Chapter 9

The Old Zhang Family House.

In the small courtyard.

Li Hao was still sweating all over, still feeling a lingering fear.

After a year of working as an inspector, Li Hao had gained some experience. If it were during the ancient courtyard period in Yincheng, Li Hao might not have been able to remain so calm and pull off such a convincing act, deceiving everyone.

"Quickly search, we need to leave immediately to prevent them from coming back!"

"Black Panther!"

Li Hao's gaze fell on Black Panther. He was very familiar with the old Zhang family house, but the more familiar he was, the less likely he was to find what he needed.

This time, bringing Black Panther was partly to rely on his help.

Black Panther looked up at Li Hao.

Li Hao looked around, lowered his voice, and pointed to the jade sword on his chest, "Look for something similar to this. Your nose is sensitive, so search for it."

Yes, Black Panther might be able to find it.

Previously, when Li Hao showed the jade sword, Black Panther was very interested.

Moreover, Li Hao suspected that when Black Panther first wandered to his doorstep, it might have been attracted by the jade sword.

Of course, Li Hao had never taken out the jade sword before, so Black Panther had no chance to lick it.

It wasn't until today that Black Panther got the opportunity.

If so, can Black Panther smell the stone knife?

The Zhang family had always lived here. Li Hao thought that if the stone knife was still here, it should be in the house, not taken away. No one would carry a stone around for no reason.

What else?

Black Panther understood!

He immediately became more energetic.

As for the smell, Black Panther couldn't detect it, and he could only get very close to catch a faint scent.

If he missed it, he might not find it again.

But now that he knew, Black Panther became more focused, his nose twitching as he crouched down and began to sniff the ground carefully.

Li Hao also didn't sit idle; he started searching the courtyard.

The corners, the ground…

These places had definitely been searched by the Red Shadow group, but Li Hao thought that they might not know what the stone knife looked like, and they might not have realized that the Zhang family's knife was just a stone.

Just like Li Hao, if he told others that the cross he wore was the Li family's sword from the folk song, no one would believe him.

A cognitive barrier!

The Li family's sword, the Zhang family's knife, just by listening to the folk song, one might think that these weapons were incredibly sharp and powerful, shining with a fierce and domineering aura.

But in reality, the Li family's sword was just a small jade pendant, and the Zhang family's knife was an unremarkable stone.

...

Ten minutes, twenty minutes…

Li Hao was getting anxious, unable to find it.

Is it gone?

Did the Red Shadow group find it, or did the Zhang family lose it? Not only did he not find it, but Black Panther, after sniffing around, also found nothing.

If Black Panther got close, he should have been able to smell something, right?

"No!"

Li Hao couldn't stay here for long. Scaring them away just now didn't mean they wouldn't come back. Moreover, he couldn't keep searching here; eventually, someone would notice his suspicious behavior.

He stood in the center of the courtyard, looking at the main house and the secondary bedroom, thinking about where he would hide the stone if he were Mr. Zhang.

Putting himself in Mr. Zhang's shoes might help him figure it out.

"At that time, Uncle Zhang didn't care much and just threw it away casually. When I came back later, I didn't pay attention to whether the stone knife was still on the ground. But I came to the Zhang family many times after that, and I never saw it. If it were still here, I should have seen it over the years."

"Uncle Zhang probably wouldn't have kept it as a treasure; otherwise, he wouldn't have thrown it away so casually."

He quickly recalled everything from back then, even though his memory was a bit fuzzy.

But thinking about it now, he could still remember some details.

"Xiao Yuan was beaten and didn't go out to play for two or three days. After that, when I came back... it might have been several days later. During that period, did Uncle Zhang take the stone knife away?"

"What would he do with a stone he took away?"

"It's likely that the stone knife disappeared during that period. Otherwise, over the years, I would have seen it again."

Li Hao rubbed his head.

He was too young back then and couldn't remember clearly.

What happened during those few days, or did Uncle Zhang think the stone was in the way and just throw it away?

If it was really thrown away... it would be impossible to find.

A stone, after more than ten years, could have been swept away anywhere.

"Black Panther can't even smell it... is it too far away, or is his sense of smell being interfered with?"

"If it's too far away, that's understandable. If his sense of smell is being interfered with..."

Li Hao's eyes suddenly lit up.

If his sense of smell was being interfered with, there were two likely places.

First, the kitchen.

Second, the outhouse!

In such an old house, they used outhouses in the past, not toilets.

Of course, it would be best if it wasn't in the outhouse.

"Right... Xiao Yuan's outhouse and kitchen were both repaired when I was a child. A stone... wouldn't have been buried in the repairs, right?"

Li Hao thought about this, feeling uncertain.

This was the most likely scenario!

If it wasn't in these two places, it would be impossible to find.

"Did Uncle Zhang repair the kitchen first or the outhouse after beating Xiao Yuan?"

He couldn't remember!

But now, Li Hao thought that if the stone knife was still in the Zhang family house, it was most likely in one of these two places.

Without hesitation, he headed towards the kitchen.

As for the outhouse... he wouldn't go there unless he couldn't find it in the kitchen. If the stone knife was really in the outhouse... Li Hao wouldn't want to use it to make water for Black Panther to drink. He had the Starry Sky Sword anyway!

"I hope it's in the kitchen!"

"Black Panther, come with me!"

Li Hao quickly called out, and Black Panther hurriedly followed him in.

The kitchen hadn't been used for many years. Pushing the door open, the stove was still there, with a large iron pot that was already rusty, and the pot lid was somewhat decayed.

"Smell it!"

Li Hao pointed to the stove: "Black Panther, don't let the smell distract you!"

The kitchen hadn't been used for years, but because it had been used for a long time, there was still a faint smell of smoke. This smell might have interfered with Black Panther, mixed with some lingering grease.

Black Panther was indeed a bit disoriented in the kitchen, mainly because of the strong moldy smell.

Previously, Black Panther had come in to smell but found nothing.

Now, hearing Li Hao, Black Panther moved quickly, jumping onto the stove and sniffing carefully.

Soon, his nose was covered with a layer of black soot.

Li Hao didn't sit idle either. In the kitchen, he focused on the areas that had been repaired over ten years ago, as those were the places where the stone knife might have been used.

Such places might not have been thoroughly searched by the Red Shadow group's forces.

Would the Zhang family hide their knife in such a place?

Of course, Li Hao took a quick look around and found that the Red Shadow group and their forces had indeed been quite thorough. The kitchen showed signs of being searched, and even the ashes under the stove had been disturbed.

The ashes, which had been undisturbed for years, might have been disturbed recently.

"Sure enough, they were searching, even the stove wasn't spared. They were quite thorough!"

Would the Zhang family's heirloom be hidden in the ashes?

If Li Hao were in their shoes, he probably wouldn't think so, but they still searched, showing how meticulous they were.

After waiting for a while, Black Panther still found nothing.

Li Hao was disappointed. Could it really be in the outhouse?

That would be too disgusting!

Just as he was thinking, Li Hao's eyes moved, and he suddenly looked at the large chimney on the stove. In such an old house, the kitchen always had a brick chimney. Without a chimney, the kitchen would be unusable during cooking.

"Hmm... the chimney?"

Li Hao suddenly remembered something. Was this chimney built after Uncle Zhang beat Xiao Yuan?

He vaguely remembered something!

Black Panther wasn't very big and couldn't climb up the chimney, which was about a person's height, from the stove.

"Could it be here?"

Li Hao moved quickly, jumping onto the stove and grabbing Black Panther with one hand, whispering, "Smell it!"

He held Black Panther, using him as a detector.

Black Panther's eyes were full of helplessness, but his nose twitched as he followed Li Hao's arm up the stove.

About a meter up, Black Panther's nose twitched again, and a familiar smell gradually filled his nostrils.

"Woof woof!"

Black Panther's eyes suddenly lit up.

And Li Hao's eyes also brightened!

Did he find it?

It's really here!

The chimney... this was probably something the Red Shadow group didn't expect. Who would think the Zhang family would embed their ancestral knife in the chimney?

They might have searched along the chimney!

Or the Red Shadow might have investigated it, being intangible and able to pass through walls. Li Hao didn't know if they could do that, but they probably searched the walls and ground. Their target might have been something like a crevice, a hidden compartment, a box, or a treasure chest.

They wouldn't have thought the knife they were looking for was just a stone.

Li Hao's eyes brightened as he stared at a slightly protruding spot on the chimney. Was the stone knife here?

The peeling lime plaster revealed some bricks inside the chimney.

Li Hao touched it, and more lime plaster fell off, revealing a grayish stone. It wasn't fully exposed, but seeing its incomplete shape, Li Hao's eyes lit up completely!

"This is it!"

Li Hao's heart raced. This was it, even though it wasn't fully exposed. In his memory, it vaguely resembled a stone shaped like a knife, not too large, just a bit bigger than a fist.

"Uncle Zhang... really respects his ancestors!"

Li Hao suddenly felt a mix of amusement and exasperation. Back then, he beat his son for this stone.

Good grief, when he repaired the kitchen, he embedded the ancestral stone in the chimney. No one respects their ancestors like that!

If the Zhang family's ancestors were still alive, they might have been furious.

Among the eight families, Li Hao didn't know about the others, but the Li family's sword had always been passed down as a family treasure. For the Zhang family's stone to be passed down, Li Hao thought it was truly remarkable!

Maybe it wasn't a stone back then?

Perhaps it gradually petrified over time, and by the time it reached Mr. Zhang, it had completely turned into a stone?

There was no time to think about it, and Li Hao didn't have the heart to think about it. He looked at the stone embedded in the chimney, frowning slightly.

He found it!

But it wasn't easy to remove!

It wasn't impossible, but the key was that removing the stone knife would leave obvious marks on the chimney.

After a year in the inspection office, Li Hao had some experience. Once you touched this place, the Red Shadow and their forces would definitely check to see what Li Hao's purpose was.

If a stone was missing from the chimney, they might quickly realize it!

If Li Hao were still a student in the ancient courtyard, he would have immediately taken the stone knife. If the Red Shadow returned, they would immediately think that the Zhang family's knife might be the missing stone, and Li Hao would be in big trouble!

At that point, the Red Shadow would know that the stone knife was in Li Hao's hands, and even if he didn't cause trouble, he would still be in trouble.

They might even deduce that Li Hao had figured something out, or even knew about the eight families, revealing everything!

"What to do?"

Li Hao quickly thought. Since he had seen it, he couldn't just leave it. He thought the Zhang family's knife was not only a treasure but also had other uses.

The Red Shadow group was very interested, or they wouldn't have been monitoring the place for a year after the incident.

Li Hao frowned. Remove the stone knife and replace it with a similar stone?

But if they found out, it would be like hiding a silver coin in a jar of silver coins!

The new and old marks would be different.

"Only by completely destroying the evidence and leaving no trace. The best way would be to destroy the chimney... but would that be too obvious?"

"Find a similar stone, preferably one that looks similar... then destroy the chimney. Even if they reconstruct it later, there won't be a missing stone, and they won't notice anything..."

As an inspector, Li Hao had learned and seen how to destroy evidence and create false evidence to mislead the other party over the past year.

If he simply destroyed it, the Red Shadow might reconstruct the chimney and notice the missing stone.

After deciding what to do, Li Hao didn't immediately remove the stone knife.

It had been there for years, and no one had noticed, so there was no rush.

Thinking about it, Li Hao sighed. Finding it was enough; he just needed to wait a bit longer. But this time, he would need to trouble his teacher again.

...

Leaving the kitchen, Li Hao directly called his teacher.

Almost immediately, Yuan Shuo's voice came through: "Is everything okay?"

"Teacher, everything's fine!"

Li Hao, with some gratitude, didn't engage in small talk and quickly said, "Teacher, I didn't find anything at Zhang Yuan's house, but I noticed that someone has been monitoring Zhang Yuan's house, and it seems to have been searched. Do you think the killer is looking for something?"

Yuan Shuo, understanding the implications, thought for a moment and asked, "What do you think?"

"I'm thinking, can we lure the snake out of its hole?"

Li Hao quickly said, "Since