Chapter 17: Troubled Past, Part 2

Seeing Li Chijing's still-young face filled with a fierce expression, Ye Chengfu, who was among the crowd, paused. Holding a torch, he stroked his chin and mused, "This fourth son is probably not an easy person to deal with. The leading 'good deer' is dead; of the remaining three 'vicious wolves,' the eldest is cunning, and the youngest is ruthless. Within ten years, Lijing Village will undoubtedly become the Li family's sole domain!"

Everyone paused for a few breaths, then heard someone quietly reply, "Changhu was killed by the refugees!"

Li Xiangping, suppressing tears, knelt beside Li Changhu. He turned his head to look at Tian Shoushui and choked out, "Uncle Tian, what is this about?"

"Most likely, it's the remnants of the Yuan family," Li Mutian squeezed out a few words. He looked at Tian Shoushui, who hung his head in shame and remained silent, then glanced at the surrounding villagers and called out, "Li Tongya!"

Hearing this, Li Tongya wiped away his tears. He stepped forward, cupped his hands to the villagers, and said loudly, "I apologize for disturbing everyone tonight. Please, disperse for now; there's no need to linger here."

After speaking, he bowed and helped Liu Linfeng up, then whispered in his ear, "Uncle, please take people to control the refugees first, to prevent anyone from causing trouble during the chaos. We will follow shortly."

"Yes, yes..." Liu Linfeng, already timid and feeling uneasy as if on pins and needles while kneeling before Li Mutian, heard this as a great pardon. He repeatedly assented and then led his people away.

Tian Shoushui and Ren Ping'an carried Li Changhu from the ground and placed him in the Li family's back courtyard. But then they heard a wail from the main courtyard: Mrs. Ren had fainted upon hearing the terrible news. Tian Yun and Mrs. Liu, suppressing their tears, one attended to her, while the other quickly went to find a doctor.

"Big Brother..." Tian Shoushui put down Li Changhu, his eyes brimming with tears. Just as he was about to say something, Li Mutian waved his hand and said wearily, "Ping'an, go check on Mrs. Ren. Shoushui, you and Liu Linfeng should oversee the refugees for now. Without our Li family's clear stance, he might feel constrained."

"Yes." Tian Shoushui was startled for a moment, wiped away his tears, and then bowed and withdrew. Ren Ping'an also nodded blankly and went to look after Ren Ping'er.

With no outsiders left in the back courtyard, only the Li family brothers remained, weeping softly.

Li Mutian could finally no longer control himself. Like a wounded lone wolf, he sat beside his eldest son and began to wail softly.

"Oh, Changhu—"

The other brothers also began to weep. Li Tongya and Li Xiangping were relatively restrained, but Li Chijing, being still young, cried inconsolably.

***

In the dead of night, Lijing Village was in utter chaos. Old Man Xu, leaning on his hoe, walked alone to the back mountain. He twisted and turned along a small path and saw a continuous cluster of graves amidst the overgrown weeds appear before his eyes.

Old Man Xu stopped and looked closely; sure enough, a ragged young man, wearing an animal skin around his waist, was leisurely sitting by a small tombstone in the corner, legs splayed, speaking to himself.

His ears twitched, and the young man sharply looked up. Seeing that the newcomer was just a simple, honest old farmer who looked too old to walk, he even clapped his hands, tilted his head, and asked with a smile, "Old man, where are you from?"

Old Man Xu didn't answer him, deliberately walking extremely slowly. He tottered forward until he was close. He pretended to eye the young man cautiously, then knelt beside the grave, hugged the tombstone, and began to lament softly.

The young man listened carefully, indistinctly hearing words like "great revenge taken" and "may the master rest in peace." His heart immediately stirred.

His family was ruined and scattered when he was a child, and he wandered from place to place. For the first half of his life, he worked as a tenant farmer, and every night he practiced diligently with this dagger, with the sole hope of one day personally cutting off Li Mutian's head to avenge his parents.

Now that the great revenge was somewhat avenged, his heart was filled with extreme satisfaction. He had countless words he wanted to utter, yet no one around to share his joy and satisfaction with. "Why not talk with this old man for a while," he thought, "and then kill him before leaving? Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"

Thinking this, the young man opened his mouth and laughed, "You're crying here at the Yuan family's grave; aren't you afraid the Li family will come looking for trouble with you?"

"This old man doesn't have much time left..." Old Man Xu replied, wiping his tears. He glanced furtively at the young man, then was greatly astonished. He prostrated himself on the ground, knelt down, and said, "Young Master!"

"Hmm?" The young man was startled and thought to himself, "Could this old man have seen me at the village entrance? Better to kill him and flee, to avoid further complications."

Old Man Xu, still covering his tears, spoke again, "Your mistress often brought you to sit in the fields, which is how I recognized you, young master. This old man still remembers the three moles on your foot; that can be proof."

Old Man Xu had lived for over seventy years and become shrewd through experience. He fabricated a cause from an effect, startling the young man out of his murderous intent. The young man paused in surprise, then hastily asked, "Then do you remember what my mother looked like?"

"Of course I do." Old Man Xu pulled a twig from a haystack, then loosened the soil with his hoe, and began to draw meticulously.

The young man was incredibly excited, yet he repeatedly lowered his head to gloomily watch Old Man Xu. Thoughts flickered constantly in his mind: one moment he thought he should just kill him, the next he felt he should abduct him to ask more about his mother.

Before long, Old Man Xu finished drawing and stood up. Although he was a farmer, he had long painted door gods and auspicious pictures for the villagers. Over the years, he had acquired some skill in painting, and with just a few strokes, he had depicted the person's essence so vividly, as if alive.

"Mother!" The young man quickly turned and knelt, gazing at the drawing. Seeing the faintly familiar features from his dreams, he immediately began to sob softly. Twenty-two years of grievances and suppression surged into his heart, and tears streamed down his face.

Old Man Xu sighed mournfully nearby, continuously speaking of the mistress's virtues. At that moment, the young man found it even harder to hold back his tears.

"This old man still remembers the master's appearance; let me draw it." After hearing Old Man Xu's words, the young man already believed him for the most part. He wiped away his tears and, without lifting his head, agreed.

Old Man Xu raised his hoe, ostensibly to loosen the soil for drawing, his eyes glinting with ferocity. The hoe was raised high, its gleaming silver blade flickering faintly in the moonlight. With a sudden downward motion, it struck towards the young man's neck.

The young man had traveled with the refugees all day and exhausted himself assassinating Li Changhu. He had then eluded Tian Shoushui in the reed marsh, already completely exhausted. Now, overwhelmed by extreme joy and sorrow, his legs were already weak. He had no intention or ability to dodge and was struck squarely by Old Man Xu.

Old Man Xu had farmed for many years, and his body was still healthy. The blow landed with a dull thud, enough to break sinews and shatter bones. The young man fell straight to the ground, his head tilted upwards, eyes rolled back, limbs convulsing constantly, and foam spewing from his mouth.

The old man, seizing the moment he fell, struck the young man squarely on the head with another swing of the hoe, completely ending his life.

Old Man Xu was still not reassured, so he wildly struck him over a dozen more times. The blows sent flesh and blood flying, red and white splattering across the ground. He turned the young man over and saw that he was lifeless. The corpse's face still bore an expression of sorrow.

Only then did he finally collapse from exhaustion. He slumped to the ground, stretched out his withered hands to cover his face, and began to wail in agony, "A karmic curse! A karmic curse..."