Chapter Twenty-Nine: Unexpected

Before anyone had the chance to come looking for them, Li Fuqi returned, bringing along Li Qihuai, who looked like a drowned rat. Both men bore scrapes on their faces and arms, their expressions still haunted by the ordeal. According to Li Fuqi, Li Qihuai had accidentally fallen into the water, and it was only thanks to his prompt action in diving in that Li Qihuai—who was not a strong swimmer—escaped disaster. Yet, given the recent discovery of physical evidence, Beiting and the others listened to this account with skepticism.

Li Qihuai corroborated Li Fuqi’s version of events, but the look on his face suggested he was still preoccupied with other thoughts, frequently lapsing into absentminded silence, perhaps genuinely shaken by the incident. For a man who couldn’t swim, falling into the water could easily mean death; it was hardly something one could remain calm about.

As his son, Li Yiting immediately noticed his father’s odd state and insisted on tending to his wounds himself, asking everyone else to give them some privacy. There were questions he wanted to ask his father while he had the chance.

Once the others had filed out—

“Dad…” Li Yiting asked gently, “How are you feeling? Do you want to go to the hospital?”

Li Qihuai shook his head, dazed. After a long pause, he said, “Fuqi said it was dangerous and told me to hurry home.”

“That makes sense,” Li Yiting replied. “From what Fuqi told me, your accident happened near the market in Mutu Village. There’s a clinic nearby, so you shouldn’t have come home covered in injuries… Did you discover something in Mutu Village?”

“No… no,” Li Qihuai stammered, his lips trembling. Suddenly, he said, “Yiting, listen to me. You all need to leave this place as soon as possible—the farther away, the better…”

Li Yiting was taken aback. “Dad, what’s come over you? So much has happened in the village—how can I just walk away? Besides, don’t forget I’m a police officer. I have a duty.”

Li Qihuai stared blankly for a moment, his gaze unfocused. “Yes… you’re right.”

“Dad, are you hiding something from me?” A sudden suspicion flashed through Li Yiting’s mind. “Is someone threatening you?”

A strange expression crossed Li Qihuai’s face. “What are you imagining… Yiting, I fear our village is cursed. The gods are angry. First your third uncle, then your fifth uncle, and now me—one after another, we’ve all met with disaster. If Fuqi hadn’t been there today… I might never have seen you and your mother again.” His state was poor, but at least his speech was coherent.

“Fate cannot be defied. Even as a police officer, you can’t fight against the heavens,” Li Qihuai sighed.

Suddenly, Li Yiting understood—his father had fallen prey to superstitious fears about the so-called “Wrath of the Five Elements,” linking his own misfortune and the water accident to supernatural causes. No wonder he seemed so defeated.

“Dad, you mustn’t believe these rumors. Our family has always walked a righteous path; how could we anger the heavens? These are just superstitions—they don’t stand up to reason. Don’t let your mind run wild,” Li Yiting tried to comfort him.

But Li Qihuai remained unmoved. “You can’t just dismiss it. There are things you’re too young to understand.”

Li Yiting didn’t know what else to say. No matter how old he was or what profession he held, in the eyes of his elders, he was still a child. He could only smile wryly.

As he pondered how best to persuade his father, his mother entered, taking over the task of tending to Li Qihuai’s wounds. Sensing her son’s difficulty, she spoke up for once.

“Ting, your father’s getting old—he’s started to believe in ghosts and spirits. When he was younger, he would never have been like this. You need to understand his worries.”

Li Yiting nodded. It wasn’t that he didn’t understand—it was that he felt sorry for his father.

His mother turned to scold Li Qihuai. “Old man, you’ve lived most of your life—haven’t you seen everything? Have you ever actually seen a ghost or a god? You’re getting more foolish the older you get.” She paused. “You need to trust your son. He’s a police officer. He can see things more clearly than the rest of us.”

Li Qihuai shook his head. “He understands city affairs, but the strange things in these mountains… perhaps not.”

His wife gave him a reproachful look. “Even so, he understands more than we do.”

Li Qihuai fell silent, seemingly somewhat persuaded.

Li Yiting was grateful for his mother’s wisdom and seized the moment to ask, “Dad, I have to ask—have you ever suspected Fuqi?”

“Fuqi?!” This time, not only Li Qihuai, but his mother also turned to look at him.

“Impossible. How could Fuqi harm me? He’s your first cousin, and I raised him since he was a boy. How can you make such baseless accusations?” Li Qihuai sounded shocked.

Now that he’d started, Li Yiting didn’t want to keep anything back. “Dad, you don’t know: Fifth Uncle’s death is likely connected to Fuqi. We’ve already found evidence.” He made his words sound certain, hoping his father might reveal something.

“Fuqi is such a good boy,” his mother murmured, her face a mixture of disbelief and concern.

“You can only know a person’s face, not their heart. He’s been away for years—who knows if he’s changed?” Li Yiting continued to probe.

Li Qihuai snapped, “That’s nonsense! Don’t forget, you boys grew up together—you know exactly what kind of person he is. And besides, this time he saved your father.”

“I know all that. But people can change, just as circumstances do.” Li Yiting struggled to put his suspicions into words. He almost mentioned that Li Fuqi might have been putting on a show for Beiting’s benefit, but thought better of it.

His mother sided with her son. “Old man, do you trust your son or do you trust Fuqi?” It was a sharp question, but a fair one.

“I…” Li Qihuai hesitated. “I trust you both.”

His wife laughed in exasperation. “There you go. Can’t you let Ting finish what he has to say?” At last, Li Qihuai nodded.

Li Yiting felt relieved—his mother understood him best. After a moment’s thought, he said, “Dad, I don’t want to suspect Fuqi either, but some things are simply too coincidental—they can’t be explained away. If Fuqi is innocent, the truth will clear him, and he has nothing to fear; but if he’s truly done something wrong, it’s not too late to stop him now. Don’t you agree? We can’t just stand by and watch him sink deeper into trouble…”

Li Qihuai said impatiently, “Stop beating around the bush. Just say what you mean.”

“Alright.” Li Yiting didn’t want to let this rare chance for an honest conversation slip by.

“Dad, let me ask you: does Fuqi often stay at the team headquarters?”

Li Qihuai answered without hesitation, “That’s right.”

“That’s what I thought.” Li Yiting ventured boldly, “The team headquarters is only separated by a wall from the Guanyin Temple. The day you went to see Third Uncle, Fuqi could easily have seen you from the window—that makes sense, doesn’t it?”

“Mm.”

“In other words, on that day, the only person who could have known you went to Third Uncle’s room and was familiar with his habits, was Fuqi. And as soon as you left, Third Uncle was killed. Who could time it so precisely? Not even a god.”

“How do you know your Third Uncle was killed at that time?”

“That’s my job. These days, we can determine time of death very accurately. Unless you remember the time wrong…”

“No, I’m sure. I checked my watch.”

“Even if this alone doesn’t prove Fuqi did anything, at the very least, he’s a suspect. Isn’t that right?”

Li Qihuai was no fool. He thought for a moment but said nothing.

Li Yiting pressed on, “Now, about Fifth Uncle. He stayed in the mountains to carve the Guanyin statue. Many people knew, but the one most aware of his movements was Fuqi, because it was Fuqi who asked him to do the job. Later, Fuqi led people into the mountains to retrieve the statue and, not finding Fifth Uncle, stayed behind to search. Soon after, Fifth Uncle was found dead, in a most bizarre manner. I’m not saying whether Fifth Uncle was killed before or after Fuqi arrived, but it’s a fact that Fuqi was at the scene, isn’t it?”

Li Qihuai couldn’t help but ask, “That trap really wasn’t far from your Fifth Uncle’s workshop. I know Fuqi went to fetch the Guanyin statue that day, but when he got back, he told me he searched until dark and didn’t see Qiumao at all.”

“Exactly—that’s suspicious.” Li Yiting hesitated for a moment, then decided to be candid. “Later, we found a button from one of Fuqi’s shirts in the trap.”

Li Qihuai was astonished. “Is that so? Are you sure you’re not mistaken?”

Li Yiting shook his head. “Dad, others might not know, but you do. Fourth Uncle died young, but I often heard you say he was a big man—his clothes wouldn’t fit anyone but his son, right?”

“That’s not entirely accurate. Fourth Uncle was burly, but Fuqi’s build is much slighter…”

Before Li Yiting could answer, his mother interjected, “That’s not true. Fuqi is a filial boy. Even though his father’s clothes are too big for him, he’s worn nothing but his father’s hand-me-downs all these years.”

“Mom, you’re right. Fourth Uncle’s clothes not only have larger buttons, but the material is thicker, too. And the buttons are sewn in a unique way.”

Li Qihuai seemed uncertain, but his wife nodded. “Yes, your Fourth Aunt’s needlework was the best in the village. Most families just tied a cross-knot, but she could sew little flower buds. Your Fourth Uncle and Aunt were always loving—he’d never have anyone else sew his clothes…”

Li Yiting, reassured by his mother’s confirmation, felt a surge of satisfaction. “Exactly. That’s why we’re certain the lost button was Fuqi’s.”

“In that case, it really was Fuqi…” Li Qihuai murmured in surprise.

Li Yiting quickly shook his head. “It’s just a clue—it’s not enough to convict him.”

Li Qihuai let out a long breath, visibly relieved. He had been genuinely anxious a moment ago.

“Dad, think carefully—how was it you just happened to run into Fuqi today?”

Li Qihuai thought for a moment. “It’s not that unusual to see him at the market—we run into each other fairly often… Oh, but now I remember. Today, he came looking for me specifically.”

“Why?” Li Yiting pressed.

“At first, he looked lost—probably just wanted someone to talk to. But later, he seemed to want to ask about something from the past…”

“Something from the past?”

“Uh… it’s hard to say,” Li Qihuai hesitated.

“Was it about the reason his parents died?” Li Yiting ventured.

Li Qihuai’s eyes widened in surprise. “How—how did you know?”

“I guessed,” Li Yiting replied evenly.

Li Qihuai regained his composure. “You’re right. That’s what he wanted to ask. But before I could tell him, I fell into the water. Actually, he’s asked me about it more than once—it’s nothing strange.”

“Yes, it’s a mystery. I asked you about it when I was young, but you wouldn’t say.”

“It’s not that I didn’t want to say. Only your eldest uncle knows the full story. All I know is that your Fourth Uncle’s house caught fire by accident, and both of them were lost. Disasters, whether natural or man-made, are unpredictable. That’s all I truly know. It was a terrible time, and I didn’t want Fuqi to be hurt by the truth…” Li Qihuai said wearily.

Li Yiting didn’t press further. He believed his father—after so many years, there was no reason to keep secrets from his own son.

“Was the bridge railing tampered with?” Li Yiting mused aloud.

Li Qihuai became agitated. “Funny you should mention that! Normally, the stone bridge—though the government has declared it dangerous—still has solid railings. I remember a car from Mutu once hit the railing. The car was wrecked, but the stone pillar held firm. Today, though, I just leaned against it and it collapsed. It’s uncanny!”

“That’s why I suspect something’s wrong…” Li Yiting agreed.

Li Qihuai seemed shaken. “So you think there really is something wrong with Fuqi…” He paused. “He’s your cousin. Be sure to be cautious—don’t wrongly accuse him.”

Li Yiting nodded. “Times are different now, Dad. Everything must be based on evidence. Until there’s proof, everyone is innocent. Rest assured, I’ll be fair. If there’s any doubt, I won’t let Fuqi suffer injustice.”

Li Qihuai sighed. “That puts my mind at ease. You must keep your word.” Now, he was worried for Li Fuqi. His son’s every argument made sense.

“Dad, I shouldn’t even be telling you all this—it’s against regulations. Before a case is solved, we’re meant to keep everything confidential. But I was worried you’d fall for those superstitions about the Wrath of the Five Elements, so…”

Li Qihuai managed a stiff smile. “I may be old, but I’m not senile yet. As an officer of the law, do what you must. I won’t interfere.”

Li Yiting’s eyes grew moist. He knew his father was reasonable, but still he worried deeply for his safety.

Sensing his concern, Li Qihuai reassured him, “Since you’ve said this much, I’ll be careful and stay alert.”

“Don’t go out alone for the time being…” Li Yiting urged.

“I’ll do as you say.”

His mother nodded from the side. “I’ll keep an eye on him. You go on with your investigation—and take care of yourself!”

“I will, Mom.”

Li Yiting stepped outside in silence. He wanted to find someone to talk to, but quickly dismissed the idea. Instead, he decided to go himself to the stone bridge where his father had fallen.

Perhaps there, he might find more clues.