False evidence

Chapter 257 Catching the Thief
The two lingered at the restaurant until evening, then packed up some food for Fang Ling and returned to their apartment complex.

When I got to the seventh floor, I pressed my ear against the wall of Lu Daoren's house and listened for a while. Then I whispered to Gao He:
"That bastard actually is a Taoist priest."

Gao asked in confusion, "Can you tell what he's doing?"

I smiled without answering, took out my phone and sent a message to Fang Ling, then continued to press my ear against the wall.

When Fang Ling opened the door, I pulled Gao He along, and the two of us slipped into the room silently.

I gave the takeout boxed lunch to Fang Ling.

Xiao Hanning took a boxed lunch, used his chopsticks to scoop out half of it, and put all the meat slices inside onto one side.

Fang Ling asked her why she did that.

Xiao Han Ning paused for a moment, then, feeling a little embarrassed and sad, signed – "I've gotten used to it, I've forgotten that Grandma is gone."

I felt a pang of heartache.

Gao He couldn't help but curse again, "How could that bastard do such a thing to such a good child!"

He asked me, "The 'land of black sweetness' you mentioned, is it something that works just by smelling it?"

I said, "It still depends on the recipe. The pure black sweet soup made according to the ancient recipe can make people fall into a dream for years without waking up, just by smelling the slightest aroma."

However, one of the ingredients is extremely rare. I suspect that the "Black Sweet Land" medicine that Master Lü concocted wasn't pure; it only works at close range.

"It can make people fall into a deep sleep just by smelling it... How can such a drug exist?"

"Ah, actually, the land of black sweetness was originally used for medicinal purposes."

Gao He was surprised: "Then it can cure diseases?"

"Yes, it cures illness. One reason why it is difficult for a person with a serious illness to recover is that they suffer from pain and cannot eat or sleep. The land of sleep can make people fall into a deep sleep. In modern terms, it is called deep sleep. During sleep, the circulation of qi and blood gradually becomes smooth, and some illnesses will gradually heal without medicine."

I smiled and said to Gao He, "You may not know, but Uncle Cheng had tuberculosis when he was young. It was because of the Black Sweet Land that he slept for a year and not only recovered, but also married the doctor who took care of him."

“I’ve never heard him say that before.” Gao He looked at Fang Ling.

Fang Ling shook her head: "I haven't... I haven't heard Dad mention it either."

She answered verbally, but her eyes remained fixed on me.

I was a little afraid to look her in the eye, so I turned my head away and sighed softly.

Gao He suddenly whispered, "I was so angry I almost lost my mind. I just remembered something important. What if we get drugged while we're inside?"

I smiled, took the white fish jade pendant off my neck, and removed a ring from it.

This ring was the one Fang Ling took to Dongtaimen and sold to Yan Fengwei.

Later, I asked Yan Fengwei for advice on how to properly store the items. Yan Fengwei told me that if the items are very small, it is safest to carry them close to your body.

The ring was previously opaque amber, but now it has become somewhat transparent. When held up to the light, a strangely shaped little insect can be seen inside.

I put the jade pendant back on, put the ring on my right hand, bit my left middle finger, and dripped blood onto the ring.

In a very short time, the blood was absorbed by the gemstone, making it more translucent and turning it into amber.

"This bug sucks blood!" Gao He gasped.

Indeed, the way the gemstone absorbs blood really does look like an insect sucking blood inside amber.

I avoided Fang Ling's gaze and said to Gao He, "One thing can counter another. This amber nourished by human blood is the antidote for the Land of Dark Sweetness."

Gao He stared at the ring carefully. "With this, we won't be bewitched?"

I laughed and said, "With this, I won't fall for it."

Gao He was taken aback: "Then what do we do?"

He glanced at Fang Ling subconsciously, then turned to me, revealing a wary expression.

I sighed and said, "Don't worry, I won't hurt her anymore. Besides, as I said, the Black Sweet Village they're using isn't very pure. Boss Gao, you're upright and determined, so the Black Sweet Village might not even have any effect on you."

Gao and I exchanged a glance, then Gao turned to Fang Ling and told her about our plan.

It was clear he still didn't trust me. Fang Ling had just finished eating when he told her to take Xiao Hanning to the bedroom. He himself hid in the kitchen.

Time passed slowly, and around nine o'clock at night, I was sitting in the dark, lost in thought, when I suddenly heard a faint sound outside the door. A moment later, I smelled a sweet fragrance that I had never smelled before.

The smell was faint, but it spread very quickly.

Although the kitchen door was closed, a loud thud could still be heard as something heavy fell to the ground.

It seems that no matter how strict Gao and his precautions were, they still underestimated the effectiveness of the land of black sweetness.

Xiao Hanning's family is poor; they are probably the only family in the entire building that hasn't replaced their security door.

The old wooden door has developed many cracks due to the dampness and dryness of summer and winter. Although it has been covered with wide tape, it does not prevent cracks from forming.

My eyesight was exceptionally good at that moment, and I had already adapted to the darkness. Shortly after hearing the noise, I watched as an extremely thin tube was inserted through the crack in the door.

The tube was pulled out, and after a while, the door lock made a sound.

By then, I had silently reached the door.

The door opened, and a figure sneaked in furtively.

Judging from his figure, it was none other than the Taoist Lü whom I had seen during the day!

He closed the door without looking back and strode straight into the bedroom.

I reached for the light switch, just about to turn on the light, when the bedroom door opened and a small figure jumped out, shouting:
"Third Master is here! Where do you think you're going, you little thief!"

I turned on the light at the same time.

Lu Daoren was immediately exposed.

I sneered: "Not hesitating at all, huh? Looks like you've done this before."

Lu Daoren's eyes darted around, and he suddenly knelt down with a thud: "I...I just wanted to steal some money and valuables, please, please don't call the police!"

Seeing his eyes darting around, I rushed forward, warning Xiao Shen San at the same time, "Be careful!"

Before he could finish speaking, Master Lü had already grabbed Xiao Shen San, who was about to walk over.

Xiao Shen San leaped to the other side and then kicked him on the back of the head.

When I got there, before Master Lü could turn around, I reached out and pulled a red string from his neck.

The red string was indeed tied to a piece of amber containing a ghost insect!

Now that Lu Daoren had completely revealed his true colors, he jumped up and said viciously:

"If I get caught, I'll admit defeat. If you give me a way out, I'll appreciate it; if you don't, then it's a fight to the death!"

Seeing Xiao Shen sneaking up from behind on tiptoe, I said in a deep voice, "Don't do anything rash. This Taoist priest has made it clear that we can't hurt him anymore."

Lu Daoren's eyes darted around again. "You're willing to let me go?"

I said, "Impossible."

"What do you want?"

"Just pretend you didn't see us during the day and didn't know anyone lived in the house. You came to move your things at night and got caught. Come with me to turn yourself in."

"that's it?"

I nodded: "That's settled. Just consider it a record, and I'll let you off the hook. I'm worried about my sister living alone."

"Okay, I'll listen to you. I'll go home and get some clothes."

I nodded.

I followed Xiao Shen out the door with him, and as soon as we were outside, I said to him:

"Don't think that just because you're out there there's no evidence. Since we lured you into the trap, we were prepared. But don't worry, with the video footage, at most we can only charge you with burglary."

"Fine, I admit defeat!" Master Lü gritted his teeth and said, "I'll go inside and get dressed."

Presumably for the sake of convenience when 'doing business', he was only wearing thermal underwear.

I laughed: "If you catch a thief, will you let him put on his clothes?"

(End of this chapter)