When Chen Xiao acquired the ability of “Theft.”

He never really understood the purpose of this ability.

Even when the clue of the artwork case emerged, he once thought the skill rewarded by the calendar was meant for him to steal evidence.

But later, when he saw Chen Xianzu use the Pickpocketing Skill, he belatedly understood the true meaning of theft.

This ability wasn’t meant for Chen Xiao to commit theft.

Although he’s not a police officer now, many of his actions can’t be done that way.

The true meaning of the calendar’s “Theft” ability reward was for him to master this skill and hold the upper hand when encountering others who understand it too!

Chen Xiao had thought that if he hadn’t gained the theft ability, perhaps with his previous abilities, he could have still unveiled Chen Xianzu’s true intentions.

But likely not as quickly as now!

And this case required urgency from the moment Chen Xiao arrived in Xiangdu.

Being even a little bit slower could cause a series of unforeseen changes.

Seeing Chen Xianzu continually take deep breaths to adjust his emotions, Chen Xiao didn’t explain anything but continued asking about the case matters.

“The whole pushing of the dog meat restaurant was likely your doing too, right?” Chen Xiao asked.

Chen Xianzu nodded, “You must have imagined that scene as well. Honestly… that scene is a nightmare of my life. Even after all these years, I occasionally dream about that bright afternoon when I went to the stone carving factory with my dad.”

“Originally, our family just wanted to buy granite lions, but after seeing Cheng Qing’s head dragged by the wild dogs, everything changed. So, without a second thought, I used money to solve it and didn’t dare to take my eyes off until the stone lions were shaped and moved.”

“I’m quite curious, why weren’t there any bite marks on the skull from the wild dogs?”

Chen Xiao asked, and Chen Xianzu shuddered without reason, speaking with a chilling tone, “Do you know how round its belly was then? I think maybe it didn’t use force when dragging it.”

“Even though the crisis was averted after the stone lions were made, I was terrified, afraid that such a thing would happen again. So, after reburying the bodies, whenever I saw a dog, I wanted to kill it. In the end, I got my brother to push the dog meat restaurant idea, and he spent a lot of money on it.”

“But who would have expected, in the end, we facilitated the birth of a brand. It’s just a pity that I wish fewer people would know the story behind this brand.”

Chen Xiao nodded, “Revealing this story has no significance or benefit for the entire Songtan Town, only bringing suffering to those who ate that wild dog back then.”

Chen Xianzu couldn’t help but laugh, but soon his gaze dimmed again, “Initially, I thought the proliferation of dog meat restaurants would ensure that no one would discover that skull again. But the next year, Han Zai came to catch a fugitive.”

“At first, I didn’t know who Han Zai was. After understanding, I realized he was a huge threat, and once when he was staring at the stone lion, I happened to encounter him! From that moment, I began to plan a fake death escape.”

Seeing Chen Xianzu pause in his narration, Chen Xiao took over, “You already anticipated today’s events when planning your fake death, didn’t you?”

“Right, that night, I sat with my dad and brother to discuss. They thought I was being overly dramatic. But my feeling was strong, a voice in my heart kept telling me I would be caught sooner or later! So I had to think three steps, five steps, even a hundred steps ahead from the first step!”

“So, after my fake death, without hesitation, I dug up their skeletons, piece by piece, and took them to Xiangdu. But for a long time, I really didn’t know how to deal with them, until I remembered carving.”

“After completing the first carving, I inexplicably had an urge, blood sacrifice! In your mind, you might think I’ve become twisted, perverted. But in truth, I’m just very conflicted.”

Chen Xiao, puzzled, “Do you mean you seek redemption while gaining pleasure from those artworks?”

“Yes, before Cheng Qing’s death, I was full of ambition for my future. After his death, I knew my life was over. And Wan De, he really shouldn’t have appeared. If he hadn’t appeared, things wouldn’t have been this terrible!”

“But ultimately, it’s my fault, and my brother’s fault. Now that I’ve lost everything, I have no way to justify myself. At that time, the reason I shed blood was to honor their souls with my blood. It’s very contradictory, even ridiculous, but those emotions truly led me.”

“And then the two hundred thousand? You’re so cautious, constantly avoiding danger, how could your dad send you two hundred thousand?”

Chen Xiao asked, and Chen Xianzu looked over with a rueful smile.

That expression made Chen Xiao realize, “I understand, all these years, your brother and father have also been to Xiangdu, right?”

“Yes, if I could silently come to Xiangdu, so could they. Over all these years, we met many times, but Lu Yuling never saw them or knew about their existence. On the contrary, my dad took it upon himself; seeing my struggles in Xiangdu, he put two hundred thousand in Lu Yuling’s account, hoping I’d start a career in Xiangdu.”

“Sigh, when I received that money, I knew it was all over, truly over. But I had no choice, I could only forge ahead. The only unexpected thing was that it only got exposed after you became famous.”

Chen Xiao slightly nodded, “I see, so there was never really a conflict between you and your brother, it was all an act for me.”

“Correct, during the millennium when he faced a crisis and came to me, I placed all my money in front of him and gave him a choice. Because by then, I had already seen that his enterprise was hard to save. I told him as a brother, I’d give him anything he needed, as long as I could.”

“The only thing was for him to think clearly if it was meaningful. Ultimately, he chose to continue on his own.”

Hearing this, Chen Xiao understood, “So your brother coming to my house to apologize was fake, his main purpose was to see if I was suspicious about the stone lion, right?”

“Exactly.”

“So, when you saw news relating to me, you knew I might be interested in your family’s stone lion, leading to the supposed feng shui excuse to move it.”

“Yes, but who would have thought my dad not only foolishly sought out your wife after my second brother was arrested, but also stood under the stone lion watching during the move.” Chen Xianzu reflected:

“Perhaps it was fate, who could have thought the people operating it would fail, and those sturdy ropes would break? Fate, it’s all fate!”

While Chen Xianzu spoke of fate, Chen Ding on the other end of the call, having resigned to his fate, began to wail uncontrollably, repeatedly saying:

“Blame me, it’s all my fault. If I had checked more carefully and forcibly pulled dad away, none of this would have happened.”

Chen Xianzu, long since calm, spoke blandly, “No, nothing could stop it, with Chen Xiao solving the case and becoming famous across Jiang Province, Uncle Lie would certainly mention Wan De. As long as Chen Xiao investigated Wan De, the cases we committed would certainly come to light!”

“So if there is any real accident, it’s only Chen Xiao. Can you tell me why you’ve changed so much from before?”

Chen Xianzu stared intently at Chen Xiao, as if trying to discern the answer from his expression!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep