Fear

Li Jinbao was carried back by two constables.

To be precise, he was dragged back like a dead dog.

The beating he took at Gathering Worthies Restaurant was so severe that he lay on the ground for a full quarter of an hour before he could catch his breath.

The shopkeeper finally couldn't bear to watch any longer and sent a waiter to fetch some men to haul him home.

The Li family residence was in the west of the city, a three-courtyard compound with blue bricks, dark tiles, and two stone lions crouching at the entrance. In North-Rejecting City, this counted as a well-to-do household.

When Li Jinbao was carried into the courtyard, the first to rush out to meet him was his mother, Madam Wang.

Madam Wang was in her early fifties, dressed in a dark-brown silk jacket with a silver hairpin in her hair, looking every bit the woman of leisure. She had been sipping bird's nest soup under the veranda, but upon seeing her son being carried in, she dropped the bowl, which shattered on the ground with a loud crack.

"Bao'er! Bao'er, what happened to you?!"

She lunged forward, shoved the two constables aside, and hugged Li Jinbao while wailing.

Li Jinbao's face was covered in blood, his eyes swollen until they were mere slits, and dried blood still clung to the corners of his mouth.

Hearing his mother's voice, he struggled to open his eyes, his lips trembling as he tried to speak, but only managed a few incoherent groans.

"Who?! Who did this?!" Madam Wang shrieked, tears streaming down her face. "My poor Bao'er! Which heaven-forsaken wretch beat you like this!"

The commotion was so great that it stirred the people inside the house.

The first to emerge was his second uncle, Li Houyi, a man in his fifties with a short, stout build and a protruding belly. He ran out with his robe draped over his shoulders, and upon seeing Li Jinbao's state, he gasped.

"This... what is the meaning of this?"

His third uncle, Li Houli, followed behind. He was thinner, sported a goatee, and his eyes darted around quickly; he was clearly a shrewd man.

Finally, the clan head, Li Houde, stepped out.

He walked at a measured pace, draped in a deep gray robe, holding a coarse ceramic bowl—still maintaining his leisurely habit of sipping water. Seeing Li Jinbao, he furrowed his brows and handed the bowl to a servant nearby.

"Carry him inside," he said.

Li Jinbao was carried into the main hall and laid on a soft couch.

Madam Wang slumped beside him, crying her heart out. The second and third aunts arrived as well, crowding around and chattering incessantly. Several maidservants scurried about, some fetching water and others grabbing towels, creating a scene of total chaos.

Li Houde sat in the grand armchair, waiting for the wailing and shouting to subside slightly before asking the two constables, "What happened?"

The two constables stood at the doorway, exchanged a glance, and one of them offered a fawning smile. "Master Li, this... we aren't entirely sure ourselves. There was a disturbance at Gathering Worthies Restaurant today, so we went to check it out, and... and we found Constable Li already beaten like this. We had no choice but to bring him back first..."

Li Houde's brows furrowed even deeper. "Who beat him?"

The constable stammered, afraid to speak.

Li Jinbao managed to catch his breath at this moment, his lips trembling as he spat out a few words: "It... it was Li Jinshui..."

The main hall fell deathly silent.

Everyone stood frozen, as if struck by a paralysis spell.

Even Madam Wang's wailing stopped, and she stared blankly at her son.

The hand Li Houde used to hold his teacup paused in mid-air, his expression stiffening for a fleeting moment.

Second Uncle Li Houyi's mouth hung open, unable to close it for a long time.

Third Uncle Li Houli's eyes darted even faster, as if he were calculating something.

"You said who?" Li Houde's voice dropped low. "Li Jinshui?"

Li Jinbao nodded, but the movement tugged at his wounds, causing him to wince and groan again.

"He... he became a squad leader... a squad leader in the Third Battalion... he brought a bunch of men... they beat me... and he just stood there watching... and laughing..."

His words were fragmented, yet every syllable struck the hearts of everyone present like a heavy stone.

A squad leader.

A squad leader of the Third Battalion.

The orphan they had sold off like trash to the Death Squad Camp three months ago had become a squad leader.

Madam Wang was the first to react, and she began to howl again. "That little beast! That ungrateful wolf! We should have let him starve to death back then! Daring to hit my son, who does he think he is!"

Second Uncle Li Houyi also regained his senses and joined in the cursing. "Exactly! The Li family raised him for so many years, and this is how he repays us? Does he have no conscience at all?"

Third Uncle Li Houli did not curse; he merely watched Li Houde, waiting for him to speak.

Li Houde sat in the grand armchair, his face unreadable.

He remained silent for a long time before asking Li Jinbao, "Is he... truly a squad leader?"

Li Jinbao nodded. "I saw it with my own eyes... he had the token hanging at his waist... those men called him Squad Leader Li..."

Another silence descended.

The second aunt interjected, "So what if he's a squad leader? Our Bao'er is a constable! He's just a soldier, how dare he lay a hand on an official of the government?"

Third Uncle Li Houli sneered. "What do you know? Those soldiers, especially those from the Third Battalion, are the masters of this city. Even the prefect wouldn't dare provoke them, let alone us."

The second aunt fell silent.

Madam Wang began to wail again, "Then what are we to do? Just let him bully us like this? My Bao'er cannot have been beaten for nothing!"

Li Houde raised a hand, silencing the noise.

He looked at Li Jinbao and asked, "Did he say anything?"

Li Jinbao froze for a moment, then, as if remembering something, he shuddered all over.

"He... he said..."

"Said what?"

"He said... to tell the Clan Head not to worry about him... and that in a few days... he would come back to see us..."

The main hall fell silent once more.

This silence was colder than the one before.

Li Houde's expression finally shifted.

He remembered the look the boy had cast back at him three months ago, when two soldiers had dragged him out of the house.

"Clan Head?" the second uncle, Li Houyi, asked tentatively, "What do you suggest we do?"

Li Houde did not speak.

The third uncle, Li Houli, leaned in and lowered his voice, "Brother, this brat managed to climb from the Death Squad Camp to a squad leader in just three months; he is no ordinary person. We... we truly went too far back then. If he holds a grudge..."

He did not finish his sentence, but everyone understood the implication.

Madam Wang flew into a rage again, "Holds a grudge? What grudge does he have? We raised him all those years; who would have cared for him if his parents died? Wasn't it us? What is wrong with asking him for some silver? What is wrong with sending him to be a soldier? How does he have the face to hold a grudge?"

The second uncle chimed in, "Exactly! The brat is ungrateful!"

The third uncle sneered, "Ungrateful? What grace did you ever show him? When his parents died, did you pay for a coffin? When he was starving and digging for wild vegetables, did you give him half a bowl of porridge?"

The second uncle was choked into silence.

The third uncle turned to Li Houde, "Brother, we must think this through. That boy is a squad leader now, and he has men under his command. If he really wants revenge, we..."

He did not continue.

But everyone knew what he was going to say.

Li Jinbao lay prone on the couch; the blood on his face had been wiped away, but his features were swollen beyond recognition.

He recalled the words Li Jinshui had whispered into his ear at the Gathering Worthies Restaurant:

"These past three months, I have thought of you every single day."

He shuddered violently and suddenly grabbed his mother's hand, "Mother... he... he wants to kill me... he really wants to kill me..."

Madam Wang began to wail again.

The second uncle, Li Houyi, regained his senses and joined in the cursing, "Exactly! Our Li family raised him for so many years, and this is how he repays us? Does he have no conscience?"

The third uncle, Li Houli, did not curse; he simply watched Li Houde, waiting for him to speak.

Li Houde sat in the grand armchair, his face unreadable. He remained silent for a long time before finally speaking.

"Stop wailing." His voice was not loud, yet it suppressed Madam Wang's cries, "Take Bao'er to the clinic first."

He pointed at the second uncle, Li Houyi, "Go to the accounts and draw ten taels of silver, then hire the best bonesetter in the city. Houli, go find a carriage and help him onto it."

His two younger brothers acknowledged the order and left.

Madam Wang wanted to say more, but a single glare from Li Houde silenced her.

As Li Jinbao was being carried onto the carriage, he was still whimpering and shouting about "getting revenge."

Li Houde stood at the doorway, watching the carriage pull away, his brows knitted into a tight knot.

"Brother," the third uncle, Li Houli, said after returning from seeing them off, leaning in close, "This matter... it cannot be solved just by seeing a doctor. That boy is a man of the military camp; we cannot afford to provoke him."

Li Houde nodded. He paced the courtyard twice with his hands behind his back, then suddenly stopped.

"Tomorrow morning, I will go see the Prefect."

The third uncle was stunned, "The Prefect? Can the Prefect interfere in military camp affairs?"

"Although the Third Battalion falls under the military government, they injured an official of the yamen within the city walls, which gives the Prefect an excuse to intervene."

Li Houde said in a deep voice, "Bao'er is a yamen runner; he eats the yamen's rice. Li Jinshui beating an official is, at its core, a slap in the face to the Prefect. As long as the Prefect is willing to step in and pressure the commander of the Third Battalion to make Li Jinshui restrain himself, it should not be difficult."

The third uncle thought for a moment and nodded slowly, "That is a path. But... will the Prefect be willing to help us?"

Li Houde let out a cold laugh, "The Prefect accepted my gifts when he first took office, and I have never fallen short during the holidays over these years. Those who take from others are soft-mouthed; he will not dare refuse to help."

The third uncle let out a breath of relief and patted his elder brother's shoulder, "Very well, I will accompany you tomorrow."

Li Houde waved his hand, "No need. Too many people will only make us look guilty. I will go alone; you stay here and keep watch."

That night, the Li household was much quieter.

Madam Wang stayed by Li Jinbao's bedside and did not return, while the second uncle and his wife retired to their respective rooms.

Li Houde sat in the study for a long time, writing a formal visiting card and contemplating what to say to the Prefect tomorrow, not going to sleep until the third watch.

However, he never expected that what awaited him the next morning was not the gates of the prefectural government office, but a figure stumbling frantically into the courtyard.

At the first light of dawn, the gates of the Li family compound were pounded with a deafening roar.

"Patriarch! Patriarch! A catastrophe has occurred!"

The old gatekeeper opened the door, and a man in his thirties lunged inside, his face a blur of tears and mud, his legs shaking so violently he could barely stand.

Li Houde had just risen and was emerging from the inner courtyard draped in his robes; at the sight of this man, his heart skipped a beat.

"Li Fu? How did you—" Before Li Houde could finish, Li Fu collapsed onto his knees, wailing uncontrollably.

"Patriarch... they're gone... all of them gone... all twenty-seven members of the branch family... they're all dead..."

Li Houde's face drained of color as he grabbed Li Fu by the collar: "What did you say?!"

"Last night... last night, someone broke into the branch family's courtyard... they killed everyone they saw... men, women, old, young... not a single one was spared..." Li Fu was crying so hard he nearly choked, "I happened to go over there this morning, and it was all blood, nothing but blood, Patriarch, you must go and see..."

Li Houde released his grip, stumbling back two steps until he collided with a pillar.

At this moment, his second uncle, Li Houyi, and third uncle, Li Houli, had already been startled awake and came running out in their robes.

Upon hearing the news, the second uncle's face turned deathly pale, and the teacup in the third uncle's hand shattered against the floor.

"Who did this?!" The second uncle's voice cracked.

Li Fu trembled all over: "I... I don't know... I only just arrived this morning."

"Go!" Li Houde gritted his teeth, "Let's go see!"

The branch family's courtyard was in the southeast corner of North-Rejecting City, near the slums, a world away from the grandeur of the main Li family compound.

Li Houde led the second uncle, the third uncle, and a few brave servants, jogging the entire way. Before they even arrived, they were met with a thick, pungent stench of blood that mingled with the morning mist, clinging to their nostrils and refusing to dissipate.

Entering the courtyard, the sight before them brought everyone to a dead halt.

Li Houde's pupils contracted sharply.

The courtyard was littered with corpses strewn in every direction.

Men, women, the elderly, children—some lay across the threshold, others slumped by the well, and some were pinned directly to the wooden doors.

There were even a few human sticks; behind them lay a long, jagged trail of blood, marking where they had watched their loved ones die one by one before succumbing to their own agonizing, drawn-out deaths.

The old patriarch of the branch family, Li Houshan—a distant cousin of Li Houde—was pinned to the door by a long blade that had pierced through his chest, biting three inches deep into the wood.

His eyes were still wide open, his mouth agape as if he had tried to scream something before he died, but the sound had never escaped.

Li Houde's legs began to give way.

The second uncle, Li Houyi, was the first to break.

He bent over and vomited violently, the morning porridge spilling onto the ground, followed by bile, then dry heaves, until he finally collapsed onto the floor, trembling uncontrollably.

The third uncle, Li Houli, felt the urge to vomit as well; he covered his mouth, forcing it back down, but tears streamed down his face unabated.

It was not grief, but terror.

His teeth began to chatter, a rhythmic clicking sound like a cicada in the dead of winter.

One of the accompanying servants fainted on the spot, while another leaned against the wall, his face as white as paper, his lips purple, staring blankly at the corpses while muttering something unintelligible to himself.

Li Houde forced himself to take a step forward, his foot landing on something squelchy; looking down, he saw a severed hand, the fingers still slightly curled, the fingernails caked with blood.

His stomach churned, and he finally couldn't hold it back, turning his head to retch twice.

"Don't... don't look anymore..." His voice was so hoarse it didn't sound like his own, "Go back... everyone, get back..."

The group fled the alleyway as if running for their lives.

By the time they returned to the Li family compound, the sun had fully risen.

Sunlight shone upon the blue bricks and dark tiles, illuminating the two stone lions, yet everyone felt a chill seeping into their bones.

As soon as Li Houde entered the main hall, he slumped into the grand armchair, his hands shaking too violently to hold a teacup.

The second uncle, Li Houyi, curled up in his chair, constantly wiping the sweat from his face—cold sweat, pouring out in layers that refused to be wiped away.

The third uncle, Li Houli, paced back and forth a dozen times before suddenly stopping, staring straight at his eldest brother.

"It was him." The third uncle's voice was soft, as if afraid to disturb something, "It was Li Jinshui. He said... he said he would come back for us."

The second uncle jerked his head up: "Our... our branch family, twenty-seven people, all gone in a single night... are we next?"

His voice was shrill and grating, as if someone had him by the throat.

The third uncle ignored him, continuing to address Li Houde: "Brother, didn't you say you were going to see the prefect?"

Li Houde gave a miserable laugh, a smile uglier than tears: "See the prefect? Seventeen lives were taken last night—no, twenty-seven—and there hasn't been a whisper of movement in the city."

"People are being slaughtered in the military camp, and the government office doesn't even dare to fart. I go to the prefect? He would never offend the Third Battalion for my sake. And most importantly, we have no evidence!!!!"

The third uncle's face lost all remaining color: "No evidence? Did no one see who killed them last night?"

"Then... then what do we do?" The second uncle was practically howling, "We can't just sit here and wait to die!"

Li Houde closed his eyes.

He remembered that look the young man had cast back at them three months ago, just before he was dragged out of the house.

Back then, he hadn't taken it to heart; an orphan without a father or mother was no different from an ant to be crushed.

But that ant had now turned into a wolf, a wolf that had sharpened its teeth and tasted blood.

He snapped his eyes open, his vision filled with bloodshot veins.

"Beg for mercy," he said.

His Second Uncle and Third Uncle looked at him in unison.

"We are going to beg him." Li Houde's voice was trembling, yet every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

"Since he only killed the collateral branches and didn't come directly to our courtyard, it means he still wants to play with us. Whatever he wants, we give. If he wants silver, we give silver. If he wants kowtows, we kowtow. If he wants that life—"

He paused, glancing at his Second Uncle and Third Uncle.

"Whoever he wants, we give him."

Second Uncle's face was as pale as a corpse.

Third Uncle kept his head down, saying nothing.

The main hall remained silent for a long time.

Sunlight shone in from the doorway onto the blue brick floor, but that patch of light looked icy, like frost in the twelfth lunar month.

"We go today." Li Houde stood up; his legs were still shaking, but he gritted his teeth and stood straight. "Bring the silver, bring the gifts. I will go find him."

He said "I will go," but the conviction in his voice was gone, replaced only by the humbleness of a plea for mercy.

At that moment, a scream came from the inner courtyard—it was Madam Wang.

She had likely just heard about the collateral branches.

Then came the wailing of Li Jinbao.

None of the three men in the main hall moved.

They listened to those cries as if listening to a funeral bell that had already begun to toll.

The next day, just as the sky was beginning to brighten.

Outside the barracks of the Third Battalion in North-Rejecting City, an old man in a dark gray robe stood at the entrance, waiting to request an audience.

He waited for one hour.

Two hours.

Three hours.

The sun rose from the east to the zenith, then began to tilt toward the west.

The guards at the gate changed three times, and each time they refused to let him in, saying only, "Wait."

Deep within the barracks, Li Jinshui sat in his quarters, sharing a piece of dried meat with Er Gou.

"Squad Leader—no, Platoon Leader!" Er Gou corrected himself, grinning. "Are you really not going to see him? That old man has been standing out there for three hours."

Li Jinshui chewed the dried meat, unhurried.

"What's the rush?" he said. "Let him stand."

Outside the barracks, the sunlight slowly slanted westward.

Li Jinshui stood up, walked to the window, and took a look outside.

In the direction of the camp gate, a dusty figure was still standing there, motionless.

He watched for a moment, the corners of his mouth slowly curling into a curve.

He turned around, sat back down, and picked up another piece of dried meat.

"Wait a little longer," he said. "Let him stand a while more."

The sunlight slanted a bit further west.

Li Jinshui finished the last piece of dried meat, stood up, and straightened his clothes.

"Let's go," he said. "Time to see my dear clan leader."

He pushed open the door and walked toward the camp gate.

Behind him, Er Gou hurried to keep up.

The setting sun stretched his shadow long and thin, like a wolf slowly approaching.