CH-016

Behind the woodcutter’s house lay a mountain forest that stretched as far as the eye could see.

At night, people could often hear foxes calling out in the woods, one cry after another. Foxes are the natural enemies of poultry, so they always trigger alertness and defensive measures.

However, that has no relation to this story for now.

Shu Li and Dr. Matthew walked side by side through the thickets.

The rain seemed to have stopped for a while, but the leaves in the grove were too dense. When the wind blew, water droplets would occasionally slide down the veins of the leaves, forming a miniature rain shower. Having walked in the rain for so long, their sensitivity to this slight dampness was not particularly strong.

Or rather, their attention was so focused on the person beside them that they didn’t notice whether the rain had stopped or not.

They had only exchanged a few words at the fork in the path earlier.

The silence they were in now was merely a gap in the process of walking and talking.

Shu Li felt that Dr. Matthew indeed hadn’t believed him much at first.

Generally, just as some people are allergic to romance, cautious criminals are more likely than ordinary people to be “allergic” to “trust.”

They don’t believe in people.

As long as a person can open their mouth to speak, they will lie.

They are more familiar with this concept than anyone.

Thus, Dr. Matthew’s attitude was more of a probe, or rather, exploitation cloaked in “trust.”

However, as they walked together, every time Shu Li read Dr. Matthew’s eyes and continuously replicated the trajectory of yesterday’s walk, Dr. Matthew was forced to start believing the facts he was experiencing—

The priest could find what he had lost.

And once it was found, he would kill the man.

For Dr. Matthew, this was a most convenient arrangement.

Therefore, Shu Li could also sense that as time passed and the other man’s trust increased, Dr. Matthew became increasingly relaxed.

Shu Li: “…”

Overall, this situation had its pros and cons.

The biggest drawback was that Shu Li had absolutely no idea what Dr. Matthew had actually lost.

From the beginning, he had used cold reading, then used information blurring to induce the other person to fill in the blanks themselves, and then used his own “believe in me and gain eternal life” conviction to manipulate the other’s emotions.

The combination of these psychological tactics was meant to make this unscientific Dr. Matthew lower his guard and become willing to seek his help. He had left the woodcutter’s house to travel alone with him.

Afterward, Shu Li used micro-expressions to judge the path ahead. Because he knew, this was a process to gain Dr. Matthew’s trust.

Fortunately, micro-expressions are triggered and controlled by the limbic system of the brain.

They usually appear the instant an emotion is generated, typically lasting about 0.5 seconds. Because micro-expressions appear so quickly and are so subtle, untrained people lack the ability to capture that fleeting moment of involuntary facial change, even when looking in a mirror.

So, when Shu Li used micro-expressions to observe Dr. Matthew, it was perfectly natural, open, and blatant.

This also bought Shu Li a lot of time for thinking and action.

This was the convenience brought by Dr. Matthew’s relaxation.

“Father Alis.” Dr. Matthew suddenly stopped his pace as they reached a depression in the ground, “Do you feel anything here?”

Shu Li’s attention was caught by his words, and he instinctively looked around, “What?”

The depression was surrounded by overgrown weeds. Likely due to its proximity to the hollow, the soil around it felt soft and prone to sinking when stepped on.

Dr. Matthew’s expression subtly changed, becoming even more relaxed than before.

Dr. Matthew said casually, “It’s nothing, I was just wondering if you know which way we should go now.”

That was a lie.

There was no need for Dr. Matthew to say such nonsense; previously, he had always stopped directly and looked at Shu Li, letting him walk on his own.

Or perhaps, he truly didn’t know where to go next either.

So, Shu Li looked seriously at his expression and found that he indeed wasn’t lying about that part.

Only then did he realize they were stuck.

Up until now, Shu Li had only been replicating the location where Dr. Matthew and Finnian met.

So while finding the way, Shu Li would explicitly or implicitly mention Finnian to trigger Dr. Matthew’s memory, using his reactions to find the path.

Thinking of this, Shu Li’s heart sank a bit.

It was time to switch methods.

Shu Li stopped in place and brought up his sense of conviction again, “This part… let me calculate first.” As he spoke, he squatted down, picked up a small twig from the ground, and drew a circle about 80 centimeters in diameter with his bare hand.

Dr. Matthew’s brow twitched slightly, and he couldn’t help but say, “You really do know how to do everything.”

“I have a whole bunch of these bluffing tricks, but you won’t have the chance to see them.”

Shu Li thought.

“I might need to take some time.”

Shu Li started drawing circles on the ground, filling them with various chemical equations to buy himself a little more time.

After all, he hadn’t expected to arrive at the accident site where Finnian and Matthew met so quickly.

As it happened, drawing circles for divination was a procedure that emphasized a sense of ritual, and it was also very easy to gain people’s trust. it was somewhat similar to how ancient people would set up an altar to perform a ritual for catching demons.

Plus, because Dr. Matthew had already wasted a whole night, he didn’t mind another seven or eight minutes. So he basically didn’t suspect anything, let alone stop him, and even showed a hint of curiosity.

As for Shu Li, in fact, he actually knew exactly where their final destination was, and it was quite simple.

But he suspected Dr. Matthew had also been lying to him all along.

As mentioned before, during the process of finding the person, the sheep’s whereabouts became a key yet easily overlooked clue.

Under the premise of a child missing, the sheep’s situation became a secondary concern.

Generally speaking, from the perspective of typical human trafficking, a shepherd’s sheep is not the target; most people wouldn’t be willing to take a sheep along. But no matter what happens, accidents or coincidences shouldn’t be ruled out. It was just that truly no one would put the sheep as a priority.

Shu Li didn’t care at first either.

But after going to the woodcutter’s house in the morning, he felt that the “sheep” would be a key clue.

Because he suspected Dr. Matthew had kidnapped Finnian.

But Matthew wasn’t in a hurry to leave. This didn’t necessarily mean he was bold because of his skill, nor could it be said that the heavens weren’t helping, or that karma had come around to make him encounter Shu Li.

Shu Li believed that Dr. Matthew had lost something—something that made it impossible for him to leave immediately, something he had to find, which was why he couldn’t go.

If the item was dropped in a static location, then theoretically it wouldn’t have taken nearly a whole night without being able to get it. So, in another scenario, could it be in a dynamic location?

There were two possibilities: First, Finnian took the item himself while avoiding Dr. Matthew, and also made it so his whole family couldn’t find him.

This possibility was relatively small. Finnian was very brave; he dared to run away from home alone so many times and dared to tease adults. Combined with his quick-thinking mind, if he were able to escape, he would surely prioritize contacting his family or adults he knew to find a way to subdue Dr. Matthew.

Furthermore, Shu Li believed he had found Finnian.

The other party was using a type of “blind spot” and “misdirection.”

The sick girl in the woodcutter’s house was actually Finnian himself.

All that was needed was to change his clothes into girl’s clothes.

He slept under the covers, his face didn’t need to be shown, as long as it was stated he was a girl.

Plus, he had his parents and a doctor beside him, and this doctor was an itinerant physician recognized by everyone; basically, no one would question the setup of this family.

How to prove Shu Li’s idea was accurate?

There was no physical evidence, only logical deduction.

First point: if the woodcutter couple were Matthew’s accomplices, the breakfast in the house shouldn’t have been only a single portion, centered on Matthew.

This showed that Matthew was primarily controlling them.

So, was it because the “daughter” in the house was their weakness?

Second point: if Dr. Matthew really had taken their “daughter” hostage, he should have placed their child in a location they absolutely couldn’t reach, or tied them up when leaving, using various methods to cut off their contact with the child. However, Dr. Matthew was able to leave this couple alone with the child without much surveillance. He wasn’t afraid they would escape; this kind of fearlessness was too arrogant.

This was like tempting a child with candy, forbidding them from eating it, yet placing the candy right in front of them—it was a bit abnormal.

Perhaps it was also because Dr. Matthew could provide a unique treatment, leaving them with no choice but to obey him.

But the question returned to the first point— Since they cared so much about their daughter, why hadn’t they prepared a meal or medicine for the “daughter”?

Fine, maybe they had finished the meal behind Matthew’s back, and the “daughter” was actually an accomplice.

However, even if this was a temporarily borrowed house, traces of a child’s life should still exist.

Shu Li didn’t see any girl’s shoes in the house, as if this child were an outsider.

This task could have been done by Herens.

All he had to do was enter the house and pull back the covers.

It was indeed very simple, very simple.

But every step required a thousand thoughts.

Shu Li suspected that the woodcutter couple were Dr. Matthew’s hostages. If he didn’t figure out the reason they obeyed Dr. Matthew, it could very likely harm more people.

Thus, it had to be handled carefully.

So, Shu Li followed through with the idea of luring Dr. Matthew away to get him alone.

Then, back to the case.

The second dynamic location obviously fell on the “sheep.”

Dr. Matthew had been looking for the sheep’s whereabouts all night.

Shu Li was stuck here, unable to push the deduction further.

Because he didn’t understand why Matthew wouldn’t know where the “sheep” had gone.

He initially thought Matthew was playing dumb, but now they were both in a deserted place, even at the “crime scene,” and Dr. Matthew was still patiently waiting for him to produce a result instead of taking the chance to kill him.

So strange!

Does he really not know?

The place where the sheep was was obviously about to be revealed.

Just as he was recalling chemical bonds, Dr. Matthew initiated conversation, even putting some distance between them, “Why did Father Alis join the church?”

“Destiny, I suppose.”

Shu Li blurted it out, and as he spoke, he lifted his head.

However, just as he looked up, out of the corner of his eye he saw a pale, bluish back of a hand floating in the nearby hollow. Shu Li paused for barely a second and said with a natural expression: “I’ve always felt the Bible has great guiding significance for life. As Elder Jager mentioned before, they even have agricultural planting experience in the Bible. For the people, this is also a way to learn for free.”

“You mean the “Agricultural Illustrations,” right?” Matthew spoke nonchalantly while blocking Shu Li’s line of sight, “Verse 21, Article 33 mentions, “To prevent surface soil erosion, people will build walls near terraced fields”.”

Wait!

A shock suddenly hit Shu Li’s mind, and an idea burst through the clouds of doubt, connecting all his deductive clues from the past few days.

He finally understood—Matthew couldn’t find that sheep not because it was hidden so deep, but because Matthew had made a profound misunderstanding.

And the answer was hidden in the “Bible.”

Shu Li lifted his head, no longer avoiding what he saw, nor sugarcoating the situation. He just stared at the surface of the water rising by the hollow—that bluish-white back of a hand slowly floated up, like a secret underwater finally being forced to the surface bit by bit by reality.

“So, doesn’t this look a lot like what the story says?” Shu Li’s tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable weight, “Only a priest will be a good shepherd, to find that one lost lamb.”

When he said this, his eyes did not leave Matthew. His tone carried a sort of ritualistic solemnity, a sort of judgmental gravity.

Because at that moment, he knew that he was the one in control of the situation.

He gently placed the twig in his hand by his feet and slowly stood up, like a shepherd who had completed the final divination ritual, his gaze landing squarely on Matthew’s face once again.

“Matthew.”

His tone was low and slow, yet he emphasized each word like a bell tolling, “The truth has come to light. The time has come for your confession.”

Dr. Matthew’s originally relaxed expression suddenly tightened, as if the edge of a human skin mask had been sliced by a sharp blade.

He didn’t speak immediately. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and his gaze briefly drifted toward the hollow before quickly snapping back. His expression was far from the casualness he had previously shown Shu Li; it was more of an unconscious awe of Shu Li that had accumulated through their time together deep in his heart.

Shu Li watched him quietly, waiting for the man to take the initiative, “This is your only chance to receive God’s forgiveness. Don’t make me proactively say everything, otherwise, it will be a cold judgment.”

One second, two seconds, three seconds…

Matthew’s throat felt as if it were stuck. Rarely had he experienced such difficulty breathing as he did at this moment, his mind a roar. But regardless, his trained instincts quickly reacted, and his right hand swiftly dropped to his waist in the next moment, the movement clean and decisive.

Yet at that very moment, the sensation told him—it was empty.

The dagger was gone.

Matthew’s pupils shrank slightly, and the muscles at the back of his neck tightened imperceptibly. His mind raced, completely unable to comprehend the situation.

Opposite him, the amateur magician Shu Li still stood fixedly in place.

He had neither an exaggerated tone nor redundant changes in expression. He merely slowly produced a dagger from behind him and said without any fluctuation in his voice: “Are you looking for this? I’ve put it away for quite a while.”

His tone was not condescending; it was almost gentle.

The more it was like this, the more terrifyingly calm it seemed.

Matthew stared at him, his Adam’s apple bobbing, but he couldn’t say a single word.

“Father Alis knew from the very beginning that I would move against him…”

In the next second, he suddenly realized that this journey had never been a side-by-side walk from the start, but rather him being led by the nose. And he only realized it now.

In that silent standoff, he suddenly remembered that rumor—

“The priest of the Savoy Parish can see the hidden crimes of others.”

His pupils contracted instantly.

The black-haired priest across from him lowered the killing knife in his hand and was watching him quietly, emotionless, like he was waiting for a person to convince themselves, or waiting for a person to self-destruct.