C23 I Am a Thief

After escorting Lin Qianyi to Sunken City and ensuring she arrived home safely, Wang Xiaochuan left the neighborhood and hailed a taxi to Yonio. Passing the street where he had previously clashed with Chen Hao and his group, Wang Xiaochuan noticed they had long since departed.

To Wang Xiaochuan, Chen Hao and his cronies were insignificant, barely worth a second thought. Yet, the day's events served as a reminder: he must never cease his cultivation. Had he not advanced in his practice recently, his reserves of genuine energy might have been depleted, leaving him vulnerable to danger in any further encounters with Chen Hao's group.

With his future uncertain, Wang Xiaochuan knew he must continually strengthen his abilities. A robust cultivation was his most vital asset.

Upon returning home, he wasted no time. After ingesting a dose of Soul Draught, he resumed his cultivation practices. Before he knew it, dawn had broken.

Rising from the ground at six in the morning, Wang Xiaochuan felt surprisingly refreshed despite having spent the entire night in meditation rather than sleep. Realizing he still had time before work, he decided to make a trip to the herbal medicine market.

The diet pill, antialcoholic drug, and calleidic had been a hit at the previous evening's gathering. Having sold all his stock and accruing a backlog of orders, including many from Mr. Du, Wang Xiaochuan was determined to fulfill these promptly to maintain his valuable connections.

There was also the matter of Lin Qianyi. The demand had outstripped supply, and he had managed to provide her with only one bottle of calleidic. Aware of a woman's weak spot for such products, he anticipated she would be in touch after sampling the medicine. Thus, he resolved to stock up on ingredients in advance.

After a substantial haul at the herbal medicine market, Wang Xiaochuan loaded up his basket and set off on his electric bike back to Yonio.

After a successful day at the herbal medicine market, Wang Xiaochuan was in high spirits. He parked his electric bike and, humming a tune, made his way home, planning to drop off the herbs before heading to work at Lai's.

Upon reaching his front door, however, something felt off. There were signs that someone had tampered with the lock. Wang Xiaochuan distinctly remembered securing the door before he left, engaging the safety lock. But now, as he unlocked the door, he realized the safety hadn't been touched; it was merely closed.

Could it be a burglary? No, that seemed implausible.

Wang Xiaochuan crouched to inspect the lock. Dismissing the idea of a break-in, he saw no evidence of forced entry. With his exceptional hearing and eyesight, he would not have missed any signs of tampering. Yet, even after a thorough check, the lock was unmarked.

Ultimately, Wang Xiaochuan deduced that someone with a key must have opened the door. The only other person with a key was Liang Yue downstairs.

The key was originally the landlord's, who seldom visited and had left it with Liang Yue for safekeeping. With this realization, Wang Xiaochuan dropped the herbs and dashed down to confront Liang Yue.

Liang Yue was leisurely humming, snacking on melon seeds, and watching TV when Wang Xiaochuan burst in. Instead of rebuking him, she greeted him with a sly smile, "Well, isn't this a surprise? The sun must be setting in the east for Wang Xiaochuan to come to my place. What brings you here?"

"Cut the act, you know exactly why I'm here!" Wang Xiaochuan shot back, not mincing his words. He pointed accusingly and demanded, "Tell me, did you go into my house just now? What were you after?"

Liang Yue's demeanor shifted from amused to defensive as she retorted, "What nonsense are you spouting, you little scoundrel? Which eye of yours saw me enter your house? Why would I bother with your place? As if a poor devil like you has anything worth stealing!"

"You're the one who opened the door – don't think for a second that I'm clueless! Consider this a final warning: if I catch wind of anything like this again, don't expect me to be nice!" Wang Xiaochuan spat out the words, then brushed past her, intent on checking whether anything was missing from his home.

He had dashed out so quickly earlier that he hadn't had the chance to inspect his belongings. His furniture and clothes seemed untouched, but what really mattered was the cash he had retrieved, still stashed beneath his bed.

But before he could leave, Liang Yue charged forward, arms spread wide, blocking the doorway to his home. "You little rascal, you're going to clear things up today. Who the hell messed with your door? Let me make this clear: you won't find it easy to pin this on me!"

"Hey, what's Liang Yue going on about this early in the morning?"

"Sounds like there's trouble at Wang Xiaochuan's place. He's arguing with Liang Yue."

At that moment, the residents of Yonio Village were heading out, and they overheard the commotion from Liang Yue's place, prompting them to pause and gossip among themselves.

Liang Yue, catching wind of the chatter outside, whirled around and stormed out to confront the onlookers. "Everyone, come take a look and judge for yourselves. This kid has the nerve to accuse me of theft! What a ridiculous accusation. He's just a delivery guy – what could he possibly have that I would want to steal? Wang Xiaochuan has lost all sense of decency, resorting to slander!"

Seeing that Liang Yue had stepped aside, Wang Xiaochuan, uninterested in engaging further, decided to head upstairs to his apartment.

Unexpectedly, Liang Yue was persistent and blocked his way once more, demanding clarity. Something was off, and Wang Xiaochuan felt a growing suspicion. Just then, three uniformed police officers approached from a distance.

Police sightings were rare in Yonio, so the arrival of these officers quickly drew the attention of all present. "Look, it's the police!"

"What's going on? Did someone break the law?"

The crowd parted for the officers, retreating to the sidelines to continue their hushed speculations.

Three police officers approached, one a middle-aged man in his forties, with the other two appearing to be under thirty.

The middle-aged officer reached Wang Xiaochuan's building, glanced at the door number, and inquired, "Excuse me, do you know if Wang Xiaochuan lives here?"

Wang Xiaochuan's brow furrowed. "That's me. What seems to be the problem?"

"You're Wang Xiaochuan?" The middle-aged officer scoffed, turning to his colleagues, "Go ahead, cuff him!"

The commotion instantly drew the attention of the onlookers. The residents gave Wang Xiaochuan peculiar glances.

"They're here to arrest Wang Xiaochuan? What did he do?"

"Isn't Wang Xiaochuan just a delivery guy? Why are the cops after him?"

Amidst the buzz of conversation, Liang Yue laughed loudly, addressing the crowd, "See, I told you so. This kid's no good. Hmph, still have the nerve to accuse others when you're the one the police are after?"

"Right, Wang Xiaochuan's the one in trouble, yet he tries to blame others. You wouldn't guess it, but he's that kind of person."

"It's true what they say, you can't judge a book by its cover. Wang Xiaochuan seems decent enough, but who knows what he's been up to behind closed doors."

Under Liang Yue's influence, some uninformed neighbors chimed in, their gazes toward Wang Xiaochuan turning disdainful and scornful.

Wang Xiaochuan ignored their comments, but the presence of the three officers puzzled him.

He couldn't recall any recent illegal activities on his part. The only incidents that came to mind were a couple of fights with thugs.

But those could hardly be considered anything but acts of valor, and besides, those thugs were hardly the type to involve the police.

As the two younger officers approached, handcuffs in hand, they sternly told him, "Stay still, don't make any sudden moves!"

"Hold on!" Wang Xiaochuan blurted out, "Officers, could you please tell me what I've done to warrant this arrest?"

One of the young officers with a round face replied, "You're telling us you don't know what you've done wrong?"

The square-faced officer on the other side said impatiently, "Enough with the chit-chat. Cuff him!"

Wang Xiaochuan quickly stepped back and addressed the officers with a cold tone, "Officers, you can't just arrest someone without any reason!"

"Fine, let me enlighten you."

The middle-aged officer stepped forward, halting the two eager policemen, then turned to Wang Xiaochuan, "Wang Xiaochuan, we've received a tip-off alleging your involvement in a burglary. We need to take you in for questioning."

The crowd around them erupted into commotion upon hearing this.

"Haha, Wang Xiaochuan, you accused me of theft earlier, and now it turns out you're the thief? I must be cursed to have a thief for a neighbor!" Liang Yue was the first to exclaim loudly.

The other neighbors looked on with contempt.

"I can't believe Wang Xiaochuan is a thief."

"It's no wonder things have gone missing from my house before. He could very well be the culprit."

"That Wang Xiaochuan, always out early and back late, he just doesn't seem trustworthy."

Hearing the murmurs of the crowd, Wang Xiaochuan felt his anger surge.

Theft!

What a ridiculous accusation! Why would I need to steal?

Then it hit him... Wang Xiaochuan suddenly recalled the officer mentioning a report had been filed against him.

In that instant, he thought of one person – Zhou Yao!

He was the only one capable of such an act. Yes, that kid must have filed a false report out of spite for what happened that day, aiming to set him up for revenge!