Chapter 54: The Logic of the God of Public Trial (Part Three)

Chen Tianyu gazed at the villagers, once again plunged into silence, and sighed inwardly. The proprietress had cursed up a storm, but what she said was undoubtedly the truth.

Still, he couldn’t let the situation spiral out of control now.

“Auntie, all that’s past—please, don’t get too upset,” Chen Tianyu said quietly.

The proprietress calmed instantly. She dabbed at the corners of her eyes and spoke serenely, “Child, it makes me happy to finally say it. Don’t worry about me, go on with what you’re doing. I’ve kept it bottled up for so many years—everyone thinks I’m crazy.” She even managed a smile, a kind of sorrow that few could truly understand.

Chen Tianyu quietly admired this old woman’s composure and marveled at the importance of life experience.

He stowed the statue in his pocket and fished out a notebook from his coat.

“Listen, everyone,” he said. “The reason I showed you the statue earlier was simply to confirm whether the mute frequented Li Village. Nothing more. What matters now is: who was the mute trying to contact? But you haven’t given me an answer, because no one has seen the mute meet with anyone. It’s natural to assume that the one seeking revenge for his mother must be Zheng Wanqiu’s son, Li Fuqi, and that the mute was seeking to contact Li Fuqi.”

He paused. “That’s the logical assumption, but some things defy logic. For instance… Is Li Fuqi truly Aunt Zheng Wanqiu’s son? That’s now a pressing question.”

A ripple of disturbance ran through the crowd. Many faces showed surprise and doubt, but no one dared speak—after the proprietress’s earlier rebuke, the effect was obvious.

“In fact, this matter is rather complicated. I don’t believe anyone here has the answer. But as luck would have it, I happen to have Uncle Li Qisi’s diary here. Based on my intuition, Li Fuqi is, in fact—not Aunt’s son.”

Li Yiting exclaimed in astonishment, “Fourth Brother, are you sure you’re not mistaken?”

Chen Tianyu shook his head. “I can’t be certain, but I wonder—does your mother know about this? After all, she’s the one who raised Fuqi.”

He looked hopefully toward Li Yiting’s mother.

But she gave no response, her expression grave and unreadable.

Disappointed, Chen Tianyu said, “Second Aunt, I know you’re reluctant to speak, but today I’ll boldly guess: Li Fuqi is actually Uncle Li Qisi’s son, isn’t he?”

The words caused an uproar, propriety forgotten.

Uncle Ninth’s face was full of shock. He stared, “Young man, you’d better explain yourself. If Fuqi is Qisi’s son, then isn’t this patricide? A tiger won’t eat its cubs, and a son shouldn’t kill his father!”

He seemed rather learned, his speech ornate.

Li Qihuai chimed in, “That seems impossible.”

Finally, the mother spoke: “Old man, don’t speculate blindly… That’s right, Fuqi isn’t Fourth Brother’s child. Big Brother made me conceal it for so long—I’ve suffered in silence.”

Li Qihuai pressed, “So where is Fourth Brother’s child now?”

“I don’t know.” She shook her head sadly.

Suddenly, Li Fuqi stood up shakily and spoke for the first time, “I know. Fourth Uncle’s child died long ago—burned to death!”

“You wretched creature! Why didn’t you say so earlier? To deceive the villagers like this, have you any humanity left? If we hadn’t pitied your orphaned state, would we have cared for you like this? You and Qisi have played us all for fools—what tricks are you brothers playing?” Uncle Ninth was overwhelmed by the avalanche of revelations, coughing in agitation.

But Li Fuqi remained calm. “I am deeply grateful for the elders’ support, but my father insisted Fourth Uncle must not be left childless. He made me swear before the ancestral shrine—a solemn oath that I would be Fourth Uncle’s child for life, and no one could ever change that. If not for Second Aunt revealing the truth today, I would never have spoken, not even in death. When I was six, I swore that oath right here. Heaven is just—it must intend for me to die here today. I have no regrets, and won’t argue further. Whether it’s murder or theft of the sword, I know I didn’t do it, but I don’t know who the real killer is. So I confess and accept my fate!”

Li Fuyi’s face flushed, and he cried anxiously, “Fuqi, your father is dead, and the other brothers are gone too. You mustn’t throw your life away—if you do, the Li family line truly ends here!”

In that moment, a flash of lightning raced through Li Fuqi’s mind. An image surfaced, at first vague and then clear—it was the vengeful spirit of Fourth Uncle’s child! Fourth Uncle’s descendant had returned for revenge, hideous and snarling—

“Brother, I am powerless. Now I finally understand who the killer is, but I’m willing to die for him. Please, don’t pursue this any further!” Li Fuqi knelt suddenly. “I confess. I killed them all. I stole the Yuchang Sword. I am the murderer.”

Li Fuyi’s face turned ashen, and he slumped to the ground in despair.

“Wretched fate, wretched fate!” Uncle Ninth muttered.

Chen Tianyu stepped over and helped Li Fuqi up, his voice firm. “The law is just. Since you are not the killer, we cannot let you take the blame.”

Li Fuqi looked at him uncertainly, baffled.

Chen Tianyu spoke calmly. “The reason I’ve been so thorough is to repeatedly confirm my suspicions, and to gather as many witnesses as possible. Now your identity is clear, and your actions have proven it—Village Secretary Li Fuqi is not the killer.”

Li Yiting hurried over, whispering, “Fourth Brother, you can’t draw conclusions based solely on Fuqi’s attitude.”

Chen Tianyu nodded, then called out loudly in one direction, “Yongkun, it’s time to show yourself!”

A commotion came from the distant woods. Wan Yongkun came running, disheveled but oddly relaxed. He held something heavy in his hands.

Chen Tianyu patted his shoulder. “You’ve worked hard. Tell everyone about our plan.”

Wan Yongkun nodded and spoke loudly, “Fellow villagers, here’s what happened. Fourth Brother—Officer Chen—never believed Li Fuqi was the killer, so we set a trap. It was simple: when escorting Li Fuqi to town, we let him slip away, then watched whether he’d return to Li Village to steal the Yuchang Sword. If he did, he’d surely be the killer. If not, he wasn’t.”

The crowd was bewildered, not understanding. The logic seemed contradictory.

“You’re puzzled—Li Fuqi did return to steal the sword, so why isn’t he the killer? Let me finish…”

“Many must wonder how Li Fuqi and I managed to get back from miles away so quickly—faster than Qiu Xi driving. That’s because Fourth Brother had me prepare two motorcycles, both 250cc. These bikes run faster than cars in the mountains.”

Li Fuqi was bewildered. “So the motorcycles were yours? I wondered why it felt odd…”

“Exactly. Did you think it was just luck?” Wan Yongkun paused. “When Li Fuqi returned to Li Village, he rushed straight to the ancestral shrine. I thought he’d finally revealed himself, so I lay in ambush, waiting for him to steal the sword and help catch the killer.”

“But unexpectedly, I found another killer in the woods!” Wan Yongkun exclaimed, excited.

He raised the heavy object in his hand, stripped away the disguise, and a weapon appeared—copper-green, with a pointed head and spiked tail.

The Yuchang Sword!?

How could there be another Yuchang Sword?

“This sword is a fake,” Wan Yongkun explained. “It was hidden in a tree hollow, and if I hadn’t seen the killer’s back and the whole process of hiding it, I never would have found it.”

“Now, everyone should understand—the real killer planned to swap the Yuchang Sword with a fake, pulling off an elaborate trick with careful preparation. Li Fuqi acted rashly, with no plan, just stole the sword blindly. So, who is the true killer?”

Many still looked confused.

Li Yiting pressed, “Did you see who the killer was?”

Wan Yongkun shook his head. “Only saw a fleeting silhouette, then trouble started here. I only had time to retrieve the fake sword and was afraid to alert the killer, so…”

Li Qihuai said in disappointment, “So you didn’t see clearly—after all this fuss, the killer must have escaped.”

Wan Yongkun shook his head firmly. “No, the killer is definitely still here. If he left the woods, he couldn’t have slipped past me.”

Li Yiting nodded, “I believe that. But…”

Suddenly Chen Tianyu laughed aloud, his voice ringing out, “The killer stands before us—what’s there to doubt?”

Everyone was startled as Chen Tianyu extended his hand, slowly pointing at someone.

“It’s you—the genuine son of Fourth Uncle Li Qiuyuan!” he said calmly.

Qiu Xi froze, his face incredulous.

“Fourth Brother, don’t joke about such a grave matter—it’s about life and death!” Qiu Xi looked around anxiously, confused by Chen Tianyu’s intent. “I’m here to help with the investigation—are you mistaken?”

“Proprietress, come here,” Chen Tianyu said, unhurried. “Zichen, you too.”

The proprietress approached hesitantly, and Liu Zichen came over, holding a torch.

“Proprietress, you had the most contact with Aunt Zheng Wanqiu. Help me judge—does Qiu Xi resemble his mother Zheng Wanqiu? If you’re unsure, compare him to our Zichen.”

The proprietress glanced at Liu Zichen, then at Qiu Xi, then fell into recollection.

Uncle Ninth pressed, “Well?”

The proprietress shook her head, bewildered. “Not very alike… really not.”

Uncle Ninth prompted, “Qihuai, don’t just stand there—does this young man resemble your Qiuyuan?”

Without looking, Li Qihuai said, “Not at all. If he did, would I not have recognized him by now? Uncle Ninth, you’re really confused.” Uncle Ninth coughed awkwardly.

Under everyone’s scrutiny, Qiu Xi felt uncomfortable, trying to stand tall and show his innocence.

After both the proprietress and Li Qihuai denied it, Qiu Xi finally relaxed, a rare smile appearing.

“Sons take after their mothers.” Li Yiting’s mother, silent for a long time, suddenly spoke. “You’re right—he is Wanqiu’s child!”

Her words struck like lightning, stunning everyone.

Qiu Xi protested, “Please don’t say such things…”

The mother replied calmly, “I’m not making things up. The first time you came to my house, you seemed familiar, though I never dwelled on it. Before Big Brother gave me Fuqi to raise, you too drank my milk. Though it’s been more than twenty years, as a mother, I’ll never forget the look in your eyes when you smile.”

Qiu Xi stood there, dumbstruck, unable to speak.

“This… this…” he stammered at last, “this makes no sense.”

Chen Tianyu patted his shoulder, comforting him. “Of course it’s not scientific. Solving a case requires evidence. I was merely experimenting—to see if anyone could recognize Fourth Uncle Li Qiuyuan’s son, should he still be alive.”

Qiu Xi wiped sweat from his brow. “Fourth Brother, you scared me half to death.”

Uncle Ninth complained, “Young man, this isn’t how you solve cases—it could cost lives.”

The mother remained silent, calm as ever. Chen Tianyu glanced at her, smiling to himself.

“Back to the point—now, let me discuss the evidence in this case…”

“First, I must apologize to all the villagers and victims. It’s true—we at Beiting were incompetent, letting the killer succeed repeatedly and causing many innocent deaths. Beiting cannot shirk responsibility.” He bowed deeply to everyone. “But the killer was simply too cunning—his long-term plotting and flawless schemes are unlike anything we’ve ever encountered.”

He took the Yuchang Sword Wan Yongkun had brought. “Let’s start with this fake. In shape, material, and craftsmanship, it’s almost indistinguishable from the real Yuchang Sword. For those not versed in antiques, unless enormous effort was spent, or perhaps this sword was genuine all along.”

Seeing the crowd’s confusion, Chen Tianyu called out to the unremarkable Li Futang.

Li Futang was startled, hesitating before he walked over slowly.

“You mean me?” he still hadn’t quite caught on.

“Yes,” Chen Tianyu nodded. “I hear you’ve long dealt in antiques in the city, and helped the village sell rosewood—is that right?”

“Uh… I used to,” Li Futang replied vaguely.

“That’s minor,” Chen Tianyu smiled. “But I want you to help—after so many years’ experience, can you spot the difference between the two Yuchang Swords?”

He took the ancestral relic from Li Yiting, deftly passing it from hand to hand, then gripped one sword in each hand, eyes fixed on Li Futang.

Li Futang scratched his head, at a loss.

“Can you tell?” Chen Tianyu pressed.

Li Futang flushed red. “I’ve worked in the field, but I’m not an expert—you’re making it hard for me.”

“Why not try?” Chen Tianyu persisted.

Helpless, Li Futang took a deep breath and scrutinized the two artifacts. Within minutes, he was sweating profusely and panting.

“I’m not absolutely sure, but the inscription on this sword seems odd,” Li Futang pointed to the one in Chen Tianyu’s right hand. “With antiques, especially bronzes, the inscription is usually the most worn part, but this one’s marks are too clear.”

With a clang, Chen Tianyu threw the sword from his right hand to the ground and gave a thumbs up.

“A master indeed! If you were to forge one yourself, I believe you’d succeed easily.”

Li Futang shook his head quickly. “I couldn’t possibly do that—you’re overestimating me.”

Chen Tianyu smiled oddly. “Heh, but what I’m wondering is—could this sword have been forged by you, Li Futang?”

Li Futang’s face went deathly pale, sweat pouring down like rain.