"What does that mean? You don't even trust your grandfather? Then don't say anything." Fourth Master Qiao put on a stern face, showing a hint of anger.

Qiao Yu wasn't afraid, smiling sweetly, "You said that yourself. The teacher specifically asked for secrecy, so I won't say much more."

As she spoke, she took the opportunity to tug Bei Ye back into the room.

"Little girl," Fourth Master Qiao chuckled helplessly, naturally turning to Wang Guan, "Do you also plan to keep it a secret?"

"Old man, if I tell you, surely you can keep it quiet, right?" Wang Guan asked with a smile.

"What, you planning to trick me too? If I agree, you'll just reply with, 'I can also keep a secret,' won't you?" Fourth Master Qiao grumbled, clearly seeing right through the maneuver.

"I wouldn't dare," Wang Guan waved his hand, smiling faintly, "It's just that Elder Tao instructed that the fewer people who know about this, the better. It shouldn't be spread around carelessly, lest we alert the enemy."

"Hearing you say that, I'm genuinely curious," Fourth Master Qiao inquired. "What on earth is so sensitive that it requires such caution?"

"This matter starts with the murals at the Tianlong Mountain Grottoes..."

Wang Guan spoke fluently, clearly explaining the entire background of the affair. He then showed a trace of indignation, "This kind of destruction of precious cultural relics is practically the same as the work of a murderer; it's utterly detestable."

"So that's how it is." Fourth Master Qiao's eyes flickered, showing a degree of coldness, but ultimately, he didn't say much more. After nodding, he changed the subject with Wang Guan. Evening soon arrived, and the day concluded.

Over the next two days, Qiao Yu took Wang Guan and Bei Ye to tour various historical sites and scenic spots in Jinyang, naturally indulging in local delicacies along the way.

Of course, the trio also kept tabs on the progress regarding the stolen painting incident. On the morning of the third day, upon receiving a call from Elder Tao, they immediately headed to his residence.

"Xiao Yu, you're here."

Chen Tao was also present. Seeing Qiao Yu, he eagerly boasted about his success, "The matter is settled. Last night, I personally witnessed that person sneakily entering the Tianlong Mountain Villa to meet someone in secret..."

"Are you certain?" Qiao Yu asked.

"One hundred percent positive," Chen Tao swore emphatically. "I saw very clearly. That person entered the villa carrying a bag, but when he came out, the bag was gone."

"I'm asking about the person residing in the Tianlong Mountain Villa," Qiao Yu said impatiently. "That person is the key."

"Don't worry, Xiao Yu, I've already dispatched my subordinates to keep an eye on that individual," Chen Tao quickly explained. "As soon as you give the word, I'll send people to storm the villa and arrest him."

"What use is my word?" Qiao Yu turned back and smiled. "Teacher, what do you intend to do?"

"Call the police!" Elder Tao waved his hand. "Arrest them!"

Chen Tao was quite dissatisfied with this. This was his accomplishment; how could it be handed over to others just like that?

"Nonsense. If you really sent men to barge into the villa, the manager would just make one phone call, and the police would arrive instantly and arrest you first," Qiao Yu scolded him sharply. "Being so reckless—aren't you afraid of shooting yourself in the foot?"

"Oh, right, right, right..." Chen Tao beamed, completely taking Qiao Yu's words as genuine concern for him.

Afterward, Elder Tao made a call himself. In just over ten minutes, a chief from what turned out to be a precinct personally led a team there. After hearing the sequence of events, the precinct chief slapped his chest, promising to complete the mission flawlessly, safeguard the national treasures from any loss, and bring all criminals to justice...

Naturally, they didn't just shout slogans; they took concrete action. Following the precinct chief’s arrangements, the group immediately relocated their staging ground to the vicinity of Tianlong Mountain Villa. Then, a police captain-type figure led seven or eight officers to take the lead, while Wang Guan and the others watched from the sidelines, awaiting the final outcome.

The process went smoothly. A large contingent of police entered the villa; the manager and staff were utterly incapable of stopping them and instantly transformed into guides, leading the officers directly to the room where the suspect was staying. After a few knocks, before the man could fully comprehend what was happening, he was inexplicably handcuffed.

"Mission accomplished? Excellent, excellent..."

Hearing the precinct chief’s report, Elder Tao was naturally pleased. He quickly inquired, "The item—has it been recovered?"

"We are currently searching the scene and expect to find something soon," the precinct chief said, his face flushed with pride. Apprehending a painting thief was a trivial matter for their criminal investigation team. Logically, the chief didn't need to come in person, but he insisted on being there solely to make an impression on Elder Tao.

Now, hearing Elder Tao's praise, the precinct chief felt the trip was worthwhile; it was a huge win.

In his elation, the precinct chief smoothly extended an invitation: "Elder Tao, we aren't very knowledgeable about these precious artifacts. We hope you would be so kind as to come over and help us with an authentication." Authentication was the pretense; currying favor was the real goal.

However, Elder Tao readily agreed. Following the precinct chief’s invitation, he entered the suspect's room.

Wang Guan and the others naturally followed. Upon entering, they found the room quite tidy, with very simple furnishings: just a bed, a bedside cabinet, and a television set—plainly visible. This meant the "scene search" was effectively a joke; this was a hotel guest room, not the man's private home. Unless hidden in the cabinet, where else could the object be?

By this time, the luggage bag the suspect had kept in the cabinet had been brought out. A very professional officer, wearing gloves, pulled open the bag’s zipper and indeed discovered numerous items inside.

The clothing was irrelevant, but one folded canvas was particularly eye-catching.

Qiao Yu noticed it, asking with curiosity, "Is that the rubbings of the painting?"

"Most likely," Elder Tao nodded slightly, signaling the officer to unfold the canvas. The canvas was quite large; as it was slowly unfurled, it resembled a bedsheet, completely covering the bed.

When the canvas was fully spread out, everyone rushed to look. On the cloth was a vividly colored painting of religious figures. Most people naturally assumed this was the replica of the grotto mural. While the painting indeed bore similarities to the grotto mural, Elder Tao and Wang Guan both revealed expressions of strangeness.

"Elder Tao, something seems off," Wang Guan frowned slightly. To confirm his suspicion, he reached out and lightly brushed the pattern on the canvas, leaving no doubt: "This painting is not a rubbing; it's a copy."

"Exactly," Elder Tao agreed. "And the brushwork of the copy is quite poor, full of flaws everywhere."

"What? This painting is fake?" Qiao Yu was astonished. "Then we arrested the wrong person?"

"Not necessarily the wrong person," Wang Guan shook his head. "After all, having this copied work here is enough to prove that the man is connected to this matter. What we need to do now is interrogate him and ask where he hid the rubbing."

"Right."

Elder Tao mused, "Judging by the quality of the copy, this person hasn't just been eyeing the mural for a day or two; otherwise, he couldn't have produced this copy overnight."

Since Elder Tao requested an interrogation, the precinct chief certainly didn't object. The procedural steps were drastically simplified, and after returning to the station, they moved straight to questioning. However, the results of the interrogation greatly surprised everyone.

"What? He was just a runner taking orders for money?" Elder Tao was quite shocked.

"That's right, he knows nothing about the specifics."

The precinct chief wiped the sweat from his brow, saying cautiously, "He's just an idle loafer in Jinyang City. A few days ago, someone gave him a sum of money to allow him to eat, drink, and play around at the Tianlong Mountain Villa, and then instructed him to meet the grotto management staff at a specific time to collect that canvas..."

"He knew this business was shady, but he agreed because of the small profit. He only received the canvas last night and was waiting for that mysterious person to find him, but instead, he got us."

The precinct chief frowned. "Our department's interrogation experts thoroughly examined him, checked his ID, and inquired with his neighbors. We confirmed that the loafer was not lying. However, the mysterious person seemed to be disguised meticulously, wearing large sunglasses, so the loafer couldn't describe his appearance."

"Right, what about that management staff member?" Elder Tao, maintaining his composure, asked. "What did he say?"

"When things blew up, he honestly admitted to the process of stealing and damaging the painting," the precinct chief quickly reported. "But he only communicated with the mysterious person via phone. During the handover, he actually thought the loafer was the mysterious person."

"Meaning the trail is broken, and the rubbing is gone..."

In an instant, Elder Tao smiled wryly. "The situation I feared most has occurred. I foolishly wanted to catch both the thief and the buyer in one sweep, but instead, I ended up shooting myself in the foot. The person hasn't been caught, and the painting is lost."

"Elder Tao, please don't worry. The higher-ups take this case very seriously and have instructed us to spare no effort to bring that mysterious person to justice," the precinct chief declared confidently on the surface, though he felt rather uneasy underneath. After all, with so few clues, finding that person was akin to finding a needle in a haystack.

"Swapping the rubbing with a copy means that person was also at the Tianlong Mountain Villa," Wang Guan reminded them. "Check who checked out and left overnight yesterday; perhaps there will be a discovery."

"We checked. Three people left last night. We examined their registration details, and after verification, we found that one of them used a fake ID," the precinct chief admitted helplessly. "Furthermore, this person only checked into the Tianlong Mountain Villa that same day—he didn't go out during the day and left at night. Nobody paid attention to his appearance..."

"What a cunning fellow," Qiao Yu cursed angrily, then turned to comfort him. "Teacher, please don't blame yourself too much. After all, you only had good intentions."

"The hardest thing in this world is doing wrong with good intentions," Elder Tao shook his head, full of regret.

Soon after, the precinct chief left. Wang Guan and the others continued to console Elder Tao, but seeing him still steeped in self-reproach, they had no recourse but to leave helplessly... (To be continued)