False evidence

Chapter 457 Painted Skin (7)

"What do I need to prepare?" I asked, eager to try.

Lu Xin laughed and said, "Forget it. I can tell you the method, but it requires real skill. With your intelligence, it will probably take you at least a year and a half to accomplish it."

In fact, he solved the mystery of the key being switched with just a few words.

However, after hearing this, I completely lost the idea of ​​trying to solve the mystery through action.

"Untie the knot with your tongue?" I was somewhat skeptical of his suggestion.

Lu Xin laughed again, a somewhat mischievous laugh: "It sounds unlikely, but in reality, some prostitutes know similar tricks to please their clients."

However, given a prostitute's limited abilities, she could at most undo a man's belt; she couldn't possibly complete the entire process with just her tongue. As far as I know, the only one capable of that is the "red handkerchief" from the underworld.

I felt relieved: "That makes sense then."

The Red Handkerchief Sect is the most fantastical of the Eight Outer Trades, and the most skilled in illusion.

In layman's terms, it's magic trick.

The difference between traditional magic tricks and modern magic lies in the fact that the latter focuses on props, while the former emphasizes the practitioner's skills and techniques.

Give the simplest example.

The most well-known magic trick, "The Three Immortals Return to Their Cave," has been demonstrated online using a transparent glass bowl and slow motion. Those who have seen it can understand the trick, but without skillful hands that have put in the hard work, one can only marvel.

Many traditional magic tricks do not rely on just one part of the body. True masters use a combination of different parts of the body to create performances that are truly amazing.

I suddenly had a strange thought and asked Lü Xin, "You know ventriloquism, is it because you seduced women from the Red Handkerchief School? Or is it that you have memories of being a prostitute in a past life, something you were born with..."

"Damn it, how can you bring this up again?" Lu Xin was so angry that he stopped talking to me.

Seeing that Yan Fengwei and Cao Xinyun were still discussing, I told them to stop investigating, explaining that the key had been switched by the maidservant.

Cao Xinyun glanced at me sideways: "Putting everything else aside, just tell me, how do you get the key off?"

I asked Yan Fengwei, "Do you know how to dissolve rice glue?"

Without a second thought, Yan Fengwei said, "Burning it with fire! Of course, you can also soak it in boiling water, but that would take at least two or three days."

He said, "I know what you're thinking. I forgot to mention a detail earlier: the knot was sealed by the old master himself. The rice glue not only has the Lin family's mark, but also his fingerprints. The old master compared them later and there was no possibility that the rice glue had been switched. That proves that the knot was never untied!"

I said, "Back then, he already knew how to compare fingerprints. The old man was really knowledgeable. But he probably didn't notice at the time that the rice glue sealing the opening was a little smaller."

Yan Fengwei was taken aback: "What do you mean by 'shrunk a size'?"

"To put it simply, besides burning and scalding with boiling water, there are many other ways to dissolve solidified rice glue, but the time required and the degree of dissolution vary. There is a very simple method that can dissolve rice glue in a relatively short time without the use of temperature or corrosive liquid."

"You still haven't grasped the key point."

Cao Xinyun tried to interrupt me, but I waved my hand and said, "Let me finish speaking first."

I thought for a moment, then picked up an empty cup from the side and gestured for him to give me the leather cord.

"Assuming the cup contains hot water, and you soak the end of the rope sealed with rice glue in it, which part will dissolve first?"

Cao Xinyun looked at me with disdain and simply kept quiet. Yan Fengwei probably also thought I looked like an idiot, but fearing I would lose face, he still played the straight man and said, "The surface will definitely melt first."

I grabbed the rice glue seal with one hand and stretched the leather cord, "Like this..."

I had barely opened my mouth when, with a snap, the leather strap slipped from my right hand and bounced onto the back of my left hand.

I winced in pain, then stared blankly at Yan Fengwei and Cao Xinyun.

Upon closer inspection, the leather cord had actually been pulled out from the sealed rice glue!

I was both amused and exasperated. I shoved the empty rice glue shell, now made of leather rope, into Yan Fengwei's hand and said, "Do I need to explain?"

Yan Fengwei was still a little stunned, and said awkwardly, "This is something I got for research, it's not that sturdy. The original one couldn't have been pulled out like that."

"I understand."

Cao Xinyun was the first to react, "Sanqi said to melt the surface, not the outside, but the inside that's in contact with the rope. Even if the leather rope was sealed very tightly, because of its flexibility, as long as it's stretched, the dissolving liquid can seep in through the tiny gaps. Once the inside melts to a certain extent, it can be pulled out of the rice glue like this!"

Yan Fengwei was truly baffled by this, and asked blankly, "Then how do we untie this knot?"

Before he finished speaking, Cao Xinyun had already untied the knot and taken off the safety buckle, waving it in front of him.

He was a tailor by trade, and was an expert at threading needles. Using only a toothpick, he solved another 'unsolved mystery' in the Lin family's theft case in less than five seconds.

Cao Xinyun re-threaded the safety buckle, tied it tighter, and handed it back to Yan Fengwei, saying as if summarizing:
"How they gave the key to their accomplices outside is another story. The person who came up with this method to switch the key must be even more familiar with the properties of rice glue. Then, putting the raw rice glue back on would be no big deal."

Yan Fengwei stood there for a long time, then suddenly slammed his hand on the table, "It's still not right!"

He slipped the leather cord around his neck. "You all saw it too. With this cord's length, the jade pendant only goes down to below my collarbone. I'm not dead, of course I can feel it when someone pulls the cord like that!"

"Clap clap clap..."

I clapped my hands a few times to give Lü Xin a thumbs up, but more importantly, I sincerely admired the thief's clever thieving skills.

I put my arm around Yan Fengwei's shoulder and said in a low voice:

"The simplest way to melt the surface of rice glue in a short time is to mix the juice of mint leaves with saliva, and that will achieve the desired effect."

Imagine a fair-skinned, delicate young maidservant sleeping with your 'necklace' in her mouth. Even if you discovered it, wouldn't you just find her cute?

"Holy crap!"

Yan Fengwei slapped his thigh, "I think I actually remember, I woke up groggily and felt something wet on the back of my neck! That little girl was sleeping so soundly and beautifully next to me, I just couldn't resist, so I..."

"Stop!" Damn, if I keep going, it'll be R-rated.

According to Yan Fengwei, Lin Qin'en was still very young and energetic at that time, and the maidservants were new.

If you're too eager for novelty in the first few nights, how can you not exhaust yourself?
This makes it easier for the other party to succeed.

It must be said that the thief's attention to detail was truly exquisite.

I suddenly thought of a question and asked Yan Fengwei in a low voice:
"Brother Yan, when the Lin family was robbed, were the stolen items very valuable?"

(End of this chapter)