A pale fish-belly white spread across the eastern sky. Dawn was near.
Blood Ridge Black Market.
Li Manor.
An oil lamp burned in the bedroom at the back of the courtyard. Its dim light flickered in the breeze, illuminating the corpse of Li Hongxi lying on the bed.
Granny Li wore a black padded jacket and sat beside the bed, holding a handkerchief as she slowly wiped the livor mortis from Li Hongxi's body.
"Hongxi, it was Mother's carelessness. I let you suffer and fall prey to that Chen brat."
"Your mother knows right from wrong. I won't let that brat get away with it."
"I won't let him get away with it!"
Granny Li muttered ominously, yet her face showed little sorrow. She seemed neither grief-stricken nor pained by the loss of a loved one. Instead, her expression was calm.
"Don't be afraid, Hongxi. Mother's here. Everything will be all right."
Granny Li carefully wiped the livor mortis from Li Hongxi's body, then massaged her hands and feet, slowly restoring suppleness to her stiff limbs.
Before long, a series of "tap, tap, tap" footsteps sounded outside the door.
Old Master Li walked in.
A dirty-faced little girl followed him inside. She wore ragged clothes and held a skewer of candied hawthorn, munching on it contentedly.
If Chen Mo had seen the girl, he would have recognized her at once.
She was the girl who had bumped into Chen Mo when he first visited Lei Family Martial Arts School, as he was leaving.
Old Master Li stopped at the bedroom entrance and stood there without expression, grinding his teeth now and then in a most terrifying way. The little girl was entirely unfazed. She kept munching on her candied hawthorn, her big eyes fixed on Granny Li.
After a long