Chapter 17: Ill-fated Relationship (Part II)

Seeing Li Chijing's youthful face etched with such ruthless expressions, Ye Chengfu paused in the crowd. Holding his torch, he stroked his chin in contemplation and said

"This fourth son is likely no easy person to deal with either. The leader, Liang Lu, is dead, and the remaining three wolves—the eldest is cunning, the youngest is fierce—within ten years, this Lijing Village will surely become a one-man show for the Li family!"

The crowd fell silent for a few breaths before someone replied in a low voice

"Changhu was killed by the refugees!"

Li Xiangping knelt beside Li Changhu, fighting back tears. He turned to look at Tian Shoushui and asked through a sob

"Uncle Tian, what happened?"

"Most likely the remnants of the Yuan family."

Li Mutian squeezed these words through his teeth. Looking at Tian Shoushui, who stood with his head bowed in shame and silence, and glancing at the surrounding villagers, he shouted

"Li Tongya!"

Hearing this, Li Tongya wiped away his tears, stepped forward, and cupped his hands toward the villagers, saying loudly

"I have disturbed you all tonight. Please, everyone, disperse first; there is no need to linger here."

Having said that, he bowed to help Liu Linfeng up and whispered in his ear

"Please, Uncle, take your men to control the refugees first to prevent anyone from causing trouble amidst the chaos. We will follow shortly."

"Good, good..."

Liu Linfeng, who had been kneeling before Li Mutian in a timid and uneasy manner, felt as if he had been granted a grand pardon upon hearing this. He nodded repeatedly and led his men away.

Tian Shoushui and Ren Ping'an carried Li Changhu's body to the Li family's backyard. Just then, a burst of wailing came from the main courtyard; Lady Ren had fainted upon hearing the tragic news. Tian Yun and Lady Liu, suppressing their tears, each took charge of one task—one to care for her and the other to hurry and find the doctor.

"Big Brother..."

Tian Shoushui set Li Changhu down, his eyes brimming with tears. Just as he was about to speak, Li Mutian waved him off and spoke wearily

"Ping'an, go check on Lady Ren. Shoushui, you go with Liu Linfeng to watch over the refugees. Without a statement from our Li family, he will likely be unable to act freely."

"Yes."

Tian Shoushui froze for a moment, wiped his tears, and withdrew in response. Ren Ping'an also nodded blankly and went to look after Ren Ping'er.

With no outsiders left in the backyard, only the brothers of the Li family remained, weeping softly.

Li Mutian finally lost all restraint. Like a wounded lone wolf, he sat beside his eldest son and began to howl low in grief.

"Changhu—!"

The other brothers also began to weep. Li Tongya and Li Xiangping were relatively restrained, but Li Chijing, being young, cried as if he were dying.

————

In the dead of night, Lijing Village was in chaos. Old Man Xu walked alone toward the back mountain, clutching a hoe. Following a winding path, a continuous cluster of graves appeared before his eyes amidst the overgrown weeds.

Old Man Xu stopped to look closely. Sure enough, a ragged young man wearing a beast-skin wrap around his waist was sitting leisurely by a small tombstone in a corner, legs spread wide, saying something.

His ears twitching, the youth looked up敏锐ly. Seeing that the newcomer was merely a simple-looking old farmer who looked too aged to walk, he actually clapped his hands and asked with a tilted head and a smile

"Where did you come from, old man?"

Old Man Xu did not respond. He deliberately walked very slowly, shuffling tremulously toward the youth. He cast a wary glance at the young man, knelt by the grave, and began to weep softly while clutching the tombstone.

As the youth listened closely, he heard vague words about avenging a great grudge and a master finding peace, which caused his heart to stir.

His family had been destroyed when he was a child, and he had lived a life of displacement. For the first half of his life, he had worked as a tenant, practicing with this dagger every night, hoping that one day he could personally cut off Li Mutian's head as an offering to his parents.

Now that his great vengeance was partially avenged, he felt an extreme sense of exhilaration. He had thousands of words he wanted to say, yet there was no one by his side to share this joy and satisfaction. It would be better to converse with this old man and then kill him before leaving—wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?

Thinking this, the youth smiled and said

"You come to this Yuan family grave to wail; aren't you afraid the Li family will come looking for trouble?"

"This old man doesn't have much time left..."

Old Man Xu replied while wiping his tears. He cast a low glance at the youth, but then his face turned pale with shock. He prostrated himself on the ground and cried out

"Young Master!"

"Hmm?"

The youth was startled, thinking to himself

"Did this old man see me at the village entrance? I should just kill him and flee to avoid trouble."

However, Old Man Xu continued through his tears

"The Mistress often brought the Young Master to sit in the fields, so I recognize you. I still remember that you have three black moles on your foot; I can use that as proof."

Old Man Xu had lived for over seventy years and was as shrewd as a fox. By reversing cause and effect, he managed to dispel the youth's murderous intent. The youth froze and hurriedly asked

"Then do you remember my mother's appearance?"

"Of course I remember."

Old Man Xu pulled a branch from a haystack, used his hoe to loosen the soil, and began to draw carefully.

The youth was extremely agitated, yet he would frequently look down at Old Man Xu with a gloomy expression. His thoughts fluctuated constantly—one moment he felt he should kill him, the next he felt he should kidnap him to ask more about his mother.

Before long, Old Man Xu finished drawing and stood up. Though he was a farmer, he had spent years drawing door gods and auspicious patterns for the villagers; over the years, he had acquired some skill in painting, and with just a few strokes, he had captured the character's spirit vividly.

"Mother!"

The youth fell to his knees and looked. Seeing the features he had only vaguely seen in his dreams, he immediately began to weep softly. Twenty-two years of grievance and suppression surged into his heart, and his tears flowed like a spring.

Old Man Xu sighed mournfully beside him, incessantly speaking of the Mistress's virtues, which only made the youth weep harder.

"I still remember the appearance of the Master's family. Let me draw it for you."

After hearing Old Man Xu's words, the youth believed him about eighty percent. He wiped his tears and gave a nod without looking up.

As Old Man Xu raised his hoe to loosen the soil for drawing, a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. The hoe was raised high, its bright silver blade shimmering faintly under the moonlight, and then it fell violently, aimed straight for the youth's neck.

The youth, having spent the day running with the refugees, exerting all his strength to assassinate Li Changhu, and then shaking off Tian Shoushui in the reed marshes, was already exhausted to the point of collapse. Having just experienced extreme joy and extreme sorrow, his legs had already gone weak; he had neither the will nor the means to dodge, and was struck squarely by Old Man Xu.

Old Man Xu had farmed for years and was still physically robust. The blow landed with a dull thud that sounded like breaking bone. The youth slumped straight to the ground, his head lolling to the side, eyes rolling back, limbs twitching uncontrollably, and white foam spilling from his mouth.

Taking advantage of him falling, the old man struck another blow squarely on the youth's head with the hoe, completely extinguishing his breath.

Unsatisfied, Old Man Xu struck him haphazardly a dozen more times, hacking until flesh and blood flew everywhere, leaving a mess of white and red across the ground. When he turned the youth over, he saw he was already dead, his face still bearing an expression of sorrow.

Only then did he finally lose his strength. He slumped onto the ground, covered his face with his withered hands, and began to wail in agony

"A cursed fate! A cursed fate..."

(End of Chapter)