Chapter Thirteen: Suicide Out of Guilt

Li Miaozhu took cinnabar to end his life, suffering severe mercury poisoning. What he vomited was mostly not blood, but red, mucous-laden cinnabar.
A jar of dark red cinnabar sat in his room—a ritual tool commonly used in worship, which, in small quantities, was said to have a calming effect.
But the amount Li Miaozhu ingested far exceeded a few grams; it was three to five taels. It would have been surprising if he hadn't died from the poison.
What astonished those present was that after his death, Li Miaozhu’s body turned entirely crimson, as if scorched by some mythical fire. The onlookers shivered involuntarily.
Li Yiting carefully examined his third uncle's rigor mortis; it was clear he’d been dead for over twelve hours. Roughly estimating, he had likely taken the poison last night.
He surveyed the room and found no obvious signs of struggle. The space was neat—more accurately, sparse: a bed, a table, a single chair, nothing else.
Of course, determining whether an outsider had entered was now nearly impossible. The villagers had rushed in, destroying any trace of the original scene.
To observe basic principles of judicial impartiality—and because he was only a junior family member—Li Yiting suggested immediately reporting the incident to the local police. Unexpectedly, this proposal met with unanimous opposition from the villagers; even his elder uncle and father refrained from overt support.
Everyone grabbed a spare red shroud from the temple and covered Li Miaozhu’s body. The atmosphere was deathly silent; no one dared speak. Occasionally, someone whispered, spreading tales of divine wrath and death by heavenly fire, trying to explain the corpse’s strange appearance and overcome their fear.
To them, Li Miaozhu’s irreverence toward Guanyin had brought down heavenly punishment!
Yet many understood that, if the Li family pursued the matter, it could easily be argued that the villagers had driven him to his death.
No one wanted to shoulder that blame. The notorious gambler, Zhang Kun, who had shouted the loudest the previous day, tried to slip away, but Chen Tianyu blocked his path. Zhang Kun wasn’t particularly nervous; those who talk big rarely take responsibility.
So, after shooting Chen Tianyu a resentful glance, Zhang Kun retreated and quietly joined the camp propagating the “divine wrath” theory.
Li Qisi stood grim-faced, smoking with several elders of Luoshui Village; smoke filled the room.
Li Yiting quietly pulled his father aside and whispered, “Dad, didn’t you say you’d already reasoned with Third Uncle yesterday?”
Li Qihuai replied dejectedly, “That’s right… but Old Third can be stubborn. Agreements made can change in an instant with him…”
Li Yiting frowned, “If it were an ordinary matter, fine—but this is risking his own life. Third Uncle isn’t that muddle-headed, is he?”
Li Qihuai sighed helplessly, “Who knows.”
“I feel there’s something odd about this. Should we ask Elder Uncle to call the police?” Li Yiting suggested.
“I’ll ask. After all, you used to work in this field; Elder Brother might agree.” Li Qihuai, unwilling to decide alone, led his son to find Li Qisi, then turned back to add, “Matters in the village, best not to get too involved if possible.”
Li Yiting nodded in understanding.
Li Qisi remained silent. At last, an elder from Luoshui Village couldn’t hold back and trembled as he spoke, “Qisi, what do you think…?”
No response. Another elder chimed in, “I heard that if you call the Public Security Bureau in cases like this, they’ll cut up the body for investigation. Won’t even leave a whole corpse behind…”
The elders nodded in agreement. The first to speak pressed, “Qisi, whatever happens, Qiwen can’t be brought back. Give us a word…”
Li Qisi glared fiercely and finally spoke, “This matter can’t be left unresolved! But our Li family is reasonable; Qiwen failed in his duty and lost the Bodhisattva statue, so we’re at fault first. Everyone blaming him is understandable… But still, the statue didn’t just vanish; someone must have been scheming. We absolutely won’t let those despicable people off easy!”
“Of course, of course…” the elders agreed.
“But, Qisi, where do we look for the thief? Qiwen is gone now… No one can say for sure who stole it…” His words hinted at suspicion that Li Miaozhu might have stolen it himself.
Li Qihuai, just arriving, was enraged, “Nonsense! Stealing is stealing. If you won’t catch the thief, don’t slander my third brother!”
Li Qisi waved him off, coldly, “Old Third lost his way; he brought this on himself. But the thief shouldn’t expect to get away unscathed.”
“Elder Brother, you mean…?” Li Qihuai was confused.
“Let the police find whoever stole Guanyin. One life for another—give Qiwen justice,” Li Qisi said resolutely.
Another elder hesitated, “We’ve lived most of our lives… Qiwen’s condition doesn’t seem like a man-made thing…”
Li Qisi replied sternly, “Heaven’s punishment or human misfortune, the Li family won’t let this rest!”
No one dared speak further.
Li Qisi turned to Li Qihuai, “Second Brother, send some people to the ancestral house for a coffin and prepare Old Third for burial.”
Li Yiting hesitated, looking to Chen Tianyu for help, “Fourth Brother, what do you think?”
Chen Tianyu said calmly, “Follow local custom, do as Elder Uncle says.”
Li Yiting didn’t insist further; though he had doubts, all must proceed according to the village’s unique death protocols. Li family brothers would carry Li Qiwen back to the village and place him in a coffin, with a mourning hall set outside (since poisoning is considered an unnatural death, the coffin cannot enter the main hall).
With arrangements made, Li Qihuai called Li Qiwen’s adopted son, Li Futang, to notify him.
Li Yiting could only watch, feeling a complex mix of emotions. Chen Tianyu gently patted his shoulder, signaling him to wait and see.
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Hearing there would be a police investigation into the theft of the Guanyin statue, Luo Ming, who had retreated to a corner earlier, finally seized a chance to redeem himself.
He babbled excitedly, spitting as he boasted about meeting a policeman during his recent trip to the city, trying hard to prove he wasn’t just a troublemaker but also responsible to the temple.
Since the investigation was about theft, not a death, he reckoned a familiar contact would be more reliable. Rural police resources were scarce; the township station was over ten kilometers away, and whether they could spare anyone was uncertain.
Besides, even if an investigation began, it would be hard to make progress quickly; the township station’s investigative ability was questionable.
Li Qihuai scolded Luo Ming harshly first—he couldn’t help himself. But after much consideration, Li Qisi made the decision and adopted Luo Ming’s plan.
Having city police involved increased the chances of solving the case.
But having bragged about his connections, when Luo Ming actually contacted the young officer Qiu Xi, he became anxious. Qiu Xi was a distant relative who rarely visited the village and worked far away in the city—would he really make the trek to help?
To ensure success, Luo Ming finally thought carefully. He first sought out Qiu Xi’s maternal uncle, Zhang Shubing of Tai Village, but was promptly refused—the uncle hadn’t kept in touch and didn’t want to owe a favor to his sister’s family.
Luo Ming, rebuffed, waited outside Zhang Shubing’s house, thick-skinned, and called Qiu Xi. As expected, the indolent Qiu Xi was reluctant to get involved, which made Luo Ming anxious.
“Officer Qiu, why not take this chance to visit your uncle? He’s missed you…” Luo Ming lied, relying on his presence at Qiu Xi’s uncle’s house.
Qiu Xi hesitated, then said, “It’s not that I don’t want to help, but I’ve just come off leave and can’t get away. Besides, I’m unfamiliar with your village’s situation. You should contact the township station; investigating across jurisdictions is against regulations.”
“It’s a small case; the township doesn’t want it. We’re asking you to help. Just find some clues, and then we’ll call the township police. Will that work? You know my situation best. Please help… Don’t you get time off at New Year?”
“Only three days off at New Year, and I have to be on duty.” Qiu Xi thought for a moment, “Let me talk to my uncle.”
Luo Ming was glad he hadn’t left; he hurried to hand the phone to Zhang Shubing, who took it with obvious reluctance.
Though Zhang Shubing resented his sister’s family for their snobbery, he still spoke with affection for the younger generation.
After a few minutes on the phone, Zhang Shubing coldly handed the phone back to Luo Ming, who took it nervously.
“My uncle has spoken, so I’ll come to look into it,” Qiu Xi said, resigned.
Luo Ming was overjoyed, asking excitedly, “Wonderful, really wonderful! Officer Qiu, how long can you stay?”
There was a pause on the other end.
“About half a month, if I move my holiday around… depends on my supervisor’s approval.”
“That’s plenty, plenty! Officer Qiu, you’re a real benefactor—the whole Luoshui Village will thank you.”
Qiu Xi didn’t respond to his flattery, only saying, “We’ll talk when I arrive,” then hung up.
Even after the dial tone sounded, Luo Ming couldn’t believe he’d actually secured a living Bodhisattva—his trip to the city hadn’t been in vain!
Master, why were you so stubborn? Couldn’t things have been resolved? Why take such a drastic step? Luo Ming grumbled inwardly.
After ending the call, he forgot to say goodbye to Zhang Shubing and hurried down the mountain to report his success to Li Qisi.