Chapter 301: Which Asylum Did You Escape From?

“Gold ingot? And you accepted it?” Chen Shi asked.

“Of course not,” Gu You replied. “But he insisted on using it as payment, so we took it to a pawnshop to exchange it for cash.”

Thinking about the recent jewelry store robbery that Lin Dongxue was investigating, Chen Shi said, “I’d like to see it.”

“Wait here,” Gu You said, stepping away briefly and returning with a phone. “We had never dealt with such an item before, so we were worried the pawnshop might switch it out. We took photos of it.”

The phone showed pictures of the gold ingot from various angles. Judging by the hand-to-ingot ratio, it was about the size of a small brick.

Chen Shi immediately rushed to Peng Sijue’s consultation room and knocked on the door. “Old Peng, come out for a second.”

Peng Sijue, looking annoyed, appeared at the door. Chen Shi handed him the phone and asked, “Is this from the jewelry store heist?”

Seeing the “Zhou Taifu” inscription on the bottom, Peng Sijue confirmed, “It looks like it. Where did you find this?”

“Never mind that now. Are you done here?”

“I am.”

“Great, let’s go check it out,” Chen Shi said.

Peng Sijue started to protest but relented when Chen Shi mentioned the heist. “Fine, but only if you promise not to make me look bad.”

“Relax,” Chen Shi reassured, pushing him toward the elevator.

Gu You watched them leave and sighed. She turned back to her office, noting how concerned Chen Shi was for his friend.

Arriving at the pawnshop, they presented the pawn ticket. The shop owner fetched the gold ingot, which had been pawned for 40,000 yuan. Without that amount in cash, Gu You handed over a credit card, saying, “I’ll cover it for now.”

“I’ll pay you back. If it’s stolen, the police will reimburse you,” Chen Shi said.

“And if it’s not?”

“Then we’ve got a gold ingot worth 40,000 yuan. Not a bad deal,” he joked, although he felt a twinge of guilt.

Chen Shi asked Gu You to keep an eye on the ‘time traveler’ while he and Peng Sijue returned to the police station. A jewelry store employee had marked the stolen items with invisible ink, which Peng Sijue identified. “This is definitely from the robbery,” he confirmed.

“Great, the money wasn’t wasted!” Chen Shi said.

Peng Sijue called Lin Qiupu to report the finding. “How much did it cost?” Lin Qiupu asked.

“Just enough for two hours of therapy at 200 yuan an hour,” Chen Shi answered, downplaying the expense.

Peng Sijue insisted on transferring the money to Chen Shi, who tried to refuse but eventually accepted.

Back at the station, Chen Shi’s discovery was met with praise. “Chen Shi, you’re amazing! We’ve been working on this for days, and you just stumble upon it.”

“Just luck,” Chen Shi said modestly.

“Why were you at a psychological consultation center?” someone asked.

“Uh…” Chen Shi glanced at Peng Sijue. “I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately.”

A team of officers went to apprehend the suspect, who was shouting, “How dare you treat a king this way! Do you know who I am?”

Brought to the interrogation room, Lin Qiupu instructed Peng Sijue to take a blood sample to check for prior offenses or if he was an escapee from a mental hospital.

As the needle went in, the man flinched. “How dare you harm the king! Do you not value your heads?” he cried.

Everyone outside was watching the scene, barely holding back laughter. Lin Qiupu sat down across from the man and placed the gold ingot on the table. “Name?”

“Who are you to ask my name?” the man retorted.

“What’s your name!” Lin Qiupu demanded.

“Investigate yourself! Why am I in chains? What crime have I committed?” the man shouted.

Lin Qiupu tried a different approach. “Who is this General Wang you mentioned?”

“How could you not know? He is the most treacherous official of our dynasty, holding the prince hostage to control the lords. Read your history books!” the man snapped.

“So, you’re really from another era?” Lin Qiupu played along.

“Indeed!”

“From which dynasty?”

“The Tu Dynasty!”

“An entirely fictional one,” Lin Qiupu muttered, almost losing his patience as the officers outside laughed uproariously. He shot them a glare through the one-way mirror and continued, “Your name?”

“Nalan Fang, styled Guangyue,” the man replied.

“So, Mr. Nalan Fang—”

“Do not address me so casually!” Nalan Fang interrupted, pretending to stroke an imaginary beard.

“Alright, Mr. Guangyue, how did you time travel?”