However, just like with Eric Foster, there is a lack of direct evidence to arrest John Grant.

How did John Grant manage to get those gold ornaments into the belly of the pixiu?

“I didn’t steal the gold ornaments. I have no idea how those gold ornaments ended up inside the pixiu’s belly. If you say I stole the gold, then bring out the real evidence.”

“I’ll naturally provide the evidence, don’t worry.”

John Grant’s reaction was exactly as Brian Carter expected. If Emily Parker hadn’t smashed the pixiu earlier, the evidence would have been easy to find, but now things were a bit more complicated.

“How much do you know about the pixiu, Boss Miller?”

“Pixiu is a symbol of wealth; it’s said to swallow riches from all directions and only takes in, never lets out.” William Miller didn’t know why Brian Carter was asking this, but since Brian Carter had helped him recover his lost gold ornaments, his attitude was very good.

“Yes, only takes in, never lets out—the pursuit and dream of so many businesspeople.”

Brian Carter sighed. Because the pixiu has a mouth but no excretory organs, many people see it as the most suitable feng shui ornament for attracting wealth. You could say that out of ten shop owners who believe in this, nine have a pixiu, and the other one has a lucky cat.

William Miller felt a bit embarrassed by Brian Carter’s words and explained, “It’s just a symbol; in business, integrity is what really matters.”

“Yes, business relies on integrity. But Boss Miller, do you know there’s another saying about the pixiu?” Brian Carter asked with a slight smile.

“Another saying? I don’t know.” William Miller shook his head.

“Pixiu has no mouth, swallows its own wealth.”

As Brian Carter said this, he deliberately glanced at John Grant, whose expression became a bit unnatural after hearing these words.

“What do you mean?” William Miller wasn’t stupid; he understood a bit from Brian Carter’s words, but still wasn’t sure.

“What I mean is, the pixiu you brought in isn’t swallowing wealth from all directions, but your own family’s wealth.” Daniel Reed answered.

“That’s enough.”

Emily Parker suddenly interrupted Brian Carter, feeling that he was getting more and more far-fetched. Pixiu swallowing wealth? Was he really suggesting that the reason the gold ornaments ended up in the pixiu’s belly was because the pixiu swallowed them on its own?

That was just ridiculous. The pixiu is just an inanimate object—how could it possibly swallow the gold from the second floor?

“What do you mean, pixiu swallowing its own wealth? This is the first time I’ve heard that. If that were true, who would dare keep a pixiu in their shop? Why haven’t we seen other shop owners have problems?” John Grant sneered at this point.

“A normal pixiu naturally wouldn’t. But you blocked its mouth and covered its eyes, so of course it would act this way.”

Brian Carter’s expression suddenly turned cold. “Why do you insist on personally wiping down the pixiu every day? It’s to block its mouth. If I’m not mistaken, the towel you use to wipe the pixiu is stained with menstrual blood. Menstrual blood is considered unclean; a sacred object like the pixiu would never swallow it. At the same time, menstrual blood is also called ‘spirit blood’ and can be used to ward off evil. When you use it to wipe the pixiu’s eyes, it’s as if the pixiu is blinded and can no longer distinguish inside from outside.”

“You haven’t thrown away that rag yet, have you? I believe if we test it, we’ll find bloodstains on it.”

John Grant’s face started to turn pale, while a nearby police officer muttered curiously, “What is menstrual blood? I’ve never heard of it.”

“‘Menstrual blood’ is an old term; nowadays, it just means period blood,” someone nearby explained.

“Damn, that’s pretty hardcore—wiping it with period blood…”

The officer exclaimed in shock. Brian Carter glanced at him and asked with a smile, “If someone wiped your mouth with menstrual blood every day, how would you feel?”

“I’d beat them so hard they’d be picking up their teeth off the floor.” The officer answered reflexively, but then remembered his position and the glare from Emily Parker, so he fell silent, looking embarrassed.

But for Brian Carter, that answer was enough.

“If even people would react that way, let alone a spiritual creature like the pixiu. To put it plainly, he just used the pixiu’s vengeful nature to make it ‘steal’ the gold ornaments, and then planned to take the pixiu away at a certain time. But obviously, he didn’t expect Boss Miller to return so soon, so he didn’t have time to move the gold ornaments.”

John Grant fell silent, but at that moment Eric Foster suddenly spoke up: “I remember now! Two or three days ago, Manager Grant told me he knew a master and wanted to take the pixiu for a second consecration. There were others present who heard it too.”

“Yes, three days ago I also heard Manager Grant say this to Captain Foster.”

Two staff members from Yubaoxuan stepped forward. John Grant’s face turned pale, as all the clues pointed to him.

“Nonsense! Pixiu swallowing gold—this is the age of science, who would believe such things?”