The last time I went to Shenzhen, I didn't hurry to take the small cauldron. First, Wang Li's situation was critical, and I didn't have time to take care of him. Second, I thought that the small cauldron was hidden well enough. The people from the Taoist Association and the Buddhist Association who had participated in this case didn't see any clue. If I left it in the Public Security Bureau, no one would pay attention to it.
However, the truth was beyond my estimation.
I carefully searched again. In the orchard cellar case, all the evidence was there, but the small cauldron was nowhere to be found.
This made my frown deepen. It was obvious that someone had taken the small cauldron away. It was possible that someone had found something unusual about it.
Besides me, did someone else in the investigation team also find the small cauldron's secret?
If that was the case, it would be impossible for me to find the small cauldron again after such a long time had passed.
With this thought, I became more discouraged. I carefully checked the other evidence rooms, but I didn't find any trace of the small cauldron. Feeling resentful, I left.
I returned to the hotel and slept until the next morning. I was still unwilling to give up. After thinking for a while, I didn't hurry to return to Hong Kong. Instead, I went to the Municipal Public Security Bureau across the street.
The small cauldron was an important piece of evidence in the orchard cellar case. When the police investigated, they would check it. If it was lost, it would be recorded. As long as I knew when the small cauldron was lost, I could make some deductions.
Last night, I was anxious, so I didn't think about this.
Since it was broad daylight, I didn't try to hide my trace like I did last night. I swaggered into the room.
The evidence room was in the Municipal Public Security Bureau's office building. Although it didn't receive visitors, there were all kinds of people coming and going. That was why the security wasn't strict.
After I entered the room, I quickly went to the evidence room. I cast a concealing spell and pushed the door open, entering the room.
The archivist was sitting in the room. However, he was an ordinary person, so he couldn't see me. After I entered the room, I quickly found the file of the orchard cellar case and skimmed through it.
Since it was a big case, there were a lot of files. However, the eyesight and wisdom of cultivators were far better than ordinary people. It only took me a few minutes to finish reading all the files related to this case. To my surprise, there was no record of the missing cauldron in the files. Not a single word was mentioned.
I furrowed my eyebrows again. Had they not discovered it yet, or was there some other reason?
Logically speaking, the evidence room would be regularly checked and tidied up, so it was impossible that the loss of the small cauldron had not been discovered. But if it had been discovered, why was there no record of it?
After thinking for a while, I turned to look at the archivist, who was sitting at his desk and watching the news on his computer. He was a staff member here, so I should be able to get some information from him.
With this thought in mind, I lifted my foot and walked to his side. I made a bewitching spell with my hand and pressed it on his head.
If they were dealing with a cultivator and wanted to obtain their memories, they would have to use the Soul Searching Technique. After searching the soul, it would be very difficult for the cultivator to survive.
However, it was much more convenient for ordinary people. With my current cultivation base, I only needed to use a simple bewitching spell to get any information.
After I pressed the bewitching spell on his head, the archivist's eyes became blurry. He lifted his head and looked at me blankly. His eyes were blank.
I placed the file of the orchard cellar case in front of him and asked, "Are you responsible for keeping the material evidence in this case?"
The archivist lowered his head and looked at the file. With a dull voice, he answered, "I'm the one who filed the material evidence in this case."
I was elated. I took out the picture of the small cauldron from the file and asked, "Why isn't this small cauldron in the evidence room?"
The archivist answered in a slow and puzzled tone, "Because Chief Wei sent someone to take it away. He seemed to like this small cauldron, so I didn't register it."
It turned out his superior had taken it away. No wonder he didn't register it.
My doubts were finally solved. I nodded and asked one last question, "Where is Chief Wei's office?"
After the archivist told me the exact location, I reached my hand out and pressed on his head. The confusion in his eyes disappeared, and he became clear-headed again. He looked around vigilantly.
However, I had already cast a concealing spell. He wouldn't be able to find me.
After leaving the archive room, I quickly went to the Chief's office.
This time, I didn't look around. I used my old method to cast a bewitching spell on the fat Chief Wei.
Although Chief Wei had a high position, he couldn't resist the bewitching spell. Soon, he told me that he had taken the small cauldron from the evidence room. However, it wasn't with him now. It was sent to Secretary Zhang of the Shenzhen Municipal Committee.
After listening to him, my heart sank.
It was common knowledge that cultivators shouldn't have too much contact with the secular world. Although it couldn't be completely avoided, there was a difference between interacting with an ordinary person and interacting with an official.
If a cultivator came into contact with an ordinary person, as long as they didn't cross the line, no one would care.
However, it was different for an official. They shouldered the responsibility of governing the region, which was very important to the country. If a cultivator came into contact with an official, it was easy for the national department to target them.
Moreover, when an official reached a certain rank, he or she would have a special guard. To some low-ranking officials, the guards were just ordinary people. However, to high-ranking officials, they would have cultivators secretly protecting them.
The leader of the Municipal Committee wasn't a high-ranking official. However, Shenzhen was a special economic zone with a high status. The leader of the Municipal Committee wasn't inferior to a provincial official. Most of the time, he or she would have cultivators protecting him or her.
Of course, the cultivation base of those people wouldn't be that high. At this moment, I had a Heavenly Master cultivation base, so I didn't care about them.
However, the troublesome thing was that these people had the support of the national department. If the relevant department of the country targeted me, even with my current cultivation base, I would have to be careful.
I didn't know what the relevant department of the country was, but I knew that it existed.
After the orchard cellar case, the capital had mobilized the Metaphysics Society, Mount Longhu, and the Buddhist Association to join hands to investigate the case. It was clear that the country had a close relationship with the Metaphysics world.
However, I changed my mind. No matter what, I had a good foundation in the Metaphysics world. If the relevant department of the country targeted me, it would just be one more trouble.
If there were too many lice, one wouldn't itch. If there were too many debts, one wouldn't worry about them.
After making up my mind, I left the Municipal Bureau and went to the Municipal Committee Building.
The security here in the Public Security Bureau was much stricter. But to me, it was a smooth journey. Soon, I entered the building. After asking around, I found out the exact location of Secretary Zhang's office. It was on the top floor of the Municipal Committee Building.
I went to the top floor through the emergency passage. Not only did I conceal my presence, but I also sealed my aura. Then, I walked out of the stairwell. I avoided the secretary and the others who were working outside the office. I found a gap and pushed the door open, entering the office.
The office on the top floor was huge. It was a duplex suite. After entering the room, I didn't hurry to find anyone. Instead, I used my divine sense to scan around. Shortly after, I found a small cubicle near the door. I sensed a faint wisp of Dao energy.
From this person's aura, he should be a cultivator of the Daoist school. However, his cultivation base wasn't high. He had only sealed two acupoints.
I exhaled in relief. After sealing two acupoints, I had arranged a simple Dao energy barrier. With his cultivation base, he wouldn't be able to sense anything. It shouldn't affect me.
After confirming that everything was fine, I walked into the office. I bypassed the cubicle and entered the main hall.
At this moment, a tall and slender middle-aged man was sitting behind the desk. I guessed he was Secretary Zhang. However, besides him, there was another person sitting on the chair next to him. They were drinking tea and chatting.
I was surprised to see this person.
He was an old acquaintance of mine. He was Liu Qingji, the leader of Guangdong Province. I had met him once when I changed my name to Zhang Wenli. I didn't expect to see him here.
After a moment of surprise, I felt happy.
If Liu Qingji was here, things would be much easier. I had a good relationship with him, and he was a leader of the province. It wouldn't be difficult to get the small cauldron from Secretary Zhang through him.