Chapter 691: Suspicious

The backstage was in a state of chaos, and everyone stood up without realizing it. Shuanglian grabbed him and said, "Sui Ye, don't go out yet, something has happened outside."

Sui Dahai was also someone who had weathered many storms; hearing the words "catch the thief," his heart skipped a beat. He said, "The host family has been robbed, this is going to be bad. Oh no, A Yun is still outside, and Da Feng and the others are on the stage too!"

Changqiu was somewhat fearful; she grabbed the corner of Shuanglian's sleeve and said, "What's wrong? What's wrong?"

Shuanglian pulled her back and said, "It's fine. Don't be afraid, don't speak, don't move around, just follow me honestly. Do whatever I tell you to do." She felt a bit panicked; whenever something bad happened to the host family, they would think of these wandering performers first. Because in the eyes of the nobility, they were "miscellaneous people" who were naturally ill-intentioned. It was funny to think about it; they were the ones who invited them to perform, yet it was as if they had known all along that there was filth hidden inside. Wouldn't that mean they had opened the door themselves to let the thief in?

When it came down to it, they were still lowly; even if they were wronged, there would be no consequences, and being bullied was just being bullied for nothing.

It was just rare to have such a scene on a joyous day. By rights, wealthy families valued face the most; even if they broke an arm, they would keep it inside their sleeve. With so many people here, if they lost something, they should have kept quiet first and searched discreetly. Was it not shameful to turn everything upside down with such a great fanfare?

Tang Zhao, however, felt a stir in his heart and thought: So it really was the sword that was lost?

He hadn't sensed the sword inside the Sword Box when he passed by it earlier, and thinking about it now, it was probably already gone by then.

The Che family had lost face in a big way this time; the most important treasure of this banquet had been stolen, and one wondered how they had been guarding it.

At this moment, Sui Dahai said, "Azhao, you go out first. They will definitely bring people to search in a moment, and it will be a complete mess. You are a scholar, a person of status, don't let them bully you."

Tang Zhao asked in return, "Does that mean if you aren't scholars, you deserve to be bullied?"

He thought for a moment; staying here to be surrounded and searched was pointless. Did he really have to wait for them to surround him and bully him to his face before revealing his identity and saying, "I am actually a special-grade chef"? It would be better to strike first and go out to see if he could find that sword.

Finding the sword would, firstly, save Uncle and the others from being implicated, and secondly, out of respect for Yue Lai, it would allow the Host to save face.

Furthermore, just now at the banquet, he had heard guests praising the YoungMaster's older brother, the eldest son Che Lin, who was the Town Guardian of the local Land Inspection Division. It was said he was a competent, capable, and upright outstanding Town Guardian. Although this was just flattery during a banquet and probably didn't have even thirty percent credibility, Tang Zhao was still willing to believe a few points about the Land Inspection Division—if he were truly a disreputable person, the guests could have avoided talking about him entirely instead of forcing flattery, which would be more like cursing someone to their face.

Since he was a qualified Town Guardian, Tang Zhao was willing to help with the family's lost item.

He didn't need to sneak out; he walked out openly. At this moment, the inside and outside were in a state of chaos, and there was no clue outside yet; no one had thought of these performers. If someone backstage had been clever and slipped away now, they wouldn't be able to catch anyone at the scene.

However, these performers were all well-known in the local area; as long as they wanted to continue making a living in this region, they would never dare to just slip away. It would be fine if the item was found, but if it wasn't, wouldn't the blame be pinned on them immediately? Therefore, although more than one person present was screaming "bad" in their hearts, not a single person dared to leave.

When Tang Zhao went out, the surroundings were noisy. The corridors were full of people, some running forward, some running backward, and it was unclear where they were actually trying to go.

Like headless flies.

Tang Zhao thought to himself, this is the family of the local Land Inspection Division Town Guardian? Is this the management capability of a dignified Town Guardian?

But it seemed the Town Guardian had been busy with official business and hadn't appeared; now that they were leaderless, it was understandable that they couldn't organize.

By this time, he had already reached the front and saw that the play on the stage had stopped, and the entire troupe of performers, along with the musicians and martial artists, were standing in place, stunned. The guests were sitting and standing; some were as wooden as chickens, others were discussing in hushed tones.

The most eye-catching thing was in the center of the front hall: that ornate Sword Box was placed on a table, already opened. Needless to say, it was empty inside. The little YoungMaster stood in front of the box with a blank expression, completely lacking the high-spirited appearance he had just a moment ago. And the old man beside him was Master Che, who was now also at a loss for what to do.

Tang Zhao stood in the corner of the stage; his perspective was quite broad, and the three halls and two floors on both sides of the center were all in full view. His gaze swept across the entire scene, first looking to see if there were any suspicious people visible at a glance.

As a Sword Hero, his perception and Spirit were extremely powerful, enough to cover the entire scene, and he could even see the subtle movements and expressions of every person. After one sweep, he indeed made discoveries, but unfortunately, he discovered a bit too many. He found at least three suspicious people.

One was an old man at a table, pouring and drinking by himself, seemingly enjoying this chaos. One was a woman on the upper floor, appreciating all the scenery below with great interest, and another was a person in green in a corner, standing like a stone pillar.

This wave, this wave is a choice of one out of three.

However, he also knew something was wrong; it was definitely not just a choice of one out of three. He had only discovered three suspects, and that was based on intuition, feeling that their behavior and demeanor were suspicious; he hadn't sensed any swords on them, so calling them suspects was a stretch, and he certainly couldn't conclude that the thief was among them. Catching a thief without the stolen goods was ultimately unconvincing.

Thinking about it, since the thief wanted to steal the sword, they must have been fully prepared, at least preparing a box capable of isolating perception, and then preparing a spatial tool.

The box was easy to explain; one made of Strange Stone would do, and it wasn't expensive, but that spatial tool was extremely valuable. Because ordinary cheap tools couldn't carry a treasure like a sword; at least a treasure of the True Artifact level was needed. If such a treasure were made well, one couldn't sense it from the outside at all. Tang Zhao could only guarantee he could distinguish it if he saw it with his own eyes and examined it carefully. And they would very likely keep the Art Tool on their person.

If one wanted to catch them with the stolen goods, one would probably have to search their bodies. Such a treasure was too important; the host would definitely not care about evidence, and if there was the slightest suspicion, they would definitely search them. But whether they could search those experts would depend on their respective methods.

That Master Che was numb in his hands and feet in the hall, only shouting, "Catch, catch, catch! Seize... seize..."

At this moment, someone suddenly said in a deep voice, "Enough!"

A person strode in from outside with the gait of a dragon and a tiger, wearing a fitted military officer's uniform; his figure was robust, his appearance dignified, and at a glance, he was an experienced military officer.

Master Che was overjoyed to see him, as if he had found his backbone, and shouted, "Dalin, you finally arrived."

Tang Zhao saw at a glance that this person must be Che Lin, the Town Guardian of the Kuan Cheng Land Inspection Division: the official uniforms of the Land Inspection Division had similarities, but they differed between provinces; the uniforms in Youzhou were slightly lighter in color than those in Yunzhou. He was worthy of being a Town Guardian praised by everyone; at least from his appearance, this Land Inspection Division Town Guardian looked quite decent, and this entrance was also striking.

Che Lin looked at his father helplessly; after this moment of humanity, when he scanned the entire scene again, his gaze remained only as sharp as a hawk's.

"Everyone, the matter has already occurred, and this is an extraordinary time. In order to find the thief and ensure everyone's safety, I need you to remain where you are. Whether you are standing or sitting, walking or jumping, stay where you are; no one is allowed to move. Whoever moves will be suspected of carrying stolen goods and fleeing, and then I will have to be rude."

His voice was very loud and was accurately delivered to everyone's ears. With a wave of his hand, dozens of people entered simultaneously from the main gate and side doors, all of them sharp and capable, wearing the uniform of the Land Inspection Division. At the same time, one could see people guarding the doorways, and there were even people standing on the walls.

In the blink of an eye, the residence was surrounded tightly.

This tactic was very rigorous.

But were the personnel of the Land Inspection Division meant to handle this? Thieves should fall under the jurisdiction of the Patrol Yamen.

Tang Zhao thought about it and felt there was a suspicion of using public power for private purposes, but it was probably impossible to investigate deeply anywhere; asking a Town Guardian to report the case and wait for the Yamen to send bailiffs to investigate, an ordinary Town Guardian wouldn't have that patience.

Che Lin shouted, "Now, those who are in other courtyards, you can all hear me. Stand still now; someone will go to lead you over. When you see them, follow them, and walk to the main courtyard one by one. No one is allowed to remain in other courtyards; if you stay, you are a thief. Everyone here is innocent and should cherish themselves; do not let people misunderstand."

As he spoke, people from the Land Inspection Division indeed drove the people out of every courtyard to stand in the main courtyard.

The main courtyard wasn't that big; it had already been filled with banquet tables, and now that everyone had been driven out, they were standing in one courtyard, shoulder to shoulder, crowded together like grain on a threshing floor. Although the crowd didn't dare to speak much, so many people whispering to each other created a buzzing sound like a beehive.

Tang Zhao knew this was a method of creating pressure; the more aggressive he was, the more fearful these people would be, and they wouldn't dare to resist Che Lin's command.

At this time, the performers backstage were also driven out, standing on the stage one by one. The stage was narrow and they were crowded together, which was even more embarrassing. Tang Zhao finally saw Sui Dage. He was wearing the clothes of a bit-part actor, shrinking on the stage. Although he was wearing makeup, Tang Zhao recognized him at a glance.

After not seeing him for a few years, Sui Feng was a bit taller and stronger, and he looked to be in good spirits.

However, why didn't he see A Yun, who had come out to watch the excitement? Could it be that the Land Inspection Division hadn't found her?

While Tang Zhao was puzzled, the people had been driven out almost completely. Che Lin said with a dark face, "Search. Search the outer courtyard first. Do not worry about the jars and pots."

As soon as he said "search," those Land Inspection Division members pounced out like wolves and tigers. One could hear the sounds of crashing and banging outside; it was clear that the subordinates were executing the "do not worry about the jars and pots" order very thoroughly. Master Che's mouth twitched slightly as he heard it, but he couldn't argue with his son about anything.

While his subordinates were searching, Che Lin scanned the entire scene and said, "Although everyone should be innocent, I am still concerned about a few of the guests. I have been in Kuan Cheng for decades, and I have an impression of almost all the figures, but there are a few who are truly unfamiliar, and they look truly extraordinary; they are definitely not unknown people. Therefore, I must ask a few of you to come out and provide an explanation."

He stared at the old man who was watching the play at the table and said, "Old hero, please come over."

Tang Zhao watched silently and thought: Just as I thought, I also think he is suspicious.

Che Lin raised his head slightly and looked at the second floor, saying, "That girl leaning on the railing, please come down."

Tang Zhao thought: Not bad, she is also suspicious; great minds think alike.

Although, looking at this Che Lin's way of not distinguishing between public and private, whether he could be called a hero was a question mark, but his ability should be qualified. The instructions just now had no problems; even if one crossed out the "upright" part, there were still evaluations like "competent" and "capable."

Then the next one should be the man hiding in the corner, silently watching everything, right?

Actually, from his appearance, he was the most likely to be an expert, but things in the Jianghu sometimes went the opposite way; women, old men, and children were instead even harder to guard against.

Che Lin seemed to perform the action of drawing a breath, and said, "There is one more person, though I feel it shouldn't be him. But since I have seen him, I cannot turn a blind eye, so I must invite him out."

Tang Zhao was just looking toward the suspicious man when he felt a gaze sweep over. Startled, he shifted his gaze and met Che Lin's eyes directly.

Wait, it couldn't be...

Che Lin's tone grew a bit more solemn as he said, "This young master, could you please come over here?"