Chapter Thirty-Six: Death

Li Fu had just stepped through the door when he saw the scene before him. Shocked and enraged, he threw the bundle in his hand to the ground and lunged forward, pulling Ji’an into his arms. She buried her face against his chest, sobbing muffled tears.

Tang Haiqiu rose with indifference, picked up the bundle Li Fu had dropped, opened it, and retreated into the inner room to change into a set of clean clothes. When he stepped back out, Li Fu was still soothing his daughter. "Your uncle was just joking with you, my sweet girl, stop crying." Ji’an’s shoulders shook, her sobs refusing to subside.

Seeing Tang Haiqiu emerge, Ji’an recoiled instinctively, eyeing him with a look of wariness. Li Fu clutched her tight, terrified that Tang might strike again.

Tang Haiqiu sneered, ignoring Li Fu’s fury and hostility. "Neither you nor your daughter are to go anywhere. If you do, don’t blame me for being ruthless." Without waiting for a reaction, he pushed open the door and left.

Gu Lifu quickly shrank back into the alley, his heart pounding with nervous intensity, yet tinged with a surge of excitement. Niu Er had tipped him off about Li Fu’s erratic behavior the previous day. He hadn't thought much of it at the time, but Li Fu’s unannounced departure from the medical clinic last night had piqued his suspicions. After secretly trailing him to the Jiqing Ward and seeing with his own eyes that Li Fu had rescued Tang Haiqiu, everything was now crystal clear.

Suppressing his inner agitation, he calculated his next move. Should he notify the authorities? He couldn’t let the officials have it for free; he had to demand a handsome reward. Hearing footsteps fading into the distance, he peeked out, only to see a stranger’s back retreating rapidly. He was momentarily stunned before realizing the man must have changed his clothes.

He stepped out of the alley, looking from the courtyard gate to Tang Haiqiu’s retreating figure, caught in a dilemma.

Meanwhile, Li Fu stood dazed in the courtyard for a long time. The more he thought, the more uneasy he grew. He decided to flee the city for a while, wait for the storm to blow over, and then return to the capital to test the waters before settling back in. Ji’an had stopped crying; she rested her abdomen against Li Fu’s knees, dangling herself as she shook her legs, seemingly finding a new distraction. Li Fu’s gaze softened. He stroked her head. "Xiao An, how about Daddy takes you out of the city for a trip?"

Ji’an looked up, delighted. "Okay!" She had never been on an excursion with her father before, and her face lit up with joy.

Li Fu stood up. "Come on, let’s pack our things."

The father and daughter busied themselves for a long time. Ji’an looked curiously at the two large bundles Li Fu had prepared. "Do we need so many things for a trip?"

Li Fu placed the bundles by the bedside, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Daddy needs to go tell my employer. You wait here at home for a moment, and I’ll come back to fetch you." He feared that his unexplained disappearance would give people cause to talk. Since he had injured his forehead the night before, he would use that as an excuse to return home for recovery, perhaps deceiving them. As he headed toward the door, he turned back to admonish her, "Don’t tell Auntie Qian about this, and stay put at home."

"Bang!" The courtyard door was kicked open violently. Gu Lifu looked at him with a sneer. "Old Li, where are you off to?"

Li Fu turned pale with fright, staring at Gu Lifu in a panic. Gu Lifu rolled up his sleeves. "That 'Flowery Butterfly' has formidable martial arts; I’m no match for him. But dealing with you is a sure thing. Let’s go, follow me to see the magistrate."

Li Fu backed away step by step. Ji’an clutched the door frame, trembling with terror. Gu Lifu watched Li Fu’s movements. "You colluded with a villain to harm your master. Don't do anything rash; your daughter is still young—don't ruin her."

If he hadn't said that, it might have been different, but the moment the words left his mouth, Li Fu’s expression changed, and he lunged forward with arms outstretched. Gu Lifu, having anticipated this, sneered and met him head-on. Li Fu’s hand-to-hand combat skills were meager, and he was flattened by Gu Lifu in a few moves. He struggled to rise again, but Gu Lifu raised a fist the size of a vinegar jar and swung it viciously toward his head.

Li Fu, unable to resist, closed his eyes to await death. Unexpectedly, Gu Lifu collapsed to the ground with a thud, a gaping wound slashed across his back, blood gushing from beneath him. A tall, blue-clad man stood at the gate, sheathing his steel blade. Two others stood behind him, encircling the courtyard, and the three of them watched Li Fu with cold eyes.

At the Shuntian Prefecture office, Dong Xinwu’s fingers traced lines on a map, marking it with a brush. Zhou Wei and Fang Wei walked in, and Dong greeted them, "Are you rested?"

The two nodded. Fang Wei frowned, "Master, you haven't slept again, have you?"

Dong Xinwu was still lost in thought. "Old habit," he replied casually. "I can’t sleep when there’s something on my mind." As the world’s most unique metropolis, the capital faced pressures unknown to other cities. By the end of the Jiajing era, the population had exceeded a million; such a massive concentration of people was a nightmare for law enforcement. Between the bailiffs, guards, and runners, the Shuntian Prefecture had fewer than a hundred men to handle the myriad of daily incidents, leaving them in a state of constant psychological and physical tension.

After days of non-stop pursuit and little sleep, the already gaunt little old man looked even more wretched. He motioned for them to come closer. "Tang Haiqiu has escaped. Relying on Commander Liu to search the entire city will compress his range of movement, but given the sheer size of the capital, it won't yield immediate results. Knowing Tang’s nature, if he stays hidden for a few days to recover, he is bound to stir up trouble again."

Zhou Wei smacked his lips. "Isn't that perfect? If he goes into hiding, it’s harder for us to track him. If he strikes again, we could quickly pinpoint his location."

Fang Wei smiled bitterly, "Fourth Brother, wouldn't that mean another innocent woman suffers?"

Zhou Wei scratched his head and fell silent. Dong Xinwu tapped the table. "You..." He pushed the map toward them. The two leaned in to see that it was covered in circles and marks, looking like a painted face. As they looked on in confusion, Dong continued, "I’ve marked all the locations where crimes occurred over the past five years. I’ve discovered that this person seems to operate only within the inner city. We know he has an accomplice, and that accomplice must be intimately familiar with the inner city—perhaps even a resident himself."

The two exchanged glances and looked at Dong Xinwu. Dong pulled out a dossier and handed it to them. Zhou Wei opened it to see five names, though the handwriting was crooked, messy, and scribbled.

Dong Xinwu said, "Gu Yu gave this to me an hour ago. He analyzed the case at the Prince’s mansion that day and narrowed it down to these five, though he couldn't find any flaws. He saved me the time of filtering; only three of these five have permanent residences in the inner city. You start by investigating those three. If there’s no result, we’ll consider expanding the search."

Zhou Wei sighed, "That kid is interesting. He looks dazed most of the time, but I didn't expect him to be so sharp. It’s just his handwriting... tsk, tsk, tsk..."

Fang Wei added from the side, "It looks quite similar to yours."

Dong Xinwu delivered the finishing blow, "Perhaps even worse..."

Zhou Wei grinned and pulled Fang Wei up. "Where is that kid Gu Yu? Do we need to wait for him?"

Dong Xinwu rubbed his temples with his thumbs. "I sent him to visit the mansion servant who was attacked last night, and to fill in the details of the case while he's at it." Commoners who encounter such high-intensity situations often overlook important details due to shock, so sending Gu Yu was also a way to verify the evidence.

Zhou Wei nodded, and he and Fang Wei called over the bailiffs to head out separately.