Chapter 51: The Master Thief

A dark figure flashed before the group. This person glanced around, and only after confirming there was no one nearby did he silently slip into the ancestral hall. Li Yiting was about to act, but Chen Tianyu reached out to stop him.

“What’s wrong?” Li Yiting asked in confusion.

Chen Tianyu replied, “Let’s wait a bit longer. Did you see clearly who it was?”

Li Yiting shook his head. “The figure looked familiar, but it’s too far. I can’t be certain.”

Chen Tianyu turned to Kuang Suo. “Jiudao, did you recognize him?”

Kuang Suo pondered. “Judging from subtle movements, he looks a bit like Li Fuqi.”

“But I heard from Fourth Brother that Li Fuqi fell into the river,” Kuang Suo muttered in surprise. “Still, you Li brothers share a few similar habitual gestures. Maybe I’m mistaken.”

Chen Tianyu neither agreed nor disagreed. “Anything is possible. Let’s be patient.”

Everyone focused their attention and waited. After the first shadow entered the ancestral hall, nearly twenty minutes passed with no sign of him. Just as restlessness began to set in, another shadow appeared, this one stumbling and unsteady. Unlike the first, he did not look around but headed straight for the ancestral hall, practically breaking in.

The group was astonished—were there two thieves? How many people from Li Village were hiding in the dark?

Kuang Suo was especially shocked. “Why does this one also look like Li Fuqi?”

Shen Mingyue snorted, “Are you having déjà vu? Everyone looks like Li Fuqi to you.”

“Uh…” Kuang Suo scratched his head. “Maybe. It’s really too far to see clearly.”

“If you can’t see, stop making wild guesses,” Shen Mingyue said disdainfully.

Suddenly, a shadow flickered briefly in the distant woods—a fleeting glimpse, but sharp-eyed Chen Tianyu didn’t miss it. The others, intent on the ancestral hall, noticed nothing.

A third thief had appeared.

But this one clearly had no intention of entering the hall—perhaps just passing by. Then again, who would believe someone was simply passing by the ancestral hall so late at night?

Chen Tianyu smiled faintly, as though his expectations had already been met, yet he remained perfectly still.

Li Yiting sighed in frustration. “So there are still so many petty thieves in Luoshui Village. All our earlier efforts were wasted; now it seems they’ve all come out together.”

“Don’t be impatient, Yiting,” Chen Tianyu said calmly. “The truth will come out soon enough. Whether we’ve failed or not, we’ll know in a moment.”

---

Inside the ancestral hall, the lamplight flickered uncertainly.

Not long after the second person entered, two emerged together. It was clear the one who exited with him was the first to have entered. Strangest of all, one was supporting the other, as if they were quite close.

The second man now held a long, narrow object, wrapped in a piece of clothing, though a sliver of dark green still peeked out. He was limping badly but seemed desperate to leave, nearly running. Suddenly his legs gave way, and he fell to his knees.

His companion reached out to help, but the man struggled up on his own. His face was resolute, almost ruthless.

Supporting each other, they continued onward. Suddenly, the path brightened. The man who had just stood up instinctively shielded his eyes, while the other looked flustered.

The way downhill was now illuminated by several pine torches, lined up in a row, their flames flickering.

Beiting and his group stood at the foot of the slope, torches held high and unmoving, waiting for the two to approach so they could finally see the culprits’ faces.

The pair seemed to recognize them. Instead of retreating, they kept walking closer.

By torchlight, everyone could clearly see that one was Li Fuyi, his face a mix of shock and suspicion; the other, deathly pale, was Li Fuqi.

Li Fuqi suddenly collapsed, his strength utterly spent. Yet he lay sideways on the ground, struggling to raise the object in his hands. Li Fuyi took it dazedly.

Li Fuqi spoke with difficulty, “Fuyi… give the Fishgut Sword… to Second Brother…”

Li Fuyi nodded blankly and walked straight toward Beiting’s group. Kuang Suo stepped back warily, but Li Yiting stepped forward without hesitation.

“Second Brother, this is the Fishgut Sword.” Li Fuyi’s expression was odd, but his voice was steady, his usual reticence undiminished—even caught red-handed, he seemed a little wooden.

Li Yiting took it, his face blank but his hand trembling under the sword’s unexpected heaviness. He knew all too well what he was holding, yet could not suppress the quiver in his arm. The cloth slipped away, revealing a sword covered in bronze-green patina, its tip and edges radiating a chilling aura. Even those who had never seen the Fishgut Sword before stared in awe.

“…”

“Why… is it… you two?” Li Yiting spoke each word with deliberate force. Li Fuyi hesitated, unable to speak, sensing his brother’s barely contained fury.

Li Qihuai’s lips trembled as he stammered, “Fuyi, Fuqi, you… you… what a sin you’ve committed!”

Li Yiting glared at the two, as if he would set them alight with his gaze. Now, with culprits and evidence both in hand, there was no need for further proceedings—the facts were plain. Yet words could not express the turmoil in his heart. If there had been a sliver of hope before, it was now frozen solid.

“Yiting, Uncle, calm down,” Chen Tianyu quickly stepped forward, patting Li Yiting’s shoulder. “Let’s at least hear their explanation.”

“What’s left to explain?” Li Yiting snapped, while Li Qihuai stood in silence.

Li Fuyi seemed equally ill at ease, but finally found his courage. “Second Brother, I was just about to explain—”

“Shut up!” Li Yiting cut him off without hesitation.

Li Fuyi stood rigidly, while behind him, Li Fuqi tried to push himself up again.

“Yiting… things… are not… as you imagine…” Li Fuqi’s clothes were torn, his right leg soaked in blood from a grave wound. How he had escaped death and managed to run miles back to Li Village was a mystery.

“Save your explanation for the police station,” Li Yiting said coldly. “I never imagined, after Father trusted you so much, giving you the Fishgut Sword to guard, you’d try to steal it for yourself and kill so many of our kin. Li Fuqi, all these years, I see I misjudged you.”

It seemed Li Yiting had much more to say—

But at that tense moment, a young man came running, breathless and covered in mud. Catching sight of the battered Li Fuqi, he froze in shock.

“Li Fuqi?! How are you here?!” Qiu Xi cried out in disbelief.

To everyone’s surprise, Li Fuqi suddenly let out a bitter laugh.

“Hey, brother, I flew here on wings.”

He actually made a joke at such a time—but it was so cold that no one could bring themselves to laugh.