Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Secret Capture (Part Two)

The two of them immediately proceeded to interrogate Zhang Jin and Xun Yuanchun, and to their surprise, both men were quite cooperative, recounting the entire process of stealing the Guanyin statue in precise detail. Essentially, Zhang Jin was responsible for breaking in and transporting the goods, while Xun Yuanchun specialized in crafting clay replicas to swap out the real statue. They even revealed the secret that the Mute had hidden the Guanyin statue in Li Qiwen’s coffin, with nothing held back.

It turned out that Zhang Jin, who had always been lazy and gluttonous, had made a small fortune in recent years through petty theft. At first, he bought a pickup truck simply out of novelty and as a convenient getaway vehicle. But as he drove more, he realized how lucrative the business could be. He soon started running illegal transport jobs on the side, which gave him more opportunities to go into the city. As the antique craze swept the country, Zhang Jin saw his chance. Exploiting the information gap, he went door to door collecting scrap metal, old furniture, ancient coins, and silverware, then flipped them for a hefty profit at city antique shops. Money poured in by the fistful.

With this hit-and-miss effort, Zhang Jin quickly upgraded from a pickup to a business van, and later a small truck. He dressed himself in gold, silver, and sharp suits. Believing he’d found a shortcut in life, his ambitions grew, especially as his gambling buddies flattered him at the card table, making him lose all sense of himself.

To expand his “business,” he recruited Zhang Kun the gambler and Xun Yuanchun the gaming addict, and pulled in a few villagers hoping for some perks. Together, they quietly started illegally logging Chinese yew trees, earning another windfall. This inflated Zhang Jin’s confidence to its peak, and he often styled himself as a “peasant entrepreneur.”

His mind was indeed quick. Initially, he only trafficked in raw timber, but after discovering that root carvings, tea sets, and Buddhist statues were even more profitable, he brought in the craftsman Li Qiumao through Xun Yuanchun to handle processing. In this way, all of them reaped considerable gains.

But Zhang Jin had always been ruthless and a master of deception. Even with his own partners, he kept secrets. Most of the money they made ended up in his pockets, while the others shared a small cut. He made it sound convincing: to make a real fortune, they needed to buy a shop in the city—only then would they have a future. The truth was, Zhang Kun, Xun Yuanchun, and the others, though involved, were country bumpkins who knew nothing about city business. Li Qiumao was honest to a fault and did whatever he was told, without a word of complaint.

After Zhang Jin’s persuasive spiel, these men ended up working for him for a pittance for years. Delighted, Zhang Jin felt as if the family tombs were sending him blessings. He really did set up a large shop in the city, specializing in Chinese yew products.

But the good times didn’t last. Foreign experts hyped up the cancer-curing properties of Chinese yew, fueling a nationwide wave of illegal logging. The plant’s population plummeted, nearing extinction. The authorities took notice, ordered immediate action by the forestry department, gave the Chinese yew top-level protected status, and banned all logging. Violators would face criminal charges.

Zhang Jin, ignorant of the law and isolated in the remote Luoshui village, remained unaware of these policy changes for years. It wasn’t until his city shop was suddenly raided after being reported that he was jolted to his senses. Luckily, regulations were not yet very strict, so Zhang Jin spent only six months in detention before being released.

Having done time, Zhang Jin thought his life was over. Yet, over drinks with a few shady friends, he discovered the antique trade was booming more than ever. Auctions fetched astronomical prices, and a lucky find could set one up for life. Zhang Jin secretly berated himself, regretting all those years wasted on risky, thankless timber smuggling that landed him in jail without great profit.

Now that antique trading was legal—and Luoshui was a genuine antiques village—he felt fortune’s gates opening once more. Gathering his old crew, the like-minded fellows quickly reunited.

But this time, Li Qiumao did not join them. The reason was simple: he was just a craftsman with no interest in antiques, and he feared his elder brother Li Qisi, who enforced a strict ban on antique trading in their village. Li Qiumao understood well the consequences. Yet, for all his honesty, Li Qiumao had his own plans. He had previously set up a secret contact on Heiqi’s side, and seeing Zhang Jin’s downfall, he switched to working with Heiqi, continuing the Chinese yew business on the sly, no longer taking part in Zhang Jin’s illegal activities.

Still, these men were like grasshoppers tied to the same rope—interdependent, though some bonds had frayed.

Now, Zhang Jin and Zhang Kun formed one group; Li Qiumao and Heiqi, another. Xun Yuanchun, with his tricks and conjuring, played both sides. That was the state of affairs.

Then, Zhang Jin inadvertently set his sights on the Guanyin statue in the temple. Ecstatic, armed with his shallow knowledge of antiques, he discovered a Song dynasty inscription on the base of the statue—a fatal temptation. He began feverishly plotting the theft and finally settled on the plan to swap the statue with a clay replica.

But as the saying goes, there is always a higher mountain, a stronger man.

After his time in prison, Zhang Jin acted with utmost caution. Even so, fate intervened. The Mute somehow learned of the plan and repeatedly showed up demanding a share. At first, Zhang Jin tried every trick to refuse him, but the Mute simply shadowed him and his companions day and night, making any action impossible.

It wasn’t until last winter, after a near-fatal accident in the mountains, that Zhang Jin realized the Mute was not to be trifled with. After much consideration, he reluctantly cut the Mute in on the plan. After all, no amount of money was worth his life—better to spend some to avoid disaster.

As the saying goes, it takes a villain to deal with a villain. The Mute’s involvement was claimed to be for “muscle,” but in truth, he did nothing. He never even appeared during the theft at the Guanyin temple, let alone offered any actual help—he simply extorted them. This naturally bred resentment among the others.

When the statue was finally in hand, Zhang Jin planned to quickly sell it and give the Mute a bogus price to get rid of him. But unexpectedly, the Mute appeared, stopped the truck carrying the loot, beat them all up, and made off with the Guanyin statue.

It was all for nothing. Zhang Jin had slaved away for no reward. Strangely enough, after being robbed by the Mute, Zhang Jin actually submitted to him and became his lackey, utterly subdued.

This is how a boss is made—it’s all about who has the blackest heart and the heaviest fist.

Li Yiting then inquired about the deaths of Li Qiwen and Li Qiumao, whether Zhang Jin and his group were involved. Zhang Jin insisted that aside from the theft, they had committed no other crimes. With no solid evidence and statements that more or less held together, Chen Tianyu had no choice but to let matters rest for now, intending to revisit the case after the Mute was brought in.

In other words, the theft had been solved, but the murder case remained at a standstill.

This left the two of them somewhat frustrated.