Chapter Fifty: Waiting for the Hare

After receiving news that Li Fuqi had fallen into the river, Chen Tianyu quietly closed his phone. He showed no trace of surprise, but immediately began to make arrangements. Li Yiting hadn’t even started collecting physical evidence at the ancestral shrine; he had merely sealed off the scene.

“Stop fussing,” Chen Tianyu said calmly.

“What’s wrong? Has something else happened?” Li Yiting asked in surprise.

“We’re about to witness a great show.” Chen Tianyu paused. “But before we enjoy the spectacle, we need to lay some groundwork.”

“Go ahead,” Li Yiting replied, already accustomed to Chen Tianyu’s ways.

Chen Tianyu briefly explained how Li Fuqi had jumped into the river, then continued, “To be absolutely safe, we must go to your house now and bring your father to the ancestral shrine.”

Li Yiting nodded. “You’re worried about my father’s safety?”

“Better safe than sorry,” said Chen Tianyu. “The murderer leaves nothing to chance and certainly won’t spare any intended target.”

“Your father is the only surviving Li brother. We can’t allow another accident.”

Li Yiting said gratefully, “Thank you, Fourth Brother. I’ll go fetch him right away.”

“Don’t rush, I’ll come with you,” Chen Tianyu said.

Li Yiting was surprised, “But someone needs to guard this place, right?”

“This is your family’s ancestral shrine. If I stayed here alone as an outsider, to be honest, I’d feel a bit uneasy.” A faint, nearly imperceptible sly smile flashed across Chen Tianyu’s face.

“Stop being so mysterious. Are you worried about my safety?” Li Yiting replied with a bitter smile.

Chen Tianyu shook his head. “The truth will be revealed tonight. There’s no need for us to chase shadows or be led by the nose—it’s humiliating for us in Beiting. I want to play a game of Empty City, and gamble that we can catch the culprit red-handed.”

“All right, I’ll trust your judgment for now,” Li Yiting agreed.

---

The group hid near the ancestral shrine, among the bushes on a high ground. Here, several centuries-old trees provided cover, making it hard for anyone outside to spot them, but from the woods, the entire shrine was clearly visible.

The only drawback was the distance from the shrine.

Li Yiting wasn’t worried; as long as he could identify the murderer, no one could escape his grasp.

Li Qihuai, too, hid among the trees, uncertain and anxious. He had stayed close during the lantern dance, being the chief drummer, so Li Yiting met his father on the way. Then he called Liu Zichen, Shen Mingyue, and Kuang Suo; the school’s petty thieves had become irrelevant. Beiting had to unite to reveal the final truth—every member was valuable.

The other villagers, frightened, had all fled. Li Qihuai remained, but kept his distance. He was a shrewd man, knowing only his son could handle this, but he was still uneasy, so he crouched on the ridge, waiting for news.

“Fourth Brother, do you really think the murderer will come?” Shen Mingyue whispered.

“Not necessarily. He may be on his way, or perhaps he’s already inside the shrine.” Chen Tianyu replied coolly.

Shen Mingyue was startled, and gasped softly, “Inside the ancestral shrine? You can’t be serious.”

Chen Tianyu shot her a cold glance. “Would I joke at a time like this?”

Embarrassed, Shen Mingyue stuck out her tongue, but persisted, “Where could he be hiding? It’s just a solitary wooden house—is there a secret passage or something?” She was frank and disliked riddles.

Before Chen Tianyu could answer, Li Qihuai shook his head, “There’s no way there’s a secret passage in the shrine.”

Kuang Suo asked curiously, “Second Uncle, how can you be so sure?”

“You don’t know—my eldest brother was cautious. He repeatedly warned us to keep away from the shrine to avoid trouble. I remember he personally laid thick cement in the foundation, then covered it with earth, precisely to prevent anyone from digging a tunnel into the shrine.”

“You might not realize, but the ground here is solid as rock, and the shrine itself is filled with traps. In my brother’s words, not even a bird could fly inside, and if it did, it wouldn’t survive.”

Li Qihuai spoke with conviction, not embellishing the facts.

“Dad, we already know all this,” Li Yiting said nearby.

Li Qihuai was surprised, “Oh? How did you find out?” He didn’t expect an answer, knowing his son’s group were detectives.

Shen Mingyue muttered to herself, “Then it’s strange—how did the murderer get inside?”

Chen Tianyu gave a wry smile. “Mingyue, can’t your mind take a turn? …Did I ever say the murderer must be a living person?”

“If not living, do you mean a dead one? Oh…” Shen Mingyue instinctively covered her mouth, staring at him in disbelief.

Chen Tianyu spoke with a sinister air, “You guessed right. We mustn’t cling to conventions—the murderer might be human, or a beast, or even…a ghost.” He sighed quietly.

At his words, everyone shivered from the depths of their hearts.

“R-really…could it be…a ghost?” Shen Mingyue asked, teeth chattering, unable to suppress any doubts.

Li Yiting laughed, “Mingyue, use your head. You know Fourth Brother’s personality—if there were really ghosts, he’d be the first to run, not leave us waiting here.”

“Sigh, I’m just worried that this invisible ghost will be harder to deal with than a real one,” Chen Tianyu sighed deeply. “As the saying goes, ‘the higher the Tao, the higher the devil.’ Since we entered Li Village, we’ve been at a disadvantage. This person knows every weakness of the Li brothers and manipulates you, Li Yiting, without you realizing it. Isn’t that abnormal?”

Shen Mingyue glared at him, annoyed that he still had time for jokes.

Li Yiting worried, “Could the murderer guess we’re hiding here and slip away?”

“In the past, maybe. But now the culprit has succeeded, and likely doesn’t care about us in Beiting at all. Besides, he knows that if he misses tonight, he won’t get what he wants.”

“So I’m almost certain the murderer will appear. But how he’ll show himself, I can’t say. I just hope he doesn’t disappoint me.”

“Hush, be patient. Soon you’ll see the ghost in its true form,” Chen Tianyu said, full of confidence.

Everyone held their breath, eyes fixed on the shrine, afraid even a cough would scare the murderer away.