Chapter 48: Strange Physical Evidence

Three people hurried toward the ancestral shrine. As they drew near, Li Yiting recognized Wan Yongkun and his companions. A sense of foreboding seized him—Wan Yongkun and the others were responsible for guarding Li Fuqi; had something gone wrong?

“Why are you here?” he demanded.

“Master, Li Fuqi has escaped!” Wan Yongkun shouted from afar. Both Chen Tianyu and Li Yiting felt their hearts sink. The news seemed to confirm their worst fears; for Li Yiting, it was a bolt from the blue.

Li Yiting, burning with rage, strode up, seized Wan Yongkun’s shoulder, and roared, “What happened? You couldn’t keep watch over a living, breathing man? Are you all useless, just sitting around eating for nothing?!”

It was the first time he’d ever lost his composure so completely, and even the boisterous Wan Yongkun was stunned, tongue-tied. “Ma-master… I…”

Wan Yongkun had no idea what had transpired; otherwise, he wouldn’t have acted so rashly. His injuries were still healing, and Li Yiting’s shaking made him grimace in pain, though he dared not protest.

“Enough! Worthless!” Li Yiting released him, stormed off to squat at the side, and lit a cigarette angrily.

Wan Yongkun looked helplessly at Chen Tianyu. “Fourth Brother…”

Chen Tianyu waved his hand, his face grave. “Never mind him now. Tell me how Fuqi slipped out of your control, and why didn’t you report it immediately?”

“Uh…” Wan Yongkun stammered. He was naturally taciturn and, never having seen his master so furious, he was at a loss.

Qiu Xi hurried forward to explain, “Fourth Brother, here’s what happened. We thought we’d use the lantern dance as an opportunity to test him, to see if he really was the killer. So Yongkun and I pretended to go admire the lanterns, but in fact we were hiding nearby to keep watch. Unexpectedly, he really did run, and we haven’t been able to find him since…”

Chen Tianyu frowned. “Testing? That’s quite the idea.” His fierce gaze swept over the three; Wan Yongkun trembled, Qiu Xi looked ashamed, while Li Yi was indifferent.

Seeing this, Qiu Xi quickly said, “Fourth Brother, it’s all my fault. I wanted to make a name for myself and got ahead of things.” He was clever enough to ask, “Fourth Brother, has something else happened?”

“Yes,” Chen Tianyu replied expressionlessly, deep in thought.

“And you, why are you here?” he asked Li Yi, recalling that girls weren’t usually allowed in this place.

Li Yi pouted. “They were so anxious, so I just followed. Brother, what’s got you so worked up? Why are you so angry? Fuqi isn’t the killer, so why are you so nervous?”

Li Yiting glared at her but said nothing, his face livid.

“How do you know Li Fuqi isn’t the killer?” Chen Tianyu asked calmly.

Li Yi paused. “Just a guess. Fuqi’s definitely been wronged by you guys. I grew up playing with him—I know him well. Anyone could be the killer, except him.” She spoke with certainty, but clearly without any real insight.

Chen Tianyu nodded. Whether he accepted her reasoning or merely acknowledged her nonsense, it was unclear.

“Qiu Xi, take Li Yi back.” He spoke coolly. “This isn’t a place for girls.”

Qiu Xi didn’t understand, but he reached out to pull Li Yi away. “Let’s go. Your brother will handle Li Fuqi.”

Li Yi pouted, unhappy, but followed Qiu Xi as instructed.

“Useless, always making things worse!” Li Yiting muttered, but what could he say about his own sister?

Li Yi heard him, but dared not retort. In truth, she was somewhat afraid of this brother.

Wan Yongkun couldn’t help saying, “Master, it’s all my fault. I failed in my duty… But I truly don’t know how Li Fuqi escaped. It’s bizarre… You know I…”

Chen Tianyu patted his shoulder. “Don’t blame yourself. It’s not your fault—it’s ours for being careless.”

Li Yiting suddenly stood, voice low and resolute. “I’m going to bring Li Fuqi back right now. No more talk—the blame is mine and mine alone.”

Wan Yongkun looked at his master in surprise, but Chen Tianyu spoke up. “Wait a moment.”

“Wait for what?” Li Yiting asked without turning.

“Someone’s coming,” Chen Tianyu murmured.

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Heavy footsteps echoed from the field ridge at the foot of the mountain. A solitary figure, unsteady and wavering, walked beneath the moonlight. As he drew near, they saw it was a young man, dazed and distracted.

Wan Yongkun almost cried out, “Li Fuqi?!”

At Wan Yongkun’s words, Li Yiting stopped in his tracks, frozen as if rooted to the spot.

It was indeed Li Fuqi. He stared straight ahead, ignoring the others, heading directly for the ancestral hall. His eyes were hollow, like a walking corpse.

Only the scraping sound of his footsteps broke the deathly silence.

Wan Yongkun tried to rush forward, but Chen Tianyu held him back.

The three watched as Li Fuqi entered the ancestral hall as if no one else existed. After a long while, a heart-wrenching cry echoed from within:

“Uncle, Uncle… I killed you, I killed you!”

Silence fell again, broken only by occasional quiet sobs.

Chen Tianyu’s heart clenched. Suddenly he called out, “Yiting, stop him!”

Li Yiting reacted as if struck by lightning, darting into the ancestral hall just in time to see Li Fuqi raise a short arrow from the altar and stab it toward a certain direction.

Quick as lightning, Li Yiting appeared at Li Fuqi’s side, reached out with his right hand, and grabbed the arrowhead precisely. Blood spurted.

The arrowhead sliced his palm, perilously close to Li Fuqi’s heart.

Li Fuqi’s face was ashen, while Li Yiting’s was contorted with fury.

“If you want to die, speak your truth first,” Li Yiting said harshly.

“I killed Uncle… Let me go!” Li Fuqi cried, his voice ragged.

Li Yiting spat, “Trying to die doesn’t make you a hero. If you have the guts, face judgment in court!”

“Law?” Li Fuqi finally turned to look at him, his gaze complex.

“What is law?” Li Fuqi’s voice was bitter. “Is there law in this world? Let me go!”

Li Yiting snatched the short arrow and tossed it to the floor with a clang.

“Shut your mouth,” he said, feeling weak himself. “A life for a life—if you dared do it, you must face it. But this is the ancestral shrine; you cannot act recklessly here.”

Hearing this, Li Fuqi finally released his grip and collapsed onto the floor.

Wan Yongkun glanced at Chen Tianyu, unsure what to do.

Chen Tianyu spoke gravely. “Yiting, keep a close eye on him. Yongkun and I need to go somewhere. Don’t act rashly. Wait until we return.”

Li Yiting sat down beside Li Fuqi. “Don’t worry, Fourth Brother. I’m a law enforcer. I’ll stay with him until he’s handed over to the police—never leaving his side.”

“Good.” Chen Tianyu said no more and, with Wan Yongkun, hurried away from the ancestral shrine.

Once they were far from the shrine, Wan Yongkun finally asked, “Fourth Brother, where are we going?”

“Don’t ask,” Chen Tianyu replied calmly.

He thought for a moment and then dialed Liu Zichen.

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Li Fuyi stared at the unexpected late-night visitors, filled with suspicion. He knew Chen Tianyu, a friend of his second brother Li Yiting, but their expressions made it clear they weren’t here for pleasantries, so he wasn’t sure whether to welcome them or not.

Li Fuyi was a simple, honest man—a typical rural farmer, nothing like the deep and brooding Li Qisi. His expression was plain to see, and he glanced instinctively at Liu Zichen, who stood beside Chen Tianyu.

“Do you need something?” he finally asked directly.

With such country folk, Chen Tianyu knew the best approach was directness.

“I’d like to look inside your father’s room,” he said.

Li Fuyi hesitated. “My father hasn’t returned yet. Maybe you should wait. Tomorrow would be better?” Clearly, he didn’t know Li Qisi had already been killed.

Wan Yongkun opened his mouth, but didn’t speak.

Chen Tianyu said, “Your father asked me to fetch something for him—he needs it urgently.”

“Uh…” Li Fuyi hesitated further.

Chen Tianyu continued, “These things might be connected to the case. Your father specifically instructed us to bring them to him now, and he asked us to keep it confidential.”

Li Fuyi was puzzled. “What are these things? I haven’t heard about them.”

Chen Tianyu turned to Liu Zichen. “Zichen, why don’t you go get them? We’ll wait here.”

“Me? …Alright.” Liu Zichen hesitated momentarily, but then said, “Fuyi, your father is busy at the ancestral shrine and can’t leave. He told me the items are in his cabinet and asked me to deliver them right away.”

“Oh, I see.” Li Fuyi finally stepped aside. He wasn’t wary of women.

Liu Zichen added casually, “Is your mother at home? I’ll check with her later.”

Li Fuyi shook his head. “She’s not well, goes to bed early.”

Liu Zichen nodded. “Alright, I’ll try not to disturb her.”

“It’s fine. She doesn’t sleep in my father’s room,” Li Fuyi replied politely. “She’s been ill for years and has to sleep alone.”

Liu Zichen ended the small talk and headed into the courtyard. Chen Tianyu signaled Wan Yongkun, who handed Li Fuyi a cigarette.

The three men smoked in silence. It was clear Li Fuyi wasn’t adept at conversation, which suited Chen Tianyu just fine; he made a few perfunctory comments to break the silence, and Li Fuyi responded tersely, businesslike.

After three rounds of cigarettes, Liu Zichen finally returned from inside the house, her footsteps light, as if careful not to disturb anyone.

Chen Tianyu asked quietly, “Did you get it?”

“Yes.” Liu Zichen nodded, holding up a notebook for him to see—partly for Li Fuyi’s benefit. Li Fuyi said nothing; evidently the notebook meant little to him.

“Alright, Fuyi, we’ll deliver these to your father,” Chen Tianyu said casually.

Li Fuyi nodded, saw them out of the courtyard, and politely added, “Come again sometime.”

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The three walked down the slope. Seeing no one around, Chen Tianyu halted and turned to Liu Zichen.

“Here, take it.” Liu Zichen handed the notebook to Chen Tianyu. “I don’t know if this is what you wanted.”

“I trust your judgment,” Chen Tianyu said, suppressing his delight.

Liu Zichen shrugged. “Check it first, just in case.”

Wan Yongkun crowded in, curious about the purpose behind Fourth Brother’s elaborate plan involving Li Fuqi.

Chen Tianyu pulled a small flashlight from his pocket, shining it on the notebook’s cover. The cover was old, but well preserved—though the pages were yellowed, not a single crease marred the corners.

He opened the notebook with one hand; Liu Zichen quickly took the flashlight to help him see.

On the title page, there was a single large character: “Qi,” written in elegant script. Chen Tianyu had seen Li Qisi’s calligraphy before, so he could confirm it was his handwriting. But what did this prominent “Qi” signify?

Chen Tianyu glanced briefly and turned the page. The second page was filled with neat, small script. Leaning closer, he realized these were dictionary entries—definitions of the character “Qi.” He couldn’t help but smile; never would he have guessed that the burly Li Qisi possessed such a meticulous side.

Turning further, he read: “Year of Gengshen, Month of Yimao, Day of Bingwu, Hour of Renchen,” followed by some drawings.

A faint smile flickered across Chen Tianyu’s face. He flipped through several pages, appearing casual, but his mind raced.

“Is this the right thing?” Liu Zichen asked with concern.

Chen Tianyu praised her. “Of all people, only Zichen truly understands me.”

Liu Zichen snorted. “Always acting mysterious—never serious.”

Wan Yongkun couldn’t hold back. “What are you two talking about? You’re driving me nuts.”

Chen Tianyu ignored him, closed the notebook, handed it back to Liu Zichen, and strolled ahead, chatting. “Zichen, what do you think this notebook is for?”

“I don’t know. I searched for a long time and didn’t find anything special. It just seemed to be deliberately kept, so I took it.”

Chen Tianyu joked, “So you accidentally picked up a treasure?”

Liu Zichen smiled faintly. “I don’t think it’s a treasure. Maybe it’s intuition… I figured you weren’t really searching for some valuable artifact, so I chose it.”

“Impressive—no wonder you’re the top lady detective in Beiting.” Chen Tianyu gave a genuine thumbs up.

Liu Zichen gently tucked away her hair, tousled by the mountain wind, and replied calmly, “You don’t have to tell me; I know this notebook must contain something important, only outsiders can’t recognize it.”

Chen Tianyu laughed. “Then tell me—what’s in it?”

“On the surface, it’s for choosing names,” Liu Zichen analyzed. “But clearly, whoever wrote the names was meticulous, copying each stroke carefully, deliberating and consulting many ancient sources, recording everything without omission. And the person naming may well be skilled in the art of fortune and destiny…”

“Go on,” Chen Tianyu encouraged, intrigued.

“That’s all,” Liu Zichen finished abruptly.

Wan Yongkun was baffled. He was a straightforward man. “Li Qisi made such a big deal—was it to name his son? But his son’s name is Li Fuyi, isn’t it? That doesn’t fit.”

“Could it be that Li Fuyi isn’t really Li Fuyi?” he guessed blindly.

Chen Tianyu actually nodded with a smile. “Eh, maybe you’re right this time!”

Wan Yongkun was stunned, even more confused.

Liu Zichen laughed, “You believe him? Foolish as ever.” Wan Yongkun scratched his head awkwardly. He couldn’t make sense of these intellectual games.