up and investigate. I'll be observing and reviewing from the side."
All the animals formed a circle around the Deer's corpse, carefully examining the area for any clues.
The Dog stepped forward, sniffed, and said,
"The murderer covered up the scent. I can't smell anything at all. And there aren't any wounds on the Deer's body."
The Pig walked over and asked,
"Are you sure it's not just because the corpse smells too bad?"
The Pig stared blankly at the Dog. The Dog ignored it and continued searching for clues.
The Monkey came over and jumped onto the Pig's back, saying,
"Come on, let's go look for clues."
The Pig gave a muffled response and carried the Monkey off.
All the animals were earnestly searching for clues, while the Lion merely observed the surroundings.
The Tiger pulled something down from a tree.
At this moment, the Lion looked at the Tiger and asked,
"How about a competition to see who finds a clue first?"
The Tiger puffed out its chest and said,
"Fine. Who's afraid of who?"
From a tree nearby, the Snake remarked,
"Two childish idiots."
The Horse added,
"Two lifelong rivals—totally normal."
After some time had passed,
The Jiao Dragon asked the Ox,
"Could you lend me your horns?"
The Ox snorted after hearing this. Seeing the air blowing from the Ox's nostrils, the Jiao Dragon said,
"Forget it, forget it, forget it. I won't borrow them."
As the Ox walked away, the Jiao Dragon muttered softly,
"It's just borrowing a pair of horns—why get so angry? What a stubborn temper."
After saying that, it looked toward the Goat nearby.
At this time, the Rat was searching for clues.
It walked toward a tree, took a few steps, then suddenly stopped. It saw a tail sticking out from behind the tree and slowly crept forward.
Once close enough, the Rat suddenly bit down.
"Meow!"
The Cat, who had been sleeping under the tree, let out a loud cry.
When the Rat realized it was the Cat, it released its bite.
The Cat shouted angrily,
"Are you crazy?! Why did you bite my tail?"
The Rat snapped back,
"You're the crazy one. Everyone's looking for clues and you're sleeping here. I thought you were the murderer."
The two of them stared at each other, speechless.
The Rooster stood between the Duck and the Swan. Taking advantage of the Swan's inattention, the Duck plucked out one of its feathers. When the Swan noticed, it charged at the Duck, which immediately fled.
The Rooster could only shake its head helplessly.
Elsewhere, the Rabbit was lying on the Turtle's shell, resting.
It asked the Turtle,
"Still haven't found any clues?"
The Turtle replied,
"My shell already slows me down. Now that you're on top of me, I'm even slower. How am I supposed to search like this?"
Just then, the Lion walked past and shoved the Turtle over. The Rabbit fell off the Turtle's back as well.
The Lion walked up to the Deer's corpse and said,
"We've searched for ages and still haven't found a single clue. I say we all disperse."
The Antarctic Immortal Emperor said,
"Very well. Today's investigation ends here."
As he spoke, he transformed the Deer's corpse into countless tiny particles of light and stored them in a jar.
Suddenly, the Horse cried out in alarm,
"Look!"
All the animals turned to look. Beneath the spot where the Deer had fallen, they saw a Phoenix feather.
The Rooster said in confusion,
"The Phoenix?"
Seeing this, the Goat said,
"Exactly. I was wondering why it didn't show up today. Turns out it went off to be a killer."
The Rooster immediately retorted,
"Impossible. It went to take care of its feathers. There's no way it killed anyone."
The Swan stepped forward and said,
"The evidence is right in front of us. What's there left to argue?"
The Antarctic Immortal Emperor said angrily,
"I will personally go and arrest it. I never expected it to dare commit such a crime."
The Lion said,
"Since it's been found, I'll head back and get some sleep. Goodbye."
The Tiger watched as the Lion walked away.